Monday, July 2, 2012

Trees Tanks & Ponds

This is a continuation of the previous post. After Tirupathisaram Temple we headed back to Nagercoil and enroute saw a large beautiful pond. Couldn't resist stopping and taking snaps from the road side. We then proceeded to the Nagarajar Swamy Temple in Nagercoil.  
Nagaraja Temple (Naga=Serpent;Raja=King) is a Hindu temple temple dedicated to the god Nagaraja situated at the heart of Nagercoil. The name for the town Nagercoil originated from this temple. The temple is full of images of snakes. In addition, the gatekeepers of the sanctums are two snakes. 
Legend: One day when a girl was cutting grass, blood began to spurt from below. She discovered that the sickle had cut into the head of a five-headed serpent. Dazed with fear, the girl fled to the nearest village and reported what she had seen. People in large numbers flocked to the spot and witnessed the miracle with their own eyes. By the joint effort of the villagers, the place was cleared and preserved for the purpose of worship.They built a small shrine in the locality and worshiped the five-headed serpent. Hearing that the miracle happened at this place, people from other places visited the temple and offered poojas.
A beautiful Konrai tree in bloom outside the sanctum of Nagaraja Temple (Above & below)
The Konnrai  also known as Indian Laburnum is associated with Lord Shiva.The leaf extract is used to treat ringworm and other skin infections. The flower decoction is used to destroy intestinal worms and to cure leprosy. The pulp from the fruit "cassia pulpâ" is a well known laxative. It also has digestive, anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic and blood purifying properties
Nagarajaswamy Temple water tank - above and below
Our next stop was Suchindram Temple. The Thanumalayan Temple (Sthanumalayan Temple ) is of importance to both Saivite and Vaishnavite sects of Hinduism. The name Stanumalaya denotes trimurtis or three Gods; "Stanu" means Siva; "Mal" means Vishnu; and the "Aya" means Brahma.  There is an Anjaneya, (or the monkey God Hanuman), statue which stands at 22 feet (6.7 m) and is carved of a single granite block. It is one of the tallest statues of its type in India. It is also of historical interest that this statue was buried in the temple in 1740, fearing an attack by the Tipu Sultan and was subsequently forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1930, and subsequently restored for viewing. There is also a Nandi statue, made of mortar and lime, which is 13 feet (4.0 m) tall and 21 feet (6.4 m) long, it is one of the biggest Nandi statues in India.  
The massive water tank at Suchindram Temple - above and below
A beautiful pond  substantially covered by water hyacinth - above & below
A coconut plantation

36 comments:

  1. wow! how i evny you RK...you are having a fantastic tour ...wonderful clicks!

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  2. lovely...lovely.....
    i went to shuchindram when i was 6-7...i have some b/w pics.....

    i showed ur posts to my dad too....
    loved it...

    regards

    anu

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  3. Interesting to learn about the beautiful Konrai tree, and I enjoyed seeing the temple and all the water in the huge tank and ponds!

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  4. Interesting shots of ponds. Very nice.

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  5. I like the pics of Lakes a lot! Though the weed is grown much but makes a nice pattern! Lovely scenes of Indian villages!

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  6. What a gorgeous images R.Ramakrishnan. Konrai tree in bloom is just beautiful. Nagarajaswamy Temple water tank and water tank at Suchindram Temple are stunning too!
    Love principally the pond covered by water hyacinth!
    Thanks for sharing so many beauty of your country.

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  7. My friend Ram,
    You do seem to be enjoying yourself. The photos are fantastic! Love the color of the Konnrai tree blooms. Nice post indeed! Looking forward to more from you. Thanks for sharing.

    Thoughts Of Beauty In The Stillness Of Dawn...

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  8. beautiful captures and interesting information

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  9. Lovely pictures and it is so hot here now that I won't even comment on water bodies this time!

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  10. Nice post...when I will be roaming like you? tied up with work, family,uhh...
    Keep roaming and share your experience :-)

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  11. Alas ! lived close by and never got to see both the temple, your photographs make me miss nostalgic.

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  12. Someone told me that India is very dusty. It doesn't seem that way in your beautiful photos.

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  13. I love the yellow trees and the landscapes and water are very beautiful.

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  14. These trees are a pleasant sight especially in the summer.
    We have many of them here in Pune.

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  15. Anyone for a spot of swimming? It is a beautiful place.

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  16. beautiful photos...

    nicely covered nagaraja temple and suchindram temple...

    i think your next post will be about kanyakumari

    thanks for sharing

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  17. Wonderful post. It is for the first time that I learnt about the medicinal qualities of Konnai. Thank you so much.

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  18. Mythology is an interesting subject. Love reading your posts and seeing the pics. One can learn so much from them. Thanks a lot for sharing!

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  19. Awesome captures..

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

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  20. Great and interesting post.
    Beautiful photos.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Mette

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  21. Ram Sir, you're back on track, in the blogging world!!!
    You're travelling a lot now!!!
    Love that Sarakondrai...
    That shot of the pond completely covered with Hyacinth is awesome!
    My Travelogue

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  22. Fascinating and lovely post! I love ponds!

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  23. RR.. Great pics and description.. I have been to this place and I can related to these places. Just lovely..

    ERR

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  24. I just love the way the water hyacinths seem to form a curve across the waters. So much greens. Beautiful. :)

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  25. What beautiful shots. The water in the tank looks so clean, a rarity. The pond too looks very scenic.
    Thanks for this virtual tour Sir.

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  26. Ram, you should adopt me and show me all these amazing incredible places... I need to visit India!!! those ponds are something else!!

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  27. How beautiful your images. I especially like the red and white stripe water reflections, just so lovely~

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  28. oh my word, such beautiful views!

    amazing places indeed.

    i've always been fascinated by india.



    i love your blog!

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  29. I ram...absolutely awesome photos... great. Well done...
    Hugs
    BShell

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  30. This is super interesting. I love that story about the 5-headed serpent...I believe that could have happened. Are serpents always evil? I don't know.

    Also like it that you included the medicinal uses of the Konrai tree. And those pond-shots. Great job, RR.

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  31. Nice pictures. Beautiful, Beautiful Konna.

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