Tofu burgers/tikki

I include tofu in most of my everyday cooking. It is a good substitute for vegans and also apart from being a very good source of protein has zero cholesterol. I had been planning to make tofu burgers since long. Once I made them mixed with boiled potatoes, they were quite good but then I wanted to avoid using potatoes. I had to blend them with something or they just disintegrate while cooking.
I added soaked and boiled black horse gram and the result was quite awesome. It had the added advantage of fiber.

Ingredients:
2 cups boiled horse gram (kala chana)
1 cup mashed tofu
7-8 soaked black mushrooms
1 big onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp roasted and pounded peanuts
1 tsp chana masala
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
2 green chillies
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ginger paste
1-2 green chopped chillies
9-10 mint leaves
2 tbsp coriander leaves
1/2 tsp kala namak or Himalayan black salt
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method:
Take around 3/4 cup dried horse gram, soak them till they swell. Boil them till they are soft.
You can as an alternative use pre-boiled gram. You should have around 2 cups of boiled black horsegram.

Soak black mushrooms in water for around half an hour.
Pat tofu between kitchen towel to remove excess water. If the tofu has too much water put a weight over it for some time.

Heat oil, add cumin seeds, bay leaf. Add chopped onions and saute till soft.
Grind black mushroom into a paste. You can chop them into small pieces if you want.

In a bowl, mash black horse gram, add crumbled tofu.
Add all ingredients from roasted peanuts to black salt.

Mix properly, check for seasonings.

Make burgers depending on the size you want them.

Oil a non stick pan. Heat it and put your burgers/tikki on to the pan.
Do not disturb them at this time. They will break.
Flip to the other side when the underside becomes brown and crisp.

Remove to a plate.

I like eating it with a combination of sweet chilli sauce and spicy mint chutney.

My Notes:
You may substitute black horse gram with boiled and mashed red kidney beans or black beans.
Freeze the left overs. They become excellent mini meals. Just thaw, heat and eat!
Adjust the spice level to your taste.

Kbal Spean, Siem Reap, Cambodia

On top of Kulen mountains, some distance away from Banteay Srie is Kbal Spean, Kbal taken from the word Kapaal meaning head in Sanskrit and Spean means a bridge so, it means "head bridge".

The fairly tough climb, finding your way through big boulders for a non atheletic climber like me, and some easy walk, takes you to this wonderful place. But, once you reach the top, the first word which comes out from your mouth is Wow!

The series of spectacularly carved Shivlinga on sandstone makes you wonder. How was it possible to carve such a thing under water? The waters of river Kbal Spean flow over these formations.
Said to be built around the 11th and 12th century during the reign of King Udayadityavarman II, it seems a wonder that on top of Phnom Kulen something like this exists. Phnom means a hill in Khmer and Kulen is a mountain range.

There are Sahasralingas (1000 lingas)in India in Orissa and Hampi in Karnataka. But, thousands of Shivlingas on rocks and river bed can be seen when the water recedes on river Shalmala near Sirsi in the Uttara Kannada region in the state of Karnataka in India. They were built by the King of Sirsi, Sadashiva Raya in 1678-1718.

 picture courtesy: daily.bhaskar.com

 picture courtesy: ramanan50.wordpress.com

Hope as you keep reading the following post, you shall see the similarity between the two places and also understand how Hinduism was transported to far off places in South-east Asia.

A tough exercise for me!

Passing through thick growth on either side

walk and walk!

strange looking crawlies on a tree!

Etched Shivalings on the river bed

The area has been cordoned off to protect the carvings which have, over a period weathered or vandalized. The rope which you see in the above picture is over a natural bridge under which the water runs below dropping into a water fall.

A close up of reclining Vishnu on Anant-Shesha, King of  Nagas

enlarged portion, Goddess Lakshmi near his feet

The above etching on the rock shows Lord Vishnu in a reclining position in the eternal ocean or the ananta saagar. Sheshnaag or  Anant- Shesha or Anantnaag's head forms an umbrella over his head.  His feet are on the lap of a woman (face has apparently broken) who should be no other than Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu. She is flanked by lotus on either side.

On top of Vishnu is Brahma, the creator who is connected by a cord to Vishnu's navel. On extreme right, again seems to be Brahma sitting on a lotus.

Another carving of Vishnu

the carving seen from another angle

Keep on looking everywhere and you see some etching on a rock.

Water flowing over Shivlingas

There are 1000 Shivlingas etched in this area. The water, after flowing over them, is said to become sanctified.

Shiv-Parvati on Nandi

I took a closer look at the above picture, the etchings have no doubt corroded but it is clearly shows Shiv and Parvati on Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiv. On the side seems like Lord Rama with a bow and Sita, his consort by his side.

From the bridge- Shiva lingas and Yoni

After crossing the bridge, you descend to the lower level where the water falls. From the bridge under the clear waters is visible the Yoni with Shivlingas.

a picture of my family

From the waterfall you take the winding path and trace your way back downhill.

It is amazing to think that this was carved hundreds of years ago on a hill top. Imagine the effort and dedication of the people who did all this wonderful work.

Boudhnatha Stupa, Nepal

In my earlier posts on Nepal, I have written about Hindu temples. Nepal has as many Bouddh temples as the Hindu ones. Yes, Buddhism came much later but its impact has been significant.

There is a complete and harmonious intermixing of the two religions in Nepal.

I visited two big temples in and near Kathmandu. One was Boudhanatha and the other Swambhunatha. Both are UNESCO heritage sites.

At the time of writing this post never in my weirdest thoughts did I think that soon I would be posting pictures of the same monument, damaged to a great extent.

Boudhnatha and Swayambhunatha stupas, which I am going to write about, are of Kadampa style. This style differs from Kalachakra (wheel of life) style. Let me briefly shed some light on the main features of Kadampa style stupa. In this style:

• The base which is usually square represents the earth or universe
• The dome represents water
• On top of dome is a square area called harmika which forms a fence around the spire. Here, the spire is represented by the thirteen steps or bhumis. So, harmika sort of forms a fence around the tree of enlightenment.
• The harmika has a pair of eyes, a nose and also a third eye.
• On top of harmika are placed 13- steps or bhumis which are symbols of fire.
• On top of bhumis is an umbrella which is a representative of Nirvana or enlightenment
• Then topmost is the pinnacle, which represents space.

Boudhnatha (बौद्धनाथ):

This stupa a little distance away from the center of Kathmandu and is among the largest stupas in Nepal. It dominates the sky line and I could see it from my hotel window too. Boudha means Buddha which means wisdom and Natha means God so, Boudhantha is God of wisdom.

The vastness of the stupa or chaitya overpowers you once you come close to it.

Entrance gate to Boudhnath taken from inside the temple

Boudhnatha Stupa with Goddess Harti Devi in front

When you look at the above picture, you see three plinths or levels which represent the earth.

The dome is a representation of water.

The 13- steps are symbols of fire, the parasol or umbrella symbolizes wisdom and the topmost pinnacle is the space.

Devotees paying respect

The base has sixteen sides and has frescos of 108 Avalokiteshwar all around in the niches with prayer wheels in between.

Prayer wheels

Om Mani Padme Hum- the sacred mantra- is inscribed at the base near the wheels. Spinning the wheel clockwise and also circumbulating the stupa in a clockwise direction gives merit.

At the four corners are the four Dyaani Buddha, the fifth one is said to be enshrined in the center (under the dome). Next is a dome which has 108 niches with Buddha placed inside.

On top of the dome, is a rectangular structure which is called harmika. Harmica is a small square platform with a fence located at the top of a stupa. It has an umbrella or a canopy on top as a symbol of honor and respect.

Above the harmika are the thirteen steps or bhumis. Here, in Bodhanatha they are square in pattern. These bhumis are the obstacles faced  in attaining enlightenment. It decreases in size as it goes up and is a representation of fire. Crossing of each step takes us closer to Nirvana. Nirvana does not mean death, it means enlightenment. Above the 13 bhumis, you see an umbrella or a canopy which signifies air and on top is space.

Prayer flags can be seen tied to the sides. The fluttering caused by air carries the mantra inscribed on the flags and purifies the places it goes through.

enlarged view of the eyes

Within the harmica, one sees the magnetic eyes of Buddha on all four corners of stupa. It means that whatever lies below the eyes is worldly. According to Nepalese beliefs, the eyes of Buddha on the four corners observe the activities of everyone. It is also believed that peace would prevail where ever the eyes would look. Look closely and you see a third eye which represents the eye of enlightenment.

Then you see a squiggly nose which looks like a question mark. It is actually the Nepali way to write number one. It signifies that there is only way to God realization.

the view in front of the entrance

Stone carved Hindu deities with offering of flowers, vermilion and rice. They are placed near the entrance at the ground level or the base. Above this level, begin the three plinths.

Lord Ganesha at entrance

Giant prayer wheel on the side of entrance

prayer wheels on the side of entrance

Harati Devi or Ajima Devi temple

In between the entry and exit doors is the Hindu Goddess Harati Devi temple. She is also known as Goddess Ajima and also Sheetla Devi.

The Goddess Harati Devi

The Goddess has long been revered as the protector of children as she removes all small children's diseases, especially small pox and other communicable diseases in children. Mothers come with their small children to seek her blessings.

On top of the Goddess's pinnacle is a lotus on top of which a double sided Vajra. The Dharma Chakra and the golden deer can also  clearly be seen.

Incense burning urn

Entry beyond level one is prohibited. On either side on this level are two people mounted on elephants. The features look very close to Mongol features. I don't have the correct answer but since the monastery opposite the stupa is a Tamang Monastery, probably it also has a Mongolian influence.

Tamang Gompa or Guru Lhakhang Monastery:

Commonly also known as Boudhanatha Monastery, it lies just opposite the Stupa.  This two storey monastery is beautiful and a must see. Gompa is monastery in Newar.

Monastery

Tamangs are a very small Tibetan community in Nepal and follow Tibetan Buddhism. This gompa or monastery has mainly Tamangs as their followers, in addition to others.

There are three schools in Buddhism- Hinayaana, Mahayaana and Vajrayana, which is said to be an off shoot of Mahayana which soon became an independent school. Vajrayana is more popular in Mongolia, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, India (Ladakh and Sikkhim), with very few followers in China, Korea, Japan. 

Since, Tamangs are Tibetian descendants, they practice Vajrayaana.

Let me write few lines on Vajrayana.

It is called Vajrayana (Vajra is thunderbolt or Dorji (Tibet) and Yana is vehicle) because of the use of Vajra in their spiritual practice.  I have mentioned about Vajra in my earlier post Some beliefs and rituals in Bhutan

Also, important are the bell which is used in conjunction with vajra, prayer beads and prayer wheel.

It is also known as Mantrayan (because of the Mantra they recite, Om Mani Padme Hum),

It's also referred as Tantric Buddhism because a lot of fresco or images or paintings are shown with angry, fierce forms. The wrathful expression shows the protection of dharma teachings.

The role of Lama (Tibet) or Guru (India) is very important.

Huge bell at entrance of Monastery

Tibetan golden deer with Dharam Chakra on top of Monastery

Why are deer on sides of Dharmchakra? Honestly speaking, I was intrigued by this for I had seen this only in Nepal.  I researched a lot and finally I was able to piece my puzzle together. The reason is when Lord Buddha gave his first sermon at Deer Park at Sarnath, called the Dharmachakra Parivartan,  it was so powerful that even all the birds and animals came to listen to it. The deer was also in the audience. According to Tibetan tradition, any monastery which has both the direct teachings of Buddha (Kanyur) and commentaries (Tengyur) will have this symbol of golden deer on both sides of Dharma Chakra (Dharma wheel) on top. The Dharam Chakra has eight spokes which refer to the Noble Eight fold Path.

Fresco on wall

Painting on roof

Entrance to prayer room

Fresco representing the wheel of life

the other side of entrance to prayer room

The above frescos show the influence of tantric tradition in Buddhism.

Vajrasatva 

The prayer hall has many golden idols along its wall. I have taken and pasted some pictures.

          Sakhyamuni Buddha                  Shanta Rakshita                                   Dharma King                                                                   

     Amitabha Buddha                         Maha Guru                             Singhmukhi Dakini

taking blessings from monk

view of Boudhnatha from my hotel room

All around the stupa, there are shops which sell prayer wheels, beads, thankha paintings etc. Its exciting to see all the stuff. Further ahead, there are shops selling grains, pulses, spices.

It saddens me that portion of this magnificent stupa were damaged during the recent earthquake on 25th April. I have posted some pictures on the damage to this stupa in my earlier post on Recent loss of cultural heritage of Nepal