A visit to Maa Cuttack Chandi

When I visited Cuttack recently, a visit to the Cuttack Chandi temple was on my must-do list. Cuttack Chandi or the living Goddess as referred to by the locals, is the presiding deity of the town. From where we had put up (Near to Biju Patnaik Chowk), it took us hardly 10 mins to reach the place by an auto. While it can be very crowded during the Dusshera and Kali Pujas, there were few people in the temple that day.

Image - courtesy Wiki

A small structure, the temple is quite inconspicuous by itself. At first glance, one would mistake it for just another temple like I did. Only when the auto driver took a U-turn and asked us to get down before the entrance, I realized that we had arrived at our destination. Like most temples, it had a little pond /tank to wash ones feet and a set of taps of clean ones' hand and mouth. Upon entering the temple, we found the usual shops selling earthen lamps, lali sankha (red bangles), chunni and the prasad items. Some pooja books were also available. One must be careful in asking the price (especially of the bundled items) while buying from such shops. The shopkeepers will usually mention the prices of 2-3 items and skip the rest. Once you return the basket after doing the pooja, they quote a higher amount thus taking you by surprise. Seasoned devotees/visitors do not fall for such traps but outsiders may sometimes be taken for a ride.

After lighting the lamps at the big lamp stand, we entered the temple and offered worship to the Goddess. While the temple is of recent origin, the actual deity is rumored to be an ancient one that belonged to the household of the Gajapati King. Legend has it that it was buried under earth to protect it from the plundering Muslim invaders. A purohit (priest) who happened to take an uneasy nap at the same spot was visited by the Goddess herself and the idol was reclaimed at her will. It is said that the piece of land yielded no less than forty bullock cart loads full of Red sindoor before the idol emerged. The temple has been built on the same land and the family (present generations) of the late priest Sri Hansa Panda is in charge of the daily rituals of the temple.

The beautiful idol of Maa rests on a silver throne and is adorned with silver jewelry. She is depicted having four hands, one holding a paasha (noose), the other holding an ankusha, while the other two hands convey the abhaya (fearless) and the vara (boon) mudras respectively. Adorned with the kapala (human head) mala made up of silver and lots of fresh flower garlands, the idol is very enchanting. It surrounds one with a divine feeling and one is left spell-bound.

The various avatars of Shakti

There are a few other idols/small temples situated within the premises. After offering our worship to all the Gods and Goddesses, we headed back home.

Mysore chronicles

A trip to Mysore is considered mandatory if you are staying in/visiting Blore. So, after taking up residence in India's IT capital for nearly two years, we traveled to the cultural capital of Karnataka over the last weekend. We took the same route on which we had travelled to Coorg, except that being a Friday it was much less crowded once we hit the outskirts of the city.

We started around 7:30 am from Marathahalli and made the first stop at Kamat Lokaruchi around 10 a.m.. After a princely breakfast ( had to order those 'Moode' Idlis once again ) and some really great tea, we hit the road again. Feeling tempted by all those food outlets that dots this stretch, we grabbed some more snacks at a Macdonalds outlet.

It was around 12 that we reached Srirangapatnam. It is a city of magnificent ruins and the ancient gate ( which one of the entrances to the fort of Srirangapatnam) that one takes to enter the city is simply spell-binding. The straight road took us the place where Tipu Sultan's body was found after the battle of Seringapatnam(1799). A simple marble memorial marks the place. As one goes further, one can see the 'Water Gate', and the destroyed palace which has been turned into a park. At a short distance, one can see the Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple, This ancient temple is a major tourist attraction and photography is strictly prohibited inside the premises. A massive stone idol of Lord Vishnu in a reclining posture is located in the inner chamber of this temple. Many other idols have also been installed and are being worshiped.

From the temple, we went straight to the Summer Palace and Museum of Tipu Sultan. A simple structure standing amidst a huge garden, it is covered with green blinds on all sides. The walls are richly decorated with frescos/murals depicting various wars and processions but most of which are currently in different stages of deterioration. Some are faded, while others seem to have been attacked by moss/fungus/dampness. Very few remain intact. The displays consist of sketches, portraits, weapons and artifacts used by Tipu Sultan himself. Some of his old robes are also on display. I was particularly captivated by the furniture which was so well maintained that it almost looked new. I guess it is very good quality teak wood that went into the making of those pieces. Most of the palace itself is made up of wood which is a great heat insulator. It did feel quite cool inside the structure.

As we walked back to the car, it started raining heavily and we were almost drenched by the time we covered the distance between the main structure and the entrance. We decided to skip the Gumbaz where the bodies of Hyder Ali ,Tipu Sultan and their family members are laid to rest. It has some beautiful structures, including a mosque. I had already been to this place during a college trip and it is a must see. But we had to skip it due to the heavy downpour. On the way out, we passed by the Jamia Masjid, the mosque built by Tipu Sultan. He is said to have offered his evenings prayers here.

Image - Courtesy Google

We reached the hotel around 1 pm. Kings Kourt is a simple hotel located on Jhansi Road. Though nicely done up, it is an old structure( something you will not notice if making the reservations online). Though the had provided a LED tv and a small fridge, the room was not as per our expectations but since we had made an advance reservation and it was just a matter of a single night, we decided to stay there. Thankfully the lunch was good (though room service was quite expensive) and they served it within 45 mins.

After lunch and a quick nap, we started off for the Chamundeshwari Temple around 3:30 pm. Situated on top of a hill, A revered Shakti Peeth, it is regularly thronged by devotees. According to the legends, Shakti peeths are spots where the body parts of Devi Sati (Lord Shiva's consort) fell on earth. Since the hair of Sati is said to have fallen on this spot, the deity here is named as Chamundeshwari Devi. While there was a long queue as it was a friday but it took a relatively short time to get the darshan. The actual statue of the goddess is small but made up of gold. She is further decked up in various ornaments. The doors to the inner chamber are also made up of silver or atleast silver-plated. I loved the elaborate flower decorations that adorned the entire temple. Their fragrance literally filled the whole place.

Since the temple is situated on a hilltop, it gets quite chilly here. We were just warming up with some hot corn-on-the-cob and bhajiyas when the downpour started yet again. It was as if the rain gods were playing pee-a-boo with us. Canceling the plans to see the famous 'Nandi' statue which is situated a little distance from the temple, we returned to the safety of our vehicle and started off towards our last destination for the day.

It was almost 6:30 by the time we reached the St Philomena's church which is supposed to be the second largest one is Asia. Built by the Wodeyar kings,it is a imposing monument ( btw its spires were also visible from our hotel room) in gray which looked quite surreal thanks to the dark clouds which loomed over it. It is built in the Gothic Style and preserves the 3rd century relic of St. Philomena in a catacomb below the main altar. The beautiful stained glass paintings depict scenes from Christian folklore like the birth of Jesus Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ. It was still raining quite heavily and the evening service has just started. We joined the prayer for 10-15 minutes and it felt wonderful. I guess we all need a bit of soul-cleansing (something akin to a dip in the holy Ganges) everyday.

Image- Courtesy Google

We returned to the hotel as we were half-soaked and feeling very cold. Though it was just 7:30 pm, there was no tea available. The hotel staff was busy with the preparations for dinner and said that it would an hour to get the tea ready. Feeling irritated, we decided to head out and have dinner it some restaurant. Our driver who was a local guy took us to a place a RRR. Though it seemed small, there were people waiting to get a table. Finally when our biryani arrived on a banana leaf, we were thankful the guy. It was very delicious and so was the 'Chicken 64'. Yeah, it is not a typo. They had mentioned it as 'Chicken 64' instead of  'Chicken 65'. But sadly, we could not tell the difference between the two. After the meal, we directly returned to the hotel as all the shops had downed their shutters. Mysore is a city that sleeps early.

The last and the best was left for the second (and also the last) day of our trip. The famed Mysore Palace (or Amba Vilas Palace) is undoubtedly the first on every tourist's iternary. It is said to have been demolished and rebuilt four times by the Wodeyar kings. The current structure which is gray and gold with red marble domes, is just over a hundred years old. We reached there around 10:30 am when the crowds had just started to form. Depositing our footwear at the entrance, we made our way inside it. Passing through cavernous halls, the first display that caught our attention was that of various dolls and the 'Golden Howdah' or the throne on which Goddess Chamundeshwari is carried during the Dusshera procession. It is known as the Gombe Thotti or Doll's Pavilion. It was followed by another display of the invites/mementos that the various Wodeyar kings had received. This is the casket room. As we walked from one room to another, we occasionally stopped to admire the walls that were decorated with various murals and paintings. There was a Portrait room filled with the portraits of the various kings, queens and princes/princesses. Another had silver chairs and a mirror stand on display. As we entered the public Durbar Hall, it was a sight that caught us off-guard. Apart from the paintings of various goddesses and the richly engraved/painted pillars, even the domed roof of the hall displayed rich paintings depicting Indian mythology. There was another private Durbar Hall on the floor above it. This one was even more opulent and awe-inspiring with beautiful gold and blue shades. The ceiling was intricately craved and even the doors was decorated with rich cravings. There was a silver door for the private Durbar hall. A beautiful marriage mantap where the royal marriages used to take place is another must see.

There are three large temples outside the palace but located within the premises. Also there is a private residential museum located behind the main palace building. This one was being skipped by most tourists but we decided to have a dekko at it. It is quite modest and looks more like an old wooden house rather than a palace. The guide mentioned that it is around 600 years old. It contains some items of clothing, footwear, various carriages (palanquins), furniture, , pooja items and household items used by the royals. There are a lot of paintings of gods and goddesses which are less opulent than the ones we see in the main building. Some weapons, including a golden sword were also displayed here.

It took us more than two hours to cover the palace premises and left us exhausted (more so from having to carry a toddler). We immediately started off from Mysore (around 1 pm) and stopped only twice on the way, once at Kamat for lunch and another halt at Channapatna for picking up some wooden artifacts. Taking the exit from Kengiri to Electronics city, we had to pay Rs 70 as the toll but managed to avoid most of the traffic. Finally we reached home around 4 pm.

My Coorg Chronicles (Part 2)

Continued from Here..........

The next morning, I woke up to the sounds of chirping sparrows and gushing water. It had been raining heavily throughout the night and small stream were running down the hillside. Though the downpour had reduced to a light drizzle, there were hardly any folks to be seen on the lone road visible from the hotel window. The sparrows were happily playing in the small pools of water that had formed in the hotel courtyard. A mild sense of nostalgia started to grip me while I was watching them. Once an integral part of my growing years in Rourkela, one hardly encounters these winged friends in Bangalore. I sat by the window side for almost an hour lapping up the sights and sounds of nature. Coorg during the monsoon can only be described as virgin nature at its' pristine best.

As I walked into the hotel dining hall for breakfast, a lone waiter greeted me and took my order. As the guests were few, they had not served buffet. Within 10 mins, the soft idlis and crisp vada had arrived at my table, accompanied by tea and warm water (a nice thing given the cold conditions). The food was delicious. After ordering for breakfast to be brought into the room for my husband and son, I retreated to our room and settled down by the window once again. Somehow hill stations give me that idyllic feeling of time having stopped in its tracks and make me reluctant to allow any kind of intervention into my blissful state. So, no newspaper and no TV is my rule during such vacations.

It was almost 10:30 by the time all of us had freshened up and had eaten breakfast. We then proceeded towards our first tourist destination of the day, the much famed Abby falls. It was around 9 kms from the hotel and it did not take us long to reach there. The drive was short but beautiful with mist covered hills and valleys keeping us engrossed throughout. But due to the light drizzle we were reluctant to step out of the car for clicking pics. At one point we came to a forked road, the left one leading to Abby falls and the right one taking off to the picturesque Mandarpatti hills. As we had decided to skip the latter ( our Innova would not travel on the narrow roads leading to the spot ), we proceeded on the left road and reached the point leading to the falls. As expected it was thronging with visitors who had come to watch the falls in its full glory. A long descend on the broken stone steps took us to the place. The fall does not have a great height but still it is spectacular. A hanging bridge is built across the water and this was the most preferred stop for amateur photographers. Spending a few minutes near the gushing waters, we started back on the steep climb. This is the tough part and can be quite painful for elder folks.

Back into the comfort of our vehicle, we decided to wind up with a visit to the Madikeri fort and Raja's seat. Though Talakaveri (the birth place of Cauvery river) is considered one of the most important places to visit while in Coorg, we decided to give it a miss as there was a minor landslide 2 days back. Also, it had rained heavily in the intervening night which made it still riskier. The adventure bug in me kept nagging on but I silenced it with some stern reasoning.

The Madikeri fort is located very near to the center of the town. A Ganesh temple, a Church turned museum, and two life size elephants were all we could see. The main building (palace) was closed. Sadly, it is not well maintained and I was kind of disappointed. Next stop was Raja's seat, a garden that offers a spectacular view of vast green lands and mist clad mountains. It is said that the kings of Kodagu used to frequent this spot with their consorts to watch the sunrise/sunset. Quite a nice spot but the best time to come here is the winters when the gardens are in full bloom. The toy train ride ( at Rs 10/- per person ) is an added attraction for the kids and other people who refuse to grow up.

It was almost lunchtime and we wanted to grab a table at good restaurant before it became too crowded, Our driver (who was well acquainted with the place) suggested a place called 'East End Hotel' which is located very near to the Thimmiaih Circle. It was almost 1 as we walked in and the place had just started to fill up. The service was good and they also gave some complimentary curry with the white rice. But it is the 'chilli'-fied items and the 'Coorg Chicken curry' that one needs to try at this place. Mind-blowing good. Another attraction of this place is the awesome selection of wine/hard drinks they have. Though both of us do not drink, the crowd at the bar bore testimony to the fact that this place was a huge hit with people who love their poison.

After the nice lunch, we retired to our room and took a short nap. Feeling refreshed after a late afternoon shower and some tea, we proceeded to the Omkareshwara temple . Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this is a unique temple built in the Islamic style. It has a small mandap surrounded by a sparse corridor. In front of the main shrine/temple, there is a small fish pond with a smaller shrine in the middle. There were a few ducks too but as it was almost dark, they had started to doze off.

By the time we started from the temple, it had started raining heavily. But we could not return to our hotel without completing the sacred ritual of shopping for spices, home made chocolate and the other exotic stuff that one usually finds at hill stations. Our very knowledgeable driver duly guided us to a shop call Coorg Greens which was stocked with all kinds of spices and nuts. Though one finds a plethora of spice shops in Madikeri market, this one was crowded than usual. I picked up some biryani spices , saffron, honey, coorg cofffee, raisins and nuts. There was the dry fruit jam that caught my fancy and I took one of those too. Another item which caught my attention was the hand made soap in different flavours. I loved the smell of the one with 'Goat milk' and bought half a dozen of those too.

It was then time for the home-made chocolates and we did not have to look far for those. There was a very good chocolate boutique called 'Choci Coorg' upstairs. Though a little on the expensive side, they had a good collection and I must say that these chocolate tasted even better than the ones we have had from Ooty or Munnar.

The shopping had made us a little tired and we wanted some coffee to refresh ourselves. Our driver took us to this small place called 'Hotel Neel Sagar' which is located on the Madikeri Main Road.  We ordered for the Coorg special coffee (which was priced at Rs 25) along with a butter masala dosa. The coffee turned out to be delicious but the dosa was pretty average. But service was quick even with a good number of tables being occupied.

We decided to laze about in our hotel room for the rest of the evening as it was raining quite heavily. But the rains had stopped by 9 pm and we decided to head towards 'East End Hotel' once again for dinner. However it was a disappointment this time around. With so much liquor flowing , the place resembled and smelled like a bar rather than a restaurant. Deciding against having dinner there itself, we got a parcel and returned to the hotel room. The 'Chili chicken' was quite good. Watching TV after dinner, it was almost 11:30 by the time we hit the sack.

We woke up to a bright and sunny morning the next day. After a quick shower, we went for the breakfast. The hotel staff had prepared a buffet and everything was as delicious as the previous day. Although they had revised the menu and I missed those crispy vadas, the delectable set dosa more than made up for it. It was almost 9:45 when we started from the hotel. We lapped up the sights of this beautiful place for the last time as we raced towards Bangalore. A no-break journey ensured that we had reached the outskirts of Bangalore by 1:30 pm but the traffic ( thanks to Ramzan shopping being in full swing ) ensured that we could not reach home before almost 4 pm. A sense of relief washed over me as I unlocked the door. After all, don't they say 'Home is where the heart is'.

My Coorg Chronicles (Part 1)

With the last weekend being a long one (thanks to the Ramzan celebrations), we could finally make the much awaited trip to Coorg which is also touted as the Scotland of India. Ever since we moved to Bangalore, we had been planning for this trip but somehow it always got cancelled the at the eleventh hour. 'Monsoon is not the best time to visit Coorg', warned some folks but this time we were determined to go ahead. Since it was on a short notice, we had to call up quite a few hotels before we could finally book a room. So, if you are planning to make a trip during the peak season (October to April), do make the hotel reservations fairly in advance.

Coming back to the trip, we started off from Marathahalli around 7:45 in the morning. With no major traffic hassles (it was a Saturday) except at Kengiri, we moved out of the city at around 9 am. This is a wonderful stretch dotted with a whole spectrum of eateries, ranging from the more popular ones like CCD, Adigas, A2B, Kamat to lesser known ones. We made the first stop at a Kamat joint. Though it was crowded, the service was fairly quick and we were done with breakfast in 20 mins flat. Starting off once again, the first major town that we came across was Channapatna, also known as the 'land of toys' . Shops selling a whole range of wooden artifacts, toys and lacquer items were lined up on both sides of the road. Most prominent were the rows of wooden rocking horses which reminded me of the old Bollywood number 'Lakdi ki kathi, kathi pe Ghoda....Ghode ke dum pe jo mara hathoda.....dauda dauda Ghoda dum uthake dauda'. While I would have loved to take a closer look at the wares displayed, there was a lot of distance to be covered and hence I dropped the idea.

Next to capture our attention were huge fields of sugarcane crops. It signaled the arrival of 'The Land of Sugar', Mandya, one among the more prosperous cities of Karnataka. It boasts of a govt medical college and one of the top engineering colleges of Karnataka. Quite a developed city with good roads, it is quite impressive at first glance. With sugar factories located in Mandya, one can make out the distinct smell of molasses while travelling through certain stretches of the city.

Mysore was the next major city on the map but we took a bypass to avoid the city traffic which would be quite high around noon. After covering a bad stretch of road, we passed through the fringes of Infosys Mysore Campus, undoubtedly one the major landmarks of the city. Leaving behind the limits of Mysore, we were greeted with vast acres of land on which short shrub like plants were being cultivated. We also encountered a few bullock carts laden with the yellowing leaves of those plants. After a few wild guesses ranging from radish to oil seeds, a google search finally revealed it to be 'Tobacco'. Little wonder, we were crossing the tobacco growing town of Periyapatna. This area is also famous for growing 'sweet corn' which has turned around many a farmers' lives.

Finally we entered Kodagu or Coorg district. The first place that we visited was the Namdroling Monastery, more commonly known as the Golden temple. Home to more than 5000 monks living in exile, it houses huge idols of Buddha ( in different avatars ) and colorful Tibetan painting depicting mythological creatures. It was the time for afternoon prayers I suppose ( around 1:15 pm ) as there were lots of monks chanting prayers and a huge gong/drum going on. A beautiful sight that I will remember for a long time.

Covering the entire premises of the monastery can be quite tiring and in our case it whetted up quite an appetite. We decided to stop at the next decent-looking hotel that comes on the way. Thankfully we did not have to wait for more than 10 minutes as Hotel President came looming. It looked hygienic and on entering it, we quickly got a table. Though the waiter was quick to take our order, it was quite sometime before the food arrived on out table. But it was quite good, far better than what we had expected. Most restaurants at hill stations serve notoriously bad food as they do not have to worry about customer retention. This was an exception.

After a hearty meal consisting of dal, rice, butter chicken and naan, we proceeded to the next destination. The Cauvery Nisargadhama is a beautiful but ill-maintained tourist spot. An island formed by the tributaries of river Cauvery, it is accessible by a hanging bridge. Quite a peaceful spot with the sounds of gushing water and chirping birds, it lacks directions. Though it has a rabbit enclosure, a parrot enclosure, a deer park and even an elephant ride, we were only able to make out the first two. The heavy rains had made it kind of slippery and one had to tread with care. Also the fear of reptiles, given the tall grass along the trials, kept us from exploring more.

Starting on the final leg of our journey, it started getting cooler and cloudier as we climbed the sloping roads leading to Madikeri. The roads took us through numerous sandalwood and coffee plantations. The roads are in surprisingly good condition given the copious amount of rain that this place receives. Finally we reached the Thimmaiah circle, an important junction of the town of Madikeri.

Taking a turn to the left, it took us another 3 kms to finally reach our hotel. Located in the midst of greenery, Sri Venketeshwara Residency is a hotel that I would highly recommend to anyone traveling to this place with their own conveyance. Clean, well kept, courteous staff and decently priced, they were gracious enough to accept our reservation over the phone without any advance. The package included free breakfast (served at 7:45 am), which was really good. The room service is fast but a little irregular as they were a little short on cooks. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items are included in the menu. However running hot water is available only from 7 pm to 11 am, which is something they could improve on I felt. Though we reached around 4:30 in the evening, we had to wait till 7:30 for a shower.

Tired with the journey, we decided to relax for the rest of the evening. Though the floor was bare, the room had a small LED TV with most channels available (which is a big thing when you just want to sit back and relax). The bed was neatly made and comfortable.  The view from the room was amazing with undulating green fields and forests all around. With evening descending, a mist started to envelope the place adding to its already charming beauty. After a quite dinner ( thanks to the room service ) around 9 pm, we hit the sack within an hour and we fast asleep.

More to come................