SLICE OF HISTORY- GURUDWARA FATEHGARH SAHIB, SIRHIND

This historic Gurudwara located at Fatehgarh Sahib, Sirhind in the Indian state of Punjab is steeped in tragic  history. It was built to commemorate the martyrdom of two younger Sahibzadas (sons)  Baba Fateh Singh 9 and Baba Zorawar Singh 7, of Guru Gobind Singh ji- the 10th and last Guru of Sikhs. The two tender hearts were bricked alive in 1704 by the  orders of then Mughal Governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan for refusing to embrace Islam.The wall where the execution took place has been preserved inside the main Gurudwara and is known as Gurudwara Bhora Sahib.- Wikipedia.

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Hubby and I had a deeply felt spiritual experience when we visited the place  last week . Sitting with  Sangat ( other visitors) in the Langar hall, to eat community lunch was memorable.

M is for Monument: Religious monument.

The main Gurudwara.

The covered entrance to the main Gurudwara.

Another view of the historic Gurudwara.

The  langar  building ( free kitchen) where devotees sit on mats spread on the floor to partake community  meals.

The arched entrance to the free kitchen named after tenth Guru's mother Mata Gujri.

The Fort like construct  was named as Thanda Burj ( cool Fort) where Mata Gujri along with her two grandsons was confined in extreme cold weather as a punishment. When Mata Gujri learnt about the sad news of the martyrdom of her younger grandsons, she collapsed. --Wikipedia.

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SPRING HUNT YIELD

I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time. Robert Browning
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Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts.
- Sigmund Freud



Throughout the week, I's on the look out for some lovely spring specimens. However, I'd only venture out today.  My search brought some rewards.

'L' is for learning lessons:

Flowers give us life lessons of hope, patience and perseverance. As in cycle of seasons, so it is with with life and its occasional sufferings, nothing remains for ever.

My  neighbor's garden had this gorgeous beauty waiting to be captured.

 Morning sun  dazzles on the yellow rose in the park.

 Standing erect. Perhaps on guard duty.

 How the bottle brush blossoms compete with our material ones in looks.

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I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time. Robert Browning
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/spring.html

I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time. Robert Browning
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/spring.html

POT POURRI OF SPRING BLOOMS

Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' Robin Williams
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Spring is nature's way of saying "let's party."   Robin Williams

Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' Robin Williams
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/spring.htmlpring is

Spring resides in an extraordinary kingdom. It is generous as it enriches the environment with generous beauty and magnificence. It is nature's bridal trousseau. It signals hope, joy and  positive affirmations.

I hit upon this spring bonanza simply by chance. Like sweet serendipity. Not from some extensive garden or some gorgeous park, but from the horse's mouth,  as they say. In fact, the captures are from a local nursery, where we went to buy sod for relaying our lawn.The colorful visual narrative there, was mesmerizing. I clicked and I clicked.

Sharing some selected ones from the collection.

    

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MARCH IS DIFFERENT

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

March is half way through and I find its features worth observing. It has distinct and significant qualities. For instance, it has elegance built into it. For one it ushers the much awaited change in weather. Finally, winter’s grueling months are over. We keep aside layers of clothing and heavy woolens. We for once breathe freely the fragrant breeze of March. Here comes spring’s wagon laden with the most loved nature’s blessing. Days become windy and lots of fragrance inundates the environment. Trees and vegetation sprout new tender leaves. Flowers vie with each other to bloom beautifully and mesmerize the on looker.

You take a walk and in most backyards, you witness the riot of color catching your attention. Blades of grass, which were hidden under the soil battered by cold, sneak out in their fresh green avatar. Sometimes an unexpected shower nourishes the tender vegetation and brings joy and happiness to plants. It is cloudy for a couple of days. You look up to see white patches of clouds making gorgeous patterns in the sky.

The dryness of winter disappears. Our skin feels smooth and naturally rejuvenated. March remains more or less sunny and yet it retains the nip in the air. Light woolens give comfort in the mornings and evenings. You still snuggle in the quilt at night.

Birds chirp cheerfully and romp about on the branches of trees. Squirrels seem to feel heavenly, while running races hidden in the spread of trees. Neem tree outside our house attracts birds for their special soirees.

 

Because February passes too quickly, March seems to be a very long month. It lingers. Its personality stands out, though.  It is comfortably warm but blowy.  Pleasant cool breeze plays with your face and hair.  You move out and your hairs swing in all directions.

Winter and autumn overlap in Punjab. As late as first week of March, some deciduous trees were still shedding leaves. Ground underneath the trees has sheets of crunchy dry leaves. Thankfully, it is over now.

On the other side, generous amount of pollen moves about in the atmosphere. People suffer from sneezes and mild fevers. It gives rise to bouts of allergies. However, everybody welcomes March for its bracing outdoor activities. March is different

On a rainy day the afterglow  of sunset lingered even at the late hour.


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DO YOU LIKE FLOWERS? HAVE A LOOK !

                             'Tis my faith that every flower
                              Enjoys the air it breathes!'        

                                                                              William Wordsworth




Wherever there are flowers my attention is caught up immediately. As if, I instinctively manage to look at the place, corner or anywhere, where these beauties shower their freshness and gaily spirit. Flowers  inspire, heal, create well being and symbolize boundless joy and hope.

These red flowers were beautifying the surroundings in Tamil Nadu's foothills near Kodaikanal where we stayed for a few days. Strangely enough they open up upwards.

This orange one was shyly looking down but winked at me in the park, close by our house.


A flower blossoms for its own joy.       Oscar Wilde

Sighted in somebody's small front garden  in Tamil Nadu.

This plant doesn't give flowers yet its leaves are fascinating.We were told by the locals that its leaves are used for cooking also.

Lovely combination of fresh green leaves and and bell shaped yellow blooms in Tamil Nadu!

 Bright red bloom looks like posing seductively in the park near by our house at Patiala.

A bed of yellow blossoms steeped in golden sunshine in Tamil Nadu.


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GOLDEN TEMPLE AMRITSAR: A PHOTOGRAPHIC TEMPLATE

“Sacred places are physical and geographic anchor points for our psychic and cultural imaginings, the stories we tell about ourselves, the world, and the relations between them.”
Adrian J. Ivakhiv


'Sri Harmandir Sahib (The abode of God) (Punjabi: ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ), also Sri Darbar Sahib (PUNJABI: ਦਰਬਾਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ,  and informally referred to as the "Golden Temple" is the holiest Gurudwara of Sikhs, located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Amritsar (literally, the tank of nectar of immortality) was founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das. The fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan, designed the Harmandir Sahib to be built in the centre of this holy tank, and upon its construction, installed the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of Sikhism, inside the Harmandir Sahib. The Harmandir Sahib complex is also home to the Akal Takhat (the throne of the timeless one, constituted by the Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind). While the Harmandir Sahib is regarded as the abode of God's spiritual attributes, the 
Akal Takht is the seat of God's temporal authority

'The construction of Harmandir Sahib was intended to be a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to come and worship God equally.' Wikipedia.


'GOLDEN TEMPLE' complex has recently been renovated  with state-of-the -art infrastructure. 500m stretch around the temple has been widened. An elegant corridor around the Gurdwara has been put up. Flooring has been laid with beautiful tiles and the facade of close-by establishments have been done with terracotta stone color in tune with the new embellished look.

Visiting 'GOLDEN TEMPLE' on 17th Feb., 2017 was an exhilarating experience. Very different and unique. The grandeur is humbling. You become  part of the sea of humanity, lose yourself and blend with the aura of religiosity for a short period. Intoxicated by the religious fervor, the visitors seemed to be in a state of spiritual abandonment. It was like a melting point of rich-poor, high-low of multiple faiths, from all over the world. Nobody seemed to care who the other was. Everybody appeared to be suffused with an overwhelming feeling of inner devotional passion even amidst the noisy throngs of visitors. Young married couples ( girls wearing their traditional Churas- red ivory bangles) in a joyful togetherness added to the universality of reverence for the holy shrine.

The sanctum sanctorum and the rows of devotees waiting for their turn to pay  obeisance.

Throngs of people doing parikarma ( going around) of the holy sarover (tank).

 Another view of the Darbar Sahib from the right side.

Darshani Deorhi ( entrance to the Sanctum Sanctorum)

The sacred AKAL TAKHAT- the symbol of temporal authority.

In the middle of this structure is one of the gates to the complex, adorned with magnificent domes

                                  Hubby and me  in the holy precincts.                      


The authorities have established a corridor around the complex to make  the surroundings look more graceful and representative of Punjabi culture and heritage.


 

Above young girls enjoying KIKLI.   'It is more of a sport than a dance for young girls. Two girls stand face to face, close to each other and hold their hands, crossing arms, their bodies inclined back. In this positio,n their arms are stretched to the maximum and hands interlock firmly. Then they wheel round fast and continuously, with their dupattas floating in the air and anklets making tinkling sounds. The other ladies encourage them to go faster and faster by singing songs and clapping. Sometimes it is done by four girls. The folk songs related to the dance have much variety.' Behind them, two girls are doing GIDHA Punjabi folk dance of women.

Friends, I also used to participate in this sport with my bubbling young friends in the long past old days.

FIGURINES carved out of black marble showing young men dancing to BHANGRA tunes. Note the mirthful couple clicking the selfie.

The drummer to whose beats BHANGRA is performed.

High on the pedestal is the statue of great MAHARAJA Ranjit Singh, the last Sikh ruler of Punjab before it was annexed by the British.

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TRAVEL TALES AND TREATS

“Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure.” – Irving Wallace

'BAHRI BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY'

              F is for  ' Future perfect'

Spotlessly clean and wide inner road overlooking the hills.

Traveling is  a treat. It feeds your wanderlust. It enables you to weave tales in your life experiences. It enriches your memory bank. It ennobles your consciousness to see the world as a pulsating entity. You amble about exploring new horizons, taking in surprising experiences. Your creative juices rejuvenate. Amazing ideas fuel your imagination. Excitement and childlike urge to enjoy takes over. Not only this, the natural beauty of the place, you choose to visit mesmerizes your senses. Your inner voice exclaims, “Oh, there is so much of grandeur and heavenly repose here. Is it of this world? Yes, it is here and now, but hidden from the world." Such experiences are the stuff of inspiring tales. For a few days, at least you forget the mundane monotony and rejoice in the bandwagon of delight and freedom.

 

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Many times, you plan a tour with some specific purpose. Other times you wish to move out of your comfort zone. You welcome a short period of continuous adaptability and challenges in new environs. Unexpected situations, you face in plenty. Sudden encounters replace the status quoits mindset.

Every travel experience carries a reservoir of new terrains. If you are capable of, you can share them with the world and spread joy through your narration.

.......

Another view of the stunning hills.

By the way, my outing this time had both elements. Some purpose and a desire to leave home for some days and come back with renewed energy. My destination after due recce on the net zeroedin on a place called ‘BAHRI BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY’ in TAMIL NADU. It is one of the large states of Southern India. The particular place stands about 95 KM from the temple town Madurai.

 

Here the purpose was to find a retirement community, where the weather is wholesome throughout the year. We desired  a  place of peace and tranquility, far from the maddening bustle of urban life. An escape, from the extreme weather conditions of our home state Punjab.

A landscaped area (the work is only in the initial stages yet.)

My boyfriend/ dearest hubby and I reached this beautiful place late one night. Next morning opened large vistas of beatitude all around us. It came out to be a retirement community with a difference. Marvelous as it is, it also happens to be the only one in India of its kind. Nestled in the foothills, with its vast open spaces, wide roads and breezy climate, it is a paradise of sorts. Panoramic view of the hills on three sides is breathtaking. Coconut and banana plantations charm in their stately presence. It is like a dreamland.

The boulevard like  magnificence of the entry point.

The sun rise looks like a magic so near. Photo capture from the front verandah of our unit.( not visible here.)

Another inner road with cute looking villas on both sides.

My photographs of this place express the splendor, no words can do. Pl. click on the pics to see the larger view.

Friends,welcome here as always!

To be continued:

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