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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...

Navaratri 2010 - Day 8 - The Best Golu I have seen so far!

This certainly has to be the best Golu I have seen so far this year... It has been kept at the house of a friend of Shankar's uncle, and it takes the prize for creativity as well as hard, hard work! First, let us get the usual steps out of the way...... Here they are, with the usual dolls... Yes, I know we have seen enough dolls over the last week, but these are the only ones here which need to be highlighted - some representations of famous personalities as well as tribals... Now for the most interesting thing... Heres a first look.... Can you guess what all is there? and how it is arranged? Before I get to the individual pieces , let me tell you what this is - The Golu is a two tier one, the upper one representing an American town, and the lower one, an Indian village.. talk about contrasts!!! The person who makes all this retired from his government job quite a few years ago. This is his hobby, something he spends more than half the year on! To see his attentio...

Navaratri 2010 - Day 7 - Family Golus

Today, I have two Golus to feature - both kept by Shankar's aunts. Here is the first one- The most interesting part of this Golu is this set of Narthana Krishna (Dancing Krishna)..... What I found really interesting was all those cute little Krishnas holding musical instruments. I have a similar set of Ganeshas, but have never seen such Krishnas. Beautiful, aren't they? The second Golu is a simpler one, but with some lovely dolls (Click on the pic for a larger view) My favourites are the set of folk dancers on the top step (we call the folk dance 'poi kal kudarai' meaning false legged horse, where the dancers wear a dress resembling a horse. I dont know what it is called in English), and the set of Rama and Sita performing puja to Lord Shiva at Rameshwaram (It is placed on the 3rd step from the top). This is one set I would love to have... Just imagine making a seashore and placing these on the sand! It would look fantastic! With all those sea creatures Samhith...

Navaratri 2010 - Day 6

Today's Golu is one kept by a friend in the colony. It is a wonderful combination of the old and the new, for they have some really old and beautiful idols, which I enjoy seeing every year, and they have also kept a few new ones along with the kids' toys. Samhith enjoyed this one, especially since he got a bag to carry back home with goodies just like the girls get. Navaratri being a women's festival, boys are generally ignored, but some of us who have boys who don't like being ignored have started giving out goodies to the smaller boys who visit too..... We hope that this will at least make them want to come along with us to see a few Golus! Here is the full Golu.... With the side arrangement showcasing the toys of both their kids...Barbies and trains! Need I mention that they have a boy and a girl??? Now for the toys. .. This one is my personal favourite - the goddess Meenakshi. and here is the First divine family - Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha! in an inter...

Navaratri 2010 - Day 5

I ended my last post with a clay doll set of Lakshmi Kubera Puja. That was the first time I had seen that particular arrangement and was intrigued... Being the kind of person I am, I searched for more information, and learned so much more about the wealthiest God in Indian mythology. Imagine my surprise when I saw the same arrangement at my colony temple today! Here is a pic for you..... The male seated figure is Kubera, next to him is his wife Sittarini, over them is the Goddess Lakshmi raining wealth on them. Flanking them are two dwarapalas (those who guard the gates), who also happen to be the richest living beings! They are called Sanganidhi (the one depicted with a conch or Shankh ) and Padmanidhi (the one with a lotus or Padma ). To read more about Kubera and the Lakshmi Kubera Puja, which is supposed to bring one a whole lot of wealth, click here . For those of you who would like to stay right here, here is an excerpt from the site... Kubera is the God of wealth. He...

Navaratri 2010 - Day4 - A Temple Golu

I live in an area which is predominantly South Indian, and has three temples within the colony itself. Today, I am taking you along to the smallest temple - dedicated to the Goddess Mariamman (the most popular form of the goddess worshipped in the rural areas of Southern India). This temple keeps a Golu every year, and the interesting thing is that all the dolls have been donated by people. I enjoy visiting this temple during Navaratri just because I can see some old and wonderful clay dolls of Gods and Goddesses, which are infinitely more beautiful than their newer counterparts. Here is the overall view.... there are two sets of steps which have been combined to keep all the dolls... And here are some interesting dolls.... These are Samhith's favourites.. .. The houses..... ..... and this pumpkin! I liked this Dakshinamoorthi with his disciples - the four sages. There are two sets here ... one is the marriage set and the other is a group praying to a Ganesha ...