The transformation of Gujarat...

I'd been there earlier in 2000. So when I went there again after a gap of 13 years, I was surprised. How people behave at grass-root level would perhaps show how good or bad the place is. 

I firmly believe Yatha Raja, Tatha Praja. 

Here's our Auto driver for the day in Gujarat. My friend and I decided to be a bit adventurous and decided to take the Auto from Ellis Bridge to Adalaj Stepwell. 

We checked with the Auto driver who was outside our hotel the previous day and told him that we'd like to spend atleast a couple of hours there in Adalaj and asked him how much would he charge. He said he goes by the meter. 

We'd asked him to come by 10 am the next day.While we waited for 15 to 20 mins, thinking he hasn't reached, we thought of going out and checking out other autos. To our surprise,  he was there sharp by 10 am, but the hotel security guards apparently didn't let him get in as he couldn't recollect our hotel room number or the names. He was waiting outside for us. 

He suggested that he takes us to to a place called Baba Harir nu vav. 

Baba Harir Nu Vav is an amazing step-well in the heart of Amdavad. A hidden gem truly. While we went exploring those dark, bat filled stairwells, absoltely spell bound by the intricate carvings, our Auto driver sat there patiently, not hurrying up at all. 

Enroute to Adalaj from Harir nu vav

Post that we proceeded to Adalaj stepwell. Yet again an amazing place with intricate carvings! We offered to have lunch with our Auto Driver. He declined the same stating that he doesn't have lunch while driving as he feels sleepy. Hence we too decided to have a late lunch after reaching back Amdavad and settled for buttermilk. We bought him a pack of Amul Buttermilk. After a couple of hours of photoshoots, we decided to return back to Amdavad as our regular restaurant closes by 4. 

We reached our place by 3:30 pm having spent 5 hours with our Auto driver, who took us around 46 kms on the road. We asked him how much do we pay? He looked at his meter and stated 450 rs. We were surprised that the whole fare came to just 450. We gave him 50 rs more, which he declined. We were short of words to describe our feelings. I was so used to being swindled by Auto drivers in Mumbai (I totally avoid autos in Chennai and Bangalore). I asked him whether he manages to make both ends meet with his regular income. He smiled and asked back to me whether I feel happy giving him 450. "I hope you agree that 450 is a honest fare, sir", he stated in English. 

We shook hands as we parted ways, and I asked him what his name was. When he told me his name, I asked him for one last time, "Mohammad Bhai. Will you join us for lunch atleast here?"

He smiled and said thank you and cranked his auto and drove away. 

Yatha Raja, Tatha Praja......

The Lost Pandyas of Chola Kingdom

Ever wondered how Rajaraja chola's Shiva ended up being called Brihaddeeswara? When he built it, apparently, he just called the temple as Periya kovil, which is infact what the locals refer to it till date - the Tanjai Periya Koil.

The cholas didn't have the practice of building separate shrines for Parvati, and Rajaraja chola was no exception. When completed in the 11th century, the Big temple was a collossal structure, but it didn't have the shrine of his consort. Incidentally, even during the chola reign from 1000 AD till 13th century, Madurai was ruled by the chola vassal kings who carried the surnames chola pandian! Post the demise of Rajaraja Chola, there was a revival in the Pandian dynasty. The revived Pandian kings took back not only Madurai, but also the chola headquarters of Tanjore along with the chola kingdom.

And in the brief period they ruled that lasted less than 150 years, one of the pandian king built the shrine for Parvati right in the temple complex and the goddess consecrated there was called Ulagamuludaiya naachiyar. The 150 year of pandian rule started with son of Vikrama pandian, jatavarman kulasekara pandian 1 (who ruled from 1190 AD till 1210 AD) and went on till Vira Pandyan IV (1309 to 1345).

Now around this time there was a war amongst the pandyans as to who'd succeed and that caught the attention of Malik Kafur who invaded the south and started his attack on Tanjore. The powerful vijayanagara empire thwarted the attempts of Malik Kafur and brought Tanjore and Madurai under them. Madurai and the whole pandya and chola kindgom including tanjore was ruled by the tax paying nayaks who reported to the vijayanagar kingdom for a while.

The goddess Ulagamuludaiya naachiyar was called in sanskritized version as Brihannayaki - or the big goddess as she presided over the big temple. And duly lord Shiva was was earlier called Peruvudaiyar was also sanskritized to go with his consort's name as Brihadeeshwara, almost 2 centuries post he was consecrated. This happened thanks to the addition to the temple by the nayaks or the vijayanagara empire.

It was the Pandyan kings who's lost in history rule of 150 years that gave the goddess shrine in Tanjore. Finally, it was the Vijayanagara empire that anointed the name Brihannayaki that led to subsequent name change for shiva from Peruvudaiyar to Brihadeeshwara...

That made way for Rajarajeswaram to be called as Brihadeeshwaram....

Tribulations of Lord Shiva!

I heard my wife sing a song one day. The Pallavi went like Thandhai Thai Irundhal ulagattil umakkindha thazhvellam varumo ayya?

Immediately smitten by a song of profound meaning, I asked her to tell me the whole song and found out from her that this was in an old CD of mine, a collection of songs by N C Vasanthakokilam.

The song that captivated my mind with wonderful imagery and snippets from the past was penned by Sri Ponnaiah Pillai. He inturn based his research on the Periya Puranam.

Below is the rough translation (can do no justice to the lyrical beauty expounded in beautiful tamil by Ponnaiah Pillai), of the song set to Raaga Shanmukha Priya.

thandhai thaai irundhaal ulagattil umakkinda thaazhvellaam varumo ayyaa

anda migunda shri ambala vaanare arumaiyudane petru perumaiyudan valharttha

Would you have undergone such tribulations had you had Parents who lovingly gave birth to and proudly raised the temple resider who fills the whole universe?

kallaal oruvan adikka udal shilirkka kaalin sheruppaal oru vaedan vande udhaikka

One hit you with stones and a hunter kicked you with his feet wearing slippers

villaal oruvan adikka (gaandhibhamenum) kooshaamal oruvan kai kodaaliyaal vetta

One hit you with a bow (called Gandiva) and another shamelessly chops you with an axe.

koottatthil oruvan pittaa paeyaa ena thitta veeshi madurai maaran pirambaal adikka

And in a crowded place, one abused you as a mad man and a ghost and the king of wide spread Madurai caned you

anda velai yaarai ninaindhiro ayyaa

When all this happened who did you think off?

Thandhai thaai irundhal ulagattil umakkinda thaazhvellaam varumo ayyaa

Would you have undergone such tribulations sir, had you had Parents

Now, It was too much for me to resist from finding about the ones who heaped such travesty on Lord Shiva and perhaps trace out the place where it happened.

For people like me, it is easy from childhood bed time stories that the hunter who kicked shiva with a shoe adorned leg was Kannappa nayanmar. And the name Gandiva itself is a straignt give away that it was Arjuna who hit Shiva with a bow. And it was Pittukku Man sumandha padalam (the episode of carrying sand to build the dam on vaigai river in return for rice cake) where the Pandiya king Arimarthana pandian, caned Shiva. And for movie buffs, who'd watched Thiruvarutchelvar starring Shivaji, one knows it was Sundaramurthy nayanmar who called Shiva a mad person and a devil himself. One can't associate Axe with anyone other than Parashurama himself.

However, I had no clue of who hit Shiva with stones. And the thought was gnawing me for weeks. Who? Why? Where? What? And the search engines were working overtime.

Thanks to my wife again, the person was traced out to be Saakkiya Nayanaar.

Having found out all the persons, It was interesting to find out the stories of each episode and perhaps find out any part of history lost in translation.

The subsequent posts will explore the 5 episodes separately and try to trace the events to the place and time they happened.

Lastly, if not for the great periyapuranam that's 1000s of years old (during the Idai changam of Madurai of the past), such interesting episodes would have remained as myths....

Let us look at Arjuna's act first....

Our Lost Legacy - Part 3

Udaipur - The city of lakes. The heart of Mewar. A city rich in legacy, art, culture and stories of the Ranas. Lake Pichola is undoubtedly the star attraction with various shops and point of interests dotted all around it. There is a huge foreigner attraction here and there are hotels where they repeatedly screen the Bond flick Octopussy. Yes, Octopussy was shot in Udaipur.
I zeroed down on Karohi Haveli for a stay here and explored all of the city by foot mostly. Every corner has surprises waiting to grab your attention.
Here's some sneak peak of Udaipur.

The grand durbar hall at Udaipur Palace


Jag Nivas

Karohi Haveli - the place where we stayed

Udaipur Lake Palace - now a hotel

Dance of the Bawai

The Puppet Show

Mor Chowk at City Palace

Our Lost legacy - Part 2

Rani Ka Vav
Behind this architectural marvel, resides a love story lost in time. While the rest of the world celebrates the Taj to be the epitome when it comes to monument for love, Rani Ka Vav is a beautiful poem, very subtle and is a tribute not just to love. It was also a period where women of India walked with pride and equality. This, is from a Queen in memory of her husband.
Some of the pictures from Rani ka Vav
It is all about War


And Love (Manmadha with his bow and arrow)


Finest stepwell, that is in the pending UN heritage list

The geometrical patterns on the walls

And every column had a sculpture beckoning you.

Our lost legacy - Another trip to the glorious past!

Our lost legacy - Another trip to the glorious past!

5 days of consecutive holidays were up for Deepavali. It was planning time on yet another trip. I needed to get away from the fireworks. Further I wanted to spend all the time with my daughter and show her things she'd enjoy and learn things from. This time I singled upon Udaipur as the place.
To make the trip more fruitful, I roped in two of the finest ancient structures of north Gujarat in to the itinerary - The Sun temple at Modhera and Rani Ka Vav at Patan. I'd further booked a nice haveli at Udaipur overlooking the Pichola lake. Apart from Udaipur Palace, the Puppet show and the Rajasthan traditional dance was high on my todo list along with a promised shopping tour for antiques and art materials.
My car had the complete suspension work done. I was looking forward to the long drive from home to the first stop - Mehsana.
Here are some teaser pics before I start on the travelogue.
The pillars that still stand testimony - Sun temple at Modhera

A reflection of our glorious past - Sun temple Modhera


Ancient treasures - Sun temple Modhera

The stepped tank at Sun temple - Modhera

The mighty elephants that carried the world - Sun temple Modhera

Kanavu ulaga sanchaari

கண்களை மூடிக்கொண்டு கனவுலகில் சஞ்சாரிப்பவர்களில் நானும் ஒருவன் . ஆயினும் சராசரி மனிதனைப்போல நான் கனவு காண்பதில்லை. அதற்க்காக, புரட்சி செய்ய வேண்டும், ஒவ்வொரு செயலிலும், அர்த்தம் இருக்க வேண்டும், உலகுக்கு நானே முன்னுதாரனமாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்ற பகல் கனவு கான்போருடன் சேர விருப்பம் இல்லை. எனது கனவுகள் எல்லாம் ஒரு சிறு கவிதை போல் இருக்கும். அதில் ஒரே ஒரு வில்லங்கம் தான். எழுதி முடிக்கும் முன்பே, தூக்கம் கலைந்து விடும்.குழந்தையின் சிரிப்பை காண்பதென்றால் ஒரு அலாதி பிரியம். உலகம் முழுவதும் குழந்தைகள் மாத்திரம் இருக்க மாட்டார்களா என்ற ஏக்கத்திலேயே கனவு உலகில் சஞ்சரிப்பேன். பார்க்கும் இடம் எல்லாம் பசுமை. கேட்கும் ஒலி எல்லாம் மழலை. சிரிப்பு ஒலிகளுக்கு நடுவில் நான். உலகில் போரும், பிணியும் பட்டினியும் கிடையாது. குழந்தைகளின் கள்ளமற்ற சிந்தனைகள் தாம். அந்த பகல் கனவில் இருக்கும் போதே நானும் சிரிப்பேன். பக்கத்தில் இருப்பவர் அதிர்ந்து ஆறு அடி தள்ளி போவார். பாவம், நிஜமான உலகத்தில் வாழ்பவர் போல இருக்கிறது. பயந்து ஒதுங்குகிறார்.இயல், இசை, நாடகம் என்றால் மறுபடியும் கனவு உலகில் சென்று விடுவேன். கவிதை வறி கூட வேண்டாம். ஓம்கார சுருதி இருந்தாலே போதும். இன்பம் தாண்டவம் ஆடும் அந்த முத்தமிழில் என்னை மறந்து, நிலை மறந்து, மெய் மறந்து, கண்மூடி லயித்து கிடக்கும் தருவாயில், என்னை அறியாமல் வரும் புன்சிரிப்பை கண்டு அருகில் இருப்பவர்கள் வியப்பார்கள். ஐயோ பாவம், முற்றிவிட்டதோ என எண்ணி சிலர் அனுதாபத்துடனும், அய்யய்யோ முற்றிவிட்டது போல இருக்கிறதே என்ற பீதியுடன் சிலரும், ஆஹா, முதிடுதுடா சாமி என்று எள்ளி நகையாடி சிலரும் எழுந்தோடுவார்.இறை மீது இருக்கும் பற்று அதிகரிக்கும் போது, உண்ணும் இரையும் மறந்து கிடக்கும் வேளையில் , மனம் குதூகலத்தில் , எனை அறியாமல், வாய் திறந்து புலம்பி இருக்கிறேன். இரை ஏந்தும் கைகளை கண்டு சில நேரம் வெட்கி தவித்து, ஐயோ, நம்மை போல பெருசாழிகள் இருப்பதால் தானே இவரை போல பிச்சைகாரர்கள் இருக்கின்றனர் என்று வேதனை பட்டதுண்டு. அவ்வப்போது, கண்ணீரும் வடித்ததுண்டு . அவர்கள் மத்தியில், வீம்புக்கு உழைக்காது, ஏமாற்றி பணம் பறிக்கும் பகல் கொள்ளை காரர்களிடமும், பிச்சை போட்டு ஏமாற்றமடைந்து வாய் திறந்து சபித்ததுண்டு. வறுமையை பார்த்து, இறையிடம், பஞ்சமும், பிணியும், பட்டினியும் போக்க கூடாதா என்று மன்றாடியதுண்டு. அதை கேட்ட நண்பர்கள், உன்னை திருத்தவே முடியாது என்று தலையில் அடித்துக்கொண்டு போகும் போதும், பாரதி கண்ட நவீன பாரதத்தை கனவுலகில் கண்டு கண்ணீர் சிந்தி இருக்கின்றேன்.நான் கோழை. கனவுலகில் மாத்திரம் வாழும் கோழை. உண்மை உலகம் எனக்கு புகட்டும் பாடங்களை புறக்கணிக்கும் கோழை. நிஜமான மனிதர் எல்லாம் மாந்தர்களே என்ற உண்மையை புறக்கணிக்கும் கோழை. என்றாவது விடியும் என்ற கனவை மாத்திரம் துரத்திக்கொண்டு இருக்கின்ற என்னிடம், விடியலை தேடும் சக்தி இல்லை, தைரியமும் இல்லை. ஆம். நூற்றுக்கணக்கான இந்தியர்களில் நானும் ஒருவன். ஒவ்வொரு தினமும், கனவில் தொடங்கி, கனவில் முடியும் எனது வாழ்க்கை. என்னால் ஆனா இரண்டு காரியங்கள் - ஒளிமயமான எதிர்காலத்தை கனவில் வடிப்பதும், உலகத்தில் எப்படியும் வாழலாம் என்பதற்காக அடுத்தவர் குடியை கெடுக்காமல் இருபதும் தான். ஒவ்வொரு கனவிலிருந்தும் விழிக்கும் தருவாயில், ஏதோ இதை போல் பிதற்றுவதுண்டு.