The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
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...
Season's Greetings and Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family Anu.
ReplyDeleteFantastic decorations. Merry Christmas to you and your family, Anu.
ReplyDeletePretty decoration of the Christmas Tree. Merry Christmas to you and your family Anu:)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a full grown fir! Lovely decorations and no guesses for what the gifts are :D
ReplyDeleteWish you too a very happy new year Anu..!
ReplyDeleteNicely done xmas tree. Happy 2012 to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteWish you Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Wishing you, your hubby and Samhit a very very happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pradeepa! Wish you a very happy new year!
ReplyDeleteThanks Zephyr! guess I am predictable that way :)
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Sridharan!!! wish you a great year ahead!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chitra! wish you too a great year ahead!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rajesh! wish you a great travel filled year ahead!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, PNS!! Wish you and your family too a great year ahead!!
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