Map In My Pocket

Month: April 2017

Town of Hymns: Manthani

Named after a Khiledar under the reign of Sikandar Jha during 1803 to 1823, Syed Karimuddin, Karimnagar is one district in Telangana, which has ancient places seeped in historic importance to both Hindus and Buddhists alike. The most popular amongst these is Manthani.

Home to the ruins of a Gautameswara Temple, Manthani is a timeless village from an era gone by.

On the banks of the river Godavari, it had once flourished as the seat of Vedic learning. Also referred to as Mantrapuri or The Town of Hymns it gets its name from the Sanskrit word Mantra Kutam, meaning House of Mantras.

It is also popularly believed that Manthani is home to a thousand Bramhin families, which is why it is also called the Sahasra Brahamana Gadapa i.e. a Thousand Brahmin’s Threshold. Little surprise then that though the temple in Manthani is in ruins today, overrun with a patchwork of undergrowth that is a brilliant-hued green, the town continues to be culturally significant for Hindus.

Work is underway to put back the beautiful stone temple of Manthani to how it once stood. Meanwhile there is a new, fully functional temple on the premises.

Explorers Guide

Getting There: The distance from Hyderabad to Karimnagar is around 164 kilometres, but if you take the NH44 via Medchal you will reach the town in less than two hours. Manthani is a further 64 kilometres from here.
Route: Once on the road by the village, ask around and get to the ‘temple on the banks of Godavari’. It can get a little tricky, because this one is not on Google Maps.
Best Time to Visit: In the rains.

Read Next: Lost in Time: Nagunur Ruins

Read More on Temples in Telangana:

Of Rocks and Hidden Temples: Armoor
A Song of Stone: Dichpally Ramalayam
South India’s City of Moksh: Alampur

April 26, 2017
How I got my Indian Passport in 3 days

Tatkal. Thats Sanskrit for ‘instant’. Under the Indian Government’s Tatkal Scheme, one can get instant bookings on citizen services ranging from railway tickets to passport. A fast track process for those needing them at a short notice.

This has been around for a while and we have all waited online, for Tatkal bookings to open, so that we could reserve that train ticket, fast and easy. Inspite of knowing all that, I wasn’t prepared for what happened when I decided, on the spur of the moment, to renew my passport immediately.

Thursday Afternoon: I book an appointment online for renewing my Passport, under ‘Tatkal’.
Friday Afternoon: I am at the Government Passport Seva Kendra, Ameerpet for the appointment.
Saturday Morning: I am signing for my Passport, just arrived through Speed Post, yet another Government of India enterprise.

I hadn’t even finished my first cup of coffee, and there it was my shiny, new passport in mint condition! :D

Go #DigitalIndia

My passport was up for renewal this September, but I was putting it off, for the dread that anything to do with the Government of India’s bureaucracy inspires in all the citizens of the country. I needed some personal details updated, had no clue about the documentation required and add to that, the confusion caused by consultants. Middle men really – who are a dime a dozen – charging to “ease your interactions” with Government departments. So, there I was putting off for as long as possible, what seemed like a herculean task.

‘Women needn’t change their name in the passport after marriage’, said Prime Minister Modi only the other day. This statement was received with mixed emotions. Some cheered for it, calling it progressive. Others dismissed it, for married women in India had always had that choice.

True, one did always have that choice. Along with the option of adding one’s husband’s name to the passport – at their own discretion – without having to submit any supporting documentation. Not even the marriage certificate.

I wasn’t aware of any of this, till I was actually inside that Passport Seva Kendra, last week, just days before the announcement.

So, the general reaction only points out to the confusion and long entrenched prejudices in our minds about cumbersome procedures, endless paperwork, red tape and corruption that we have long come to associate with Government Departments.

We couldn’t be more wrong.

Those were the exact steps I followed and I had my new Passport in hand, on day three.

The documents required are limited and straight forward too. A copy of your passport- if its a renewal, a supporting document if you are applying for any changes in your personal details (which I did) & a copy of the application form submitted online.

I admit I was apprehensive myself, not knowing where to go once I entered the office. So, I just decided to follow the crowd and stick it out. Once I got to the first counter, it was only a matter of seconds before my documents were sorted & I was told what exactly was needed. Thanks to the tiny cafe that doubled up as a Xerox centre in the corner of the same room, my documents were in order and I was back at the counter. Before I knew it, my file had been processed. All I needed to do was keep an eye on the screen and move from one counter to the next, as the token number assigned to me flashed on it. In 20 minutes, I was past 3 counters and out with my old cancelled passport and an sms waiting for me on my phone, with all the details of my file and a link to track its status.

& here I am happy and super impressed with the Government of India and the Passport Seva Kendra.

There were of course the usual people complaining to stand in a queue, creating a ruckus, threatening to complain against the system and the employees. But, if you ask me, this particular Passport Seva Kendra that I went to, was manned by friendly, helpful and super efficient staff.

Did you know, that on an average over 3000 passports are issued in our country everyday under Tatkal?!

So I say, from experience, all that you need to get your passport fast and easy, is the attitude.

Useful Links

Official Passport Seva Website http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/welcomeLin

Begin your Online Application
https://portal2.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/user/RegistrationBaseAction?request_locale=en

Download, Fill & Upload, eForm
http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/online/downloadEFormStatic

List of Documents Required
http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/docAdvisor/attachmentAdvisorInp

Happy travels!

PS: This is just my way of saying thanks to the Government of India & those who work for it and spreading some positivity.

April 16, 2017
Nagunur Ruins: Lost in Time

Less than three hours from Hyderabad, the district of Karimnagar in Telangana is peppered with numerous lesser-known forts and ancient ruins, making it the ideal day trip destination. Not yet over run with tourists, here you can happily explore at your own pace.

Home to a cluster of Kalyana and Kakatiya temple ruins, Nagunur is one such village in Karimnagar. Once the centre of the Kakatiya Empire, it is today but a tiny village lost in time. With these temples at its heart, it does not take but more than ten minutes to traverse through this entire village!

The most significant among these temples – from the 12^th century – is the Trikuta Temple built by the Chalukyas of Kalyani.

Though constructed in the same style as the Manthani temple, it is in much better shape today, with the three shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva showing evidence of continuing worship.

Explorers Guide

Getting There: Nagunur is 260 kilometers from Hyderabad and the drive via NH44 through Outer Ring Road will take around three and a half hours.
Best Time to Visit: Monsoons. With the rain clouds as a backdrop, these ancient temples look serenely beautiful.

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Read More on Temples in Telangana

Town of Hymns: Manthani
Of Rocks & Hidden Temples: Armoor
South India’s City of Moksh: Alampur
A Song of Stone: Dichpally Ramalayam

April 12, 2017
The Great Living Chola Temples – Vol I: Brihadeeswara Temple

In and around Thanjavur are The Great Living Chola Temples, three temple complexes dating back to the 11^th and 12^th centuries. Built by the Cholas, who were undoubtedly one of the most powerful monarchies of South India that ruled for over four and a half centuries, all of these ancient temples are ‘living temples’ – classified as such by UNESCO on their World Heritage List – in the sense that the pattern of worship and rituals established over a thousand years ago continue as is, to this day.

Thanjavur, mostly known for the Tanjore (Thanjavur) Paintings that are unique to this region, is home to the first of these Great Living Chola Temples. Locally known as the Big Temple, this is the Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur. The grandest of the three.

As the region passed on from the Cholas to the Nayaks and then to the Marathas over the centuries, a few additions were made to the temple complex, from protective fort walls to murals and minor temples. One such are the beautiful frescos painted onto the ceiling of the Mandapam housing the massive 25 tonne monolithic Nandi, mount of Lord Shiva or Brihadeeswara, as he is in this temple.

& this particular mural is undoubtedly reminiscent of the famous Tanjore Paintings, all it needs is a little touch of gold!

Everything about this temple is big. The 20 feet Nandi, the 15 feet Dwarapalakas guarding the entrances, the 216 feet Vimana towering over the Sanctum Sanctorum that has to be two storeyed to house the huge Shiva Lingam (lingam form of the presiding deity).

The Vimana built over a base tier of two levels rises to dizzying heights, carrying on it an octagonal stone Shikhara which itself weighs 81 tonnes.

Ancient inscriptions refer to this Vimana as Dakshina Meru, implying it to be Mount Meru of the South or Maha Meru, Lord Shiva’s mountain abode.

It is said that a special ramp was constructed to carry the Shikhara up, to install on the Vimana, from a site six kilometres away and that more than a thousand elephants were required in the construction of this temple. Which is probably one of most the magnificent of Indian temples.

In fact, the city of Thanjavur itself was created with the deliberate intention of establishing it as a Bhakti centre. So, here is this impressively massive Big Temple at its heart and radiating out from it is the city, growing in concentric circuits starting from the inner quadrangle of the temple.

A colonnade of sandstone columns run all along the inner perimeter of the temple forming a circumambulatory path or Prakara. Though the Prakara itself dates back to the original construction, the 108 Shiva Lingas set against the stunning backdrop of beautiful murals painted on these stone walls are a 16th century addition.

The main temple itself occupies the rear half of the inner quadrangle, while two colossal Gopurams (gates) – Keralaanthagan & Rajarajan – into which are carved monolithic stone sculptures, lead the way.

Exemplifying the pure Dravidian style of architecture, these Chola Temples are not significant not just archaeologically but culturally as well. For it is believed that the Cholas built their temples not just as places for their people to get together and pray but to serve as epicentres of economic activity.

No trip to Thanjavur would be complete without witnessing these marvels of workmanship. The sheer size of these temples will cause you to wonder, muse on the scale at which affairs of state were once carried out!

The other two temples which together with the Big Temple form this unique group of living temples are the Brihadeeswara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavateswara Temple at Darasuram.

Explorers Guide

Getting There: Begin your day trip with the Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur, drive on to the Airavateswara Temple, Darasuram, making a quick pitstop for lunch along the way on this 37 Kilometres stretch. Complete the circuit with the Brihadeeswara Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The 72 Kilometres drive from here, back to Thanjavur will take around 2 hours.

PS: Here is a super shaky video of a few of the brilliant murals in the Prakara.

Decided to add this here to the post, inspite of it being such a terrible attempt at shooting video because, I do want to share with you atleast a glimpse of the natural dye frescos that are such a fine example of ancient Indian artistry.

April 2, 2017