Month: November 2013
In and Around Bangalore: Rangoli Competition
It was just a typical lazy Sunday yesterday, and I was just killing my time in front of TV.
The door bell rang and there appeared our “very very friendly” neighbor.
On her insistence we got ready and went to the temple close to our home for a program called “Adamya Chetana Utsava”
There were a lot of programs for children and ladies but what caught my attention was the Rangoli competition.
We all had a great time there and I got a few colorful shots.
Wordless Wednesday: Welcome
At Lalbagh Flower Show
Beaches of North Kerala: Kavvayi
There are countless number of beautiful unexplored beaches dotting the Kerala coastline.
But hardly a few are popular and visited by tourists, like Kovalam and Varkala beaches.
With 600 km coastline(370 mi), it’s no surprise that you can even find some secluded beaches where, not even a single soul is present.
I was lucky to discover such a place some time back with my friends, and that too, hardly 7-8 km from my home.
The beach is on an island called “Valiyaparamba” which is sandwiched between the Arabian sea and a backwater.
We need to cross the back water in a country boat to reach the island. 
The island is lush green with coconut trees and sparsely populated, and many a places the width is less than 100 meters.
Once we take a few steps crossing the coconut groves, we are on the beach.
I can assure you that, nine out of ten times you are going to be there alone with at least 2 to 3 kms of virgin beach on your left and right sides.
Some times you will find the local people fishing on the shore with nets and fishing rods.
It’s all for you and enjoy…
One day I was lucky to witness the rain cloud homing on the beach with the sun behind it.
A few things to be taken care of in the island:
1. Local are educated and friendly but, take care not to disturb the calm ambiance.
2. Please confirm the boat person will be there for your trip back, other wise you will be stuck there overnight.
How to reach: Payyanur is the nearest town and the railway station. You can either take a shared cab service or an Auto rickshaw and it’s only 3 km from the main bus stand.
Kerala Tourism has launched a campaign on “Kerala Great Backwaters” now. Have a look at the incredible images of the waterworld here.
Temples of Kerala
Kerala is unique in many ways.
As the state lies sandwiched between the western ghats and the Arabian sea it’s almost cut off from the Indian land mass.
As it lies in the tropic and due to this unique geography Kerala receives abundant rain fall(over 3000 mm) especially during the monsoon months.
Temple architecture in Kerala is quite different even from that of other south Indian states.
From templenet.com we have the following information:
The roofs are steep and pointed, and covered with copper sheets. The shape of the roof is in
accordance with the plan of the sanctum below. With a circular plan, one sees a conical
roof, while with a square plan the roof is pyramidal. The roof is constructed with wood
and is covered with copper plates. Most of the temples seen in Kerala today, have
undergone several phases of renovation, given the perishable nature of the construction
materials.
I would like to share the photos of a few temples from the northern most Kerala district, Kasaragod.
2. Madhur Temple :
3. Adoor Temple :
4. Temple near Neeleswaram
Santiago the Shepherd 