It is common to stumble upon a legend, myth or curious tale that often adds colour to journeys. They maybe quite mundane and physical at times whereas imaginative and ethereal at others!

One such story is from one of our earliest journeys, to Talakkad – a quiet town along the banks of river Cauvery (mythologically, the name Talakkad seems to have been derived from the names of two brothers – ‘Tala’ and ‘Kada’). The work was to document in detail the Keertinarayana Temple, which had then been recently excavated out of sand-dunes. Sand-dunes? On a river bank? Wondered we, till we saw mounds of sand, as if they had been tailor-made for some occasion!… We were given a scientific explanation for the sand-dunes that Talakkad was situated along a bend in the river whereby incoming winds deposited sand, eventually leading to dune formation. Quite logical, indeed!

As we settled in with our work, locals offered their warm hospitality in return for patient replies to their curiosities. That’s when another story was unfolded to us about the dunes!According to them, several centuries ago when Wodeyar of Mysore gained victory over Vijayanagara by defeating Rangaraya, the latter’s wife left with the temple jewels to safe-guard them. But tired of being relentlessly chased by Wodeyar’s soldiers, she ended her journey in the depths of river Cauvery at Talakkad after cursing Talakkad and the Wodeyars of barrenness – Talakkad barren with sand-dunes and Wodeyars with lack of heirs!!  Though I don’t ponder much into the truths of myths and tales beyond the fact that they give a new dimension to my journey and work, this story seemed to fit in well as both remain so till date!

Besides the story, the place holds significance in Hindu religion for its temples and the Panchalinga darshan – visit of Shiva temples during some rare astrological occurrence, and in history as a prominent city during reigns of the Gangas, the Cholas and the Hoysalas besides the Vijayanagara kings and Wodeyars who picture in the story.

Being an architect and our work having involved the detailed documentation and condition assessment of the temple structure, I thought that it might interest a few readers a little more on the architecture of Keertinarayana Temple. A stellar plan with Pradakshina pada, Kakshasana, Mandapa, Navaranga mandapa, Antarala and Garbhagriha form the main temple. The structure was erected on a sand-filled plinth and no other foundation than the rock boulders of the riverbank. Granite served as the main construction material, but walls had in-fills of bricks and mud. The Navaranga mandapa captures maximum attention and admiration being constructed of lathe-turned greenish-black soapstone (chloritic schist) pillars polished to the finesse of silk! Corbelled stone slabs provide support to the lime concrete roof above. A simple construction with fine ornamental detailing makes the structure equally appealing to both the trained and the lay eyes!

Photograph and images courtesy: ADHAAR team

Near the Kodigehalli Railway Station in Bangalore, close to the police station, is a small Hanuman temple locally reputed to date back from the time of the Cholas.

Kodigehalli Railway Station : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved.

It is called the Halekote Hanuman Temple. The Hanuman Temple of the old fort.

Halekota Sri Prasanna Veera Anjaneya Temple : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved

The vigraha is 600 to 800 years old and has been sculpted on a single stone. The Vigraha Pratishta (installation – or imbibing it with the holy presence) was done by Vyasaraya of the 14th century.

Halekote Hanuman Vigraha : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved

The simple prakaras (surroundings) have been added later.

Halekote Hanuman Prakaras : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved

Devotees contribute in cash and kind throughout the week and on Saturdays there is a special pooja, bhajans and alankara (butter, silver, flowers etc). Everyday prasada is freely distributed to whoever shows up. (It is delicious).The present caretaker of the temple is the 6^th generation priest. This temple runs on what people donate. It is not under the government.

Halekote Hanuman Prakara Vigraha : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved

Vyasaraya, a devotee of Hanuman is believed to be the reincarnation of Prahlada, the son of Hiranyakasipu and Sri Raghavendra swamy of Mantralaya is further said to be his reincarnation. Vyasaraya installed the Idols of Sree Lord Anjaneya in the Districts of Bellary, Anantapur and Kurnool which formed part of Vijayanagar empire. Vyasaraya is known to music lovers as the guru of Purandaradasa. (See Also : Where Narasimha Killed Hiranyakasipu)

Halekote Hanuman Prakaras : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved

There is a huge maidan surrounding the temple. While neighbouring ladies collect water from the temple tank, children skip school to play there.

Halekote Hanuman Maidan : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved

Some of these ladies have migrated with their families from villages to Bangalore and have left their lovely homes for tent dwellings and farm work for road construction work.

Halekote Hanuman : Villager Tents : Photo Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved

Records from the Ganga era mention a hamlet whose location coincides with halebengaluru near kodigehalli. Stone age weapons (4000 BC) have been discovered in Jalahalli, close to Kodigehalli by the directorate of census operations. Roman coins have been found in Yeshwantpur. Here, historic temples, old and modern constructions lean against and interleave with each other.  Kodigehalli is so called because it was a gift from a king to local who fed him. Kempegowda’s mother and wife are said to be from Halebengaluru.

For more on Kodigehalli see : Travel : DoluKunitha, Kodigehalli, Bangalore and A walk through Kodigehalli

Other Travelogues By Me

• Travel : A trip to Brahmagiri, Chitradurga (Asoka Siddhapura)
• Travel : A trip to Dhanushkoti (Dhanuskodi)
• Travel : A trip to Dharmaraya temple, Bangalore
• Travel : A Trip to Pamban Bridge, Rameswaram

Photography, Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya  Sarada Kandula

Finally, cholas are getting some recognition. Ok…so maybe the sharpie was way OD (how the hell do you take that off!) but this was interesting to say the least. What is your street name? And how hardcore are you? My name is La Marichola and no…contrary to popular belief Im not as hard core as I am thought to be

Monday, November 30, 2009

Joanna Krupa
Katey Sagal
David Guetta (featuring Akon)

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Jessica Alba
Columbus Short
The Bravery

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Taye Diggs
Kaley Cuoco
Ruben Paul

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Laurence Fishburne
Los Lobos

The Reviews Are In!

George has only been on the air for 10 minutes and all the TV personalities are already weighing in — everyone from Larry King to Regis & Kelly to “ESPN Sports Center” hosts Neil Everett & Stan Verrett. And of course, even Lou Dobbs…

Funniest Clip from Last Week’s Show

Sandra Bullock is married to Discovery Channel’s Chicano motorcycle builder and prime-time outlaw James James. She tells George that she would do anything to be more Latina if she could… And so George Lopez gets Chola girl to give her a “chola” makeover!

Sandra gets a makeover from chola girl

From Eonline.com:

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b155427_sandra_bullock_gets_chola_makeover.html

Usually when Sandra Bullock gets a makeover, it’s to become a beauty queen or some sassy Southern mom saving lives. But on Lopez Tonight, George Lopez transformed America’s Sweetheart into a chola, which is kinda weird, we know. Now we gotta watch more often. Does he do this to all his guests?

Naturally, Sandy B. rocked the Sharpie brows and lip liner because, lets face it, she can do anything.

First, it was a beautiful weekend.  Mister Man performed at Pepe’s Bistro; I went along to have lunch.  Yum!  We walked out totally stuffed after Cuban Sandwich, Asparagus Quesadilla, Cucumber lemonade, and chocolate flan cake — wow, the cake was killer!

(photo from Lincoln Journal Star)

Pepe prepares food that is so wonderfully flavorful, vegetarian, and prepared with locally grown produce.   We were served by the always lovely Justine.

I decided to dress up and channel my inner chola — big hair with lots o’spray, bandana, tons of makeup, and attitude to match.

I’ve been in a XXXicana state of mind, probably due to Dia de los Muertos and puras ganas.

I attended UNL’s Dia de los Muertos celebration dressed as Frida Muerta; I was treated like I was the incarnation!

Mister man wore his dancing skeletons tie he got in Albuquerque this summer; Orale, an Irish Vato!

********************************************************************************************************

Today I raked leaves — just really moved them around the yard.  I put a lot of leaves in the chicken yard.  The chickies just love the leaves.  I found a couple of fat worms which Henny and Penny quickly devoured.  It was very funny to watch them jump into the middle of the leaves and start scratching around.  Here’s some footage from Chickie Cam:

Balam is having identity problems . . some days he thinks he’s a chicken!  He loves to eat chicken feed and drink out of their water bottle.  Today he even got into the coop . . . I have bad news for him . . . he won’t be layin’ eggs anytime soon.

And no post would be complete without news of teeny tiny baby Cleo.  She had a vet visit this past week and only weighed 2.4 lbs.  The vet put her on medication for parasites [yuck] and she’s started to get a little tummy now that she’s absorbing more nutrition.

Otherwise, it’s been a busy time.  I spent last weekend in Bellingham, WA for a business meeting of the National Association for Ethnic Studies.  We are working hard to prepare for the conference in April.  Lots to do still.

chinga tu madre

brushed the dust off my cortez for this special occasion

me and mi papi

happy halloween!

hehehe to all the culturally sensitive: these pics are all in good fun

Acciones Plásticas プリクラ

Acciones Plásticas プリクラ is a collaboration between artists Maya Escobar and Rio Yañez.

The Latina Hipster
a bad-ass Morrissey-lovin’, tuff-girl sexy chica

The Latina Role Model
a diploma totin’ intellectual, sexy, social media goddess

The Homegirl
a hybridized version of Escobar’s Midwestern Chach and Yañez’s West Coast Chola.

In Acciones Plásticas Escobar created a multi-faceted “doll” by assuming the role of designer and distributor, and even posing as the actual doll itself.  Each doll was a satirical characterization of some of the many roles that have been projected upon her, and into which she has, at points, inevitably fallen. In conjunction with these images, she developed a short series of low-definition youtube video blogs through which she inhabits the lives of “real women” who have each been visibly defined by societal constructs.

Recently, Yañez has been utilizing Japanese photobooths (known as Purikura or “print-club”) as an artist’s tool for creating portraits. These booths are much more common in Japan than their United States counterparts. As a catalyst for creative expression and social interaction they are used primarily by young urban Japanese girls. A standard feature in all Purikura booths allows the user to digitally decorate their portraits after they take them. The options are vast and include wild characters, excessive starbursts of light, pre-made phrases and the option to draw your own text directly on the image. Purikura gives the subjects near-divine powers of self-expression in crafting their own portraits.

The two artists who met over the web, decided to bring together Escobar’s highly charged and evocative Acciones Plásticas characters with Yanez’s notorious Chicano graphic-art style and new found obsession with Purikura images, as a way of addressing the construction of Latina identities.

Maya posed as The Latina Hipster: a bad-ass Morrissey-lovin’, tuff-girl sexy chica; The Latina Role Model: a diploma totin’ intellectual, sexy, social media goddess; and finally, The Homegirl: a hybridized version of Escobar’s Midwestern Chach (or Chachi Mama) and Yañez’s West Coast Chola.

Maya sent digital images to Rio, who in turn drew portraits of her as each of these constructed identities. He approached each portrait with a Purikura sensibility and decorated them each as the characters represented might accessorize themselves.

The final series of portraits is the result of negotiating multiple identities and influences. Guatemalan, Jewish, and Chicano sensibilities reflected back through a Japanese Purikura aesthetic. Acciones Plásticas プリクラ challenge and question the thin line between archetype and stereotype. The Purikura elements present the novel signifiers of each social construct represented in the series.

This collaboration is the first of many to come as Maya and Rio explore the commonalities and differences of their cultural identities.

For more information on Acciones Plásticas プリクラcheck out Rio’s blog and stay tuned for guest post by seeNoga aka Carianne Noga on meeting the Chach Homegirl in real life.

(video of the Chach featured below)

Karikala Chola is famous for the dam he built across the Kaveri River, which was much admired by Sir Arthur Cotton.

From this translated sanskrit copper plate inscription we learn that he was a descendant of Chola, the son of Daushyanti Bharata, Sakuntala’s son. We also learn the names of the Ikshvaku kings of the various Yugas.

(Popular versions of the Mahabharata take the line that Bharata had no “good sons” of his own and that Bharadwaja Maharshi reigned over his kingdom for a while, till a “better son” was born to him. Given that Chola was such a great king, and with such great descendants, this area needs more research. This inscription also gives the name of the Ikshvaku kings who participated in the Ksheera Sagara Mathanam.

Perhaps the wildest idea I have at this time is whether the great Karikala Chola was the cause of fear to Saunaka and other Rshis who left for Naimisaranya. This inscription places him very close to the beginning of Kaliyuga. A lot more research is needed.)

Source of the Inscription :

1. From the Sun, by Manana (Contemplation), was born Manu. (This is a reference to Vaiwaswatha Manu, Krutha Yuga).
2. Ikshvaku was the son of Manu and a scourge of the enemies of the Devas.
3. His son was Vikukshi, who ruled the earth girdled by the oceans. (A reference to South India)
4. Puranjaya, the famous conqueror of the enemies of the Devas., was his son.
5. Kakuthstha, the famous conqueror the enemies of the Devas.,  was his son. (Great-great-grandfather of Sri Rama as per the Agni Purana)
6. Kakshivat, whose fame was sung by the gandharvas, was his son. (A reference to dominating Afganisthan).
7. The great Aryyama, who won Vijayalakshmi by conquering the Ocean of his enemies, was his son. (A reference to Ksheera Sagara Mathanam) (Aryama is the name of one of the devatas of the Veda Mantras).
8. In his family, was born Analapratapa famed for his generosity and prowess.
9. In his family, was born Vena
10. His son was Pruthu (Pruthu was the 9th Avatar of Vishnu as per the Srimad Bhagavatham)
11. In this family, was born Dhundhumara, the slayer of Dhundhu.
12. In this family, was born Yuvanasva. (Another name for Yuvanasva is Mandhata. He was killed by Lavanasura, son of Madhu with Siva’s Sula).
13. His son was Mandhatri.
14. His son was Muchukunda, who killed Kalayavana (The killing of Kalyavana was in the Dwapara Yuga, but Muchukunda was of the Krita Yuga).
15. In this family, was born Valabha who founded the city of Valabhi.
16. His son was Prithulaksha, who set “whirling the Mandara Mountain in the ocean for securing Amrta” at the request of the Devas and Asuras. (This has reference to the Ksheera Sagara Mathana – Kurma Avatara)
17. To him was born a son (known as) Parthivachudamani, who was a mine of power and who, while Mukunda (Vishnu) was giving the gods a drink of nectar, destroyed the army of the demons (who were disturbing). (This has reference to the Ksheera Sagara Mathana – JaganMohini Avatara)
18. Then Dirghabahu became the sovereign.
19. Then king Chandrajit was the soveriegn.
20. At the close of the Krita Yuga, His son Samkriti became the emperor.
21. In this family, was born Panchapa.
22. In this family, was born Satyavrata, who conquered the king of Kasi, defeated Rudra and acquired the name Rudrajit. (Is this a reference to Siva?)
23. The generous Sibi, the son of Usinara and Marutta whose left-over gold was used by the Pandavas for the Rajasuya, were also Ikshvakus.
24. Dushyanta was an Ikshvaku. (Dushyanta was the husband of Sakuntala, and the son-in-law of Viswamitra)
25. Dushyanta’s son Daushyanti Bharata was an Ikshvaku.
26. Bharata’s son was Chola, who was like Indra himself.
27. Cholavarman’s son was Rajakesarivarman (‘the lion among kings’) who split asunder with (his) nails (viz., crooked knives),  the elephants (viz., his enemies) and (was) the cage (wherein resided the goddess) of prosperity. (The nails are a reference to Narasimha Avatar).
28. His son was king Parakesarin
29. Parakesarin’s son was king Chitraratha (The name of Kubera’s grove)
30. His son (was) Chitrasva (The word Chitrasrava occurs in the Rg Veda)
31. To him (was born) king Chitradhanvan. This king (also) desirous to fame brought her (i.e., Ganga) to his dominions under the name Kaverakanyaka (i.e., Kaveri)
32. In this family, was born, Suraguru. This king having conquered by his glory the god of Death in his own territory acquired the name Mrityujit.
33. In this family, was born, Chitrartha called Vyaghraketu, who wore as an ornament on his head the flowers of the dhataki (Grislea Tomentosa).
34. The Treta-Yuga having come to a close, a son of this king known as Narendrapati became the ruler.
35. “From him was produced the Siromani of the powerful Solar race, (king) Vasu, who was the cause of the destruction of the demons (and) who (known) by the significant surname of Uparichara moved in any direction he liked in a celestial car which was presented (to him) by the lord of gods (i.e., Indra).”  (This Uparichara Vasu is reputed to be the genetic father of Satyavati, the mother of Veda Vyasa).
36. At the end of the Dvapara (-age) was born in the family of this head-jewel of kings a conqueror of all hostile kings named Visvajit.
37. In his race was born Perunatkilli who was the receptacle of all sciences.
38. In this (king’s) family was born he, the leader of all the lords of the earth, the foremost of the great on account of his virtues, the king who renovated (the town of) Kanchi with gold, who had established his glorious fame by constructing embankments of the Kaveri (river) and whom (people) called Kalikala (KariKala) because (he) was (the god of) death to the elephants (kari) (of his enemies) as also to the Kali (-age).
39. In his race was born the emperor Kochchengannan who bore on his arm the earth (extending) as far as the Lokaloka mountain,
40. “In his race was bornVijayalaya, who took possession of Tanjavur, Tanchapuri. Having next consecrated (there) (the image of) Nisumbhasudani whose lotus-feet are worshipped by gods and demons, (he) by the grace of that (goddess) bore just (as easily) as a garland (the weight of) the (whole) earth resplendent with (her) garment of the four oceans.”
41. His wise son was king Adityavarman. Having conquered in battle the Pallava (king) Aparajita who possessed a brilliant army though (he was in name) aparajita (i.e., the unconquered) he (i.e., Aditya) took possession of his (i.e., Aparajita’s) beloved country and thus fulfilled the object (of his desire).
42. His son was Parantaka.

Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula

If starting to plan Halloween costumes mid-July is wrong, then I never want to be right.  I have absolutely no shame in admitting that I get semi-turned on when I see stores start stocking candy corn and Halloween-y (weenie…ha. ha. ha) decorations in September.  It’s the inner child in me.  Unfortunately, it’s time to grow up, and grow up I will do.

Yet, for Halloween, “grow up” doesn’t have to always involve wearing see-through lingerie and animal ears and calling yourself a “Sexy Kitten.”  There’s a difference between “Sexy Kitten” and “Naked Kitten,” something that many girls don’t want to understand.  I’m all for celebrating the one night a year when you can dress seductively in public and nobody can say a word, but I’m also all for those girls who realize they don’t have to look like a total hooker to get into the Halloween spirit.

So if you’re stumped for ideas this year that don’t involve thongs, ass-less chaps, or stripper shoes, here are a few ideas that are sexy but don’t make guys stop and question if you’ll be charging for sex later on:

Hipster: But, let’s be real, Hipsters are not sexy.

Wayne & Garth (Wayne’s World): Ingredients: a brunette and blonde, black t-shirt, trucker hats, glasses, plaid shirt, ripped jeans (all things easily found in a dorm). Imagine how much warmer you’ll be instead of freezing your culo off. Speaking of culo…

Chola: To some, that brown lip liner and drawn-in eyebrows look may be sexy, but since it’s more likely to scare the crap out of people, it’s even more perfect for Halloween.

Risky business broad: Oversize white button-down, socks, wayfarer sunglasses, some booty shorts (or, if you’re willing, tighty-whiteys) and if you want to add a hint of seduction, add a red bra.  A little sexiness won’t kill you…

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, or that OxyClean Guy: Or anyone else who really stood out in 2009. Octomom? Jon Gosselin? Swine Flu? Lady Gaga? (Though I would avoid her costume with the fireworks boobs…that might get dangerous.)

Something actually SCARY: You can never fail with the classics: Witch, Vampire, Ghost, Zombie, Mummy, or just go as a dead version of yourself (always attractive).

Those creepy Guitar Hero characters: Everyone who is anyone (or everyone who will do anything not to study) has spent a long time looking at those band-members rocking out while you jam on the drums. If those don’t work, what about Mario Kart people? Or that crazy DDR dancer?

If you have the metaphorical balls and artistic capability: Then start tallying up how many people that will want a picture with you.

Decades: The 20th century had a pretty unique style in every decade, from the  flapper, to the beatnik, to the grunge girl and beyond.  With so many options to play around with, you must feel so conflicted.

After all those techno remixes to Monster Mash, pounding Courvoisier shotsk’s every time they say “Shots” in the song “Shots“, and the possibility of spending the night in someone else’s bed, you’ll be glad you skipped out doing the walk o’ shame in a bumblebee outfit.  Just hide under your Wayne’s World hat and plaid shirt and vow to never drink again until next Halloween.

And bonus points if you get laid while dressed as Garth…I would shake your hand right now.

Haven’t had a morning that was this productive in quite awhile! I woke up at 7 o’clock on the dot and decided to get up instead of sleeping in. This is usually quite a task for me, but for some reason today it was really easy.

I finished up my order for Needles and Pens. I make special feather hair clips for them, because I love them so much! I took a quick picture of them before I tagged and packed them for shipping.

Feather hair clips

If you’re in the San Francisco area definitely stop by the shop and say hello to Breezy and Andrew. Buy something while you’re there! I’m sure you’ll find something that strikes your fancy. On a crappy note, while I was tagging the hair clips I friggin spilled a glass of water on my keyboard! It seems to be working okay with one casualty…my option key stopped working on the left side. Guess, I’m gonna have to unlearn using it on that side. Ugh! Didn’t slow me down though.

I received the boom boxes I’ve been obsessing over since I ordered them and guess what? They’re waaaaay too big! I’m totally gonnna keep them though, cause they’re ridiculously cute. They’re pencil sharpeners and each one comes with super cute teeny tiny plastic paperclips and a little eraser! I have 24 of them though. I might have to do a destash in my shop. I was planning on doing one soon anyway. I tend to get a little carried away with my craft supplies!

cute but not gonna work

However, the ice cream erasers I ordered along with them are adorable! Although I haven’t quite yet figured out what I’m going to do with them.

ice cream cones

Popsicles

I wish they were smelly ones! Do they make those anymore? If anyone knows leave a comment with a link.

Anyway, the rest of the day was productive as well, we got new tires for the car, went for a bike ride and I finished the first version of my new chola cameos (coming soon!). If you don’t know what a chola is you can look it up here. That dictionary is awesome by the way. I haven’t laughed that hard in awhile.

We finished off our productive day with a yummy dinner that consisted of chicken Caesar salad, and little tomato-basil-mozzarella pizzas.

chicken ceasar salad

mozzarella tomato basil pizza

Sweet dreams! I’m off to watch my samurai jack and go to bed. Being productive makes me tired!

I can’t help myself.  This girl has me nearly peeing my pants from laughing so hard.

“What you can do for Bitch eyebrows, you gotta like take a sharpie, but since I lent it to my niece for her quinceanera…”

I finally watched Kaminey today. After two trips without tickets, AM finally got tickets. It was my birthday, and AM is so sweet about it. To me it seems like a normal day, just something to mark the calendar that I am a year older. But AM always tries to do something nice.

We went to dinner at Tadka, an awesome awesome Indian restaurant. I am surprised I did not come across it sooner. The food was delicious, and I felt as if I was having home-made food. Icing on cake, they deliver all the way to the west site to my apartment. Yipee! The manager was very friendly as well and from Bangladesh. The place is owned by the same guy who owns Chola, which is a few blocks away from Tadka. The difference is night and day between the two. We were at Chola just last weekend (where I sighted Shilpa Shetty), and the place was dingy, hot, loud, crowded, and badly managed, and the food was average, yet people write good reviews about the place. OTOH, Tadka is a very tiny place and gets most of its revenue from delivery. Sometimes people order from Chola and Tadka delivers. Tiny, friendly place, good service, yummy food. This should have been more of an eat-in because its so well managed. Clearly the owner is crazy.

Another of my favorite Indian places, Leela Lounge, is now offering only appetizers. Their food was delicious and healthy, and they had a lot of variety in their menu. Two weeks back they decided to become a lounge versus lounge and restaurant and only offer drinks and appetizers now. What a shame – the food was to-die-for.

Back to my birthday. We watched Kaminey, and Shahid Kapoor did not disappoint. I have high hopes for this guy – he is cute and adorable, has a great body, is handsome, and is a GREAT actor. He really needed such a movie to show his full acting prowess. It was such a pleasure watching him *wink wink*. The movie was otherwise okay, but a refreshing change. Bollywood has been in such a slump and I hated Rab ne bana do jodi which was a hit, so it was so refreshing to finally listen to good music, watch good acting, and just see a good Hindi movie. Priyanka looked very ordinary and her make-up did not flatter her features. Her usual oomph that I saw in Fashion was missing. I found it hard to connect with the movie, but Shahid kept it entertaining and worth watching – definitely a must-watch once. It helped leave the work stress behind and just enjoy the music. I keep listening to the theme music which is so James Bond. Love it. Dhan Tan Tan is such an awesome song, and I was disappointed that Shahid did not dance to it. Shahid has trained with none other than Shiamak, so what an absolute waste to not see him dance to this tune. All they showed were people dancing in a disco, and Shahid yelling the song.

Arrived in Kanchi on Sunday evening 16th August. Kanchipuram is known as the ‘Golden City of Temples’ and is considered one of the seven main sacred cities of India. It has over a hundred temples there today but is said to have had over a thousand. I saw four, two Visnu temples:  the Vaikuntha Perumal Temple and the Varadaraja Temple and two Shiva Temples: The Ekambareshvara Temple and the Kailasanatha Temple.

It rained quite a bit on the evening and morning I spent in Kanchi  so the bit about the’ Golden’ city was lost on me. It was all a bit sludgy so I decided on a whirlwind rickshaw tour of the four main temples. I had about one hour in each which is absolute blasphemy given how much there was to see, but I wanted to arrive in Tirumala before nightfall.

The first temple I visited, was the Vaikuntha Perumal temple, a Vishnu Temple, built in the 8th century by the Pallava king Nandhivarman Pallavamalla. It  is unusual in having three sanctums, with Vishnu in reclining, standing and sitting pose respectively. I took darshan of Vishnu in his sitting pose and on ekadashi and festival days the other forms are open to the public.

Vaikuntha Perumal Temple Kanchi

The temple is small with grassy verges and the sounds of devotional music greet you as you step into its courtyard. There was only one other visitor there with me so the priest was very generous with his time and showed both of us around the inside of the temple.

He explained  why the walls and carvings of the temple were so badly deteriorated. Apparently no one knows the exact mix of sandstone and other materials that comprise these walls and so cannot restore them.

With his blessings and some sweets, I left to visit a Shiva Temple, the Kailashanath Temple.

Vaikuntha Perumal

The Kailashanatha Temple is probably the most beautiful and best preserved of the four temples I visited in Kanchi. It is a small temple and also possibly the oldest, built in 7th century by Rajasimha Pallava.

Kailashanatha Temple

When I sought my rickshaw driver’s help in finding  the concealed entrance to the inner sanctum on the side of the temple, he told me I could not go into the temple. Nonetheless we went in together and both my driver and I were met and welcomed by a most gentle Brahmin who, in impeccable English inquired about my pilgrimage and explained to us the details and story behind the huge Shiva Linga in the dark cavernous shrine.His family  name was Subramanian, and his family have been priests there since the 14th century.

Unlike the Shore Temple at Mamallapuram, whose architecture it resembles, this temple, away from the eroding forces of the sea, seems to have survived incredibly well. The brahmin also shared his concern for the future maintenance of the temple due to lack of knowledge of the exact constituents of the sandstone edifice.

He also inquired whether or not education was corrupt in my country and then launched into a polite yet vehement criticism of the Indian Government’s ‘propaganda’ forcing people into  technological and vocational fields of  education. He decried the lack of interest in culture and traditional forms of learning.

It’s funny, I seem to remember a similar lament by Professor Gombrich at Oxford a few years ago. He would have had much to share with this little brahmin on the other side of the world. I left very happy to have met him and with my rickshaw driver urging me on to the next temple, The Shiva, Ekambareshvara Temple.

Ekambareshvara/Ekambaranatha Temple

This is the largest temple in Kanchipuram, and though parts of the main temple were built by the pallava Kings, the rest of the huge temple complex was built mainly in the 16th and 17th century. None of the  gopurams (tower gateways) are opposite each other nor are the walls of the temple parallel to each other. For me this lack of symmetry created a sense of  discordance. Or perhaps it was also because it was raining as I arrived with little time to appreciate its open spaces.  I was glad to enter its inner hall ways.

At first I was refused entry to the inner sanctum by a rather pushy brahmin. When I mentioned the word ‘donation’ he changed his tune. Inside, although there were quite a few visitors, the brahmins at the shrine were welcoming and allowed me to take extra time viewing the Shiva Linga. It is made of sandstone and is believed to have been made by Parvati (wife of Shiva) and worshipped by her  when she was separated from him.

There is also a mango tree (said to be aver 3000 years old) here under which Parvati is said to have worshipped Shiva and performed penance for offending him. Naturally she won him over with her extra-ordinary feats and they continue to live happily ever after.

Parvati's Mango Tree

The Varadaraja Temple

The third temple I visited was this major Vishnu Temple built by the Kings of Vijayanagar in the 12th century. It is counted along with Tirupati and Sri Rangam as one of the major temples in South India.Varada means bestower of benedictions and raja means king.

Entrance to the Varadaraja Temple

Sri Varadaraj

In this temple I had a brahmin guide who took me around the 1000 pillared hall with its myriad carvings from the Puranas and the Ramayana and showed me up the stairs of the small hill on which the deity of Varadaraj is located.  It not such a steep climb and the large, standing deity towers down upon all those ascending to pay their respects.

The story is that Lord Brahma had Visvakarma, the architect of the demigods, make a wooden deity of Lord Varadaraja. The utsava-murti(festival deity ) is said to have emerged from Lord Brahma’s sacrificial fire. It was felt that the wooden deity would be ruined if constantly exposed and worshiped. Therefore the deity was immersed in the temple tank, and a granite deity was installed in its place. It is taken out for viewing every 40 to 50 years.The next time will be 2019 and the temple expects hundreds and thousands of pilgrims to flock  here for this rare privilege.

Temple Tank

Kamakshi(Love-eyed)  Amaan(Goddess) Temple

Finally I arrived at the Kamakshi Amaan temple and was a bit pessimistic about gaining entrance given my Meenakshi experience in Madurai. However, Nick  (that’s Dr Nicolas Sutton to those of you who don’t know him)  furnished me with the name of  a Mr Shastri who had been very kind to him on his visit to the temple. So, as I was being ushered away from the entrance for being the freckled-pasty- skinned pariah that I am, I asked for Mr Shastri please.

A look of recognition in the eyes of the guard mellowed his approach into one of direction to the far corner of the temple. There, befittingly adorned with  body paint and brahmin thread, sat Mr Shastri who never heard of Nick Sutton.  ‘How many Mr Shastri’s are there ? ‘I asked, and he laughed saying there were many, maybe 30. But the laugh may have mellowed him, or perhaps the  potent vibration of the name Dr Nick Sutton did it, because he waved a hand towards the guard and told him to show me around.

So thank you Nick, for Mr Shastri. I’m sorry I never got to meet the gentleman himself, but I had a much appreciated guided tour of the Temple. I took no photographs, because I didn’t want to push my luck.

The temple is  one of three main holy places of Goddess/Sakti worship in India, the other two being Madurai and Varanasi and was built by the Cholas in the 14th century.

Within the temple too there is a Vishnu shrine, The Varaha Perumal Temple, located just left of the entrance to the inner shrine which was the first place the guard took me, before showing me into the inner shrine where the Goddess is seated on a lotus. There is also a shrine to Shankara Acarya (who installed a chakra here) within the temple.

To further add to my good fortune, the bookseller at a bookstand without asking for any payment gave me free gifts of   pictures of Kamaskhi, and a gold-coloured coin with Kuvera (the treasurer of the Gods) and Lakshmi (the Goddess of Fortune) on the other side. I thought the OCHS  might benefit from this little blessing.  Maybe we should install it somewhere in the centre – every little helps!

I left this final temple visit in Kanchipuram  feeling very much blessed by the loving glance of Kamakshi and with prasadam ( sweets given out at all temples) bursting from plastic bags I raced off to collect my bag from the Hotel and catch a bus to Tirumala

Tamil Nadu Temples

Arrived in Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) last night around 8.30pm. The past week has been a whirlwind of astonishingly  fabulous Dravidian temples.

I was so lost for words that few words were posted. There are only so many superlatives one can use before one gets repetitious.

So I thought to show a map and a brief overview of  my travel since Sri Rangam Tiruchirapalli might save you a Pallava and Chola overdose, if I was to describe it all.

I might also be able to show a map that you can see sometime.

Sarangapani Temple Kumbakonam

Kumbakonam, known as the Temple Town, is a  former capital of the Chola kings in the 7th century, and is about 4 hours by bus from Tiruchirappelli. It has about 15 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva around the town centre and there is also a rare temple to Brahma  here too.

The Sarangapani temple, mostly built by the Nayaks between the 13th and 17th century ( the central shrine dates to the Chola period, 10th-12th C.E) is considered to be one of the most important Vaishnava temples in South India along with Sri Rangam (Tiruchiappelli) and  Sri Venkateshwara or Balaji Temple in Tirupati. Here again Lord Vishnu is seen reclining on Ananta Sesa, the celestial serpent.

My experience here was very welcoming. Arriving in the evening of the 9th in time for the evening ritual, I was met with the sweet smell of hay and cows as soon as I stepped through yet another fabulous Dravidian gopuram (gateway). There, to one side, was a small cow sanctuary (goshalla) complete with new born calves.

The evening was balmy and breezy and I was among the very few visitors to the temple that evening. This allowed for a tranquil and unhurried stay. A group of  eight brahmins, in a small inner courtyard immediately in front of the inner sanctum, were reciting prayers in unison from their Sri Vaisnava scriptures. I sat for about a half hour, welcomed by the altar priest, in the timeless space of sacred chant until I was ready for sleep and repeated it all again the next morning before leaving for Chidambaram.

The Cow Sanctuary at the Sarangapani Temple

NAMAKKAL

This was a busy day, meaning a day with a lot of bus. Tiruchirappalli to Namakkal was an eight hour return journey in the morning,  and then 5 hours return trip to Thanjavur (Tanjore)  in the afternoon, but it was worth every bit of it…bumps and all.

At Namakkal there is the Digambara Anjaneya Temple where a huge deity of Hanuman  is bathed (abhishek) with various auspicious substances every day at 11am. The whole process takes about an hour,  is accompanied by music and cheers and attracts a full house to its semi-open temple.

The experience defies all rational explanation as to  why a ritual of showering preparations of milk; of turmeric; of sandalwood; of yogurt; of rose water; of flowers etc.  over the deity by some priests should arouse such fervent enthusiasm.

Yet, sitting there , with streams  of  shifting liquid colour silhouetting  the form of the deity; accompanied by music and celebratory cheers with each showering ; and with all the stories of Hanuman’s heroism and devotion surfacing  within with the awakening from without, I too felt the point of this sweet ritual. But  don’t ask me why!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness!

TANJORE

Tanjore/Thanjavur

The Brihadeswara or Rajarajeswara Temple in Tanjore, dedicated to Lord Shiva, and built by Rajaraja Chola in 1010 A.D., is the largest and highest of the Chola temples and stands as a symbol of Chola greatness.

It is probably the most impressive place to visit in terms of immediate impact. With its immaculately maintained temple complex and a constant stream of international visitors it is feels like the World Heritage site it really is.

Arriving here in the evening was a lucky stroke. Gentle breezes  banished clammy clothes and the setting sun bathed the sandalwood hued stone in a glowing ethereal light. The paving underfoot was cool allowing for a peaceful and unhurried  visit.

The many sculptures of Nandi, Shiva’s bull, along the top of the peripheral wall were silhouetted beautifully against the evening sky  and the temple priests of the gigantic Brihadeshwara Shiva Linga were courteousness and welcoming.

Tanjore

Entrance gate to Brihadishwara Temple Tanjore

Nandi's at Night

Photo by Lex Leifheit

Question: How do you explain what a chola is to someone who has absolutely no frame of reference as to what one might be?

Tonight I was part of the 2009 Chicana/o Biennial artist talk at MACLA. It was great to see my peeps and peers talking about their work like my boy Jaime Guerrero, my homegirl Viva Paredes, and Seattle-bound sculptor Gustavo Martinez (additional shouts to Mariela, Rachel, and Lex for coming out to support us). I missed seeing MACLA’s wonderful Stephanie Chiara but otherwise it was the perfect night.

The discussion of my work MACLA went really well but I was stymied by a little old lady who had no idea what a Chola was. While I was talking about my portrait of Ask a Chola she wanted me to explain to her what a chola was. Every explanation was dependent on refering to some part of  urban Latino culture and she couldn’t grasp anything I tried to communicate to her. I wasn’t expecting to have to define a chola in talking about my work but it was my fault for not being able to think on my toes. What’s the best way to cleanly and concisely explain to someone what a chola is?

Speaking of Cholas, Cholo rapper Deadlee has put me on blast on his blog. He didn’t care for the review that I gave to his recent movie, homophobic cholaxploitation film Hoochie Mamma Drama. You can read my review HERE and chime in on the comments section if you want. I have no interest in any sort of blog-beef and I wish Deadlee the best of luck in his career.

After seeing Jim Mendiola’s amazing video for Girl in a Coma’s Static Mind I wanted to further explore photo sequence animation.

This was a casual first try, Mariela and I had a lot of fun taking photos in sequence throughout the Mission District. More to come, hopefully.

I have some big Ghetto Frida news coming soon and the image at the top is a small preview of more to come. Stay tuned.

Peace,

Rio

proposed places to visit on august 16

marakkanam temple