Heaven on Earth

There has always been that one special place which sticks in your memory,could be the sands of Goa or the foot hill of Himalayas, Green Kerala or Cosmopolitan Bangalore. It could be because of the fun that we had or the people whom we were with or could be that we just were so stressed out that the place gave us the perfect setting for just letting our hair down and relax and rejuvenate.

I have had my share of places that i have visited with friends,families and even strangers. I just thought of listing down the places that i enjoyed the most and reliving those memorable moments!

Series 1:


SHORE TEMPLE AT MAHABALIPURAM (Chennai)

The Drive to this place is one of my most cherished route ever. The 'ECR' is one of the best roads in Chennai- wide Roads, Cars whizzing through left and right, Toll gates, a picture which i see here in the U.S.

It is believed that there were seven magnificent temples what are known as the seven pagodas, built near the sea shore. But today the shore temple is the lone survivor. Built during the 7th century and later completed by Narasimha Varman II, (Rajasimha) the temple is a real work of art. One of the oldest of the south Indian Temples constructed in the nature Dravidian style these stand proof for the importance that was placed on establishing that particular style of architecture. The shore temple in particular has gained popularity and tourists flock here by the thousands every day. UNESCO has listed this among its list of world heritage sites.

There are three temples, Two Shiva Temples which face east and west respectively and one Vishnu Temple. The Vishnu temple was built by Narasimha Varman I and the other two were built by Narasimha Varman II. One can find the beautifully carved twin Dwarka Palaks (gate keepers) at the entrance of the east facing Shiva Temple. There are sculptures of Somaskanda - lord Shiva with his better half, Parvati, and his sons, Skanda and Ganesha. Apart from Lord Shiva’s sculpture, one can find the sculptures of Narasimha and Goddess Durgha also.

The central shrine is in the form of a rectangle. It has a statue of lord Vishnu which is known as Sthala Shayana Perumal or Ananthasayana which means sleeping Vishnu. The peculiarity about this particular temple is the lord reclines on the floor listening silently the sounds of names. Another speciality of the temple is that the figure of Vishnu is found in segments which are to be looked through various doors.

Coming Soon...The "Windy City"