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I had no interest in pre-history, and it is not that I have a great interest in the subject even now. But, over two decades ago I had visited Bhimbetka when I went to Bhopal for a visit to Sanchi, Vidisha and Udaygiri. Bhojpur and Bhimbetka were a possible day trip and I didn’t want to miss it. The rock shelters at Bhimbetka possess incredible rock art, some dated as far back as 40,000 years ago. They were in early 2000s declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dr. V.S.Wakankar whose birth centenary was celebrated in 2019 had discovered the site in 1957. Bhimbetka changed my mind about pre-history and its beauty and what those images represent are fascinating. One can spend a whole day there in those green, cool environs, looking at them without getting bored. However, that interest remained elusive. Two years ago, one heard about the Konkan Petroglyphs, a pre-historic rock art where various animal and human figures have been carved on the rocks across the Ratnagiri an...

Javari Mandir  This is not a detailed or a large post - but a short photo essay on the later temples, and smaller and not much visited temples of Khajuraho. A photograph I saw this morning of Chaturbhuj Vishnu murti haunted me, to think of all those mutilated murtis and broken parts of such beautiful temples. These temples were built much after the grand Lakshmana and the Kandariya Mahadev Temples were built. What stands tall even today as the pinnacles of north Indian style of temples called as Nagara style, based on the shape and styling of the shikaras.  These are photos taken on my phone, and I do not have a good exterior picture of the Duladev Temple. As I said this is a post is about the later temples Vamana, Javari, Chaturbhuj and Duladev. They are beautiful, different and in fact the last one in that long series of frentic temple construction is the only temple that does not have any erotic sculptures and houses a very unique Vishnu Murti in the Garbhagriha. Du...

“Iska bavishya nahin hai” Siddharamappa Malagi said in a way that both us who were struggling to make a conversation in Hindi could understand. He is very clear that with his generation khun weaving tradition in his family would end and a slow end overall to the tradition of weaving a special choli or blouse fabric in Guleddgud, small town in Bagalkot district of Karnataka, 22 km from the famous Chalukyan capital of Badami. Malagi’s less than modest home in one of the bylanes of the village hosts four pit looms, though only one was running during much of weavers’ siesta that afternoon. The threads on the loom were vibrant green, magenta, yellow, bright and shining unlike the dull façade of the village or the drab, ordinary clothes the weavers themselves wore.  But, Malagi proudly talked about the beauty of the fabric he weaves, the purity of its silk and cotton used, and the natural indigo he used for the base blue that runs in the fabric even as other colours bring the...

Sources of Ancient Indian Culture in Kalidasa’s works     “Every work of his is a veritable testament of the best in the genius and culture of ancient India”             ‘ Ancient India – History and Culture’ B.G.Gokhale This is part of a small, juvenile exercise I had done while trying to understand the ancient Indian culture through Kalidasa. Since I can in no way better the two books on the "Idea of India", Bhagwat Saran Upadhyaya's 'India in Kalidasa' and C.Rajendran's 'Narrating the Nation', I will leave you with just an introduction that can serve as an inspiration to read both the books. Both are available online, and provide such fascinating insights into what Kalidasa saw, the idea of Bharata.  This is especially for those who have never formally studied Kalidasa. Scholars kindly excuse. Bharat of Kalidasa “Looking at the chart of India as furnished by Kalidasa, we can see the country divided into three ...

I wrote this in 2008 after a solo trip across Indonesia via Malaysia, and the edited version was published in the Hindustan Times. Never before I had taken leave for so long, and also a trip that extended to nine days. That was triggered by a new boss, and looking back I am thankful to him for being what he was in our first interaction. The trip to Indonesia holds a special place in my travels, the one I started on an impulse, regretting at times the money I was spending and at times feeling guilty about not taking the family along. My friend, Anu was as usual my partner in crime, arranging all that I needed to complete the tour and engaging in long distance conversation from China, when I felt little unsafe at Jogja. I have added a lot more photos here from Prambanan than what I could have in the print article. It was written 12 years ago, didn't want to go back and recreate a new write up today, but though I will just preserve the old one as it hasn't been available on...