Lord Ganesha In His Various Avatars Across The World

By Meera

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As we visit temples in South Asia or South East Asia, one thing that stands out are the various forms of Lord Ganesh . Most of them are rock cut and either in standing or sitting posture. Since he is considered as the remover of obstacles and a harbinger of wisdom and success in life, one can find his image in every known form in temples across the world. You can even find him atop volcanoes, in the middle of dense forest, near seaside, on hill tops and any place that one can think of.

He is one god who has reached the foreign shores and one can see Ganesh’s various forms in which he is worshiped. Rock cut carvings of Ganesha can be seen in many temples which are built at the base of the volcanoes.  In Bali, his images in stone and wood are so common that children sell the idols to tourists on the highway road to Denpasar.

Ganesha with a Dragon look

The Walls of Hampi

- Where More Than History Flourishes 

By Tharangini

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Thank you for joining me from part I

Painted Spurfowls

My first view of the Painted Spurfowl was after we had huffed and puffed all the way to the top of the Mathanga hill to see the sunrise, which conveniently got obscured by the clouds. But just before we began our descent we saw the Painted Spurfowl pair effortlessly sauntering  around the top, oblivious to the inhuman efforts needed by a human carrying a giant camera bag on the back. The male is true to the name with the most spectacular plumage while the female tends to merge into the background more effortlessly.  Almost always seen together, they are like an epitome of compatibility. What is their secret?

The Walls of Hampi

- Nurturing Nature Amidst The Ruins

By Tharangini

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For over eight years Hampi has enticed and woven its web of magic, mysteries and enchantment spellbindingly around me. The addiction has me craving for more and more, as each year I find myself yet again in this place, to be intoxicated with its never ending surprises. 

As much as the ruins have me under their inescapable spell,  equally enthralling is the variety of life that hides, breeds and thrives on these walls. The walls that protected empires centuries ago continue to diligently carry on their duties of protecting and safe-guarding various life forms that now call these walls a home.

Generations of  men, beasts, flora and fauna have come and gone, yet the timeless wall remains - a silent spectator  to the stories from across time. 

As a tribute, here are just a few fleeting glances at the walls that are very much alive even today with the very different kinds of lives within them. 

Hoopoe Pair

Prayagraj Khusro Bagh

– From A Tumultuous Past To A Peaceful Present

By Meera

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Walking and treading on old pathways in historical old cities, one can feel the vibes of that era that may have been joyful or tragic. One such garden in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India gives you this feeling of having lost many things in life. High walled gardens with imposing entries are very rare but this one makes you take a peek around the 40 acres of peaceful oasis that hides the tumultuous past of one family.

 

The entrance

Smooth Coated Otters - Journey To Their Abode

By Tharangini

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The morning was already well spent watching flamingos from the most scientifically and delicately balanced boat. Our weights were equally distributed and even a single untoward movement would have sent the entire boatload for a nice dip in the Tungabhadra backwaters. As the only one of the entire lot, whose swimming skills had not progressed much beyond the doggy style paddling, I think I was the bravest to undertake this adventure. But that is a story for another day.

Flamingos in Tungabhadra Backwaters

Smooth Coated Otters - The Adventure And The Sighting

By Tharangini

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Thanks for joining me here from Part I.



We were barely a few meters away from the shore when a crocodile gently broke the shimmering water and announced its presence. Its eyes and snout glimmered through the liquid gold texture surrounding it.  Bracing myself, I just managed to get a shot when I felt my feet get wet.

A Crocodile in the waters of Tungabhadta

Agrasen Ki Baoli – An Age Old Step Down The Wells Of Delhi

By Meera

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Now how did people fulfill their water needs in the dry and arid regions?  In Indian sub-continent at least, one can see a plethora of ancient reservoirs of water since the time of Dholavira or Mohenjadaro. Be its capital Delhi or the neighboring dry regions, one can see step wells (or Baolis) across the northwestern parts of India. Agrasen or Ugrasen’s Baoli is one of the most beautiful structures and today, it is a popular destination for youngsters.

Sri Chamarajeshwara Temple - Musings Of A Divine Interference

By Tharangini

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Sri Chamrajeshwara Temple
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Tamilyomen

Long long ago, roughly about a decade and half back, I used to make an annual trip with my uncle to assist with his auditing work. My work was to cross check various calculations and other data verifications, data entry etc. and my incentive was visiting a new place each year. This was much before my peruse of our history and heritage and hence the conspicuous absence of any image in this write up.

So what is this article doing in this blog?  As I sat bundled up in my jacket, staring at the pretty determined rain outside my window that was going strong since morning,  I was reminded of one of my most memorable visits to a temple during one such auditing trip.  With the lockdown having pretty much turned spotted owlets into sitting ducks, I felt it may be a good idea to share this eventful visit with you.

Bannerghatta Dolmens – The Need For Studies And Protection

By Meera

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The dating of the dolmens of Bannerghatta is a bit hazy and they are said to belong to the early Neolithic period that is 4000 to 3000 BC. It is amazing how they have survived all these years on hills that are frequented by wildlife and humans and of course, stone thieves.  On a trail across the Doddibetta hill ranges, the existence of large herbivores and carnivores can be clearly seen.

A view of more dolmens on the northern part of the hill

Bannerghatta Dolmens – The Ancient Face Of Bengaluru City

By Meera

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Searching for dolmens, menhirs and other very ancient structures has become a passion for me and Tharangini but it never struck my mind there was one in my own backyard. To my amazement, this is just about 25 kilometers from my place where once ancient people had resided and left the footprints of their existence in the nearby forests.

The first view of a Dolmen

Koodli Temple – An Ancient Story From The Verdant Malenadu

By Meera

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Situated in the heart of Malenadu, the ancient place of Koodli beckons one with its verdant paddy fields, areca nut plantations and shimmering sunsets. Driving through these regions, one soaks in the serene and hilly landscape that is teeming with water birds while in the fading light, the larks make their own songs heard mellifluously over the mesmerizing paddy fields.

En route to Koodli

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple - The Man in the Long Coat And More

By Tharangini

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Though regular pooja happens inside the temple, the work of overzealous devotees who conduct their own mini poojas on the carvings outside,  has made them red and yellow. Incense sticks were also lit up right next to these carvings. Little did they realize that though their hearts were in the right place, their actions were doing more damage than good to the temple.

One unfortunate aspect with no escape from, are vandals. With initials and proclamations of love adorning certain patches, this temple has also attracted its share of defacing. But it is certainly doing much better than the Navalinga temple at Koppal where the vandals have been a lot more destructive in their efforts.

The man in the overcoat

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple - The Jewel Of Bhadravati

By Tharangini

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After our rendezvous with Amrutheswara temple in the morning,  we reached Bhadravati by noon for a brief sojourn at the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple. The modest temple with a rich history, tucked in the center of the town was abuzz  with the footfall of the morning worshipers  when we reached there. They were trying to finish their prayers, worships,  pooja and get the blessings of the lord before the temple closed for the morning.

Front entrance to the temple

Annular Solar Eclipse – The Rare Dance Of The Ring Of Fire

By Meera

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Video Credit: Revanth Rajeev

It was the thought of ‘Ring of Fire’ that kept me awake throughout the night and I was hopeful of seeing it properly even if it was a cloudy day and the sky was not clear. Thousands of people across many cities were glued to the skies through various formats – if some were at planetariums, astrophysics centers, others congregated in small selective gatherings at river banks, educational institutions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The deadly virus did not dampen the spirits of many who managed to get a plethora of celestial images of the annular solar eclipse on June 21 from various places across India.

Konark Temple -The Intricate Designs Of Day To Day Life

By Meera

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It is not just the erotic figures that dominate the Konark temple, but the everyday life of the common man has been etched in every wall and mandap. It takes a lot of time to see this temple as right from the base of the temple to the first floor, the outer walls are covered with different kinds of carvings. Now each set of big figures are decorated and embellished by rangoli patterns.

Konark Temple – Unparalleled Carvings From An Open Society

By Meera

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Although the Konark Temple may be famous for its sundials thereby, attracting many connoisseurs to study the unique chariot wheels, there are many other aspects to this temple that one needs to study which is possible only through keen observation. The detailed description of life through its carvings on this temple is in fact, unparalleled and one cannot find such a description of  life anywhere in the world.

Konark Temple –The Mysterious Time Keeper On The Eastern Coast

By Meera

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It was more than a century ago that the workings of the sun dials, that is the stone chariot wheels of Konark Temple was discovered. It is said some yogis and sadhus were seen calculating and deciphering the sun dial but they would not reveal the actual functioning of the complicated structure. One thing which everyone knew was these wheels are sun dials and it can accurately measure time to the minute which our guide clearly did and demonstrated it to us.

Konark Temple - Tick Tocking For Centuries

By Meera

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With many monuments and temples in India lying in a state of ruin and having fallen prey to marauding invaders, looters and cultural destroyers from foreign lands since the 9th century – thousands of such heritage structures come to mind be it in Delhi, Hampi Varanasi, Srinagar or Dwarka. Some have been restored while some have been forgotten and lost forever.

Koodli - Where Tungabhadra Begins Her Journey

By Tharangini

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For part I click here.

The two trees and a shrine on the northern side of the temple

After the pooja  we stepped out through the northern door that led us to a small lawn. Two massive trees fast outgrowing the cemented seat at the base of their trunks stood there. The warriors from days of yore, immortalized in the hero stones, were resting here, weather worn and telling stories of their life and death. Those few who have the time and patience to linger a bit longer in their presence, might get to learn more about these centuries old brave-hearts who lay down their lives for various noble causes.

Koodli - The Ramesvara Temple

By Tharangini

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This was the last visit for the day. The universe has a way of bringing us to the right place at the right time, even if we are oblivious to its ways of working. This was one such visit and I was one such oblivious soul.

We were in Koodli at the Ramesvara temple, near the  point where the rivers Tunga and Bhadra join to embark on their journey together as Tungabhadra - an incredibly holy place. Also the place where people come to offer prayers and bid adieu to their loved ones. The place harboring a very different kind of energy, with Koodli literally meaning  'the confluence', the name itself says everything.

Koodli Ramesvara Temple