Rath Yatras are a very common sight in several Indian Hindu pilgrim spots. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found a set up similar in Sri Lanka. Just before our visit, the locals told us that we missed the local deity’s annual ride around the city. These ornately decked up vehicles, or rathas are…
Tag: Sri Lanka
Jello-ed Life
Jellyfish have no brain, heart, bones or eyes. They have a smooth, bag-like body and tentacles stinging cells. They use their stinging tentacles to stun or paralyze prey before eating and quickly digesting their food. The jellyfish’s mouth is found in the center of its body. They can be bio-luminescent, and not all species sting…
The Price of Freedom
Freedom. What a beautiful word! Immunity from duties or obligations. But that’s far away from reality. Without obligations or limitations, unbridled freedom can cause rampage. In this sense, boundaries are needed. Boundaries also help one understand and appreciate the level of control they enjoy on the life they lead. Freedom is never free in the…
Tooth Relic Temple
The Sacred Tooth Relic temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka is said to house a tooth of the Buddha. During puja, the heavily guarded sanatorium holding the stupa containing the tooth is open to devotees and tourists. The tooth is held inside a gold casket shaped stupa, which is, in turn, nested inside a set of…
The Roar of Silence
Like I’ve mentioned before, the trip to Sri Lanka was one filled with cross-cultural learning for me. Although the entire Golden Caves are depicting the Naga Clan, from which Prince Siddhartha belonged, the smaller temples at the foothills though have an abundance of lion symbolism. The lions are representative of the royalty, as Buddhist was…
The Golden Cave
The Golden Cave Temple in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, dates back to 1st Century BC. Spread across five caves, the caves detail the life of Prince Siddhartha after he became Buddha, the enlightened one. These cave are also said to be home to Buddhist monks before Sri Lanka embraced the religion at the scale it is…
Doctor Fishes
When you take a ride around the Madu river in Sri Lanka, there is a pit-stop at the cinnamon farm and a pedicure treatment with the Red Garra Rufa nibbling the dead skin from your feet. These fishes, as I have learnt, are native to Turkey, and the spa is banned in several US states…
Stuff of Dreams
I am a thorough water baby, and I miss the ocean so terribly. I would spend all my idle time near the sea. The back waters in Mumbai has been witness to all my sadness, sorrows, disappointments, anger and happiness. For the past five years, the places I called home kept me away from water…
In Peace
I have beautiful memories of my time in Sri Lanka. I fell in love with the diversity of the people and place there. It was absolutely impossible to find any signs of the two-and-a-half decade long of civil unrest. We happily strolled in and out of Buddhist Viharas and Hindu Temples, with full honor of…
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
I’m not a trekker, not even close to one. I have a morbid fear of descents (that I spoke about), and I am not in the best shape physically either. I am not a slow trekker, but I am a reluctant one at best. I don’t enjoy climbs very much, but I am a sucker…
Snapshots of my World 