Our Colonel has fallen

(On 15th of June, 2020 Indian soldiers of 16 Bihar Regiment were forced to confront the intruding Chinese armed forces in Galwan valley. As grisly details emerged later on, after six hours of intense fighting, 20 Indian soldiers were martyred, including the commanding officer on field, Colonel Santosh Babu. This poem is a tribute to the brave men who made the supreme sacrifice)

 

Col. Santosh Babu - Image Credit unkown 

Tents perched atop the heights of Ladakh mocked the talks that happened, 
blowing hot and cold, breathing fire and fury, the Dragon's done mapping.
When the durbar of Delhi was ill-prepared for the assault, 
Sun Tzu struck sneakily and rubbed a terrible wound with salt.
 
With so little backup but so much at stake, brave men marched to the front;
O sons of heaven, o masters of Asia, be prepared for the righteous brunt. 
And those lofty mountains witnessed the clash that unfolded, 
as the enemies snooped southwards, and with terror, the arena exploded. 
 
Out-manned in a brazen barbarous attack, the men fought, so brave and calm. 
But for the loss that followed, what gods would offer the best balm? 
O dear colonel - our colonel has fallen; along with his loyal troops bloody but unbowed
O Galwan river, carry those fallen with respect; and for the supreme sacrifice, our entire nation bowed.

Maheeth Veluvali, 

Saturday - 29/08/2020, 

Palakollu,.

The Temple of Vontimitta

 

Talambralu Scene of Sita Rama Kalyanam

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Place

Vontimitta/Ekasilanagaram is a small village located in Rajampeta Mandal of Kadapa district. The Sri Kodanda Ramaswamy temple of Vontimitta is a famous and historical temple dedicated to Lord Shri Ram. Mythologically, this place is associated with the Hindu Epic Ramayana. It was assumed that Lord Shri Ram visited this place during his Vanavas along with Goddess Sita and Lakshmana. The temple was allegedly built by Vontadu and Mittadu - two robbers who repented. However, historically the temple owes it's origin to the Rayas of Vijaynagar and probably their feudal vassals in 16th Century CE, even though some view it as belonging to a much earlier Chola period. There are some sources which identify this village with the legendary Ekasilanagaram - home town of perhaps one of the greatest Telugu poets of all time, Bammera Potana. Infact, this temple is associated with many poets and scholars - an impressive achievement in itself! Ayyalaraju Ramabhadrudu - one among the Ashtadiggajas of Sri Krishna DevaRaya's assembly Bhuvana Vijayam, the iconic composer Annamayya, French gem merchent and traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier - the list of admirers of this temple is impressive! Post bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh (2014), when Bhadrachalam became a part of Telangana, the state government of Andhra Pradesh started giving prominence to this temple. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) took over the management of the temple in 2015 and the state government of Andhra Pradesh started patronizing Vontimitta temple as the official venue of the annual festival of Sri Ramanavami festival.

Beautiful Sculptures at Ranga Mandapa

The temple has some interesting features that endear the devout and the tourist in equal measure. The spacious temple is well endowed with three Gopurams and two adjacent Ponds (Ramateertham and Lakshmanateertham). On the walls abutting the Main Gopuram (entrance), beautiful sculptures and reliefs are carved. These deal with various motives - tales from the Ramayana, Sita-Rama Kalyanam depicting the Telugu marriage rituals like Talambralu, and a not so grand Rishabha Kunjara that was obivously inspired from Darasuram. Once inside, the Garbha Griha and Antaralya protected by a Dravida style Vimana are located within a large rectangular Ranga Mandapa - symbolic of Vijayanagara temples. Within the Ranga Mandapa are exquiste pillars caved with the figures of the mythical Yali - another hallmark of Vijayanagara architecture. Carvings depicting tales from Bhagavatam, Ramayana are also found witin the Ranga Mandapa. The idols of Lord Shri Rama, Goddess Sita and Lakshmana in the sanctum sanctorum are monolithic and beautiful. Outside the Ranga Mandapa, two separate Mandpas (Garuda) are located. A few inscriptions can be found too. Another interesting feature is the notable absense of temple/shrine for Lord Hanuman within the premises of the main temple. It was really a wonderful and spiritual experience visiting this histoical temple!

Yali

Tips 

1. The village of Vontimitta is located on Kadapa - Rajampet Road and is well connected by buses from Kadapa and Rajampet. It is 25 Kms away from Kadapa, and share autos/Taxis/Tata Aces regularly ply to and from Kadapa, Bhakarapeta and Rajampet. 

2.Photography is stricly prohibited in the Sanctum Sanctorum and in the central hall i.e, Ranga Mandapa. 

3. The temple attendant staff may be rude at times - If the government really wishes to sponsor tourism, it should take an urgent sensitization drive for it's employees. One can't just go on and enjoy world class sculptures when he/she cannot even find where the chappal stand is! 

 

Rishabha Kunjara - Bull or Elephant? - Fascinating optical illusion

The Temple

Maheeth Veluvali,

Sunday - 16th of August, 2020,

Vontimitta (Kadapa)

Dhoni - A Tribute

Dhoni in action - ICC CWC Final, 2011 - Credits to Sportstar, The Hindu

 

April  2005 - Pakistan were touring India, and the stage was set for the second ODI at Vizag's ACA-VDCA Stadium (Much later, the stadium was renamed as Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium). During the first innings i.e, Indian innings - at one down, the new wicket-keeper was promoted. The only problem I had that day, as with many other people who watched the game, was with the name. It must be Tony, I heard as my junior class boys raved about his batting. It was the beginning of a cult - Mahendra Singh Dhoni! Cricket in India is a sacrificial arena where new Gods are born and old Gods whither - the eleven Gods were expected to entertain and perform every single day. Heroic exploits on field were cherished but winning games - something that we lagged then, didn't seem to bother us. But the new boy was exhilarating. His carefree batting did not confirm to bookish standards and that was all that mattered, or so it seemed...

 

September 2007 - The 50 over World Cup was a disaster for India. After a tragic but necessary turn of events, Dhoni was made the Captain of the T-20 World Cup team. And the era of captain cool had just begun! This was when I truly learnt that all the aggression, rage, intent in the world is nothing when you don't possess a cool and calming brain - the ability to remain level headed and be dictated by logic rather than emotions. And how would I forget the final with the arch-rivals - I was in my Intermediate - AP residential junior college at Nagarjuna Sagar. We got to listen to the dying moments of the game, thanks to the cell phones and radios of our lecturers, and as Ravi Shastri started shouting 'Andd there is Shreeshaaaant....!', we went berserk with joy. What calculated gambles that man behind the stumps took that day! And something strange happened - his calmness rubbed off - we started winning games big time. I'm not an expert to discern if India really had the right balanced team at that point of time, but some if not the greater part of the credit goes to the Captain cool. From 2008 till 2011, Team India had a steady rise. And, the new hero, thanks to the nerves of steel,  marked himself with distinction as a finisher sharing the likes of Michael Beavan - a desperate role India needed in ODIs. 

April 2011 - It was the World Cup Final. I've had to work that day, and for the greater part of the Indian innings (Night), I was in a buss that took me from my work place Vijayawada to my home town Palakollu. I missed most of the Mahi magic that went on at Wankhade, on live. But, what a day it was as India lifted the cup! And again, those riveting words of Ravi Shastri, 'Dhooni finishes it off in style' still ring in my ears. Life came a full circle for the hard core Indian cricket fans. And the man of the moment didn't hog any limelight - a lesson in class!

 

August 2020 - Dhoni went on to lift the 2013 Champions Trophy on behalf of India - the only captain till date to hold all the three ICC trophies - World Cup, T-20 World Cup and Champions Trophy. Over time, he became more cautious in his batting - a usual trait of a senior middle order batsman. He became the poster boy of IPL. His performance behind the wickets however got better. And one fine day in Manchester, as India was simply outclassed by New zealand, his cautious but valiant efforts ended in a heart breaking run-out. I was passing through the city  (Vijayawada)  where I missed Dhoni's exploits of 2011 World Cup Final, when a quick check on twitter confirmed the news that was doing rounds as a rumour since so long - the retirement of Dhoni. And a whiff of nostalgia descended upon me. 

 

Thank you Dhoni!

 

 

 

Maheeth Veluvali, 

Monday - 17th of August, 2020.

Palakollu,.