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  “It has been designed to allow the first rays of sun to fall on the image of Surya, the Sun god, at the time of the equinoxes. Though partially ruined, the temple retains much of its earlier glory. Standing high on a plinth overlooking a deep tank, the Sun temple displays an amazing profusion of magnificently carved gods and goddesses, flowers and leaves, birds and animals, on both its interior and exterior.” It is a very famous temple. Much photographed, documented and for the students of Hindu temples, archaeology, heritage, Dr. Kirit Mankodi’s work on Modhera is well known. Yet, what was I trying to do, rushing there early morning to get the pictures of the temple in the morning light, when the first rays of sun bathed the temple in the glowing orange light. I am not going to write anything new, nor are my photographs going to be published. Yet for an unskilled amateur the enthusiasm to photograph monuments in the morning light has been an obsession. More so, when it is a sun ...

Vatapatrasayi January 10, 2021 – it is the 26 th day of the Tamil month of Margazhi. For all those who follow Margazhi and Andal’s Thiruppavai, today is the day of the pasuram “Maale Manivanna”. While reciting the pasuram this morning, I realized that there has been a long pending book post from my side. What is in it that, today’s pasuram reminded me of the pending book post. It is how Krishna is addressed in this particular pasuram. Andal throughout the 30-verses addresses Vishnu/Krishna by various names, Narayana, Kanna, Govinda, Thirumal and all … in this verse she begins by calling him Manivanna, gem hued lord, and finally ends with a prayer, asking for a grant from “aalinilayai arulelo”, the one who slept on the banyan leaf. Soon after I opened facebook and I found my friend Meenakshi had drawn a beautiful kolam for today’s pasuram, representing the baby on the banyan leaf, and she had also begun her explanation of the pasuram with Andal asking the one who floats on the banyan l...