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Odisha Part 6: The Yogini Temple of Hirapur

I fell in love with this temple the first time I set eyes on it. Back in 2017 , I had been excited to see yet another Yogini temple, when I visited Puri. The resort I was staying at (and writing for), had arranged for a car and driver to take me around. The driver was happy to take me to most of the places I wanted to go, but when it came to Hirapur, he was appalled. He knew of the temple, but had never been there. It was a tantric temple, one not visited by women, and certainly not women travelling alone. He tried to convince me not to go, but my stubbornness and persistence paid off, and he reluctantly agreed when I told him that if he didn’t take me, I would find another driver who would. All along the way, he kept going on about the sinister things that happened at the temple, the tantric rituals that were performed at night…. An Odisha brahmin who took his religious duties very seriously, to the extent of stopping the car to perform the sandhyavandam when he deemed it time, he...
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Faces in the Crowd - The man at ease, at Norbulingka

We were just entering the main complex at Norbulingka, when my eyes fell on this man....




He sat, absolutely relaxed, at peace, on a chair, his feet on the railing, keeping an eye on the visitors. We smiled and nodded at him, as we went past, and he smiled back, inclining his head slightly, just acknowledging our greeting. He was still there when we returned, and was just as still. 

It made me wonder if I could ever sit like this, so peaceful, and at ease, just watching the world go by. These days, as I rush around, with a thousand things to do, a huge event next week, this pic somehow manages to soothe me. Does it soothe you too, making you wish you could just sit still like him? Do you think you could ever be so peaceful? 

This post is part of my series on my #summertrip 2015, and I hope to take you along with me as I recount stories from my month long trip, which took me across the country. To get an idea of all the places I visited, and what you can hope to read about, click here.  
Related Posts:
  • The Himachal Series- 

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Location: Norbulingka institute, Sidhpur, Himachal Pradesh 176057, India

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