travels through india - karnataka - part six

Stumbled into a small temple, enclosure. If it wasn't for the red, I would have walked on.

Sacred vermillion at the feet of Vishnu. Belur Temple, Karnataka. Few hours out of Bangalore.

travels through india - karnataka - part six

If you are driving to anywhere in India, you can never miss them. Silent under brilliant skies.

En route to Atigundi/Kemmanagundi. Few hours out of Bangalore.

travels through india - karnataka - part five

And then the spaceship landed. I ignored history to capture the extra-terrestrial light. The umbrella, someone told me, is not really as old.

Found at the Dancing Hall. Belur Temple.

travels through india - karnataka - part four

Adorned with sacred vermillion, saffron and the industrialised coloured powder, these are the feet of Vishnu.

travels through india - karnataka - part one

For the last one month, I have been trying to make the weekends count. Away from telemarketers, bills, clients, artworks and the sickness of city life. And when you are presented moments like these, it all becomes so worth it.

This is the gateway of the ancient Belur Temple. On the way to Kemmanagundi. A few hours out of Bangalore.

might - journey through uttarakhand vol, 8

And then suddenly you become insignificant. Your job becomes dispensable. You become small. Without a name. Without a face. Without a past.

Nanda Devi and Trishul. As seen from the Forest Guest House, Kausani.

silence - journey through uttarakhand, no. 7

Kausani. 6.15 am. The first rays of sunlight hit Trishul. The sky goes mad. I stand a mere thirty miles away. Shivering in my pajamas.



Kausani. A little later. I forgot how cold I was.

View of Trishul and Nanda Devi from Forest Guest House, Kausani.

life lines - a journey through uttarakhand, # 6

I forget my name. Yeah, it's.. Joshi. Devidutt Joshi. I take care of this Forest Guest House. For years now. What? You need a heater..? Sorry. The fuse is shot. I can light a fire though. In my hut. If you are interested. Er...you are hungry? Food is out. My neighbour killed a lamb today. I cooked some stew. And will be more than happy to share it with you. Uh...is that a camera? Will you take a photograph..? It's for my daughter.

Thank you.

Devidutt Joshi is the caretaker at the Forest Guest House in Kausani. He lives alone and complains about the apathetic forest dept. He smokes a lot. He talks a lot. And is very concerned about global warming.

enter - a journey through uttarakhand, pg 5

First impressions at the Forest Guest House in Kausani. It was 5 degrees and the sun was welcome. Not everywhere though.

peek - journey through uttarakhand, page 4

The morning sun felt good. The shivering had subsided and had paled into an ocassional whimpering twitch. A warm cup of tea later, one felt the need to explore the environs a little. The curtains were pulled back. The cigarette was lit. The stubborn latch dispensed with, the windows were thrown back. Deep breath.

Scene from window at Ranikhet Guest House.

holy - journey through uttarakhand, page three

They say if you want your wish to come true, you need to tie a bell at the door. At the deserted temple in the middle of the forest. Excited, I scouted around for an hour and a half.

Where's a bell-seller when you need one?

Jhula Devi Temple. Ranikhet.

a little blue - journey through uttarakhand, chapter two

The journey from Kathgodam to Ranikhet was littered with stray thoughts of home. And the people who used to inhabit it. The distance was overwhelming. I was longing for a conversation. As if on cue, the driver launched into a detailed geographical account of our surroundings. Peppered with local myth. I kept quiet and stared out of the window for the remainder of the journey.

En route to Ranikhet from Kathgodam. Just after sunrise.

shiver - journey through uttarakhand chapter one

I wasn't prepared for the cold. Nor did I remember how demanding rail journeys can be. How bad the nightmares can get. Or just how agonizing it is to travel on a full stomach. After multiple, pathetic attemps to sleep (read: lie quiet and wait for death) I fished out the lens. And when the train slowly chugged in at a sleepy Haldwani, this is what I saw first.

5.03 am at Haldwani Railway Station. When the train slept.