Prayers to Lord Rama in Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram

This is a post that has been in the drafts for nearly a year now! And what a coincidence I opened it this morning to complete it. It is only fitting since today is Rama Navami and I have just returned from a trip to Sri Lanka [ a country that is filled with stories and remnants of Rama & Sita] 

A few years ago, one afternoon a friend called asking if I would like to accompany her & her family on a trip to Rameshwaram. I was thrilled and immediately said "yes". I had been dreaming of visiting Rameswaram for years, but it was just not happening. Mom & gramma told me that "Rameswaram" and "Kasi" are two places where the more you talk about going the lesser are your chances of actually going. 

So that year I had decided to stay mum about this wish of mine and see what happens. Lo Behold, the trip was actually happening! 

We took a train to Madurai and from there a cab to Rameshwaram. Friend's uncle had booked rooms at ISCKON in Rameshwaram. After a good night sleep, we were up and ready. The handbag and a bag with change of clothes. We made our way to the temple where a man met us and took us around. First was to the ocean behind the temple, where we stood while my friend did some puja with her uncle & aunt. And then they went ahead into the ocean to take the 24dips. Following them, the others did. I went with the last batch and did about 24 dips as well. The ocean surprisingly was calm and there were no waves at all. 

After this, we walked out, picking up our bags towards the Ramanathaswamy temple where we were to go around the 22 Theerthams [wells with water from certain rivers] and enjoy the bucket full of water poured on us by the men manning the wells. Phew! we were all tired by the end of it. Managed to find a place to change into dry clothes and slowly headed towards the main Sanctum. Legend has it that it is 22 because it indicates the 22 arrows in Rama's quiver.The first and major well is called Agni Theertham and the last one Ganga Theertham. 

This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is a popular pilgrimage site for Shaivites, Vaishnavites and Smarthas. The Temple is also one of the 12 Jyothirlinga temples, where God Shiva is worshipped in the form of a Jyotirlingam meaning "pillar of light". Another story goes that in Ramayana, Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu payed to Lord Shiva here to absolve any sins that he might have committed during his war against the demon king Ravana in Sri Lanka. In order to worship Lord Shiva, Rama wanted a large Shivalingam. He instructed Lord Hanuman to bring the Lingam from Himalayas. But since it took very long, Rama built a smaller one here which is the main idol worshipped till date.  

A beauty of this temple is that it has the longest corridor among all Hindu temples in the entire country!! And it is beautiful. As you walk along, you will see pillars on either side with intricate carvings and bright colours. Infact, if you are not sure of where you are going, you just might lose your way! Which did happen to us, one group was at the main gate where we had entered and the other was lost. God bless helpful Samaritans, if not for them we would have gone around in circles looking for each other!! 

  

And today is Rama Navami-  a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya of Ayodhya. Lord Rama is also said to be the 7th incarnation of the Lord Vishnu in the Dasavataram. Today at home gramma makes panagam, neer mor and offers special prayers to Lord Rama & Sita... 

To know more about this temple, visit here

Skywatch Friday ... Racing ahead

It has been a week since I got back from a relaxed break. I spent a good 5days in Kochi with a friend and her family, doing nothing but unwinding.  One evening we headed out to the club but since it was raining, there were shamianas with seats beneath them. But luckily, made another trip to the place with friend another day when the Rain Gods were taking a break, and there was just a gentle drizzle through the 1st half of the day. 

The last time I was here, the water was way below this level, and flowed down slowly. But this time, since it was monsoons and crazy rains, the water was brimming to the top and raving ahead, taking with it anything that came in its way. 

These were taken near the make shift jetty near the Navy Institute.

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday- Walk amidst the trees

A text from a friend "Girl, we are planning a tree walk on saturday with a few of my friends and our kids, coming? It is from 4-5pm in the Tree park in Kotturpuram" I instantly replied "Yep, will be there"

Armed with a bottle of water, I headed out towards the park, only to find the lot of them already out and about. I spotted them near the water pump, and a small make shift shed of sorts. My friend asked me to pull out the buckets and pot from the shed, while she took charge of pumping water. 

The kids were all between 4-10 and some had a tiny bucket with them, which they insisted on using. It was quite amusing. The park is not huge, but has quite a few trees and young saplings, and a path between for people who like to walk. Amidst these trees, we also spotted an adult male spotted deer that soon disappeared into the wilderness. Wondered where he had wandered in from. 

The adults in the group carried the big buckets, pouring into the smaller ones and guiding the kids towards the plants. It was amusing listening to them advice each other, get playful only to be pulled back by their parent. The best was when my friend's son P wanted to water the wild weeds and I told him they were wild plants that needn't be watered. He turned around and said 'but those plants also need water no, why you saying no put water on it?" I realized explaining this was going to be tricky..

Here we are teaching kids to water and take care of plants, and then we tell them certain plants dont need water.. Quite an awkward situation.. I decided to leave these tricky things to the parents  and distracted him to the spider on the lamp post. Kids being kids, got distracted and all swarmed around trying to catch a glimpse of the spider. One kid announced "let us pour water on the spider and see what happens"... Jeez, what is up with kids of today!!scary... lol... 

As we walked around, there were a few regulars who asked us if we maintain the place, or who takes care of the weeding and so on. Some came from a few kms away to walk, and said the park seemed run down over the past few weeks and wanted us to do something about it .


Sure felt good to have done this activity, and we hope to continue it for as long as possible and rope in more hands.


For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

 About the park- Source: TOI 
The transformation of this area, which was once overrun by tonnes of waste and thick vegetation, was initially carried out in 2008 by the Public Works Department with support from Nizhal, a non-government organisation.Nizhal sourced and planted 240 saplings of over 100 different species of tropical dry evergreen forests/indigenous, naturalized trees/shrubs. Students and volunteers have been helping the greening process by pumping water from the lone hand pump to water the plants and adding manure.

Bhoothathan Kettu Dam, built by the Bhoothams

Every journey we embark on has its share of surprises and adventures. This trip of mine to Kochi was no less. It was Saturday and i was busy shuttling between calls making plans to visit the Salim Ali Bird sanctuary in Thattekadu on Sunday. Vishesh, a friend of mine was coincidentally in Kochi and he mentioned another friend Binny, who was from Kochi was interested in the trip. 

There we were, standing on the banks of River Poovar when a sudden splash of water broke our reverie. There were giant fish playing around in the water, enjoying the feast of peanuts a bunch of kids were throwing at them. It was almost like a cue for us, time to leave Thattekadu and head back towards Kochi.

After a brief stop at a roadside Tea shop, we piled into the car, reminising of the birds we had sighted and how calm the place had been. Our Driver Bobby [yes, that is his name] asked if we would like to make another quick stop at "  Bhoothathan Kettu Dam". Neither Vishesh nor i had any clues of this place, but we nodded yes, especially Bobby mentioned it was only a short detour and a place worth a visit.

 

 

The place is about 10 kms from Kothamangalam town and about 50 kms from Cochin. Along the drive, our driver started giving us a brief introduction to the Dam. . It is called Bhoothathan Kettu and there is a legend that says it was built by the demons. There is a tale that goes with the Dam, though not many are sure it is what really happened. But, the small makeshift temple of sorts made with boulders on one end of the  Dam proves otherwise. We finally reached the village of Pindimana where the Dam is located.

The car pulled into the parking lot and we got out, carrying our camera, phone and water bottle towards the majestic entrance of the Dam. [It is more like a bridge with the dam on one side]. A step onto the path and we could feel the fury beneath our feet. The entire road shook against the water rushing beneath it. We quickly ran to one side of the Dam where the gates were located and saw what looked like a mini version of the Niagara Falls rushing down. We could feel the cool water on our faces and held on to the railing, for fear of slipping over the small wall. As we walked along each of the sections, the water flowing out of the gates seemed like a bunch of school kids running out of the gates once the school bell rings [a sense of madness].

Wow! What a feeling it was standing there.

The entire bridge was built beautifully, very neat, and lined with fancy looking light fittings. As we crossed the path to the other side, the water flowing out looked like it could kill [force was too high], and then within minutes it mixed with the river and calmed down. We stood there staring at the water for nearly an hour, walking from gate to gate, and catching a glimpse of what seemed like a gazillion tone of water.

The Legend..

Apparently, the natural dam like structure was entirely built by Bhoothams (Spirits, Ghosts, Demons).It is said that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi lived here. One day Shiva went into the forest to meditate saying he will return in a month, but he dint return even after 3months. When Parvathi went enquring, she was told that he was in the forest having an affair with Ganges. Getting angry, Parvathi decided take revenge against Ganges. She is said to have called on the Bhoothas requesting them to build a dam across the big river. This would change the direction of the river sweeping with it Ganga's village, Trikkariyoor. Since the Bhoothas were scared of Shiva and yet dint want to anger Parvathi, they started building the dam [with the one condition that they will build only till dawn breaks]

Shiva came to know of Parvathi's plot and decided to take matters into his own hands. He took the form of a Rooster and cock a doodle doo's announcing that Dawn had arrived. The Bhoothas instantly dropped the boulders and disappeared from the scene, leaving the dam unfinished. The people are said to have complete the dam thereon. Infact, we did notice the rougly piled on group of boulders on one end of the bridge as we walked back to the car. 

As we got back on the road towards Kochi, i could still hear the water flowing out through the gates and wondered if the Demons were still hovering over the Dam!

Into the blue waters

Oh wow, guess what? We won we won, she announced.

It was one of those SMS contests run by Airtel. I wasnt an Airtel customer back then, and so had sent in an entry through my friend A's phone. And much to our surprise we'd won the 1st prize. It was a one day all expenses paid stay at Taj Fisherman's Cove. [it has been rechristened as Vivanta by Taj Fisherman's Cove]..

She then went on to say "am thinking of giving this prize to P & C [ a couple friend of ours] since it is for 2 people.  I replied "yes" and forgot about it till a few days later. As we were winding up for the day, my friend said "C has just discovered she is pregnant and so they are not keen on taking up the one day at Fish cove, what say we take off and go?"

Whoopie, i was excited. It was the 1st time i was getting such an opportunity. Soon after, we called and booked the date, packed our bags and drove out to Fisherman's cove along ECR.

Greeted with a garland made with shells and a welcome drink, soon showed to our room. It was beautiful, the walls were Blue, with a fish painting and another landscape adorning the other wall. The room, like every other opened out to the ocean and what a view that was....

We strolled along the beach, did a bit of work out in the gym [before dinner] and enjoyed a "on the house" dinner. A night stroll and an hour or chatting up while the waves lashed made the day magical. We decided to do something fun the next day, and as promised, we did. 

The morning dawned bright and beautiful, and we were high. Enjoying the luxury, pampering and the chance to unwind, we soaked it all in. Around 11, after breakfast and some walking, we walked along the shore, further ahead where a guy jumped down from a tower of sorts and greeted us. He then took us to a catamaran and introduced us to Senthil, the guy who was going to be our guide/and saviour... :-)

 

We were gonna go on a Catamaran Ride... Took off our shoes, i removed my specs, handed over the camera, and bags to the man in the tower and headed off towards the Catamaran. With butterflies and their grandparents doing the tango in our bodies, we hopped on to the wooden plank, holding on to the rope praying we got back safe. Oh, i forgot to mention- we were wearing life jackets and Senthil promised there was nothing to fret about.

"Ya right, tell that to 2 very frightened gals, neither knew swimming".... Within minutes, we forgot our fears and were screaming away in excitment, atleast i was. The water lashed onto the catamaran, drenching us, it was cool, it was sweet and it was salty. Boy, what an experience. After about 10mins, Senthil stopped rowing, and said "This is it, Jump"

"Say what?"

"No way, i aint jumping into the ocean, what if that is the last time i see anybody... what if i jumped, and went straight in and never came up.... "

A bit of coaxing was all it took for us to slowly slide outta the catamaran into the deep ocean. Senthil gave us the rope from the boat to hold on to, and in a matter of minutes, we were floating in the ocean.

I could feel the chill from the water under me, while the Sun blazed down on my face. The only glitch was i couldnt keep my head down straight, the water would go into my ears, and that was not a pleasant feeling. I kept my neck a bit above the water, and well, did end up with a slight catch. Allowing the silence to engulf us, we got quiet, i was holding onto the rope tight and listening to Senthil talk [he was generally chatting away, letting  us know he was right there]...

Closed my eyes, and allowed myself to relax, and that was it... Time went by, and i felt like i was floating. 30 -40 mins must have passed, i opened my eyes to see the boat was well, quite a distance away and i was safe and sound.. Paddled my way back to the boat and not too gracefully jumped onto it... Phew, what an experience that was.....

The next few hours were spent talking about it, how awesome it had been and how scared i had been... Few hours went by, we were back home and slowly i noticed my face turn a deep shade of beetroot, thanks to all the sun soaking i had done... :-)

Ah, good ol memories............

PS: These photographs were taken during a recent visit to Fish cove [well, i think it was over a year ago]... This experience happened way back in 2004... :-)

Skywatch Friday- Aayi Mandapam, Pondicherry

I've lost count of the number of times i have visited this town, back in the days we used to do weekend trips, just drive down, stay with a friend, enjoy the weekend and head back to Chennai to face Monday. The most recent visit was last year- September, around my Birthday. 

I was back in this quaint French town called Pondicherry, 4hours from Chennai and a place that welcomed me with open arms every time i landed here.  Even though it was September, the sun was blazing down with glory, no consideration for us poor souls melting away here. 

Having decided to see more of Pondicherry and gain some insight into the architecture and history, i had signed up for an INTACH walk. Armed with a bottle of water, camera and thirsty soul i was ready, i walked towards the lobby to find Mr Ashok Pande waiting patiently.

 

 

Aayi Mandapam

  Two pillars within the park

We started off with a walk through the narrow lanes, most of which looked alike, with houses neatly stacked beside each other, some sporting name plates dating back to centuries gone by, while others had been restored and put to better use today. Whilst walking i mentioned the park that i kept crossing every time i went to the beach or to Mission street, it was almost like the park had to be met at every outing.  

Ashok said "worry not, we are heading there as we speak" and lo behold, there it was around the corner. It is a Government park, that was once open with no gates and through which cars could drive straight through. Now, there are iron gates that are kept shut, and cars will have to go around the park. As we walked in, i noticed the cobbled pathways and beautiful pillars. These pillars have all been brought in from ruins around the city, they looked right out of one of our temples. 

 

Aayi Mandapam from the other side, can you spot the cannon hidden amidst the plants? [bottom left]

The park is circular in shape, and standing proud right in the center was a Monument, an arch, one that was called "Aayi Mandapam". At first glance, it looked like a smaller simpler version of the Champs-Élysées[no no, not been to France, just seen enough movies to identify the landmark monument], but then upon close inspection i learnt that it has been built in the Greco-Roman architecture. The monument was erected during Napoleon III's reign [Emperor of France] . Situated right in front of the Raj Niwas, the residence of the Lieutenant Governor, the park is quite a majestic place.

When i probed further, Ashok narrated the interesting story behind the Aayi mandapam, that goes back to a  a 16th century courtesan called Aayi. Apparently, the then king was passing by her residence, and on seeing the candle flickering, he assumed it was a place of worship and walked in.  Upon realising his mistake, he begged for forgiveness and was ashamed of his action.  The lady, touched by his humbleness and she then brought down the home and in its place brought up a water reservoir.  Back in the days there was severe water scarcity in Pondicherry and it was the water from this reservoir that is said to have quenched the thirst of the Napoleon's men. When Napoleon heard the story, he took the decision to erect a monument as a tribute to Aayi and that is we know today as Aayi Mandapam or the Park Monument... 

Wow, that was quite a story. While i captured a few photographs of the place, i noticed 2 children running around the garden, with their mother screaming at them to come to her. There was another old couple sitting on the park bench, silently, as if words were no longer needed.. The park was brimming with action, and i walked around it towards the other exit looking forward to discovering more such hidden treasures in Pondicherry. 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Gandhi in Chennai

The Marina beach in Chennai is the longest beach in the country, stretching across 14kms... There is a Mahatma Gandhi's statue almost at the center, and it is a beautiful one at that....

 This photo was taken during an early morning [7am] walk along the beach with uncles and cousins.... 

There are so many statues lining the beach, hope to capture them and share them all during the coming month :)

History on the streets of Kerala

Listening to the incessant rains outside our room, the three of us lazed about, wondering if the Sun ever shone in this part of the country, and what our day was going to be like. It was the last day of our holiday, and we were in Kovalam, The Swagath Hotel.. 

After a bit of dilly dallying, we managed to get our act together, get dressed and head out towards the Padmanabaswamy Temple in Trivandrum. 

Located in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) half a km from the railway station is the 5000 year old Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Divya Desam, where the gigantic Lord Anantha Padmanabhan is seen in a Bhujanga Sayana Kolam.

As the van pulled into a lane near the temple, i noticed this water hydrant on the side walk. I had never seen one of these before in our country, and it had me curious. I asked our cab driver what it was, and what the purpose was, alas, he had no clues what it was. 

Fascinating the things you see when you are travelling.... 

Looked like it has survived quite a bit of time, the year on this thing said 1950. I wish there was someone who knew what it was and the story behind it... 

The Queen bath in Hampi

During my last day at Hampi, i wanted to visit the infamous "Royal Enclosures". As i stepped out of the car, all i saw a towering structure and scaffolding everywhere. Climbed on the small outer wall, and made my way into the campus. The sight that greeted me was overwhelming. 

It was the size of a football ground where the whole world could fit in. There were structures scattered through, some in good condition, while many were in ruins.Watching the scores of tourists rush in, make their way towards a structure towards the end , i too joined them and walked along, taking it all in.

 The stone gate structure that lay outside the Royal Enclosure

Crossing the Mahanavmi Dibba, (a 8-tiered platform where state functions and festivities were held) i came upon a long stone structure that was part of the irrigation system in Hampi.

This elevated channel  is meant for feeding water to the tank and is made of stone pieces 8 to 10 feet each joined by vertical props, also made of stone.. Curiosity got the better of me, and i went to the other side to the "Pushkarni"... 

Also called the Stepped Bath, or the Queen's bath, this is a stepped well designed for bathing. The water flows in through the stone channel into this tank.

Although i had seen a similar structure near the Vittala temple in Hampi and in Dwarasamudra- The Hulikere, this Pushkarni was just as fascinating. Giving us a glimpse of how Royal the lives of the Kings and Queens were, and the creativity and craftsmanship of the artisans, the temple tank still stands tall drowning us in its beauty....

One of the architecture marvels, the neatly arranged row of steps added to the beauty of the well.. We sat there for a while, till the Sun beat down on us forcing us to get back to the car and turn on the AC....