Temple Trail- a Quest for Cultural Identity
It’s time for the A-Z Challenge again- a month full of crazy fun and learning.
I’ve down poems the last two
years, and this year is going to be no different. Yet, the theme for this year
is something that has become close to me in recent times.
Ancient architecture has always
fascinated me, though my inclination was towards European structures for a
long, long time. Coming across the marvelous temple architecture from my land,
India has been an eye-opener. Imagine using a chisel and hammer centuries ago
to carve breathtaking sculptures.
I found life in temple
architecture, pulsing with divine energy and serenity, even if the broken
pillars lay abandoned in ruins. From being someone who declared there wasn’t a
need to go to a temple, I became a person who craves to visit all the ancient
and not-so-ancient Hindu temples in the country and the world. Guess it was
good that the pandemic brought restrictions with it and saved my already weak
bank account.
Following social media accounts
such as Lost
Temples, Vertigo Warrior, Desi
Thug, Kashmiri Pandit, Reclaim
Temples, and others, opened doors to a world I was more than ready to
embrace.
Yes, I love my temples.
Yes, I want them freed from
greedy clutches.
Yes, I am PROUD of my heritage.
I no longer believe in degrading and insulting my culture to earn brownie
points. I can bake my own brownies, thank you very much.
My temple trail for April is an
attempt to travel across the country in search of some ancient, monumental,
ignored, destroyed, rebuilt, and even relatively new temples. Every place has
its history, its Purana.
Some make us smile, some make us
cry, and some instill hope. My collection is just a drop in the vast ocean. I
haven’t even touched 2% of the temples on my land. But I did try to pick at
least one for every alphabet.
If you’re wondering how poetry
fits into the picture, it’s simple.
Each poem would talk about the
temples and their heritage associated with the alphabets. I’ll be mentioning
the sources for my data at the end of each post.
I hope my series helps you know
more about the land that was here long before any of us were born and decided
we were worthy of her. She may be the ground beneath our feet, but she is the
one that lets us stand tall and look at the sky. The least she deserves is
respect for enduring the ravage unleashed upon her for centuries.
Join me in my Temple Trail- a Quest for Cultural Identity
P.S: A gentle yet firm request to atheists and intellectuals who wake up when it’s convenient- my posts are NOT for you. If you have nothing good to say, stay away. In a secular country, I have the right to practice my religion without others telling me what to do.
Great theme, I'm looking forward to seing your photos andread your poetry.
ReplyDeleteMy 2021 AtoZ Reveal
Thank you, Frederique. It's so nice to see you again. Seems like the year just flew by! :)
DeleteThis is such a great theme.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for coming up with it.
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter - Theme Reveal - The Great War
Though not religious myself, I do love the history and the temples from the past, so will enjoy this theme I'm sure. Look forward to learning a lot, good luck with the challenge :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Iain Kelly. Wishing you the best of luck for the challenge. :)
DeleteWhat an interesting topic... Though not religious I love history and ancient architecture ... Would love to read ...
ReplyDeleteThank you, girl. :)
DeleteHey Sri. I'm a history buff and love to see it through books and stories and architecture.
ReplyDeleteI'm so looking forward to your posts.
Loved your poetry last year.
Hugs. xx
Hello Arti,
DeleteThank you so much. <3
Hugs