hey all, happy pongal, sakranthi or whatever it is that is relevant to you that marks the start of spring.
I went on a mahabalipuram drive with my family on saturday that got extended into a pilgrimage when we landed at a place 18km from the resort beach front called "Thirukazukundram" loosely translated as " the blessed place of the eagles".
It was bad enough that my uncle forced us into visiting the croc bank on the way to Mahabs (where I had lost the massive appetite I am famous for) and that 5 super-sized adult homo sapiens sapiens were packed into one wagon-r along with a growing child of 9; but the cream was that this temple was on top of a hill, entirely to be covered on foot... needless to say, no one was prepared for it.
My uncle goaded the younger lot, that is , me (yaay , I am still young and restless)
my sister and my cousin (the 9 yr old aishwarya ) by telling us about the pair of jumbo sized golden eagles that would make a trip all the way from Kasi to come here by noon exactly every day and partake the offerings left for them in cups at a certain side in the hill. They were supposed to be Siva and Parvati themselves making an appearance for the benefit of the devotees. Eagles are a symbol of this divine strength, Romans, Americans, Sumerians, you name any country or civilization that was ruling the roost in their day and you’ll find eagle symbology in them. I am totally in love with the eagles for their beauty and their embodying all that is good and great. So I was desparate to catch sight of these show-stoppers.
My aunt, who everyone says I will look like when I reach her age, bravely managed to puff her way up even if it did take her a full 30 minutes more than it took the men (uncle and dad) and the young.
It was nearly sun-down when we reached the top and went in to pray to the mula moorthi (main deity). There the pujari (who spoke 3 languages) assured us that the eagles that had been coming for centuaries or to be exact, as long as anyone can remember, had stopped their appearances 5-6 years ago, but that very day we had come, they too had come and hovered around the temple in circles, but not landed to take the offerings.
He was not sure if the birds that had come that day were the very same representatives of the godly couple that had made this temple famous, for there were some speculations that the visits ad stopped because the eagles could've died and that the returners were new-comers.
I was certainly disappointed to have missed the old birds of the legends as well as the new comers (who we missed by some 4 hours)but the hike up and down the picturesque hill and the sunset view from the top more than made up for all of it.
Mahabalipuram is more somber than I remember it to have been, maybe because, of the near destruction it faced a month back. Also East Coast Road is dotted with the temporary relief tents and stranded people of the each front. So there is nothing much to say about it.
I spent some 200 bucks more on books (2 new-are you afraid of the dark, Prodigal daughter, 2 very very old- Jaws and 13 ghost stories). had Pizza over the weekend and almost bought new sport shoes. Is this mindless-money spender the new me?
I believe in Evolution,
Rain
PS: until I am settled, the posts will be sporadic. plz adjust.
