My India Trip
Photographs from my recent India trip
I was in India for three weeks in April, 1996
(yes, election time, although the usual
carnival atmosphere was lacking, thanks to Seshan).
In the interests of faster loading, I haven't put
the photographs directly on this page. You can
bring them up by clicking on the links within the
text. Each of the photographs is about 60K.
Rajapalayam
Since Rajapalayam is where my parents live, here
is a rather uninteresting picture of the
three of us together.
Rajapalayam is famous for
its dogs but scared of Seshan, even they stayed indoors.
Consequently, I went photographing
banyan trees.
Their proverbial shade came in handy too.
This is the view from my house
. The mountains in the distance are the Kodai
hills. Across from them is Kerala. These hills are
the main reason why the Southwest monsoon doesn't
bring any succor to my part of the country. We are
in the rainshadow ...
Close to Rajapalayam is Srivilliputtur, a
temple famous for its
carvings. The gopuram is covered with thatch so that
renovations can be carried out. The hills in the
distance are the Kodai hills, as I have already
mourned.
Devakottai
Devakottai is my anscestral town i.e. my
ancestral home (my
great-grandfather's home) is there. There are
three kattus or sections. What you see
is the first. Through the door, you can see the
second and third. Each of the kattus has a courtyard
that is covered in thatch and decorated for special
events.
My mother's maiden home is also there -- at my
grandparents'
puja spot , with my
uncle and two cousins.
A Marriage
I went to Devakottai
for the marriage of one of my close
friends. This is the wedding
procession to the place where the marriage is going
to take place. When we reach there, the bride's
family welcomes the groom .
The actual ceremony then
takes place. The painting in the background
depicts the marriage of Rama and Sita in the
Ramayana . The gist of the ceremony
is the mangalsutra ,
a necklace with a symbolism similar to that of the wedding
ring.
This has nothing to do with India: the heart of
Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia.
The mosque is situated at the confluence of two
rivers. I was in KL for twelve hours, sitting out a
transit.
Drop me an email: lakshman@nssl.noaa.gov
My homepage: Lakshman
