Where angels tread

biswajit_27

Where angles tread
Date: 17th July 2007
Place: Bhubaneshwar
In Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1554864...7602561315544/

I was feeling too much of a couch-potato when I decided on a spur of a moment to take a few trips to the nearby places. The place which stoked my interest was Puri and more importantly, Konark (The Black Pagoda). I had heard much about the new fangled road that had been developed from Puri to Konark; it’s named “Marine Drive”. I was, till I visited that place unaware of the reasons for naming a road like that. I now know, but let’s not run ahead of the story.

Puri is located 60 Kilometers from Bhubaneshwar (short name, BBSR), and Konark is about 32 Kilometers further from Puri.

I started at about 12:00 PM in the afternoon from BBSR along scenic roads. Lush runaway vegetation covers both sides of the road, after crossing the city BBSR, it’s in fact so lush that at certain points you are actually traveling under the canopy of trees with the sun playing hide and seek with you. There are a number of villages situated on either side of the winding roads, and present a slice of the lifestyle of a typical village. As through-out all India, cattle, dogs, goat and buffaloes vie on an equal footing with the bullock-cart, tri-cycle-rickshaw, scooters, motorcycles, vans, cars, trucks and buses. I missed in the previous list, the cycles, pedestrians and a variety of vehicles which have wheels and can carry passengers. The most dangerous are the buses (they compete with rival bus services to deliver passengers faster), school going kids, old villagers (people who think roads are an incursions into their private land and they return the favor).

This ensemble of people and traffic makes sure that your drive is not dull, they (the traffic) makes you laugh, despair, hate and love, not necessarily in that order, while keeping you on your toes.

The fact that I am here and writing this, prove that I survived it.

Today I also discovered the problem of traveling long distances on a scooter. You have to hold on to the accelerator handle with some pressure all the while. Doesn’t look like a big deal, does it? Well keep doing that for 1 hour and you will know. To aggravate the problem further, my lean and long frame meant that I have to sit hunched over the handle bars, with time (and of course distance), one side of your back muscles are more exercised that the other, and you feel a torsion effect on your poor spine. Spine-chilling, isn’t it. To relieve oneself of this pain-inducing factor and to “take-in” the surrounding, you have to stop-rest-look thing.

Look at the picture “RoadToPuri.jpg”

I wasn’t exaggerating, was I? There is a milestone on the left side of the screen which in the local dialect says that Puri is 10 Kilometers away. On the right top side, some thatched huts constituting the village can be seen.

Finally I arrived at the place from where the road into Puri goes. By the way, navigation is generally through memory and asking passerbies. The concept of putting road-signs is quiet new (all over India). The general assumption is you KNOW where you are going, and can ASK too, in case you are lost, why waste public money? ;-)

When starting to enter the city, I was lost for a heartbeat in the new roads that have been made when I last visited, 5-7 years ago. Finally the memory and deduction worked and I got to our house (we have a house in that city, lies there unused and un-rented). I met a neighbor (there are few hundreds in the locality), who my parents and I know. Talked with them for a while, and then started for Konark. It seems that while I was away, they have joined a nearby road to the road to Konark. I just have to take a straight line. Cool Beans!!!

I took off on that road at about 3:00 PM 17th July 07. The roads are a vast improvement since the last time, and the going was good. This road too is encompassed on both sides by lush vegetation, and yes I almost forgot, a sanctuary for deer. There was a warning board to keep an active look out for deer which might decide to run in front of your vehicle (that is hilarious, as if we are not constantly on the lookout for suicidal people).

The most important thing was the road was nearly empty, due to the fact that there is a chariot-festival in progress in Puri, where the 3 deities are taken a distance of 3 miles in huge chariots. On this date millions of people descend upon Puri in hordes and hordes to witness the event. This festival is about 1200 Yrs old and millions of people have visited this event for the very same 1200 years.

Look at the picture “3Chariots.jpg”

In this picture you will see 3 chariots which have arrived at the destination and people are standing in a line (a huge line) to take a peek at the Gods. These gods are considered very much alive and effective. The event is held to take the Gods to their Aunt’s house, as they would have been bored in their own adobe sitting there for the whole year. At the start of the event, the King (erstwhile of course) or his surviving descendents come to clean the Chariots with golden brooms, to signify their piety and humility before the Gods. By and by, the lineage of these kings is far older than the history of English kings.

Look at this picture “GrandRoad.jpg”

This is the view of the crowd the day AFTER the chariot festival. Rituals are been conducted and this crowd is NOT a big crowd for the event, it’s actually a smattering of people. On the eventful day, there is hardly room for people to step in a 3 mile long 100 meter wide road.

Anyways, we are diverging from the main story. The road to Konark.

Look at the pictured RoadToKonark.jpg (from 1-5)
The road looks derelict and unused, almost like American roads, but it’s only because of the ongoing car festival, which is a big crowd puller.

Traveling along this road, you will suddenly find that you are running parallel to the sea. In fact I stopped the scooter and went into the sand filled beaches to take a picture of this. The absence of the road in the shot was something which in hindsight would have helped the context.

Look at “VirginSand.jpg”

Farther along the road was a temple at the sea shore. The temple in itself was no architectural marvel; hence I decided to take a picture of the surrounding area. This is the place where a river empties itself into the sea. In the past, a picnic spot and a place where a lot of wannabe swimmers have died.

Look at the picture named “River-n-Sea.jpg” and “River-n-Sea2.jpg”

In the second picture, you will notice a small slice of sand between two water bodies. This is due to the geographic formations at the river-mouth.

My arrival at Konark was at about 4:00 PM. I bought a ticket and went inside.

Look at the “Plaque.jpg”

There is a veritable history about this temple.

Once upon a time, the King wanted to build a temple in the honor of the Sun God. 1200 artisans were hired for 12 years to build the temple. But even after 12 years, there was ONE thing the artisans were not able to do. In the temple architecture, there is a large stone at the top of the temple. The artisans were not able to put this large single stone on the top. The reason was that it was a huge stone containing magnetic properties. Meanwhile, during these 12 years, one of the artisan’s son had grown older (12 years old) and wanted to see his father. So he goes over and finds that his dad can’t return home, till the top-stone has been installed. He with the openness of mind that only the young possess grasps the fact that the iron in the stones of the temple itself result in creating the imbalance of the magnetite stone. So he uses magnetic counter balances to even up and hold the stone in place. But since he had done what 1200 men can’t do in 12 years, the artisans feel embarrassed, and fear the King’s wrath. The kid mature enough to realize the predicament of his father and fellow masons, jumps to his death from the top of the Temple (at that time, the sea lapped at the temple’s proverbial doors).

The general architecture of the temples is generally like this


The following picture shows the portions that have been destroyed through the ravages of time and people



In fact, the temple was discovered by the British navy as their ships used to be pulled towards the shore in a 5-7 mile radius. They found this temple intact, broke the top-stone (a huge slab of magnet) into pieces and took it home. The dome of the main temple was destroyed by those bastards. After a period of many years Lord Curzon filled the whole secondary temple with sand and rocks to preserve it (he was I suppose a good guy). The dome of the entrance too is destroyed, by man or time, I am not sure which.

Look at “Entrace_Secondary.jpg”

You will see the entrance of the temple and the secondary temple from a distance.

Look at “Entrace_Only.jpg”. It shows the entrance only.

The rays of the sun used to pass through the entrance and the second temple and used to fall on the face of the Sun God (a golden statue) and shine on it.

Look at “Inside_Entrace_Hall.jpg” . It shows the panels on the entrance hall decorated with nubile dancing girls to hail the rising sun when it used to make an entrance.

Look at “Secondary_Hall.jpg”. This is the view from the entrance hall to the secondary hall. The dancing girls on the dome of the temple are in the classical “Orissi dance” poses.

Look at the pic “Porn-n-Wheel.jpg”. As the whole temple has been designed as a chariot, these are the wheels. There are 8 spokes in the wheels to denote the time divisions (old units). The nearby scenes are full of sexual poses from Kamasutra. Sex was not taboo in ancient India, till the arrival of English prudes.

Look at “Fella_Panel.jpg”. It seems that fellatio was one of the prevalent practices of that period, including having many women. (Ala!!, I couldn’t find any sheep’s in there, like in another central Indian temple Khajuraho)

Look at “caught_the_sun.jpg”. I was just rounding a corner when the panel caught the rays of the sun and I just couldn’t resist taking this picture because of the beautiful light it caught. It seemed at that moment, as whole as 1200 years back. Surreal!!

The natty observer will notice a prevalence of one recurring theme (no!! not fellatio), that of a lion trampling a poor elephant. This was a political statement of that time. The elephant (symbolizing Kings and noble people) was usurped by a lion (a valiant warrior, not necessarily of noble blood).

Look at the picture “Setting Sun.jpg”. Each side of the temple wall is decorated by a statue like this (made of black stone, hence the name black pagoda) to symbolize a certain phase of the sun. The statue denoting the morning, is a smiling statue, frivolous whereas the afternoon statue, has an angry countenance.

freenote

Thanks for the write up and photo's ,an extremely interesting area .You mention the buses that ply Marine drive,to me they are the most overloaded i have ever seen and ridden in . To have ones limbs arranged to make it possible to squeeze another passenger on board was an experience (believe it or not )that bought a smile to my face

GauhatiBoy

"Where Angles tread" in contrast to Angels?

rangers

Its nice detailing.

And how coiuld you miss Rangers en route marine drive to Konark?

keep posting.

Britishraj

A very interesting and accurate description... but as Sanjay reminds, 'You forgot to mention the RANGERS!' on marine drive. Puri is my base during my annual 6 month stay in India. I am able to explore the rural areas on my motor bike. This will be my 17th year in Puri. It's a pity there is no infrastructure for tourist, to experience the true Beauty that is Orissa...Like ships in the night they pass thro' Puri.

wonderwomanusa

We don't all "pass through Puri" ... I was there for around 5 weeks on my last visit to Mom India! Like you, I love that town!

Britishraj

Hi wonderwomanusa
Did you ever get to see a copy of my book at some of the restaurants / bookshop in Puri? It's entitled How To Speak Hindi Without Really Trying.

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freenote

OK, what /who are these RANGERS i see mentioned above