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...
Here’s another installment of the Ganeshotsav celebrations in Bombay. Yes, there has been quite a long gap, and sheer laziness has been the cause… just didn’t feel like going out, you see… However , yesterday, I felt a sudden bout of energy and decided to go along with my sister to Crawford market in search for a few things for Navaratri… thinking ahead, you see… and then we saw these beautiful Ganeshas there, so I found something to write about today…. The first Ganesha was right at the entrance to the crowded lanes known for their wholesale shops selling every kind of goods under the sun, located (of all places) in the parking lot! Take a look…. The Ganesha looks great , doesn’t he, but what’s more impressive is that the idol is 15 feet tall ! Surely the tallest Ganesha I have seen this year….. (of course, there are others even taller, but I haven’t seen them yet!!!) Just outside was this small, but beautiful idol….. As we wound our way among the crowded lanes,...