We'd got up early in the morning at a half past 4, gone through the chores and were ready to go for our tryst with Lord Jagannath. The journey in the SUVs took us to the exit point of the temple, where all of us deposited our footwear at the cloak room and had a long walk to the eastern entrance of the temple for entry. The trick was nice because we would reach the point, plonk after the visit to the temple was completed. Was only bothered about the strain on Lekha, due to the protracted walking.
The arrangement had gone awfully awry. We were conjoined with the normal queue and boy, we were subjected to the worst kind of jostling when the devotees pushed each other to have a glimpse of their good Lord. Lekha, why me too, had a tough time to remain upright in the crowd and I was attired in a dhoti and an angavastram! Thank god, my clothes stayed in place and we went through the hustle and bustle of being in the long queue! My angavastram was retrieved by a lady and I was extremely grateful to her; I didn't even know that it had slipped off my body!!
We'd returned to the 'Empires' for breakfast after which the ladies went for shopping while we rested in the hotel itself and I could finish up the backlog of work on my laptop during the period. Went down by about 12 o'clock to be with the guys who were swimming in the inhouse swimming pool/ After a leisurely lunch, we'd set off in two buses to see the Sun Temple of Konark. After a two hour journey, we had reached our destination. Thirty years back I used to visit the Jagannath temple at Puri and the Sun Temple at Konark as part of my liaison duties for VVIPs visiting Chilka. While it was 'special darshan' at Puri, the Sun temple could be approached, as close to the monument, in vehicles then. Not anymore and rightly so; the vehicles are parked quite far away from it and it's a long trek subsequent to that.
The walk around was okay with us clicking a few photographs and soon after sunset, we witnessed the sound and light show that talked about the monument. It was almost an hour's programme preceded by high tea. Our return trip was comparatively a quiet affair and we were back at the hotel by 2100 hrs. A quick wash and change, followed by the evening's get together on the lawns with dinner, was the way the events had wound up for the day.
Tomorrow, it's gonna be an early day as we are slated to go for the 'mangal aarathi' of Puri Jagannath, hoping like mad that the crowd is gonna be less at a half past 4. I want Lekha to have a good darshan of Lord Jagannath.
Tailpiece.
Tomorrow, we are also slated to go to Chilka, where I'd spent a year and ten months on appointment prior to my marriage to Lekha and I couldn't take her then as I'd to report for the staff course at the DSSC, Wellington almost immediately. Is it destiny that has made this tryst a reality, ensuring that Lekha visited Chilka, 28 years later?
The arrangement had gone awfully awry. We were conjoined with the normal queue and boy, we were subjected to the worst kind of jostling when the devotees pushed each other to have a glimpse of their good Lord. Lekha, why me too, had a tough time to remain upright in the crowd and I was attired in a dhoti and an angavastram! Thank god, my clothes stayed in place and we went through the hustle and bustle of being in the long queue! My angavastram was retrieved by a lady and I was extremely grateful to her; I didn't even know that it had slipped off my body!!
We'd returned to the 'Empires' for breakfast after which the ladies went for shopping while we rested in the hotel itself and I could finish up the backlog of work on my laptop during the period. Went down by about 12 o'clock to be with the guys who were swimming in the inhouse swimming pool/ After a leisurely lunch, we'd set off in two buses to see the Sun Temple of Konark. After a two hour journey, we had reached our destination. Thirty years back I used to visit the Jagannath temple at Puri and the Sun Temple at Konark as part of my liaison duties for VVIPs visiting Chilka. While it was 'special darshan' at Puri, the Sun temple could be approached, as close to the monument, in vehicles then. Not anymore and rightly so; the vehicles are parked quite far away from it and it's a long trek subsequent to that.
The walk around was okay with us clicking a few photographs and soon after sunset, we witnessed the sound and light show that talked about the monument. It was almost an hour's programme preceded by high tea. Our return trip was comparatively a quiet affair and we were back at the hotel by 2100 hrs. A quick wash and change, followed by the evening's get together on the lawns with dinner, was the way the events had wound up for the day.
Tomorrow, it's gonna be an early day as we are slated to go for the 'mangal aarathi' of Puri Jagannath, hoping like mad that the crowd is gonna be less at a half past 4. I want Lekha to have a good darshan of Lord Jagannath.
Tailpiece.
Tomorrow, we are also slated to go to Chilka, where I'd spent a year and ten months on appointment prior to my marriage to Lekha and I couldn't take her then as I'd to report for the staff course at the DSSC, Wellington almost immediately. Is it destiny that has made this tryst a reality, ensuring that Lekha visited Chilka, 28 years later?
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