Reflections

On the Independence day eve last year, me & my sister decided to visit this beautiful & unexplored place called Hampi. This place is actually like an open museum ground, where one can spend days & weeks exploring the rich temple architecture of India. Also known as Vijayanagar in olden days, in India. This was supposedly the most richest & affluent village during India's golden age. This small village had two huge Ganesha statues greeting us, just as we entered. However these are not ordinary Ganesha Statues, they are hand carved out of huge monolithic boulders measuring about 8ft. Known as Sasivekalu Ganesha and Kadalekalu Ganesha. Here Lord Ganesha appears like a huge Black Sesame seeds. The story goes that once a merchant from far away land had came to Hampi to sell his Sesame Seeds and was granted permission by the kind hearted king to set up his stall in one of the markets. There, he sold all his goods & became so rich that he wanted to give something ba...

Having spent most of my childhood in North India in the capital city, Delhi and nearby areas with frequent trips to homeland nested in Himalayas, I never imagined my first trip down south to be so mesmerizing! One of the recent places I visited was Madhurai. The name Madhurai is derived from the Sanskrit word “ Madhur ” which means sweetness. This place is synonymous with Meenakshi Amman temple situated on the banks of River Vaigai.  It has a rich cultural heritage passed on from the great Tamil era more than 2500 years old. It used to be the commercial and cultural centre for the great Pandya kings. According to the legend, the city got its name from the sweetness (Madhur) of nectar that was showered by the Hindu God Shiva from his matted hair when the city was built around this temple. The architecture of this city was built in accordance to the “Shilpa Shastras”, which are ancient texts about urban planning. The city architecture is built in the shape of lotus flower...