Pallikondeswarar Swamy Temple in Surutapalli

We met on Friday and during the course of the conversation my friend Ar mentioned this temple in Surutapalli and how it was very famous. I hadn't even heard of the place, leave alone the temple and so when she said "am thinking i"ll ask the husband and maybe we can do a trip there on Sunday" I shamelessly piled on and said I would like to come as well. 

Saturday night we met for dinner and that is when she announced "so tomorrow morning we will leave around 7am and go to the temple. They dropped me home and were back next morning [it did not strike us the previous night, I could have grabbed a dress and gone with them, stayed over and scooted to the temple from their home, would have saved about half an hour and some fuel]. 

Anyways, so there we were on the road getting out of the city when Ar's husband said we should stop for breakfast. We stopped at Vasantha Bhavan Express and had breakfast before getting back on the road. With our google maps on and gentle drizzle for company we rode on. There was nothing but lush greenery allong the way and what a sight it was. Infact we even laughed about how crazy it would be to just give up city life and move here, do a bit of farming and settle down. We wondered if it was indeed possible or we would go bonkers. 

Within minutes we had reached Thiruvallur and then saw the board saying "Uthukottai". We had done about 40 odd kms then, and knew we had another 20 kms to go before we saw the temple. The temple is located in Tamil Nadu- Andhra border, in Chittoor District. What is famous in this temple? It is the only temple where Lord Shiva is lying down. He is called Pallikondeswarar because of his sleeping position.  

We picked up an Archana thattu and entered the temple, the 1st shrine belonging to the Goddess Maragadamba [Goddess Parvati]. The priest told us that this is one of a kind temple where we visit the Goddess first before saying our prayers to the Lord. Infact, Pallikondeeshwarar is in a seperate temple to the right of this one. 

The garbha griha is guarded by Lord Kubera (God of wealth) with his consort Sanganidhi on left side and with his another consort Padumanidhi on the right side. The goddess inside the main shrine is sitting with Kamadhenu on one side and Karpa Viruksham on the other side. Apart from these, there are other Gods - Varasidhi Vinayaka,   Sri Venugopala Swami,Jawahar moorthy[ people who are unwell come here and offer prayers for good health], Valmiki muni, Kasi Vishwanathan with Visalakshi and others present within the inner praharam. We also saw Dakshinamoorthy with his wife Gowri [ unmarried people, those seeking children, prosperity in business pray to this lord every thursday for solution] on the outer wall of the main shrine. When you come around the Goddess' shrine, there is also the Indra's elephant Airavata sitting beside the shrine. There is also the Ekapadha Trimurthi (one foot and three forms) of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva with their Divine vehicles, the Swan, Garuda and Nandi, and Purna Pushkala Sametha Sastha here.

[Image courtesy: omnamobhagavatherudraya.wordpress.com ]

History has it that when Indra lost his kingdom and discovered that he can regain what he lost by consuming the Divine nectar a war broke out between the devas and asuras to obtain this very nectar. The two parties began churning the ocean using  the mountain  Mandramalai and Vasuki, the snake as the rope.  While they continued, Vasuki the snake began to spew poison. Lord Siva came and he gulped down the poison. This is how his throat became blue and he got the name "Neelakandan" ( neela-blue colour, kandam-throat). On seeing this, Goddess Parvati rushed and caught hold of his neck so the poison would not spread to his entire body. Shiva then became drowsy and fell asleep on Parvathi's lap. The place where he is said to have done this is called Surutapalli. And this is the only temple in the entire country where we find Lord Shiva in this position. 

Narada meanwhile being his meddlesom self spread news of this to all, and that is how the Devas, Vishnu, Brahma, and the Saptarishis came to see Lord Shiva. Nandi stood guard and prevernted them from entering the temple and so is considered important in this temple. That particular day when all the Devas, Brahma, Vishnu, Narada and Saptarishis came to see Lord Shiva was a Krishnapaksha Trayodasi. This is what we refer to as Mahapradosham day.  The nandi near the main shrine is infact called the Pradhosham Nandi and special puja is offered during Pradosham time. 

We were done with our Darshan, sat down for a few minutes and bid goodbye to the Lord and made our way back to the car. I noticed there was a wedding hall at the other end of the campus and there were 2 young couples standing near the entrance, probably waiting for a bus to take them home!! The girl looked very young, we wondered if it was child marriage. That is when I spotted the other Nandi outside. 

Skywatch Friday- Temple Towers in Goa

I was just beginning to understand what made Goa so rich in history and culture. It was my 3rd day and i waited outside the resort for the tour bus. I knew we were going to visit a few churches and temples, apart from beaches that day. The one temple that i had read about was part of the itinerary. The Shanta Durga Temple. 

The day was mighty hot and i lost count of the number of bottles of water i had gulped down. But when the bus pulled up into the parking lot, i was the first one out and off.   

 

Situated at about 33 kms from Panajim, The Shantadurga temple is home to the Goddess Durga. She is said to have mediated between Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva during their raging fight. So, in this temple she is flanked on either side by the two Gods. It was quite a walk from the parking lot to the temple, and again another short one from the entrance to the main temple premises. 

 

The Shanta Durga temple as seen from the parking lot

 

Walking barefoot, i literally trotted trying to manage the heat under my foot and the sun blazing from the sky. There was a tall tower of sorts near the main building, which is a structure i heard was common in temples in Goa [the other famous temple Sri Mangeshi Temple also bears a similar structure]. 

 The majestic 6 storeyed Deepasthamba

A man who was sitting along one of the walls saw me and took it upon himself to tell me a bit about the temple. The temple was built during the reign of Maratha ruler - Shahu Raja of Satara, who had received a request of the Naro Ram Mantri, in 1738 A.D. The shivalinga here at the temple is said to belong to the Mahajans [the community with the surname 'Vorde' who are the Kulavis]. He went on to say the temple is also called Shanteri Temple. 

The main deity in the sanctum was Goddess Shanta Durga holding 2 serpents, one in each hand [representing Vishnu and Shiva]. The original place of Shantadurga devi was at Keloshi. However, during the Portuguese inquisition of Goa, the temple was destroyed forcing the trustees of the Shanta Durga temple to take a decision to shift the main idol to Atrunja taluka for safety. 

The main temple building

    

The tower i mentioned near the entrance is the 6 storeyed Deepasthambha and a Ratha (chariot), which is found in all temples across Goa.  The temple also has a dome, which is fairly unique for Hindu Temples.  This is one of the few temples where Harijans are permitted to enter the main sanctum sanctorum.  I suddenly heard someone call out my name and realised it was time to head back to the bus. I walked down the slope towards the parking lot watching hundreds of tourists and locals march up the slope chattering away. 

 A different view of the Deepasthamba

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday- Green fields and blue skies

 

Friday is here, and i look forward to feasting on the beautiful skies shared across the blogsville... It also brings with it fond memories as i glance through some of the experiences i have gathered over the years, albeit too few to brag about... 

There are 2 friends of mine, high school gal pals who have both been wanting to visit Hampi for a while now.. Infact they were talking about the place far more than me, and it so happened i got the opportunity to travel and experience a wee bit of what Hampi has to offer.  I sure hope they make the trip before the year ends!

While in Hampi, i did manage to cross over to Anegundi and explore a few sights there as well. Going by the Coracle on the river was quite an experience in itself. I dint know swimming, water was flowing quite to the brim and the coracle looked near flat, and had people sitting across every square inch of space. But thankfully, the fear left me before reading the shore, which is what had me relaxed and looking forward to discovering some of the hidden treasures there.. 

After a hot cup of tea in a small tea shop run by a woman, i hopped into an auto, and went over to a few sights suggested by the auto driver. Enroute, there was so much greenery, it was such a pleasant journey, making me forget the blazing heat for a few moments.. 

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Birds of a feather....

During my recent trip to Hampi and Anegundi, i spotted quite a few birds.. Now i know i dont have the camera to take good pictures of these feathered friends of mine, but i did manage to get some shots.... hazy but what the heck!! :D 

Hampi is filled with water bodies, thick forests and mountains, which are perfect for birds to hide out in... We dint even have to go looking for them, the birds were there all around us.. Some looked like they were basking in the sun, while others were grazing in the paddy fields, and waiting for the odd fish to wash up in the currents in  the raging Tunga badra river.... 

 2 pied kingfishers on the wall

 1 more we saw near the water...[photoshoped by friend]

A cormoran sun bathing...

Weaver bird nests and a bird hovering about..

A shrike in the bush...

Another shrike on bush nearby, managed to get a better shot..

Another bird we spotted is a personal favorite.... and this time, we saw not one, but 7 of them that both Laakshmi and i were were wondering "whats happening"... :D 

Hoopoe....

We also managed to cross the river [in a coracle/parisal/round shaped boat] to explore Anegundi, a village known to be older than Hampi  and believed to be the mythical Kishkinda [monkey kingdom of Ramayana].. This i know cos Lakshmi was talking about it as we rode along.... 

bee eaters on a wire...How many do you spot??

A dream comes true!

Visions of towering temples

Beautiful carvings on the rocks
Rows of pillars

Gushing waters

Fascinating Sloth bears

were images that flashed through my mind when i thought of Hampi.. A destination i had been wanting to visit for almost a year now!! Kept wondering if it will ever happen and when....... Had infact made a pact with my friend A that we will visit Hampi together..

The chariot in Vittala Temple

Out of the blue, the call from Lakshmi was all it took to regain my faith in "dreams coming true"... She called to ask if i wanted to come along to Hampi with her to try out the new Jungle Lodges property -Sloth Bear Resort and explore the place. I dint need more than a minute to make up my mind and excitement rushed through me....  

 The swing hanging from the tree high above and a doll on it.. at Mango tree, Hampi

I decided to visit the place, explore as much as possible in the 2days we were there and then go back for more.. [Detailed post and pictures once i reach Chennai]

[Mosaic Monday] Burst of colours

Today, while going through my google reader, came upon a blog post titled Mosaic Monday, looked interesting and so decided to take it up and do a post of my own!!

Over the past few months, the roads have taken me in many different directions, the most memorable being the one to Madurai and Rameswaram... Madurai has many memories from my childhood days, while Rameswaram had been on my "Must visit" list for over 2yrs now!!

The temples, the beach, the place -Beautiful experience!! 

The other vacation i took was most recent, absolutely inexpensive, but most fun!! It was to my uncle's Coffee plantations in Biccode... A comfortable bus journey from Bangalore to Belur, and then a 4 wheel drive into the plantations..All we did was walk amidst tall trees, look for the elusive birds, and capture some interesting flowers and sights....

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Coromandel Coast... Mahabs!!

It was a bright cool saturday, i was all excited for i knew it was gonna be a fun weekend! my bag was packed, camera battery charged and all pepped and ready to go!!! There came the call i was waiting for -

"lets meet for lunch at 1 at New Woodlands and then can scoot from there", he said..

"Wokie dokie", i chirped... before bidding adieu to all at home and stepping out!!!

Antique car parked in New Woodlands parking lot...

As we drove along the ECR after a fun meal, the cool breeze kept us company, soothing music from the radio and our phones/ipods kept us in high spirits..!! We had no agenda, dint have any plan of any sort, but all we knew was it was going to be a good weekend...!! Woohoo... :-)

Pretty butterfly art on a rock near the toll booth on ECR

Now, have i known these looney bins long? nope... 2 of them I've known little over a year, and the 3rd, the Senor ;o) well, met him thru the other friend sometime in Aug and we just hit it off...

Where were we headed? Not far... Mahabalipuram aka Mahabs.....

 Interesting stall, dont u think?

Only smart sensible thing about this trip was Senor and moi had done a bit of research and i had called ahead to check if Golden Sun Resorts had rooms, which they claimed they did and we could just drive in, and no advance booking was required!! Oh well, we sure hoped their word was good..

 Terracotta horse standing tall outside our room

Drove on past the Golden sun, reached A2B -adyar ananda Bhavan - had a coffee and fed the kiddo some dosa... experimented some with our cameras and were on the road once more, this time back to the resort to make sure that room was available.. after a quick tour, peek a boo, we found a room.. Room 14, alas, discovered the front door wouldnt shut...up we went to Room 12, and there we found key wouldnt work in the lock.. what a bummer , right? nope, we were enjoying this!!! :D

playing around with the lights in the beach

Finally settled into Room 11, the one we saw 1st.. the french door opened out to the pool, and a few steps away was the ocean.... beautiful.... we were 3 and half happy contended souls !!

Why not check out the Shore temple? we thought and made our way out the resort towards the beach... it was nearly 7pm, dark and so couldnt shoot any pics, but the place was beautiful.. could make out the silhouette of the shore temple against the night sky...

Pathway to the ocean

The mommy and kiddo took a ride on a friendly horsey called Santhosh.. the horsey took liking to senorita, licking her hands like Floppy does to me..hehehe..following which we had a bit of adventure..Mommy discovered her phone was missing, and we set about looking for it in the beach, while a brainwave struck me and i called her number only to hear a guy's voice telling me he had the phone and had just called her home, told her mom the same thing!!

 The 3.5 stooges

Phew.. such a relief... but that kinda took the zing off the evening, and we walked back to the car park to return to the room...

Golden sun reception area

Armed with camera, and our wacko mood, we walked to the beach.. playing , cracking up, clicking pics... playing in the swing.... grooving to the romantic numbers that floated in the air... What timing- hunger bells were just about starting off in our tummies, as took us to the open air restaurant.... The buffet was what we had opted for, Rs200 per head- naan, a kebab kinda starter, couple of side dishes, rice, pappad, and curd rice with pickle were the order of the night.... lazing by the pool, just letting our thoughts flow, we were chilled out completely.....

Pic of Shore temple a friend had taken during her visit a year or so back...

We were tucked in by 9, but sleep was nowhere in sight... Senorita suggested we play cards, and that we should go buy a pack[ well, what happened there shall remain a secret, that is until any of the looneys come around reading this post....:D] ... which ended up on me, the brave one! hehe... so, out i went into the dark night to buy a pack of cards... the game began around 10, and suddenly the pros wanted one more pack, so off they went this time... we played Rummy for an hour or so... before calling it a day, or rather night and snoring away.... :-)

The next day dawned bright and early... 5.30am.. Senor and moi, took our cameras and headed off to witness the sunrise, capture the moments on our cameras... It was beautiful, breath taking and an amazing sight that never fails to leave me speechless... !!

Sunrise at Mahabs beach

Time sure flies when you are having, a phenomenon that i see happening over and over and over again!!!  it was 9 by the time we showered, and got ready to hit the road.. back to Chennai.. not before making a stop for breakfast at A2B... that place is just amazing - hot food, good quality and not very pricey... right next to the Radisson Temple Bay and walking distance from the Shore temple, it draws quite a bit of crowd...

A pic by senor...

Savoured the ride on ECR... laughing, having a good time we reached the city... That was one fun weekend... sometimes, it pays to just up and go, esp with a bunch of equally nutty adorable caring sweet nuts called friends... :) Thanks guys for yet another rocking trip!!! :)

Trying my hand at clicking diff kindsa pics with my camera!

[Next time, lets do Mahabs and actually get around to visiting the heritage sights and beaches]