Dasara Goluvu is celebrated with the at home with the traditional wooden Pattada Bombe couple dolls which is widely available in Tirupati. Dasara is incomplete with the Pattada Bombe and the Kalasha along with the other wooden and clay dolls. The arrangement of dolls is widely followed even today in South Indian states Karnataka (called Dasara), Andhra (called Bommala Koluvu) and Tamil Nadu (Goluvu). The usual collection is Dashavathara, Krishna and Gopikas and a huge variety of dolls made of clay and oil painted. The famous among them is lady dancing doll with shaking head.

The tradition is to arrange the dolls from Day-1 of Dasara and worship every Goddess Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga. Dasara is concluded by Vijayadashami, the day Pandavas of Mahabharata gain victory after 18 years of exile. It is also believed that the most difficult task is easily accomplished on Vijayadashami.

I did not want to miss the tradition and bought these miniature dolls sold at Victoria Market. Victoria Market, unlike any other market, you name it, you find it. My initial plan was to buy a Japanese doll dressed in the rich Kimono. Later, I dropped the idea learning the price. Considering the space constraint at home, I decided to buy the impressive miniature dolls that are handy and those which I can take along with me to Bangalore. It was a rainy Saturday and closing time. I managed to buy 3 guitars/violin, 3 wooden kimi keychains, kittens for a decent bargain. The seller was happier to give one for free seeing my enthusiam and that made me more meery. Another shop I visited, an aborigin (natives of Australia) was selling Didgeridoo and played it upon my request, though I didn’t buy them. Its too huge to carry and play too.

Bottom Row: L->R 2 Boomerangs in background, Kittens in the basket. 5 crystal elephants, tiny gal with 2 plaits, kitten in basket.

First Row: L->R Japanese Kimmi doll, Guitar, Violin, Guitar, Japanese Kimmi doll

Second Row: L->R Australian Wildlife (Kangaroo and Koala), Didgeridoo, Places in Australia.

Mysore Dasara or rather say Melbourne Dasara or Souvenir Dasara?

CLAY wishes all its readers a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi .  The spirit of the festival can be experienced on the streets as people queue up to bring home the Ganesha. A finishing touch is applied here and there as some of the Ganeshas are covered in plastic sheets,waiting for their turn to be sold. Lining up the streets of  Bangalore and watching the traffic whiz past themare massive and minute forms of the deity gracing the crowds . Here is a photo feature capturing the essence of the festival from the  streets.

The month of fasting is nearly over and Muslims across the world are gearing up to celebrate Ramzan [also called Ramadan or Id-Ul-Fitr].  And there is no hiding that Food and Ramzan has a strong connection. Think succulent kebabs, delicious Biryani, rich curries and molten malpuas served at the best restaurants across the country and you have your excuse to dig in. Here is a heads-up on the Top 3 places across the country to visit,

Khoobani Ka Meetha

[Image courtesy Fullmeals.com]

If you have plans of visiting Mumbai, then this is the right time to go, for you are in for not only a visual treat but a gastronomic one as well. Mohammad Ali Road with its street side stalls and small hotels are overflowing with people eager to try some of the Ramzan specialities.  The kebabs [Beef and Chicken] are the show stoppers and the best ones are found at Haji Tikka, Khara Tank Road in Bhendi Bazaar.  However, if you are not the adventurous kind, then you should visit Khiri where you will find various rich meat dishes, especially beef. Another area in Mumbai that serves up quite a storm is Khau Galli in Central Mumbai, which comes alive post 9pm with streets brimming with people vying for a plate of Biryani or kebabs or the sweet dishes.

Haleem

[Image Courtesy - Zaika.net]

On the other hand, Lucknow has its pride in Tunday Kababi, a century old family-run restaurant  that dishes out plates of  Galouti kebab like nowhere else. Akbari Gate on the other hand is where you get the most divine glass of Kashmiri tea that is perfect before starting your food trail. Make sure to visit Haji Sahib’s shop for a slice of the traditional nihari and kulchha. Wait, its not over yet, you should sample the makhan malai, Lucknow’s own version of saffron-spiked ice cream before you can call it a day.

Biryani

Image Courtesy: Flickr

Ramzan is synonymous with Haleem and the best Haleem is available in Hyderabad only. Tasty and delicious Haleem here is a plate of minced meat cooked with ground wheat and oodles of butter. Pista House, near Charminar at the old City offers the 2^nd best Haleem in town. Biryani is another dish that is a must have during Ramdan season. Called Nawabi or Dum Biryani, No Eid is complete without this Biryani.  Take your pick from Lamb, Chicken or other meat, either way you are in for a treat like never before. Also order a side of mutton korma, mutton do pyaza or murgh musallam, and zafrani murgh to add to te beauty of the meal. Finish off in style with a plate of Kulfi, sheer khurma or sevayyian (which is vermicelli that has been cooked in milk topped with nuts),  khoobani ka meetha (apricots pureed cooked with sugar and topped with fresh cream) and the traditional phirni.

Kulfi

Image Courtesy: Recipes ebest

Let the celebrations begin!! Enjoy the treats no matter where you are…!!

Just like we celebrate our Birthdays, I firmly believe the City we call home also deserves one. Today is my home town, birth place Madras/Chennai’s 372^nd Birthday.

The month of August begins and the excitement mounts. I look forward to the line-up of events dedicated to Madras Day. Infact, it was only few years ago that I discovered Chennai was born on 22^nd August, 1639.

The Chariot in DakhinChitra

The Marina Beach

There are Photowalks to explore various hidden treasures in the lanes scatted around the city; and there are talks where we get to learn about the rich history, culture and art embed within.  The events are quite a treat for those who have been living here and others who are keen on learning more about this city.  A chance for us to enjoy the architecture from the years gone by, visit monuments, buildings, parks and galleries filled with information and pictures related to Chennai and of course to create our own memories..

The Santhome Church

Earlier, Chennai was where I spent my school holidays in, among family and friends, But now, it is my Home, where i know I belong! Even though I’ve been living here for over a decade, there are so many places I’ve not visited, explored or even heard of. Hmm, about time I rectified this, what say?!

The Ashtalakshmi Temple

I have been eyeing the Madras Day agenda almost daily, wondering what all I can be a part of and there are a few that have caught my attention, which have been jotted down in my Calendar.  I am definitely looking forward to the TALK: Lesser known temples of Chennai by Chitra Madhavan on 23^rd August evening [Tuesday] and the HERITAGE WALK : Meandering down Mint Street on 28^th August morning [Sunday] amongst the lot.  Oh gosh, how can I forget to mention the NATURE WALK inside the IIT Madras Campus on 27^th August morning [Saturday]?!

What are the events you are attending? Here is the link for The Madras Day Events

Let the celebrations begin!

Madras Day celebrates the birth of a settlement called Madras . On August 22,1639, it is believed that the British got a grant from the local rulers – a small strip of a fishing village , where they were allowed to build a fort and castle. The land, surrounded by rivers and sea was almost like a peninsula grew into the settlement , Madras and became slowly the headquarters of the East India Company.  The British built Fort St George there and eventually, the town evolved around it.

At the Fort Museum, one can see maps and illustrations which documents the evolution of the fort and settlement over the centuries.

The Fort initially took about 14 years to build and was designed as a squarish structure with canons in the corners

Towns evolved around the fort – a white town within the town and the Indian or Black Town outside its walls

Some of the streets and monuments are seen even till date . The St Mary’s  Church for instance is one of the oldest structures in Fort St George that you can visit even today. It is said that Robert Clive got married in this church which houses several tombs and memorials

Today Fort St George is open to the public and on the occasion of Madras Day, there are several heritage walks held in the area. It is a pleasure to walk down the streets which still bear the original names and look around some of the structures that exist still date. For more details visit the official website of the Madras Day.

Thirty kilometres inland from Byndoor on the Western coast, on top of on a spur of the Kodachadri peak on the Western Ghats, in Kollur there is a very popular temple dedicated to Mookambika Devi. The goddess is called Mookambika as she is said to have slain the demon Mookasura.

The goddess is described as in the form of a jyotirlinga incorporating both Shiva and Shakti. The panchaloha image of the goddess on Shri Chakra is stated to have been consecrated by Shri Adi Shankaracharya. The Divine Mother is said to be a manifestation of trigunas or triple forms. Around the chief shrine of Mookambika, there are many other shrines. One of them is a Panchamukhi Ganesha.

As per Wikipedia

Legend goes that a Maharishi (monk) Kola was enchanted with nature’s beauty and decided to perform a penance on a rock near the Agnitheertham. Lord Shiva, delighted with Kola, appeared before him and blessed him. The Maharishi wished for the welfare of mankind and nothing else. The Lord, happy with Kola, granted him his wish. He assured that a swayambu (autogenetic) Linga would appear for his daily worship. However, Kola wanted to worship Devi also. So, a swarna rekha (gold line) appeared on the Lingam, signifying Shakti. Thus, Shiva and Shakti are worshipped together in the Lingam. Besides this, a unique feature is that the other Gods and Goddess of the Hindu pantheon also believed to reside in aroopa (non-form) in the Linga. It is thus believed to be an abode of the entire celestial congregation.

It is believed that Adi Shankaracharya had a vision of Sri Mookambika Devi and installed the deity here. The legend goes that Adi Shankara meditated at Kodachadri hills and Devi incarnated before him asking for his wish. He revealed his wish to install the Devi idol in a place in Kerala to worship where he wanted. Devi agreed but put forward a challenge that she will follow Shankara and he should not look back till he reaches his destination. But to test Shankara, Devi deliberately stopped the voice of her anklets when they reached Kollur whereupon Shankara turned and looked back because of doubt. Devi then asked Shankara to install her vigraha, just as he sees her, at that very location in Kollur.

The road is through a densely forested area making the drive very pleasant.

Apparently it is a rich temple as is evident from a gold plated pillar outside the temple as also a Gold plated Chariot for the Goddess.

There also is a drum, fashioned from a tree trunk, that was hung with reverence to be used on special occasions.

Though this temple is in Karnataka it is considered as one of the must visit temples for Keralites, especially when the child starts getting formal education.

Having driven 830kms from Bandra we reached Murdeshwar in the evening at around 5pm.

It was a very smooth drive on the NH4 upto Hubli and then onto NH63 upto Ankola to connect NH17 which has been resurfaced and a pleasure to drive on.

We checked in at Naveen Beach Resort which as the name suggests is bang on the beach. Absorbed the beautiful sunset from the beach along with hundreds of others who had come to spend their evening out there.

Murudeshwar has the tallest Shiva idol in the world . And now there is also the tallest gopuram in the world! Both are awe inspiring. The original Shiva temple also has an amazing story to tell.

The origin of the name “Murudeshwara” dates to the time of Ramayana. The Hindu gods attained immortality and invincibility by worshipping a divine lingam called the AtmaLinga. The King of Lanka, Ravana wanted to attain immortality by obtaining the AtmaLinga. Since the AtmaLinga belonged to Lord Shiva, Ravana worshipped Shiva with devotion. Pleased by his prayers, Lord Shiva appeared before him and asked him what he wanted.

Ravana asked for the AtmaLinga and Lord Shiva agreed to grant him his wish with a condition that the Atmalinga should never be placed on the ground. If it was, it would get embedded there. Having obtained his boon, Ravana started back on his journey to Lanka.
Sage Narada, fearing that Ravana may become invincible, approached Lord Vishnu to retrieve it.

Ravana used to perform his rituals religiously in the evening. Lord Vishnu and Ganesha decided to exploit his devotion. As Ravana was nearing Gokarna, Lord Vishnu blotted the sun with his Sudarshana Chakra to make it look like evening. A Brahmin boy (Ganesha) approached Ravana, who requested him to hold the Aatmalinga until he performed his rituals.

Ravana returned to find the boy gone and the Aatmalinga on the ground. Lord Vishnu removed his Chakra, and it was daylight again. An angry Ravana tried to uproot the Aatmalinga. He threw away everything covering the Linga, including its cloth, to a placed called Mrideshwara in Kanduka-Giri (Kanduka Hill). Mrideshwara has been renamed to Murudeshwara.

This entire legend has been carved on the temple gopuram.

Murudeshwar also has an amazingly beautiful beach which has been developed as a resort with water sports.

Lost somewhere amidst the chaos of Bangalore’s IT corridor is a village called Begur

which gives the city a bit of its history. As we drive through this ancient village that dates back to the 6^th century reign of the Gangas , we see rampant construction everywhere , threatening to erase its cultural ethos . We are in search of an old inscription, which historians believe records one of the very first  mentions of  the place , “ Bengaluru , “ way back in 900 AD.bbb

As I enter the main street of the village, driving past the lake , I see the locals gathered in front of the 1000 year old Panchalingeshwara temple . A bright yellow  chariot is getting ready for a temple festival . The flower sellers  are making a brisk business , as a few devotees throng the old temple,  built during the Gangas and Chola dynasties . The oldest of the shrines is the Nageswara temple and the remaining four , Nagareshvara, Karneshvara, Choleshvara and Kalikamateshvara were added later.

We walk around the temple compound  and find several Veerakal or hero stones scattered around – some depicting scenes from chieftain Nagattara’s life and death . I learn from Girish,the head priest that one of them which documents the chieftain’s death is now in the Bangalore museum.

I look for the inscription that refers to Bangalore and find it lying in the open along with some broken hero stones. The reference to the city is however in a violent context  . Meera Iyer from INTACH, Bangalore explains, “ It speaks of a  Battle of Bengaluru fought around 900 AD which resulted in the deaths of Nagattara’s son Buttana-setti and  his ‘house-son’ Pervona-setti .” She also tells me about another inscription found near the fort that speaks of  Nagattara’s daughter who fasted to death through a Jain ritual called sallekhana .

I look for some majestic citadels ,but find the remnants of an old fort in some crumbled mud walls ,  a stone entrance with some pillars that serve as an “ adda” for the villagers , while the kids play cricket inside . Two old temples , a well and some more inscriptions and carvings contrast with the high rise constructions that seem to be coming up around the village .

I hear about a Jain Basti close by and ask the locals who give me a blank look. Finally a few people take us to a small patch of land amidst  a residential colony where a headless Teerathankara, possibly referring to Mahaveera and another idol of Parshwanatha lie in the undergrowth . We also find another  small idol in front of a house near the temple and learn that it has been around for more than 100 years.

We walk a bit more and realize that the connection between Begur and Bangalore seem to be lost in the wake of modernization that seem to rob not just Begur’s but even Bangalore’s identity and heritage .

This story was published in the author’s column, Inside Story in The Metro Plus, The Hindu

I have wanted to experience Udaipur and the Palaces around. Finally, sometime last October we made plans with my family to explore Kumbhalgarh. Its most famous for its Fort which stretches across 36 kms of the Aravali Mountains and 1100m above sea level. The wall is 2nd biggest wall in the world after The Great Wall of China ( am sure most of us dint know this ).

Well we started this journey by taking a flight to Udaipur..which is 2 hours drive from Kumbhalgarh. We had booked our stay in the Club Mahindra Kumbhalgarh resort.

Loved the drive from Udaipur airport to the resort. We drive by the so called Aravali Mountains. We were booked up in tents. The only Club Mahindra resort which gives the tent experience. It was one of its kind.

View from the resort is amazing. Surrounded by mountains..The day we reached we just lazed around. Did nothing just explored the place to its best and enjoyed the amazing food in the resort. The next day we planned to visit the Fort. The best time to go to the fort is evening as they light up the fort walls. It was so beautiful..words are less to describe them…

The view when the fort was lighted up was amazing. Couldn’t leave my camera for a minute. Daily at around 6.30pm they light up the fort.

Finally it was time to head back to the resort, have dinner and sleep off as next day we had planned out a day trip to Ranakpur Jain Temple. 2 hours drive from the resort lies this beautiful Temple. Bhagawan Adinatha resides in the amazing marbel temple.

Spell bound carvings all around. A day well spent. Drove back to the resort and indulged in some resort fun activities. The next morning was one adventure morning. Early say by 5am we were ready for Kumbhalgarh WildLife Sanctuary. Drive down the gushing forest early morning was amazing especially in a open jeep and rocky roads.

Though we couldn’t spot any animals, but the trip was worth while. We were back to the resort in time for a good breakfast and then we headed for Shrinathji temple. A 2 hrs drive from the resort. We were blessed with nice darshan of Bhagwan and was time to head back to the resort and start packing up as next day was time to head to a day trip to Udaipur and a flight in evening back home.

Went around palace of Udaipur. Beautiful is also less said for it..

The trip did end as good things do come to an end, but the memories are still floating afresh in my mind.

A place worth a second visit. Can’t wait to plan another vacation there

So, it was Malacca. A famous town in south-west Malaysia.

Come to Malacca, and the first thing besides red buildings that you’ll notice is them.

The Trishaws. Lots of them.

Colourful, interesting and entertaining. With blaring music they are heavily decorated with plastic flowers, teddy bears, dolls and such likes. They prefer to move in a group playing melodious music and hearing that from a distance you can tell they are on the move carrying a loadful of tourists.

Time around 10 PM and we were taking an after dinner stroll. The tranquil river Malacca was looking at its best like a beautiful bride with colorful lights & their reflections decorating it. Very far in the background we could see giant ‘Eye of Malacca’ taking a rest for a while.

At this hour, the traffic was reduced to minimal in this quaint UNESCO heritage town. The bridge over the river, the main junction and the streets were very brightly lit with halogen lamps. The beautiful red buildings coupled with yellow light seemed to emanate a strange serene feeling.

And then I saw him.

Going back home after a hard day’s work, head down and pulling his Trishaw.

Seeing us on the streets, he called out to know whether we would like to go for a ride. An urge to earn some more before he could call it a day, made him try his luck.

“No, thank you“. We two were better off strolling, slowly absorbing the ambience of the place.

“Only RM 60. Muzik muzik.” He spoke in broken English and stretched his hand to play music for us.

“No, thank you but can I take your picture ?”

“Only 2 Ringgit, madam“. There he was, in the dead of a night, not losing an opportunity to make money. While I acceded, I was quite impressed by the way he made the instant demand.

Trishaw is very similar to our own rickshaw but with a low floor.

At the back there is a large battery, something similar to car battery which helps playing the music system at a very loud volume and illuminating the Trishaw at night. There is also a small wooden cabinet to keep Trishaw puller’s personal belongings like hat, water bottle etc.

Generally the songs are latest popular English numbers and sometimes Bollywood Hindi songs as well.

The rates are RM 40-60 per hour per Trishaw and the music is free !

Note: Malaysian currency is Ringgit Malaysian (RM) or MYR pronounced as Rinngie. Some locals also call it Malaysian dollar.