Benaras... Once more

Ramnagar Fort

After my first visit to Benaras way back in 2013, I wanted to go back at least once to the magical land. Benaras or Varanasi is much bigger than any one person can see or understand. My intention was to see a little more. So, I made a plan for 3 days, a family cum photo tour. 

Lazy afternoon in the ghats

It was Durga Puja time in October'2018. Me and my wife started off for a short trip to Benaras. Our flight landed on a bright sunny day, late morning. A 45 minutes ride later we reached Godhulia mor, the prominent crossroad in Benaras. It was the last but one day of Durga puja and hence lot of restrictions in the traffic. After the taxi ride, we had a 7minutes walk with the hotel porter to reach our hotel. This is a very common practice in Benaras to reach houses in thickly populated area through the narrow lanes, welcome to the land of labyrinthine lanes. Both of us liked our room overlooking the Ganges over the Ghats, as soon we walked in our room. The hotel was an old property converted to hotel and retained many areas in same old fashion.

Sun rising on river Ganga

After a quick lunch, we started off for a darshan of Kasi Viswanath. This time again, I waited out as the authority doesn't allow any bag to get inside and I couldn't leave my cameras in a shop. However, on the third day I had the darshan when I left my cameras in the hotel.

Morning lights

There was quite a few community Durga puja nearby and the crowd started to build up in the evening. On the first day itself, we also saw the Ganga arati in the evening. This was followed by visiting one of the famous chats (local fast food) outlets and had chat to our hearts' content.

Fast food stall

In the early evening on that day, I had spent some time in Manikarnika ghat, famous for burning dead bodies. Hindus believe that the soul gets liberated if a person's body is burnt here, after death. At any time, there will be several pyres burning; truly said that fire never rests in Manikarnika ghat. It was an eerie feeling for me. In my first visit in year 2013, I could not overcome this overwhelming feeling. But this time, with company I tried hard and stayed there for some time and also captured some pictures from the boat carrying firewood to the ghat. It was a different kind of feeling which is impossible to express in words; that night I went to bed with some kind of uneasiness.

Burning pyres in Manikarnika ghat

I spent next two days in the ghats & lanes of Benaras plus a quick day's trip to Chunar fort and Ramnagar fort.

Roadside fast food

Chunar fort is located on a rock of a detached part of the Vindhya range at a height of 280ft above mean sea level. It was built in a commanding position, high above a meander in Ganga river. The approach to Chunar Hill is marked by a chain of low hills, running parallel to the river on its right bank. Chunar's earliest recorded history is from the sixteenth century, traced to a garrison of Babar, when in 1529, many of his soldiers were killed. There is also a paranormal history connected with Chunar fort about the King of Chunar who buried his rich treasure because he knew that the British people would take it from him.

Benarasi Paanwala (Betel leaf seller)

The Ramnagar fort is located on the eastern bank of Ganga river. The sandstone structure was built in the Mughal style in 1750 by Kashi Naresh Raja Balwant Singh  At present, the fort is not in a good shape. The current king is the descendent of Kashi Naresh who is also known as the Maharaja of Varanasi even though this royal title has been abolished since 1971.

View from boat

 I had seen many pictures of this fort, shot from Ganges. This time I tried; a hand held panorama standing in a country boat. It was difficult, but possible. Thanks to my friends of PSM (Photographic Society of Madras) who told me long back to leave smoking to reduce shaking of hands. 

Ramnagar fort

I liked two panorama images and both of them are here. On the way back from the boat ride, I came to know that my wife had become seriously ill during the day but kept it within herself so that my photography is not interrupted; the entire next day she was bedridden.

Morning light & a Godman

During these three days, I spent some time on boat during late morning. What I saw from boat was different from what I had seen from the ghats. It is an eternal truth; meaning of things changes when POV (Point of View) changes.

Roller skaters of Benaras

Lockdown blues

Like everyone else in this planet, I am really getting impatient and restless; I am getting depressed for not being able to go out on the streets whenever and wherever I wish. One side of the brain is telling to be patient and hold while the other side is pushing from within. Of course, now we are going to work following the lockdown norms and going to market once in a week for collecting eatables but no one can survive by only working and eating.

You need to keep yourself happy. Your brain should be able to rest by doing what it likes. Your soul should not be kept unfed for long. I found a small way of getting the relief by doing what I like the most… Photography. Again, my mobile phone came very handy.

Afternoon Colours

I started to capture the cloudscapes. The monsoon is just awesome and gives opportunities to capture various arrangements and colours of clouds. This is also the season I like the best; winter comes next.  My mood swings with the rain. The sound of rain fall, the smell of earth during the first rain and everything else about is mesmerising. I cannot sit indoor. Rain pulls me out to my balcony.

A Bright Sunny Day

During earlier days in Kolkata when my daughter was a little kid, I used to take her to the terrace along with me to get drenched. During monsoon, I never used to carry an umbrella and never used to wait under shelter, during rain.  I always enjoyed walking in the rain. Many times, I reached office, fully drenched.

The last time I got drenched to my heart’s content was way back in 2013 when I was forced to walk down around 1Km in torrential rain to catch a train; I was carrying my luggage and the cameras in my backpack. The back pack was professional quality and had a nice raincoat; so, no worry. My suitcase stood its ground and didn’t let even a drop go inside.  But I was so wet that after an overnight journey, I woke up in a wet pair of jeans on next morning.

Rain Clouds

 I love every aspect related to rain. I like the wet and muddy street, there can’t be anything better than walking on the wet road in a pair of sleepers and splashing water all the way. I like walking in a water logged street, I like to sip hot tea in road side shack under rain. During my Engineering college days, I leant swimming in rain water accumulated in an excavated land. 

Just Before the Rain

Few years back I had experienced rain in a different avatar. It was Agumbe Rain Forest Research station, one of the highest rain fall location. We (me along with few close friends of Photographic Society of Madras) went in October just after Dussehra. It was non-stop rain all through the 2 days; sometimes torrential and sometimes just pitter patter. We did some photography with water dripping from our camera and hiked through the forest infested with leeches to have a glimpse of the illusive King Cobra. I fed around 200 leeches in those few days. We could not get a sight of the King Cobra as his position was detected inside a dense and unapproachable area. Every evening the cameras, lenses used to be laid near the wood fire in the dormitory for drying up. It was a different kind of experience and I loved it.

Dangerously Beautiful Cloud Formation

The best part of the Rain for me is the time when the cloud formation is almost complete, the temperature has dropped and you can almost smell the earth. It is like an expectant mother waiting for the child birth at any moment. Imagine you are driving to a rain cloud formation with glassed rolled down. I had this opportunity a few times and every time I relished.

After the Rain

Coming back to the present; the current lock down has definitely locked me in my house but the rain is still touching my heart with its magic wand from time to time. I am trying to make the best out of such opportunities by capturing the mood of monsoon, from my balcony. The super wide lens of mobile phone comes very useful in such compositions.

While I am waiting for those days when I will be able to go out with my cameras, I am trying my hand on mobile phone photography and making my heart a little happier and lighter. Let us take the lesson of slowing down positively; let us learn to hibernate and rise when things become brighter.

Life in streets

Giant wheels in Dussehra fair

After shifting to Delhi, I had lot of time to myself when there would be no friends to drop in, no social calls to respond; no obligation on this front. I could plan all by myself, for me and in total liberty to cancel them at any time for some reason or just like that. There were friends but all at a distance and used to exist over phone only.

I started falling for a different genre of photography which was not exactly my forte. Earlier I tried this genre only with my friends of PSM (Photographic Society of Madras). But now having limited options otherwise, I embraced Street Photography. It was fun because I could do something which I love the most in the days of solitary confinement (of soul).

DLF Cybercity, Gurgaon

Street photography is a genre where it is all about composition. You have to make it meaningful in that one frame. While this is a challenge, it offers opportunity to express creativity and make something interesting from mundane day to day street life. There are many maestros of this genre whose work has become immortal just because of their artistry.

The oldest spice market of Asia: Khari Baoli, old Delhi

I can visualise many images of Henry Cartier Bresson, Steve McCurry, Raghu Rai whenever I think of good photo; but when it comes to capturing something on my own out of the street scenes I get confused and my knees become weak.

In my early days in Delhi, I used to be apprehensive to take out my camera in a crowded place as I had heard (like most of us) enough about the paranoia of security and temperamental attitude of people. But slowly I discovered that people behave mostly in the same way all across the country, be it Kolkata, Chennai or Delhi. You have to be patient, non-intrusive and wear a friendly look; above all a street photographer should respect other’s privacy and mood.

Colours of Diwali

After sometime when I started trying my hands in street, in many occasions bunch of kids gathered around and asked me to take their photo, just for fun. Few others wanted me to take photos in their work and send them. In all such cases, I used to feel very happy. I have observed that once you get connected to the people, they become friendly and accept you; as a result, you can get many photographic opportunities.

The Rangoli colour boy

Even after acquiring all this knowledge, my skill sets failed to get any presentable street photo for quiet sometime. After several trial and errors, I started getting few “Ok” images.

In the second year of my stay I discovered that a Diwali market sets in, near to my house in Dwarka, Delhi. It used to be a yearly affair, on the day of Diwali. There would be many vendors selling their produce (for Puja, Home decoration, artefacts, sweets etc.) on that day.

Diwali Market

Next year, I spent a couple of hours in the Diwali market and got a few images. Next year I went again and got couple of more images. Same place, same pattern, same kind of people selling same stuff but still I found some new frames. And that is the beauty of any kind of creativity.

I think frame is the most important concept. Our early ancestors, used to draw images across walls in their dwellings where there would be no limit of space set by any frame. One could use any amount of space, he needed to complete his story.

An afternoon in Connaught place

But a frame limits the space and you have to tell your story within this. It’s challenging. One can see things from one’s perspective but viewers may not have the same perspective. So, a same picture may mean differently to different viewer.

Actually, all these are quite complex. Psychology also has contribution in this aspect. The net result, I keep my photography to myself and be happy to love it.  

Handicrafts stall in Dilli Hat

Dili Hat (market place) was one of my favourite places where we used to go during winter days. I found more than one Dilli Hat, but the best of them all is the one opposite to INA market. Delhi Tourism takes good care of this place. This is a paradise for handicrafts. I loved to go there mainly for getting some pictures but I also liked to see those artefacts. While my wife would be shopping, I would keep on trying to take some pictures. In one such visits, I tasted Kashmiri Kahwa for the first time in my life; the taste of the concoction was heavenly and was very different from the taste of tea which we are generally accustomed with.

Diwali market

 I found Connaught place to have a vibrant street life. The streets and lanes are full of life and contrasts; in winter months they also wear great colours. I like architecture and hence those pillared walkways had special attraction for me. It was one of the places where I discovered the urban street life at its best. There are quite a number of good food joints; we had tried a few when my daughter used to stay with us. But after that, it was mainly photography and window shopping.

Pillared walkway in Connaught place

After getting a few good pictures, I started taking my camera out for street photography. Delhi has un countable places where one can shoot. But with limited time and limited enthusiasm, I had gone only to a few of them. It was just to keep my heart beating and keep my inner self happy.

& flows the life

After a long 5years of silence, I thought of coming back to this space once again. There had been a lot of events during this period. The most important of them all was my shift to Delhi from Chennai, a city very close to my heart.

I shifted to Delhi in mid 2015. It is a common phrase that Delhi dilwalo ka shahar hain (Delhi is the city of big hearted people). More than the big hearts which struck me immediately on shifting was the scale of things. Talk of any thing in Delhi, it would be 3-4 times bigger than that in Chennai or Kolkata. It took me sometime to get habituated to the scale.

Colours of the evening sky

But for me, from the very beginning it was quite monotonous. Home to Office and office to home quickly became a boring routine. One of the major reasons of such monotony is the present curve of my life. In this curve my child is away, first for higher study and then for work. It is me, my wife and our fights.

New Delhi Railway station

During this period my photography took the last bench. My job demanded a lot of time and energy; week ends were the only time for rest. At times, I could clearly hear the cursing of my cameras.

Cafe Bae, Jaipur, Rajasthan

The only respite from the boredom used to be our short trips to nearby places. I love mountains and  always had 2/3 trips to Himachal Pradesh and one or two to Rajasthan planned for any opportunity to come. I undertook a few family trips even without prior hotel booking, which was a strict NO in my dictionary. Only during such trips I used to do some photography, thanks to my wife who always support my hobby. At times, I used to tell her to wait or be on her own when I would try many angles; she had never complained in any such occasions.

Varanasi 

In Delhi, almost on daily basis I used to miss my Chennai days when I used to go to photography tours along with my friends on regular intervals. During those days in Delhi, I started to use my mobile phone. To my surprise the result started coming quite good although I always had mediocre smart phones, not the high ended ones with multiple lenses, low light capabilities and all those.

A community Durga puja in Delhi

It was quite simple; take photos, process in phone app and it’s ready to view..

In one hand it was simple because I can take photos drawing least of attention but on the other hand it took me sometime & a number of failed attempts to assess the capability of the phone camera and start getting presentable images.

Delhi metro station

This new mode of photography offered me unlimited opportunities to take photos. The mobile phone lenses are super wide and hence they are great for travel and street photography. I started off with full vigour. Initially I started experimenting on whatever and whenever basis. At times I even had stopped on my way back from office to capture evening skies. After lots of trials, the photos became somewhat presentable.

A hotel in Tirupati

Afterwards, in many occasions I used mobile phone even when I was carrying my two cameras. Through all the ups and downs of life I realised my love. Whether my photos are going to places or not, only thing that matters is photography supplies me the oxygen. Whenever I pick up my camera (or mobile phone) I forget all else. It relieves my stress, my pain, my anxiety and let my heart takes over.

City Centre I, Kolkata

A whole new world opened up. although it was not serious photography, I started to fulfill my craving in any situation and anywhere I could spot a chance. The sense of composition was challenged every time. Sometimes I could make good use of the opportunities and at times I failed miserably. All the photos I have put in this article are taken by mobile phone and they are some of my favourites.

Live the Fantasy

It's after long hibernation...... almost 10 months.

There had been so many things all around; it had been quite a time.

After a long hiatus, I took my family out for a vacation, albeit for three days. The destination was Coorg or Kodagu in Karnataka. This time it was with families of two other friends; so it was more of a fun trip. Three members of younger generation, three wives and we three husbands on tight leashes.

Call of the Nature

At the end of a lot of planning, lots and lots of phone calls and hyperactive conversations our journey started on a Christmas morning or should I say dawn. Everyone of us had different dreams and plans. I know of mine and it was quite something, lot of imaginations about the place.... mysterious dawns engulfed in fog, dimming evening lights on undulated mountains, provocatively dangerous curves around deep gorges etc. etc.

It is rightly said, the spirit of holiday is in the planning... with a little extrapolation... in the dreaming.

Colours of Fantasy

Nestled in the deep greens of Western Ghats, Coorg was nothing less than my dream. The gentle sound of a stream greeted us as soon we checked in. I had fallen for it instantly. The sound was coming from the rear end of our resort and in the pitch dark night it was quite intoxicating to provoke many fantasies. Mystery of a dark night in an unknown place is always like a new bride in veil; enjoy the beauty with the power of imagination and fantasy; don't open the veil and break your dream.

Coorg in dawn

Proving this popular belief wrong, the bride looked quite beautiful and sensual even in the morning lights. Her beauty was so breathtaking in the early morning that I almost leaped out of the window had my friend not pulled me back by my jacket.

The Nilgiris (Blue Mountains)

The stream turned out to be a cute one, bordering our resort from the neighbouring village in foot hills of the mountains. For the city dwellers like us Nature generally comes in limited edition formats, no other choice. I didn't know, this time, my limited edition model was packed with so much of surprises.  It was the colours of Nature that just started to unfold.....

Paddy fields in the golden sunlight

I spent my first few years in a remote village. Although it never had a big impact, at least I know that rice doesn't grow in a big tree. What is knowledge if not shared, such was my belief. But a trial proved quite challenging; even after lot of persuasion two members of our next generation denied to sacrifice their morning sleep for Nature. However, my daughter came with us for her first ever stroll in a paddy field. I am sure, she did enjoy the experience.

Moods of early morning

In a family holiday, you are supposed to be with family and not with Nature only. Following this wise advice I redirected myself to more meaningful sites. But while in Coorg you can never be away from Nature. Even the young ones finally slipped into the groove. It was nice to hear their voices across the calmness, sometimes in soft hisses and sometimes in louder pitches.

Enjoy the Nature

At different points of time all of us become Philosopher. Mostly we remember the days we left behind.. the days of happiness, the days of romantic hallucinations; how the bubble bursted and came out the rude life, so inconvenient and painful. If only we could access a time machine. But it is a rare sight to see the kids in similar mood. May be they think of the future, a bright and more colourful one.

The Philosophers

When everything had just started to become so nice and enjoyable, a small bird came and announced "ONE MORE DAY TO GO"; Everyone jumped out of their dreams. Why the hell the first day had gone so fast? How can we complete the list of seven points? So it was decided that the second day had to be in a fast forward mode.

With the hectic sight seeing trips, we tried to gulp the best of everything, 

in quickest possible time... 

Who knows when we can be back in nature for the next time?

Abbey Falls

But in the process....... 

We missed a beautiful butterfly 

and a colourful bird so shy.

We also forgot to notice the fragrance so rare

which comes only from the wild flowers grow there.

In the lap of Nature

At the end of the fastest day of my life when I tell that two days in Coorg is not sufficient at all, it should be minimum four.. five or more; my Friends don't agree, they laugh. I can't find enough words to explain that the colours can never satisfy a soul if it is not dipped and soaked in those colours upto the saturation.

A painting by the Almighty with colours of Nature

On the third morning also I wake up to the chirping of birds. I come out in the balcony to feel the cold air of Coorg for the last time. A couple of birds suddenly come too close, may be to bid goodbye in their own way. It was time I had to draw an end to the dream I painted over two months but could live only for two days. A gross injustice by all means. 

Why we are not allowed to do what we love to? why we have to carry on this tasteless life doing the mundane tasks, day in & day out? Nice questions.. more rightly, nice philosophical questions..... may be I can find the answers in my next trip.

The Chariot of Sun God - Konark Sun Temple

The gorgeous Sun Temple of Konark

Orissa has a special place in my life. I have spent the best part of my life in Bhubaneswar. Those were the initial years of my married life. I stayed there for almost six years. I have seen Orissa in length and breadth. I have made many friends, felt warmth of Oriya people and enjoyed the life to its fullest extent.

Those were the days when life was simple and without any complication. Smaller things used to give happiness so easily. May be demands on life are less in those initial years. My life used to revolve around my tiny one, my only daughter.

After a long gap, recently when I had an opportunity to visit Bhubaneswar, it was like a chance to live the nostalgia. A lazy stroll around the city was the first thing on my agenda. I was surprised to see the changes all around. The broad roads, fly overs, new buildings all put together the city have changed a lot. The first time I got similar surprise on the morning after that Super cyclone in 1999 when all those beautiful trees were uprooted and shaved the city of its green blanket.

The first day evening, I contacted my old friends and planned a late night drive around the city when the crowd would be lesser. I went to the house where I spent those magical six years, to the fish market which was my favourite hunt on every Sunday. I made rounds through all those places where I used to spend times with my family and friends.

Next day I planned a trip to Konark Sun Temple, approximately one and half hour drive from Bhubaneswar. I had gone there many times, but this time I had plans to capture the ancient temple in my lens.

The morning drive to Konark through the newly laid highway was a beautifully refreshing experience. It was lush green Nature all around in its best. The hanging rain clouds made it more beautiful for me.

The Sun Temple

Every ancient temple or building tells the saga of India’s rich heritage, scientific and architectural marvel and extreme devotion. Konark Sun Temple is an outstanding proof of this. It is a 13th century Sun Temple also known as the Black Pagoda and was supposedly built by king Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around 1250. His reign spanned from 1238 to 1264 CE. It is believed that the temple was a monument to his victory against Tughral Tughan Khan.

The temple was designed in the shape of a colossal chariot with seven horses and twenty four wheels , carrying the sun god, Surya (a popular deity in India since the Vedic period), across the heavens. In ancient times people were accustomed with the worship of two Supreme deities - one was mother Earth as Dharitri Maata and the other was the Sun, the Dharam devata. The temple was granted World Heritage Site status by the UNESCO in 1984.

The Wheels of Time

The main attraction of the temple is its wheels located at the base of the temple. These wheels are not ordinary wheels but tell time as well – the spokes of the wheels create a sundial. One can calculate the precise time of the day by just looking at the shadow cast by these spokes. The wheels are also elegantly adorned.

Another unique feature of this temple is the presence of an iron plate in between every two stones. Massive iron beams have also been used to construct the higher floors of the temple. A 52-ton magnet was used to create the peak of the main temple. It is said that the entire structure has tolerated the harsh conditions especially of the sea because of this magnet.

Visitors in the Temple

The temple was so oriented on the shore that the first rays of the rising sun directly fall on the main entry. These sun rays would cross the Nata Mandir and get reflected from the diamond just at the center of the idol. The diamond was positioned in the middle of this idol in the main sanctum. During the colonial period, these magnets were removed by the Britishers to get the magnetic stone.

The name Konark derives from the combination of the Sanskrit words, Kona (corner) and Arka (sun), in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya. The temple is built from Khondalite rocks. The Temple is covered with sculpture consisting of deities, dancers, scenes of life at court, etc. To separate these figures are the beautiful carvings of birds and animals along with mythological creatures.

I still remember the first time when I came here with my parents during my primary school days. I was mesmerized by the idea of the temple and its architecture. The intricate carvings on the walls and the narration by the local guide put me back some hundreds of years in a child like fantasy.

The temple also presents a way to teach mortality. The Konark Sun temple has two huge lions on either side of the entrance. Each lion is shown crushing an elephant. Beneath each elephant lies the human body. Lion represents pride and elephant represents money. By looking at them it becomes clear that how both these flaws can crush a human being.

The temple was originally built at the mouth of the river Chandrabhaga, but the waterline has receded since then. The temple follows the traditional style of Kalinga architecture. It is carefully oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance. 

Chariot of the Sun God

The original temple had a main sanctum sanctorum (vimana), which was supposedly 229 feet (70 m) tall. But it has fallen off. The audience hall (Jagamohana), which is about 128 feet (30 m) tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins. Among the structures, which still survive are the dance hall (Nata mandira) and dining hall (Bhoga mandapa).

Two smaller ruined temples have been discovered nearby. One of them is Mayadevi Temple located southwest from the entrance of the main temple. It is presumed to have been dedicated to Mayadevi, one of the Sun god's wives. It has been dated to late 11th century, earlier than the main temple. The other one belongs to some unknown Vaishnava deity. Sculptures of Balarama, Varaha and Trivikrama have also been found at the site, indicating it to be a Vaishnavite temple. Both temples have their primary idols missing.

A Structure in front of the Temple

I reached the temple at 7 o’clock in the morning. I stayed there a couple of hours or say, till the Sun God permitted my Photography.

The visitors here are mostly Bengalis who generally prefer to stay in Puri and visit Konark on a day’s trip along with other nearby places.
A major part of the Sun Temple structure is now in ruins. A collection of fallen sculptures can be viewed at the Konark Archaeological Museum which is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. 

There have been several proposed theories for the collapse of the main sanctum although the date of the collapse is also not certain.

The Chayadevi Temple

One of the most popular theory is of lodestone (piece of the mineral magnetite that is naturally magnetized) located at the top of the temple. The lodestone’s placement caused a huge damage to the temple as many vessels passing through the Konark Sea were attracted towards it. Also, this magnet used to disturb the compass of almost all the ships in the sea. So, to remove the cause of the trouble, Portuguese voyagers stole the lodestone. The displacement of the lodestone led to total imbalance and so the Konark temple fell down. But there is no historical record either of this event or presence of such a great lodestone at Konark.

As per another very popular theory, the temple was destroyed by Kalapahad (Kalapahad was the title given to a Muslim governor Sultan Sulaiman Karrani of Bengal) who invaded Orissa in 1508.

In the 16th century Ain-i-Akbari, Abul Fazl also mentions Konark being in a proper state. The account also mentions the cost of construction being 12 years of revenue. 

The Sun Temple, resembles a Black Pagoda

In 1627, the then Raja of Khurda had removed the sun idol from Konark and moved it to the Jagannath temple in Puri.

Asiatic Society of Bengal requested conservation of the temple many times but all went in vain due to different reasons until 1894, when thirteen sculptures were moved to the Indian Museum.

In 1903 when a major excavation was attempted nearby, the then Lieutenant governor of Bengal, J. A. Baurdilon, ordered the temple to be sealed and filled with sand to prevent the collapse of the Jagamohana.

In 1906, casuarina and punnang trees were planted facing the sea to buffer the site against sand-laden winds.

In 1909, the Mayadevi temple was discovered while removing sand and debris. 

Sculpted walls under morning lights

After the temple, I took a detour and returned via Konark beach (regarded as one of the finest beaches in the world), some 2Km from the temple. The same evening, I was to take the train to Kolkata for fulfilling another long cherished dream of photographing Kolkata Durga Puja; but the ticket was still on waiting list.

This trip took me back in time and I had a chance to take a dip in nostalgia albeit a very short one. Matching my nostalgic mood, it started raining from the late afternoon. Thanks to Indian Railways, my ticket to Kolkata finally got confirmed. With a heavy heart, I started my journey to Kolkata under heavy rain and cyclonic weather.