The Misty Lake

As we strolled on the path so neat,

With puddles splashing at our feet,

Overlooking the lake open wide,

Where tiny waves danced side by side.

We sat to watch the waters change,

From blue to grey, nature so strange!

The skies darkened with a frown,

And the clouds played around the town.

As mist moves in and softly spins,

Through drizzling rain, breeze begins..

Fading the scene in gloomy white,

Like sleepy toys tucked in for the night.

Winds on trees rustle through air,

To chase the mist and stir my hair.

As we bid adieu, the shadows grow,

We leave the lake for home's warm glow... 

Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa

A wedding in Bhubaneswar last year,  made our long awaited trip to the Jagannath temple, Puri, possible. 

The Jagannath Temple at Puri, Odisha, is a Hindu pilgrimage site and one of the Char Dham. This temple is dedicated to Lord Jagannath (Vishnu), and his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. 

Unlike most Hindu shrines that use stone or metal, the idols of the Gods are made of neem wood. These idols are  replaced every 12 to 19 years through a ceremony, Nabakalebara.

The story of Jagannath 

According to legends, the first Jagannath temple was commissioned by King Indradyumna. The king upon hearing the powers of the deity,  Lord Neela Madhaba sent a priest, Vidyapati, to locate the deity, which was worshipped secretly in a cave by the sarvar tribals. Vidyapati marked his way back from the cave and led King Indradyumna, to the place. But to their surprise the idol could not be found. The king took a fast at Mount Neela till a celestial voice guided him to build a temple. 

He constructed a temple for Lord Vishnu and following the divine vision, created the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Sudarshan chakra from sacred wood. 

It is believed Sage Narada was directed to bring the Divine Log of wood to the altar. Shri Visvakarma, disguised as a carpenter, came forward to carve the idols. He asked for 21 days to complete the job and not to be distributed. On the 14th day the anxious queen urged the king to open the door. At the altar stood the unfinished idols and the carpenter had vanished. A divine voice directed King Indradyumana to install the unfinished idols, at the temple near the Kalpabata tree. 

The Jagannath Temple at Puri, was built during the 12th century, and is a masterpiece of Kalinga architecture. It features a 65-meter tall curvilinear spire (Rekha Deula) and a massive complex spanning over 400,000 square feet. The structure consists of four main, interconnected halls—Vimana (sanctum), Jagamohan (porch), Natamandapa (dance hall), and Bhoga Mandapa (offering hall)—surrounded by high fortified walls, the Meghanada Pacheri. 

Sri Panduranga Temple, Tamilnadu 

The Thennangur Panduranga Temple in Tamil Nadu is modeled after the Puri Jagannath Temple in Odisha, featuring similar Kalinga-style architecture.The entrances of the temple are of gopurams (south Indian style) and the main shrine is that of the Puri Jagannath Temple.

 It features a 120-foot tall tower adorned with a gold kalasam, Sudarshana Chakra, and a saffron flag. The main idol, brought from Pandharpur by Swami Haridas Giri 500 years ago, depicts Lord Panduranga at 11 feet and his consort Rukmayee at 8.5 feet. This temple also includes rare idols, such as Achyutaraja Perumal, and a 16-pillared Maha-Mandap which is used for weddings and cultural activities during festivals.

 

City of Dawn, Auroville, Tamilnadu

 Auroville, near Pondicherry, is a unique experimental township founded in 1968 by The Mother( Mirra Alfassa) based on the vision of her guru Sri Aurobindo. It is a unique international cultural community focused on realizing human unity in diversity and transforming consciousness. The city, designed by Roger Anger a French architect, is organized into four zones (Residential, Cultural, International, and Industrial) with the Matrimandir at the centre. 

During our recent trip to Pondicherry we took a guided tour within the sprawling 4500 acre Auroville. The tour highlighted the diverse aspects, including its residential communities, cultural and educational centers, and industrial units. The township is focused on sustainable practices - having an independent internet station, waste to fertilizer units, solar towers, water tanks using rainwater and borewells, farms, bakery and dairy farm for their daily use and even a brick manufacturing unit used for their constructions.

A residential house 

The Residential Zone is designed for living, rejuvenation, and fostering community life. It features various residential communities with apartments and individual houses. This zone is home to around 4,000 permanent residents from 59 countries as of today. The interesting fact is there's no cash transaction within and each resident is given an aura card loaded with an equal amount to be spent monthly. The buildings utilize locally made bricks and have incorporated solar panels.

Solar kitchen 

Essential services like the Solar Kitchen- a community kitchen which serves lunch, Pour Tous Distribution - a distribution unit which supplies food products and ready to eat meals on pay what you can basis, the Santé Institute - a healthcare center, Mahalakshmi Senior's Home, and the main library are located here for the benifit of the residents.

Healthcare center 

Cultural Zone: includes educational institutions like Future School- high school with IB curriculum, Transition School - primary & middle school, the Youth Center and Sports grounds. This zone also features the well known Kalabhumi music studio which is a music rehearsal space with amphitheatre and has an array of instruments where Aurovillians practice, teach and collaborate.

Products of Auroville

The key buildings in Auroville's International Zone are Bharat Nivas, Savitri Bhavan, and the Unity Pavilion, which are all important centers for cultural exchange, education, and events.  Bharat Nivas houses the Kalakendra Art Exhibition Hall and Sri Aurobindo Auditorium, while Savitri Bhavan - serves as a hub for studying Sri Aurobindo's teachings. The Unity Pavilion is notable for its Peace tables where meditation to inculcate the  importance of peace is conducted around this table on a weekly basis.

The Industrial Zone includes the Auroville Earth Institute - an organisation promoting earth technology for low cost, low energy buildings. The Center for Scientific Research (CSR)- an international voluntary organisation working towards renewable energy and a number of small-scale manufacturing units such as Shraddhanjali, which manufactures artistic utility items, and Colours of Nature – a natural fabric dyeing unit. 

Spirulina production unit

Our tour guide halted at the spirulina production unit where the volunteers served a refreshing drink of its paste and highlighted the importance of this superfood. 

The drink served 

The one-hour tour in the minivan was brief to absorb the expanse of this self sustaining land but the insight into Mother's futuristic vision left us awe-inspiring.

Senior's home

Distribution unit

Note - Auroville township has received endorsements from UNESCO through resolutions passed in 1966, 1968, 1970, and 1983. Since 1980, the Ministry of Education oversees the township, which is governed by the Auroville Foundation Act of 1988 passed by the Indian Parliament. This act formalized the foundation's structure and aims to facilitate Auroville's development in accordance with its founding charter.