Puducherry - A Tranquil Haven

Pondicherry Ashram-Tranquil retreat!

The Government Museum-A treasure trove of culture.

Majestic traditional dwelling

Splendid Colonial Architecture

We visited the Union Territory of Puducherry on our recent trip to Chennai. It is a four-hour smooth drive from the Koyambedu bus terminus in Chennai. Since it was an AC bus, the journey was very comfortable and less-crowded. The lush green palm trees and banana plantations, the thatched cottages and farmers working in their fields, made for pleasant sight-seeing. As we neared Puducherry, (curiously, all the localites still refer to it, by its former name- Pondicherry!) the vast, blue bay was visible on both sides of the highway. Many churches were visible en route.

Since it was already 2.30 p.m. when we reached our guest-house, we just spent the afternoon in having lunch and thereafter, a refreshing nap. In the evening, we walked to the bus-stand and made enquiries about sight-seeing trips that we intended to make.
The chaotic traffic and the vehicle riders who were as unruly as the riders back home in Pune, made us nostalgic. Puducherry also has a mix of the old, traditional dwellings and new, swanky buildings. Numerous temples dot the place.
We visited the Manakula Vinayagar temple and offered prayers to the majestic Lord Ganesh. The temple was being renovated and several laborers were busy painting the numerous Ganeshas on the compound’s walls, with bright-colored oil paints. Small shops outside the temple sold puja items, figurines of Lord Ganesh, bangles, etc. I bought some small Ganesh idols for my collection. Among them the unique ones were one made of wood, a fiber one, reading a book and another one with 2 heads (In front and at the back too!).
Then we visited the renowned Aurobindo Ashram. We were surprised to see just a crowded book-shop selling pictures and books of the Mother’s and Sri Aurobindo’s teachings, Sanskrit, etc., a small room filled with the pictures of the Mother and her spiritual guru, Sri Aurobindo and a courtyard with a profusion of neatly arranged potted plants with brightly colored flowers. Where was the Mother’s samadhi, we wondered!
The lady at the footwear stand told us that there was another entrance to the Ashram and samadhi and that it was the Mother’s birth anniversary that day. It was the 21st of February. We saw several people patiently waiting in a lengthy queue for tokens to enter the ashram.
The auto-driver was unscrupulous and wanted to take us to Auroville, at a distance of around 13 kms. to get Rs. 800/- from us, so he lied to us that there was nothing else to be seen at the ashram, besides what we had just seen and that the people in the queue were just waiting for food coupons. He even added that the food was bland, vegetarian fare, lest we decided to partake of it, little-knowing that we are vegetarians too! I was suspicious as I instinctively knew that so many people would definitely not wait for so long, just for food!
Then we went to the Government Museum, passing by the Governor of Puducherry’s elegant colonial mansion, surrounded by verdant trees and colorful bougainvillea. It was a delightful experience. Just at its entrance, is an ancient fossil-wood trunk that is a million years old! We saw a wonderful, priceless collection of ancient coins, statues, quaint means of transportation in the bygone 19th century, geological specimens of rocks and shells, antique furniture, etc. When we emerged outside, the watchman informed us that we could click snaps of the Museum’s exteriors. We clicked several snaps of the lush vegetation there as well as the sculptures of various Gods, aesthetically enhancing the tiny garden.
The auto-driver asked us to buck up. We coolly told him to drop us off at our guest-house and paid him Rs. 300/- the agreed amount. He was crest-fallen and tried to persuade us to change our mind and go to Auroville. Since we were convinced that he was unscrupulous, we didn’t relent.
In the evening, I felt restless and told my husband that we’d make another trip to the ashram. We had missed out on the real experience, my intuition told me! Again we hailed an auto and went there. We joined the queue for the token, waited for nearly two hours and finally joined another queue leading into the ashram. Volunteers clad in white, ushered us in. I told one volunteer that the token-system was flawed as people were jumping the queue and the person handing out tokens was giving those people preference. He made a note of it.
I asked him whether there was such a huge rush everyday. He informed us that the Mother’s personal quarters inside the ashram were opened to the public only on the Mother’s birth anniversary, 15th August or on one’s birthday. Only pass-holders are allowed in on other days. We were pleased as punch. We were going to have darshan of the benign Mother’s samadhi, her personal quarters and belongings on her birthday! Boy! Was I glad to have followed my hunch!
Again we waited for an hour to go in, as people were allowed in, only in batches of around 100. We patiently sat on the carpets on the ground, quietly meditating. Silence was compulsory and cell-phones had to be switched off. Some tourists were viewing messages on their mobiles and some were talking in hushed whispers, but by and large, people were silently meditating, thanks to the volunteers hovering there.
We saw the quarters housed in that majestic colonial edifice, and her belongings, covered in pristine white satin. The rooms were fragrant with incense. There was total silence and the fragrance of the Divine Mother engulfed us. We could feel her presence around us. We silently offered prayers to her, offered donations in the box placed there and walked down the wooden steps to her samadhi. It was a huge block of white marble covered with flowers and incense-sticks. We knelt down and touched the samadhi with our foreheads. Then we meditated in front of the samadhi. It was a very surreal experience.

To be continued.....

The copyright of this travelogue is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Sripuram Laxmi Narayani Golden Temple – An architectural marvel

A chance surfing through the internet for visiting interesting places around Chennai led me to the Sripuram Golden temple. We had earlier been to the Golden temple at Amritsar, called the Harmandir Sahib. Now my curiosity peaked and as I researched further, I resolved to definitely visit this modern-age splendor during my Chennai visit.
As we traveled from Koyambedu Bus Terminus to Vellore, for nearly three and a half hours, we passed by verdant greenery of the country-side with tall palm trees, banana cultivations, hills and thatched houses. We passed by the Sri Rajiv Gandhi Smarak at Sriperumbudur, where the former Prime Minister of India was brutally assassinated. Now a memorial with 4 tall pillars capped with our National Emblem of four lions; and a huge tricolor, our National Flag, stand testimony to his memory. We said silent prayers for the departed soul.
When we reached Vellore, we had to again board a special bus going to the temple at Sripuram, which is around 8 kms. away. The fare per head was Rs. 10/- only.
Set amidst 100 acres of lush-green, manicured, landscaped lawns and flowering bushes, ringed in the distance by hills, cascading fountains, with life-size sculptures of the Dashavatars of Lord Vishnu, Goddesses and sages, the Golden temple glitters brightly in the bright morning sunlight and dazzles you. It's a pity that photography is strictly prohibited! Here all that glitters is pure, solid gold! 1500 kilos of gold went into the making of this temple and the main idol of Goddess Laxmi itself weighs 70 kgs. of gold.
The serene surroundings and the ornate arches on flat steps leading to the temple, give a surreal effect. I felt as though I had inadvertently stepped onto some South-Indian movie’s elaborate set. Only this was a permanent one! It is said that the illumination in the evenings is worth a watch; hence I mentally made a note for the next time that we visited that temple.
The temple has been constructed in 2009. It lies exactly in the centre of a star-shaped area, known as the Divine yantra. Of course, this view will be visible only aerially. The founder is a young seer named Sri Sakthi Amma.
. Under the aegis of his Trust, lots of welfare activities are conducted for the needy people. Even the special darshan charges at the temple go into the Trust’s funds. The temple is spic and span and has a marble-paved walk-way all around it, which is sheltered from the sun appropriately, with arched sheds. One may even sit down on the marble seats running the entire length of this long walk-way. Stalls sell the religious paraphernalia, bottled-water, snacks, etc.
The devotees have to deposit all their belongings at the Cloak room and separate receipts are issued for footwear, mobiles/cameras and bags. Only small purses may be carried in. Clean toilets are a boon.
The only minus point is the hefty charge of Rs. 250/- per person, for Special Entry Pass. Those who opt for ordinary darshan are made to wait and stand, till the aarti is performed in front of those sitting with Special passes. They are also given a free kit containing a booklet with info about the temple and the Trust, pictures of the temple and a laminated photo of the Goddess, a packet of kumkum, prasad of coconut barfi and a sacred thread. To save time, we had bought the passes.
As we waited for the diety to be unveiled, I observed the ceiling and walls, rich with carvings etched in gold. The huge chandeliers sparkled in multi-colored rays. All around the temple runs a tank of water, into which devotees had showered coins with prayers (though it is prohibited!) Golden elephants shower jets of water into the tank. The reflection of the temple in the tank’s glittering waters was beautiful.
The idol is breath-taking and we watched mesmerized, taking in all the details, as the aarti was performed by the priests. I prayed to the Goddess to be with the rich and poor alike, thinking of all those who were watching the aarti with aching legs.
A life-sized, silver statue of the Kamadhenu cow was another highlight there.
While returning, I purchased a small combined figurine of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Laxmi, in a standing pose. We met a family from Malaysia who were relaxing after the darshan. We chatted and I requested for some small currency coins for my collection. The gentleman amazed me by giving the equivalent of one Malaysian dollar, to which his Dad added some small cents. We promised to keep in touch through the internet. He remarked wistfully that Indians looked very happy and relaxed as compared to the Malaysians who were workaholics. I told him that we were contented with our lot and didn’t hanker for more!
We returned with lots of happy memories and positive vibes. Through the dazzle, the Goddess’s benevolence shone through and made our day!
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The copyright of this travelogue is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Happy Birthday, My Dear Ramesh!

May the rays of the rising sun
Cast their magic spell on you
May all your dreams and desires
Materialize, just as wished by you!
May the wand of luck, fame and fortune
Touch you and so transform you
That you’ll be thrilled and touched!
May your family, relatives and friends
Always keep caring for you
May you always remember that you are mortal
And carry on your good work, (so typical of you!)
Pray that luck, fame and fortune
Don’t go to your head
May you always remain sweet, innocent, simple
‘cause that’s only why I love you!
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The copyright of this poem is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Kanchipuram - A Divine Tapestry

The unique sheltered Nandi!

The Splendid Kanchi Kamakshi Temple

The legend of Kanchi Kamakshi Amman!

The imposing Varadaraja Perumal Temple!

Heritage structure - Vaikuntha Perumal Temple

The desire to visit the Kanchi

Kamakshi Amman temple and the lure of owning an authentic Kanjivaram sari drew me to Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram is a small town, one and a half hour’s drive away from Chennai. The main attractions here are the temples dedicated to Goddess Parvati (Kamakshi Amman temple- a Shakti Peeth), Lord Shiva (Egambareeswarar temple), Lord Vishnu (Vaikuntha Perumal temple) and the Lord Vishnu (Narasimhan), (Varadharaja Perumal temple).
The ‘golden lizard’ in the last temple eluded us as no one guided us properly.
Legends say that Goddess Kamakshi worshipped a Shivalingam under a mango tree and was rewarded with marriage to her consort Lord Shiva; and also that Adi Sankaracharya enabled the unique, meditative representation of the Goddess here, by placing a divine Chakra before the idol
Though it was Maha Shivaratri, the temples weren’t very crowded. We managed to see three temples in the morning. The temples in Chennai generally close at 12.30 p.m. and re-open at 4.30 p.m. Hence we had to wait till 4.30 p.m. to visit the Vaikuntha Perumal temple. So we visited the sari shops for the traditional, patented, handloom Kanjivaram silk saris.
After nerve-wracking selection (and haggling), as all the saris were equally enticing, I zeroed in on 3 saris. We had made some acquaintances in the Chennai Express, on our way to Chennai, who fortunately turned out to be sari-shop owners in Kanchipuram. Armed with their visiting card, we landed in their shop, much to their delight! Again, I purchased 2 lovely saris. Apart from two for myself, the rest were for my family members. Meanwhile my husband was becoming restless, owing to hunger pangs!
We had lunch at a restaurant that served authentic, three-course, South-Indian meals on banana leaves. We treated the auto-driver to lunch. Alas, I could only eat curd-rice, my staple lunch in my sight-seeing jaunts, thanks to a delicate tummy!
The auto-driver then pocketed his fare and showed us the Vaikuntha Perumal temple, a heritage structure, from afar. More than 2 hours remained, for it to open. We wandered around and bought 3 Tamil DVDs, reasonably priced at Rs. 30/- apiece, from a shop. Then I bought some beautiful metal and acrylic bangles. The wait for the darshan of the Lord was proving to be expensive! Tactfully, my husband suggested that we should start walking towards the temple, as it would be opening shortly.
Again, we had to wait for 2 hours, till the pujari finally made his way there, at 5.30 p.m. I explored the temple’s surroundings and captured some splendid shots of the lion-pillars and carvings on its inner walls. By then, two groups of visitors had come and left, without darshan as the pujari had the key to the sanctum-sanctorum.
My patience paid off! When we paid obeisance to the beautiful idols of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi, I was moved immeasurably. We started our return journey to Chennai, watching illuminated floats of Lord Nataraja and Goddess Durga, in street processions, en route. We felt truly blessed.
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The copyright of this travelogue and photographs is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Chennai – A blend of the modern and the traditional

The Ashtalaxmi Temple

Historic Fort George

The Stately Government Museum

The Colossal Thiruvalluvar Kottam

Asia's Longest Beach-Marina Beach

Recently, we visited the metropolitan city, Chennai. We were totally enamored by its wide roads, orderly traffic, cleanliness and efficient public transport system. There are very few private travel operators as the Corporation’s buses run regularly and at great frequency, within the city’s limits and also to its mofussil areas.

Since our guest-house was located right near the Parry’s bus depot, it was very convenient for us to go to Koyambedu for the CMBT (Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus) for our sight-seeing trips around Chennai. This 45 minutes’ ride was itself thoroughly enjoyable, as we passed by heritage structures like the Chennai railway Station, Rippon building, etc. The ride over the heritage Harris bridge and with a view of a small island with a huge tree on it in-between a placid lake, was out of this world!
Then we rode over spiraling flyovers deftly constructed for the smooth one-way movement of traffic. We felt as if we were on a roller-coaster ride! The absence of unruly riders, traffic snarls and jams made it a dream ride. We noticed that unlike Pune, there were very few two-wheeler riders in Chennai; thanks to its superb public transport machinery.
The CMBT stand was just too good to be true! An ISO certified Bus Terminus is possible, I realized, only when I saw this certified Depot. The vast, clean and swanky waiting area, with authorized stalls, restaurant, seats, fans, clean toilets and drinking water facilities overwhelmed us. There was a pre-paid auto booth at its entrance and police on duty to handle any enquiries. Stalls sold the subsidized mineral water branded under the former Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s name as Amma mineral water, for just Rs. 10/- . When we entered the Terminus, we saw a counter manned by Health Personnel who attended to needs of the passengers who could need medical aid. This service and medicines were provided free of cost. A security officer was monitoring a dozen monitors of CCTVs, in a booth. Lady police constables constantly shooed away the beggars and vagabonds out of the premises.
A huge, decorated kiosk with a life-size cut-out of the former Chief Minister’s photo beamed at us. It contained the photos and video of her implementing various welfare schemes for the needy people of Tamil-Nadu, such as providing things, cows, etc.
A Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation’s (TTDC) Office was situated behind the kiosk from where we obtained pamphlets regarding the sight-seeing tours conducted by TTDC and also the tariff rates of various TTDC hotels.
Wherever places had been dug up for the Chennai Metro, the areas were neatly demarcated with tin sheets on which strings of lights served as warnings for motorists, in the dark. No rubble lay around.
We noticed that all the buses had their destinations marked only in Tamil, which could be troublesome for non-Tamilians. Women safely commuted, wearing loads of gold ornaments! However, the unscrupulous auto-drivers were a bane!
We saw the Ashta Laxmi temple, with various forms of the Goddess on two levels. The stone-hewn idols were benign and beautiful. Then we saw the Parthasarathy temple dedicated to the Lord Krishna and Lord Balaji with his two consorts. This temple was also ISO certified.
The half-day’s sightseeing tour of Chennai that we had booked, was a whirlwind tour of all the must-see attractions like the historic Fort George, the first Fort constructed by the British in India; that housed a museum, the Government Museum with priceless antique sculptures; the profusely carved Thiruvalluvar Kottam, dedicated to the memory of the poet-saint Thiruvalluvar; the snake park at Guindy, with its collection of reptiles; the Padmanabhaswamy temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu reclining on Sheshnag with Goddess Laxmi beside; and lastly, the famed Marina beach, Asia’s longest beach. There, horse-borne policemen patrolled its shores. We watched the milky waves lashing against the beach with awe.
Later, we visited the Kapaleeshwar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Peace permeated us and our Chennai sight-seeing ended on a blissful note.
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The copyright of this travelogue and photographs is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Women's Day

Do we need a Women’s Day
To celebrate our womanhood?
‘cause don’t we represent all that’s good?
We’d celebrate every day as Women’s Day
Only if we could, only if we could
Make men understand and realize
That we represent all that’s good and nice.
We are the salt as well as the spice
And the sugar that makes men, oh so nice!

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The copyright of this poem is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - A Pilgrimage Beyond Compare!

Ashta Vinayak Glory

 
We recently undertook a pilgrimage to Ashta Vinayak. It was a 2-day, one night journey. Braving the wintry chill, we set off at 7 a.m. by bus. The first stop was at Morgaon, for darshan of the Lord Mayureshwar, as Lord Ganpati is known here. The idol has the Naga Raja’s hood on its head. It is believed that Lord Brahma had constructed this temple. Legend says that Lord Ganesh, as Mayureshwar (Moresh) or the peacock-rider, vanquished the asura Sindhu, after entreaties by all the Gods. The temple’s Mughal architecture is distinct. A Nandi sitting in front of the temple’s entrance is unique, as this is found only in front of Lord Shiva’s temples.
We had a plate of hot vegetable pohe and tea for breakfast and then set off for Siddhivinayak darshan at Siddhatek, near Daund. God Vishnu supposedly vanquished the asuras Madhu and Kaitabh after propitiating Ganesha here. This Ganapati has his trunk pointing towards the right, hence is known as Siddhivinayak. Devotees can complete the 5 kms. Pradakshina, only by circumambulating the hill.

When we had earlier visited this temple, we had crossed the swollen Bhima river in a row-boat. But now a bridge over the river has made it possible for the bus to directly reach near the temple and cut down the journey time.

Our co-passengers broke juicy, sour tamarinds from the trees and distributed them. After a delicious buffet lunch at a restaurant there, we proceeded further to Theur.
The Chintamani Ganapati of Theur is believed to relieve all the devotees from their worries. The wooden temple has a small stone fountain inside it. A huge paved courtyard, an enormous bell and a Shiva temple, are the other attractions here. It is believed that the Lord retrieved the precious Chintamani jewel from Guna, for Sage Kapila, here. In return, the Sage garlanded him with the jewel and named him as Chintamani Vinayak.

The last Ganapati darshan for that day was of the huge Ranjangaon Ganapati known as Maha Ganapati. This Ganapati had aided Lord Shiva in fighting the demon Tripurasura. This idol is believed to have 10 hands and 20 trunks. The sun’s rays fall directly on the idol, at a particular time of the day.

The awesome entrance arch of the Ranjangaon Temple

Security being strict, none of the pilgrims was allowed to carry anything inside the temple. Hence we visited the temple by turns.

Then we went to Lenyadri, watching the movie “Oh My God” enroute; again had a sumptuous buffet dinner and spent the night at the Lenyadri Ganapati Devasthan Trust’s lodgings. The room was very neat, with clean bed-sheets, pillows and blankets. The attached toilet - cum- bathroom was also spic and span.

Next morning at 5.30 a.m., we had tea and started climbing the steep 283 steps to the Lenyadri, the 3rd century, Buddhist-cave shrine of Girijatmaja Ganapati. The idol is carved on the stone wall of the cave and faces eastward, with its trunk turned to the left, with Lord Shiva and Hanuman on either side. Legend has it that Goddess Parvati created her son Ganapati by bringing a mud idol to life there. Lord Ganapati had supposedly spent his childhood days there.
                                                                                              

The steep climb to the cave-shrine at Lenyadri

We saw the glorious sunrise with a panoramic view of the surroundings from the temple’s precincts. We participated in the 7 a.m. aarti, clicked photos of the 6 stone pillars, with carvings of cows, elephants, etc. and started descending.

A huge horde of monkeys was making its presence felt there. One huge monkey leapt at me and vigorously tugged my carry-bag, denting it. As my husband shooed it off, it retreated reluctantly. A baby monkey clambered on to a man’s back and sat cutely on his head. That man didn’t seem to mind it! We warily descended the hill.
We had a breakfast of piping hot upma and tea at the same restaurant where we had had dinner, shopped for collectibles and resumed our pilgrimage to Ozhar.

The Vighnaharta/Vigneshwara Ganapati of Ozhar relieves one of all the obstacles in one’s life. Lord Ganesha killed a demon named Vighnasur, hence the name. The idol has gems for its eyes, on its forehead and in its navel. Brass statues of His divine consorts Riddhi and Siddhi flank the idol. The temple, with its gold dome, twin deepastambhs (stone pillars for holding oil lamps) and two life-sized, stone-carved, dwarapalas (guards); is awesome.

Behind the temple, was a huge lake. It appeared misty and tranquil. As there wasn’t any time for boating, we started for Mahad.

Mahad, is very far, about 200 kms. from Ozhar. It was a 4- hour journey to this place in Raigad district. En route, we saw fresh sugarcane crop being harvested and ferried for crushing by trucks, tractors and bullock-carts. The cleaner of our bus adeptly pulled some sugar-cane from the passing vehicles and gave them to some passengers (who had strong teeth!).

The magnificent entrance to the Ozar temple

We passed by horticulture farms. The farmers were busy in their fields as we feasted our eyes on the lush greenery all around. Nature was kind to this part of the state, it seemed, as abundant water was visible in the water-bodies there.

The serene lake behind the Ozar temple

The elongated idol of Varada Vinayak at Mahad is benign and this is the only Ganapati in this yatra that can be touched by the pilgrims. We can personally offer garlands and flowers here. This idol is swayambhu and had emerged from a pond behind the temple.

Then it was time for the last of the Ashta Vinayaks, the Ballaleshwar temple at Pali. This is the only Ashta Vinayak Ganapati named after an ardent devotee of the Lord. The idol in this temple is attired in traditional clothes, as he appeared to Ballal, in the form of a Brahmin. The prasad offered here is besan laddu, instead of the customary modak. The Dhundivinayak Ganapati must be visited before the Ballaleshwar Ganapati, as per tradition.

A refreshing glass of kokam sarbat was served to us instead of tea.Then we returned to Pune at 7.30 p.m.

We had already vowed to return for the pilgrimage at the earliest; as the pilgrimage had satiated our souls.

The copyright of this travelogue and photographs is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan. 

This travelogue has been published in the Sakal Times' Spice edition dated 28th June, 2015.