Koliyar Beach, The Sea-Abode Of Lord Siva! Poem by Rajendran Muthiah

The tourists mostlyof women
from Coimbatore reached the shores of Koliyaar
in Gujarat State before the sun-rise.
The waves of theArabian Sea were not abating.
The idols of Sivalingas and the bulls were submerged
in the sea and one could see the flag mast alone
at some distance of half-a -kilometre in the sea.

A few hours after the dawn, the waves retreat
and ascend a few hours before the dusk.
We ambled down to the beach
where there is no arch or adornment.
From the natural beach, one can watch
the wide expanse of the Arabian Sea
but can't see the outline of the sea-temple.

Some of the pilgrims were minstrels
singing songs on Lord Siva in Tamil.
They prayed for the receding of waves.
Soon they admired the subdued waves!
Leaving my wife with a fractured foot on the shore
I joined the pilgrims who ventured into the sea
in knee-deep water, yelling the name of Siva.

They grasped their hands together and moved ahead.
After every fifteen minutes, some fifteen feet
of land was cleared off water. The lulling waves
washed of their legs and their cell phones videoed
the creeping waves. Just an hour to reach the temple!
The people poured milk over the idols and placed wreaths
of flowers around the Sivalingas and the necks of bulls.

The waves are hitting on the concrete floor of the temple
in three sides and the photographers make a hefty trade.
The pilgrims sat around the idols and sang songs.
I rushed back in eight minutes to bring my wife
but the old people aborted her mission
sayingher foot would be getting wet and abraded.
May the Almighty bless the people all over the world!