Where the Lord Rests-Thirumalpadi

It was 10.30am and the priest told us he'll come open the temple only after the funeral procession had gone by, which would be around 12.30 or so... Arvind then suggested we drive over to another temple, and come back here, but as we got on the road, we called the priest to reconfirm the time when he suggested we visit the Ranganatha swamy temple close by where the Lord was lying down almost like sleeping.

 

That is how we ended up at  Thirumalpadi , very close to Seeyamangalam, Vandavasi in Tiruvannamalai district. We drove by a small lane, and stopped near what looked like a priest's house. I got out of the car, went over and enquired if the priest was in. The woman who said she was the priest's wife said he'll come to the temple in a few minutes and asked us to go wait there... 

Parked the car at the foothills of the nealty laid out steps, we waited patiently.... This was a Ranganatha swamy temple that had been built during the Chola times. We were the only ones there and so got the privilege of going right inside and getting a good look at Lord Ranganatha Swamy resting... 

As we made our way around the main sanctum, it was visible that the temple has gone through many renovations. The most recent one had almost buried its antiquity, the inscriptions and sculptures aroudn the wall. 

The floor level around this beautiful temple had been raised and the floor cemented, all this burying a few rows of inscriptions. The other remaining inscriptions around the current level had been painted over.  

The Hanuman idol in this temple is facing the east, which is a rarity,said the priest. Similarly, one of the pillars inside the main sanctum had a Lakshmi Narasimha on it. He then took us around to show us the various other shrines that were in near ruin stages, home to a few bats and cobwebs. The temple had its own water resource, tucked between two small hillocks.

The view from the top  was breathtaking... All we saw were greenery, and a few small hills yonder. The day was quite hot, and so we quietly bid adieu to the priest and made our way back to Seeyamangalam wondering what other rich heritage sites were hidden away like this temple..

Calm

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Buddha

Everytime i see an image or a piece like this of Buddha, it catches my eye,stays in my mind and makes me smile!! There is something calming about Buddha.... I long to bring home a Buddha statue, just yet to find the ONE!! 

This Buddha idol i saw at Odyssey bookstore in Express Avenue when i had gone with a friend on Sunday.... Quite liked the play of colours, but dint understand why there was a strange earring with fake white stones on it... Click Click on my Blackberry i did :)

[Skywatch] History and Heritage comes alive

The Structure that is home to the Monolithic Kadalekalu Ganesha, near Virupaksha temple in Hampi... Shot this from outside the fence.


and...........

The Mahanavami Dibba in the Royal Enclosures - a platform used by the Royal family for various occasions and ceremonies... 


For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

One legged

You never know what you might see when you are out. Recently when waiting for the train at Bangalore station, i spotted this guy.. I was generally taking shots of various buildings, people, etc when i saw the crow, turned and looked back to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me or if it was for real.

This one legged crow was happily hopping from one track to the other looking for food.. dint seem to be bothered about his handicap... After a few minutes, i saw a train approaching, and kept staring at this guy to make sure he hopped away and dint get hurt... Dint realize i was holding my breathe till i saw his hop onto the next track and keep at his search.... :-) 

[Skywatch Friday] Reflections

During my recent holiday , we drove down from Allepey to the Krishnapuram Palace in Kayamkulam. This palace is said to be a replica of the Padmanabapuram palace, Trivandrum.. The palace pond had me captive.. Crystal clear waters and a lone turtle happily swimming about ... 

The Palace is a grand reflection of the Kerala style of architecture - complete with gabled roofs, narrow corridors and dormer windows. 


for more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

The Dargah ...

"Are you journalists?" 
"In which paper do you write"
'You are both travelling alone?"
were some questions that sparked off conversations, helping us kill time, making the bus journey enjoyable. 

We were back on the bus and on the road after a brief stop in Chidambaram for about an hour, just enough time to check into the hotel near the bus stand and grab a quick lunch. 


'How much further to Nagore?" i asked the man in the seat ahead of ours.
 "Another 10 mins maximum.. you are going to the Dargah?" he replied.
"Yes, sir." we replied in unison. 


Though Nagore and the Dargah had not been in our initial plan, since we were heading down that road, we decided to make a quick stop here. This was the 2nd time S and i were doing one of our up and go weekend backpacking trips... 

Destination - unknown [ we had zeroed in on Chidambaram to be our base and thought we shall wander around there... maybe as far as Veilankanni church...]

Duration of trip - 2 short days  

Agenda- None :) 

Travellers- 2 absolutely excited souls... me and S 

I was telling S -"My grandparents have been here... apparently people from all religions are welcome here and they visit here- not just for a prayer, but consider the Dargah to have special powers"  when the bus drew to a sudden halt.  Bidding good bye to our fellow passengers we spotted the colorful walls of the Dargah ahead of us just as we stepped of the bus.

A small elephant stood near the entrance blessing visitors. it had a crescent and a star on the forehead and looked no bigger than a baby.

As we walked into the  long corridor leading to the Dargah, rows of brightly lit shops caught our eye on either side of the walk way. filled with little knick knacks, toys, garlands, souvenir from the Dargah. it was quite a sight. 

Nagore One of the popular pilgrimage centres for Muslims in Tamil Nadu is the Dargah at Nagore. The tomb is more than 500 years old. It has a golden dome, flanked by five minarets. It also has a tank called Peer Kulam, which is believed to have waters with curative properties. The Kandhoori festival of the Saint, during the Islamic month of Jumad Thani (Jumad Akhir) is an important festival celebrated by people of all religions.

Situated 4 kms north of Nagapattinam, Nagore is home to the famous Dargah of Sufi Saint Hazrath Syed Shahul Hameed Quadir Wali 

Entering the Dargah, a man came towards us, and asked us to leave our bags near the door and follow him inside. Noticing the apprehension in our faces, he showed us an ID card saying he was an authorized personnel from the Dargah. guided us to a room just outside the main prayer room, and offered us a few packets and asked us to make a donation, minimum of Rs100... We were taken aback, and realized here was another way of making us part with our money... Managed to convince him we were students and offered a smaller sum and rushed to head out of the place... 

Looking for a place to pick up some water from, we looked forward to other adventures that awaited us that day.. 


photographs:
1st one taken on my N95 8GB phone
others on my canon camera[film camera :)]