Myth behind a Plant

Something wierd happened early this week precisely on Tuesday 17th Aug, 2010. A plant, shaped like a human hand sprouted outside our front gate. This is a phenomenon (for me atleast) as it emitted a rotten odour and there were house flies all over it.

It was first seen by our locality's security staff and in no time there were a dozen local workers and house maids flocked around this plant. Most seemed to know what it was. They called it as goddess Uppalamma and I was asked not to remove it. Some said its appearance usually signifies death of the person who owned that house (in this case, its me) and some said it brings enormous wealth (suppose its time for a middle aged guy). Either way, it sounds spooky.

Its hard to tell if it was a plant or a creature as it seemed to come out of a shell. It could well be fungi related like a mushroom. I tried to find a botanical name for this on the net, however the closest I came to was called a Mojo plant with fingers. Mojo plant in the USA appears mostly in the state of Louisiana and is used by gamblers for luck. This plant does not look like a mojo plant in colour, but it does resemble in shape.

Ironically, every one of those who knew this plant said if it is pierced with a sharp object, it would either bleed red blood like a mammal or it would bleed white liquid that resembled milk. The further myth they explained was that if it bled red liquid then it requires a sacrifice of a lamb or a chicken and if it bled white liquid, then the demand would be to cook rice in milk and sugar and offer it with a promise that it would be done every year on that same date. Wow ! So much for so much. But the question is, how does one really make one's own reasonabily rational mind accept this.

On a wonderful Autumn morning when something like this happens, it well throws one out of their sync. The same happened with me. My first reaction was to stick a crowbar under the plant, uproot it and do away with it. Not a single worker around were willing to do that. Further deepening the fear of the myth, neither would they allow me to do it (I assume its out of love for me and not the fear of the myth). It was a stalemate with the stench getting staler.

As the day progressed the word spread in the locality and about 100 more people visited the NOW holy site. I was really afraid. Not because of the myth behind the plant but something more real. The fear was that the locals would insist on having a temple built on that site right on the gate of my house. There is no escaping if something is not done immediately.

One good soul advised a brilliant solution to get out of this. He suggested that if it is covered with cow dung and sand it would die and melt away, and that will also contain the stench immediately. That was it. Its about 4 days now and that heap is still there. I will have it checked soon. If the myth remains as a myth you will hear from me again, else consider that the myth is real. If I get filthy rich, trust me I will tell you all.

I also happened to visit our family's farm 60 kms from Hyderabad and spoke to the local villagers about this plant. They said the same as what was told by those workers outside my house. However, the villagers did clarify that it usually appears during the rainy season in the fields, soon after the freshly ploughed soil starts exposing the sprouting from seeds after the first rains.

Although this is a clear myth, I must admit one fact that most people who knew about this were workers, house maids, villagers and semi-literates. Not a single person from the cities knew what it was. Every time I go to our farm I learn new things about agriculture, nature, seasonal impacts, natural occurences etc., It goes to show that we in cities only know what we are told and not much from the real world that exists outside the modernity.

If anyone knows more about this, please do write back. Will be good to know.


Best Wishes
Sharath

Yas Island & Saadiyat Islands Abu Dhabi

On my recent visit to Dubai between 7th to 22nd March '10, I stayed on Yas Island for ten days, on work.

Yas is a man made island, by bringing the sea into land and creating a marina with a Formula one race track, an 18 hole gold course, Ferrari Park and about half-a-dozen world class hotels on it.

Our visit here was totally work related and it was ideal to stay on this island, as it was in the middle of both the work places we were involved with, in Shahama and Abu Dhabi city.

Radisson Blu Hotel
My friend Mike and I stayed at the Radisson Blu hotel. My room was on the 4th floor (448) with a fantastic view of the most popular Yas Hotel. The staff in this hotel are extremely friendly and highly efficient. The restaurants in this hotel are better than some of the others on the island. Assymetri the breakfast place which also has a lunch and dinner buffet is a good place to dine. The seafood grill at the dinner buffet is great. For fast food junkies, the beef burger is a 'must try'.

The Italian restaurant Filini was a dissappointment. The Iranian restaurant is yet to open, however having met the chef of the to-be-opened restaurant, I am sure its going to be a great place. The sports bar is not fully ready, so we had to do good with the poolside bar.

The gym is a surprise. The equipment is more than adequate even for the best of body builders. The spa is a place to go. I was attended to by a Fijian masseuer who is just great.

Yas Hotel
Its popularity comes fom the fact that it is situated bang in the middle of the Formula one race track and a small strectch of the race track passes from under the hotel.

When I first visited Yas hotel late last year I was struck by its achitecture and the modern materials that went into building this beautiful structure. It is truly a piece of art.

On this visit we tried the Atayeb Arabic restaurant, which has a terrace overlooking the Yas Marina and the Marina Circuit. The food is just great. Wine selection is even better. The poolside bar on the roof of the hotel is very quiet and serene.

Crowne Plaza
This hotel has a very unusual lobby with two octagonal shaped sitting areas hanging from the roof. It is a put-off to walk into it, just at the entrance of the hotel. The Arabic restaurant is average.

Rotana Yas Island
The reception in this hotel has a bright orange interiors and seems very informal. The 'Y' bar is a good place for a drink. The music during weekends in a bit loud. The 'blue grill' restaurant serves great food but its a bit pricey. Rangoli has a very small menu but the items are well chosen. The restaurant 'Choices' is definetely a must try place. Its really good.

This hotel also has an aprtment block called 'Centro' for long haul guests.

The Links Golf Course
We met the Sales manager Nick who took us on a tour of the club house. From the terrace on level 3 of the club house the 18 hole golf course looks just superb. The water in the marina is lagoon blue and during high tides all the little shrubs around the course go under water. This is going to be a very famous golf course in time to come.

Ferrari Theme Park
Its still under construction. However the outer shell shaped as a F1 car of Ferrari is magnificient. It is slated to be ready for this year's F1 race.

Saadiyat Island
This is going to be the greatest man-made wonder since Palm islands in Dubai. This is even bigger. Palm was reclamation of the Arabian gulf. Saadiyat is reclamation of land by the Arabian gulf.

We had a tour of all the structures that are going to be erected on this island. All details must be available on their website. Do look up.

Overview
As I had a car to drive around, it was really easy for us to get in and get out of the island. Without a car this island is good for guests who would liketo stay on the island and not move in and out frequently.

My Trip to Haridwar & Rishikesh

Feb 21st, 2010

We left Delhi by car via Ghaziabad, ModiNagar, Meerut, Muzzafar Nagar, Rourkee and then to Haridwar. We arrived in Haridwar at 10.30 am after a 4 hour drive including a breakfast stop at Cheetal Resorts before Muzzafarpur Bypass road. This is a good place to stop for rest and food. They have some very interesting sign boards inside the premises.

This is the time of khumb Mela and the traffic was quite busy between Rourkee and Haridwar. We stopped for a few minutes at the Patanjali Yogapeeth Ashram of Baba Ramdev. Impressive place.

We then went to Khankal to see the only Lingam in the country made of Mercury. It was at the Harihar Ashram where a Rudraksha Tree is also there. Under that tree are the 12 Jyothirlingas. Abhishek at this Mercury Lingam is only allowed on Shivarathri day.

We went to Har-ki-Pawdi and had a dip in the Ganges. The water is very cold right round the year. On a previous occassion I was there in August and the water was equally chilled.

Around 3pm we made our way to Rishikesh. It is indeed a beautiful place and the River Ganga is stunningly beautiful. We visited Sivananda Ashram and spent a few hours there. We were told the 6pm Ganga Aarthi is a sight to watch. However, we were involved in a meeting with a few swamis. We decide to go back there in April / May to spend a week and then visit Neelkant, Gangotri and Badrinath. Came back to Haridwar at around 7.30pm.

We also happened to visit an Ashram of an Aghori Baba near Haridwar, who offered to perform Yagna and then take us to the cremation grounds. We just didn't have time as we were heading back to Delhi. Very interesting person to talk to.

Went to Veer Bhadra Mandir near Bairaj colony. I think its actually Barrage Colony named after the barrage that came up close to that area.

Left Haridwar at 11pm after attending a wedding reception in Khankal.

The other 5 Jyothirlingas

Day One
Omkaareshwar / Mamaleshwar - 9th Feb'10
We planned our trip from Mumbai, to meet up there and start our journey of the 5 Jyothirlingas. On 9th Feb'10 we checked out of Leela Kempinski to get a flight to Indore. We landed in Indore at 10 AM. Checked into Hotel Lemon Tree - good one for a budget hotel. By 11.00 am we were on the road to Omkareshwar in the hotel car. Good driver. Enroute, little before Omkareshwar on the banks of Narmada river is a small eatery where they make good tea and Poha (made from rice flakes). Reached the temple at 1.00pm. Straight went in for Abhishek, afterwhich, we performed pooja outside the sanctum.

Mamaleshwar

This temple is on the other bank of River Narmada diagonally opposite to Omkareshwar. Performed Abhishek here as well. Mamaleshwar is the twin Jyothirling of Omkareshwar and the visit is not complete till both places are seen.

We drove back to Indore city and reached our hotel by 6.00pm. We rested till 11.00pm and after a shower and late dinner we got ready for our drive to Ujjain Mahakaaleshwar.

Day 2 - Mahakaaleshwar - 10th Feb'10

We checked out of our hotel close to midnight and reached Ujjain Mahakaaleshwar temple at 2.15am with a tea stop included. Our driver arranged an entry ticket for the early morning aarthi. This is the most important time to visit the temple as there is no other aarthi as this. Despite having the entry tickets which are limited to only about 350 people every morning, we had to stand in the queue to get a better view of the sanctum. It was worth the effort as we had a fantastic view of the Shiv Ling. I strongly recommend every Hindu to visit this temple for the morning Aarthi. Finishing of the aarthi is done by Ashes from a newly burnt funeral pyre collected by Aghoris from the nearby cremation grounds. A large group of priests stand around the ling playing various drums, brass discs, conch and bells while the aarthi is in progress. The entire ritual lasts over an hour and time just flies.

We were allowed into the sanctum at 6.00 am where we had the opportunity to complete the Abhishek by 6.30 am.
Very close to the temple is Harsiddhi Devi Mandir - A Shakthipeetha. We visited this temple too and were on our way back to Indore to get the flight to Pune for Bhimashanker.
We could not visit Kal Bhairav mandir as we totally run out of time. We planned to go back to Ujjain sometime next year and spend a couple of days.

Bhimashanker - Still Day 2
We arrived in Pune at 11.00am by Kingfisher Flight from Indore. Hired a car from the airport with assistance from the airport manager Mr.Muralidhar - to Bhimashanker and Shirdi. It is a very scenic route from Pune to Bhimashanker and takes about 3 hours. We arrived at the temple by 3.00pm. Walked down about 150 steps to reach the sanctum. Luckily not much crowd when we arrived. By 6pm we finished the Abhishek and were on our way back. This is truly an untouched ancient temple. The mountains around Bhimashanker are just magnificient.

Shirdi - Still Day 2 & Day 3 - 11th Feb'10
From Bhimashanker to Shirdi via the Pune-Nasik highway, it is about 70 kms. We reached Shirdi at 9.30pm after changing a flat tyre on the way. We checked into our pre-booked Sanskriti Resorts. After having a quick shower and a lite meal we went to the Samadhi Mandir at midnight to get into the queue for the 4am kagada Aarthi. The three hours in the queue complex were not bad as we were accompanied by my brother and Bhabhi who joined us from Sanskriti Resorts. My friend and I had our stories to tell of the last 48 hours and they had their stories of the car ride from Hyderabad to Shirdi where they had a few bad experiences.

At 3.45 am the gates opened to make our way from the queue complex to the sanctum. There was utter chaos - people jumping the metal barriers to get to the front. Over 300 people jumped the bars and got before us. Which was rather dissappointing. However, SaiBaba was kind to us and we were just lucky to stand in a place where the altar was right in front of us. This, while all the other about 1000 people were made to sit. We three were allowed to stand. That said something to us. It was Thursday supposedly an auspicious day for Shirdi Sai Baba and we were more than pleased to have had such a grand view of the aarthi.
We were out of the temple by 7am. Straight to Breakfast and then to bed till 10.00am.

Shani Signapur - Day 3 - 11th Feb '10
As my brother brought the car from Hyderabad, we got into the car after check-out at 11.00 am and drove to Shani Signapur. Although the temple is quite simple and known to be a powerful worship place the shops outside are highly commercial and to an extent cheat the pilgrims. Once you arrive at the place, shopkeepers offer you orange dhotis to go and get a shower. Once that is done you are asked to make a choice on what kind of Abishek you would like to do etc., etc., When its all over they demand upto Rs.1500 per head for acually nothing at all. I found a way to beat the system although it was after this terrible experience. Here are the tips.... Do not park your car near any of those shops. Get an orange dhothi for as little as Rs.100 from anywhere other than the temple vicinity. Go and get a shower. Get your own Gingeley oil for the Abhishek as the shops are selling Palm Oil, which directly go into a reservoir from under the statue of Shani Maharaj. The oil collected in the reservoir is sold to Manufacturers of Detergents and Soaps. Actually if you speak to a Brahmin, he will suggest that you should use Gingeley oil and that too 1.25 ltrs. Whatever flowers or leaves that need to be bought can be purchased outside the temple for as little as 50 rupees. DO NOT GO TO ANY OF THOSE SHOPS. If you went there unprepared... demand the shops to give you the entire deal for under Rs.400 including the oil. Not a penny more.

Nasik Triambakeshwar - Day 3
We left Signapur by 2.00pm for Nasik. Arrived in Nasik at 5.00pm including a lunch stop and checked into our pre-booked Hotel Gateway International. Earlier this was a Taj property and a good hotel. We were told that the Triambakeshwar temple was closed that evening in preparations for next day's Shivarathri. We took it easy and caught up on some much required rest.

Triambakeshwar - Day 4 - 12th Feb'10 (Shivarathri)

Following morning we checked out of Gateway after a Shivrathri Breakfast which was made of Barley and potatoes as per the norms. We reached Triambakeshwar at 11.00 am after a 26kms drive and checked into Dhruv Palace Hotel. The only decent hotel in that area. Later it proved to be such a good idea to check out of Gateway and take a hotel nearer to the temple. Once we arrived there, we were told by the hotel staff that the darshan would take 7 to 8 hours and the queue is mostly out in the sun. And no question of any Abhishek at all, as it was Shivrathri. We sunk into our seats in the hotel's restaurant not knowing what to do. We decided to get some more rest till about 5pm and then go to the temple and take our chances as the temple would be open all night on that day. At 6.00pm after a good rest and a cold shower we made our way to the temple, which is only a 10 minute walk. We were told it would take 3 hours now for the darshan, but still no entry into the sanctum sanctorum. We found one of the temple priests outside the temple and asked if there was any possibility of Abhishek. He knew we were outsiders and he said we can do Abhishek only next morning and if we agree to that we will be given an opportunity to go into the temple for darshan straightaway. He took us in for darshan till the door of the sanctum and then we were to come back next morning at 5.00 am for Abhishek. We were just lucky again that we found him. The whole thing was done in under 1 hour.

Day 5 - 13th Feb'10

Next morning all three of us were in orange dhotis as we were not allowed to wear any of the regular clothes including the inner wear. Just the dhotis. The Abhishek was quick, about 2 minutes each.. however the main pooja was done outside the door of the sanctum. This is the only linga that is below the ground level of the sanctum and there is a regular flow of water from the Godavari river that fill the hollow inside which the 3 lingas are situated. To view the lingas one must remove the water by hand and then touch them.

We completed all rituals at the temple by 7am and then went to see the Godavari Kund behind the temple. By 8.15am we were back at our hotel. There is also the Bhramagiri temple on top of the mountain next to the temple where the story of Triambakeshwar originally started. It takes about 5 hrs to get there and back for a physically fit person.

We made our way back to Nasik and then to Grishneshwar near Ellora. The drive of about 200 kms took 4 hours with a tea stop. We reached Ellora first and were amazed to see the history carved out so meticulously. This site is a must see. The place closes at 6pm.

We reached Grishneshwar temple which is almost walkable distance from Ellore Caves around 6.30pm. As it was the next day of Shivarathri the Mela was still on and there were hundereds in the queue. We were told the temple would close at 8pm and that we come back the following morning at 5am for the aarthi. This temple looks like it was vandalised during the moghul regime of Aurangazeb as there is a mosque just at the entrance of the temple made of a similar stone as that of the temple. Need to find out more about it.

We drove back towards Ellore and found a hotel called Kailash Resorts. Good one. They had cabins built in a wooded area and was quite scenic.



Day 6 - 14th Feb'10

We started our day at 4am and reached the temple at 5.30 AM for the Rudrabhishek. It was a great experience as they called in 5 students from their Veda Pathshala to recite vedic mantras during our Abhishek. Five of them chanting in unison is truly mesmerising. We completed all rituals by 7am. We were back at our hotel by 7.30am. Checked out of Kailash Resorts at 9am and made our way to Aurangabad and then to Tulja Bhavani Temple in Tuljapur which is on the way t Hyderabad. This temple is also a Shakti peetha.

We reached Hyderabad at midnight. The entire trip was completed in just 7 days. When we look back we still can't believe that we did it in such a short time.


Sharath

My Journey to 6 out of 12 Jyothirlingas

How it started
When the idea first struck me and my friend Murthy.. we were surprised that we both readily agreed to visit all 12 Jyothirlingas in this year 2010. We actually wanted to visit the forests of Nalla Malla and the Srisailam Temple and got hooked to the idea of visiting the other 11 Jyothirlingas and see where and how they are placed. After visiting the 6 Jyothirlingas, I can confirm that our idea was indeed a good one for the year.

In January we visited Srisailam and this month in February we visited the 5 Jyothirlingas in and around MP and Maharashtra.
To find the quickest way to plan a journey is not always easy. Here I share how we actually went around these 6 holiest of Hindu places.

Srisailam - Mallikarjuna Swamy Jyothirlingam - The 2nd Jyothirlingam of the 12

It was easy for me, as I hail from Hyderabad I just had to get into my car and drive up the hills of Srisailam. It is about 245 kms from Hyderabad city and takes about 6 hours to get there.

Please remember enroute there is a stretch of about 65kms through the Nalla Malla forest which is a protected area and no vehicles will be allowed to pass through the gates at the entry point after 9pm daily. All vehicles that enter will have to sign at both entry and exit gates.

For visitors coming from other locations can hire a car in Hyderabad and take the route from the new airport. Also, there are buses from Hyderabad run by the AP State RTC.

We booked into the AP Tourism guest house which is fairly clean for a stay and wash. Also, there are guest houses by some industries such a Satyam and others that can be rented from the Temple admin office.

We had a good guide there who helped us get quick darshan and abishek of the Mallikarjuna Swamy's Jyothirling. Afterwhich, we visited the Sanctum of Bhramarambika Devi (Shakti Peetam) which is within the structure of Srisailam temple.

Other sites to visit around Srisailam
Akkamadevi Caves
Also, close to the temple is a ropeway that takes pilgrims down to River Krishna's water held at the dam. From there one can take a boat to the nearby Akkamadevi caves for a tour of one of the oldest caves in India.
Ishta Kaameshwari Temple
Another great experience near Srisailam would be a visit to Ishta Kaameshwari temple. This temple is about 10kms into the dense forest only accessible by Jeeps that are driven by locals. This ride is really tough and not for faint hearted. Whoever visited this temple will remember the journey for a long time.
Panchamatam (Where Pandavas stayed and built Shiva temples)
Out of these five temples, two can be seen by a short drive. One of them was renovated recently and the other is still a relic. The other three are deeper into the forest.

Tips
Food is not easily available around the temple or enroute. It is advisable to carry some snacks for the journey. For meat eaters who would like to venture into the unknown, there is a town near Egalapenta where one can order in one of those little Dhaba's where the food is prepared upon order. Usually pilgrims order food on way to the temple for next day's lunch on the way back.

Good Period to visit - Either during or soon after the Monsoon where one can see the gates of the dam open. Also anytime between Oct to Feb is good as the climate is most pleasant.