Mysore Pak is a must-taste dessert of southern India. Often, I am asked by travellers from abroad visiting TamilNadu and Karnataka, to suggest one-sweet that they could carry home as an edible souvenir, especially for their Indian friends and colleagues. The first name that pops in my mind is always the Mysore-Pak. The dessert has …
Navaratri or Golu pandigai ( for Tamizhians) is India’s Doll festival and in fact, Hinamatsuri- the doll festival of Japan is very similar to this ancient Hindu custom of dolls’ display. While Navaratri (Navratri) across the rest of India is often associated with ritualistic worship or garba or Durga Puja, the local populace in TamilNadu celebrate it as a ‘nine-day dolls …
The UNESCO Heritage Site of Gangaikondacholapuram temple in TamilNadu, India, is a result of triumph, aspiration and dream of one of the widely acclaimed and successful Chola emperor – Rajendra Chola. Everything about this wonderful temple site is as grand and magnificent as the historical milestones of the emperor. Personally, I consider it the most elegant of …
Thirumalai Nayakar Palace also known as Madurai Palace is a testimony to the city’s secularism and diversity. If Madurai is world- famous for its Meenakshi Amman Temple, it is equally popular for the Anglo-Indian community, the churches, the Jaina Caves and its multicultural society. On my recent trip to Madurai, I decided to visit the …
Airavateswara Temple at Darasuram is a Chola repository of micro carvings and sculptures. For first-timers who are visiting this temple, it could be a bit daunting and overwhelming as to where and what to look, which sculpture to ponder over and which to give a miss, as it happened in my case. These two posts, …
“Darasuram is near our Swamimalai, isn’t it?”, asks my grandma. “Why do you want to go there? The temple there is in ruins”, she continues. This news disappoints me a bit. I ask her when had she visited the temple last, as, she frequents our family temple at Swamimalai often. She answers ’long back’. I …
Maargazhi maasam or Maargashira (the month of Maargazhi) is a holy month for the Hindus living in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. These regions witness innumerable classical music and dance concerts as well as celebrations and special rituals across most of its ancient temples. Come let us discover the importance …
