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Odisha Part 1 - The Svanir Experience

Odisha is a state I have visited twice . The first time was a sponsored trip, visiting a resort to write about them, as well as some of the more popular places to visit. I wrote the required content, but never got around to writing about the trip on the blog. This May, I visited Odisha for the second time, this time with family. The timing wasn’t great – it was either raining or it was terribly hot; besides, I wasn’t in the best of health and I couldn’t quite do as much as I liked. Despite all the challenges, it was a pleasure to explore the beautiful heritage of this state, and do things I couldn’t, the first time around. There is much I want to write about – the gorgeous temples, the sculptures, the museums, the natural beauty….. and yet, as I sit down and think about where to begin, there is only one place that I want to start with – the place we stayed at, for one part of our visit – Svanir . The story begins long before our trip actually happened. As Samhith and I went back and fo...
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Navaratri Day 9 : Ramleela

Navaratri might be about the goddess, and her victory over the demon. However, the festival is also about another war - that between Rama and Ravana. Ramleela is just as important a part of our Navaratri celebration, so here is a peep into the Ramleela at Chembur...




That's Kumbhakarna in full flow, all set to enter the war...

And there is Ravana on the side, all ten heads in tow.



Here is the Ravana effigy....



Interestingly with just nine heads...



Samhith suggested that this was because Ravana would have already lost at least one of his heads by the time the effigy is burnt... Anyone have a better explanation????



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Location: Gandhi Maidan (adjacent), Mahadeo Wadi, Chembur, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400071, India

Comments

  1. NatalieGOctober 4, 2014 at 6:07 AM

    Maybe there's another one hidden under his hat?? :) I'm sure Samhith would know better than I, so I think I'll go with his theory...

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarOctober 9, 2014 at 12:26 PM

      hmm, doubtful, Natalie! I simply think they didnt notice that one of the heads had fallen off, and I suppose they thought no one would notice!

      Delete
  2. divsiOctober 10, 2014 at 7:50 PM

    Ah! There is our very own Baby Ravan :p (Thats what we call him) hehe can see him from the window :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarOctober 10, 2014 at 10:24 PM

      thats a nice name for him, divsi!!! and lucky you, to see him from your window!! btw, we should meet sometime... since i too live in chembur :)

      Delete
    2. divsiOctober 11, 2014 at 10:46 PM

      definitely! adding you up on FB :)

      Delete

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