The absence of ancient Hindu structures in Kashi is something I have always lamented about. The shrines are certainly ancient, and that is something that has always attracted me to the city. However, I miss the beauty of the ancient structures that we see at other sites. This feeling is intensified when I see marble and concrete and tiles in temples that once would have been beautifully adorned with evocative sculptures, and worn by the passage of time, touched by the hands of seekers who came before. This time , this desire to see some remnants of an ancient Hindu structure in Kashi came true when I managed to visit the Kardameshwar Temple. The Kardameshwar temple is not one of the main temples in the city. It is part of the temples on the Pancha Kroshi yatra, a pilgrimage which takes one on a circumambulatory tour of the whole city. The temple is located on the outskirts of the city, on the western bank of a tank called the Kardama Kund. The Kardameshwar temple is one of the...
The route from Almora to Jageshwar t akes us along forests of pine trees, alternated with bare rocks of all possible colours – from orange and red to yellow and grey! Needless to say, Samhith was fascinated, and we have brought back lots and lots of stones. But this post is not about them! This post is about something interesting and unexpected which we saw on the same route. We were stopping often, especially since both Samhith and I are prone to feeling nauseous on mountain routes. The only way to escape the mess of puking on the road is to play games or notice every small thing along the way, and stop when the feeling gets too bad! Well, over the years, we have learnt to pay enough attention to the road and avoid the mess! This time, our attention yielded even better results, when we spotted an ASI (Archaeological Society of India) sign on the road to Jageshwar. I immediately asked our driver what was there, and he replied, “Kuch nahin, madam. Wahan to sirf purane paintings ha...