Mangalore - 4

Continued from here.

Today, I'll write a bit about Udupi. Udupi is a town about an hour from Mangalore.

It is very well known for the Krishna Mutt (Krishna Temple) where my aunt wanted to take me. Shri Madhavacharya (a Vaishnav saint) founded this temple and it is known throughout the world for its rich customs.

It is different from ALL other temples and places of worship. In temples/churches, the idol always faces the entrance of the temple but here, the Krishna idol has its back faced to the entrance. There is a fascinating story associated with this.. My aunt had told me of it before she could take me there. There was a famous poet in Karnataka called Kanakadas. He would compose poems and songs in Kannada. He had written many songs in praise of Lord Krishna but he was never allowed to enter this temple as he belonged to a lower caste. There was a small window at the back of the temple through which you could see Krishna's back. Kanakadas decided to stand near this window and he would sing all those songs here. Touched by his devotion, Krishna turned to see out of the window, thus giving Kanakadas the darshan he longed for.. God does not differentiate.

Lord Krishna still stands facing this window and the window is now called "Kanakana Kindi".

Everyone has to go around the temple to the back to see Krishna from the small window. There is a wonderful aura that resonates throughout the temple and there is this particular Hanuman statue inside that makes wishes come true.. I made a wish there :P

Even though I am not very religious, the story gave me chills and I chose a small Krishna statue from one of the stores outside that my aunt purchased for me:

It resides in our home mandir now, along with the other Gods:

The Krishna Mutt offers meals to all those who come there.. we had lunch here too.

Though we were not allowed to take photographs inside the main temple, I took some in the temple surroundings..

Loved these rangolis.. they are so neatly done!!!

A small lake outside the temple :

Spotted many fish and tortoises inside this lake..

This is one of the chariots ("ratha") that is used during big festivals/processions. The God is carried in these chariots.

There was also a chariot fully made of gold but it was enclosed in such a way that I could not take pictures of it.

We returned to Mulki the same evening.. will write about Mulki next!

letting go~

sometimes, you have to let people go..
you have to give them space to get away from you,
to be themselves..
even if for a while.

but we still like to cling on to the familiar because the unknown is unfamiliar,
and unfamiliar is scary!

i guess that's where faith comes in the picture.
faith that the unfamiliar is okay, it's what's best for us..

i don't know a lot about how to get that sort of faith.. but being more in the present moment by putting my life into things works for me and i can say i'm seeing some progress :)

right now, i am just realising the importance of letting go..

got reminded of something that Izabela said about a month ago :
"Think of your life as a table with ten chairs around it. There is no place for your true friends to come and sit because these chairs are already occupied by other people."

It makes a lot of sense.. the people who are truly meant for you won't be able to enter your life till the time the old ones don't leave.

it's very difficult to keep generating that sort of power (faith) in you so that you may dare to tread into the future.. but it is certainly not impossible.. (believing so is working at the moment so don't ruin it for me :D)

-- So long from the philosophical me.. will continue with my Mangalore travelogue next!!

a magical universe!

i want to keep meeting you,
day after day..

i want to look forward to more conversations,
more smiles, and more love..

i want to grow with you,
and add beauty to the world..

the beauty that we generate
in between the conversations,
in between the laughs,
in between the moments,
when we are unaware..

so much love,
pure intention,
beauty, peace & happiness..

oh what we'll bring to the world!!

it'll truly be magical <3>

Mangalore - 3

Continued from here

Next, we headed to Karkala from Moodabidri to see the second largest Bahubali statue (in Karnataka) which is located there. The tallest Bahubali statue in Karnataka is at Shravanabelagola.

So let me tell  you a little about Lord Bahubali.

Bharat, Bahubali's elder brother, wanted to take over Bahubali's kingdom for its immense wealth so he decided to attack the kingdom. But when the ministers of both the kingdoms gave this a thought, they decided to hold a contest between the two brothers instead of a war between the two kingdoms as the latter suffered the risk of many innocent lives getting killed.

So, the contest began and Bharat was the first one to attack. He hit Bahubali hard and then, when it was Bahubali's turn, he raised his hand to hit Bharat but mid-way, realised that he was going to attack his own brother over materialistic possessions such as wealth and land. So, changing direction, he started pulling out his own hair with the hand and decided to live a life free of all worldly possessions henceforth. Bharat too realised his mistake and after ruling for a few years, joined Lord Rishabdev as a solitary renunciant.

These are the steps leading to the temple/statue:

 

Not too many steps but it adds to the experience..

 

A short/alternate path (without steps.. it's a direct upwards slope). I am not too much of a risk-taker in these matters yet I decided to take this route ;)

 

Finally the statue!!!

 This statue is carved from a single rock and is 42 feet tall (second largest in Karnataka) while the largest one in Karnataka is 57 feet tall.

The walls surrounding the temple :

The Tīrthaṅkaras.

 
And look what I found on the way back :)

 We stopped at a small lake before finally heading homewards :

Mangalore - 2

Continued from here.

So, like I said, we travelled to a lot of places from Mulki. And the first of them was Moodabidri.

Moodabidri is a Jain populated place and it has a lot of Jain temples, schools and community centres. Saavira Kambada Basadi is one such Jain temple renowned for it's structure.

"Saavira" means 1000 in Kannada, "Kambada" means "pillar" and "Basadi" means "temple". So, it's a temple that has 1000 pillars.

No pillar is similar to the other i.e. all of these pillars are unique and they have been placed with the help of elephants alone.

The fact sheet outside the temple also said there are 1000 pillars but I didn't think there were as many. 

(You may open the image in a new window and zoom to read the entire script.)

Then again, I didn't count but it didn't seem like there were so many!!

If you look closely, you will find that all these pillars are different from one another.

The ceiling was done up very well too..

 

And that's my sister Anagha :)

 

List of Jain temples and community centres in Moodabidri :

Our next destination was also a Jain place of worship in Karkala, a little away from Moodabidri.. Will cover that shortly :)

Mangalore - 1

Back from Mangalore on Sunday and it was one relaxing week. It's funny doing a travelogue on Mangalore considering it's my own hometown.. I just never spent a lot of time there as three generations of our family have settled here in Bombay. But this time, I stayed for a whole week and I really liked the place & the people there. Clean beaches and pretty, pretty (though in a traditional kind of way) women! Eye candy for a lot of guys planning a trip there..

Tell you the truth, I was a little apprehensive on the day I left for Mangalore. Something had really gone wrong back here and I was scared of spending 15-16 hours on the train, not doing anything, allowing my idle mind to think.. think about all that had gone wrong that morning! That too, I was accompanied by  dad and uncle (his friend) .. people I couldn't talk about my troubles with. I decided to go along anyway because it was too late to cancel then. And I am so glad I did. The train journey wasn't troublesome at all. In fact it was fun. I met a really interesting person on the train because all of our seats were different. Her name was Izabela and we had such a lot in common. The conversation was really relieving and gave me a lot of insight. She kept me company all the way to Goa and I went to sleep only after that. Needless to say, I slept quite peacefully. I really think God has a way of making the most scariest of situations a lot more liveable.

Mangalore was awesome too. I would have missed meeting such wonderful people had I cancelled my trip. I met my second cousin Anagha for the first time and she was such a delight. Though I love children, there are a few kids I realllllllyyyy enjoy spending time with (spending time = playing) and she was one of them. Just the sight of her makes me forget all my troubles. Here's presenting Anagha and her crazy/cuteness :

Note: These pictures were all her idea.. clicked by herself. I came only later. This reminded me so much of my own self!! Sometimes, when I am really bored, I click random pics of myself in weird expressions :P

and this is us:

I'm totally in love with her!!!

I stayed at Mulki (about an hour from Mangalore) and travelled to Mangalore, Moodabidri, Karkala and Udipi.

I will write a little about these places in the following posts to come.. so stay tuned!!

2013

New Year!! The day was just like any other day except that I really liked spending time with a friend today ..it feels nice when you go out with one of your everyday friends.. because you don't really *talk* to them as they're always around anyway.

2012 was a bad year for me in terms of relationships and personal growth. I do have some regrets and it feels like I have been seeking closure for the longest time now.

I did experience what it was like to stay away from home though and though it did get lonely a few times, I would say it was a good learning experience.

This year, I just want to be able to let go.. and feel free. I want to cry my heart out.. and FORGET.
I want to be able to think for myself again and look forward to newer things. I want to be able to trust again, to love again, and just be happy.

I miss being me.

so many questions unanswered,
some important and some frivolous ones,

scared of letting go and hoping against hope..
for a certain future,
where i can dream again..

Shave or Crave!

This post is a part of the 'Shave or Crave' movement in association with BlogAdda.com

After having written a post on the "fairer" sex some time back (on whether the world is really "fair" to it), this is how it can actually make the members of the opposite sex dance to its tunes..

A lot of women like the clean shaven look to the stubble or a full beard. Personally, I am fond of a stubble.. I think it makes a man look rough and tough! :D However, for an occasional evening out to a classy French restaurant, I'd prefer him to don a clean look.. :)

But if I was challenged to get my guy to shave.. how would I do it? Hmm..

For one, I can make him read my post on what women have to go through to just go grocery shopping let alone meet a guy!!! Honestly, if women were to go without grooming at all, it'd attract a lot of judging eyes..

Secondly.. I'd take eons to dress up for an evening out with him.. would keep him waiting till he took some efforts too :)

Will un-mute every Gillette advertisement when we are watching television together.. so that he gets the hint :P

At the end of the day, if he still doesn't get the hint, then I'd pretend to like his well groomed friend better, and compliment his clean shaven look publicly! That should definitely scare the daylights out of him!! :D

questions

today has got me thinking a lot about life .. and the way people function.

a lot of times i doubt myself (my heart).. i fear doing the wrong things and keep myself grounded even when i don't need to.

in this week, i came across two people (one of them just today!!) who completely changed the faith i have in people with regards to how much they are true to themselves. and i feel proud of myself that i am naturally tuned to listen to my heart and to follow my principles.. yet i doubt myself every second! (which causes all the trouble) how silly is that?

and i'm glad that in my real life too, i've always been surrounded with people who are just as strong and morally grounded..

i wish i could make peace with my past totally somehow though.. i wish everything seemed okay to my soul. i've discovered that the more you stay connected to your present, the easier it is to make peace with your past. i am trying just that but the mind keeps taking me back to the past and making me do things that are bothersome to not only me.. but to everyone else too!!! i don't wish to be the cause of anyone's unhappiness and yet i end up doing just that..

my crabby mood doesn't help my mom either - who's always trying to get me to help her with her errands or trying to talk to me about something important that goes on at her workplace. i don't like spoiling her mood because it in turn affects her health too but it all happens when my mind makes a trip to the past and makes me crazy.

praying for faith!

P.S: Please treat this like a midnight journal entry and excuse bad punctuation & use of small case.