Trip to Thiruvannaamalai

We plan to escape before sunshine, but the time spent at a marriage in early hours near chengalpet put us on delay to leave on heat. But the air condition helped a lot in relieving heat while traveling. It wasn’t a travel I was expecting for, but no way it has happens and I accepted.

There wasn’t much interesting to notice on the way, while it seems a perfect day for many to get married as there was couple of mini trucks caring dowry things. On the way to thiruvannamalai comes the famous Gingee fort, and it was a rock hill fort on the either sides of the road. The so well fortified fort is called as the ‘Troy of the East’ by the British and the great Shivaji ranked it as the most impregnable fortress in India.

We didn’t get down or stopped to check this fort, but just glanced from passing vehicle and clicked something. The time we landed on thiruvannamalai it was across 12 noon and the temple was closed and said to open only by 4.pm. So we head to lodge and finishing lunch and getting relax sometime we visited dad’s friend home in a village called nadazakananthal, about 10km from the town.

It was a typical village and not much changed from its nature. The wide space fields and roof tiled houses, retreat with memories, along the innocent children come around our vehicle in amusement. Do we need a reason to attract kids when we have a cute pet? The children were return from their school and gather around their home, and it seems they’re all his friends and always spent time with him.

Leaving there home after a cup of coffee, we visited Saathanoor dam and the temple that evening and head to bed after dinner. Waking up deliberately the next morning, we went around the Annamalai hill in vehicle and visited again our dad’s friend home were we were invited for breakfast.

The way around the hill looks somewhere green and cool, and I saw much saffron worn devotes on the way along the many small shrines. The road around the hill was empty that day and only on full moon day it seems to be crowded.

Tirukkoyilur temple tower

On the way back home, parents wanted to visit a temple in Tirukkoyilur and it was another temple with huge tower similar to Annamalaiyar temple. The road from the temple to NH47 was so refreshing with green fields and villages, and the suddenly formed clouds sent fresh breeze, in-between the heat rage.

வா மழை / Come Rain

காற்றை தொடர்ந்து
வானம் கடந்து
மேகம் திரண்டு
வா மழை

தமிழ்நாடே ஏங்கி கிடக்கு
தண்ணீர் இன்றி வரண்டு கிடக்கு
தாகம் தீர்க்க வா மழை

நேற்று வரையில் அனல் சீற்றம்
சற்றே குறைந்தது இன்று
தாமதமின்றி வா மழை

காட்டில் விளங்குகள் இருக்கு
சுற்றுப்புறத்தில் மரஞ்செடிகள் இருக்கு
நகர்ப்புறத்தில் மனிதர்கள் இருக்கோம்
வான்திறந்து வா மழை

சற்றே தெளிந்த இதயம்
ஈரமின்றி துவண்டு கிடக்கு
தண்ணீர் தெளிக்க வா மழை

இரவே இருண்டு போனாலும்
உன் வருகை எண்ணி மகிழ்வோம்
வா மழையே வா
வடகிழக்கு பருவ மழையே வா...

----- ----- -----
Pursuing wind
passing sky
cumulative clouds
come rain

Tamil Nadu is laid crave
without rain its laid drought
to fill thirst come rain

Until yesterday its heat rage
but it little decreased today
so without delay come rain

In forest there’re animals
in ambient there’re trees and plants
in urban there’re we humans
open the sky and come rain

A little cleared heart
lay withered without wet
to spray water come rain

Even the night goes dark
we rejoice thinking your arrival
come rain come
northeast monsoon rain come...

wow... the sign of Northeast monsoon begins today and caught up with fresh sense.

Majestic tower

I had been to Thiruvannaamalai this week and visited the Annamalaiyar Temple one evening and felt awe by the structure of the temple tower in sodium lights. The picture above was taken with sepia tone and I love this effort taken than with usual color tone.

It’s out of my memories when I visited a temple last and I’m glad they have put ramps across this temple entrance which allowed me to go at least inside the temple premises to view somehow structures and sculptures. But except the temple tower nothing interests me and I couldn’t view much difference inside the temple since it was dark already.

The inscription says that the temple originally dated back to at least 2000 years and might have been a simple wooden structure at that time, but the present masonry structure and temple towers date back approximately 1,200 years. The temple tower in the picture is known as East Rajagopuram (king of towers) which is to a height of 217 feet with 11 tiers and the temple with 4 tower entrances offers a grand disclosure of the temple premises.

The temple with a 1000 pillared hall and tank – which I couldn’t view clearly, were built by Vijayanagara Empire Krishna Devaraya. The most famed celebration of this temple is Karthikai Deepam festival, which falls on the full moon night of Tamil month Karthikai. The ten day event that continues on this occasion culminates on the day of Karthigai Deepam and on that evening, a huge lamp is lit on the Annamalai hill top with three tons of ghee.

Every full moon night, tens of thousands of pilgrims visit this temple and circumambulate the 15km long Annamalai hill with barefoot. The hill is approximately 1600 feet. The time we enter the temple is 8pm, and everyone went ahead to worship god and me and my cousin stayed within the premises and taking pictures.

There were a group of children sat near a Nandi (bull statue) and counting the day collection through selling flowers and few of them were taking pictures of the tower with their mobiles, and there was a cute little putting steps about, but never came near as I was waited to picture her. The distance between our room and temple was walk able distance, so I went on wheel on the busy and dusty streets and it was great time going around a family trip.

There’re some more pictures and things to describe about my trip to Thiruvannaamalai and I will do it in time before I get lose track alike.

Colorful shower

It seems empty now without noise of crackers that almost resonated for the last triple of days. It was a great day utmost watching colorful fireworks displayed at evenings and nights on sky. The day was complete with neighbors and relative’s sharing sweets and wishes, watching movies on television, special dishes and burning crackers in evening at granny’s place in suburb.

I can’t imagine a deepavali without sound of crackers and I feel it creates a festival mood. But somehow it’s a great irritation and headache to people who can’t bear much noise and it’s against animals, but still we can’t come out of sound. I felt much this time the strain of noise and it reflects in me with a great distress. It creates the mood when crackers bust at distance, but being near is loss of sense I realize. I have also decided not to buy any great sound existing crackers from now after, which I followed recent past.

It was great sight of excitement watching the fireworks displayed on sky non-stop. The fireworks shower colorful lights to delight from everywhere on the sky and it wasn’t possible to take a quite picture of any firework as it kept coming from every direction. So I pass on to video and do check the ones posted below. There were many parachutes land however and kept burning even after landing; and it really indicate the danger it might cause if it dropped on a hut or anywhere that could caught fire. It’s better to ban these types of fireworks.

More than sweets, snacks and television programs it’s completely fireworks that fills the deepavali. From childhood the firecrackers are something that bond with me and I really feel hard to loose the thread and I never think about it in meantime, but when deepavali gets nearer I get bind with it. Like the day will never return I just watched the sky and listen to the crackers sound that resonates and throb. Hope u all had a great time too...

Thanks everyone for your deepavali wishes:)

Happy Deepavali

Deepavali means something to everyone. May it be new cloths, sweets, crackers, worship, new film release or get-together; everyone celebrates the day with joy. There said many stories and belief behind this festival, but in my view it’s a festival of joy and lights and I see it as a traditional festival that brings enthusiastic and to share sweet bond.

Everyone has there part of sweet memories of celebrating deepavali at their young age, but as we grow we caught up with knowledge and occupied with varies interest, some of us miss the joy of celebrating deepavali and scatter being career wise and distance to not being together with dear ones on this occasion. I think I’m giving more importance to this festival and it’s so true that for celebrating a single day we should never disturb our routine.

I wonder how we people become wiser to stop celebrating festivals unlike our younger days and the other day I felt are we becoming lazy to bring our enthusiasm out or lack of interest to share our love and bond. May I be right or wrong, festivals are some occasion created for us to get together to share our joy and love at least, while relations or neighbors are words shrinking its meaning these days. Btw. Wish you all a delighted festival of lights and enthusiastic. Happy Deepavali!