UNIQUE RAM NAVAMI CELEBRATIONS ON 6TH APRIL'25

All Indians are familiar with Ram and the Ramayan. Ramayan is an ancient epic written by Valmiki; and is greatly revered. Ram was a king, but many indians ( those in north ) consider him as God too. Indians esp hindus worship many Gods and Goddesses. So, till today you find one or the other festival celebrated every few days as its the most oldest religion on earth that has survived and has been retained for centuries, unlike the western and other countries where their original religion and culture has faded into oblivion, replaced by the monolithic abrahamic religions. All hindu religions are held according to their 'tithi' and various astrological positionings. On 6th April, Ram Ravami is celebrated which is essentially birthday of Lord Ram. Lots of religious activities like recitations and discourses of the Ramayan takes place in temples or special pandals/ stages; and processions ( rath or chariot yatras consisting of the idols of Ram, Sita, Laxman and Hanuman ) too take place, but since I'm not a strict practitioneer of the religion, I just enjoy the fun part of the festivities. Just visiting the pandals, admiring, enjoying the food and clicking pics - thats how I celebrate :-) Near my place I saw these festivities being carried out so sharing them here. Enjoy :-) The first thing I noticed were these two giant elephants decorated royally. Cute haan ;-)


hello...


hi...


how ya doing...


oh...hi sun, you're there too...


Maryada purushottam, the 7th avataram of Lord. Vishnu, presenting...Ram...Jai Shri Ram!


the statue was so tall and big, it was hard to get Mr.Ram and myself in the same frame :|


the trio of ram, sita and laxman...along with hanuman at their service...


hamunan...


these giant statues made for great selfies...so people taking turns to get their selfies clicked...





Ramayan story in short : Ram was eldest of four step-siblings. When his father ( Dasharath king of Ayodhya ) wanted to crown him king and step aside, his step mother Kaikeyi opposed and blackmailed the king into granting her a promised boon. She asked her son Bharat to be crowned king; and Ram sent on exile. While Ram accepted and went off to the forests with his wife Sita and brother Laxman, the step brother who was crowned king, refused to accept the coronation and instead decided to wait for his brother Ram's return. He kept Ram's padukas ( slippers ) on the throne and ruled only as a deputy. Meanwhile, in the forests Sita is abducted by Ravana and a battle follows that reaches Lanka with help of Hanuman and his Vanar Sena. It is said Rama was born as a human to slay the demon Ravan ( who in turn was granted boon by Lord Shiva that nothing except a human could kill him ), hence, the epic that unfoldwd - it was all pre-decided in the heavens. The story has many layers, lots of emotional and high voltage dramas; and lots of lessons and learnings. One must watch the Ramayan series in its entirety or read the Valmiki Ramayan to enjoy the full epic!

Rama Navami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being an ideal king and human through his righteousness, good conduct and virtue ( wiki ).
Address : Maharashtra, India
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AN INCREDIBLE TRIP TO HAUNTED DHANUSHKODI!

Photo Travelogue!




This discovery is most unique and once in a lifetime must, if not for the amazing visual delight it gives than the journey itself, which is no less a thrilling adventure one-of-its-kind. One reaches Rameshwaram, from Chennai and devotes the next day only to this pursuit. Moving out from the famous holy-town of Rameshwaram, early morning, in the long stretch of land with a well maintained road that one has to take.


The journey can take almost 2 hours, depending on the speed with which one drives. But the road journey itself is simply fabulous. It is rustic, earthy and one can really get into the groove of it. One passes by the last of the electric poles and few of the last villages left, then it is only yourself in the car, and no one else in that long road ahead. Getting a flat tyre can leave you in a fix, especially if you don’t know the local language too, so going with local trusted guide is recommended. Moreover, there’s a 3-gear only vehicle rule ahead, so most local guides will know the best 4x4 vehicle to take.


As the blue seas with white sands begin to appear on the sides, you know that’s when the real thrill begins. You reach the point, where you can relax a bit. But wait! This is not the main point i.e. our destination I’m talking about. This is just to stretch your muscles a bit and relax, grab some bites. When the jeep starts going ahead, you’ll find that it travels more in the sea than on the road. Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. Total Off-Roading experience, with the vehicle driving on the shallow sea itself ( also it explains the special vehicle required ) till you reach the famous Dhanushkodi point.

During high tide this flimsy stretch of land vanishes altogether, thus, is accessible only when the water has ebbed ( that too with great difficulty ). Once you reach Dhanushkodi, there's a well not far that has fresh water in it since forever....amazing and astonishing considering the fact that the place is surrounded by seas all around. Dhanushkodi is the place where Lord Rama and his vanar sena lead by Hanuman built a bridge ( rama setu ) across the sea to reach Sri Lanka using light floating stones to rescue Sita from Ravana.

The place has a eerie vibe to it as it is abandoned after being destroyed; and, the only people you see are few stray tourists and odd hawkers who vanishes after sun set. Cyclone had destroyed the place and many lives were lost overnight making this place a stark example of nature's fury. As the sun goes down and its all dark, starts the whispers of those who perished untimely and are still seeking answers. It is supposedly a haunted place with lots of paranormal activity.



Dhanushkodi is an abandoned town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is south-east of Pamban and is about 24 kilometres west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. The town was destroyed during the 1964 Rameswaram cyclone and remains uninhabited in the aftermath ( wiki ).
Address : , Dhanushkodi Beach Rd, Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu 623526.
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UNIQUE ONE-OF-A-KIND GUDI PADWA CARNIVAL ( SHOBHA YATRA ) MAHARASHTRA

I was doing my own thing, taking my usual evening walk when I heard sounds of music coming from somewhere. I followed the noise and came across a huge crowd. It wasn't just a normal crowd...some were dancing weirdly wearing almost scary masks; not to mention doing weird antics and acrobatics too. It was the Gudi-Padwa carnival that I realised later. This carnival usually has parades of maharashtrian women wearing orange turbans, sun glasses along with their traditional nauvari-kasta saree and riding motorcycles; but, this was something else altogether - a spectacle! Not that I'm complaining - it freaked me out a bit - as to whats going on. Nonetheless, I enjoyed watching this aspect of maharashtrian culture too.


is that a lion and a cow?


oh..hi there...how'ya doing...nice to meet yew...whatcha carrying on your head...?


ahem...don't get too close to me puhleeze...you scare me...


forming human pyramid...


three tier pyramid...it was so tall the top guy ( touching the sky almost ) didn't come in my frame...


by evening as lights lit up, more processions followed and drum-beats grew louder...

dhol baje, dhol baje, dhum dhum dhum baje dhol...


some unique get-ups...


a 'live' durga imitation...


tribal dance of 'kolis'...


very colourful...


tutari being played in unison and tilaks offered to onlookers by performers wearing traditional marathi attire...


goddess bhavani arrives...( psst...my camera goes blind after dark, hence, the blurriness :s )


insane crowds gathered to watch the gudi padwa carnival...


almost always, all maratha festivals mandatorily has a statue of chatrapati shivaji somewhere in the background...


moi, trying to 'fit in' and make sense of it all :D


see the entire video here :-)



Well...well...sometimes, India never fails to surprise even Indians!

The Gudi Padwa festival is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil, and the Gudi flag is considered to ward off evil spirits. A spring festival, it is celebrated in and around Maharashtra and is also known as the Maharashtrian 'lunisolar' New Year celebrated by marathi and konkani hindus ( wiki ).
Address : Maharashtra
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