Kalamkari: Fabric of the Earth

I have always loved the Indian textile art of Kalamkari, and a trip to the village of its origin, Sri Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh, was on my list of places to explore for a long time. I finally had the chance when I was researching an article on Kalamkari for the in-flight magazine of Silk Air.

I spent a day at the workshop of one of India's best-known Kalamkari artists, Jonnalagadda Niranjan, where I saw artists busy at work and witnessed part of the lengthy traditional process used to create the fabric designs.

You can read the article here, and see a few of my photos below...

You can read some of my other published articles on India here.

Lepakshi temple

While Chantal was here we did a few road trips. We both love ancient temples so of course we had to go to Belur, Halebid and Sravanabelagola. We managed to squeeze them all in in one day.

The next trip was to Lepakshi, which is just over the border in Andhra Pradesh. Lepakshi has been on my ‘list’ for a while. It’s an important pilgrimage place because of its magnificent Veerabhadra temple.

We took the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway which must be the best highway I’ve taken in India. The road was in excellent condition, there was no traffic, and the scenery was beautiful. There was even a Kamat restaurant on the way where we could stop to have ragi dosas – a favourite with both of us. We reached Lepakshi quickly.

The Veerabhadra temple is perched on a rocky outcrop and was built in the 16th century during the Vijayanagar empire.

The pillared halls are covered with intricate sculptures of deities, dancers, musicians and animals.

One thing which is unique about this temples is the beautiful fresco paintings in vibrant colours which adorn the ceiling of the kalyan mantapa. This one depicts the marriage of Shiva and Parvati.

Take a walk through Veerabhadra temple…

The fisherman

During my early morning walk along the beach in Visakhapatnam, I came across this man staring at the sea. It wasn’t a contemplative look, it was a look of concentration and complete attention. He held a net in his hands. He was obviously a fisherman.

I looked out to the sea to see if I could see any fish just beyond the shore. I didn’t see anything except surf and sand. I decided to stick around to watch him in action.

He suddenly dropped the net from his shoulder and looked like he was ready to react at any moment. Did he see a fish? I looked again into the surf and saw nothing at all...

Suddenly he ran into the sea, casting his net in a wide arc. He dragged it towards him. Sure enough, there were two fish caught in his net!

I was amazed the way he was able to fish from the shore with just a net. He must have a very sharp and trained eye to spot fish swimming in the shallow surf.

He removed the fish from the net and put them in the bag he carried on his back. He would sell the fish later in the market for 50 rupees each.

On the beaches of Visakhapatnam

Recently I had the chance to visit Visakhapatnam (also known as Vizag) in coastal Andhra Pradesh. This is a picturesque seaside city on the Bay of Bengal, surrounded by the rolling hills of the Eastern Ghats. Visakhapatnam is a city of beautiful, scenic and unspoilt beaches.

Here are a few shots of some of its beaches. First (above) is this big baby I came across on Ramakrishna beach.

Contemplation on Bheemili beach.

Rishikonda beach and a view of the hills.

Afternoon on Bheemili beach.

A view of the city from Ramakrishna beach.

Moments before sunrise on Ramakrishna beach.

Salutation to the rising sun.

Chhath puja at sunrise.

Temple life

A few weeks ago I spent three days in a temple on the outskirts of Hyderabad. I had gone there during the temple's Brahmotsavam (annual festivities). I was especially interested in seeing the dance rituals which are performed here during this time. This is something I'll be writing about in more detail in my other blog.

The temple was an oasis of calm in a once rural area which is quickly becoming a neighbourhood of glass buildings housing IT companies and upmarket apartment complexes. Entering the temple was like stepping into another world where time had stopped.

The temple priests were busy from dawn to dusk with various prayers and rituals. I felt completely at home here and enjoyed loitering around and observing the goings-on. The atmosphere was completely different to other temples I've visited. Maybe because it's a small family-run temple off the tourist circuit.

A priest chanting Sanskrit verses. (To hear what this sounds like, click on 'temple priests chanting' in the right sidebar under 'Listen to the sounds of India'.) His mobile phone becomes a page marker.

Morning breathing exercises.

I'm not sure what was up here, but I'd love to know!

Priest paraphernalia.

I came across this priest setting up for what looked like an elaborate puja. He was sitting facing a blank wall.

This was the result. An offering to Surya, the sun god. I understood why he performed the puja here: he was facing east. Another example of how art is ritual and ritual is art.

The temple deity, Lord Ranganathaswamy (reclining Vishnu) is seen here in the temple sanctum.

The temple musicians.

Glimpses of Hyderabad