Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out! Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, thoug...
Navaratri 2015 : Our Home Bommai Kolu
The best part of Navaratri is setting up the Bommai Kolu!
After a hiatus of three years, this year's celebration was much awaited. As usual, though, almost everything got done only at the last moment, which is why this post is so delayed. Anyway, this year was extra special because Samhith helped me set up the kolu even more than usual. For the first time, he helped with the steps, easing my work quite a bit! And we had lots of fun in the process! Take a look at his antics....
And here is what our Kolu looks like...
And without boring you with words, let me show you our Kolu through my photos....
The top steps are for the Gods
The next few steps are about deities too... their figures as well as their worship
The bottom steps are for us, our collections, representing ourselves
This year, I am especially proud of turban I have tied for the marapachi :)
These stone lamps came all the way from Mysore.....
And this bull from some unknown village in interior Maharashtra...
This camel came all the way from Dubai!!!
These assorted animals.. glass and marble, are from Rajasthan and Gujarat...
This cute family came from Dubai too... when Shankar made a trip some years back...
A Junior Arab, for Samhith, also from Dubai!
This Arab Couple too...
And this one....
And one more... the last couple from Dubai!! They have waited years to take their place here!!
A Houseboat, which came all the way from Kashmir!
Yes, more houseboats! from Kashmir too.... memories of our sole trip there three years ago..
This side golu is Samhith's!
The Krittika Kanyas play in the water with the baby Karthikeyas
His favourite airport set...
where his Lego men play a part too!!
A house in a forest... and a Giant Wheel!
Village Scene
Well with working pulley system to draw water
And our all time favourite - Thomas the Tank Engine!!!
We built a wall around our steps... and a tunnel for Thomas! He enters through this one...
and exits here, opening the door as he does so....
see???
We also have a thirsty crow!
And before I forget, a collection of vehicles...
So, that was our Golu this year.. I will update the post with videos as and when I can.. Meanwhile, looking forward to your comments... and suggestions for next time!!
Update: For all those people asking me to post a video of the golu and the train going round, here it is.. at last :)
Lovely! So glad to know that your golu also has Thomas and vehicles. Now, I have to visit your place for seeing the golu. Please keep my share of chundal ready :D
We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...
To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport. That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...
Lovely! So glad to know that your golu also has Thomas and vehicles. Now, I have to visit your place for seeing the golu. Please keep my share of chundal ready :D
ReplyDeleteThank you Akshay! Wish you could have come..
DeleteBeautiful! Your son's Kolu also looks interesting..:-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Priya!
DeleteNice golu, Anu - loved the cute Arabs :) - this is one tradition I really miss from my childhood in Madras...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Charu! The Arabs are the hot favourites this year! Almost everyone commented on them!
DeleteThis is excellent. ..amazing...
ReplyDeleteThank you Bhavyashree!
DeleteLove the Arab addition! And the Airport too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Usha! The airport has been used earlier too.
Deletesuch a visual treat, would love to see the chuchu train go around ;) Thanks so much
ReplyDeleteThank you Sri! I have updated the post with a video of the train going around :)
Delete