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



Thursday, October 6, 2011

Srinagar - Mughal Gardens

Been kinda busy for a few days now. Been struggling to keep pace with reading all the blogs even. Finally pulled myself to write this post.

The Mughal Gardens With terraced lawns, cascading fountains, paint-box-bright flowerbeds with the panorama of the Dal in front of them - the three Mughal Gardens of Chesmashahi, Nishat and Shalimar are the Mughal Emperors' concept of paradise and are today very popular places for picnics and excursions. The beauty of these gardens is at their best during spring but the Mughal structure of these gardens lends them a unique sense of beauty even when the flowers are not blossoming.

More details on Mughal gardens can be found here and  and details on the one at Srinagar can be found here. 

It was quite a relaxing walk down this garden. We are slowly loosing public gardens & parks in the metros and I realize what we have lost because of it..!











I loved the hill backdrop





Ram loves any opportunity to catch me in his camera in spite of my poor photogenic face..!


We were really relaxing.. didn't we?
Well..he can't relax though..!




Colorful Kashmiri dress available for rent


You also get your photograph in this dress in half an hour..!








PHOTO STORY 
**  See the full set of photos with some soothing music ..!