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2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Publications

Print Publications

  • Domus India
    • Sculpting Temple Design (August 2018)
    • The Paintings of the Saspol Caves in Ladakh (October 2018)
    • The Demon's Tears - Water and Worship at Lonar (November 2018)
    • Nalknad Palace (February 2019)
    • Jain Heritage in Tamilandu (March 2019)
    • The Neelkanth Mahadev Temple of Alwar (May 2019)
    • Museum in Transit (June-July 2019)
    • Memory, Museums, and the Mahatma (October 2019)
    • Temples of the Yoginis (December 2019)
    • The Wonders of the Konark Museum (February 2020)
  • Rail Bandhu the official magazine of Indian Railways
  • Complete Wellbeing Magazine
  • Air Asia Magazine
    • Bloggers Diary: Coorg (March 2015)
  • Being Woman Magazine, Vol 2 Issue 9, November 2014
  • Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi Newspaper)
    • Sringeri - 14th April 2015 
    • Gokarna - 24th March 2015
    • Kolkata -10th Feb 2015
    • Tharangambadi - 30th Dec 2014 


  • YES Magazine, published by the Sai Youth of Maharashtra and Goa     
  • The Hindu Traveller, Bangalore
    • On the river at Wayanad -Issue dated 21st July 2013 
    • A Foaming curtain of white - Jog Falls - Issue dated 25th October, 2013
  • More than 30 of my stories - re-tellings of stories from Indian Mythology and Folk Tales, have appeared in  Bal Mukund - a publication of JK Yog. For details, read my posts on the books here.





    Online Publications


    • On The Alternative, an online magazine which strives to make sustainability a way of life


    • On Travel Thru History, a unique travel 'zine dedicated to exploring historical and cultural experiences



    • On Pocket Cultures - an independent site which aims to increase connections, awareness and understanding between different cultures


    • In The Mother, published from Rishikesh, Himalayas

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    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

    Rama Temple, Gokarna

    To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

    Pandharpur Yatra 2023

    The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie