US Diary (19-Oct-2023)
Though last Sunday was cloudy, it did not affect us or lessen our joy of a holiday. At around 4.40 PM in the evening, we started to the nearby temple in Bridgewater and reached there by 5.05 PM. The temple is known as "Sri Venkateswara temple of Bridgewater". The main deity is Lord Thirupathi Venkatachalapathy. But as in other temples in the US, under one roof there were many other shrines for other deities too. Sri Durgadevi is one amongst them. Being Navrathri festival season we were aware of the special pooja for Durgadevi, chanting of Devi maahathmyam and cultural performances that were being conducted during these nine days. Although we started late, we reached the temple cultural centre hall before the dancers finished their Dandiya dance. Dandiya and Garba are two popular dance forms of Gujarat in India. While Garba may have more of a devotional appeal, Dandiya may be more vibrant and is centered around two deities, Goddess Durga and Lord Krishna. The dan...