Blogs from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, Asia - page 6

I'm on my way today to Intern (volunteer overseas) for Child Haven International (CHI) at one of their eight orphanages in Asia. I will be volunteering at their home just outside of Hyderabad in a rural village of Kismatpur. The home houses ~145 kids and 20 women, all who have come from destitute situations. All of the kids who come to CHI, come under the age of 6 and generally have no family or the family is too poor to care for them or in some cases are handicap and can't. CHI keeps the child thru the completion of high school and works to train them so that they can get decent jobs in life. A few of the bright, overachieving kids, are selected to go on for higher education. All supported by generous donors across ... read more

OLD COUPLES YATRA TO HOLY HILLS (4) PRATHAMA NANDI : Of the nine Nandeeswara Temples, this is the fifth Nandi we visited after visiting the Naga Nandeeswara Temple situated in the Anjaneya Swamy temple. Kedareswara Devi is the consort of Prathama Nandeeswara in this temple. This temple is situated in a very wide area and the temple is reasonably big and very well maintained. This temple is very nearer to Nandyala Railway Station. As there was not any rush of pilgrims, we leisurely worshipped Prathama Nandeeswara and Goddess Kedareswari Devi. From there we proceeded to the temple of Sakshi Mallikarjuna Swamy situated at a distance of about 2 km from this temple and in the middle of Nandyala Town. SAKSHI MALLIKARJUNA SWAMY TEMPLE : It is said that pilgrims starting from Nandyal first visit this temple ... read more

After 2 years of living in India, my stay is coming to an end. As a first generation American, there has always been a tug of war between the traditional and the modern, the East and the West. As I’ve grown (more mentally than physically), I’ve learned to balance the two, which hasn’t always been so easy to do. These past 2 years in India have been an educational and cultural experience beyond my imagination. I’ve gained a deeper knowledge of my culture, developed a greater understanding of my parents’ idiosyncrasies, cultivated a new appreciation for my own personal space (3 feet in the U.S. has shrunk drastically to less than 3 inches in India :), learned to laugh at the ever-creative use of the English language, found a husband I adore, unleashed a fighting spirit ... read more

OLD COUPLES YATRA TO HOLY HILLS (2) 21st JANUARY, 2010 - Thursday. Enjoying the ride in the forest of Nallamalai, we reached Srisailam Guest House maintained by the Devasthanam by 2-00 p,m., crossing the Brdige across Patala Ganga Krishna River connecting Brahma Giri and Vishnu Giri. The Patala Gana, a very deep gorge, is formed between Brahma Giri, Vishnu Giri and Rudra Giri. Earlier it is the abode for Crocodiles. Before construction of the Dam, this area on Brahma Giri side is known as Lingala Gattu, where the Silas are known as Shiva Lingas which were taken and installed in several of the Shiva Temples in Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere. The Puranas say that Brahmagiri is the destroyed Chandragupta Nagar (historically said to be the grandson of King Samudra Gupta), whose daughter Chandravati worshipped Lord Mallikarjuna. ... read more

OLD COUPLES KASHI YATRA VIA KHAJURAHO (11). 16th October, 2007 - Wednesday. By 6 am we were ready and loaded our saman in the car by which time Shri G. Manohar came. We departed at 6-15 am along with G.Manohar who accompanied us upto the outskirts of Gaya. We slowly started our return journey. By 9 am we reached Barhi, a junction place for proceeding to Calcutta and to Hazaribagh. Actually we should have proceeded towards Calcutta to have the darshan of Dakshineswara Matha Kalika Devi. But it did not happen. We had our breakfast in Barhi and proceeded towards Hazari Bagh and Ranchi. Throughout our road journey in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jarkhand, Chattisgarh, and Orissa, we found the people are very co-operative and we never experienced any difficulty with them. The people ... read more