Monthly Archives: September 2013

Far away from the maddening crowd and immersed well in history, a tastefully decked Lodi Restaurant at the Lodi Gardens in New Delhi could be an evening get away for anybody looking for culinary delights and ambience of history, alone or in company. Paramjot Walia recommends Lodi Restaurant as she tastes various gourmet specials with her sister.

Laid out in 1936, Lodi Garden is a blissful haven for walkers, picnickers and couples looking for privacy! It was laid out around beautiful tombs and other remnants from the Lodi era. Standing tall amidst history you could find not a very brightly lit restaurant acting as a surprising little oasis.

The restaurant is nostalgic not only for its name but its retro yet contemporary essence that captures you the moment you step in on that white pebbled floor. Cross the wooden swings acting as a perfect getaway from the office mess and the Delhi’s honking horns, you are inside the welcoming ambience of the Lodi Restaurant.

I started my food rendezvous with warm risotto dumplings and a chicken liver pate. Although visibly scarce, that succulent liver pate had deceptive looks. Appetizers favoured the meat eaters more than the vegetarians who could go for penne with fresh basil leaves, whole pine nuts in garlic and tomato gravy.

From the extensive bar menu, we chose the popular Bourbon Mint Julep (perfect concoction of bourbon whiskey, crushed ice, sugar, and sprigs of mint) and the smooth Merlot wine.

Inebriated not by the bourbon or wine but by the canopy of pale green trees and the small jute lamps hanging and lighting your table, you are bound to lose the sense of the time ticker.

As told, and observed, this restaurant attracts the foreign patrons more so pork and beef are most preferred dishes here. Saving the swine and bull, we went for crumb fried river sole with lemon crème and the yummy grilled Andaman prawns. The fish was a little salty for my taste buds so in this completion of sea food, prawns definitely win with a 9/10 from me. There are also good ‘prix fixee’ options of two courses and a cocktail or three courses and a cocktail.

For my sweet tooth I couldn’t have chosen anything better than Almond pudding with the special home-made fig ice cream. Every bite was succulent and bursting with flavour. The speciality, chocolate mousse, was served unasked, one of the perks of being a travel writer! I willl be a little biased here and would let the ‘chocolaty’ mousse retain its top dessert spot.

Another perk includes a quick review of the entire restaurant. While on my inspection I found two interesting things, one being the 16 tap wine machine imported from Australia and the other the Deli counter. With emphasis on fresh home grown products and seasonal ingredients, the Deli counter menu is a mix of fresh home-made sauces, dips, chutneys & some delicious ready to eat options. Organic products made from raw organic ingredients are sourced from their farms or certified organic vendors & farmers. The organic products on offer are Mango chutney, beetroot pickle, mixed vegetable pickle, mustard oil, basil pesto sauce, organic vegetables, local preserve and chilli tomato chutney.

As told by the chef, Elam Rana, the restaurant food menu is changed after every six months. So apart from the ambience, a foodie must visit this place at least twice a year.

He is the beginning of every good deed and venture. Apart from being the fulfiller of wishes, He is a great leveler of humanity. He has turned His annual sojourn from being a private family festival to a national fervor. Uniting with bonds of hope and love, here comes Shree Ganesh Chathurthi once again, writes Sushma Sabnis

It is the rainy month of Bhadrapada of the Hindu calendar and the loud clanging of Shree Siddhivinayak temple bells resonate a festivity that drown the din of peak hour traffic at Prabhadevi, Mumbai. The aartis (worship with fire) are probably audible till the heavens, as He is reverently cajoled into coming to stay. The monsoon months see a metro like Mumbai metamorphose into a sensorially hyperactive hub in anticipation of the ten days of Ganesh Chathurthi (annual Ganesh festival). This festival is celebrated with devotion all over the country. ‘Ganapati Bappa’, with his mesmerizing presence draws crowds of devotees of every faith and nationality to witness this ten day sojourn.

The clanging continues at the Shree Siddhivinayak temple complex, at regular intervals and it is rumoured that some devotees take the pain of standing in the serpentine queues only for the delectable modaka prasad at the end of the darshan! Where true devotion exists, greed is overlooked by the good-humoured deity.

The Shree Siddhivinayak temple was built by Late.Mr Laxman Vithu Patil and Late Mrs.Deubai Patil and consecrated in 1801. Since then, the original architecture has evolved into the multi-angular, six floored, gold plated multi-dome structure as it stands today. The sanctum sanctorum is at the ground level as it has always been, while the rest of the temple was rebuilt around it in 1992-1994. The Lord Ganesh black stone idol is unique with the trunk placed on the right side. His consorts, Riddhi-Siddhi flank Him. The temple structure is six storeyed, with space allotted for pooja/ darshan (prayers/audience), preparation of naivedya (offerings), temple offices, a well equipped library with over 8000 books, and more spaces for large scale food preparations for festivals.

There are 47 gold plated domes of varying dimensions that form the spires. The temple is well guarded at all times and various entry points delegate the rush of devotees with special arrangements for senior citizens, women with infants and physically challenged. This temple is open to everyone for worship. The annual Ganesh festival is celebrated here for seven days, and every year with about 1.5 lakh devotees worshipping on those days. Be it fertility, prosperity or health, this temple is famous for its legendary ‘wish-fulfilling’ deity and is a huge crowd puller all year round.

Preparations for this festival can be seen in adjoining markets, with thousands of human heads interspersed with piles of flowers/garlands, fresh fruits and vegetable kiosks, sweetmeat stalls, festival clothes stalls, music equipment stores and festival decoration paraphernalia. One’s senses can be easily hypnotized by these intensely evocative market places. This festival used to be a private family festival during pre-independence times, until freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak encouraged it to be celebrated as a public event, ensuring purposeful crowd gatherings in restrictive colonial times.

In a highly populated area of Lalbaug, Lower Parel, the ‘Lalbaugcha Raja’ (King of Lalbaug) takes form behind strictly guarded pandals. The history of ‘Raja’ is an example of peoples’ unity. In 1932, the fish markets of Peru chawl, Lalbaug were closed down by the British. With great efforts, a group called, ‘Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal, Lalbaug’ was formed in 1934 avowing to rebuild a permanent market place and ensure the livelihoods of the affected communities. With persistent efforts of the committee members, residents and the land owner, Rajabai Tayyabali, the first idol of the deity was consecrated on 12th September 1934 and named ‘Lalbaugcha Raja’. The idol was decorated with traditional fisherfolk attire and since then, He is known to be the ‘iccha-poorthi’ (wish-fulfilling) deity of Mumbai.

There are two idols by the same sculptor every year, one of plaster of paris, and the other is of clay. The clay idol is for daily prayers and smaller in size compared to the 18-20 feet plaster of paris statue. The tableau displays meaningful and pertinent issues faced by society, as a prayer to the deity for absolution. One could acquire an official pass to get a closer look at the deity only from the Lalbaug committee office. One should beware of cheats who ask for bribes for an audience with the deity. There are two specific queues of approach, the Mukh Darshan and Navas queues, depending upon the duration of audience and the manner of worship of the deity. The pandal is lined by numerous food, curios shops, toilets and rest areas ensuring the welfare of the devotees as they wait patiently. On the 10th day of Visarjan, the idols are immersed in the deep sea, carefully heeding to environmental concerns, at Girgaum, Chowpatty sea face.

Each year the roads are stripped of vehicular traffic as millions witness Him depart from Lalbaug and take a specific 24 hour long route to Girgaum via, Arthur road, Bakri Adda and Pydhonie, blessing devotees all along the route. This route is mapped out by the traffic police and telecast via radio and television, to ensure safety and smooth movement of the procession. This procession is the best example of national integration as people from every religion, nationality and social status worship with faith as Lalbaugcha Raja passes by. During the procession special passes are issued to the foreign tourists by the committee for a safe closer look. Alternatively, one could throw caution to the wind and do the ‘Ganpati visarjan’ dance all the way to sea face!

While Bollywood spends millions to capture festivals like ‘tomatina’ and the ‘bull run’ as inspirational support to frail story lines, the annual Ganesh festival of India draws people from the world over. It is the promise of deliverance the deity instills in people’s hearts. No squishing tomatoes or raging bulls assure you of such peace and tranquility as Ganapati Bappa.

Mecca Masjid is near Charminar, Hyderabad. One of the largest mosques in India, Mecca Masjid still retains the old world charm. Nisha Aggarwal hops into a bus from the NTPC Township only to come back with these memories.

Being a former student of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi which has been officially declared a Muslim university, I used to hear the Friday Namaz and daily praying in form of the airy voices impinging into the ears, as there is a Mosque in University premises. I was not familiar with such plaint sonic religious utterances before. Going to temple was a familiar ritual as I belonged to a Hindu household and it was considered to be a good habit. And I have followed it so many times since my childhood, visiting the local temples and also the known ones in Rajasthan, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and in South India during family tours and educational trips of college. But the kind of ‘Roohani’/spiritual solace mosques and tombs leaves upon the soul, I didn’t ever find in a temple. Jostling devotees trying to find a glimpse of their beloved god, sounds of conch shells, bells and chanting mostly define a Hindu temple atmosphere.

People visit religious places mainly for spiritual solace. One may feel a sense of fulfillment as they undertake a pilgrimage, tie sacred threads around trees or idols and then travel again to remove them or offer something more as a part of wish fulfillment. Visiting a mosque imparts a sense of ‘emptiness’ that leads to spiritual peace.

During my days in Jamia, I used to visit Jama Masjid in old Delhi with my friends. Those were the second mosque experiences I had. As I now live in Andhra Pradesh, I get to hear the namaz quite often from the mosques seen in various locations near and around the place of my stay, Jyothi Nagar in the National Thermal Power Corporation Township. Hyderabad is not far away from here.

As there is a Bus via NTPC township to Hyderabad at 12.10 AM starting from NTPC Main Shopping complex which reaches to Hyderabad by early in morning. There is frequent bus service.  There are many employees from NTPC, Godavari Khani coal mines, Ramagundam power station and nearby small industries those travel to Hyderabad on Saturday and Sunday nights. The route is well connected by train also. I too decided to travel to Hyderabad during this Eid celebration specially to see the ‘Mecca Masjid’, one of the oldest mosques in Hyderabad.

Mecca Masjid, also known as Makkah Masjid, is one of the largest mosques of India. It is located near Charminar, the central point of Hyderabad. Chowmahalla Palace and Laad Bazaar are the other places around. Mecca Masjid is a listed heritage building in the old city of Hyderabad. In order to protect the old structures, vehicular traffic has been barred from this area by a special order by the government in 2001. Mecca Masjid derives its name from Mecca, the holiest site of Islam, because Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, commissioned bricks to be made from the soil imported from Mecca, and used them in the construction of the central arch of the mosque. One could say that the whole city moves around this centrally located mosque.

It is said that Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth Qutb Shahi Sultan of Golconda (now Hyderabad) personally laid the foundation stone for mosque. The three arched facades have been carved from a single piece of granite, which took five years to quarry. More than 8,000 workers were employed to build the mosque, which was later completed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1694 BC after conquering Hyderabad. The entrance courtyard of the mosque is a rectangular, arched and canopied building, which houses the marble graves of Asaf Jahi rulers. This structure came up during the rule of the Asaf Jah rulers. It contains the tombs of the Nizams and their family.

The main structure of the mosque is sandwiched between two massive octagonal columns made out of a single piece of granite. The main hall of the mosque is 75 feet high, wide and long enough to accommodate 10,000 worshipers at a time. Fifteen arches support the roof of the main hall, five on each of the three sides. A wall rises on the fourth side to provide Mihrab. The octagonal columns have arched balconies on level with the roof of the mosque, above which the column continues upwards till it is crowned by a dome and spire. Inscriptions from the Quran adorn many of the arches and doors. The floral motifs and the friezes over the arches seem to have a close resemblance to the arches at Charminar and Golconda Fort.

One could see thriving local market at the entrance of the mosque. Pavement hawkers sell bangles, sweets, soft drinks, fruits and household items. The open quadrangle of the within the main mosque is filled with pigeons. Myths say that pigeons love silence and they like to live in graveyards, tombs and heritage sites. On the edge of the pond there are two stones and slab benches, and it is believed that whoever sits on them, returns to sit on them again.

I did not sit on the slab benches though I want to come back here once again. But I don’t want to go back to the places where religious superstitions are proliferated. However, I don’t mind sitting there at the mosque in a serene night all alone and watching the crescent moon trying to listen to the secrets of spirits from the twin tombs.

Caparisoned elephants, heritage sites, symphony and cacophony of religious carnivals, tourist spots, get way destinations, long drives and museums beckon you if you are planning to travel to the great Kandy Kingdom in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Aditya Bee leads the reader through the wonders of Kandy, a land of myths and mirth.

The teardrop shaped emerald island of Sri Lanka is a beautiful destination with sunny beaches, surfing, diving and whale watching, national parks teeming with flora and fauna,  ancient cities and temples, tea estates and culture and cuisine that will leave you asking for more!

One of my favourite places to visit in Sri Lanka is the sacred city of Kandy, established in 1353, by King Wickrama Bahu III as Senkadalapura. It remained the capital of the Kingdom of Kandy till the British took over in 1856.

Kandy is the site of the world famous Sri Dalada Maligawa, more popularly known as The Temple of the Tooth. It was built over almost a century from 1687 to 1782, with successive Kandyan kings adding buildings to the royal palace and the temple itself.

The temple is where the annual eleven day long Esala Perahera is held.  A time when all of Kandy dissolves into a frenzy of colour, motion and music, caparisoned elephants, dancers and firecrackers mark this, the most famous of Sri Lankan festivals, each day the casket containing the Replica of the Buddha’s tooth relic is taken out in a procession. As the five Devales (seats of the deities that reside in Kandy) take turns to lead the procession, which finally culminates on the Poya (full moon day) with the water cutting ceremony on the Mahaweli Ganga river outside Kandy city.

Apart from the eleven days of cacophony and whirlwind of noise and colour that mark the Perahera, Kandy is surprisingly laid back and peaceful, gentle traffic circulates through the city and a meter gauge train line snakes it’s way west towards Colombo, north to Matale and all the way to the southern coast.

Kandy is home to over 125,000 and is Sri Lanka’s second largest city. Apart from a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, it is the capital of the Central Province and was declared a UNESCO world heritage city in 1986. The city is laid around the placid waters of the Kandy Lake created by royal order by King Wickrama Singhe in 1807. It teems with fattened and sluggish fish, secure in the knowledge that they cannot be fished. During a leisurely walk around the lake, on its banks you will get to meet ducks, egrets, cormorants and aquatic monitor lizards sun bathing languorously, a pair of rather weathered pelicans and even the odd jungle rooster!

The lake has many a story that belies its peaceful appearance, King Wickrama Singhe faced resistance in the creation of his project and impaled a hundred of those that disagreed with his plans on the lakebed. The small island in the middle of the lake is said to have housed the king’s harem, thereafter the British utilized it as a munitions store. Today visitors to lovely Kandy town with its colonial buildings, colourful markets and its picturesque lake need not fear impalement, though you may be gently goaded to view the Kandyan dance performances by itinerant touts who will sidle upto you!

The lake’s northwestern edge features a white wall that was added on by the British after they forced the Kandyan kingdom to secede in 1815. This established British rule in Ceylon and brought to an end the kingdom that defied Dutch and Portuguese invaders for over three centuries. The road to Colombo took another eleven years to build and the railway, and most of the colonial buildings that continue to stand strong today quickly followed. Amongst these, are the lovely Queen’s hotel and the now restored exquisitely Royal Bar and Hotel, my favourite place for a quite pint or two, or if you are upto it, some smooth Old Arrack. There’s a lot of accommodation available in all categories with the pricier resorts being located a distance from the hustle and bustle of the town centre on the banks of the Mahaweli Ganga river.

I highly recommend the simple digs of the Olde Empire Hotel which overlooks the lake and the entrance to the tooth temple. This small hotel built as a coffee traders offices in 1857 offers various types of rooms with colonial era furniture, hat stands, planter’s chairs and wooden floors and a balcony that offers you a pleasant view of flower sellers, the temple, the lake and the Queen’s that lies just across the road.

The temple of the tooth also has the stuffed remains of ‘Raja’ the temple’s most famous tusker who died in 1988. The temple was repeatedly bombed during the 25 year civil war, with the most severe attack in 1998 that killed scores of devotees and destroyed the facade and ingress of the main building. All this has since been restored and the royal palace and the queens bathhouse that till recently was a police station are accessible to visitors.

A must visit is the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, already well established by the Kandyan kings, it was further enhanced and commercial plants from all over Sri Lanka collected and grown in its conservatories and shady walkways. Nearby are also the University of Peradeniya and the Trandsort museum, a small collection of toad building equipment used by the British to cut through the jungle and Rovk to create a link between Kandy and Colombo which lay 72 miles southwest.

Another interesting excursion is to the Pinnewala Elephant Sanctuary on the road to Colombo and visits to the Garrison Cemetery and Tea Museum within Kandy city.

Kandy serves as a launch point southward for expeditions to the hill station and tea estates of Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Hatton, the sacred Adam’s peak, with the footprint of the Buddha. Or to Horton Plains and the World’s end with its sheer drop of over a 1000 ft. With it’s amazing views, if you are lucky to go up there on a clear day, otherwise all you will end up doing is looking into an impenetrable cloud! The city which is referred to by Sri lankans as  Mahanuwara (big city) or just Nuwara (city) and officially known as Kanda Uda Rata, remained a stronghold of Kandyan independence despite vigorous attacks by the Portuguese and Dutch forces during 15th to 17th centuries. It took the guile of the British and the frustration of the local populace against the excesses of King Wickramasinghe to bring to an end a four century long rule with secession to the British who unable to pronounce the complicated name of the city referred it to as Kandy, which has nothing to do with a boiled sugar confection!

Come and discover an appropriately sweet city and a special experience that awaits you in Kandy!

The city is an excellent stopover if you are heading north along the famous A9 to the former ‘Vanni’ that was controlled by the LTTE till the civil war ended in 2010. Going along the A9 for a couple of hours north gets you to the ancient monastery at Dambulla and further along, to the palace of Sigiriya placed as if by magic upon the plug of a long extinct and eroded volcano.

To get to Kandy from India, one can fly into Bandaranaike International Airport from Bangalore, Chennai, Madurai, Mumbai and New Delhi. Take a taxi directly from the airport or spend a day in Colombo and take the meter gauge train which provides scenic travel as you climb from sea level to an altitude of 500 mts. For those looking for a more innovative way to get there, a sea plane service from Colombo will deposit you gently, but with a lot of spray on the Mahaweli Ganga river, a couple of kilo meters out of Kandy.

The language may sound strange and food habits alien; physical traits may differ from those of the mainlanders. Still North East is an integral part of India. With varied culture and religious practices, Assam holds the mirror of North Eastern life style. Citing the illustrious Kamakhya Temple and the rituals pertaining to it, Shubhashree sheds light on certain religious rituals prevalent in the region.

I belong to the Northeast region of India. And in my last six years of being away from home, I have come across people with the most absurd and outrageous notions about my part of the country. From one wondering which “country” would Assam be a part of, to another who claimed to have heard of a jungle-king still ruling the inhabitants of our “tribe”, I have met my fair share of idiots.

Maybe not as much, but even for the educated citizens of the rest of India, knowledge about the northeast is still under the shadows. Their general idea is defined by few cultural stereotypes – different-sounding language, different-tasting food and different-looking girls who are always assumed to be “easy”.

However, what very few know about Assam is that it has a rich ancient history, and a continuously growing legacy of cultural intersections and growth.

Kamrupa (ancient name of Assam), during the 2^nd – 5^th century CE, was the hotbed of Tantricism. It is here that pre-Vedic religious practices merged with Vedic, Shakta and Tantric philosophies to give rise to one of the strongest and most revered branch of worship today – that of the Devi (Cosmic Mother). What stands as the greatest testimony of this assimilation is the Kamakhya Temple Complex in Guwahati, Assam.

Situated atop the Nilachal Parvat, to the west of Guwahati, the complex is at present the oldest and most important Shakti-pitha in the country (the total number of Shakti-pithas being fifty-one spread all over India). Apart from the main building dedicated to Kamakhya Devi, the complex abounds in many other temples housing other goddesses (the Dashamahavidyas), and gods. The present day temple was constructed by King Naranarayana of the Koch dynasty in 1565, from the ruins of the previous temple which was destroyed by a Mongoloid invasion. The Ahom rulers kept adding to its upliftment and repair in due course of time.

Multiple myths surround the construction of this temple, from the stories about a certain king Naraka falling in love with the goddess Kamakhya, to those in the Kalika Purana and Yogini Tantra. Interesting to note is the process of assimilation and integration that the interpretation of these myths throw up. As it happens with all mythologies, the steps actually follow the other direction – the worship being prevalent in some form first, followed by the construction of a place of worship, and finally to the conjuring up of a myth to validate that particular deity in the mainstream.

Similarly, the worship of Kamakhya can be traced back to an ancient pre-Vedic form of fertility-cult and Mother-Goddess worshipped by the non-Sanskrit-ized natives here (called Kiratas in the ancient Sanskrit literature).When Puranic Hinduism reached this region, the cult of Shakti adopted the practice into their folds, a temple was constructed and the same non-Hindu, aboriginal rituals now became part of mainstream Hinduism. To justify this development, a story was spun out – one that would place the deity in its right place in the Hindu pantheon.

So Maa Kamakhya became a form of the “Devi”, the story of Shiva-Sati was told, of how after killing herself in her father’s ritual fire, a dead Sati was carried all over the world by a furious Shiva, the Universe on the verge of destruction by his anger. How then, the gods had to intervene, chop up Sati’s body into pieces so Shiva would stop his Tandava, and in each spot where the pieces fell, there emerged a Shakti-pitha.

What is worshipped in Kamakhya is not an image, but a natural rock formation inside a cave– triangular in shape furrowed by a long slit from where water flows naturally and continuously, keeping the area forever moist. One look at this rock, it isn’t too hard to guess which part of Sati fell here – the vagina.

As such it is the strongest centre of Shakti worship in the country – the vagina symbolising the “be-all, end-all”, the source of all creation, the Cosmic Mother. The word “Kamakhya” also means ‘the one who grants all desires’ – something that links the goddess again to the earthly Tantric beliefs.

The rituals and the festivals at the complex also follow from this particular characteristic of worship. There is an interesting festival called the Ambubachi Mela, the biggest festival of the complex, when it witnesses the largest number of tourists, devotees and pilgrims from all over the country.

During this time, it is believed that the Cosmic Mother menstruates, the temple is closed off to public for three days, and strips of cloth soiled by the “sacred blood” is distributed as prasada to devotees at the opening. What actually happens is due to some natural cycle, the water from the underground spring flows with high Iron content and turns reddish for three days, after which it goes back to its natural colourless form.

This festival is not just a ritual in the temple. Every household in Assam follows certain rules during these days. I remember my mother asking me not to pluck flowers, because it was Ambubachi. I couldn’t fathom the connection. Still cannot. It is probable that Mother-worship of the Kiratas was a derivative of Nature-worship, the Earth-mother.

Architecturally, the main temple follows the style prevalent in Medieval India. The temple is divided into four parts (Vimana) – Garbha-Griha, Calanta, Pancharatna and Natamadira. The Garbha-griha is vertically divided into Shikhara and Bada. The central section of the Bada (Jagha) is fully sculpted with images from the Hindu pantheon, while the lowest section (Varanda) is run by three horizontal decorative bands. The Shikhara is a six sided spire akin to an erstwhile Rekhadeul, made of bricks. It is topped by three Kalasha motifs on Padma-koshas, ending with a Trishula.

Sculpturally, the walls are adorned with shallow reliefs and sculptures, but are ill-maintained and hence in a degrading condition today. Some interesting images are those of a mother breast feeding a baby, two Chamunda sculptures, and that of an unknown female figure squatting in the “birth-giving” position. Very little research has been done about these images and their significance.

Kamakhya isn’t just a place of worship anymore. It is, rather, an entire lifestyle. The socio-economic aspect of this complex cannot be ignored – it is a source of sustenance for multiple villages that surround the Nilachala hill. Posts of employment, from the highest priests to the lowest attendants are traditionally fixed and passed on through lineage lines.

This complex has gradually come to become the culture-symbol of Assam, along with many others. It is proof that the region of Assam housed an organised religion based on nature-worship, developed an entire culture around it and exhibited an attitude of respect towards other faiths, since time immemorial.

These traits still define the people of Assam and of the Northeast of India. Acceptance, open-mindedness and consciousness towards the environment are still strongly entrenched character-traits in our people. Tradition and modernity go hand-in-hand in our lifestyles, each playing its part in shaping our identity.

So yes, I belong to the Northeast of India, and proud of it.

Much has been talked about Delhi’s priced religious possessions, Akshardham and Lotus Temple. As this issue of Travel & Deal deals with religious tourism, Paramjot Walia decided to take skeptical look at the famous Chattarpur Temple complex located a few kilometers away from Qutub Minar. She comes out with these observations.

Chattarpur Temple is famous not only for the grandeur of its architecture which makes the Shaktipeeth different from the other temples, but the moving spirit of its founder, Shree Baba Sant Nagpal, who dedicated his entire life for the service of the down trodden and the needy people.

It is a huge complex with a series of temples on either side of the road. Within the walls of the Chattarpur Temple complex, one can visit quite a lot of different types of temples devoted to Indian gods and goddesses in various forms viz. Goddess Laxmi, Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha.  Set out to measure the unplumbed depth of my unacknowledged “religious” self, I had to literary stop and choose from where to start. I entered the main Maa Katayayani Kala mandir and started my “spiritual journey”.

At the entrance I was greeted by the sacred “Kalpa Vriksha”, planted by Baba at the time of Bhoomi Poojan (consecration of the land where the temple is to be built). What caught my eye was not the flock of people gathered around and praying nor the red sacred threads on the tree but a rabble of bees hovering under the tree. I immediately thought of basic hygiene and the possible health hazards caused by a bee sting. Devotees tying threads on the branches of the tree suggested ‘making a wish’. But would those wishes be granted from a place like that? Questions started haunting me. Yet, I kept my agnostic self under check and proceeded.

Giving air to my skepticism I went inside the mandir. I entered a prayer hall with a priest reciting his prayers. I did not intend to distract him but the beautiful silver architecture commanded me to stay. Apart from the silver latched door, which refused to open ,I noticed reflections of other religions in that prayer hall like Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s photo, symbolizing Sikhism. It did stupefy me for a minute but later gave me a sense of relief that I had not started a religious chauvinistic journey.

In the temple, two forms of Goddess Durga are commemorated. One shrine, located on the first floor, is dedicated to Maha Gauri (a form of Durga), which is open for ‘darshan’ every day. Another shrine is dedicated to Goddess Katyayani (also known as Mahishasur-mardini), where the devotees are allowed only on the day of ‘ashtami’ in each month. During the ‘Navaratra’ days one could have the darshan of Goddess Katyayani throughout the nine days.

Chattarpur Temple is carved entirely out of marble pieces. Cholas and Chalukyas style of architectural insight are prime influences on the overall construction style of this sanctum. Vimana and the Gopurams in the temple are typical to the Southern style. This is the architectural style that emerged in the Dravida Desam. The Gopuram in the Chattarpur Temple has two stories that have been separated by a horizontal moulding. The Prakara or the external wall, encompasses the chief shrine as well as the rest of the shrines which are smaller.

Roaming around the main temple appreciating the architecture I came across The ‘Sayya Kaksh’ or ‘Resting Hall’ of Durga Maa .It is decorated with a Mattress, Dressing Table, A Meeting Table with Nine Chairs (Shown to indicate the sitting location of the nine deities) all created of pure Silver and subsequent to the Meeting Table is a Wax Statue of Baba Ji noticed in a Standing position to welcome the Nine Deities and Goddess Durga. Visitors can catch a glimpse of this area by way of a glass panel. As you walk out of the Satsang Hall, the Shrines of Lord Hanuman and Ashtbhu Ji are seen opened to public only for the duration of the Navratra Festival.

From there I crossed over to the other side of the road and entered the main gate of Markandeya Mandapam Complex. It has a huge and imposing Trishul (Trident) of Lord Shiva standing on the back of the tortoise symbolizing the ‘Prithvi Tatva” (the solidarity –principle represented by the Earth).

Inspite of the rains I managed to see the beautifully carved Rath Bhawan and the Sree Nageshwar Temple. The Samadhi is directly below the Shree Nageshwar Temple on the first floor. Here the Shiva-Linga rising above the Shesh Nag coiled around, represents symbolically the immortal Eternal Creator.

Ending my Chattarpur Temple visit here I believe temples are vestiges of theism and the beliefs our ancestors held and grew upon .Though there is an exotic preposterousness about the way temples and deities are being constructed  still its pious calmness seeps in you and moves you little (if not much) closer to the Supreme power.