Saturday, October 22, 2011

Jammu

On our way back , we spent a few hours going around Jammu. Here are the snaps of Jammu market area.
Jammu and Kashmir consists of three regions: Jammu, the Kashmir valley and Ladakh. Srinagar is the summer capital, and Jammu is the winter capital. While the Kashmir valley is famous for its beautiful mountainous landscape, Jammu's numerous shrines attract tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims every year. Ladakh, also known as "Little Tibet", is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and Buddhistculture.


Read more from Wikipedia here.
We visited the Raghunath(Rama) Temple at Jammu. Read more from wikipedia here. 

Camera is not allowed inside this beautiful temple for security reasons, a pity indeed. This famous temple houses a gorgeous Spatika Lingam.

When we were at this temple, a unique tamil festival of body piercing was being celebrated. This is often seen in temples of Lord Muruga during Thaipusam celebrations and Amman (Goddess Parvathi) in Tamil Nadu.

Many fanatical devotees go to such extent as to torture their bodies to appease the Lord. So, a major feature of Thaipusam celebrations is body piercing with hooks, skewers and small lances called 'vel'. Many of these devotees even pull chariots and heavy objects with hooks attached to their bodies. Many others pierce their tongue and cheek to impede speech and thereby attain full concentration on the Lord. Most devotees enter into a trance during such piercing due to the incessant drumming and chanting of "vel vel shakti vel."

Read more here regarding Thaipusam and body piercing.

Photos and Videos of people pulling cars and carts with the hooks pierced into their body (back) can be seen below.


A walk down the main market

Pity they don't allow cameras inside the temple premises..Radgunath temple seen from the road.






Kashmir is famous for woolen goods





All sorts of nuts will make you go nuts..!

It is not all silks and nuts..!






I can't say, I enjoyed watching these..but these are unique and I wondered at the power of human belief..!















Goddess on the chariot..!


PHOTO STORY (with some music..!)



VIDEOS



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24 comments:

  1. Sylvia KOctober 22, 2011 at 11:46 PM

    What an amazing, incredible and colorful journey you have taken us on today, Sridharan! I have to admit the photos of the pierced bodies made me flinch!! Your captures and videos are so incredible! Thank you so much for sharing these with us today! Enjoy what remains of your weekend!

    Sylvia

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  2. ArtiOctober 23, 2011 at 7:21 AM

    Amazing tour. The temple has a history of being a terror target, so they cant do much about the camera thing...
    And what colorful, beautiful markets... Loved the woolies and the idols.
    Have a fabulous Sunday:)

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  3. Aravind GJOctober 23, 2011 at 11:15 AM

    Beautiful snaps of the market!!

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  4. P.N. SubramanianOctober 23, 2011 at 2:22 PM

    Superb. I was scared to look at the people who could perform such feats. I learn that most of the woolen goes from Ludhiana.

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  5. RajeshOctober 23, 2011 at 2:57 PM

    Wonderful an interesting shots of Jammu market.

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  6. Travel France OnlineOctober 23, 2011 at 3:07 PM

    These religious body piercings have always fascinated westerners as they are so extreme demonstration of devotion! I am sure it must utterly painful as well! Beautiful shots of markets shops, colourful fabrics and all these nuts! Very interesting as usual Sridharan, thanks for sharing with us!

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  7. magdaOctober 23, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    Very nice, colorful and interesting pictures, dear friend Sridharan!!!!
    Excellence by the temple, they are right not allow cameras.
    Witnesses of faith, could not bear to see them, is very hard, but admits the power of faith!
    many greetings

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  8. magdaOctober 23, 2011 at 3:28 PM

    Forgot to say, that Kashmir is famous in Europe as the best fabric for costumes men!
    Best regards

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  9. Siddhartha JoshiOctober 24, 2011 at 1:51 AM

    I also very vividly recall visiting the temple a few years back when I randomly traveled around in J&K (apart from working on a college project).

    You were very lucky to be there to witness an event like this, looks like a photographer's paradise :)

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  10. Felicity Grace TerryOctober 25, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    Ooh I love markets and these photos are so colorful, I love those bells. As Deebee says we westerners are fascinated by these piercings, many of us finding them strangely exotic and yet shocking all at the same time.
    Thanks for another interesting post, I love the different perspective I get visiting you.

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  11. RamakrishnanNovember 1, 2011 at 10:57 PM

    Hi, Came in through PNS. Fascinating pics of Jammu temple,skin piercing & bazaar shots - a virtual tour.Thanks for sharing.

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  12. AshNovember 2, 2011 at 8:09 PM

    Thank you so much for sharing these. The handicrafts look so interesting - the brass and wood ones.

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  13. AnonymousNovember 7, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    Nice photos and info...

    Taipusam is also celebrated in srinagar, nice info...

    thanks for sharing

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  14. Felicity Grace TerryNovember 8, 2011 at 7:55 PM

    Dropping by to say hello.

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  15. SridharanNovember 9, 2011 at 5:33 AM

    Hello Petty..! Kind of busy these days.. Hardly finding any time for blogs. Still managing to read a few .. Hope to get back to normalcy soon..!

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  16. SridharanNovember 9, 2011 at 5:34 AM

    Thanks all for the nice words!

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  17. chitraNovember 21, 2011 at 9:03 AM

    I missed a few posts. Going thru' them now.Good clicks. For a moment I thought you mixed thaipoosam festival with jammu post...Lol..

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  18. MartinaNovember 21, 2011 at 11:49 PM

    Great post - it's almost like a film!

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  19. ashokNovember 22, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    First time Iam seeing such pictures of jammu...wonderful Sridhar

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  20. SridharanNovember 25, 2011 at 4:09 AM

    Thanks Pratima

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  21. SridharanNovember 25, 2011 at 4:11 AM

    Hi Chitra..
    Been irregular myslef for a while now..
    Nice to see you back here.. I was myself surprised to see so much popularity for this festival in Jammu..

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  22. SridharanNovember 25, 2011 at 4:12 AM

    Thanks Martina..Glad you like it..!

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