Tag Archives: Festival of Colour

Art & Craft, Festivals of India, Kerala

A Grand Celebration of Masks- Padayani Festival at Othera

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Continued from ‘Celebrating the chariot of light- Purapaadu Festival at Cheriyanaad‘

In my previous post, I had told you that I returned to Pattanamthitta more often than I expected. I was in Chengannur again to experience yet another festival. In this post, I am going to talk about my experience of the Padayani festival at Othera.

What is the Padayani Festival?

Padayani loosely translates to ‘Row of warriors’ in Malayalam. It is a ritualistic art form involving folk music, dance, theatre and hand-painted masks, observed in several Bhagavati temples across central Kerala, particularly in and around Pattanamthitta. ‘Kolam thullal’ is an important part of the festival to appease Goddess Bhagwati through the performance of rhythmic dance steps to the music played by traditional instruments like the thappu, chenda, para and kumba while wearing leafy costumes and masks made from arecanut and coconut sheaths, which are painted into various forms with the use of natural pigments. The impersonators performing Kolam thullal (Mask dance) represent both the divine and the evil forms through various depictions.

Although the festival’s origins are rooted in history, contemporary practices involve different duties and responsibilities assigned to members of various communities in Kerala. The duration of the festival ranges from 7 to 28 days, depending on the temple’s tradition, with the final day typically being the most elaborate and grand and therefore called the ‘Valiya Kolam’.

Various areca sheath painted Masks used for Kolam thullal
Various areca sheath painted Masks used for Kolam thullal

What happens during the Padayani festival at Othera?

The Padayani festival at Puthukkulangara Devi temple in Othera village, Pattanamthitta district, is one of Kerala’s renowned Padayani celebrations. This ten-day annual event takes place from the 03rd to the 12th day of the Meenam month of the Malayalam calendar, featuring various Kolam dances performed nightly in the temple courtyard as acts of devotion. All the masks used in the Padayani festival are hand-painted by skilled men on each day of the festival and discarded after each use. The highlight of the festival, however, is the ‘MahaBhairavi Kolam’ a grand mask crafted from 1001 areca sheaths that draws large crowds from across the region on the last night of the festival.

A brief itinerary of the 10-day-long Padayani festival at Othera Puthukkulangara Devi temple is listed below. It is also noteworthy that each ritualistic performance begins with Chootuvaippu and ends with a Chootuvalathu and Kotti Vilikkal. ‘Chootuvaippu’ is the burning of torches made with dried coconut fronds behind whom each performer walks to the Padayani arena. ‘Chootuvalathu’ is a circumambulation of the temple by the performer, including the ‘Kotti Vilikkal’, meaning to inform the goddess after the performance is done.

Day 1 (Chathayam Nakshatra): The festival officially starts with the hoisting of the Adavi Kollika, the traditional flag and the lighting of the ‘Bhadra Deepam’, a traditional brass lamp with 21 wicks. It is followed by the arrival of the Vetapoola offerings to the idols. After this, the performance of thappu kottu (traditional frame drums played by hand), Ettu Kappoli (a rhythmic performance of multiple traditional music instruments), and Pulavrittam (a ritualistic dance performed by men in a circular formation) set the stage for all other performances on each day of the festival, starting this day.

Day 2 (Pooruruttathi Nakshatra): The performance of Thavadi (a ritualistic dance performed by rows of men by clapping hands to the tunes of drums and cymbals) gets added to Thappu Kottu, Ettu Kappoli and Pulavrittam from this day. This day also marks the beginning of the Kolam thullal and Panchakolam, which is performed for the next three days.

Day 3 (Uthrattathi Nakshatra): The evening begins with a Thiruvattira dance performance followed by Thappu kottu, Ettu Kappoli, Pulavrittam, Thavadi, Kolam thullal and Panchakolam. The Panchakolam is accompanied by the Sundarayakshi Kolam on this day.

Kolams at Puthukulangara Devi padayani festival
Kolams at Puthukulangara Devi padayani festival. Clockwise from Top left: Yakshi; Top right: Pakshi; Bottom right: Kudiran; Bottom left: Bhairavi

Day 4 (Revathi Nakshatra): The Panchakolam is accompanied by the Kalayakshi and Bhairavi Kolam.

Day 5 (Ashwathi Nakshatra): This day includes Ettu Kappoli, Pulavrittam, Thavadi and the Kalankekalam Kolam.

Days 6 to 9: These days have performances of Ettu Kappoli, Pulavrittam, Thavadi and the Kalan Kolam.

Day 10 (Thiruvathira Nakshatra): All the rituals conducted over the last 9 days are repeated on this day. All the kolams come to the festival arena in a procession, which is traditionally called the ‘Nirathi Thullal’. Various Kolams alongside the Kakarisshi natakam and Paradeshi performances continue throughout the night, with the Mangalabhairavi Kolam and Poopada (A ritualistic dance performance to the music of percussion instruments and comic interludes) marking the end of the festival. A brief itinerary of the last evening of the Othera Padayani festival is indicated in the image below.

Day10 padayani festival itinerary- Othera
Day10 padayani festival itinerary- Othera

What is the ‘MahaBhairavi Kolam’ at the Othera Padayani festival?

While all Kolams in the Padayani festival feature a human impersonator wearing a mask made from hand-painted areca sheaths, the MahaBhairavi Kolam stands out primarily because of its enormous size. A Bhairavi kolam is the largest wearable mask during Padayani, with the load resting on the wearer’s neck and shoulders, supported by their hands. In contrast, the MahaBhairavi is crafted from 1001 sheaths, all held in place by arranging them on a sturdy wooden frame from behind. It is nearly impossible for a single person to carry this. Therefore, after arranging the sheaths, the large mask/Kolam is lifted from the ground and mounted on a wooden cart using a crane. Community members then hand-draw the Kolam from the setup area to the Padayani arena. The cart is moved forward and backward three times to appease Goddess Bhadrakali, and the Kolam remains in the arena for several days, marking the festival’s conclusion.

Ladies are prohibited from entering the areas where the masks are painted and assembled. After the kolam is over, the masks are left for nature to take over them in its own way.

The MahaBhairavi Kolam at Puthukulangara Devi Padayani festival, Othera, Kerala

How was our experience of witnessing the Othera Padayani festival?

To summarise the entire experience in simple words, it was a festival so unique and unlike anything else I have experienced before. Based on the above itinerary shared by the temple authorities, my friend and I reached Othera by 05.30.p.m. At the same time, the procession of the sacred fire was in progress. Since the fire was accompanied by an elephant and devotees carrying thalapoli (a metal plate with rice, flowers, coconut and an earthen lamp), the narrow lane leading to the temple was blocked for vehicular movement, and we had to walk past to the temple. All the houses along the way had ‘Nela vilakku’ (the traditional brass lamp) with small pookalam (floral decorations) placed in front of their gates, as a greeting to the sacred fire at their homes.

After the procession reached the temple premises, it went towards the banks of the river Varattar for offerings and returned with tree branches. It was followed by cultural performances like Chendamelam, Vaniyakolam, Peacock dance, Kettukazhcha ceremony (procession of the bull-effigy), a parade of various folk-art forms like Malavazhiyattam, Amman Kudam (Karaga), etc. and the Nadaswaram Seva before the Kolam Thullal began extending right until dawn’s break. Simultaneously, the artists painted the masks, whilst another group of people readied the wooden frame on which the painted sheaths were later arranged. And finally, the fireworks went up while the horizontal wooden frame went up vertically, along with all the sheaths in place. We knew that the big wait was inching closer when we saw a crane carrying a man with a torch, lighting up the cotton burners attached to the MahaBhairavi Kolam. I believe it was a culturally immersive experience that one must experience at least once in their lifetime.

Various Folk artists at Puthukulangara Devi Padayani festival, Othera
Various Folk artists at Puthukulangara Devi Padayani festival, Othera

How to get there?

Othera is located about 4 km away from Chengannur, the nearest major town that is well connected with major cities like Bangalore and Chennai with direct trains and buses. One can conveniently hire an autorickshaw from Chengannur town to reach Othera.

To be continued as “An Onam Celebration I will never forget at Aranmula Parthasarthy Temple“

Festivals of India, Goa, Indian Architecture, Statewise Travel

Goa backpacking: Makarotsav Celebration and Temple Hopping

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Continued from Goa backpacking: Mahavir National Park.

I returned to Goa with a friend to spend our Dasara vacation and we chose to stay put at the same homestay in Colva that was our base while my family and I had explored Madgaon, Old Goa, and its surroundings during our earlier visit. Everybody associates Goa with the yuletide cheer, but my friend and I were more inclined towards experiencing Goa’s unique tradition of Makarotsav as part of the Dasara festival celebration. We had heard about it through our friends belonging to the Saraswat Brahmin communities, most of whose Kula devata (patron God of their community) happen to be in Goa.

What is Makarotsav?

“Makar’ is a boxy frame like swing decorated beautifully and carries the idol of the deity. It is rocked to the rhythmic beats of dhols, Tasha, temple bells along with Aarti. The history of this unique Dasara tradition dates to the 16th Century. During the Portuguese rule, several Hindu temples were destroyed across Goa. Many people fled these places overnight and arrived at the forests of Ponda region to take refuge.

It is said that these Hindus also carried their deities along with them which were installed across the region. Since then, Makarotsav has become a symbolic celebration. The act of ‘Swinging the deity’ is a representation of their God being with them in times of hardship, moving, swaying and living among the people.

The original sites at which the idols were installed eventually saw significant renovations under the Maratha rule. The style of temple architecture is typical to the region and is a blend of domes, pillars, and large lamp posts/towers in the courtyard. Some of the oldest structures that still stand strong bear the original wooden bars, intricate paintings alongside reliefs and carvings in their original condition. Water tanks or Kalyanis, are integral to the vast premises housing these temples.

Where can I witness Makarotsav?

Today, Ponda has the highest density of Hindu temples across the state of Goa and therefore revered as the Temple town of Goa. ‘Makarotsav’ is celebrated in most temples in and around Ponda which can be broadly classified into three categories. Temples that worship Shiva, Temples that worship Vishnu and Temples that worship Parvathi (Shakthi). Goddess Parvathi is worshipped as Shanta Durga and is believed to be the guardian of every village.

The legend has it that Goddess Shantadurga is the one who mediated peace between Shiva & Vishnu when they fought to establish who was the greatest among the two of them. Hence, her name is Shanta+Durga, a combination of two words ‘Shanthi+Shakthi. The Goddess is (Peaceful) Gentle enough to resolve any egos and (Brave) fierce enough to slay any demons. There are over 20 temples dedicated to Shantadurga located across Ponda and its surroundings where one can participate in Makarotsav.

The celebration happens simultaneously at different temples on all nine days of the Navaratri /Dasara festival, usually starting by 08.00.p.m. and finishing by 11.00.p.m. Hence, it is difficult to cover all temples in just 1 or 2 days, and requires detailed scheduling to take part in as many Makarotsavs as possible.

Shri Shantadurga temple, Kavalem
Shri Shantadurga temple, Kavalem

Below is the list of temples we visited on one of the evenings. We had planned them considering their proximity to each other and before knowing the timing of the Makarotsav at each temple.

1. Shree Shanta Durga, Kavalem (Temple dedicated to goddess Parvathi): This was our first stop by around 08.00.p.m. The outside of this temple felt like a village fair with lot of makeshift stalls selling things. It was crowded at the time of our visit, and we saw the Makar still being decorated extremely elaborately. We waited for some time in the belief that the utsav would start but we were told that it was scheduled for later at 10.30.p.m. Meanwhile, we were invited for dinner at the temple’s dining hall. However, we chose to politely reject since we had eaten a light meal before arriving. We decided to visit other temples in our list without spending further time waiting there. Our plan was to witness the utsav at whichever temple we arrived at, at the time or return to this place by 10.30.p.m as the case may turn out.

2. Shri Shanta Durga Shankleshwari temple, Veling (Temple dedicated to goddess Parvathi): It was roughly 09.30.p.m. when we arrived here by chance, on our pursuit to a different temple. But we considered ourselves most fortunate as we had come just in time before the Makarotsav started. We found ourselves on the floor, somewhere in the front with a good view of the Makar. The celebration lasted for about 45 minutes post which a large queue was formed to distribute the prasada offerings comprising of Black-chana dal salad, cut fruits and whole fruits. We devoured them and quickly proceeded towards the next temple located a short distance away where we were told that the Makarotsav was about to begin.

Shri Shantadurga Shankaleshwari Makarotsav
Shri Shantadurga Shankaleshwari Makarotsav

3. Shree Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Veling (Temple dedicated to Vishnu): The most beautiful temple I have been to on this trip, the temple complex has retained most of its old-world feel. The smell of seasoned wood used in its constructions, the frescos and paintings and the moss-laden temple tank with a backdrop of coconut and banana trees had all my heart. The Makarotsav began by 10.00.p.m. with the idol of Lord Narasimha and it was a transcending experience. The prasada was distributed to all devotees to wherever they were seated and the crowd dispersed immediately after the utsav had ended.

Shri Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Veling, Goa
Shri Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Veling

4. Shree Mahalasa Narayani, Mardol (Temple dedicated to Shakthi): Mahalasa is venerated in two forms in Goa. Mahalasa Narayani to be a female avatar (Mohin) of Vishnu and as a form of Parvathi, consort of Khandoba (a form of Shiva). One of the must-visit temples in this circuit, we missed the Makarotsav as the timing overlapped with Shree Lakshmi Narasimha temple and hence, we could only see the temple by requesting us get a glimpse while the security guards were closing the gates and not witness the Utsav.

5. Shree Mangesh temple, Mardol (Temple dedicated to Shiva): Our next stop was at yet another famous temple in this circuit, well after everything had wrapped up for the day. It was well past 11.30.p.m and hence, I had to make peace just seeing the temple arch.

6. Shree Kamakshi, Shirodha (Temple dedicated to goddess Parvathi): We visited this temple around afternoon, hence could not see the Makarotsav. However, the Makar was available but closed for viewing until evening. But for us the visit, though in the afternoon was still a highlight of temple hopping thus far because we had ended up here by chance on a random countryside exploration of Rachol (Written about in a separate post). But I got lucky to devour the hearty lunch at the temple distributed to everybody who came. Genuinely, it was unexpected and tasted so divine. We spent enough time resting on its courtyard before proceeding towards our next destination.

Shri Kamakshi temple, Shiroda, Goa
Shri Kamakshi temple, Shiroda

7. Vimleshwar temple, Rivona (Temple dedicated to Shiva): We arrived at this temple just when it had opened early in the evening and while we were on our way back from our Netravali exploration (Written about in a separate post). We did see the Makar carrying the idol of Lord Vimleshwar and all decorated for the Utsav but were quite early for the Utsav which was scheduled to start later around 08.00.p.m. as per the priest with whom we got talking. Without anybody else at the time of our visit and the strong energy of the temple itself, it was truly a wonderful time.

8. Damodar Sansthan, Fatorda (Temple dedicated to Shiva): Despite Damodar recognized as one of the names of Lord Vishnu elsewhere across regions where Hinduism is practiced, it is a reference to Lord Shiva in Goa. A massive temple complex in expanse, we happened to drop by here while on our way to Colva from Netravall. Our visit was unplanned. Hence, our attire was messy, and rain soaked but not as bad that we had to be chased out of the temple by the presiding priest. Therefore, we left without seeing the idol or anything else inside the temple despite having stepped inside.

What happens at the Makarotsav?

The main deity inside the sanctum sanctorum is worshipped in various forms like anthill, wooden sculpture, Kalasa, brass, bronze idols etc. depending on the local legend about the deity. However, the Utsava Moorthi (idol) placed in the Makar is different from that worshipped inside the sanctum.

As a basic feature of all Makarotsavs, the rocking/ swinging of the wooden frame (Makar) to rhythmic sound of the instruments and Aarti is same across all temples. However, the beats of the music and the procedures preceding or succeeding the Utsav differ slightly from temple to temple. Once the swinging ceremony is completed, the following rituals may vary from temple to temple. For example, we witnessed it at two temples.

At the Shri Shanta Durga Shankleshwari temple in Veling, the floral decorations adorning the deity are auctioned among the gathered people. This is a way of raising funds for the upkeep of the temple and its maintenance. The prasad was served where in the devotees had to stand in queue to collect it. At the Shree Lakshmi Narasimha temple, The Prasada was distributed in pre-packed disposable leaf bowls to wherever the devotees were seated even as the Makarotsav was going on. There was no auctioning of anything associated with the temple or the Pooja. Even waste bins were kept across the main hall to collect the waste so that all could leave the premises as soon as the celebration was over and the gates were quickly closed for the day.

While the Makar was adorned and kept ready for viewing of everyone at the Vimleshwar temple by 05.00.p.m., at the other Shanta Durga temples that we visited, the decorated Makar was closed with a curtain and opened for public viewing just before the start of the Aarti. This might be something else in other temples.

If you know any other practice at any other temple that celebrates Makarotsav, share it with me in the comments below.

To be continued as Goa backpacking: Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary.

Festivals of India, Karnataka

The Povvadi Namme of Ibbanivalavadi

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It was back during my school going days, that I had an opportunity to visit the Haleri (Paaleri) Bhadrakali temple in Madikeri taluk. I was especially intrigued by several antlers hung on the wooden beams through the length of the temple verandah. Upon enquiry, the temple priest fed my curiosity by letting me know that the antlers are used during the temple festival to perform ‘Kombaat.’ Kombaat is a word derived as a combination of two Kodava words, Kombu (antler) and Aat (dance). It is one of the ritualistic dances performed during temple festivals of Bhadrakali, a local deity of Kodagu. Ever since then, I was trying to get details or the schedule to witness one of these festivals where Kombaat is performed.

Finally, it was in the year 2024 when my friend informed me that the Povvadi festival at her native village was scheduled to be held in April. After a long wait, I had finally arrived at the ‘Kaitale’ (ground) attached to the ‘Bhadrakali temple’ of Valavadi village. ‘Ibbani’ and ‘Valavadi’ are two sister villages in Madikeri taluk. The annual temple festival is hosted by each of these two villages on alternating years at the Bhadrakali temple premises of the respective village. This year, it was the turn of Valavadi villagers to host this festival. There are eleven clans that are the original inhabitants of Ibbanivalavadi. Therefore, they take precedence in the conduction of the overall festival.

Brief history of Povvadi festival:

Bhadrakali, also known as Bhagavathi or Povvadi, is a local deity worshipped in every village of Kodagu with dedicated temples. The annual festival celebrated in her honor is the Povvadi festival. There are several native communities in Kodagu and each of these members have their own significant roles and responsibilities to be performed at these festivals.

‘Maadayi Kaavu’ is a Bhagavathi temple located in the Malabar region of Kerala. It is believed to be the Aadi Neley (primary destination) from where the deity took station at several places across Kodagu. Among these places, is a group of temples called as the ‘Elu Neley’ (seven station) Bagavathi located across the northern and western parts of Kodagu. This group comprises of one brother- Appangeriappa at Kaatakeri and six sisters, namely- Poramalenaad Povvadi at Galibeedu, Karavale Badaga Povvadi, Paaleri Povvadi, Ummeti Povvadi at Makkandur, Kedakal Povvadi, Ibbni and Valavadi Povvadi at Ibbanivalavadi

Peeli aat

Details of the Povvadi Namme at Valavadi

The beginning of the festivities is marked by a ritual called as ‘Kett boovo’. Thereafter, none in the village is allowed to consume non-vegetarian and alcohol over the next fifteen days. The festival is celebrated towards the last seven days with specific rituals on each day.

Kombaat

On the first day, the Ooru-thakka (Village-keepers), Deva-thakka (Keepers of the temple administration) and Bandara-thakka (Keepers of the temple’s valuables) all arrive in a grand procession, carrying the Bandara-Potti (Donation box) and the jewelry for the deity from its treasury to the temple. This marks the beginning of the festival. The people are accompanied by the music of the ‘Dudi’ and ‘Poda mani’ kott (traditional percussion instruments). There are noteworthy rituals like the Boad kali, boad aat etc. among others.

There are other rituals performed over the next three days. The fifth day is the most interesting as several traditions unique to the ‘Elu Neley’ Bagavathi temples can be witnessed. The day began with ‘Kadi-aat’ followed by a ritual called Aangola-Pongola. It is performed by married couples as an offering to the goddess after their prayers for having children are fulfilled. The vow is fulfilled by their kids by cross-dressing in a wedding ceremonial attire any time before they hit puberty. A son dresses up as a traditional bride (Pongola) and a daughter wears a groom’s costumes (Pongola) as the family together offers their prayers to the Goddess.

Kombaat

Then, all the men of the native clans get dressed in ‘Boltha Kupya’- The white robe worn only on auspicious occasions. They then hold a bundle of peacock feathers (peeli) in their hands and perform a rhythmic dance to drumbeats in a circular formation around a ‘Kutthi bolcha’ (traditional lamp). This dance is called ‘Peeli-aat’. Post the performance, the crowd dispersed from the kaitale and gathered around the temple.

Here, the men in white kupya again perform the Kombaat to the beats of the traditional drums and Valaga (traditional wind instruments played by the members of the Meda community). Along with the ‘Ajjappa,’ (a person possessed by the spirit of ‘Ajjappa’, another local deity), all the other men in white Kupya circumambulate the temple while dancing with the Kombu and Chowri (a cluster of yak hair).

After that, all the villagers gathered to offer bandara to Ajjappa and Bhadrakali. After everyone had finished offering their prayers, they then went back to the podium with a spirit that was competitive. Competitive, because the next ceremony was like a competition of sorts. All the native clans of the village competed against each other in a coconut shooting competition. Three coconuts tied to a distant high pole were to be shot at as targets. It was a fun event to end the day of festivities.

After the sun went down, the men came together in an area nearby to the temple to offer animal sacrifice to the deity. Women are not allowed to this space. The food is then distributed among all the village folk.

Povvadi Namme, Kodagu
Povvadi Namme, Kodagu

On the following day, there is a similar celebration with Kombaat and Valaga, but on a smaller grandeur. on the seventh day of the festival, a pooja is offered to the goddess by all the thakkas, before returning the bandara potti and the temple jewelry to the treasury. The last and the final day of the fortnight long festival was marked by a ‘Kalasa Pooja’ offered to the goddess before drawing curtains on such a beautiful festival until next year.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this article is for documentation of lesser known festivals of India. The above information is only based on what I could gather by discussing with people who had come together at the temple. My apologies for any wrong representation. Readers are welcome to contribute any information that is deemed important and useful to be shared here.

This post was featured  on 24-Oct-24 edition of ‘Spectrum’ in Deccan Herald National daily.

Festivals of India, Personal space

A personal chronology of Deepawali celebration

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The list starts from 2015, a religious celebration of the festival of love and lights- Deepawali. Well, I’m not a religious person who would indulge in ritualistic prayers and pooja on any festival. But what started as travelling during this season to utilise my unused leaves combined with maintenance shutdown period at my workplace, has somehow religiously stuck on as a ritual of travelling to a new place, every year.

Circa 2015- Tamil Nadu:
My brother and I ventured out on our backpacking roadtrip to Tamil Nadu, Kumbakonam to Pondicherry. Well, this was an adventurous start I guess, we had to cut short our trip due to a cyclone that had battered the east coast. Result: Crazy floods and crazy drive through the flooded areas. On the main festival day, we had reached Chidambaram- a must read post about our experience. A bad one then, a memorable one now.

A flooded village near the Indian east coast after a cyclone
The flooded villages enroute to Chidambaram

Circa 2016- Assam:
This was my first solo trip ever and the first time in the north-eastern part of India. After exploring Meghalaya, I had tagged along with a couple of other fellow travellers. We happened to experience one of the most beautiful Deepawali sights. First, the drive through the lamp lit national highway, then watching the best sunset over river Brahmaputra onboard a ferry to Majuli and the crazy ass lamp lit welcome on the Majuli island.

An image of the daily life in Majuli shot during sunset
Sunset at Majuli

Circa 2017- Karnataka:
After a crazy long year of travelling across India, my friends and I decided to have a simple deepawali roadtrip, closer home in the western ghats. We drove to the famous Agumbe ghats and the places around.

Circa 2018- Himachal Pradesh:
One of THE best solo trips of my life, where I couldn’t find a single traveller to tag along through the entire trip. This thus, became a thorough personal and local experience in the Spiti valley. On the day of Deepawali, I was on my way back with a brief stopover at Shimla. A trip that made an impact on me, perhaps forever.

the view of the Kinnaur Kailash mountains at Sangla
Sunset view from Sangla bus stand

Circa 2019- Kerala:
A solo weekend exploring Varkala, it was a short one but yet overwhelming. It was a happy-hippy trip, in a true sense.

Sunset from Varkala Cliff
The sunset from Varkala cliff on Deepavali 2019

Circa 2020- Karnataka:
Fears of travelling afar due to Covid-19, personal commitments and taking advantage of working from home, this was the longest duration I spent in my hometown in the last 15 years. Quite unlikely to mention the highlights, but the Deepawali of 2020 indeed tops all the above from the list.

Paddy and coffee plantation in Kodagu
The view of the farm, from our ancestral home in Kodagu

Circa 2021 – West Bengal: This was a trip that was planned on a whim by 2 of my friends and me, where my brother joined in at the last minute. It was a completely new kind of Deepawali celebration which we experienced during trip. Large pandals setup at every 100meters to celebrate Kali Pooja was something unknown to us about Siliguri in the state of West Bengal. That night, we reached ‘Manebhanjang’ a small town located at the entrance of the Sandakphu trek to the Singalila ridge, the highest point of West Bengal. It was yet another experience to witness an amalgamation of Gurkha, Buddhist, and Hindu culture in the way this town celebrates its festival of lights. Much like the carol singers during Christmas, people form into small teams and go from door to door singing, dancing, and spreading joy and blessings.

Circa 2022- Saudi Arabia: It’s a first time for me to spend Deepawali out of my home country but still in accordance to my tradition of visiting a new place during the festival. This time, work brought me here. Although there wasn’t much we could do like in India, some shopping for sweets at Indian sweet meat shops was a little bit of home we brought for ourselves while staying away from homeland. But, I feel grateful for this opportunity and experience life has brought to me during this Deepawali that has helped me to grow into a little stronger person I was when left India.

What are your stories about celebrating Deepawali / Diwali? What do you do normally?

Art & Craft

The heritage of paintings- a list from all Indian states

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Art is an integral part of human life. Paintings are yet another form of expressing imaginations. The history of paintings in India dates to pre-historic times where there are several rock and cave paintings scattered across the sub-continent. Painted pottery on terracotta and ceramic too have been excavated at several sites. Eventually, it became an attempt to bring the storytelling of the Indian epics to a visual form, each one using the material available locally for colour and canvas. Some forms were patronized by the kingdoms that ruled India and yet a few, used by the local tribes to decorate their dwellings. The use of natural colours on naturally available surfaces has evolved with the generations, picking up influences from various events, people along the way.

This is the land of great artists like Nainsukh, Raja Ravi Varma. Bright and rich colours are now an inseparable part of vibrant culture and lifestyle of being Indian. Here is my attempt to enlist the traditional and folk paintings from all the states of India that can help you as a ready reckoner while you are out travelling in this beautiful land. A few, I would like to crowdsource the details wherever I failed.

These paintings can be strategically used in our daily life that will help revive, sustain and promote these ancient art and rural economy.

Andhra Pradesh:

  1. Deccani paintings– are miniatures which predominantly feature palm trees, men & women. The art has a significant influence by the Deccan sultanates who ruled around this area.
  2. Nirmal art– is where the artisans have developed their own canvas using cardboard and luppam. The striking designs in the form of creepers, flowers etc. have evolved on furniture today.
  3. Savara paintings– This wall art is practiced by the Savaras tribe around Vishakhapatnam. The wall is readied with a mixture of red soil and paper. The painting is done with brush prepared by chewing tender bamboo into various thickness. White colour is derived from rice powder and black colour is derived with a mixture of coconut ash & castor oil.
  4. Kalamkari– This is a fabric painting form popular in the rural parts around Machilipatnam. Primarily human faces are block printed using vegetable colours.
  5. Tholu Bommalaata– This is an art of making leather puppets that are hand painted using vegetable colours, mainly found in the region around Adilabad.

Arunachal Pradesh:

  1. Kuthang strolls– These are intricate religious paintings of the Buddhists. These are derived from the Tangkha paintings that are auspicious symbols hung in every monastery and houses.

Assam:

  1. Khanikar art– These are religious paintings that adorn the monasteries & Satras around the state.
  2. Assamese silk scrolls– Traditional colours of Hangool & Haital are used to draw representations from Ramayana and Mahabharata on silk strolls. This is practiced in the upper Assam region.

Bihar:

  1. Mithila or Madhubani– These are originally intricate wall paintings that depict Ramayana & Mahabharata adorning walls across the rural parts of Mithila region and have now become synonymous with the state.
  2. Patna Kalam– this is also another art form largely patronised during the Gupta era. Several paintings have been found in the Nalanda excavations.

Chhattisgarh:

  1. Godna– This is a primitive art form that has been largely in practice as body tattoos by the women folk in the Jamgula and Bastar region. It has found acceptance in the form of motifs on textile with natural colours mixed with acrylic paints.

Goa:

  1. Kaavi mural paintings– is largely popular in the Konkan region. As the colour says, Kaavi is a single colour- red pigment derived from laterite soil. Several structures, churches and temples are coloured with red paint on a white background.

Gujarat:

This state is sort of a mélange with vibrant colours used across a range of art forms.

  1. Pithora– These are wall paintings practiced by the Rathwa & Bhilala tribes
  2. Miniature paintings– This art has been used to depict epics and large stories under the Jain patronage in 11th century.
  3. Glass painting– It is believed that the earliest form of painting on glass (Belgium glass) originated in Gujarat.
  4. Kalampari art– This is a fabric painting technique practiced by the Chitara community.
  5. With many tribal communities living around the Kutch area, each tribe have their own unique art, patterns and colourations used in their daily life like walls, huts, attire, jewellery, pottery etc. It is an endless list but here are some of them from the Rann of Kutch.
  6. Rogan painting
  7. Terracotta paintings like Kavda pottery is believed to have techniques dating back to the Indus Valley civilization.

Haryana:

This is probably the only Indian state that doesn’t have a native art form. With several dynasties and rulers who came and went in this region, there has never been any specific art style that found patrons among who were always busy in fighting battles.

Himachal Pradesh:

  1. Kangra & Chamba miniature painting– Although largely spread across all the Himalayan states and largely coming under the Pahari paintings umbrella, the region of Kangra gave its name to the paintings that was largely promoted and patronised by the Rajputs. However, each ruler gave the art form its own twist and called it a different name.

Jammu & Kashmir:

  1. Basohli miniatures– Again a part of the Pahari painting, the famous artist Nainsukh is believed to have moved from Chamba and have settled in this region during his last days. Thus, giving its name to the bold and intense form of painting the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Hence, Basohli is the first school of Pahari paintings.

Jharkhand:

  1. Paitkar scrolls– Ramayana & Mahabharata stories are depicted on paper with colour made from vermillion. Fine brush is made using goat hair.
  2. Jadopatia scrolls– This form of paintings is used for story telling which are believed to have healing effects on people.
  3. Sohrai, Kohver, Ganju, Rana, Teli, Prajapati, Kurmi, Mundas, Turi, Birhor & Bhuiya, Ghatwal- these are mural paintings used to decorate the walls of the tribal houses. Each, representing a tribe and have their own style. The common factor between all these styles are that the designs comprise of animals & plants depictions thus indicating the connection of nature and the tribe.

Karnataka:

  1. Mysore Royal painting– influenced by the Vijayanagar school of painting, this art flourished under the Mysore Wodeyars. Bright natural colours obtained from vegetables, organic, minerals were painted using natural brushes. Squirrel hair was used for finer strokes and brushes made with a specific grass was used for various thickness and strokes.

Kerala:

  1. Kalam– This is a short name for Kalamezhuthu, a rural art of painting.
  2. Face painting– with various traditional dance forms and ritualistic prayers, face painting is an essential part of art in Kerala. Largely seen in its vibrant designs and patterns during Theyyams, Kathakali etc.
  3. Oil paintings– These murals are very elaborate piece of portraits largely practiced in the Northern part of Kerala.

Madhya Pradesh:

  1. Gond art– A painting style that is used by the Gond tribes. This largely comprises of finely drawn lines in a picture that encompasses animals and plants.
  2. Pithora wall paintings– this form of art is inspired by various myths and is used by the Bhilala tribe to keep away evils. You can often see walls and both sides of the doors painted with patterns that are believed to protect them.
  3. Malwa painting– This folk art can be found on floors and walls and practiced by the Chitera community. Chalk powder blended with turmeric & saffron for suitable shades of the colour is used in doing these paintings.
  4. Mandana paintings– This art is used to depict special occasions and festivals and used only during specific events.

Maharashtra:

  1. Warli– Used to adorn walls by the tribe, this painting uses patterns like triangles and circles to represent community living, human being, trees, animals and everything in general.
  2. Chitrakathi paper paintings– as the name suggests, Chitra (picture) + Katha (story)- These are single sheet paintings used by a specific migrating community of Thakkar tribe for storytelling. Local version of Ramayana & Mahabharata and other myths are painted using colours made from stones. These are also called as Paithani paintings.
Warli paintings used in modern gifts
Compliments cards for gifts with Warli art

Manipur:

**Need help**

Meghalaya:

**Need help**

Mizoram:

**Need help**

Nagaland:

  1. Naga cloth painting– Several Naga tribes reside in Nagaland and each have their own designs in their houses, dresses and morungs. However, the Lotha, Ao and Rengma tribes have their traditional designs painted on fabric. Fine bamboo brushes are used to transfer colours that are made by mixing tree sap, leaf ash and local beer.

Odisha:

  1. Patachitra– These are traditional cloth-based scroll painting from rural parts of eastern Odisha. It is inspired by Mythic elements like Lord Jagannath and is derived from ancient Bengali art which is used for narration in the visual form when a song is performed.
Pattachitra paintings in modern gifts
A Patachitra scroll based envelope- for giving wedding compliments

Punjab:

  1. Sikh miniature painting– This an influence of the Kangra paintings and is used as a narrative of various stories from the life of Guru Nanak. Hence, has a vital role in Sikhism.

Rajasthan:

The list of painting related art forms from this state is endless. Here is a small compilation of the same.

  1. Phad cloth scrolls– These paintings are based on stories from Ramayana & Mahabharata. They have influences of both religious and folk performances by the local priests.
  2. Rajasthani miniature paintings– When the Mughal artisans dispersed from the Northern India, they were sheltered and patronised by various Rajput kings. Individual ruler had his influence on the style, and it evolved into individual styles, largely coming under a common umbrella called as Rajasthani school of paintings.
  3. Wall & ground paintings– Various styles like Devra, Pathwari, Sanjhi, Mandav etc. can be seen based on the individual communities.
  4. Cloth paintings– like Pat, Picchwai, Phad scrolls etc.
  5. Paane paper paintings.
  6. Kavad wooden paintings.
  7. Body paintings– various designs are drawn on human skin using natural colours like Mehendi & Godana
  8. Thape paintings– This is a wall & door painting style that is used to invoke deities. Natural colours like turmeric, henna, vermillion is used.
  9. Badaley paintings– These are either cloth or leather paintings that are used to cover metal utensils. It is prominent around Jodhpur.
  10. Thewa art– This is a form of painting small pieces of glass with gold. It is a famous art around Pratapgarh in Bhilwara region.

Sikkim:

  1. Thangka painting– These are religious strolls that depict important lessons from Buddhism. This uses organic colours and even gold dust and adorns walls, roof and mural in Buddhist houses and monasteries.
Tibetan art in modern gifts
Envelopes with compliments & paintings from Buddhism

Tamil Nadu:

  1. Tanjavur paintings– This is a classical art form that has a 3-D effect with embellished with precious stones, glass pieces & pearls. It has been largely patronized by the Cholas and then have influences from the Marathas and others who ruled the region.

Telangana:

  1. Cherial scroll painting– This is a folk art on very long cloths used for story telling that can sometimes run into several meters. It is painted specifically by the Kako Padagollu community.

Tripura:

**Need help**

Uttar Pradesh:

  1. Mughal/ Persian painting style– The Mughals got artisans from Persia and used their designs and patterns in all their structures across. Art flourished especially during the reign of Jehangir.

Uttarakhand:

  1. Garhwal painting– Again, something that has been a part of the Pahari school, this form largely uses characters that depict romance.

West Bengal:

  1. Patua art– This is a traditional narrative cloth scroll painting style done by a community called the Patuas. An entire story is depicted on a single scroll with several panels for each chapter. The speciality of the art is its people who are mainly Muslim and paint Hindu religious figures in their artwork. These are same as Odisha Pata paintings in theme selection but entirely different in their style and composition.
  2. Kalighat painting– This started as paintings in items that were taken as offerings to Kali temple at Kalighat and has now become a specific form of painting. This is also a form of scroll painting but main difference is that this is done on paper.
  3. Tribal paintings– This is primarily popular among the ‘Santhal tribes’ around the areas of Purulia, Birbung and Barbura.
Continue reading The heritage of paintings- a list from all Indian states →
Travel talks

Five ways to experience travel during lockdown

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Continuing my posts on managing anxiety and keeping up self-morale during the lockdown, here’s some more on self help..

Binge-watching on Netflix, Hotstar or other OTT platforms, reading books, Cooking, meditation are so cliched. Doing these things daily too can get monotonous. Doing something for 21 days can lead to a habit. So, by the end of this lockdown period, we all don’t want to become couch potatoes..

Yes, every Sunday evening of our lockdown period has been made interesting by our Honorable Prime Minister. His tasks have made sure that we all came out to our balconies to get some fresh air and break the monotony. The clapping, clanging of plates, bells and blowing the conches from the confines of our balconies with an aim to Thank the frontline warriors of the Covid-19 Pandemic on 22-Mar-20 was a nice exercise to come out of our couches. Similarly, I’m sure the nation showed its unity and solidarity in hard times by switching off lights and lighting up lamps, candles, torches and flashlights on the evening of 05-Apr-20.

But, what about the other days of being locked down at home? Do your itchy feet rare to travel? And oh, those with little kids must be having the hardest time to keep them indoors. So, if you are looking for an offbeat travel experience to break your routine, while being locked up inside your house, here are five handpicked DIY ideas for you 😊

  1. Have your own bedroom rave party: An endless playlist is available either in your collection or on the OTT platform. Use the apps that also provide disco flashlights. Place your mobile screen between two mirrors that are placed at a distance away, facing each other. Switch off all the lights at home and let your playlist take the center table. Voila, you have your own dance floor! Make some drink or look online for some cocktail ideas with whatever ingredients are available in your kitchen and your party is good to go!
  2. Pitch your own tent or pillow fortress: For those of you who are frequent hikers, chances are that you have your own tent. You can pitch it in your own balcony or terrace and experience the outdoors in your own little campsite. For the others who don’t have a tent, fret not. Remember the ‘Pillow fortresses’ we made as kids? Why not let that kid out of yourselves now? Fold up your beds and stack up you pillows. You can even tie a string across your room and hang down a bedsheet from it. You have your very own DIY tent.
  3. Set-up your travel corner: Re-living old memories by digging up the old photo albums itself can be a great way to time-travel. You can pick up some of your favorite photos and hang-it up with lights in a DIY corner of your house. All you need is some strings and clips to hold your photos in place. You can also draw a huge map and mark the places you have been to and have it in your travel corner. Arranging your collection of souvenirs from your travels around this place too is a great idea.
  4. Star gazing from your balcony or terrace: Now that the skies have cleared, it’s a good activity to hone up your skills of star gazing. There are several apps and websites that can help you in identifying the stars and constellations. It’s a great idea to go out to your balcony and admire the vast expanse of the night’s sky. Who knows, you might even get a glimpse of the ISS (International Space Station) which is believed to be going around the earth- 16 times a day! There is usually one major meteor shower every month. Look up on the dates and catch the shooting stars 🙂
  5. Celebrate a festival: Light up your house as if you would do it for Diwali or for Christmas. Make up a mock festival at home. Festivals have always been a great way to bring in fresh energy and pep up the mood. I’m a sucker for diyas and candle lights and totally in love with the positive vibes it brings with it. No mood for festival décor? Why not cook up a nice meal and have a candle lit dinner?

Sounds fair? Let me know how you are dealing with the lockdown…. What ideas do you have to experience travel without leaving your doorstep?

Festivals of India, Tamil Nadu

A festival to Raid the graveyard- Mayana Kollai

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Come the night of Mahashivaratri, there will be festivities across the country. People stay up all night and participate in bhajans, pooja offerings, chariot pulling etc. all to keep themselves awake for the night, so that their beloved Lord, Shiva gets good rest after taking care of them all year. But it is the day that follows the revered night, that is the essence to this story of mine. The day that follows Mahashivaratri is when Shakthi, the consort of Shiva and thus, the female power is celebrated across the Northern part of Tamil Nadu. The companionship of Mother Angalamman to Shiva, the graveyard dweller is celebrated with a festival called the ‘Mayana Kollai’. As a friend explains, Mayana Kollai translates to the ‘Raid of the graveyard’ in Tamil. I had planned to witness this festival at one such temple dedicated to Angalamman, closer home, at Kaveripattinam.

The festivities had started as early as the sunrise at the Angalamman temple, with the Goddess being taken on a temple car/ chariot. She is supposed to travel along the streets of the town, to the graveyard by evening from where she returns to the temple by night. All other rituals that are part of this journey of her’s are what make this festival more interesting. It is a festival where the entire town / village participates with no barrier of caste or societal status. The chariot leaves the temple with the idol of Angalamman.

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The diety- Angalamman being taken on a procession on the temple car / chariot

She is greeted by devotees who throw a mixture of salt crystals and black pepper or beans all along her way. She is hailed as a symbol of fertility who is calm throughout the year and takes on her powerful form on this day, once in a year. The villagers get their body pierced with various things near the temple premises and walk across the village to the graveyard, where the piercings are removed. This body paining is what they believe, is a gratitude to the almighty for the wishes that have come true or as a part of a prayer that needs to be fulfilled. The size and things pierced can vary depending on individual’s prayers. While those with tridents pierced around their mouth are a very common sight, the more pious go further to get their torso pierced with hundreds of lemons. Yet, a few pull cars, buses, trucks or large stones with ropes that are hooked through their bare skin.

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Stones being readied to be hooked to the body as a man with a trident pierced to his cheeks walks past

If u peek into one of the many shops (I don’t know if that is the correct noun for such places) around the town, apart from those getting the body piercings, you will find another set of people. Men and children will be getting their faces painted and dressed up in sarees, a representation of Angalamman. With metal arms attached to the backs, elaborate costumes, jewelry and crown worn, Angalamman is impersonated by these people. They hold tridents and dance to the beats of drums across the streets. Several times on their way, they get possessed or get into a state of trance, until they all finally congregate at the graveyard. Animal sacrifice too is a common sight on the streets on this day.

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Stalls where the body piercings and paintings will be done

It is evening by the time the temple car and everyone else reaches the graveyard. That is when the most interesting part of the rituals takes place. The folk impersonating the goddess gather around a random grave and dig it up. The bones from the grave are pulled out and chewed by them. This is called the ‘bone chewing’ ritual or what gives the festival its name: Mayana Kollai or the ‘Raid of the graveyard’.

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Men and kids dressed up like Angalamman

There are several legends and references that explain the significance of this ritual, depending on the region. Here are some of the references I found on the internet.

  1. The significance of the costume (Click here to read further)
  2. The significance of the Bone chewing ritual (Click here to read further)

Post this ritual, the goddess calms down and returns to the temple on the temple car. The festival culminates when the it reaches its home.

While witnessing all this self-violence, I started to deeply think, why this is necessary to please the gods. Although I couldn’t find a convincing conclusion, what I realized is that this form of ritual is not unique to Hinduism alone. It has been largely practiced worldwide, across all major religions. Some of the closest references are:

Whichever faith be it and whatever the belief, the intentions of every person involved is the same. To get closer to god. Aren’t all our beliefs connected?

Festivals of India, Nagaland

Stone Pulling Ceremony with the Angami Nagas

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Stone pulling Ceremony is an annual traditional event held across the Angami villages to commemorate a certain important day. It takes place in one village per year on a rotational basis. So that way, it takes about 5 to 10 years by the time this ceremony reoccurs in a particular village. This event is usually timed around the Hornbill festival as there will be people from across Nagaland and outside visiting Kohima (The region where the Angami tribe is a majority).

The stone referred here is a large monolith that weighs several tons and the size and shape is not fixed. It is at the villagers’ liberty to pick the monolith they want to use for the occasion and can be either quarried from the village itself or bought from somewhere else depending on the resources. The large stone slab is then placed on a sled that is made of tree trunks and pulled using thick entwined vines from the forest. Thousands of Angami Naga men pull the large monolith over a few kilometers to finally errect it upright, engrave the details of the event and mark the day.

This year, the stone pulling ceremony was held at Mima village. It was organised to commemorate the 75th anniversary of christianity in the village. The monolith was symbolized for forgiveness, friendship and peace to the enmities that the village had with various villages before the coming of the gospel to Mima village.

The typical stone pulling ceremony (Click here to watch the complete video) is solemnised by the pastor from the village’s church with recitals from the Angami bible before the start. It is then followed by firing a round of shots from the muzzle loaded guns in the air. The captain stands on the slab and shouts Angami cheers through a loudspeaker to motivate the pullers. While all the strong and younger men folk of the village join hands to pull the stone, The eldest two men of the clan walk, leading the tribe. The women get dressed in their traditional attire and walk with a khophi (an utility basket woven with bamboo or cane) hung on their back and they stay around as a mark of support to the pullers. A few of these women carry cotton in containers made of dried bottle guard and walk ahead of the pullers as a part of the tradition. And yet, the remaining women go around distributing gruel made of ‘Job’s tears or Chinese pearl barley’ to all the passersby and the participants from their traditional Aluminium pots. It is served in bamboo cups that are carried in the baskets hung around their foreheads. The gruel provides an instant boost of carbohydrates for the toiling men in the hot sun.

In a Christian majority state, the tribal traditions are still thriving. It was a different experience watching the entire village dressed in their ethnic best and gathering to pull the stone uphill from the starting point to its destination. I somehow drew parallels with the chariot pulling tradition of the Puri Jagannath and several other temples of South India.

Isn’t it true that we all somehow follow the same way of life, only with different names for our faith and the process we follow to achieve it?

Festivals of India, Uttar Pradesh

The not so Holi- Festival of Braj Bhoomi

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Holi is Big in Northern India and the most beautiful in the Braj Bhoomi- the Land of Lord Krishna. Festivities start a week in advance with Lath-mar Holi in Barsana and Nandgaon, phoolonwali Holi (Holi played with flowers) and Widow’s Holi in Vrindavan, Huranga at Baldeo and Holika dahan and Rangowali Holi at Mathura and Vrindavan are some of the major parts of the festival. Articles, blogs and photos are all over the internet about how beautiful this celebration is and the fun of participating in the festival of colours. Deeply inspired, a two week trip was planned through the state of Uttar Pradesh whole-ly, to soak in the festive fervor of Holi.

This visit to Mathura is a part of my fortnight long backpacking in the typical pilgrimage circuit of Uttar Pradesh covering Lucknow- Ayodhya- Faizabad– Varanasi- Saranath– Allahabad- Agra- Mathura-Brindavan- Fathehpur Sikri– Delhi

As per plan, we reached Vrindavan to spend the last two days of Holi- the main days and get coloured in different hues of Gulal. The plan was to reach the hotel, change to clothes that we had kept aside specifically for Holi and then go out to the areas where the colours were being thrown at. However, the entire town was already painted with colours by the time we arrived in our delayed train. A samaritan helped us get an e-rickshaw so that we could reach our hotel. The rickshaw had to squeeze its way through the crowd that had already gathered out on all roads. By the time we reached the hotel, we started to feel miserable about having wasted our leaves and having travelled all the way to Mathura from Bangalore was a big mistake. It was very unfortunate that our experience of the famous Vrindavan Holi was no-where close to fun. Although we were inside the rickshaw, we felt more vulnerable to getting coloured than the rickshaw itself. Goon like mobs would specially target people who were new to this kind of celebration. I had atleast 4-5 men together hold me by my head inside the rickshaw and colour my face. Few others even pulled my scarf and shawl to ensure that every inch of skin was coloured. No! It was not a pleasant way to welcome guests to a new place!

Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan is where Holi is best celebrated with the priests throwing colours at everyone. On the day of Choti Holi, although we managed to go to the temple, we were drenched in wet colours. Leave that, our faces, hands and every bit of skin was chapped because we were smeared either with coloured cement or sand. This mixture is a norm and hurts like hell when it is being thrown at. We somehow managed to catch glimpses of Holika that were being burnt in some interior corners of the town. Women folk had gathered around effigies placed in the middle of firewood, food grains, vegetables and all other important things required for burning the pyre. We were colour soaked till the bone by the time we braved the task of reaching the safe confines of our hotel doorstep amid all the cemented colours and sand. Taking pity at our plight, our hotel incharge asked us to stay indoors the following day, as the last day could get wilder.

Finally, the main day of our fortnight long trip had arrived. But, we could barely think of venturing out on the streets on the day of Rangowali holi. Since our hotel was located in the main city area, we set our chairs out in the balcony of our room on the 3rd floor and watched the frenzy on the streets. It was disappointing to watch the Rangowali Holi turn into an event of Kheechadwali Holi (Holi played with water from the drainage). This kind of celebration can give the worst memories especially for girls and foreigners while goons attempt with ruthless amount of coloured glass powder. It can affect your eyes, skin, blood vessels anything! On top of it all, people are sloshed in Bhang and one cannot be sure of what’s gonna happen next!

Really, I’m not exaggerating the displeasure; the festival of colours is exaggerated through good photography by the photo enthusiasts who are all mostly male. I’d bet you not to plan your Holi trip to Braj with a bunch of girlfriends or with anyone who is new to this area. I strongly recommend you either plan on the day of Phoolon wali Holi or be a part of a private Holi celebration at a friend’s place amidst known crowd. This trip to Mathura has left scars of ir-repairable displeasure and sadness!

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The Banke Bihari temple Clicking credits: Gowtham Shastry
Indian Architecture, Tamil Nadu

Exploring the Architectural Marvels of Madurai

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This was a family backpacking trip planned exclusively to explore Madurai. This city has served as the capital of the Pandyas and is a key destination that has nurtured the Dravidian culture. For anyone who hears the name of this famed city, they know of the Meenakshi Amman Kovil. A typical traveler / tourist / pilgrim would visit just that temple and takes pride in marking it in their travel map of places visited. But what one doesn’t realize is, that Madurai is beyond just this. The contribution of the Pandya kingdom is not limited to just the Madurai Meenakshi temple and can be seen and felt in several structures just around the same city. Also, a portion of the Madurai city has a history beyond the Pandyas too. Hence, our family wanted to reserve this long weekend, exclusively for Madurai. We boarded an overnight bus from Bangalore and reached Madurai at 6.00.a.m. on the following morning.

Like most of our family trips, we wanted this also to be an impromptu vacation. Apart from to and fro travel, nothing else was fixed. As per me, you would need a good 2-3 days to have a quick run around doing this same itinerary as ours, exploring ONLY Madurai. If you are an art and history buff or a foodie, I warn you to carry additional days!

Itinerary:

Day 0: Leave from Bangalore by night (KSRTC Bus)
Day 1: Reach Madurai. Visit Meenakshi temple, Thirumalai Nayaka Mahal, Vandiyur temple tank, Koodal Alagar temple, Gandhi museum, Pudumandapam.
Day 2: Alagar Kovil, Alagar Murugan temple, Pazhamudhir Solai temple, Tiruppanakundram Murugan temple, Dargah of Hazrat Sultan, return to Bengaluru.

The details:

After alighting the bus, we walked around the Meenakshi Amman Kovil to find a good hotel. Since this is the heart of the city, it wasn’t hard to find a decent lodge around there. We checked into a hotel that was located just in front of the temple’s west gate. We freshened up quickly and left for the main part of the trip for anyone visiting Madurai.

  1. Meenakshi temple: A visit to the abode of the Pandya architecture. The entire temple complex is fortified and has 4 entrance towers, one on each of the 4 directions. The sculptures on each of these towers are out of the world. Once inside the complex, I started to wonder which world of wonder I had stepped into. It took us more than 4 hours to finish only a quick walk around inside the temple and also get the darshan of Meenakshi Amman and Lord Sundareswaran.
The finely decorated interiors of the Meenakshi Temple
The finely decorated interiors of the Meenakshi Temple

There are a lot of stalls inside the complex selling various handcrafted articles. The temple art museum within the same premises is a must visit. The central sculpture of Natarajan, or the dancing form of Shiva is believed to be one of the Pancha Sabha of the lord. This place represents the silver hall and Shiva is believed to have performed the ‘Sandhya Thandava’ dance form here (More on the Pancha Sabha Kshetras in another post). Also, there are 1000 pillars, all decorated with intricate pieces of sculpture. The dim light used for each pillar added up to the beauty of the place. The Madurai paintings adorning the walls of the temple requires another post to talk about. I go speechless when I get to explain about the South Indian temples. They are beyond words. Internet has plenty to feed and I don’t want to get into the details. After a tour of this massive temple complex, we decided to head out to explore the city beyond the Meenakshi Kovil.

Inside the Temple art museum
Inside the Temple art museum

2. A small walk through the narrow lanes took us to the Thirumalai Nayaka Mahal built in the 16th century. Fine architecture with elegant paintings on the roofs and vaults is neatly presented in a simple combination of half-white and velvet red colors. There is sound and lights show conducted here every evening. However, we could not make it.

The interiors of Thirumalai Naickar Mahal
The interiors of Thirumalai Naickar Mahal

3. From there, we took a local bus to Vandiyur. This is where the annual event of the famed Teppotsavam / Float festival takes place to celebrate the birthday of King Thirumalai Nayak in January. This tank is supposedly the biggest of its kind in the state of Tamil Nadu. With the float festival just 2 months away and monsoon season just passing by, this tank still remained dry during our visit. When we enquired with a few locals passing by about how the event was going to be conducted in a dry tank, we were told that the water will be fed in January from the Vaigai river through artificially laid underground channels. This is truly amazing how such a concept was laid way back in the 16th century. But for a newcomer like me, the dried lake was an eye sore as it was used was a watering hole by many vandals at the time of our visit.

Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam - the island temple
Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam – the island temple

4. Taking another bus from there to Periyar and a small walk from there through the stinking / dirty by-lanes, we reached the Koodal Alagar temple. A quick pooja and a walk around the temple was a nice boost up. The architecture here too, is similar to that of Meenakshi temple.

5. We had to rush to The Gandhi museum as it would close by 6.00.p.m. However, we could not make it on time. This was once called the Tamakkum palace of Rani Mangammal. Today, the museum supposedly houses 14 articles that were used by Gandhiji, along with his sacred ashes and blood-stained dhotis. Gandhiji is said to have visited the city five times during his lifetime.

6. On our walk back to our hotel, we came across an old marketplace called as Pudumandapam. This is a 1000 years old shopping mall, supported by huge sculpture rich stone pillars. The stalls are occupied with tailors, handicrafts vendors, wholesale dealers of pooja related and general accessories. A good place for shopping traditional artefacts at Madurai, and that too in a market that is so old!

Entrance of the Pudumandapam
Entrance of the Pudumandapam

7. On the following morning, we boarded a local bus from Periyar bus stand to travel 21kms towards Alagar Kovil. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Meenakshi Amman’s brother. The village is surrounded by an old fort wall, it gives a good view of the green hills around the temple. The architecture is similar to Koodal Alagar temple in the city.

8. A trek of 3kms uphill, through green forests and monkey infested walkways lead us to the Murugan temple. It is one among the six abodes of Lord Murugan and hence important among the pilgrims.

9. A walk of half a kilometer further uphill took us to Pazhamudhir Solai temple. A temple dedicated to Goddess Rakkaya exists close to a natural spring called Nuburagangai here, where devotees take a holy bath. But what seemed strange to me was that the place was probably the only temple I had ever been to, which charges an entry fee into the temple itself. This is where the famed Chittrai festival is observed during the month of April.

10. From there, we took the next bus back to Periyar, from where we had to take another connecting bus to Tiruppanakundram. This was a cave temple at the foothills of a hillock. It is believed that Lord Murugan was wedded to Devyani, daughter of Indra at this place. Hence, this is also counted one among the 6 abodes of Lord Murugan.

Entrance to the Tiruppanakundram Murugan temple
Entrance to the Tiruppanakundram Murugan temple

11. Up the hills, is the Dargah of Hazrat Sultan Sikandar Badshah shaheed Radiyallah Ta’al anhu. Owing to time constraint and exhaustion, we thought of skipping the climb.

Other lesser known places we skipped due to time constraints were the Kazimar mosque and Goripalyam Dargah. At the center of the city is the Kattabomman junction. This is where a part of the old Madurai fort exists. Today this is not more than a public library. Further, every street in the city has a history behind it: This link to an article from “The Hindu” don’t do this usually, but would make a special mention about the streets of Madurai. Every street in the city has a history behind it: This link to an article from “The Hindu” explains it all- ‘Where moats made way for motorways‘

This was all about us getting around the place for seeing some of the historically important landmarks around Madurai. But the list is endless and time, very limited ☹ I have covered a few other must-do things while at Madurai in a separate post. I wish to be of some use if you are planning a trip there. (Click here to read further)