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Ladakh - Planning The Trip

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...
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Navaratri 2015 : Family Kolus

You have seen the Bommai Kolu we have kept at our home. You have seen a few of the Devis who have captured my attention during my travels. The last few days have been ultra busy, visiting friends and relatives, and hosting a few at our home. Today, let me share with you two of the most impressive Kolus from our family..... The first one is the one kept by my mom and aunt....




They do an impressive job, and its apparent where I get the interest and the creativity from :) Here is their effort this year....

The steps...

Manu-needhi Chola holding court
A marriage set

Band Baaja

Rama and Sita with Lakshman and Hanuman (not in order), a set we bought at Tirupati, years ago! They are so beautifully carved, they were hard to resist!

Assorted vessels and scenes

A whole collection of Marapachis. Samhith had fun counting them!

These aren't store bought, but made by my aunt! And these are just a few!! 

The second one is a new one for me, kept by Shankar's niece, Aparna. It was our first visit to their home for Navaratri post her marriage, and we were blown away by their dolls! Samhith spent quite some time simply sitting by their Kolu, admiring the huge and beautiful dolls! Here is a glimpse.  

An overview of their golu.. simply beautiful! 

This one was my favourite! 
A closer look at the steps

Viswaroopa Darshanam, as shown by Krishna to Arjuna

Aala-elai Krisna... so beautiful! Wish I had the space to keep such huge dolls!


And here is their unique touch! Decorated with handmade jewelry... Yes, we have lots of creative people in the family!!

And finally, a look at the whole set up..

Though there are many kolus I have seen this year, these are the only two from the family I will be posting this year, since I, rather surprisingly, forgot to take my camera along to most homes! 

Also, this year, we miss Mr. Swamy's superb arrangement, since he has shifted to his hometown. There are still a few I have to visit, like the ones at Fine Arts and our local Mariammman Temple, and I shall post photos as and when I do so.... 

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  1. chitraOctober 19, 2015 at 9:35 AM

    Happy Navarathri Anu, love ur kolu pics

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ranjana's craft blogOctober 19, 2015 at 8:28 PM

    I love this festival. We don't have this tradition. But every Navaratri I don't miss to go to the street where they sell dolls. Loved the arrangements here. You are right, you have many creative people in your family.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownOctober 19, 2015 at 10:13 PM

    The vishwaroopa darshanam is really a very beautiful set! Hard to find such what we call "kalai" in dolls they make today :)
    I was also hoping you would put up the photos of that uncle's creation.... The one who made a replica of rasika ranjani sabha n railway

    Kanthi

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