The Past Week In Pictures

It's been a busy month and I had to go away again this past week. A rite of passage necessitated us going on a short trip, which is the fodder for this post.

Until I see you again, Season's Greetings and a Happy New Year!


The Gangireddu, one of the heralds of the harvest festival Sankranti, came home just as we were preparing to leave. This bullock is trained to do a variety of things: nod its head (affirming its master's praises of the people whose homes it visits), kneel, bow and dance to the tune of the nadaswaram. Money, old clothes and rice are donated.

Everyone started clicking, and his master expected as many contributions, not convinced when we told him it was all the same family, so many cameras and so many people springing up from all corners of the house!


Amaravathi, once a Buddhist centre, is on the banks of the Krishna in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. This huge Buddha was begun to be built for the Kalachakra some time ago. Remember the 'snakes' photo I put up a while ago? That was taken by Dad during Kalachakra. Amaravathi also houses a famous and ancient Siva temple which I have visited several times. It's the stuff of many school excursions (read close, convenient, inexpensive).


In the complex that houses the giant Buddha, this sight of a profusion of Buddhas greeted us at the rear, almost as if they had sprung up from the soil.


As we went down the steps to the bathing ghat, we saw this image lying in solitary splendour. Though broken, it seems to be worshipped regularly.


The Krishna river at Amaravathi.


Disembarking from a boat. The boats are also called launches. This is one of the less popular forms of transport nowadays - people use them to cross the river to get to villages on the other side of the Krishna.


Flowers at home. We often see these flowers growing wild or used to border large plots of land. Does anyone know what they are called?

Photos Travel Amaravathi Buddha Gangireddu