Rajesh Vaidya at the Brihadisvara Temple in Tanjore
The man tossed his head up and about a lot, sending his long hair flying, adding drama to mastery. The style was Carnatic, the sound of the veena as always was sweet.
Topic
Indian Journeys
About my journeys in India, of which I've known so little. I'm making up for the lack …
The Chola Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram
The form of the Chola statue is lean, slender, its pose delicate, and the features of male and female are so sharp you can cut with them.
Havelock Island, Andaman Sea
"We've no tigers on these islands. No leopards. No cheetah. But we have 48 types of snakes, so please use this," they said.
The Cellular Jail in the Andamans
The Andaman Island’s Cellular Jail, the jailer settlement of the British on Ross Island, and the son et lumière at both places.
Lord Shiva is an Emotional Fellow
Lord Shiva cursed Kamadhenu: “You will never again receive worship at your face. Henceforth, all worship to you shall be at your tail.”
Muddling Around at the Sira Fort
This huge fort — its ramparts still standing — was built in the time of the Vijayanagara empire, passing down to a succession of other dynasties: the Bijapur sultans, the Mughals, Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, the Marathas, and, finally, the Raj.
Remembering William Baillie, Defeated By Tipu Sultan
Baillie is reported to have said to Haidar Ali: “Your son will inform you that you owe the victory to our disaster rather than to our defeat."
A Short Trip to Auroville, and the Aurobindo Ashram
A weighty hush kept everybody in silence. My wife pinched my arm to show me things.
The Devanahalli Fort in Bangalore
Built of mud by the Gowda rulers, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan fortified it with stone. Afterward, the fort fell to the British under Cornwallis.
The Hasanamba Temple in Hassan
A stricken Kafur rushed to the poojaris of the devis but they couldn't help him, the affront to the devis being so terrible. But Hasanamba, who is goddess to all men and forgives every penitent, appeared to Kafur in a dream and suggested he build a temple to her as penitence.