I stand rooted…
awed
by the Red Sand Dunes
of
Erra Matti Dibbalu
The
alchemy of geology
frozen
in space
…in
Time
At once:
A
moment in perpetuity
Eras in ephemerality
I walk through…
labyrinths
of plinths
viharas
of Thotlakonda
where
lamas breathed
in
the spirit of Buddha
…prehistory
At once:
Humankind in motion
Enlightenment in elusion
I grapple...
Sand slipping through my fingers
Standing on the threshold of time
Sand slipping through my fingers
Standing on the threshold of time
Dated: Threshold
of 2014-15
Erra Matti Dibbalu are hillocks that look like Chambal Valley ravines, only are of far lesser dimensions. This million years old site of red sand dunes - a geological marvel and scientific storehouse - situated between Visakhapatnam and Bheemunipatnam is tagged as a geo-heritage site by the Geological Survey of India.
Thotlakonda are hilltop ruins - structures that once were viharas, chaitya grihas, and stupas of a Buddhist monastery. Coins from the Satvahana period and Buddha pada (Buddha's footprints etched in stone) recovered from here are housed in Visakha Museum. This vihara was known to be active from the period 3rd century BCE - 3rd century AD! Cyclone Hudhud took its toll on this heritage site which is on the outskirts of Vizag.
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