The 'Thrissur Pooram' this May.

The ‘Pooram Nakshatram’ day in ‘Medam’ – Malayalam month, which coincides with months of April and May, is the most auspicious day and the most awaited day in Thrissur (also known as Trichur) as Thrissur witnesses the biggest Hindu festival of Kerala which lasts for almost 48 hours nonstop – the event commencing at 7am on the 1st day.

The whole city of Thrissur is decorated with flowers and blinking serial lights from the day before the ‘Thrissur Pooram’ and everyone seems to be gearing up for the festival as they are involved directly or indirectly in the celebrations. The ‘Thrissur Pooram Paraphernalia’ comprising the gold ornaments of the Elephants is displayed for public CMS School Compound. This is the closest you get to these ornaments to appreciate them as it is hardly possible on the Pooram day.

Temples in Thrissur are to be specially visited on these 2 days of the festivals as they are decked up like never before. They make an amazing sight.

But the highpoints of the ‘Thrissur Pooram’ – who are called the show-stoppers who steal the limelight and for whom the whole city of Thrissur along with people from other parts of Kerala and India as well as some foreigners and of course countless media persons assemble along their walkway are the regal Elephants! About 100 Elephants are decked up in gold ornaments and paraded through the city of Thrissur royally to the incessant and rhythmic drumming and fireworks. Countless percussion instruments follow the Elephants throughout the parade. 300 music performers perform the ‘Melam’ for 2 continuous hours during the day which will just transport you to a different world.

This Elephant parade is like no other in the whole world and this is the closest you could get to so many Elephants all at once. The mere sight of them bunched together – posing for a million clicking cameras from all directions will give you goosebumps as you get all stirred up emotionally.

On Thrissur Pooram, Thrissur city does not sleep. All Elephants are made to walk a set route in the city which ends up at the Vadakkunnathan Temple – an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Thrissur Pooram festival has been celebrated since 1798 and was started by Raja Rama Varma – also known as Sakthan Thampuran – the ruler of Cochin. With the launch of the Thrissur Pooram festival and a host of other Hindu festivals here, Thrissur became the culture-capital of Kerala. It was Maharaja Sakthan Thampuran who unified a dozen temples which were situated around the Vadakkunnathan Temple and organized a joint celebration of all these temples which became a mass festival and involved the whole city and ten other towns.

On the night of the first day of the Thrissur Pooram, the city of Thrissur dazzles with millions of multi-coloured lights which run over all the streets of the city and the skyscape will have no space to breathe with scores of fireworks lighting up the skies. No wonder then that of all the festivals in south India, Thrissur Pooram is known to be the most thunderous and the most spectacular festival ever with several lakhs attending.

Summer Festival in the Nilgiris!

Nilgiris Mountains beckon all the flower, fruit, spice, tea, boat-racing, vintage-cars, horses, dogs, sports, art lovers from all over the country to participate in the 16-day Summer Festival organized by the Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu during the second-half of May this year.

The District Capital of Nilgiris District – Ooty – a Hill Station at 7350 feet altitude in Tamil Nadu, is going to play host to the Summer Festival held in May where the Nilgiri Mountain Range is going to display its proud possessions in various shows held at various locales in Ooty and its environs.

 o   Flower Show: More than 150 types of imported and indigenous flowers would be put on display at the Botanical Garden in Ooty. Indian floral arrangements, Japanese floral arrangements, flower rangoli, Bonsai, vegetable carving are some of the many activities and competitions held here. The Flower Show tradition in Ooty has been in practice since 1896. A 2-day Flower Show would also be held at Kodaikanal in which florists from all over the country would participate.

o   Rose Show: More than 3000 types of Roses will bloom this May in Ooty to participate in the prestigious Rose Show which happens every summer.

o   Fruit Show: More than 25000 tourists visit the Sim’s Park in Coonoor to participate or view the tons of fruits on display – organized by the Department of Horticulture which has been in practice for more than 50 years.

o   Vegetable Show: The Nehru Park in Kotagiri is visited by more than15,000 people every summer for the Vegetable Show organized by the Department of Horticulture for 2 days. The Star attraction of this show every year is the depiction of the Map of India using red, yellow and green Capsicums.

o   Spice Show: Department of Horticulture organizes the Spice Show at Gudalur in the Nilgiris each year putting on display the immense wealth of spices that grow in the Nilgiri Mountains.

o   Dog Show: The third oldest Dog Club in India – the ‘South of India Kennel Club’ has been organizing the Dog Shows in Ooty at the Government Arts College Grounds for more than 107 years. You will get to see some of the best looking and well trained canines strut around in this show. The same event shall be held at Kodaikanal as well.

o   Boat Race & Boat Pageantry: The Ooty Lake will dazzle with countless boats which will all muster to participate in this century-old spectacular tradition of boat pageantry and competitions in Ooty. This is a jumbo crowd puller with tourists and natives of Bangalore, Chennai, Kerala and other nearby towns thronging to the Ooty Lake to see this event every summer. The Kodaikanal Hill Station would also host a boat-race organized by its Boats Club this may in its scenic Kodaikanal Lake.

o   Vintage Car Rally in Ooty is an interesting piece of the Annual Nilgiris Summer Festival where many vintage cars will drive around the main town of Ooty to display their antiquities.

o   A Marathon Race would be held in Ooty for the ‘fit and the fast’.

o   The Breeks HADP open-air stadium in Ooty will be the venue for the 9-day Summer Cultural Festival comprising dance, drama and music programs.

o   Hot-air balloon Show: In one of the largest ballooning events of India, scores of hot-air balloons shall fill the skies of Ooty in a colourful and elaborate display of hot-air balloons.

o   Amateur Photo Contest: Ooty is where all the photography-enthusiasts and amateurs get their chance to click and compete for a prize in the Summer Festival.

o   Painting Exhibition: Artists are invited to showcase their creativity in their paintings in the Painting Exhibition in Ooty.

 

o   Heritage Building Trek: You would be given a guided-tour of the great centuries-old Heritage Buildings of Ooty which throw insights into the history of these Mountains and Ooty in particular.

o   Eco-trekking: Where there are verdant mountains, there is eco-trekking and Ooty offers myriad such opportunities to explore and enjoy the natural lush green Mountains, valleys, forests and tea-gardens.

 

o   Catch-a-Fish Event: This amusing event shall be held in Kodaikanal during the last week of May this year.

o   Horse Competition: Kokaikanal which is famous for its horses would hold a competition for Horses this May.

o   Sports Competition: Kodaikanal District Sports Office would conduct sports competitions in hockey, football, volleyball and mini-marathon in Kadaikanal at the Bryant Park.

 You may not be allowed to dance atop the Nilgiri Mountain Railways 'Shahrukh Khan style'…..but you certainly can ride this steam-locomotive-turned-diesel-locomotive – one of the rare and few ‘toy trains’ of India while you climb up the Nilgiri Mountains for an interesting summer this May.

 

Mesmerising Gokarna

While everyone was rushing to Goa to escape the heat, we decided to explore Gokarna beach in Karnataka about 80 km from Goa. We reached the main junction, Hubli (160 km from Gokarna) and took a cab to Gokarna which was more comfortable than a bus. People coming from places like Bangalore can just drive down (500 km from Bangalore).

We were amazed when we reached the town through the beautiful Ghats and valleys of the Sahyadri mountain range. Gokarna is a unique combination of hills, valleys and a beach that is rare to find. The Gangavali River flows through the town. And the best part is it is still not commercial and crowded unlike Goa. A few tourists including foreigners generally visit during November to February.

There are many hotels in the town where accommodation is easily available. But a stay on the hill top and valley facing resorts is undoubtedly a better option. And they are not very expensive. Plenty of cabs and autos are available for transport.

There are three beaches in the radius of five kms – Om Beach (named so for its Om shape), Town Beach (in the heart of the town and hence a little dirty) and Kudle Beach (the most exotic beach one can find).  The drive to the beaches is amidst the hills and valleys and the serene lush green, clean and calm beaches are heavenly. You can do boating, fishing, play in the water or simply relax and hear the waves or watch the sunrise and sunset. The small walk towards the Kudle beach was unforgettable through the rocky slopes of the hills as though you are heading towards a water fall. The coconut and mango trees all around the beach added to its beauty.  There are restaurants near the beaches that have some amazing sea food. 

Although not very popular in the glorified list of beaches, yet it is one of the best beaches of the country in terms of serenity, cleanliness and natural beauty. An ideal family holiday destination and a getaway from city stress.

There are some ancient temples like – the over 500 year old Mahabaleshwar Temple (one of the Jyoti Lingas of Lord Shiva where the Linga is underground), Parvati Temple, Bhadrakali Temple, and Ganesh temple, Bharat Temple, Rama Temple, a holy Kund, and Shiva Temple etc. The temples are beautiful and believed to be very sacred.

The town is very small but really interesting with small houses belonging to the colonial and pre-colonial construction that is worth having a look. People are very humble and helpful that makes the stay very comfortable. Food is good with a lot of options and quite economical. Not much of shopping to do except for some western clothes and shell jewellery. There are some nearby tourist spots like water falls, ancient temple etc. about 90 km from Gokarna. 

Birthday of Blue-eyed Buddha !

Did you know that before he became a spiritual leader on whose teachings ‘Buddhism’ was founded, Lord Buddha was originally called Siddhartha Gautama who was born to a Kshatriya King of the ‘Sakhya’ Kingdom? 

Did you know that Lord Buddha was a trained Military Warrior since birth?

Did you know that Lord Buddha was a very strong man who was said to have possessed the ‘32 Signs of a Great Man’?

Did you know that Lord Buddha was a blue-eyed handsome man with a very attractive face?

Well…..now you do.

But the most sacred Buddhist Festival – the 'Buddha Purnima' or the 'Buddha Jayanti' marks and celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha and his Spiritual achievements each year on May 6^th.

Buddha Purnima commemorates 4 significant events in the life of Lord Buddha:

1.    His birth in 623 BC at Lumbini.

2.    His Enlightment in 588 BC in Bodh Gaya.

3.    His attainment of ‘Nirvana’ at age 80 in Kushinagar.

4.    His very first sermon preached at Sarnath.

Each year, the followers of Buddhism – though not necessarily all Buddhists, embark upon ‘Buddha Pilgrimage’ spanning across Nepal and India.

The 4 places to visit on Buddha Purnima are:

1. Lumbini in Rupandehi District, Nepal.
2. Bodh Gaya in Gaya District, Bihar State, India.
3. Kushinagar in Kushinagar District, Uttar Pradesh State, India.
4. Sarnath near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh State, India.

Typically, on Buddha Purnima, the Teachings of Lord Buddha on Peace, Compassion and Universal Brotherhood are preached at the various Buddhist Gompas; Stupas and Monasteries all over the world. Buddhists also engage in feeding and clothing the underprivileged on Buddha Purnima.

Other major places where Buddha Purnima is celebrated in a large scale in India are:

1.    Shey Buddhist Monastery in Leh, Jammu and Kashmir.

2.   Namgyal Monastery near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

3.    Japanese Peace Pagoda in Darjeeling, West Bengal.

4.   Sanchi Stupa in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh.

5.    The Great Stupa of Nalanda, Bihar.

You may not be a Buddhist but you certainly believe in Buddhism if you believe in the following quotes which were preached by Lord Buddha and date back to 588 BC.

·         We are shaped by our thoughts - we become what we think.

·         There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

·         You will not be punished for your anger. You will be punished by your anger.

·         Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

·         It is better to travel well than to arrive!

Cheers to that !!