Trip to Wai and Dhom...

Hi friends..yesterday i had been to Wai and Dhom , very old villages, having historical backgroung and rich heritage culture..Dhom is my native place,its a very small village.I visited own old Wada at Wai and rice field ,poltry farm at Dhom.
so.. here r some of the reviews from the architectural angle..

Wai is one of the important town in Satara district. It is 88 Kms. from Pune on the way to Panchgani.
Wai is situated at the banks of Krishna river. It is famous for temples.
This place with heavy rainfall - 701 meter high from the sea level.
There are 7 ghats here:

Gangapuri
Madhi Aali
Ganpati Aali
Dharmapuri
Brahmanshahi
Ramdoh
Bhimkund

On the Brahmanshahi ghat there are 4 temples Chakreshwar, Chimneshwar,Kaunteshwar/Harihareshwar and Kaleshwar. Near Brhmanshahi there are Vitthal and Ganpati temples.

Ramdoh ghat has Rameshwar temple, Ramkund and Chilavali Devi temple. On Gangapuri ghat there is Lord Shiva, Dwarka, Bahiroba, Datta Temple. On Ganpati Aali that there are Ganpati temple. In Dharma puri there are Lord Vishnu temple & Mahalaxmi temple.

Dholya Ganpati temple is one of the prime temples in Maharashtra. The idol of Lord Ganesh is very big - As name suggests- and is situated on the beautiful ghats of river Krishna.

Pandavgadh is very famous fort near Wai that is certainly very difficult to trek from this side. But trekkers usually go to this fort from Bhor side. Other places worth seeing are Palpeshwar Cave ,Caves of Harya Ramoshi.

Wai is very famous for it's Pedha-Popularly known as Kandi Pedha.


Aali means lane..a single 10' to 15' road and houses on its both the side..
ghatis a constructed river bank generally in stone..used for washing clothes,utensils and bath in olden days..

From Wai i went to 'Dhom'..Showing some photos of Wada..
Wada is a typical or u can say Maharashtrial house having 5 to 15 rooms , including courtyard ( i.e. Angan )a well ( Vihir)and Gotha.

This is the Main Entry door having Teak wood framing with small beautiful carvings..this is the typical door type found in villages in Maharashtra.

The niche made in the wall which is used as a storage place..this is known as 'KONADA.the structure is load bearing and the wall r made with stone and mud , plastered with mud or dung .The normal wall thickness is about 500mm to 600mm somewhere it is about 1200mm also.
This is a 'Khunti',used to hang clothes or ropes or...hmmmm many thing and its very strong..

The ceiling made up of Wood...

This staircase leads to the first floor which is builtin the wall itself.here, the wall thickness is about 1800mm including staircase..

The old structure from outside..u can see the sill and lintel lvls.at first floor...
The shingles r replaced by Gi sheets these days..so not loking so good..

The small window openings at lower level..

Another type of 'KONADA'..

Typical window..beam itself used as lintel ,mud plastered wall..and khunties..

Another type of window, this provides more sunlight inside..the thing that affect the window design most is wall thickness..

Temple complex at Dhom..

So thats all..
if u want more info.just ask me..
bye tc,keep in touch..

Khajuraho Temples - Sculptures With Art of Love and Passion

Situated in the heart of Central India, Khajuraho is a temple town different from any other temple city of India. It is not about religion, worshiping and deities, instead temples in this fascinating village are famous for the eroticism etched on its walls in the form of sculptures. There are so many theories and controversies over eroticism depicted on the outer walls of temples in Khajuraho.

According to a legend, the creators of Khajuraho had descented from the moon. The story of the origin of this great dynasty is interesting. A beautiful young daughter of a Brahmin priest was seduced by the moon god while she was bathing in the Rati one evening. Her name was Hemavati. The son born of this union between a mortal and a god was a son was named Chandravarman. Harassed by society, the unwed mother sought refuge in the dense forest of Central India where she was both mother and guru to her young son. This boy of Hemavati and moon grew up to found the great Chandela dynasty. When he was established as a ruler, he had this dream one night in which his mother implored him to build temples that would reveal human passions, and in doing so bring about a realization of the emptiness of human desire. Chandravarman began the construction of the first of the temples, successive rulers added to the fast growing complex.

Few scholars believe that the Chandelas were believers in the powers of Tantrism; the cult which believes that the gratification of earthly desires is a step closer to the attainment of the infinite. Yet another theory justifies the erotica of Khajuraho, claiming it had a specific purpose. According to this theory, in those days boys lived in hermitages, following the Hindu law of being 'brahmacharis' until they attained manhood. Therefore, the only way they could prepare themselves for the worldly role of 'householder' was through the study of these sculptures and the earthly passions they depicted.

However, few Hindu scholars emphasise that the erotic sculptures are present only on the outer walls of the temples and not inside, which according to them means that one should leave all his/her worldly desires outside before entering the place of worship.

History

between AD950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty, temples of Khajuraho is the evidences of the architectural geniuses during the times of Chandela dynasty. The 85 temples were Built in North Indian 'Nagara' style of architecture, though only 20 of them have survived the rough weather conditions over long years of time. The two richer distinctive groups of temples are the Western and Eastern group of temples. With hardly any written records and rare references to its origin, the history of Khajuraho has become trapped in the mythical folklore of the region. According to the Myths Khajuraho was known as 'Khajur-vahika' or 'Khajjurpura' in the ancient times because of its golden date palms (known as 'khajur') that lined the gates of this city.

Temples

Khajuraho is surrounded by 22 temples, which give us a glimpse of a golden time of art and devotion at their peak.Out of 22 temples, two were made from sandstone. The stone blocks were first carved and then the interlocking pieces were assembled to form a temple. Each temple is different from one another. The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions : western, eastern and southern.

Western Group of Temples:
Lakhmi Temple
The Kandariya Mahadeo Temple
Devi Jagdamba Temple
Chitragupta Temple
Viswanath Temple

Eastern Group of Temples:
Parsvanath Temple
Ghantai Temple
Brahma Temple
Vamana Temple
Javari Temple

Southern Group of Temples:
Dulhadev Temple
Beejamandal Temple

Khajuraho temples were discovered accidentally by a British military adventurer in 1838. Built between AD950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty, the temples by the end of the 15th century were abandoned, hidden deep within thick jungle.