I've been wanting to go to this Yogini temple at Mitavali, Morena, for a long while, it's remote, off the circuit location, made that difficult. The road winds it's way through villages, narrow and rough in most part, with nothing to indicate the way to the temple, except Google maps ! Finally got there the day before yesterday in very intense heat. It was about 48 degrees with a rough hot wind, the loo, blowing across. About a hundred steps, roughly hewn into the rock face, lead up to the circular temple, on top of the isolated outcrop of rock. That made the climb very strenuous. Nothing breaks the hardship, there is no shade, no provision for water or refreshments of any sort. It's such an amazing site though, one which in any other country, would make a major tourist attraction. there were 64 yogini statues in the 64 enclaves, that have been removed to a museum now ( i don't know which one), the temple is striking, though a tad empty , without them.
Go in better weather!
one hears that the inspiration for Parliament House in Delhi might have come from this temple. It is when you step inside that you realise that it could be true. Unlike the Parliament House that has pillars on the outer verandah, the Mitaoli Temple has pillars around the outer circumambulatory path that opens into the central courtyard. There are sixty four mini temples or niches each housing a shivling. The central courtyard is ringed with the main shrine again circular in shape and housing a large shivling.
Later, looking at google images of the Parliament House with its open inner central courtyard and domed structure in the centre, you can’t help but wonder if Herbert Baker did get some inspiration trawling Indian heritage sites before designing New Delhi with Lutyens. But then again – is it one-off design or is it the standard design of Tantric or Yogini Temples
The three temples groups in Mitavali, Padavali and Bateshwar were part of an extensive temple building exercise during the rule of Kachchhapaghatas. Kachchhapaghatas who ruled from Gwalior rose to prominence in central India during the last decade of tenth century and were believed to be vassals of Gurjar-Pratihars and later Chandellas. Along with these temples, they built temples at Kadwaha, Surawaya, Mahua, Terahi (all in Shivpuri district of MP). The pretty Saas-Bahu temple at Gwalior Fort is attributed to them too. that the Morena district has these treasures, is something i have known for long, getting to Padavali and Bateshwar is next.
The top shot is off the internet..the other pictures are ours, from the trip .
शदीद इंतज़ार था जिसका
इस बरस, वो बहार
गर आये ही नहीं तो क्या हो ?
यूं गुल कुछ पशेमान हैं इस बरस
हवाएं सर्द हैं और मौसम परेशां
कुछ गफलत सी है
कुछ है छिपा हुआ उस जानिब
कुछ है जो आशकार नहीं
दिल कहता है
ये ख़ैर की अलामत नहीं
और वो बहार जिस की जुस्तजू
टिमटिमाती हुई एक लौ की मानिंद
मेरी हमराह रही है इस मौसम ए सरमा
अब बुझ जाना चाहती है
यक़ीनन उस उम्मीद की मानिंद
जिस की हकीकत नसीब न हो
मुमकिन है इस बरस
बहार आये ही नहीं। ..
~ विन्नी
३/३/१९
मौसम कुछ यूं हुआ होगा मध्यम हुआ होगा सूरज और जल उठी होगा शम्मा हारी होगी लड़ाई उसने और धीरे धीरे बुझ गयी होगी रौशनी मौसम यक ब यक नहीं बदला करते खिड़कियां खुली ही होंगी पहले पहले फिर एक अंधड़ उठा होगा बंद की गयी होंगी खिड़कियाँ मौसम यूं ही बदला होगा दिन तो खुश ही रहा होगा रंगीन, रोशन , हरा भरा फिर शाम की सियाही ने मिटाये होंगे कुछ रंग तनहा रात हारी होगी उदासी से मौसम यक ब यक नहीं बदला करते सर्द हवाओं ने दिशा बदली होगी सब्ज़ बाग़ कुछ सहमे होंगे पीले पड़े पत्तों में सरसराहट सी होगी परिंदों ने भी चुप रहना सीखा होगा मौसम यूं ही बदला होगा हँसती आँखों में समाया होगा बदरंग सा तिनका कोई सैलाब सा आया होगा रुक गया होगा होंठों पर मन का मौसम यूं ही बदला होगा ~ विन्नी ४/१२/१८
was a rather dull day, almost melancholy , and one needed distractions in order to prevent the mind from dwelling on the morose.
As it turns out this film, Churchill, was not a good choice to accomplish that task, for it deals with the dilemmas and dread that Churchill faces as he contemplates D Day, the Normandy landing in all its possible consequences. This must be a first of sorts for me , for i saw a film that deals with the subject of war (WW II) without showing any fighting at all, just the trauma , the dilemma, the dread involved in decision making, a decision that will send 20000 men to war, a focused invasion of france, meant to liberate it from the Germans, and achieve a decisive victory. The invasion at Normandy was a success and was the beginning of the end of the war , with the Germans in retreat thereafter, this we know now in hindsight. the movie however shows us a Churchill, tormented with the thought of failure, riddled with the guilt of Gallipoli (From WW I), unwilling to send innocent young men to their deaths, battling with the thought of a similar debacle, very troubled.
in many ways he is a man living in the past, fighting the American Generals, disagreeing with the plan, unwilling to be cast aside in the process of decision making.
Critics have pointed out the historical inaccuracy of that disagreement, as also the inaccuracies in the portrayal of his domestic relationship, with his wife and his employees, the screenplay plays the disagreements up, perhaps in order to dramatise Churchill's psychic state.
this must happen to most generals and kings and warlords, they must be, at some point in their lives, haunted by the souls of those they send to death.
the actors are brilliant, Brain Cox tears into the role, and honestly it was for him that i chose to watch the film, and Miranda Richardson as his wife makes her character come alive.
it is a rather sympathetic portrayal, subtly British, the great leader, torn apart with the pain of the common people he leads, empathetic of their concerns, wishing to prevent death and bloodshed, yet courageous enough to contemplate joining the troops at the front.
That said, its difficult to reconcile this image with that of a man who quite cynically and deliberately, in full knowledge, made the decision to withdraw food and grain bound for Bengal and the Eastern parts of India, in order to prevent it falling into the hands of the advancing Japanese army at about the same time as the decision for Normandy was being made. Creating a "Scorched Earth" scenario for the Japanese meant the creation of a Famine in Bengal that was unprecedented in scale and resulted in the death of a million Indian citizens. the Bengal famine was a catastrophe , a tragedy of horrendous proportions, created by that decision alone that resulted in the unavailability of food, condemning hundreds of thousands of Indians to slow starvation. Perhaps not equal enough with the Europeans at stake on the Western Front? a film that certainly makes one think, regardless of perspective.
sympathy for Mr Churchill will be hard to come by in Indian parts.
Vinny
19/11/18
पतझड़ तुम, दरिया के पार जो गए कोई सदा लौट कर नहीं आयी, चाँद उग आया है आज, शब् ढले हवा अब सर्द है और रात सियाह, और ये एक चाँद काफी नहीं दिल को रोशन करने को, मैं, साहिल पर खड़ी सदियों से इंतज़ार में हूँ, किसी एक रात में दो दो चाँद दिखें और तुम लौट आओ यूं ये महज़ एक ख्वाब हो शायद या कोई वहम, वक़्त के इस लम्बे वक़्फ़े में, सब अनबूझ सा लगता है, बस ये एक चाँद है, मैं हूँ और है एक आस, दरिया के पानियों सी उठती , बुझती, और हवाएं अब सर्द हैं ~ विन्नी ४/११/१८
