7 Gopurams: Trichy’s Sri Ranganathaswamy

23 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by mebtravelling - West to East, then back to the West, then -- in INDIA '15-'16, Itinerary

This  temple complex is more like a small city, with its 49 separate shrines and 7 gopurams: the last one,  added about 30 years ago, at 73m. is one of Asia’s tallest temple towers.

I wandered through streets of shops selling the area’s famous kitchen ironware, and clay incense-holders  and ghee-lamps,  as well as  geegaws of all sorts.  It wasn’t too hot yet, so I took my time, milling along  with women in red saris (a wedding? temple visit?), men in dhotis long and short, motorbikes, auto-and a few bike-rickshaws. 

 

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Leaving, I looked back and my eyes and camera lens landed on this man – sadhu? shopkeeper?

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In Tamil Nadu, 4 Days and Nights of Pongal + A Child’s Way

16 Jan 2016 2 Comments

by mebtravelling - West to East, then back to the West, then -- in Itinerary

  
 Overnight, elaborate  RONGOLIS, drawn with brilliant colored powder, appeared  in front of village houses and shops: the  great  Harvest and Thanksgiving feast of Pongal, Day 2. 
  
  At the ashram cowshed: Pongal altar, and Shantivanam ‘s young prior, with the pujari on the left.  

  

After this  chanting and blessing with fire – aarti (arathi/arathi/aarti) – of the Pongal Rice…  

  …Sister Mercy, Ananda ashram’s St Francis, performed the ritual Pongal Rice feeding. 
And afterwards,we humans enjoyed the sweet rice. Amma- Sister Mary Louise – shared hers with 6.5-yr-old Abishish.

Earlier, he had been the attentive attendant bell-ringer as his dad and the pujari  blessed the cows.  


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When he’d had enough, Abishish became full-on 6.5 years old again.

Towards sunset, I heard him ask for Amma’s blessing.

And so it goes!