The Travel Connection

Three distinct memories will never  leave me after my visit to Thrissur. The first one is the unusually rare architecture of a circular inner sanctum sanctorum Sri kovil. Second is the frescos that adorned the walls of these temple and thirdly the oil lamps used in various locations and for different purposes within the temple complex. Vadakkumnathan Temple is a religious complex dedicated mainly to Lord Shiva but housing several other deities . The circular Sri kovil  with painted substructure, has a conical brass plated super structure over it. The sanctum sanctorum is further divided into three chamber with Ghee adorned lingam facing west and  Parvati facing east denoting the ardhanarishvara concept. Also housed within the main Sri kovil is Ganapathy facing the complex kitchen. What was interesting the circumambulation around this shrine was in anti clockwise direction  and was only 3/4 th of the circle. Was is a temporary ritual as restoration was on? I cannot be sure.  There

Leap of faith! An unforgettable moment on my short visit to Thattekad was when the nimble Malabar gaint squirrel  sprang from one tree to another at a height of more than 20 feet. What was even more amazing was that my guide let me know the possibility of this moment much before it happened.The flight from the tip of a slender branch to another was among many moments that got me closer to nature and accentuated the importance of understanding the behavior of  its inhabitants  both the animal kind and the man kind. Now my experience says understanding animals is far more easier than understanding some of our fellow men. Am i wrong? Thattekad had been on my wish list for sometime as it is considered  one of the richest bird habitat in India. The fact that two of favorite activities were offered at one place , made it even better. What was the second activity. Let me get back to it later For the less informed Salim Ali bird sanctuary is situated between branches of Periyar river