Temple - Dwajasthambam (Flagpole)

The tall flagpoles in the Hindu temples have always fascinated me, that too it is a sight to see during holy festivals, as they are adorned with flowers and other religious things.

@ Sri Astha Thasa Buja Kali Temple, Durian Tunggal, Melaka

As per Hindu agama shastra (religious rules), the temples are built to reflect the human body and Dwajasthambam (Flagpole) forms the backbone! Well, am not too sure of the explanations (and I can't find trusted resources online), so let me not elaborate on it.

At Sri Astha Thasa Buja Kali Temple, I saw another, very tall flagpole, which was devoid of adornments. The rotating flash light gave a beautiful touch to that pole!

Now, am not sure why this pole was placed in front of the Dwajasthembam!

The Giant Flower - Rafflesia

One of the major attractions of Sabah, besides Mount Kota Kinabalu is Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world! On the way to Mount Kota Kinabalu National Park, a banner and a hand made sign board attracted us. It was a private plantation that had Rafflesia.

We were told that the flower stinks even before we could see it. First, there was a waft of rotten fish smell, but as we neared the flower, we forgot all about the smell as we were awed by its gigantic beauty!

Click on the photos to enlarge...

Rafflesia - in full bloom

The inlaid photo boasts that the flower was 83 cms large, and can be reached within 3 minutes walk. A 5-6 year old girl (probably the owner's kid), guided along the short trek. Well, it took us about 10 minutes walk, but it was well worth.

Close-up

The guide, the youngest one I've ever come across, was pretty good in explaining about flower. Here are some of the interesting stuff we heard from the guide:

• Rafflesia is poisonous, thatz why the flower was fenced off!
• Rafflesia is a parasitic plant that just absorbs food and nutrients from its host
• The flower can grow more than 100 cms in diameter
• The life of the flower is about 1 week, and
• It starts stinking terribly when it dies!

Rafflesia - Offsprings!

At least one bud will be around the full bloom, nature's way to preserve its species!

You might also like to read/see pics of my other Borneo experiences...

Poring - Canopy Walkway Bridge
Aerial Views - Borneo

Water ways of Brunei - Air Kampung, Venice of the East

Close ups

It was after a heavy rain, and raindrops were glistening on raw palm fruits. I was tempted to try my hands or rather camera in capturing a macro and here are a couple of shots that I think are cute!

How nice it would be if I can string these beautiful raindrops and make a lovely necklace!

Pushpanjali - A Floral Tribute!

It's an age old custom and tradition in India to use flowers for worship, rituals, to honor someone or to welcome guests. Here is a perfect shot that depicts this tradition!

Pushpanjali - Floral Tribute in Sanskrit!

I took this shot during the photo shoot session, meant for designing the souvenir of a dance program to be held in June 2011. This program is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Nrittasamudra dance school. In Sanskrit, 'Nritta' is body movements (as in dance) and 'samudra' is ocean. So, Nrittasamudra is Dance Ocean.

True to its name, Nrittasamudra's founder and eminent classical dancer Mrs. Sandhya is an ocean of expression and I have seen her expressive gestures when she teaches Bharatanatyam to her students. My daughter is one of her students.

Pushpanjali dance is a way of honoring Lord Nataraja - the patron God of Bharatanatyam, Guru - the dance teacher and Sabhaa - the audience! And, my daughter is one of the dancers to perform Pushpanjali dance, at the start of the program.

Wooden & Dry Fish

Recently, I went to Pantai Putrei to buy fish. When the shop assistant was cleaning the mackerel, as usual I was gazing around and noticed this cute wooden fish...

Then, I saw this as well...

At first, I thought that it must be carved out of a coconut shell, but the assistant said that it was a dried fish head!