ChinnaSesha Vahanam-.Annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam Day 2

On the sunny morning of the on-going annual Brahmotsavams of Lord Venkateswara the processional deity of Lord Malayappa Swamy was taken out in a grand procession on ‘Chinna Sesha Vahanam' around the holy mada' streets encircling the holy shrine.

According to Hindu puranas the Kundalini Shakti is said to be most powerful level of energy and called Kaivalya Gnana. This is the potent energy available to mankind by the grace of Lord of Lords Sri Venkateswara and is represented by mighty snake. To make the human being about the important of that Serpentine Kundalini energy which enables human being to reach the 8.4 millionth manifestations, the last in the cosmic life cycle lord takes ride on Chinna Sesha Vahanam which is also believed to be the divine serpentine Vasuki.

Peddasesha Vahanam-.Annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam Day 1

The Lord of Lords takes pleasure ride on the mighty seven-hooded Serpent on the first day of Brahmotsavams on the tastefully decorated Peddasesha Vahanam.

The mighty serpent plays a vital role in Hindu Mythology as it is on this mammoth snake that Lord Vishnu reclines while sleeping in the milky sea. Usually peddasesha vahanam is being regarded as Adisesha the 1000-hooded snake. (Here in thisvahanam this snake has seven hoods and is believed to represent the seven hills of lord venkateswara). He is the first born of the serpents.

The Adisesha dons different accessories for Lord Venkateswara as residing place (seven hills), bed, umbrella (giving shelter with his hoods), as ornament and any more.

According to legend, mused by his service Lord has conferred another honor upon him to bear the earth upon his head and support her great weight with stability.

The grand procession of Lord Venkateswara on the first day of Brahmotsavam is therefore commenced with Peddasesha Vahanam. Lord Venkateswara has given darshan to his devotees on this seven hooded mighty serpent king.

Dwajarohanam-Annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam 2014

Dwajarohanam marks the beginning of Nine day spiritual bonanza for devotees of Lord Venkateswara as it is the first traditional religious ceremony which is being observed during the Annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam.

Dhwajarohanam has been carried out in a religious atmosphere amidst the chanting of Vedic mantras by the Archakas of the temple at the Dwajasthambham, near the Nadimi Padi Kavili inside the temple complex. The temple priests hoisted the celestial flag atop the temple pillar between 5.36pm to 6pm.

As mythology says Garuda the being one of the disciplined disciples of lord Venkateswara goes to Devalokam to invite Gods like Brahma, Indra, Yama, Agni, Kubera and Vayudeva and saptarishis to participate in the nine-day spectacular event Salakatla Brahmotsavams.

As part of the Brahmotsavam the lord Venkateswara in the form of processional Deity Lord Malayappa Swamy comes out of his temple every day in the morning and evening to give darshan to his devotees on various special vahanams.

Church of Our Lady of Light, Chennai

Church of Our Lady of Light (Tamil: பிரகாச மாதா ஆலயம்) is a Roman Catholic shrine in Chennai, India. It is commonly called as Luz Church by the locals, which derives from the Portuguese name Nossa Senhora da Luz. Built in 1516 by the Portuguese, it is one of the oldest Churches in the city and its foundation stone marks as one of the oldest European monuments in India. The history of the church dates back to the 16th-century legend of safe arrival to land by missionaries. The church is located very near to the Santhome Basilica, where Apostle Thomas is believed to be buried.
Although at the time the church was built, the locality was a thick forest, now it is part of a bustling metropolitan area. This 16th-century European-architecture building consists of patterns of Gothic arches and Baroque ornamentation. The feast of Our Lady of Light is celebrated on the 15 August every year. On 15 August, 2010, Church of Our Lady of Light was declared Shrine of Our Lady of Light by A. M. Chinnappa, Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore. From WIKI….

Savitri Bhavan @ Auroville

Savitri Bhavan in Auroville is a centre dedicated to fostering a living sense of Human Unity through spiritual education based on the vision and teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The central focus is Sri Aurobindo’s mantric epic Savitri : a legend and a symbol, which the Mother has called ‘The supreme revelation of Sri Aurobindo’s vision’. 

Savitri Bhavan aims to gather and create, to house and make available all kinds of materials and activities that will foster a deeper appreciation of Savitri, of the lives, work and vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and of the aims and ideals of Auroville, in a space that breathes the atmosphere of Savitri.

Ostrich @ Guindy National Park

Guindy National Park is a  Protected area of Tamil Nadu, located in Chennai, South India, is the 8th smallest National Park of India and one of the very few national parks situated inside a city. The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding Raj Bhavan, formerly known as the 'Guindy Lodge', the official residence of the Governor of Tamil Nadu, India. It extends deep inside the governor's estate, enclosing beautiful forests, scrub lands, lakes and streams.

At Children's park/Guindy National Park, Chennai:

The park has a role in both ex-situ and in-situ conservation and is home to 400 blackbucks, 2,000 spotted deers, 24 jackals, a wide variety of snakes, geckos, tortoises and over 130 species of birds, 14 species of mammals, over 60 species of butterflies and spiders each, a wealth of different invertebrates—grasshoppers, ants, termites, crabs, snails, slugs, scorpions, mites, earthworms, millipedes, and the like. These are free-ranging fauna and live with the minimal of interference from human beings. The only major management activity is protection as in any other in-situ conservation area. The park attracts more than 700,000 visitors every year. From Wiki..

Gandhi Mandapam @ CWA meet

Gandhi Mandapam is a series of memorial structures built on the arterial Sardar Patel Road, in Adyar, Chennai.Although it is referred singularly as Gandhi Mandapam, the complex comprises four other memorials of people of eminence such as Rettamalai Srinivasan, Rajaji, Kamaraj and Minjur Bhaktavatsalam. 

The most prominent of the structures is, however, the Gandhi Mandapam which is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. It is built in a temple style and is the largest of the memorials in the complex.

These sketches are done with Ink pen, color pencils and water colors.