hints, allegations and things left unsaid...
At Vittala temple complex
One temple after another passed in a flash. After stopping at just two or three temple complexes people had now completely lost interest. Perhaps the rains had dampened everyone’s spirits. The guide was quick to take notice of this. Places where we would have spent at least good 10 minutes, were now simply mentioned in passing - that too as our bus would pass by them. Before I knew it, it was time for lunch.
Our final destination in Hampi was to be the Vittala temple complex. A bus usually enters the complex area through a stone gateway which is a tad too narrow for a bus to pass. You have to enter the gateway dead-straight and once you do, there is no room for maneuvering. Our driver, in consistence with the conscientiousness he had demonstrated so far, entered at an angle to the stone gateway's left wall. As he drove on - oblivious to the yelling by the persons on the last seats, the glass panes of the last window seat rubbed against the stone and came crashing inwards with a report. The poor girl sitting at the window had to make a dash for it. Startled, I started and stared in disbelief.
I didn't enter the complex this time and roamed outside instead. I eventually struck up a conversation with the guard checking the tickets at the temple gate. I am usually very reticent in asking people to pose for me. It so happened that most people I did request for being my subject (the guard at the Krishna Temple Complex for instance) were equally reticent. The end result is a bit like the episode from Hunchback of Notre Dame where Quasimodo - who is deaf, finds himself being judged by an equally deaf magistrate during his trial. The man here was different. He not only shared tips with me about Saturday and Sunday nights being a good time to visit the temple for it is lit-up during those nights, but also posed for me - even if it involved momentary dereliction of his duties.
posted: 28.10.05
0 Comments
Post a Comment
| Archives | Blogroll |
|
May 2003 | June 2003 | July 2003 | August 2003 | September 2003 | October 2003 | November 2003 | December 2003 | January 2004 | February 2004 | March 2004 | April 2004 | May 2004 | June 2004 | July 2004 | August 2004 | September 2004 | October 2004 | November 2004 | December 2004 | January 2005 | February 2005 | March 2005 | April 2005 | May 2005 | June 2005 | July 2005 | August 2005 | September 2005 | October 2005 | November 2005 | December 2005 | January 2006 | February 2006 | March 2006 | Current Posts |
All material posted on this blog is copyrighted and may not be used in any form without the explicit permission of the author.