Le Jardin Botanique - French Connection And More

By Meera

---

Walking amid the quiet solitude of the Le Jardin botanique, I wondered why is that a Botanical garden was developed in Pondicherry and for what purpose? Also,  I don't how many of you are aware that the famous Hollywood production "Life of Pi" was shot in this very garden but there is no tangible evidence of the movie' shooting here.

Le Jardin Botanique

A Mesmerising Walk Amid Ancient Trees Of The French Era

By Meera

---

It was not a planned visit but roaming around the quaint colonial city of Pondicherry.  I thought of taking a peek into a garden that had literally no tourists or visitors. Now imagine my surprise of a scenario where a landmark natural heritage saw just a few local people drop in the evenings to take rest or chat with their friends without realizing the worth of the botanical garden.

Amrutheswara Temple - Stories Of Krishna And More

By Tharangini

---

Welcome to the last part of the stories from the Amrutheswara temple. Last of this series and last from me for now. All these parts put together however do not even begin to scratch the surface of everything that this temple has to offer. The secrets left to be understood and uncovered and the tiny little signature hints in each carving left to be interpreted still await the curious eyes of its visitors.  I wonder if even a 30 part series can do justice to the magnitude of elegance that has been cramped into one temple, tucked away in Southern India.

As the warm February sun was busy tanning my skin multiple times over, I ignored the sweat pouring down my back while tales of Lord Krishna's childhood kept me captivated. Starting from the very beginning...

Frame 1 -

As each child was born to Devaki and Vasudeva , a donkey positioned outside the cell would act as the   harbinger of childbirth.  The donkey was said to be sensitive enough to detect the mother in labor. Its not so subtle heralding was a signal to Kamsa, Devaki's brother,  to rush to the cell and kill the baby. This was in a bid to escape the prophecy that Devaki's eighth child would be responsible for Kamsa's death.  Better safe than sorry, Kamsa made it a point to kill every child born to his sister rather than target just the eighth one. Just as the eighth child, Krishna was born, Vasudeva prostrates before the donkey requesting it not to alert the evil king about the birth. Though I had never heard of anyone else assisting Devaki or Vasudeva with the birth, this panel seemed to be pretty packed with a whole lot of characters. Baby Krishna is next to his mother on the cot, three ladies attending to Devaki, two guards and of course  Vasudeva and the donkey. There is also a comfortable mattress that shows slight indentation under the mother and baby. That is a lot of details in a single panel.

Conservation Of The Sea Turtles

A Citizen's Yeomen Effort To Protect Sea Turtles From Poachers

By Meera

---

In our efforts to take a close peek at a sea turtle conservation centre, we managed a fleeting glimpse of the memorial to the 2004 tsunami victims. It is the nation's tribute to 50,000 people who perished in this country and it has been etched in copper and brass plates. However, we travelled along the blue coastal waters for more than 10 km, to spend a few hours at the Kosagoda turtle hatchery.

Memorial wall for Tsunami victims 

Saving Sea Turtles In A Unique Way

By Meera

---

There are some unique experiences that we cannot forget at least in our life time. My thoughts forays back frequently to a special place in my travel to the island nation that is shaped like a teardrop. This sojourn and its recollections brings me immense happiness.

For me, it was an unbelievable experience to see long trail of turtles ambling on their tiny legs to lay eggs in the nests, spread out on the beach side of Kosgoda, a village on the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka. We were staying in Hikkaduwa to see the local sights as also absorb the unique marine life.  Most of our time was spent on the beach where the water was crystal clear and people were vying with one another to see the marine world including its coral gardens by hiring glass bottomed boats or go for scuba diving or snorkeling.

Amrutheswara Temple - Stories From Ramayana -II

Rama in vanavasa and more

By Tharangini

---

It was an era without any modern technology or was it? Whatever they had was modern enough for them to come up with the most amazing story telling method. With so many nuances included into every frame of story telling, we can be teleported into their world with ease. It is not that these artisans lived during the times of Ramayana and Mahabharata. But they got their ideas and inspirations from somewhere and poured it all out on the stone so impressively.


Frame 1 -

Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are sitting in their modest accommodation in the forest. Their seat is just made up of small rocks piled together and Sita is pointing out to the golden deer, pleading with Rama and Lakshmana to get it for her. The deer of course is the demon Mareecha who has shape shifted. Yes, the same one Rama had defeated earlier. Mareecha is seen jumping teasingly and enticingly over the simple wall of their hut.

Pacchisi - A Centuries Old Historical Game

The National Game Of India Still Lives On

By Meera

---

Image Credits: Manjunath Nayak

My memories of playing homemade games is still so fresh that I feel as if I am still tucked away in the loving folds of my grandmother and sitting on her lap - playing the Chowkka-baara as we used to call it during my childhood days spent in Delhi. I am sure many one of us would have played such traditional games in our childhood which was taught to us by our grandparents.

Pacchisi mat and coins

The Beautiful Passion Flower And Mythology

The Strange Ways Of The Exotic Krishna Kamal Flowers

By Meera

---

The blooming of this passion flower has been captured on
camera by a retired Dy general manager of a bank B N Nagendra.

Along the hedgerows, on the edges of woods, in the thickets, tumbling over trellises, jumping over fences and snaking the open grounds – a strange and exotic flower when it blooms – it brings everlasting joy in one’s heart. It is called by so many names – wheel of fortune or passion flower or Krishna Kamal and even May Pop.

Amrutheswara Temple - Stories From Ramayana

By Tharangini

---

The stories from Ramayana starting before the birth of Rama to the war against Ravana sprung out in great detail from the entire southern wall of the temple. Of course a temple built over a span of 42 years cannot be studied in a couple of hours. But time was in short supply and we had more places to cover. Still here is a glimpse of some of the events through the epic, hopefully in a chronological manner.

I must admit that it took opening multiple windows on google and talking to various very surprised people about my seemingly unconnected questions, to get my facts in order before having the courage to present it here. In case I failed in the correct interpretation of some panels, then do send in the right story through the contact us form. I will correct it and due credits will be given. Now with the disclaimer done, I guess I can take you through what we saw in this incredibly beautiful temple.

Devas beseeching Lord Vishnu to take avataar on earth for fight against Ravana
and panel on right shows Vasishta advising Dasharatha
to perform 'Putrakameshti' yagna

Amrutheswara Temple

- Carvings Marinated In Inspiration And Passion

By Tharangini

---

They say you can visit a place of religious significance only if the place calls you.  When we left home that morning, visiting the Amrutheswara temple was nowhere in our list. But I guess the calling was so strong that we pulled over by the side of the road and after a 15 min discussion with our driver, we dropped all our other plans and headed towards the Amrutheswara temple in the Chikmagaluru district.

It was hardly 8 am on that Tuesday morning in February  and summer was already heralding its own arrival in no uncertain terms. Wearing black was not a good idea and I was already regretting the color of my attire. We were unsuccessfully trying to ignore the soaring temperature the day ahead had planned for us.

Amrutheswara temple

International Space Station

A Visual Treat During the Lockdown, Thanks To The Clear Skies...

By Meera

---

There are so many things one can do to spend their time productively and peacefully. Just get to your terrace as I did in the wee hours to observe a celestial event in the clear and clean skies. It was a beautiful experience to wake up on a Sunday and run up to the terrace at 5.15 when the birds were chirping and cool winds were wafting on an April summer.

ISS as seen through the naked eye

The Sambar Story - Taste Evolving From History

By Meera

---

Image Credits : Harini Karthikayan

The Tangy Spicy Sambar Hails From The Sangam Period Of Tamilakam

Those childhood memories! The hot aroma of spicy Sambar wafting from the kitchen to the courtyard still tingles in my memory as if it was yesterday. The memory of my summer holidays in Nanjangud [on the banks of River Kapila in Mysore] rushes in with great nostalgia when my great grandmother used to prepare Hulli [another version of Sambar] with all dedication and interest despite her age and bent back.

The delicious Sambar

Noni - Heralding Good Health - Part II

By Tharangini

---

A view of the greenhouse

The tour started at the greenhouse, which was lush and the uniform green had a soothing effect on the eyes. As we wandered through the greenhouse and then to the farms, Inchara introduced me to a lot of new plants, not just by name, but also by taste.  She kept feeding me leaves from various plants and I had to taste them and guess what it tasted like. She was also keenly watching my expressions, which I am sure was positively entertaining. I ate the leaves that tasted like Anise ( 'Saunf' ) and one that smelled like 'Vicks'. After a few more 'leaf tasting', we reached the young Noni trees, all having fruits in various sizes.

Noni - Heralding Good Health - Part I

By Tharangini

---

Once upon a time, long long ago, according to the Hawaiian mythology, the demigod Maui attracted the wrath of the goddess of death and was killed.  He was brought back to life after being covered with Noni leaves.

The Goddess of volcano, Pele, is said to have diverted the flow of lava to spare Noni trees.

A young Noni tree

Noni is a fruit which is also known as the Indian Mulberry. It has been around for centuries and was known as Ayushka, which means 'lifespan enhancer', in ancient India. But various foreign invasions had removed our connection with Noni. It has however found its way back again to our lands.

The Irumbai Legend Comes True In Auroville Forests

By Meera

---

Walking in the scorching heat of the Eastern Coast of  India on the outskirts of  Puducherry - I suddenly entered a ‘green oasis’ in the middle of old and ancient villages that was dusty and silent.

It was 11:30 in the morning and the East Coast Road was literally crawling with motor bikes and people honking unnecessarily when suddenly Loganathan our auto rickshaw driver took a sudden right turn into a marked dirt road.

The greening of wastelands

Hampi - Surprises At Every Turn

By Tharangini

---

The monuments of Hampi are taking a breather for the first time in a number of years. The multitudes of footfall have been replaced with silence as the whole of India is under lock-down. I could not help but wonder what if the lifelike carvings in these beautiful monuments just came out for a walk in this silence to take over their land again.

Wild imaginations aside, join me in visiting just a few of these incredible carvings on this short tour. They are from different visits and different temples but all hold the same magic.

Notice the hairband and the choker

among other accessories

Menhirs - A Revelation From The Ancient Past

By Meera

---

It is not just ancient temples or monuments but ‘simple stone structures’ from a bygone era that has fascinated me for a long time. Imagining how people lived, worked and what kind of food they ate say 3000 to 5000 years ago has been a topic for discussion with my friends.

As such the Hampi excavations and the unearthing of the most fascinating temples built by the Vijaynagar kings in Karnataka is a story to be visited any number of times. But Neolithic or megalithic structures which are disappearing due to urbanisation too makes for an interesting and fascinating account for anybody who believes that history is to be known and understood in its right perspective for us to live in the present times.

A view of the Menhir in the far corner

Itagi Mahadeva Temple - Music Set In Stone - Part II

By Tharangini

---

For those who have directly landed on this page, the post continues from the previous post. For continuity and hopefully lesser confusion, requesting you to glance there first.

The partially damaged dancing
Shiva on the ceiling

Itagi Mahadeva Temple - Music Set In Stone - Part I

By Tharangini

---

Itagi is only 7km from the Mahamaye temple in Kuknoor and it is not uncommon for those who visit the Mahamaye temple to visit the Itagi Mahadeva temple.  We were no different and followed the same trail thus reaching Itagi within 10 mins .

The chariot gets a makeover
for the festivities.

The Jagara Valley’s 400 Year Old Heritage

By Meera

---

Continued from Bhadra Forests - In Its Full Bloom

For many years now, it has been my interest and passion to see anything that is old and ancient. Old buildings, carvings, motifs, inscriptions and temples have fascinated me.  Not just these, I have made it a point to look for natural heritage too. I have always wondered as to how they have managed to survive all these years amid the ravages of  time, changing climate and last but not the least, man’s greed.

The Jagara Teak