A few views of Ginjee

Ginjee is a couple of hours drive from Chennai. An hour or so before Tiruvannamalai.

On the way from Chennai to Tiruvannamalai, one passes the town of Ginjee (a.k.a Senjee) and two ancient forts, built on top of hills on either side of the road. One is called the King’s fort and the other the Queen’s fort and the two together are referred to as the Ginjee Fort. Originally a small fort built by the Cholas in 9^th Century AD, it has later been expanded and strengthened by other dynasties viz, the Vijayanagara empire, the Nayaks, the Marathas…The most famous occupant though, was Raja Tej Singh, known locally as Tesingh. So brave was he that his life and exploits have become a part of Tamil folklore - and to this day, ballads are sung about him…

This Ginjee fort was considered impregnable and has been compared to legendary city of Troy. Chatrapati Shivaji’s son, Chatrapati Rajaram stayed here, when he fought with the Mughals. So safe was the fort that although Aurangazeb’s forces laid a seven years long siege of this fort, they could not succeed in getting Chatrapati Rajaram.

Lets cut to some pictures now.

A picture that I took this May. The fort is on top of the hill seen in the background. The hill is around 800 feet high, and the fort has a massive moat around it.

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Here’s a closer view of the hill and the fort, from a different angle.

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And below are a few photographs I took a couple of years ago.

Here’s another view of the hill. The building on the right is the Kalyana Mahal - a multi- storey marriage hall, which is a part of the palace complex.

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One really walks back in time when one visits the fort complex. Ruins and ancient trees. Here’s a tree-and-he picture.

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It’s a hard climb up the hill. But is worth the strain. And you can find lots of place to step off from the steps and relax on the rocks….The outer wall of the fort can be seen in the back…

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And the view from top is real cool. You could just take a deep breath and take off. Hang-gliding anybody?

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Next stop - Tiruvannamalai….

…. To be contd …

Another day’s outing from Bangalore - 4

The Kesava temple has three shrines in the sanctum. The main one is Kesava Perumal. The other two are Venu Gopala (Krishna) and Janardana.

Here are a few pictures of the outer wall carvings…

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The one below looks like a carving of Hanuman, carrying a Siva Linga. But I am not sure, for the icon also has hands carrying Shankha and Chakra…

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The temple reminded me of the Kailasanatha Temple at Kancheepuram. That temple too has a fabulous architecture and sublime carvings. Like that temple, this one too has an open corridor along the outer path, which is said to have housed some sixty four idols - once upon a time…

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Have a look at this picture of the pillars in near the entrance. Just look at the smooth finish - looks like it has been carved on a lathe….

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So that was Somnathapura. Driving back to Bengaluru, we stopped at Maddur. Maddur was earlier known as Arjunapura, named after the Pandava hero Arjuna, who is said to have come here. The town is famous for ‘vadai’ and and for the Ugra Narsimha temple, also of Hoysala period, that we came to visit. Time was around 7 pm, and the sanctum sanctorum had been curtained for some ritual. The priest asked us to visit the Varadaraja Perumal temple nearby and come back. And what a temple that turned out to be. A massive idol of Varadaraja Perumal. Some devotee had organized a big Abhisheka ceremony that day… And then we came to Narsimha temple…Curtains  were off… A large black stone idol of Ugra Narsimha… After Darshan, we had some divine “curd-rice” prasadam from the temple…

And then we were off to Bengaluru.

Before I log off from this post on Somnathapura, I would like to leave you with a picture of the outer garden of the Somnathapura temple.

So that was the day trip. Started from Bengaluru around 11 am… Stopped at Ramohalli Banyan tree..then Bidadi banyan tree… then off to Somnathapura… Maddur on the way back. Back to Bengaluru by 10 pm or so….

A nice day indeed!

Another day’s outing from Bangalore - 3

On the Mysore highway, we stopped at a nice “cafe coffee day” restaurant. After a decent refreshment, we started for Somnathapura. We had to take a left before Sri Ranga Pattina… Soon we had left the urbanity of the highway behind, and eased into bad roads and good fields… Here’s a picture of the landscape that we drove through.

 

 

The Somnathapura temple is not a formal place of worship now. It is a monument maintained by ASI (Archeological Survey of India). That being so, I was anxious that we reach the place before 5 pm, as the premises might be closed at the end of office hours. The approach road to Somnathapura wasn’t very good, and we had to struggle along. We managed to reach the village by 4:30 pm or so.

After purchasing entry tickets (just a few rupees each), we entered the neatly maintained temple garden…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking through the portal of the temple, I had my first glimpse of the Kesava temple inside. And I must say it was an awesome sight….A masterpiece of Hoysala architecture…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below, is a side-view of the temple…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as I walked around the temple, I told myself, ‘If there was ever poetry on stone, it is here, it is here, it is here….’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a close-up of the carvings at the bottom…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               … To be contd…. 

Pankajamma - Contd… 3

Pankajamma contd…

“Once, we were to celebrate Vinayaka Caturti… We had bought a clay Ganesha for the function. The night before the festival, I was fast asleep… And I suddenly felt a wonderful sensation… Someone was patting me on my head, as I slept.” she said, running the palm of her hand softly from her top of her forehead, backward along the crown…”And I woke up with a start…And what do I see? A small sized Ganesha! He was patting me with his trunk…

Another time… It was the first friday in the month of Adi, a day special to Goddess… Early morning, some ladies came home, gave me traditional offering of Coconut and tamboolam… I have not seen them before… This repeated the next two Fridays as well…The fourth Friday, some ladies came, and gave me a cup of milk… And then on the last Friday of the month, a majestic lady came home. She was wearing a brilliant red silk saree, with large border… She looked glorious, ajaanubahoo (tall, and with long arms)… She had long hair, with lots of flowers.” (Pankajamma mentioned a particular flower species, but I forget which…)…

“I was so overwhelmed by her presence that I rushed to her and hugged her, saying ‘Amma!’.

I didn’t know who she was. Later I mentioned this to Sri Kunjuswami, who was staying with us those days. After listening to the description he told me that the lady was none other than Goddess Meenakshi!

I have never gone seeking for these experiences, never entertained any such desire. But they just happened.

After I came to Bhagavan, I suddenly started composing songs on Bhagavan. What do I know of these! I am but a fourth standard pass. But the words and the tune would just occur to me. I have no knowledge of classical music. I have no idea of raga or metre. But the tune and the name of the raga would occur to me. And so would the Taala (metre). More than a hundred such songs in Tamizh have been noted by me. Songs on Bhagavan! But sometime after 2000 AD, the songs stopped coming. I never went after them in the first place. Now that they don’t come, that’s fine too…”

She has been through some severe bouts of physical sufferings due to illnesses, in different times in her life.

“I know that these sufferings are but Karma being erased. This I know that this birth is the last one. All Karma will go by the grace of Bhagavan”, she said, with complete faith and confidence.

On our request, she sang the last song that had “come to her”. She was not keeping well and was also suffering from sore throat. But she didn’t hesitate to sing. After singing she excused herself saying, “Old age affects the body…Can’t help that…But what does that have to with real? Adu vEra AaLu (that Person is different)” she said tapping her spiritual heart (on the right side of the chest).

These were the kind of conversations that Pankajamma, the simple old lady, shared with us, on the eve of her 87^th birthday. Her son and his family stay with her. There was a kid running in and out. It was a normal Indian family….Except for this lady called Pankajamma!

Pankajamma - contd… 2

[This continues from the post ''Pankajamma' dated May 29...]

Pankajamma was telling us of some ‘happenings’ of her life.

“During one of my early visits, when I was once sitting in Bhagavan Ramana’s presence, I closed my eyes… And I had a distinct vision of a small Mayilvahana Murugan - Murugan on a peacock… From that moment I was certain of the identity of Ramana and Muruga.”

And as she said this, I remembered that she had mentioned that her daily parayana from the age of 12 consisted of chanting Aksharamanamalai and Kanda Shasti Kavacam…Ramana and Muruga…

Continuing her story, she said “My parents found a match for me, and I was married to a boy from a landed family of Tanjore.”… And with a twinkle in her eye, she added “I must say that it was their family indeed that gained far more by their association with my family… For my husband was introduced to Bhagavan only because of marrying me. He came with me many times to the presence of Bhagavan.”

And during the course of further conversation, she spoke of a few very special moments in her life…

“I was 21, my son was just six months old, when there developed some painful growth in my neck. The local doctors at Tanjore could not effect a cure for this. I was then taken to Cuddalore, where my father lived. Cuddalore had a bigger hospital, and I was examined there. They diagnosed the growth to be a tumor that had to be immediately operated and removed. However, the tumor was in such a place that the surgery was very risky. The surgeon said that there was every risk of injuring some nerve, which might affect the brain itself… But there was no option and I was admitted to the hospital for surgery. Surprisingly, I wasn’t worried. Although my son was just six months, and my life was a serious question mark, I wasn’t feeling any sense of depression arising out of attachment to my child, nor any other worry. Somehow, I was not perturbed at all. I just submitted myself to whatever was asked of me.

On the day of the surgery, I was lying down on the operating table, when the doctor came to administer Anesthesia… He asked me to count one-two-three etc to calm the mind as it slipped into unconsciousness. But instead of doing that, I started saying ‘Ramana! Ramana! Ramana!’ Quite involuntarily. It is not that I wanted to pray to him. It just happened that I spoke his name… And then I had a ’special’ experience…I was walking, my hands cupped in front of me, seeking Ramana, taking his name, walking towards him….And I slipped into unconsciousness…

The operation was completed. And as I emerged from unconsciousness, to the utter surprise of all people around me, I woke up with a feeling of great joy. This joy lasted for a long while after the surgery….

My mother asked me about it… And I told her the reason.

Sometime during the surgery, I had a vivid experience. In that experience, I was a small baby. And Bhagavan was holding me. Head to toe, I fitted within the cup of his two hands. And he was looking at me with great love…It was an exhilarating… It was that joy that I woke up with…”

… To be contd…

Panaiyur Visit - A picture post

This was on 23 April 2008.

An ancient Siva temple was being re-consecrated. The temple is the abode of Lord Trikaleshwarar and Goddess Kokilambal, and is in a village named Panaiyur. Panaiyur is in Arani district, and about 45 kms from Kancheepuram.(An old post about this temple renovation can be seen in this blog, and a later one here).

We left Chennai by around 7:00 am or so. Stopped over at Kancheepuram for Darshan of Kamakshi Amman. Had breakfast at Saravana. Drove down past the dry river (sand mine) Palar, turned towards and drove past Aiyangarkulam….Drove past Kalavai…And by 10 am or so, we were approaching Panaiyur village…

The whole village was decked up for the kumbabishekam…

The temple was right amidst the fields…And the road from the village proper to the temple was a one-horse path…And the whole village was walking up or down that path…Somehow, we squeezed the car through the crowd, and reached the temple….

The main kumbabsihekam function had just concluded. A shamiyana had been put up near a big Banyan tree…

Heres a part-picture of the entrance of the temple…

The temple is said to be 700 years old…It was pretty much in ruins till some years ago … And then, through some oracles and such, some people were enthused to renovate it…And that saga finally culminated in the Kumbabishekam function, this day…

The whole place was given great character, by the presence of that holy banyan tree (Arasa Maram)..

The day was hot…The shade of tree was a welcome refuge…

Stopped by for some delicious lunch at the house of one of the local hosts… A typical village house…With a ‘thinnai’ in front…

Left Panaiyur by 2 pm or so…

We took a slightly different route on the way back…We went to Arcot instead of to Kanchipuram…The roads were better… And then drove down the Vellore-Chennai highway, bypassing Kancheepuram… Stopped at a highway restaurant for a tea break… And found some other interesting travelers parked there… Heres a picture…

India! Incredible India!

Pankajamma

Pankajamma turns 87 tomorrow (30/May).

We called on her at her house in Tiruvannamalai today. Her home is not far from Sri Ramanashramam. A driveway led to the house built in the back, and two monkeys and two dogs welcomed us as we went in. One dog was a saint. He just sat in peace. The other was frisky and barked away in happiness. Its that sort of house. All are welcome.

Age is showing a bit in Pankajamma’s body. But not in her demenor. She welcomed us with a fullness of affection that can only come from that ‘otherness’ that is Ramana.

Here’s a picture I took of her today…

Here’s Pankajamma’s story in brief…

She comes from a traditional Tamizh family of Cuddalore. Her parents were drawn to Bhagavan sri Ramana Maharshi, the sage of Arunachala, and would visit him often. Thus, even as a very young girl, she grew up in that atmosphere of Bhakti, and was keen to go with her parents and see the sage. Maybe because she was young, or for whatever other reason, her parents never took her along, although she pleaded. And then one day, when she was twelve, they gave her Aksharamanamaalai - the Tamizh song composed by Ramana. “I learnt it by heart in two days”, she says. “And immediately after that I also learnt ‘Kanda Shashti Kavacam’. And from the age of 12, till today, it has been my blessing that I have been reciting both these prayers every single day”, she says, looking the very picture of peace.

On my request, she told me something about her association with Bhagavan Ramana.

She first met Ramana when she was sixteen. Her parents took her along this time. And she found the Maharshi in the Ashram, sitting near a well. Some ladies were sitting on one side, and gents on another. Bhagavan was sitting on a reclining chair…

Pankajamma says, “It was as if I was meeting an old acquaintence, a close relative, after a long time. Of course I was happy. Very happy. Like I am happy seeing you all now. Same way. It wasnt as if the happiness was different…And I felt so ‘related’ to Him, that I did not feel shy at all, and I simply felt like singing Aksharamanamalai…And so I started singing it…Bhagavan immediately seemed to stiffen, and I continued to sing…And then I came to the lines ‘Kaantam irumbupol kavarndenai vidaamal kalandenodiruppaai Arunaachalaa!’(Like a magnet does iron, attract me ceaselessly, hold me, Abide with me , O Arunachalaa!)…”

Pankajamma continues…”Now, Bhagavan was not the sort to point out small errors. This was not as if it was a scholarly discussion on Vedanta. Had it been that, and had some scholars been questioning Bhagavan, well, then, he would have patiently answered all their queries. But this was not such an occasion. I was a simple young girl, dressed in Paavadai-Melaakku. And I was singing Aksharamanamaalai. Having seen Bhagavan closely for many years, I know that normally He would have just been all attention, all silence, all love. He would have forgiven the small mistakes of pronunciations that the singer might commit. But not that time when I sang. And for that I am eternally grateful to Him! For the first time time in my life, and indeed the only time in my life, He spoke directly to me. I had pronounced the word Kaantham (magnet) as Gaantham. He immediately said “Oohum…” and looked directly at me. Into my eyes! That look! And gently told me, ‘Not Gaantham…Kaantham’…

That was it! From that day, That Kaantham (magnet) has taken me over completely. Nothing left here”, she said.

On our prodding, she told us of a few more ’special’ moments of ‘divine’, in her life.

                                               …To be contd…

Full moon of Vaikasi

May 19, 2008…

Today is Vaikasi Visakam…

Festive day in temples across India…

It is the Tirunakshattiram of Lord Murugan….Hope to hear some Tiruppugazh…

mutthai tharu patthi thirunakai
atthukkiRai satthi saravaNa
mutthikkoru vitthu guru para ena Othum

It is Tirunakshattiram of Nammaalwar.          
     
      uyarvaRa   uyarnalam   uTaiyavan    yavanavan
      mayarvaRA  matinalam   aruLinan     yavanavan
      ayarvaRum  amararkaL   atipati      yavanavan
      tuyaraRu   cuTaraTi    tozutezu        en manane!

Today is also the 600th Jayanti of Annamacharya….

tandanAnA Ahi tandanAnApurE tandanAnA bhalA
tandanAnA bhalA tandanAnA bhala tandanAnA

brahmam OkatE para brahmam OkkatE para
brahmam Okkate para brahmam Okkate…

It is Narada Jayanti…

And May 19, was the Nirvana date of Azhagammal, the mother of Ramana Maharshi…

And it is Buddha Poornima…Triple holy day of Gautama Buddha - Birth, Enlightenment, Nirvana…

 

Maniacal Mankind

Every morning welcomes us with a choice of terrible news… Last couple of days it has been the terrible blast at Jaipur, and the tragic earthquake at China…

And today, I happened to come across a small news item on BBC that said - “Wildlife Populations Plummeting “. (Click here for the news)…

Heres a quick summary…

The “Living Planet Index”, is a database that is compiled by Zoological Society of London in partnership with WWF. And heres what their data reveals…

- Pupulation of marine species in the world has gone down by 28% in just 10 years, between 1995 and 2005

- Populations of ocean birds have fallen by 30% since the mid 1990s

- Land-based populations have dropped by 25%

The news item says “Humans are wiping out about 1% of all other species every year, and one of the “great extinction episodes” in the Earth’s history is under way”…

Can you believe that?

And then add to this, the other plunders being committed by man - the destruction of forest areas, river waters, and natural resources of earth…

If this is the civilization ushered in by the modern world, then it is time that we put mankind in the dock…

Or better still…Stop the world, and push mankind off…  

One cup tamasha, cheenee double

As I stepped into the massive foodcourt of one of the many software facilities of Chennai, I asked my host - “where are the cheerleaders?”

For nothing in the recent times has sunk so readily across the Indian psyche, as this concept of ‘cheerleaders’. They came, they flaunted, they conquered. The item girls have stepped off the silver screen and into everyone’s food court. What fun!

So much so, that someone said that they should become part of Indian Parliament…which would motivate parliamentarians to attend, and bring life to the league they (currently) represent…IPL….Indian Parliamentary League…

Jai Tamasha! Paise phenkh, tamasha dekh! 

The dimensions, they are’a breakin’… The mirrors have decided to talk back… SRK to the right of you, Katrina to the left of you, Zinta in front of you, what volley, what wonder! 

And its not just TV. Its taking over the whole mindspace.  Take the recent blog of Big Bee. What a thing! The Big-bee’s buzz and sting blog! Chak de oye!

Sample this from his blog…A sting-in-cheek repartee to a review that apparently trashed his film “Bhootnath”…

*BEGIN BIG-BEE QUOTE*

“And Khalid Mohammed who reviews the film for Hindustan Times of date, who instead of reviewing writes a personal letter to me through a public document, who wishes that I go and learn how to act from the Pune Film Institute, who laments at the only dialogue he heard in the entire film, my oft repeated ‘Haiiiiiiii’, who as director made three of the most colossal bombs in the history of Indian Cinema and who now tries to educate others in the craft, who credits the cast of the film as AB,AB AB, disrespecting the other eminent star presence, who allegedly as Editor of Filmfare, coerced the talent of his directed films to work for him in lieu of the alleged consideration of an Award, titles his diatribe -

‘TO BOO OR NOT TO BOO’

Well KHALIDA ! And this is not a gender error, but a call you respond to lovingly, when Jaya addresses you, as you spread yourself across our dining table in Jalsa, sipping our, in your own words, ‘exclusive and expensive wine’, this is what I have to say to you -

‘BOO’ !!!”

*END BIG-BEE QUOTE*

Wow! Bahut Maza Aayaa! Mogambo khush hua!

For the whole big-bee post, see:

 http://blogs.bigadda.com/ab/2008/05/10/on-location-pix/

Enjoy!

But tell me, O Duniyawaalon! Has India become sufficiently Amreekanized or still has some way to go?