Visit to Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha

One of the high points of last year's Odisha/Orissa trip was visiting Sun Temple at Konark. The name Konark reminds me of Odissi performance in front from Sun Temple in one of those national integration songs in DD in early 90's. 

Kamats at Konark

Kamats : Since we reached Konark early in the morning, we were looking for a decent restaurant for having breakfast.  To our surprise, we found Kamats there. Whether it is the same Kamats as in Bangalore I am not sure. But what caught my attention was the menu items on offer - Indian thali, South Indian thali, Bengali thali, Marwadi thali, Gujurati thali. I could guess any regional thali(meals) but what is a Indian thali in India?

Ornamental wheel of Sun Temple, Konark

The Wheel : Konark Sun temple is a imposing structure, not to forget the intricate carvings which are hallmarks of any ancient Indian temple. What is distinguishing here is the carvings of wheels of the chariot which is driven by Sun god. You can find this as a cultural symbol everywhere you go in Odisha.

Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha

History (from the ASI board) : The magnificent structure was built in 1250 AD by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva-I(1238-64 AD) to enshrine an image of Sun(Arka), the patron deity of the place. The entire complex was designed in the form of a huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely carved wheels. The sanctum symbolizes the majestic stride of the Sun-god and marks the culmination of the Orissan architectural style. The vimana of the deul has collapsed while that of jagamohana and the nata-mandap are better preserved. The walls of the temple contain superb carvings of  divine, semi-divine, human and animal figures amidst floral and geometric ornamentations. Sculptures of mighty simha-gajas welcome the visitors at the porches.

One big disappointment in Konark is that you cannot get inside the majestic temple, since it is filled with sand bags by the British to prevent the collapse of the structure!

Sculptue of mighty simha-gaja

Sculptures at Sun Temple, Konark

Malabar Coast Photos from 2012 Year End Trip

I had been to Kerala in December 2012. Here are some of the photos from the Malabar coast or shall I say our own west coast! :)

Talangere Railway Bridge seen from Chandragiri Fort, Kasaragod

View of Chandragiri river from Chandragiri Fort

Men and boats, Bekal Fort, Kasaragod

View of Bekal Fort Beach

Talangere, Kasaragod

Fishing Waters, Talangere, Kasaragod

Talangere, Kasaragod

Can you identify the bird?

Simple Aagond Love Story Review

Yes, it is simple and it manages to hold the attention of the audience for most part. Catchy dialogues laced with sakhath Bengaluru lingo set laugh riot. You savour  those moments when your thoughts turn into words on screen instantly.

But at sometimes you feel out of synch with the outburst of words as the background commentry snatches your reaction time and it becomes even more difficult with the giggling crowd. It is a good show by the team keeping in mind that there are only few characters and they don't make you sleep. You feel boring only when the simple story takes the usual complicated twist in the climax. Though I did not fancy the climax I must appreciate director's efforts in making the audience watch the final scenes standing.