World of Books and Travel

Recently I had visited an amazing Chola temple. It is called Airavatesvara Temple, located in Dharusanam (previously called Rajarajapuruam) near Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Airavatesvara temple is one of the three great living Chola temples in India, the other two temples being Brihadeeswara Temple and Gangaikonda Choleswara Temple in Tamil Nadu. It was built by Raja Raja Chola II in 12th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, here worshipped as Airavatesvara because he was worshipped at this temple Airavata, the white elephant of the Indra, King of the Gods.  It is also said that Yama, the King of Death,  took bath in the sacred tank here and got rid of his curse and hence the tank has been known as Yamateertham.  The main tower is  called Raja Gambira. At the very entrance to the temple two Dwarapalakas, Sankhanidhi and Padmanidhi, are seen in imposing figures. In front of the temple, there is a sm

Recently I was invited by my neighbours to attend a birthday party of their grandson. I was eager to attend it since it was an unusual type of birthday celebration. It was not celebrated at home in a conventional way, but the celebration was with the inmates of an old age home - Sri Sai Old Age Home Orphanage, Magadi Main Road, Sunkadakatte, Bangalore.   It was an overwhelming experience for everyone.   As we stepped in we saw two aged women walking in the veranda. Seeing our unfamiliar faces they paused and stared at us.    Their eyes looked tired and empty, and greeted us with a faint smile. Sri Sai Old Age Home Orphanage is located in Magadi Main Road, Sunkadakatte, Bangalore.  serving the elderly senior citizens and destitutes. It was started by late K.L. Ravi Kumar, who was in scrap business, 17 years ago and since his death 5 years ago, his sons Pradeep Kumar and Sashi Kumar continue this noble work. These young brothers spend their whole time in taking care of the

I had an opportunity to visit Swananda Loka, an upcoming Ganapathi Temple in Hoyasala style of architecture, housed in the Swananda Ashrama complex located in the Agara village in Tataguni, 3 km off Kanakapura Road. Swananda Loka is believed to be the heavenly abode of Lord Ganesha. The 9-acre temple complex area with lush green gardens is a feast to the eyes and mind. The piolet project was completed successfully and the model called Ganapathi Panchayathana is  open to visitors.  Around the main shrine, the temple would have 4 shrines for the 4 Yuga Ganapathis and idols of 32 manifestations of Lord Ganapathi. In this Swanandashrama  complex, there is also a  temple for Lord Subramanya and another one for  Devi. In this Devi temple, Goddess is sitting on the snake. A goshala is also there where cows are taken care of. The Ashram also promotes education of rural children and organizes socio cultural events. I was blessed to attend a Mangalarthi puja

  We had been thinking of visiting Mamallapuram for a very long time and finally it worked out last month. (Oct 2019). Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is an old town along the Coramandal coast of  Bay of Bengal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located in Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu. Mamallapuram and is famous for the stone-cut work of a group of monuments, made by the Pallava kings  who ruled this place between 5 th and 8 th centuries.  After checking in to the hotel, we had our lunch and immediately after that we hired an autorikshaw for the afternoon to take us around all the important tourist places there. Actually most of them were in walkable distance only.  Since we had only half-a-day there, we preferred to save time. The autorikshaw driver was friendly and knowledgable person. His details are given below. Shore Temple  Krishna's Butter Ball Arjuna's Penance Mr.Raju, Mobile No.9003852715 When I told

During our recent trip to Dhanushkodi we had to pass through Rameswaram, which is connected with  Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge ( Pamban Road Bridge.) Annai Indira Gandhi Road Bridge is the longest sea bridge in southern India measuring nearly 2.2 kms in length.   It connects the National Highway (NH 49) with Rameswaram on Pamban Island, and stands parallel to Pamban Rail Bridge.   Rameswaram is located in Tamil nadu and is steeped in Ramayana legends. This road bridge is also popularly known as Pamban Road Bridge. This is an engineering marvel and is one of the first sea bridges.   It is  surrounded by blue water from all sides and offering beautiful views of the Railway Bridge and Rameshwaram Island.   The new visitors to Rameswaram stop over here to have an amazing view of the   Pamban Rail bridge over which the train passes to Rameswaram. They can also see innumerable fishing boats scattered in the sea.   The ships also pass under this bridge. .

Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal  of Madurai is one of the important historic places in Tamil Nadu. It is located just 1.2 kms away from Madurai Meenakshi Temple (Meenakshi Amman Temple) and hence it is easy to visit this place to those people who visit Meenakshi Temple. It was built in 1636 AD by the Nayakar Dynasty king Thirumalai Nayaakkar, by an Italian architect. It was four times bigger to what we see today as many things including ornaments have been removed from here.  There is a light and sound musical programme in the evenings, both in English and in Tamil, the local language.   Please see the video to get a proper view of this historic and architectural beauty and further details.  .  There is also a museum inside which should not be missed.