Sunrise over Mandu

by butterfliesonmymindblog, posted in Travels- near and far
There’s a lovely story in the Puranas about why the Vindhya mountains are mostly flat in nature. The Vindhyas were jealous of the Himalayas and tried to grow in height to outdo them. The local people feared that these mountains would obstruct the sun. So they prayed to Rishi Agastya for help.
Rishi Agastya was the Guru of the Vindhyas. As he approached the mountains, they prostrated before him with due reverence. The sage informed them that he was going South and they should remain like this till he returned.
The sage never returned and the mountains stayed flat for ever. As can be seen in the pictures!
All these pictures were taken from the lovely little balcony-cum-sit-out of our resort in Mandu. With a zoom lens. So what one sees here is actually quite some distance away.
We were seated here, awaiting the sunrise over the plains of Mandu, the air was still and cool, a few birds were chirping and horizon looked hazy.
Slowly the sky changed colour and the sun began to peep over the mountains.
We watched in awe and wonder as it rose gradually, painting the sky in different hues of peach and orange.
The sky grew brighter, lighter and clearer. The trees and shrubs seemed to shake off their slumber and get ready for the day.
Here’s the sun on its way up in the sky- giving an indication that it would be another hot day!
A very hot day, so enjoy the coolness of the early morning, it seemed to say.
Just a little bit more so it’s out of reach of the mountains that had once tried to obscure it in their contest with the Himalayas!
“Morning has broken like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird,
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,
Praise for them springing, fresh from the world”
“Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play,
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God’s recreation of the new day”
As soon as the sun was up in all its glory, we could hear the chants begin from the nearby temples. Perfect timing.
A bright sunny day in Mandu!

Leave a comment