walking the path

In ancient times people undertook journey primarily for business and conquest. And sometimes for pilgrimages. These days people mostly undertake journey for business and pleasure. And sometimes for pilgrimages. Even though Yatra literally means  journey - any kind of journey,  whenever we hear the word yatra we can sense a tinge of holiness or spirituality … Continue reading walking the path

Deva Snana Poornima – the ritual and its significance

Deva Snana Poornima is an important ritual in the build up to the Annual Car festival of Lord Jagannath. For the un-initiate, on this day the idols of Sudarshana, Ma Subhadra, Lord Balabhadra and Lord Jagannatha are taken out to the 'Altar of Bathing' inside the temple premises. An elaborate bath is given which can … Continue reading Deva Snana Poornima – the ritual and its significance

Sri Jagannath: beyond myths and miracles

No religion or spiritual sect is complete without myths and miracles. Stories of miracles abound around Lord Jagannath. Being the Kaliyuga form of Lord Krishna even though he is primarily a Vaishnav God, his devotees have come from diverse sects and religions over the past millennium. After all, the deity is none other than Jagannath … Continue reading Sri Jagannath: beyond myths and miracles

danda nacha- a religiocultural celebration since time immemorial

It is one of those few memories of my early childhood. Or it could be the first series of events of my life that I am still able to recall in bits and pieces. I am attending the famous Danda Nacha closing ceremony at a village named Gallery with my mother and my grandmother. The … Continue reading danda nacha- a religiocultural celebration since time immemorial

my B-town connections

Because ‘Bombay’ starts with the alphabet B and most of the Hindi movies borrowed their style and substance from  Hollywood, I think the naming of Hindi Film Industry as Bollywood was perfectly logical.  The yellow journalists  used to call Bombay  the B-town, while using it with reference to the glitterati that inhabited the city. By … Continue reading my B-town connections

that which we call progress

What we call progress is nothing but our solutions of the puzzles thrown at us. Some of them are cosmic, some local, some biological, some social, some related with our survival and so on. Every answer brings new questions. Matter is composed of molecules. What about the composition of molecules? What about the composition of … Continue reading that which we call progress

One can travel for food to these Odisha temples

https://youtu.be/xbF5xuXCyog In a previous blog post I had written disapprovingly about attending a Gita Jayanti celebration and coming back without hearing a single sloka of Bhagavat Gita but with a stomach full of food. I liked the food though. In many temples like the one I have mentioned about, elaborate dishes are prepared only on … Continue reading One can travel for food to these Odisha temples