An Orissan Odyssey

A trip to the sea side always shows on your appearance... a healthy tan, eyes hot with the sun and blue, reflecting the ocean's mysteries, hair tangled and unmanageable with sand and salt! Et al, its quite an experience. Orissa is a great place to visit, if you're planning to hit the beach on a low budget and also have a fervour for the Divine. I had recently been to Puri, a small sea side town in Orissa, famous for its narrow alleys, filth and cow dungs spattered generously at all vantage points of the town and the ancient Jagannath Temple. Puri is the forerunner of the Jagannath cult in Orissa, which saw the flowering of several temples dedicated to Jagannath all over the state. The vast temple complex occupies an area of over 400000 square feet, and is bounded by a 20 feet high fortified wall. This complex contains about 120 temples and shrines. As I entered the sanctum or the Deul that enshrines the dieties, I realised that religion has a strange intoxication. Scores of people, young and old, weak and strong hummed bhajans mesmerised, indifferent to the jostling of the crowd and indifferent to the constant lashings of the security gaurds who were trying to prevent devotees from standing too long in front of the dieties,so that everyone got a fair chance. It seemed as though I was the only one affected by such worldly discomforts. The others seemed to be drunk of the Divine! It was indeed an amazing sight..they were absorbed in their Lord. Is it this devotion which converts religious fervour into ugly fanaticism? Is it this fervour that makes men kill each other in the name of religion? Is it this love of the Divine that makes men thrust swords into the guts of an unbeliever? Frightening... but worth a thought!

A must visit for all art lovers is the Sun Temple at Konarak. Built in 1278 by the Ganga King Narasimha Deva, it is an amazing peice of architecture. It is also referred to as the Black Pagoda, being built entirely out of granite. Even in its ruined state, it is truly awe inspiring. Standing amidst its collosal pillars was almost like reliving history. It was thrilling to imagine that almost a thousand years ago, there were such amazing artists and architects. The Sun Temple is indeed a marvel of architecture... one has to see it in order to get an idea of its majestic beauty.

There are numerous beaches in and around Puri. The sea here is regal and fierce. It's force and vigour increases with the setting sun, washing away the shores, promising a new beginning! However there are also flip sides of the sea currents. It sometimes brings to shore many small and large sea organisms which then either die a cruel death or are harrassed by humans. One such incident happened while i was with my family on one of these beaches. A turtle was thrust ashore by the mighty waves and the people on the beach were tormenting the poor creature till they were tired. They climbed on its shell, prodded, poked and kicked it and also clicked photographs of themselves in the act of harrassing the turtle. I kept watching this relentless cruelty till I could take it no more. But protest was beyond me as my mother kept pulling me back. I wouldnt be able to stop those retards from their act of cruelty, was her point of view. And as i drove back that evening...I was angry, not at those freaking retards for tormenting the poor turtle, not at my mother who was indifferent to its sufferings....all that she cared for was my safety and it was enough for her that it was not me instead of the turtle that was being kicked and prodded....I was angry at myself, for my inability to punch those creeps in their faces and mutilate them, at my inability to rescue the turtle and hurl it back into the sea, at my inability to free myself from my mother's shackles and do what i felt was right. I felt like a coward that evening..i felt like an inhuman at having watched a helpless animal suffer and not do anything about it. I am still angry at myself...I always will be!

Orissans appeared to be a friendly people. They spoke softly and amicably to each other and to tourists, and greeted each other in the name of Lord Jagannath. Sundown and pack up time came almost abruptly, and bidding goodbye to this warm and convivial place seemed more difficult than we had thought it would. As the train chugged out of the station and raced me back home, I waved back at the sea, the salt air, the temples and the people realising that I had been on an Odysseyan trip... an Odyssey of a lifetime!