Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The fort of the 'Pepper Queen'


A fort at Mirjan, hidden from the view of sandy-eyed tourists heading towards Goa.
This beautiful fort is located just 1km off the NH 17 (a left turn by the side of the fish market) at Mirjan, which is located 8 kms away from Kumta enroute Goa. The drawback? Lack of information at the site, though it is now being renovated by the ASI.
So, here goes-
"The Fort at Mirjan was constructed during A.D 1608-1640. Excavation conducted at the site during the field season 2000-01 has unearthed a number of laterite structures of medieval period . The structural remains include a U shaped structure with a cloister all around. Towards the west of the U shaped structures, a circular soakage pit constructed of dressed laterite stones and water tank connected with water carrier were exposed. Among the antiquities mention may be made of a unique gold coin issued in A.D. 1652 by the Portuguese Viceroy Conde De Sarzedas during the rule of JOAO IV. The other antiquities include canon balls, Chinese Porcelain, clay tablets with Islamic inscriptions."
Intrigued by the 'Pepper Queen'?!... Read on @ http://southcanara.blogspot.com/2009/06/mirjan-fort-tribute-to-pepper-queen.html

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Names can be deceptive!


A deviation on NH-5 before Khurda, Orissa takes you to Puri. The road is named "Jagannath New Sadak". Anything 'New' about this road ends just as you start on the same. A nightmare and more if you are traveling by this route after cyclonic showers. Added to this misery, we were here at night. Armed with an atlas, we braved a stretch of what will probably be the worst-road-traveled in all our trips. We bumped on never ending potholes...ahem- I'd say potpools which could pass as arenas for mud wrestling. Came across a couple of people walking along the route, their backs slathered with mud. If mud packs are to be believed, their butts must have had a great time! A tired & distraught Tims, worrying that Eva might end up with multiple punctures and me, a saucer-eyed navigator, vowed never to fall for fancy names ever again!
Note: the decision to take this road was not just that of the navigator. The driver enthused about it too! ;)

The minar story...


Ever wondered why the Charminar has four minars? Legend says there was an attack of plague in the city. The king raised both his hands towards the skies in prayer, asking the Almighty to save his people. Once the epidemic weaned off, the king built the 'Char'minar with gratitude for favors received. Apparently, the king believed in returning what he received in two-fold (four minars for blessings asked with two raised hands).
If you look closely, you can see the face of a cat(signifying the demise of rats/plague) engraved in the midst of the beautiful interiors of the Charminar.
Source: a security personnel at the site. :)

Friday, October 8, 2010

Who says imitations are passé?


The Eiffel tower mimicked on the Vegas strip...

Thursday, October 7, 2010

4340...


Clicked from my bedroom window on a wintry morn. Bennington Pond, Groveport.

Bliss!!


One of the best things about the Kalahari water park at Sandusky,OH. LUVd it!!! Soaking in a heated pool with a swim-up bar in the end-of-winter chilly weather...with great friends around. A word danced across my mind - BLISS!!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

En route Enlightenments!!


When counting sheep doesn’t seem to help and I end up staying awake throughout my 80km journey to work, here is a peek into the stuff I get to see…
- A dog pees like a man…standing on hind legs!
- A woman in a half sari does that too… balancing a basket on her head. Wonder how though!!
- I see little chicks that grow up into well fed hens and disappear one fine day, only to be replaced by little chicks again in the coop.
- Fully blown pictures of young gals dressed in all finery put up in villages to celebrate their first period! A feast follows and the picture is left to the mercy of the winds – probably till the fact that the little girl has ‘come of age’ is etched in every villager’s memory.
- Irrespective of the number of people boarding the college bus, there is not one person standing when the bus is on the move. Thanks to flexible bases and accommodating laps.
- Seats that I choose or begin to think are comfy get occupied when I just start thinking of the seat as ‘mine’!
- Saw some people bidding goodbyes to their dead, sitting by the road(!) and performing the last rites.
- Veggies being transported – some fall almost into the gutter but as long as they are retrievable, they are hauled back into the cart! Makes me wash veggies n times more!!! Ugh!!
- Stuff that blocks the gutter – plastic and the like is fished out and deposited by the side of the pavement in a heap. Only to be spread out on the road by scurrying feet/ the ever flowing vehicles. Heavy rains and they all go back into the gutter and the cycle continues. Ahem – atleast somebody has a job. So what if it is redundant? Huh!
- People spit out/blow their noses (double yuck!!!) out of windows, oblivious to others in the bus.
- This year, I knew the birthdays of high rung Telgu actors. Thanks to the innumerous wishes flashed in almost every village! Those guys must be shivering with so many ‘fans’ following. ;)
- Ice blocks are put in sacks and beaten up to be broken to be used in ‘on-the-move’ foodie carts. I sit back and hope with fervor that this is not followed elsewhere!
- All the weird little boards that are spelt wrong! Makes me want to go on a correcting spree with a bucket of paint & brush in hand! But on second thoughts, the struggle to decipher what it means and the smile that breaks out once you have it figured out … well, I guess it is worth the mistake!
- Love the green..Green and GREEN – the route that our bus takes!! But fellow travelers think that the city route is better since you get to check out lots of babes.. guess I’m growing old!!! – not that I’d prefer checking out babes anyways! ;)
- And yeah! It is beyond my comprehension as to how a village nested in the folds of the Simhachalam hill range can be HOT!!!
- Potters at their wheel – an everyday reminder that this is something I have to learn. Hmmnn.. got to learn enough Telgu to ask them to let me try my hand at it.
- Dads/friends/husbands/kids who come to drop off their dear ones… Kids waving byes to their mommies even after the bus moves on… awwww!! Makes me miss home!!
- Old beady eyed women dragging on their ‘sutta’ – an epitome of bliss!
- The never ending rows of lorries waiting for ore – the drivers caked in dust and soot, snoring under the shade of their vehicles, waiting for their turn.
- The whiff of freshly roasted cashews… makes me forgive and forget the dung and hen coop stenches that we just passed by.
...Counting on more sleepless rides!! :)