Jvala Travels

15/02/2023

Sivarathri is nearing... Do you know Siva well? What is the name of this Form? Comment your Answer...

13/02/2023

https://jvala.travel/dont-just-camp-live-the-traditions/

Cultural Immersive Travel Exposes the traditional side of travel destinations Where you can be as part of the people, and experience their Traditions, culture, food.

18/01/2023

Happy New Year!
2023!
#2023

18/01/2023

The story about Ganga's descent on earth are due to the efforts of Bhagiratha, a descendant of King Sagara, an ancestor of Lord Rama.
When King Sagara performed the Ashwamedha yajna, Indra stole the horse to prevent the ritual from becoming successful. Eventually when the horse was found at Kapila's ashram, the sons of Sagara accused the sage wrongly for stealing the horse, which infuriated the sage, who burned the sons.

Sagara then sent his grandson Anshuman to free the sons from his wrath. When Anshuman requested the sage, he said that only the water of Ganga can reverse the action.

He performed great penance to Brahma, who asks Ganga to descend on Earth.

18/01/2023

In Mana village, the local folklore is that when Ganesha was scribbing for Vyasa, the river was emerging out in full force. The gushing noise of the river distracted Ganesh's listening skills. And so, it is believed that Sarasvati silences herself when Ganesha requests her flow quietly.
The painting shows how Ganesha's one hand is near the ears and other hand gesturing Vyasa to pause.
The picture is the Mana Village, before river Sarasvati joins river Alakananda forming the ford: Keshav Prayag.

18/01/2023

River Alakananda originates from the assemblage of Satopath and Bhagirath Karak glaciers. It meets Sarasvati at Mana and flows down Badri valley, meeting Girit Ganga at Hanumanchatti. It then proceeds to meet Dauli Ganga forming the ford Vishnu prayag. It meets rivers Nanakini, Pindar and Mandakini forming Nanda prayag, Karna prayag and Rudra prayag.

18/11/2022

Jowohar and Chitra are silk weavers belonging Thirubhuvanam, a small village in Thanjavur. They are the last generation of silk handloom weavers. The entire street belong to the weaving community. Its one of the primary professions of the village.
They were generous to welcome the Jvala community into their home.

27/06/2022

Dream, Dare and Discover

A small voice whispers in your ears
What if there is more to it?
What if we can belong to more than one place?

Throw off the bowlines
Sail away from the shorelines.

21/06/2022

Have you ever wondered why of
all days- today is declared as
"International" Yoga Day?
Here... Allow me.
A culture is the root that best captures a civilizational tree from which it is growing. So, if civilization is a tree, then it must have a seed,
right? Right!
Given thay there are only two halves in a seed- there can be only two types of culture- bhoga (materialism) and apavarga (spiritualism). And the expressions of a culture are art (flowers of the civilizational tree), science (branches and leaves of the civilizational tree) and philosophy (the fruit of the civilizational tree). Thisis a universal truth and common to all irrespective of
geographical location.
Now- since it is the fruit that carries the seed, from which another tree can grow, it has great weightage
which can be measured in the form of metrics. While language, forms, religion, and traditions are the metric that adds flesh to the fruit, the coat that protects the
seed is the calendar every culture follows and and days that are celebrated.
Today is the International Yoga Day as today for the Northern Hemisphere it is Summer Solstice and Southern Hemisphere it is Winter Solstice. In North
India which follows drika siddhanta method for calculating the movement of the Sun, this day marks the beginning of Dakshinayanam. This day having
universal significance was chosen to celebrate as Yoga Day- as Yoga is Universal concept in Theories of Truth (dharma), Goodness (artha) and Beauty (k**a) for any
society.

17/06/2022

.chakravarthy Have you ever travelled India during summer?
The intensity of the Sun spares none. Similarly, are the Indian monsoon. Troops of Alexander the Great retreated because conditions of weather were extreme to handle.
But… what caused discomfort for trained soldiers, became a motivation for Buddhist, Jain and Ajivika monks to reinvent themselves. Big boulders of rock cut caves first served as secure serene shelter that allowed their meditative pursuits. Later, the rocks served as limitless, secluded canvas that held their meditative states and captured it as artistic expressions.
The first Rock-cut cave in India belongs to Rishi Lomas at Barabar, Bihar. The earliest rock-cut cave existing in TN is Sittannavasal, near Trichy where some beautiful fresco art can still be caught.
What you see here are Badami rock-cut caves with Lake Agastya as its staggering backdrop in North West Karnataka.
Rock-cut caves are like lamps at a threshold, having access to unbound vastness, echoing spaces of above and beyond.

15/06/2022

.chakravarthy That which is unknown is not dark
That which is dark is not unknown…

Darkness is the space where Siva, the auspicious one, dances. He hence wears the Moon and stars as ornament. Since darkness is where he dances, the greatest saint poet Adi Shankara calls on Him to dance in his heart space: ‘O please dance on jeweled shoes in my heart and hurt not your feet on the rocky slopes of Himalayas’ (Source: Sivanandalahari)

The image is the entrance of Cave 1 at Badami, KA. The pic has been deliberately taken to highlight how form have been carved out of rocks. And the human subjects near to indicate the scale and distance from ground.

11/06/2022

the significance of the famous Mantri Mandir’s structure?

Situated in Pondicherry, Mantri Mandir is a hub of meditation for spiritual travellers from around the world.
Commissioned by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh’s mother - the superstructure symbolises ‘Universal Mother’. The spherical dome represents a cosmic egg holding a new consciousness waiting to manifest.

Similarly every part of the structure urges a profound spiritual experience for those who are seeking a deeper meaning to their existence.

10/06/2022

.chakravarthy Last year, when we visited Kumbakonam, we went to a Goshala in Govindapuram. And, this calf that I am holding was a brand new baby, born that very morning. They had cleaned her up and she was standing so beautifully with a turmeric mark on her forehead by herself at the entrance that I couldn’t resist hugging her. The reason why I started posting on k**adhenu and cow is because this image was thrown by the phone as a memory.

So to complete the story of Prthu and Prithvi- in order to milk from Earth, Prthu makes Manu as calf. And it is said that- when the planets were milked, Moon became the calf, while Brihaspati became the milker- also, gods and demi gods used Virocana as calf to milk courage, valor and maya (the destroyer of enemies). The equation of cow, calf and milk continues in this way at various levels.

Point is- the sacrifice that is associated with Creation (posted earlier) is a hidden symbol containing the calf without which Creation could have never happened. But we focus much only on the milk and the cow now-a-days. Something to think about…🤔

06/06/2022

The word Prithvi, meaning Earth derives its word from the Kuru King Prthu.
As the story goes- (Source: Padma Purana)
Between the transition of powers from King Vena’s death to King Prthu’s succession, Goddess Earth withdrew inside her all vegetations; due to which the kingdom suffered. Assuming officially the duties as the king, Prthu got angry. Taking his bow and arrow, he went in search of Earth. However, watching Prthu march, Goddess Earth got scared and took form as cow and fled. But Prthu followed her everywhere. Unable to hide from him, Goddess Earth trembling with fear asked what good will come in killing her? For which the king replied that he would protect his people by the power of his yoga. Shaken by his reply, goddess succumbed and said, “Oh king, I shall give you back all I have destroyed in the form of milk. And virtuous that you are can milk me and take back everything you want.”
It is believed that what was milked by Prthu made the sub-continent vegetated and prosperous.
In fact the parallels that can be drawn is cow is a symbol of Goddess Lakshmi and the milk flowing out is Goddess Sarasvati. This makes cow as a sacred animal as it bears the weight of the world.

04/06/2022

In Indian art traditions, there are only two animals that acquire zoomorphic representations - the pig and the cow. Zoomorphic means salient animal-like tendencies found in humans. Now, since the theriomorphic form of Varaha suggests pastoral culture and the anthropomorphic form of Varaha represents agriculture, the zoomorphic form of varaha implies dairy as a cultural potential. While varaha captures the idea as a timestamp within human evolution; k**adhenu indicates to the idea as a type of farming community.

In a zoomorphic representation, the realised master craftsman tries to capture the idea of Creation as sacrifice. Hence, in zoomorphic forms: the gods, the demi-gods, the civilizational seeds in the form of 7 mothers and 7 sages, the realised beings will be suggested as part of what shapes the body.

Forms forms iconography art culture

03/06/2022

The founder who believes in viewing the world through the looking glass.

30/05/2022

Some people wander to find a deeper meaning for everything around them. While some wander to discover a newer side to themselves. And some just want to get away, but unintentionally end up doing either of the two things.

Pondicherry has been a traveler’s paradise due to its numerous offerings. This tiny slice of French legacy reverberates with potency and life - offering something unique to everyone who comes here.

Experience Puducherry, experience life.

29/05/2022

The sky parts and a voice rings through:

You are meant for greater things in life.
Don’t give up. Seek and speak your truth.

Shaking slightly I started to walk back to my camp and rejoined the dinner in progress. Then I realized it was my own voice. My inner self finally getting a chance to speak up and aloud.

27/05/2022

The wind reconciles with water and makes beautiful notes of musical currents as it blows over the surface of water.

Witness the perfectly harmonised littoral beauty of Puducherry on a quaint summer day.

25/05/2022

A stretch of pavement along the beach which will form the backdrop to the memories that you will make for a lifetime.

Maybe take a halt and step into the famed La Cafe. Discover unique flavours of seafood and delectable cups of coffee. Wonder at the grandiose of the eminent statues of key figures who shaped the history and geography of Pondicherry.

Witness the allure of a place steeped in history and spirituality - with just a breezy stroll down the Promenade. Witness the phenomenon that is Pondicherry.

15/05/2022

We love how J.D. Andrews talks about experiencing the world and not just travelling it.

Turning your travels into an experience that doesn’t end with the trip.

Book a tour today! DM us for more.

11/05/2022

Puducherry awaits you with an amazing experience of “Smelting Summers” by the water.

Book an experience today! DM us for more.

09/05/2022

We deliver mesmerizing experiences that help you Connect with your Silence. Explore not just the destination but yourself.

Make your summers mesmerizing. DM us for more!

07/05/2022

Water in summers becomes more desirable. Experience this summer by the waters with Jvala.

Register for Puducherry today. DM us for more.

04/05/2022

Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara:

Here has approached, dear, this hot season, when the sun is fierce, the moon becomes desirable for one to be continually bathing in the ample waters, (and) the feeling of love is (comparatively) allayed.

Canto 1.1 verse

04/05/2022

Don’t just visit Puducherry, experience it with us. Registrations now open!

DM us for more.

03/05/2022

Experience this summer with Jvala and explore dimensions within yourself.

Become a part of Smelting Summers with Jvala. Stay tuned for more!