Ancient Light Photowalk,Malleswaram, 010810 Part 2 Nandeeswara Teerttha
For the Nandeeswara Temple, that was excavated in the early ‘90’s, and which I personally believe to be part of the Kaadu Malleswara complex, let me begin with the brass lamp that the priests use to show Arathi for the ShivalingA:
…that’s ancient light, too; snEha deepam…or an oil lamp.
This temple is actually a kalyANi or sacred wellspring, shaped into a water tank.
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It was nice to see that Nature had crowned the gOpurA with a Peepal sapling:
The terrace design is the same as in the Kaadu Malleswara Temple:
The garbha grihA, or inner sanctum, is very beautiful:
the water comes out of the NandimukhA (mouth of Nandi) …
….and pours into the copper kalashA, whence it drips steadily on to the LingA:
Here’s a video showing the water dripping on the lingA, coming down from the mouth of Nandi:
The entrance has this shlOkA:
Transliteration and translation:
muktEshwarAya phaladAya gaNEshwarAya geethapriyAya vrishabhEshwarA vAhanAya. mAthanga charma vasanAya mahEshwarAya dAridrya dukkha dahanAya namah shivAya.
(the God who gives salvation, who grants boons, the god of Ganesh; one who likes music, who has a bull as His vehicle: One who wears the skin of an elephant as a dress, the great God, One who destroys poverty and sorrow, salutations to Shiva.)
The navagrahA (nine planets) shrine is also small and beautiful:
Entering the temple, one sees the small Nandi and the bali peetthA (sacrificial stone) on the steps of the kalyANi:
The temple bell had a lovely deep tone (I know, because I rang it as some of the photographers had just got it to be still!)…
This rathA (symbolic chariot) is made of rosewood:
Behind the Nandi are an assortment of items used in the rites:
And some amount of plastic/waste disposal is also done:
Outside the temple is the original kalyANi, covered with an iron grille that I manage to push my lens through:
The designs on the stone steps are elegant, as one steps on them:
On the steps to the kalyANi are renderings of snakes, tortoises and fish, that have been covered by brass:
There are quite a number of tortoises in the water; here’s one on the steps, quite a large specimen!
Here are some of them, playing waterball with a morsel of food that a devotee had thrown in:
Here is a brass fish:
and its real-life counterpart:
So, when I saw this:
I wondered whether there might not be actual water-snakes in the tank, too!
It wasn’t just these creatures enjoying the temple; here, a young couple get a moment of togetherness:
And here are two Homo sapiens photographensis, comparing their shots at the end of the clicking!
But the evening couldn’t end without us having a group photograph (alas, two of us had already left!)
…and a trip to Adiga’s, just around the corner…for masAl dosAs and filter kApi!
After this, a few of us went to Malleswaram market, and I liked this image of the market through the grilles:
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Let me close with this image of the VinAyakA shrine at Malleswaram market…
A very enjoyable photowalk, that combined religion, heritage, history, people, and photography… thanks to Chandrachoodan and Ancient Light!