Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out! Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, though we
The Golu at the Chembur Fine Arts is one we look forward to, every year. Not only is it huge, and the dolls are beautiful, but there is always something new and interesting to see, to appreciate. Besides, the experience is enhanced by the music, with students of the institution performing in the evenings. Here is a glimpse of this year's golu.....
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| The Main Golu... all of 15 steps! |
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| The lower steps, with the elaborate kolam |
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| A new addition... the kalasam with the coconut being extended to resemble Ganesha! |
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| Some of the impressive dolls |
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| I first thought this was Vishnu and Lakshmi on Garuda... a closer look revelaled that this was Gajendra Moksham! |
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| Samhith's favourites were of course the animals! Esp the cow, which resembles the one we have at home! |
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| The smaller Golu on the side... |
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| I loved these dolls... dressed so beautifully in costumes from various states / religions |
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| These steps had dolls of saints... including Gandhiji and Swami Vivekananda |
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| Kolam with Nava dhanyam.. nine grains |
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| A village temple scene |
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| people praying to Ganesha under a tree |
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| At the pond |
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| Snake Charmer |
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| And finally, handmade dolls depicting the story of Srinivasa Kalyanam... the marriage of Srinivasa and Padmavathi, at Tirupati |
Wow, so elaborate! Is this the biggest Golu of the ones you saw this year? It must have taken a long time to set up! The kolum is very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI am slowly learning more about various deities/gods/goddesses in the Hindu pantheon as I read your blog, Anu! :) Thanks for the detailed captions on the pictures you post.