Bahubali's search for truth ended in Paudanapura, where he was frozen in meditation. Chamundaraya's search for the golden statue in the mythical land ended in Shravanabelagola, where he erected a gigantic staue in the likeness of his vision. Endless pilgrims start their spiritual journey from the footsteps of the gentle giant atop the Vindhyagiri. Ascent is a prayer here. Naked monks with peacock feathers overtake obese pilgrims on the hewn stone steps. Lean men with 'dolis' wait for passengers to carry up and down the hill. Priests with red turbans straight from history wait for devotees w [View Full Entry]

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Vendors and porters were waiting for the morning bus from Shimoga. They climbed over it through the rear ladder and the window sills as they were just boarding it. Travellers wait for sacks of vegetables to be unloaded at the local market. Some do a quick shopping while others take a stroll. As the marketplace comes to life, the bus resumes its winding journey through the Ghats. Jog Falls is not in its spirits. Monsoon is already over and the hydro-electric project upstream has reined in its remaining power. Still, this 292-metre waterfalls, famed as Asia's highest, is simply irresistible. [View Full Entry]

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A group of anxious devotees wait for the word from god. Three men, who would soon be god, stand before the deity. Their faces powdered with turmeric and the tip of their long knives covered with lemons. Another devotee jumps up and down the steps frantically. Monkeys look on as the hysteria mounts. "Annaney koopidu, Annaney koopidu…", a woman screams for an oracle. Others join the chorus. An elderly woman gives them instructions. Most of the men have shaved heads and anointed themselves with turmeric. Annan is Azhakar, the local deity after whom this village, 10 km off Madurai, is [View Full Entry]

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Three days of rain have painted the delta green. But vast expanses of abandoned paddy field present the real picture: the eternal misery of rural Tamil Nadu. Random blocks of vegetable crops stand out. Farmers have been waiting for the Cauvery to flow and the clouds to open up, for long. Tamil filmdom has just forced itself into a gesture for farmers. But a day after matinee idol Rajnikanth's public fasting in Chennai to counter director Bharati Raja's chauvinistic allegations on the Cauvery issue, farmers in the delta are busy harvesting whatever the sky has yielded. Water, for them, is n [View Full Entry]

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As Saptagiri Express nears the seven sacred hills, pilgrims stretch to look at the parade of temples fleeting by the windows. They prepare themselves for the altitude of piety as the train halts at Tirupati. Though we decided on this trip only last night, Ganesh has been planning it since his father was diagnosed with cancer. The road from the railway station's entrance leads to a temple, with many to follow until the journey ends at the famed Venkateshwara temple on Tirumala 3,200 feet above sea level. Flower vendors and Hanuman lookalikes heckle visitors. Offerings for the god wait for c [View Full Entry]

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