Skywatch Friday... Floating stones and Hanuman in Dhanushkodi

As we drove towards Dhanushkodi beach, our drive suddenly stopped the car and asked if we wanted to see the Floating stones.. Puzzled, i looked at him and asked "what floating stones?"

Instantly he replied "madam, the ones that were used in building the bridge Ramasethu [Adam's bridge] by Rama and the monkeys. There is a Panchamuka Hanuman Temple less than 2 kms from here. I can take you there if you wish".

 

Dint need any more motivation, nodded my head and off we went to the Hanuman temple.  It is a small temple, with the image of Hanuman etched on the wall in red vermillon. The Hanuman has five faces and looks like he is standing leaning on the wall. There were a few pillars and at the base of one i spotted two large stones, on another pillar was the map of how India was back in the days and the path that Rama had taken when building the bridge. 

As you walk around the main sanctum, there is a small pit of sorts filled with water, and covered with mesh. Inside this tank, lo behold, i noticed there were a few floating stones. The priest came around and told me these were among the ones used by Rama when building the bridge and that the stones really did float. " You cant put your finger in and push them down, but they will surface within minutes, go ahead try it" he said. And much to my amazement, that is exactly what happened.

Legend has it that Rama and his army of monkeys decided to build the bridge under the guidance of Hanuman (Monkey-God) and the engineering supervision of Nala. They wrote "Rama" on the stones and used them to build the bridge over the ocean.  Apparently, even today, in Devipatnam, or Navapashanam, also by the sea, there are nine stones visible at low tide. It is believed that they were set up by Sri Rama to represent the nine planets, the Navagrahas.

The priest recommended i visit the two other temples popular around here- Sugreeva Theertham and Lakshmana Theertham...As i walked out of the Hanuman temple, i wondered if all that i had read and heard in Ramayana was real, and maybe there were more such tales hidden within the walls around us. 

For more beautiful skies, visit Skywatch Friday

Celebrating Chennai... Casino Theater

There are so many buildings that were part of my mom's life as they were growing up. One of those is Casino theater in Mount road... There were not one but 3 theaters along that single stretch of road- Casino., Gaiety and Chitra... Alas, today only Casino remains, the other two have been brought down and Chitra has become a factory while Gaiety is being transformed into a mall.. 

 

One of the early photowalks i attended began right here, and we were back here once again during a walk featured as part of the Chennai heritage... And again during the most recent Chindatripet Photowalk, i bid adieu to the group here... 

Have you seen any movies here? heard of any stories? Do share!!

Dussehra in Kullu

Interestingly, after the entire country winds up the Dussehra celebrations Kullu [also known as the Valley of 

Living Gods] comes alive with Dussehra celebrations.  The festival begins on the 10^th day of the rising moon, which falls on 'Vijay Dashmi day’ and continues for a good 7 days.  Kullu Dusshehra is a beautiful amalgamation of history, art, culture and customs.

Legend has it that it all began way back in 1637 A. D. when Raja Jagat Singh ruled the Valley. One day, the Raja upon hearing that a peasant Durga Dutt of village Tipri owned beautiful pearls wanted to get his hands on them. Durga Dutt tried to convince the Raja that the he owned no pearls, but the Raja would not hear of it.

The Raja gave him a one last chance. Durga got scared  of the Raja’s wrath and burnt his entire family in the house they lived in. He also cursed the Raja for being so cruel, this in turn led to the Raja contracting leprosy which is when he realised he was wrong to have suspected Durga.

Photo Courtesy: Abasar

Kishan Das [also known as Fuhari Baba] advised the King to install the idol of Lord Raghunath to get rid of the curse. He sent a Brahmin to steal the idol from Ayodhya and installed it in Kullu. The people of Ayodhya attempted to take Ragunath’s idol back, but it became so heavy and they were unable to take it back to Ayodhya, and surprisingly, the idol became very light when headed to Kullu. On reaching Kullu Ragunath was installed as the reigning deity of the Kullu kingdom. This is how Dussehra came to be celebrated in Kullu. On the 1^st fortnight of Ashwini month, the Raja welcomes all 365 Gods & Goddesses of the Valley to Dhalpur to perform a Yagna in Lord Raghunath's honor.

On the 1^st day- Goddess Hadimba of Manali comes down to Kullu. She is the Goddess of the royal family of Kullu. Lord Raghunath’s idol is saddled around Goddess Hadimba and they are placed in a Rath (a chariot) that has been adorned beautifully. They then wait for the signal from Mata Bhekhli, from atop the hill. All the devotees help pull the rath that has been decorated. Nearly 100 Gods and Goddesses are placed on the several palanquins and taken on procession. It is said that Gods & Goddesses have descended from Heaven to Earth.

Photo Courtesy: Creative Commons/maverickvarun

On the very last day of the festival, the chariot is taken to the banks of River Beas where grass and wood are burnt symbolizing the burning of Lanka [as told in Ramayana]. There is also the local custom of sacrificing animals that follows this ritual.

Being in Kullu during Dussehra is a surreal experience, and  shows the other side of the valley, one that not many are aware of.

This post was featured on ClubMahindra's Blog

Celebrating Chennai- Fresh catch

It was quite early in the morning and as we walked along Chindatripet, the stench of freshly caught fish hung in the air wherever we went. The lanes we turned into, the shops we visited, the temples we walked into, the smell followed us. 

As i looked around, i noticed the fish market was just a hop away, bustling with activity. Vans were going in and some were pulling out, vendors were walking out with baskets filled with different kinds of fish; some had already pulled out plastic sheets on the pavement and were sorting through the loot that would earn them their daily bread and butter, well, more like rice and sambar maybe.. And then, there was this guy standing near a bicycle, holding a fish that was nearly as tall as him. He stood grinning and beckoned us to come click. 

"Ithu innikku thaan pudichathu.... ithavida perisellam naan pathirukein"[this was caught today, and i have seen bigger ones] he boasted.

Hope he got a good price for the fish and his family enjoyed their sunday meals...