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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...
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A Boat Ride on the Kaveri at Ranganathittu

We first visited the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in May2014, when Samhith and I spent a week at Mysore. We visited the sanctuary again this year, at the special request of Samhith, for his birthday! It is amazing how the sanctuary, and the river, never cease to surprise us, with the profusion and variety of avian life. This has been my only birding trip this year, so here are some photos from the boat ride on the Kaveri at Ranganathittu…

Grey Heron

Painted Stork


Group of Painted Storks

Open Billed Stork

Oriental White Ibis

Oriental White Ibis, in their nest

Black - Crowned Night Heron

Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage

Egret


Snake Bird or Darter

Spot Billed Pelicans

Spot Billed Pelicans

While birds were certainly the highlight of the boat ride, there was more to see in the river.... such as these crocodiles!

Crocodile





The visit to Ranganathittu was our first halt during our Summer Trip of 2016. Read more about that trip in the coming days....

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Location: Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Srirangapatna, Karnataka 571438, India

Comments

  1. Harish ShettyDecember 20, 2016 at 11:28 AM

    Great shots.. Loved the croc..

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMarch 17, 2017 at 5:40 PM

      Thank you! We love the crocs too.... Its always good to spot one

      Delete
  2. NatalieGDecember 21, 2016 at 8:47 AM

    The Ibis and Storks are so other-worldly with their dramatic heads and beaks! Many of them looked like they posed just for your pics! :) When you mentioned it was your only recent birding trip it made me realize how much I've missed your photos of all the beautiful birds you encounter. Thanks for the great wildlife pics and I'm looking forward to your upcoming posts about your Summer Trip.

    ReplyDelete

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