Temples around the world

Oh that's an email that has reached me from time to time and everytime I recieve one as a forward from someone, I look at it to see if I can strike off one from my list of to-see temples, the big ones around the world and specifically outside India. So this is one post which I will need to update from time to time and would love doing that, and may be feel proud and blessed.

Apparently most of these temples have been built for Lord Venkateswara and since I go by this email forward, I don't really know about other temples built for other Gods and Goddesses. Well, the other God who leaves his mark around is Swaminarayan. No offence meant, I am just analysing and I might well be wrong!

And many of these temples are in the US and this reminds me of a friend who asked me once  if I knew what USA stands for. According to him, it stands for 'United States of Andhra Pradesh'. Smiles.

I have also been to Sai baba temples but I think the list here precisely talks about the temple architecture, the build and beauty and the two Sai baba temples I have visited outside India have simple structures.

It's actually quite a list:

1. LordVenkateshwara Temple, Birmingham, United Kingdom - No no, not being to Birmingham even once.

2. MalibuHindu Temple, Malibu, California,US - It's just Tampa in US that I have visited and so no for this one as well.

3. Shiva-VishnuTemple, Livermore, California,US - No, no this one yet.

4. LordVishnu Temple, Angkor, Cambodia  - I haven't visited Cambodia either, seems like a lot of places around the world to go and visit and not so much time for the same.

5. Prambanan Shiva Temple, Central Java, Indonesia - Never been there too.

6. SriVenkateswara Swami Temple of Greater Chicago - Aurora, Illinois, United States - A 'No' again...Oh what have I seen. Nothing???

7. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir - Toronto, Canada - Anytime soon, well I am hoping, hoping and hoping.

8. Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Washington DC, United States  - No

9. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London (Neasden Temple) - An 'yes' for this finally and this was my first weekend in London and yes it was after changing stations and a long walk too. And then some traditional Gujarati food followed. And when we were getting back it was so cold that we were almost freezing as we waited in the bus stop. Other than that, everything in London is centrally air-conditioned and it was fun even in Feb/March.

10. SriMurugan Temple “Batu Caves”, Penang, Malaysia - 'No' to this one as well, atleast I have said 'yes' to one place.

11. SriVenkateswara Temple, Bridgewater, NJ, US - No, but will I make it soon?

12. Mother Temple of Besakih, Bali, Indonesia - No

13. MuruganTemple, Sydney, Australia - Yes yes yes, on my first Sydney visit I went there and what a walk that was! So tiring! But getting there was such a great experience and yes beautifully constructed too. Memories!

14. Venkateswara Swami temple, Riverdale near Atlanta, Georgia, US - No

15. SriVenkateswara Swami Temple, Helensburgh, Sydney, Australia - Yes, to this one as well. Loved that day, very special it was.

16. VelmuruganGnana Muneeswarar Temple, Rivervale Crescent Sengkang,Singapore - I would love to visit Singapore someday, only the airport is what I have seen of Singapore.

17. Sri Meenakshi Devasthanam - Pearland, Texas, US - No

18. Ekta Mandir, Irving, Texas, US - No

19. SriVenkateshwara Temple - New Jersey - No

20. SriLakshmi Temple - Ashland, MA, US - No

21. SriVenkateswara Swami Temple, Pittsburgh, US - No

22. ShivaVishnu Temple of South Florida Inc, FL, US - No, but someday I might!

23. Shiva - Vishnu Temple of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia - Yes, with my friend and her husband and again a beautiful place to be at. I cherish my Melbourne visit, my friend and her husband did everything to make me feel happy.

24. SriMurugan Temple, London, UK - Now, how did I miss that? I spent 6 months in London and not been there. It's shame considering how well connected London is and I could have made it there easily.

25. QuadCity Hindu Temple , Rock Island, IL, US - no

26. SriPrasanna Venkateswara Swami Temple, Memphis, Tennessee, US - no, and now I don't mind saying 'No' since I have had a few 'Yes's.

27. Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Singapore - Singapore will happen one day am sure.

And I am going to add some from my list as well if you like:

1. Hindu Temple, Tampa - Just a short visit the other day and though the architecture of the temple much resembled the Venkateswara temples and yes it was a Vishnu temple, but seemed to be run by the Gujarati community.

If you wanted to visit, the address is 5509 Lynn Rd  Tampa, FL 33624. Have  a blessed time there.

Valentine's Park

That was just a little walk from where I lived in London and wasn't it amazing? And why do I write about it now? Well, I have been talking of walks in the recent past and that has dominated my thought process so much that I finally walked the Lettuce Lake park in Tampa. It was amazing for sure and big, but Valentine's park holds a special place in my mind, and oh no, its not because of the name of the park!

Valentine's park is big too, and green! I love the greenary in London, and specially after the rains, it looks all washed and cleaned and shining, shining brught green that is.

And there are so many different varietes of flowers there and whenever we went there we clicked pictures and pictures and pictures. It never seemed enough because every area in the part was worth a capture.
And they do organise shows there from time to time and I know it must be fun just to get there and enjoy a cool evening, just sit on those benches, get lost in some thoughts or read a book. And they have enough place to play, cycle and yes if I remember right, boating facility is also available. 

It has been 3 years now, I was there in 2010 but my visit to the Lettuce Lake park yesterday brought back memories afresh and just not that it was a coincidence that a friend I happened to know while in London called me up the same day and we spoke about our time there, memories created here and there, and still continuing with the journey.

That was just a little walk from where I lived in London and wasn't it amazing? And why do I write about it now? Well, I have been talking of walks in the recent past and that has dominated my thought process so much that I finally walked the Lettuce Lake park in Tampa. It was amazing for sure and big, but Valentine's park holds a special place in my mind, and oh no, its not because of the name of the park!
Valentine's park is big too, and green! I love the greenary in London, and specially after the rains, it looks all washed and cleaned and shining, shining brught green that is.

And there are so many different varietes of flowers there and whenever we went there we clicked pictures and pictures and pictures. It never seemed enough because every area in the part was worth a capture.
And they do organise shows there from time to time and I know it must be fun just to get there and enjoy a cool evening, just sit on those benches, get lost in some thoughts or read a book. And they have enough place to play, cycle and yes if I remember right, boating facility is also available. 

It has been 3 years now, I was there in 2010 but my visit to the Lettuce Lake park yesterday brought back memories afresh and just not that it was a coincidence that a friend I happened to know while in London called me up the same day and we spoke about our time there, memories created here and there, and still continuing with the journey.

The Walk

Only a couple of days back I was complaining that there are no places in Tampa where you could go for a long walk. And then suddenly I remembered why yes, there is the Lettuce Park. And so today, instead of just lazing around, I decided to go. And it was a lovely evening and I walked I could hear the birds chirping and the insects going tittar tatter. I did take my camera long so I could get a few pics to share with all.

It surprises me that the walk did not tire me inspite of my going for a walk after a long time and this pleases me and encourages me to venture out again, may be soon.

One day I would love to capture the sun rise in the Lettuce park, between the trees and the rays falling on the lake waters but I would need to give my lazy bones some real push.

So, if you have some time in the early morning or late evenings, go out there and walk your heart out. You will love it.  You could take your pets for a walk or your grandchildren for a swing ride or simply runa round the playground. Walk or run, you will love it.

We all will leave one day...dedicated to Rituparno Ghosh, may his soul RIP

All these places where our names we engrave
We leave this all and go to places new
Places we know, places we have never been
We leave a bit of ourselves as we go, we carry a bit from people we know,
We carry a bit from the places we know, we leave a bit to these places as we go
Sometimes the imprint is a way too deep, so we know they will talk of us...
Sometimes we never leave a mark, so we know as if we have never been there...
And we speak of things as we take them along,
And they speak of us as we leave them and go,
Parting is all but pain, parting is what life is about
We meet, we depart, we leave a mark
We are spoken of may be till some more time...
And some day someone thinks of us in sweet remembrance
And where we are now, here or there, we will know that for sure,
That will bring a sweet little smile, even if we are here in this world or the next!

I don't like it when I don't have a place to walk

I love walking, I sure do! This is something I have inherited from my birth place, Shillong where we would just walk and walk and knew short-cuts to this place and that. Moreover one of my closest friends would make me walk saying that it is much better than boarding the crowded bus. She may or may not remember that but that has stayed with me like her friendship has!

So, being in Delhi I miss it a lot; there are hardly any places to walk. But I loved it in Sydney, because every day a little bit of walking was involved, from our home to office or from the train station to our homes. It meant much more becuase it would also mean walking across the Pyrmont bridge, get that cold breeze hit you occasionaly or even watch the bridge open and close.

Walking in Sydney would be fun when we visited the ISKCON temple and we did it quite often and I took many people there later. It was quite a walk and getting back to the North Sydney would be a relief if I may say so. Once a friend said he knew an easier way to ISKCON and we followed to find that it was probably longer but I so much loved that walk.

On another occasion, I took a friend along to the Sai baba temple and he literally got tired by the walk to the temple from the train station Strathfield. And he jokingly remarked that he would never go on a walk with me because the walk never seemed to end.

Memories these are and so yesterday when we were returning from some shopping here in Tampa, I noticed the roads with virtually no one walking, I missed Sydney and I wished that I could walk along the Tampa green stretches and walk and walk...

My visits to Clearwater

I loved my first visit to Clearwater, I think simply because I didn't think it would have been possible in that short a span of time but sometimes there are people sent from heaven, there are angels who make it just happen. It was a clear sky and the water and the sky seemed to merge in blue, beautiful, pure beautiful blue.

So, when they now planned for the second trip, I didn't mind and I did love it again. But then there were people who would become friends, now they were already friendly but some of them were too worried about the right clothes they had or they did not have. I didn't mind at all, it was not about myself, it was about getting to know the place, enjoy the white sand under your feet and watch the sun set over the serene and what seemed calm waters. So forget teh turbulence inside just like the rush of water and enjoy the calm on the outside is what I meant to do.

And collecting shells on the shore has always been my favourite time pass and this time I collected it for my friend who asked me last time and this time I remembered to get some for her.

And yes I did capture some pics too, too cool and calm and clear just as the name suggests. A must visit I must say!

Wings of Imagination

Another old one from 21/01/2006

Wings of imagination takes me to distances far,
Oh, but I am still here
Oh, but I want to be there
This place and these talk, something more or something less...
No, there should be some better way...
This scene seems just so fine...
No, it would be good the other way...
Why I came back to the beginning..
Why can't I make it more far?
Because I am here and wings say no more...
Broken wings don't fly, they only try

Sydney Memoirs - Pages from my notebook

Ah this is old, dates back to 2005! Some of it I have already written but I would still write it as how I jotted in my diary back then!!!

23/04/2005:
Working on Dec 25th wasn't something I liked but would have hardly known that four months from then I would be in Sydney.

Yes, life takes unexpected turns and I would be doing myself injustice if I didn't jot down my experiences of Sydney.

Coming to Sydney via Singapore and reaching Goldsbrough apartment happened so soon that there was hardly anytime to think of anything else. Knowing that a team mate would already be there to receive and keep dinner ready was actually a great relief, for someone coming to an unknown place, Dear Lord has been very kind to me to provide two people for my company in journey and another one to receive me.

First impression in the road and on the airport was nothing extraordinary; it felt just like another city and being a sunday, the traffic was less. The cab driver was Chinese, spoke English very well and seemed to be well informed. He spoke about the problems in Australia, he also knew that the North Easterns in India were like the Chinese and so on.

As my colleague took me to the 7th floor, I noticed the building was made of wood, the floors were of wooden plank and my first thought went back to Shillong houses, so much similar. And after dinner, we went to the nearby Darling Harbour. The place made me feel so comfortable that Sydney will always remind me of this. The cool air gave me a soothing feel and reminded me of the walk around KR Puram lake in Bangalore.

The climate too gave me a feeling of Shillong; you never know when it starts raining! People always carry their umbrellas along as we did in Shillong.

Walking past the Darling Harbor is an everyday experience. We also went to Luna Park the other day and I loved the walk across the bridge!

And Friday nights are special; people celebrate weekends like a festival and the scene at Darling Harbor is worth cherishing. Men, women of all ages are seen in the best of their attires, dancing , singing and drinking.

Went to Paddy's market just like the precious Saturday to buy the weekly grocery. It is a Chinese market and gave a feeling of any vegetable market in India except that such markets in India are in the open. Paddy's market is mostly dominated by the Chinese and being a north-eastern I did not quite feel out of the place. I found the vegeetable 'squash' which I never saw in Delhi but back in Shillong it grows in every home.

24/04/2005:
Our plans for Canberra got cancelled, so have to wait for it to happen some other day.

In the very first week, we had gone to the Botanical gardens and had our lunch there. It was a green place and something again gave me the feel of home, of Shillong. We went to the Hyde park as well. The reason I find the similarity between Shillong and Sydney may not just be the climate but also the lifestyle. We grew up speaking English and living in a cosmopolitan town, this is what attracts me. No doubt I liked Bangalore too.

I have been in Delhi for 3 years now and even though there are people from everywhere in Delhi, the basic culture is Punjabi. And there is so much of artificiality in Delhi. However I would still prefer Delhi to Kokata any day because life is Kolkata is not cosmopolitan in some sense of the term.

We went to the Star City Casino with our boss' boss last week and we found that it was dominated by the Chinese again. I was told that people with lots of money and no worry frequent this place to spend their time.

Today we watched 'Aliens of the Deep' at the IMAX. It was a documentary but loved the 3-D effect.

25/04/2005:
Today is Anzac day, a public holiday in Australia. Anzac was a soldier but sadly I know nothing more. I don't think I ever studied Australian history.

Yesterday while browsing through books in a book store glanced upon 'Da Vinci code'; it's a best seller no doubt!

26/04/2005:
There are blisters in my feet and in everyone else's too. But walking is not a problem for me. Anyways I never knew how to take care of my feet or to take care of myself in the sense that girls do.

27/04/2005:
George Street. Pitt Street. Hunter Street....these are the names of the streets in Sydney and all the roads seem almost the same. We have memorised the route from our hotel to office and it will take few more days to get used to it. Anyways walking on the streets of Sydney seems safer than walking on Delhi streets. Of course there are drug addicts and drunkards who might come and ask for money, but there aren't many covetous eyes who try to look through you.

30/4/2005
My roomie S left for India yesterday and today being a Saturday me and my other roomie N went to Paddy's to get the weekly grocery. I wanted to have eggs  so we got some eggs but perhaps left those at the payment counter. All the way to our hotel I was thinking that I had the eggs with me and might drop anytime because of the load we were carrying. But when we had almost reached our hotel, we were trying to rearrange and realized that the eggs were not there at all.

1/5/2005:

Went to ISKCON temple today. The temple here is comparatively smaller than that of Bangalore or Delhi and looks nothing like a temple, but I did feel good because this was the first time in last 3 weeks that I did pray properly. And we reached there at the right time of 'Aarti'. Satisfied.

4/5/2005:
Channel Seven broadcast a program today on the 'Secrets of the Da Vinci code'. This book is selling millions of copies everywhere.

8/5/2005:
It's slightly cold in the mornings and I can feel it as I wash my hands. There is a feeling of cool air as I stand on the balcony, but the sun is shining. This feeling is similar to that of Shillong whereas in Delhi it remains foggy in winters and the sun is hard to see.

15/05/2005:
We visited the Australian capital on 15th May, on a beautiful autumn morning. We went to quite a few places, it was a tour that we had taken. I clearly remember the Botany Bay, where Captain Cook had first landed.

Our first stop was a place called Berrima. Though nothing significant, the road was beautiful and we passed through trees with yellow and red leaves, the colours of autumn. The houses on the countryside looked cosy and again reminded me of Shillong.

We visited the Parliament house, the War Memorial and the Museum. Though we have much more historical places and sights in India the differentiator is the maintenance, the projections.

The best part of the trip was Ainstry hills from where we could see the whole of Canberra. Watching the sun-set there was one of the best experiences of the trip.

Canberra happens to be a well planned city and we did have an enjoyable trip.

5/6/2005:

Going to Paramatta in a ferry was really a good experience. It was as if I was visiting the Backwaters of Kerala which I had seen too often on TV.

Walking from Paramatta to Westmead was a task, my God, which I will remember for ever. We just didn't seem to get there but all the tiredness disappeared when we entered the Murugan temple.

11/06/2005

Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves

The Blue Mountains acquired the name because of the blue haze produced by the scattering of the sun's rays striking dust particles and droplets of moisture in the atmosphere. The blue haze effect is magnified by the droplets of oil produced by the extensive population of eucalypt forest within the area.

The Three Sisters - Meekni, Wimlah and Gunedoo once lived with the Gundungurra people in the Janison valley. Tribal war forced the clever man to turn the sisters into stones. There are some stories about this and I will have to read more to know more about it.

Jenolan Caves was an hour's drive from Katoomba, with underground rivers and outstanding limestone formation. Lucas caves was named after John Lucas.

12/06/2005:
One place that was advised by many and me not particularly interested was Bondi beach but after the visit I was glad that I did. The plan was sudden and it is true that unexpected events bring more joy.

Beautiful place, warm day sunny people and blue waters are what I will carry as remembrance. What I enjoyed most was to walk through the big boulders of stones, climb on them, cross and jump over them, taking careful steps and then  getting to the bottom where the sea waves hit my naked feet. Blessing.

The purple flowers...

Composed on 16/02/2005

Thank you God for this day
You made me see the purple flowers, laid on mhy way
These flowers always remain fresh and wish me on days, both bright and dark

I looked for the yellow sunflowers,
But these had to grow and leave,
Leave me to look around for some hidden hue...

But today's pale evening to me brought,
The fragrance of flowers purple,
To tell me that I still belong, to their humble, priceless lives!

My new hair-cut

So they actually pursued me for a hair-cut, they as in my friends and my sis-in-law. And I thought of giving it a try too, to go for my first professional hair cut ever!!! And when I finally got it done, I thought they cut it too short but now nothing could be done about it. I did not feel too great either but may be I thought the days ahead would make me feel good eventually! My mom's reaction was that of shock and she thought it was never going to grow anymore!

And me I am tying it up so I don't feel sad looking at the short length and when I leave it open I bent my head backwards so as to give myself a feeling that the hair is reaching a little below everyday and is growing, an act borrowed from my childhood days.

The wandering mind

Composed way back in 2006, 17/02/2006 to be exact!!!

Beyond the sky that somewhere meets
Is there a God to know that I live
Is there a God who has felt...
...the restlessness of my wandering mind!

Why and how and what all happen...
I am told I musn't question...
There must be a reason...
For my tears and for the smiles...

This will go on as long as it should
This will make my strength survive
This will make my grace shine
Seems like the tears will bring more smile!

Why does this cobweb we build
The vicious circle just repeats
To bring more tears and more agonies...
The answer must be there, the answer I must hear!

Epitaph

I wrote this long back, somewhere in 2005/2006 and found it today in an old notebook:

Could it be so true?
This epitaph reads my name!
And those pink flowers that my best friend did bring...
And how come I see the spring no more?
Why my tree-hut sports a withered look?
The door's broken, the ladder's gone...
Have I flown to some future time?
Or is it just my wandering soul...wandering through ages unknown!!!

Then and Now

So, here again I am in Tampa and checking in to the Residence Inn reminds me of Goldsbrough. May be Goldsbrough will always remain with me, it was my first trip outside the country and I was lucky to have people for company during travel and when I finally got in to Goldsbrough, I had dinner ready for me. This is the difference now, I travel alone and come to a place where there are some knowns and some unknowns among people but never really get a chance to meet them and so sleep without a proper dinner except for some bite of Pringles. I do get a call from a friend and that really makes up for the slight uneasiness that I feel, that kind of also makes up for the trouble at Immigration. Oh they have even thrown my packet of rice and cumin seeds and I didn't carry my all time fav Maggi.

But morning is always better and it starts with a nice breakfast, a drive to office with a colleague and yes my team mate making some coffee for me.

I am hoping the days and months to follow will unfold some pleasant surprises and create some stories for keeps, the way Goldsbrough has stuck with me for years.