I was glad we stayed in Sanur Beach because it hadn’t reached the tourist fever pitch of Kuta. Our accommodation was right on the beach where we sat sipping coconut water and enjoying the last of our holiday.
Continue reading The remaining delights of BaliTag Archives: Hindu temples
Prambanan
We ventured to Prambanan one afternoon to the ninth century Hindu temple. It was hot and sticky and the bus crowded, but the site wasn’t far from Jogja.
Continue reading PrambananThe Sun Temple of Konrak
We entered the 13th century Odisha complex, and the first image I spied was a wheel that was part of a giant sculptured chariot. I had seen a replica of the wheel duplicated at the entrance to the Oberoi Hotel in Delhi. Beyond the wheel were sculptured people in different sexual positions along the walls.
Continue reading The Sun Temple of KonrakRameswaram’s arulmigu ramanathaswamy temple
Ramanathaswamy means the master of Rama, so the 12th century temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Darvidian structure holds great significance to Hindus and devout believers try to make at least one pilgrimage in their lifetime. As well, the island is believed to be the site where Rama (as told in the Ramayana) stood gazing across the sea to Lanka where his wife, Sita had been captured by the evil king.
Continue reading Rameswaram’s arulmigu ramanathaswamy templeMamallapurum’s Five Rathas
The Rathas were a short walk south of Mamallapurum and although they supposedly resembled a chariot, my imagination missed this interpretation. While these seventh century structures were well preserved, they did not deviate much from what I had already seen. Continue reading Mamallapurum’s Five Rathas
Mamallapuram visit
I wandered for several hours through the main heritage site. It was a Friday and filled with more local adventurers than foreigners. Continue reading Mamallapuram visit
Granite boulders of Mamallapuram
Apart from temples carved into the rock, the main heritage site contained natural beauty beyond the seventh century relics. Continue reading Granite boulders of Mamallapuram
Mamallapuram’s main heritage site
Nestled within the boulders of Mamallapuram, were temples carved into granite boulders just west of the shore temple. I wandered through a labyrinth of paths where elaborate friezes were carved into the stone as well as temples fronted with columns. Continue reading Mamallapuram’s main heritage site
The Shore Temple – Mamallapuram
I headed to the beach to catch the sea breeze on a sweltering thirty-four degree afternoon. I waded into the warm ocean that offered some relief when I spied the Shore Temple on an outcrop of land jutting into the Bay of Bengal. Continue reading The Shore Temple – Mamallapuram
The business of religion
The best maintained buildings in Puducherry were both the churches and the main temples.
Puducherry’s Ganesh Temple radiated in all its grandeur as if it had recently been painted every colour of the rainbow. Inside was more eye-popping than the exterior. As I wandered the perimeter ogling at the freezes, a queue waited to enter the inner sanctuary for blessings. Continue reading The business of religion