Safar

A lazy Sunday afternoon, going through the newspapers, I  came across  a photograph which caught my attention-a most beautiful red and blue intricately painted ceiling of a tomb in Delhi….sadly where it exactly was, was not clear from the article.  I sat up. How could I have missed this, having lived in Delhi most of my life and with a father who took painstaking efforts to expose us to our heritage.  I and my brother are one of those lucky ones who have visited most of the sites of historical importance which remain in the seven cities of Delhi. As children, we have run across the city of Tughalaqabad, felt the djinns in the ruins of Feroze Shah Kotla, walked on the ramparts of the Red Fort, looked up in awe at the imposing façade of the Jama Masjid,  climbed the steps of Humayun’s library in the Purana Quila wondering how he could have slipped on these steps to his death , and of course not to forget the fascinating view from the top of the Qutub Minar wh...

Another day of discovery....isnt that what life is all about..... Driving through the countryside, not far from Lucknow, on way to Lakhimpur Kheri, chanced upon this very strange but beautiful temple..... the more than 200 year old frog temple of Oel, also referred to as the Narmadeshwar Shiv temple. A narrow village road off the highway, takes one to this unique temple. A small gate in the wall, a few steps up and one walks into a large courtyard with a garden....in the middle of which stands a giant stone frog and lo and behold, it carries a temple ! A big frog indeed,  and on it stands the temple, at a height, on a large platform. The two back legs of the frog can be seen on the sides of the platform, with the rear behind it. So the entire temple seems to be carried by the frog. And the frog itself rests on a crocodile !!! The marvels do not end here... Since one reached mid day on a hot summer afternoon, with the sun bearing down stro...