Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 8: The Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8 th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures. This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas , who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence o...
Post a Comment

Fishermen at Gokarna

I walked to Om Beach, early in the morning, hoping to commune in solitude with the sea and the sun. Instead, I found that I was the late riser.... the place was filled with activity.... with those who belonged there a lot more than I did. 




Those early hours were when the boats otherwise silently parked on the sand came into their own, and fishermen went about their work....


While there were a few just setting off to the sea....


Most were already coming back with their catch....


And as I watched, I realized just how much the job entailed, apart from just catching the fish!


The hard work needed, just to get the boat to shore, was so immense.... and to push it on the sand seemed to require all their combined strength...


And that is when I also realized that these simple guys were also innovative, using greased blocks of wood to make their work easier....


They worked in unison, laying out the blocks of wood, greasing them, and then pulling the boat over them...


Though not all used wood.... this group used rubber tyres....


probably because they were cheaper? and easier to find and replace? 


It still entailed a lot of work, though....


You can almost feel the effort that goes into getting that boat on shore! 



After all that, their work wasn't yet done! They still had to get the fish off the nets...


And with fish as tiny as these, it surely wasn't an easy job either...


As the sun rose high and I finally headed inside in search of breakfast, I had a long day to look forward to. A day filled with travel, visiting places, doing things... and, taking one last look at the fishermen, still busy with their work, I wondered - What would the rest of their day be like? 

Even while watching the fishermen, the skies behind, the sun rising, the mist settling, added as much to the scene as the men working. Which is why, this is my entry today for Skywatch Friday. For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page.

Labels:
Location: Gokarna, Karnataka, India

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 8, 2013 at 2:45 PM

    Thank you for visiting me at Wordpress.:) Love how you showed the process of what these fishermen do. The close ups are especially beautiful! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ABNovember 8, 2013 at 4:11 PM

    Lovely pictures Anuradha. Karnataka is one of my favorite states to travel in India. Have you been to Devbagh?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarNovember 10, 2013 at 10:48 AM

      Thanks Anvesha! Karnataka is indeed one of the most beautiful states to explore. I havent been to Devbagh yet. planned a couple of times, but hasnt yet worked out.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousNovember 8, 2013 at 6:55 PM

    Wow - those shots are so lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mary Howell CromerNovember 9, 2013 at 2:01 AM

    These are absolutely magnificent, just stunning images, each and everyone...you have enough just about to make a calendar ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. R Niranjan DasNovember 9, 2013 at 6:23 PM

    Nice captures!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anuradha ShankarNovember 10, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
  7. India Tourism OfficeNovember 13, 2013 at 3:24 PM

    Amazing flicks anuradha. Totally loved how you have put caption to every image. And really, Karnataka is a place to be.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rajasthan tour packages from DelhiDecember 27, 2013 at 6:44 PM

    Very Beautiful Clicks. Amazing view. I am sure it will be fun out there.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

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...
10 comments
Read more

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

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...
9 comments
Read more

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

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’...
2 comments
Read more