sushma

Murdeshwar In Karnataka Is Much More Than A Small Town

sushma · August 2, 2020

According to my dictionary, Travel means, “Go, Fly, Roam, Explore, Discover new things and experience fun thrilling adventures”. We all go for outings, sometimes we go to one same place again and again. That is great! But in my view, we all should bucket-list exploring one new place every single year. India is a beautiful country, and there is so much to explore. From historic places to temples to mesmerizing hill stations – India homes enough gems for you to explore every single time you decide to take a break from your hustled bustled life. Today I decided to share with you one such hidden gem – “Murdeshwar”.

Photo of ‘murdeswar temple’ by vivek raj under CC BY 2.0

Murudeshwar, much more than a small town….

Murdeshwar is one tiny town in the beautiful state of the south i.e. Karnataka. It is one of the best tourist places in the Uttar Kannada. There are various lord Shiva temples situated in India like Omkarnath, Somnath, Kedarnath, Trimbakeshwar, Bhimashankar, Kashi viswanath etc. Murdeshwar is another name of Lord Shiva. And Murudeshwar is mainly popular for for the world’s second tallest Shiva statue. Height of the statue is 123 feet and it took almost 2 years to build it.

Many devotees come to visit the divine murdeshwar temple and get blessed. One of the best things about the location of the Murdeshwar temple is that it is located near shore of the Arabian Sea. What is going to totally stun you is the grand entrance, something that can never fail to grab one’s attention. The two huge elephant idols look like they are welcoming each one of us. Talking about the interiors of the temple, trust me it’s worth watching. The 20 stories of gopura constructed at the temple is one of the major attractions here. The authorities of the temple have installed lift so that each one of us can enjoy the breath-taking statue of Lord Shiva from the peak of the Raja Gopura – this is a sight that is way more than amazing.

Murudeshwar – Link with Ramayana

Do you know what? Murdeshwar also has common story based on Ramayana. The Lanka king Ravana wanted to get immortality by gaining atma – linga. As Ravana was greatest devotee of lord Shiva, he underwent to Kailash for tapsya almost for centuries. Finally, one day Lord Shiva appeared and blessed him with atma- linga. The lord told him not to place the atma-linga on the ground, cause if it ever did then atma-linga would never leave that place. Ravana was very cautious while going back to lanka. During his journey one Brahmin boy interrupted and asked many questions about atma linga. Ravana decided to take brahmin boy with him in his journey. While doing Sandhya vandana Ravana asked help from the bramhin boy to hold the atma linga. Ravana instructed the boy to call out his name three times if he gets tired. Suddenly Ravana notice the atma linga was kept on the ground and Brahmin boy disappeared. Surprisingly that Brahmin boy was lord Ganesha. Ravana was with full anger tried to pull up from ground but atma linga did not shake and force of his attend the pieces of atmalinga fell nearby areas and around those pieces’ temple has been built. Interestingly, Murdeshwar is one of them.

Major attraction at Murdeshwar:

As I discussed above temple is located near seaside without beach our trip is incomplete and yes that is murdeshwar beach. You can get to see beautiful view of seashore which is very calm and has that perfect crystal-clear water. You can enjoy different types of water sports that are bound to make your trip full of fun.

If you an adventure lover and always crave for thrilling adventures, then do go for Scuba diving at the Netrani Island without fail. The Netrani Island is 20 kilometres away from Murdeshwar temple. Best time to visit this place begins from mid-September up to May end. You can book the tickets online or dive centre office located on the Murdeshwar main temple road.

How to reach:

You can travel to Murdeshwar by road and rail. Distance between Railway station and Murdeshwar temple is just 12km and the closest airport is Mangalore i.e. 150km away from murdeshwar.

Murudeshwar is considered as one of the best tourist destinations, guess that is the reason that it has been successfully been attracting many visitors all-round the year. So to be on the safer side do plan your trip well in advance.

Featured Photo of ‘Murdeshwar Temple, Karnataka’ by Lodo under CC BY-SA 2.0

Halad Chadawane And Halad Utarvane From The Pages Of A Maharashtrian Wedding

sushma · July 17, 2020

India is a beautiful country, the fact that it is home to so many different religions points out the fact that there are so many different types of festivals, celebrations, and rituals followed in different parts of our country. Even for weddings, there are innumerable types pf wedding rituals followed in our country which beautifully display the distinctness of each religion and its cultural values.

Marriage is one bond between tied between two people, a bond that signifies love and commitment, isn’t it? When two people tie knots with each other, it just does not tie the couple in an eternal bond but even their families who come together and accept each other’s customs and cultures. Today, I decided to pen down my thoughts on one of the most interesting wedding rituals – i.e. Haldi. I am sure you would be knowing about this in detail but this time I wanted to whiff on the Maharashtrian Special Haldi Ceremony!

Specifically, all Hindu’s follow this pre wedding ritual of Haldi Ceremony. The mixture of haldi, water and oil are applied to both the bride and groom on the morning of the wedding. Sometimes it is even applied a night before wedding, well that depends on culture they belong to. The haldi is believed to bless the couple before wedding and many Indian communities consider it as a shield that protects the newlyweds from any problems. There are different names of haldi ceremony like in Gujarati Culture it is called Pithi, Bengali – Gaye holud, Marwaries – Tel baan, Telegites – Pellikuthuru, Southern states – Arishinda kombu, Uttar kannada- Nandi and Maharashtrian – Halad Chadawane and utaravane

Halad Chadawane & Halad Utaravane – From my eyes

I was born and brought up in Mumbai the city of dream and grew up completely in Maharashtrian culture. Since childhood I have been surrounded with Marathi friends, hence I have a very close connection with the Maharashtrian culture. Born into a south-indian family, I share this very special soft corner for the Marathis and would proudly call myself a Maharashtrian from heart – Yes “Me Marathi”. I have attended many marriages of my Maharashtrian friends and I was always really amazed to watch very beautiful wedding rituals what they followed. Today I would like to share with you all one of my Marathi friend’s haldi function which I had attended long back. Among all other rituals I enjoyed the haldi function way too much.

Halad chadawane, that’s how the Maharashtrian’s call it. The memories of this ritual are precious and very emotional. Also, that day I came to know why this haldi ceremony is so important. The Maharashtrian haldi ceremony is held before the wedding day, haldi paste which is applied with mango leaves on the bride skin, helps the bride skin to glow on her wedding day and as I mentioned earlier it works as a protection shield that avoids any buri nazar. Same goes for the groom’s family, they hold a similar function at their home. Sometimes grooms leftover turmeric paste is taken for the bride and the same is applied to her.

Family, relatives, and special friends all are invited to join this fun-filled wedding function. Elders bless the bride and groom. In a Maharashtrian wedding once the halad chadhawane ritual is performed the bride and groom cannot step out from their home. It is one of the Shastra that they must follow strictly.

For the bride, this ritual is a very emotional capture when the mother applies haldi to her daughter and father watches her with teary eyes – this feeling cannot be expressed in words, all I can say is that this moment is very emotional, precious and unforgettable for every single daughter and her parents.

Surprisingly, while talking to my friends to dig more into this enthralling custom I came to know that Maharashtrians also follow the Halad Utaravane ritual. This was interesting, Halad Utaravane ritual is done on the next day of marriage. During this ritual, the bride and groom sit together and five married ladies (in Marathi called suvasinis) follow the same halad chadavane rituals in the reverse sequence.

Usually during halad chadawane the application of haldi to forehead, shoulders, and feet goes in reverse order. The same is again reversed in the hald utarvane. One suvasini holds a copper or silver water pot and pours little water while others are performing halad utaran. This ritual signifies that now the couple is free to go out and start their happy married life.

In The End…

I feel, in Indian marriages every single ritual has its distinct uniqueness and purity – In the end of which it brings in streams of endless happiness. I hope you all enjoyed reading about the Maharashtrian pre and post wedding ritual Halad Chadawane and Halad Utarvane.

Friends, If you like this article please do share and like… In Marathi : Article avadal asel tar nakki like kara ani share kara……. 🙂

Featured Photo of ‘The Haldi/Kumkum ceremony’ by athreya_krishna under CC BY 2.0

5 Best Places To Relish Vada Pav In Mumbai Nagri

sushma · June 11, 2020

I feel immensely proud to be a foodie…. Unquestionably, this makes me hungry the moment I talk or even think of food. And this brings me back to what I was thinking before I grabbed the notepad to pen my thoughts – i.e. Vada Pav!

Some cities have an amazing relationship with food especially Street food. For instance, Delhi famous for chole bhature, Bangalore Akki Roti, Hyderabad Mirchi bhajji, Rajasthan for their Daal Kachori and many more. And yes, when it comes to Mumbai! No mumbaikar can resist the very delicious, very affordable and savior of many hungers – The Vada Pav also known as Batata Vada.

Yes, being born and brought up in Mumbai, I have had countless numbers of Vada Pav in the city of dreams. Sadly, the Silicon Valley of India has failed to impress me with that one perfect recipe of Vada Pav.

What’s In The Vada Pav?

You may think it is just a Vada Pav, what is so special about it!

Well, Vada pav is a very popular snack across Mumbai and whole Maharashtra. Vada pav is the snack consisting of spiced, deep fried potato topped with various scrumptious chutneys. In simple words, it has a potato patty which is squeezed in between 2 extremely soft slices of a pav, topped with sweet chutney and spicy green chutney. Mind it is not just a Pav; provided you have tried the typical ones made in Mumbai – believe me its extraordinary!

I already mentioned that I have had countless numbers of Vada Pav in my life in Mumbai. So, as a proud Mumbaikar it is my immense pleasure to share some of the best places that sell out of the world kinds Vada Pav. You must try the legendary Vada Pav of the below mentioned eateries when you visit Mumbai.

Best Places To Relish Vada Pav In Mumbai Nagri

So today I bring for you 5 best places that serve the very original Mumbaiyya vada pav, of course in Mumbai :D.

1. Ashok Vada Pav

Ashok Vada Pav is located near Dadar Kirti College. This eatery is one of the top-favorite for every person who loves vada pav in Mumbai. Going strong for thirty-five years, Ashok Vada Pav also popularily known as Kirti College vada pav have never compromised on their patent taste and flavors. You may ask what makes them so popular, well, it’s in their batter and chutney – it’s made using 40 different food items. Ashok Vada Pav have found several mentions in many popular food magazines. In addition, celebrities such as Sushmita Sen Madhuri Dixit, and Jackie Shroff, and many more Marathi film/television celebrities often visit the place to enjoy vada pav.

Price – Very reasonable @ Rs. 25/-

2. Aaram Vada Pav

Aaram Vada Pav stall is located in South Mumbai right opposite to the CST railway station. Otherwise known as Aaram Milk Bar they have been serving hot crispy vada pavs with green and red garlic chutney for over 70 years now. Their garlic chutney is a hero I must say and something I badly crave even today.

Price – You can enjoy this dish at Rs. 25/- single vada and double vada Rs. 40/-.

3. Graduate Vada Pav

These are funny names coming in isn’t it? Before Aaram and now Graduate. Well, Graduate Vada Pav has been in this business for more than 17 years now. This little stall is located outside the Byculla station and serves yummy vada pavs with multiple types in chutneys. More than two-thousand Vada pav lovers visit this stall daily to enjoy their famous vada pav.

Price – shockingly just Rs. 15/-.

4. Anand Vada Pav

Next on the list is Anand Vada Pav that is located right opposite to Mithibai college. This eatery is visited by Mumbaikars from different walks of life and countless college students. They are quite popular for serving different varieties of Vada pavs. Butter vada pav, grill vada pav, cheese vada pav, cheese grill vada pav, and cheese schezwan vada pav are a few types to name. And yes, all of these come at very reasonable prices. There are many Bollywood celebrities who hop into Anand to relish their super tasty vada pavs. If you happen to visit this eatery, you should also try their Misal Pav – these are equally lip-smacking.

5. Samrat Vada Pav

Located at Parleshwar in Ville Parle Samrat Vada Pav is one of the must visit for all vada pav lovers. The major twist in their vada pavs is that their aloo patty has little coconut pieces which add a new dimension to the vadas. Trust me this add a complete wrench to the otherwise regular potato mix.

This was all about relishing Mumbai Vada Pav from my eyes. Every single time I visit this city, hogging one Vada Pav at all these eateries is one of the top tasks in my bucket list. Please do visit my hometown “Mumbai – Meri Jaan” I am sure you will eternally enjoy Mumbaikars snack – Vada Pav.

Featured Photo of ‘sukhadia’s open vada pav’ by Krista under CC BY 2.0