The planks in the floor of the boat creaked, and the boat rocked in the water as the whole entourage got on to their respective barges. Soon we were on our way, but where? The question popped up in my mind. We had had our lunch on the boat itself, on our way from the…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 49: The ‘other’ ghat…
Category: Stories from Indian Religious History
Varanasi Again – 48: The curious case of the missing deity
‘Thus, you see, Nandi the bull is still facing its deity, even though the temple is no more there,’ I said. ‘But shouldn’t the statue of Nandi also have been moved, now that the location of the temple has changed?’, the children asked. I smiled, ready to spring one more surprise on my unsuspecting listeners.…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 48: The curious case of the missing deity
Varanasi Again – 47: The story of the shifting temple
‘You know’, I started, ‘long ago there were two very sacred shrines to Shiva or Shankara in Kashi, the city of light.’ Vandita, and Vatsala listened in rapt attention. ‘Actually,’ I corrected myself, ‘there were many throughout the city. But the most sacred, the most revered were the two shrines of Shiva where he was…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 47: The story of the shifting temple
Varanasi Again – 46: The lingam that moved….
‘Why is the lingam placed eccentrically to one side, Papa?,’ the elder one asked, as we filed out of the KV Dham Corridor, and started to retrace our steps to the barge which waited for us at the Lalita ghat. I smiled, delighted at where I knew the conversation was going. The walk back would…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 46: The lingam that moved….
Varanasi Again – 44: Of temples and mosques
The Gyanvapi kupa, and the statue of the Nandi bull escaped demolition and desecration by the hordes of Emperor Aurangzeb when they destroyed the original Vishveshwara temple in the year 1669 CE. This was the last time the temple would be destroyed; but this was not the first time. What? The question naturally crops up…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 44: Of temples and mosques
Varanasi Again – 43: A well, a bull and a tree
Historical picture of the Nandi Bull at Kashi Vishwanath Shrine There on the northern side of the quadrangular enclosure around the temple was a tree – a Ficus tree!! Is it……?? My thoughts trailed off……my eyes scanning the area for the other two objects. Yes, there they were – the bull and the small octagonal…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 43: A well, a bull and a tree
Varanasi Again – 42: Inside the shrine
The Kashi Vishwanath corridor that we walked along was seventy five meters wide, and at least several hundred meters long. Flanked by shops, museums, tourist amenities and walkways, the corridor was also decorated by several interesting statues including those of Adi Shankaracharya, the proponent of Advaita Vedanta and the architect of modern Hinduism as we…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 42: Inside the shrine
Varanasi Again – 6: Shivoham
It IS Rudra….the Adi Yogi, a small voice whispered to me, but I did not believe it, not even when I saw his iridescent blue neck, and the fire of destruction glowing in his third eye. Suryashashankavahninayanam……. the voice inside my head intonated one of the many names of Shiva. Still I did not believe…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 6: Shivoham
Varanasi Again – 5: The blue throat
Clang, came the sound as the trident hit the stone steps of the ghat. Clang! Issued the report, shattering the deathly silence of the night, reverberating across the ghat, and echoing over the dark waters of the Ganga. Clang, clang, clang, clang…..on and on, the sound of heavy metal against the aged stones of the…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 5: The blue throat
Varanasi Again – 4: The ascetic with the trident
I stood still in the gathering dark, rooted to the spot, frozen immobile with anticipation, not batting an eyelid, and hardly breathing. I stood still, alone on the banks of the Ganga, at the Lalita ghat, watching the dark figure materialise from nowhere. It emerged from the shimmering waters of the river which flowed slowly,…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 4: The ascetic with the trident
Varanasi Again – 3: The axis mundi
Varanasi – the piece of land between the rivers Varuna, and Assi, is the land chosen by the Mahadeva, the primordial ascetic Shankara, to be his abode. He resides here as Avimukteshvara, on the request of Martanda, the Sun God. It is through his inspiration that generations of pious travellers, pilgrims, scholars, kings, courtiers, sages,…… Continue reading Varanasi Again – 3: The axis mundi
Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – VIII (Gautama)
Sujata was bewildered, and a little afraid. She was passing through the forest to reach her village on the other side, returning from her relatives’ place, when she saw him. Lying face down near the mountain stream, it looked like this ‘person’ was trying to reach the water. She had never seen anyone so emaciated,…… Continue reading Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – VIII (Gautama)
Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – VII (The Curse of Draupadi)
The royal assembly had slowly fallen silent. The unthinkable was happening. Silence and the weight of the events about to unfold hung heavy in the air, stilling the drunken chatter in the hall. The perfumes wafting through the assembly of Hastinapur seemed to wither and die down. The Pandavas had lost the gambling match, and…… Continue reading Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – VII (The Curse of Draupadi)
Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – VI (Gangadhar)
The eight cardinal directions resonated with the sound of Namah Shivay, high in the cold environs of Mount Kailash, the land of the gods, the Devbhumi. No one sang it, no singing was necessary; nature herself sang praises to her lord, the Mahadev, the master of all realms. Near the very top of the mountain,…… Continue reading Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – VI (Gangadhar)
Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – V (The Killing of Keechak)
The night was dark and tempestuous. Jet-black nimbus clouds had blotted out the moon and the stars, making the darkness overpowering. The winds howled through the kingdom of Matsya, uprooting trees, breaking branches, blowing dead leaves and foliage in the palace compound through the open windows and into the chambers of those who slept inside.…… Continue reading Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – V (The Killing of Keechak)
Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – IV (The Battle of Panchavati)
In the peninsular part of the ancient land of Bharatvarsha, south of the Vindhya mountains, was located a territorial region known as Nashikya. Most of the land of Nashikya was covered with dense, impenetrable forests where light did not reach the ground, no vegetables grew and no flowers bloomed. This dense forest, akin to hell…… Continue reading Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – IV (The Battle of Panchavati)
Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – III (The Eighth Son)
As the storm lashed the city of Mathura, the capital of the kingdom of Vrishni, a celestial event, foretold by the sages, was unfolding in a prison cell attached to the royal palace. Devaki and Vasudev, the royal prisoners and relatives to the cruel despot Kansa, were expecting their eighth child. As the day had…… Continue reading Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – III (The Eighth Son)
Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – II (The Cosmic Dance)
As the color of the sky brightened in the east, Usha, the goddess of the morning colored the sky crimson. The sun rose languidly, full of guilt and shame, knowing the great horrors of the day before. Its first rays fell on the ash-smeared form of the yogi who wandered the lands of Bharata, the land…… Continue reading Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – II (The Cosmic Dance)
Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – I (Prologue)
Over the next few days I shall share excerpts from my book ‘The Battle of Panchavati and Other Stories from Indian Scriptures’. The book is available in India as Paperback and ebook on Amazon and as Paperback on Flipkart. Outside India the book is currently available as an ebook on Amazon country/region specific sites and…… Continue reading Excerpts from ‘The Battle of Panchavati’ – I (Prologue)
Sec 377, LGBTQ Rights and Lessons from Indian History
The Honorable Supreme Court’s recent admission that it may have erred in 2013 when it reversed a Delhi High Court order from 2009 decriminalizing homosexuality is a shot in the arm for all LGBTQ activists. It is also an honest confession by India’s top court that archaic laws, dating back to 1861, which are not…… Continue reading Sec 377, LGBTQ Rights and Lessons from Indian History