Of People and Places

At the temple of the tooth relic, Kandy, Sri Lanka  A sketch of one of the beautiful ladies outside the Sri Dalida Maligawa (The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic)  in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Dressed all in white, many of these women bought flowers from the vendors outside. The Buddhists in Sri Lanka wear white to holy sites and the whole complex looks beautiful as families dressed in white visit to pay their respects and pray.  Expecting women and women with babies throng inside, apart from regular visitors -  I read somewhere that it could be the baby's first visit to the temple, and part of a Buddhist initiation ceremony.  The women catch the eye in their white clothes - some of them have elegant flounces and frills. It's a lovely temple, definitely worth the visit.  All my Sri Lanka posts -  Kandyan Dance in Kandy, Sri Lanka In Beruwala, Sri Lanka  The Tunnel of Trees on Madu river, Sri Lanka  Galle Clock Tower in Sri Lanka  Madu River, Sr...

  A doodle - Pink rain lily in Nandi hills Six years ago, when we went to Nandi Hills in May, we were charmed by the wild pink rain lilies that had sprung up in great patches across boulders, small rocks, in between trees and any patch of grass they could find.  They are called rain lilies because they often bloom after a thunderstorm. It's truly delightful when you chance on them unexpectedly. ( My personal favourite is the white one! Which one do you like?)

 My aunt in Illinois showed me her lovely backyard on a video call. It was a sunny morning with her neighborhood gearing up for Halloween with all sorts of curious  (and frightening) knickknacks, A yard full of skeletons, dead bodies, inflatable creatures from the dark, axes and spiderwebs hanging like festoons on the porches and windows. To defy this macabre world, nature has donned a beautiful mantle - the ground is colored bright orange, red and yellow from the carpet of leaves that the trees are shedding. It is autumn, or fall as they call it - and my aunt's morning walk crosses all kinds of beautiful trees-Maple trees, Oak trees, Cherry trees, A beautiful bright red bush called the 'Burning Bush'. It was such a delight to see different shades of green, yellows and reds that I couldn't resist taking out my watercolors. Thank you pachchi (aunt in Konkani) for sharing your beautiful world with me. ( I am sending you moral support for the tiring clean up in your yard a...

Gray Langur sketch, Mandu We saw this scruffy fellow near the railing overlooking the Kakra Khoh Valley, where we had stopped on our way to Mandu. Gray Langurs' resemblance to humans is remarkable. They often keep their body upright and their hands are very close to human hands. I find them quite beautiful and more dignified than the Rhesus Macaque, the usual monkeys who are noisy and troublesome, sniffing out mischief in every way possible! The Gray Langur is also called the Hanuman Langur - I remember seeing large groups of them at Hampi on the Anjaneya Hill ( One of the many places that claim to be the birthplace of Hanuman ). They are considered sacred and I think, enjoy a better status :-)  Their tails are very interesting - much longer than the body, often held looping in a curve over the body as they run, walk and amble. I wonder why they evolved such long tails... Do you have any answers?  All my Madhya Pradesh Posts -  Hindola Mahal in Mandu  Impression of M...

  Sunrise at Kaliyasot Dam, Bhopal. I tried to capture what it looked like from the top. A stream ran down a little to the right - with hazy houses in the distance. The sun was dipping into the small stream escaping from the dam, hidden among the trees. There is a loooong stairwell that leads to the top and if you step away far enough - there is this illusion that the stairs are continuing on the other side of the road, whereas in fact, that is the stream with the sun shining down it. I want to try out that visual too -  But that's reserved for another blogpost :)  What made going to Kaliyasot so much more enjoyable was catching up with friends in Bhopal after a long time! So nice to have a soul tribe, isn't it?