Saturday, March 21, 2020

Colorful India

I happened to visit Kunkeshwar Mandir on 1st Jan 2020.  Actually, it was an unplanned trip and I ended up being there. It was my long time wish to visit this temple and somehow it got manifested.

This article was lingering in my mind in bits n pieces somehow I did not take out time to be in the solitude. Today, as a precautionary measure against the corona virus I am at home. Today we had an interaction with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar ji through Instagram, in which he mentioned that all the nice poems, writing, discoveries, and even great movies happen only in the solitude.
After hearing this wisdom from him, I managed to overcome my urge to see the half n hour TV and got back to the writing.
Yes, it is amazing, how the words emerge from that peculiar space effortlessly n spontaneously when you are in that zone. Meditation, being with Nature is the key to get into that space or zone. Then life becomes spontaneous and in-fact spontaneity is life. As Gurudev also mentioned that the entire life is so vibrant n full of mysteries just we need to learn to tap to the right source.

Coming back to the article,
Kunkeshwar is a nice temple situated on the western sea shore. The mandir is very serene and very energetic. We can smell the Konkan flavor in the surrounding atmosphere.


After taking darshan of Lord Kunkeshwar around 8pm, while going back to the hotel I came to know from Villagers that there will be Dashavatara play in the night around 9:30PM and we decided to attend it. After having food we took a nice walk to reach the venue. The air, the smell of mango flowers (mohar) was amazing during the stroll.
At the venue, a Satyanarayan Pooja was performed. The Pooja mandir was beautifully made out of coconut leaves and banana stems with small intricacies.


People were already gathered for the Dashavatara play, right from kids, youngsters, adults, and older ones, all with the bubbling enthusiasm. There was a sense of belongingness in the crowd. As the play started Ravana came in the ferocious form. It was quite entertaining. Some of the photos and clips I am putting for you.




It was so amazing to see this culture. Maybe the same play happens over year n year, but the enthusiasm and participation of the actors were appreciable. And I also think the people watching it learn each time something new out of the play.  Life is very ancient yet it is always new. This tradition must be preserved. It should not get lost in the so-called modern technological world. Every Indian village has its own unique tradition.

It's amazing that India is so rich in culture and it is very beautiful and its beauty has many colors. I suppose no other country in the world has it. If you travel from North India to South India or East to West you will see such a diversity in nature, climate, people, architecture and of-course food. India is so unique country which is surrounded by snowy mountains like Himalayas, desert, and sea also.  And something special which is holding up India together is spirituality and values which is the core of every Indian village. I think everyone should be Proud of Our Country and take every effort to make it more beautiful.

The next day again spent with Lord Kunkeshwara and the beach with beautiful Sunset in the lap of Nature.