October 31, 2009
June 27, 2009
Tirupati Balaji
Tirupati-Balaji is a sacred town and is famous for the shrine of Lord Venkateshwara, which is visited by a large number of pilgrimages from far corners of India. The breathtakingly beautiful setting of this holy town makes it another lure for the tourists who want to experience a spiritual tinge on their tour of Tirupati-Balaji. There are many tourist attractions in Tirupati-Balaji among which the notable ones are:
Sri Venkateswara Temple:
It is the most prominent landmark in the entire town and the presiding deity is said to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. The temple is located on the southern bank of Swami Pushkarni. The temple is a wonderful example of Dravidian architecture featuring gold plated Cupola and called as “Ananda Nilayam”. The Gopuram of the temple is dexterously carved out and attracts a significant number of tourists who come here to seek the blessings of the deity.
Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple:
It is located three kms to the north, at the foot of the Tirumala Hill and is devoted to Lord Shiva. This is one of the most remarkable among the tourist attractions in Tirupati-Balaji and has a gorgeous setting. There is also a sacred waterfall called Kapila Teertham located beside the temple that adds to its beauty quotient.
Will add more pics and data in some time.
Sri Venkateswara Temple:
It is the most prominent landmark in the entire town and the presiding deity is said to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. The temple is located on the southern bank of Swami Pushkarni. The temple is a wonderful example of Dravidian architecture featuring gold plated Cupola and called as “Ananda Nilayam”. The Gopuram of the temple is dexterously carved out and attracts a significant number of tourists who come here to seek the blessings of the deity.
Sri Kapileswaraswami Temple:
It is located three kms to the north, at the foot of the Tirumala Hill and is devoted to Lord Shiva. This is one of the most remarkable among the tourist attractions in Tirupati-Balaji and has a gorgeous setting. There is also a sacred waterfall called Kapila Teertham located beside the temple that adds to its beauty quotient.
Will add more pics and data in some time.
Kanchipuram - Tamil Nadu
"City of 1000 temples", "Golden City of Temples". Kanchipuram has many names to its credit and is one of the oldest city in South India. It underwent many name changes, in ancient times it was called Kachi, Kachiampathi and Kanjivaram in different periods. This city of temple is ruled by many dynasty from Pallavas, Cholas, Vijaynagara & Mughals to British. Few temples are incarnated during Pallavas dynasty (3th-9th centuries) period and later extended or added during Cholas & VIjayanagara Dynasty. The city is revered as one of the seven sacred city in India and is in 2nd place next to Varanasi. The remains of Budhist stupas reminiscence the presence of Buddhism religion at that time. Jainism is also prevalent here. The majority of spoken language here is Tamil and Telugu. You might know the art of Shoulin Temple is preached by an Indian Buddhist Monk, the same monk was hailed from this city only.
Its 75km from Chennai and is well connected by Buses and Train. Regular buses ply from Chennai as well as local train
Vishakhapatnam
Popularly known as Vizag is one of the most popular tourist destination of Andhra Pradesh. The port city of Vizag has something to offer for every tourist, whether he is a nature lover, a pilgrim, an adventure sports lover or someone who merely wants to relax and rejuvenate. Sprawling golden beaches, splendid monuments, ancient temples, a natural harbour are some of the snapshots that has made Vizag so popular among tourist fraternity. Visakhapatnam is a city of cultural & religious diversity which truly depicts the essence of “Incredible India”.
For Sight seeing you have,
Kailashgiri – This small and charming hillock facing the sea front is at an altitude of 130 m within the city. The hillock owes its name to the magnificent open air statue of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Kailashgiri has been developed as a major tourist attraction by VUDA. The park developed at the hill top offers breathtaking and enchanting view of the sea, beaches, lush green forests and the bustling city.
Ropeway that takes people from the foot to the top of the hill and back is an added attraction to this wonderful place. One more new attraction is the toy train operating atop of this hill top park.
Ramkrishna Beach – The beach is commonly called RK Beach and is one of the best and most popular tourist spot of Vizag. This long beach though not ideal for swimming has a landscape beyond comparison. Apart from being a favourite and nice spot to spend time relaxing on the softy sand the place is also ideal to enjoy the sunset and sunrise amidst the tranquil waters.
I will cover araku valley, a popular hill station in India in my next blog.
For Sight seeing you have,
Kailashgiri – This small and charming hillock facing the sea front is at an altitude of 130 m within the city. The hillock owes its name to the magnificent open air statue of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Kailashgiri has been developed as a major tourist attraction by VUDA. The park developed at the hill top offers breathtaking and enchanting view of the sea, beaches, lush green forests and the bustling city.
Ropeway that takes people from the foot to the top of the hill and back is an added attraction to this wonderful place. One more new attraction is the toy train operating atop of this hill top park.
Ramkrishna Beach – The beach is commonly called RK Beach and is one of the best and most popular tourist spot of Vizag. This long beach though not ideal for swimming has a landscape beyond comparison. Apart from being a favourite and nice spot to spend time relaxing on the softy sand the place is also ideal to enjoy the sunset and sunrise amidst the tranquil waters.
I will cover araku valley, a popular hill station in India in my next blog.
Aurovile and Pondicherry !!!!
If you go to Auroville for a prolonged period (anything above two days) there are a couple of recommended steps to take:
1) Book your accommodation well in advance. There are quite a few guest houses in Auroville, but there are also a huge number of tourists. At the moment, there are around 1800 people living in Auroville, but in high season at least the same number of tourists will be staying there. Consequently, it can be hard to find somewhere to stay. We had booked a cottage in Atithi Griha guest house, which happens to be the official Auroville guesthouse . It is relatively cheap, compared to other guest houses in Auroville, at around Rs. 700, and it is an excellent place for meeting other people; be it other tourists or Aurovillian newcomers who are waiting for permanent accommodation.
2) Go to the Visitor's Centre to get a map. Without a map you are destined to get lost; even with a map any adventurousness will see you lost at some point.
3) Go to the Guest Service (on top of Solar Kitchen in E3 in the map above) and get a guest account. Auroville is, in theory, a moneyless community making the "purchase" of food etc. complicated without a guest account. Unfortunately, you are only likely to get an account if you are planning to stay for at least two weeks. The account can be recharged with real money at the Town Hall (in E3 in the map above).
4) Rent a moped or another two wheeled motorised vehicle. We did, being environmentally conscious, do the right thing, which is to rent a pedal bike. However, we soon were alerted to the fact that distances in Auroville are huge; getting from one end to the other is a 10 kilometre ride. Add to this that the bikes that are for rent are prehistoric (one gear and saddle sticks that are way too short for any male of average height) and that the road quality is exceptionally poor, and you have a recipe for constant pain in every fibre of your body. The reason for the poor roads is a degree of delusion amongst the leaders of Auroville (yes, there are leaders in this place even though it pretends to uphold distinguished principles of democracy etc.). Auroville was created because the Mother had a vision. Her closest ally, the French architect Roger Anger, had his own visions which included a particular road layout. Unfortunately, this road layout was never created and roads developed organically. After all, people need roads in order to be able to travel from A to B. As these roads weren't in accordance with "the Plan" the authorities haven't been willing to maintain and repair them. So, today, almost forty years after the creation of Auroville, people have to travel on gravel roads full of holes and bumps. In the Monsoon the roads are, more or less, unusable because the gravel turns into a thick clay like sludge. Rumour has it that any real improvement of the Auroville infrastructure (read: the application of tarmac) won't happen until the old Mother lovers have died off. The photo below should give an indication of the road quality.
We were able to rent a moped for less than Rs. 100 a day from Atithi Griha, but there are plenty of places advertising their moped rental services on message boards around Auroville.
5) Find one or more eating places. For the first two weeks, where we stayed at Atithi Griha, which included breakfast and dinner, we didn't have to use the other eating places in Auroville. For the last two weeks, where we stayed at Needam Guest House, which has a small kitchen attached to every room, we were able to cook most of our meals. However, we found three places where reasonable food can be had. First, there is the Solar Kitchen (in E3) where you can get a comprehensive daily lunch (booking recommended). Second, there is a small café next to Pour Tous supermarket (in H5) which serves thalis at lunch time. Finally, the café at Repos Beach (in I5) has quite a few good dishes and sandwiches. In addition it is blessed with a view of the Bay of Bengal.The main problem will actually be to find dinner. Ideally, you should stay in a guest house that either includes dinner or has a kitchen attached, because, as we will return to, it is not recommended to go out at night in Auroville; unbelievably, taking into account that this is meant to be a haven where people of all nationalities can live together in peaceful cooperation, there are significant problems in the relationship between Auroville and local Tamils living outside Auroville. This has resulted in a number of alleged rapes and even murder. There have been suggestions to make Auroville into an American style gated community, but that idea has luckily been shot down by the sensible people of Auroville. If you are willing to travel on the hopeless roads in the pitch black darkness of night amongst mosquitoes and other potential dangers, it is possible to find dinner at Solar Kitchen, Repos or at the Visitor's Centre.
So, why exactly would anyone want to go to Auroville? We'll look at that in the next post.
1) Book your accommodation well in advance. There are quite a few guest houses in Auroville, but there are also a huge number of tourists. At the moment, there are around 1800 people living in Auroville, but in high season at least the same number of tourists will be staying there. Consequently, it can be hard to find somewhere to stay. We had booked a cottage in Atithi Griha guest house, which happens to be the official Auroville guesthouse . It is relatively cheap, compared to other guest houses in Auroville, at around Rs. 700, and it is an excellent place for meeting other people; be it other tourists or Aurovillian newcomers who are waiting for permanent accommodation.
2) Go to the Visitor's Centre to get a map. Without a map you are destined to get lost; even with a map any adventurousness will see you lost at some point.
3) Go to the Guest Service (on top of Solar Kitchen in E3 in the map above) and get a guest account. Auroville is, in theory, a moneyless community making the "purchase" of food etc. complicated without a guest account. Unfortunately, you are only likely to get an account if you are planning to stay for at least two weeks. The account can be recharged with real money at the Town Hall (in E3 in the map above).
4) Rent a moped or another two wheeled motorised vehicle. We did, being environmentally conscious, do the right thing, which is to rent a pedal bike. However, we soon were alerted to the fact that distances in Auroville are huge; getting from one end to the other is a 10 kilometre ride. Add to this that the bikes that are for rent are prehistoric (one gear and saddle sticks that are way too short for any male of average height) and that the road quality is exceptionally poor, and you have a recipe for constant pain in every fibre of your body. The reason for the poor roads is a degree of delusion amongst the leaders of Auroville (yes, there are leaders in this place even though it pretends to uphold distinguished principles of democracy etc.). Auroville was created because the Mother had a vision. Her closest ally, the French architect Roger Anger, had his own visions which included a particular road layout. Unfortunately, this road layout was never created and roads developed organically. After all, people need roads in order to be able to travel from A to B. As these roads weren't in accordance with "the Plan" the authorities haven't been willing to maintain and repair them. So, today, almost forty years after the creation of Auroville, people have to travel on gravel roads full of holes and bumps. In the Monsoon the roads are, more or less, unusable because the gravel turns into a thick clay like sludge. Rumour has it that any real improvement of the Auroville infrastructure (read: the application of tarmac) won't happen until the old Mother lovers have died off. The photo below should give an indication of the road quality.
We were able to rent a moped for less than Rs. 100 a day from Atithi Griha, but there are plenty of places advertising their moped rental services on message boards around Auroville.
5) Find one or more eating places. For the first two weeks, where we stayed at Atithi Griha, which included breakfast and dinner, we didn't have to use the other eating places in Auroville. For the last two weeks, where we stayed at Needam Guest House, which has a small kitchen attached to every room, we were able to cook most of our meals. However, we found three places where reasonable food can be had. First, there is the Solar Kitchen (in E3) where you can get a comprehensive daily lunch (booking recommended). Second, there is a small café next to Pour Tous supermarket (in H5) which serves thalis at lunch time. Finally, the café at Repos Beach (in I5) has quite a few good dishes and sandwiches. In addition it is blessed with a view of the Bay of Bengal.The main problem will actually be to find dinner. Ideally, you should stay in a guest house that either includes dinner or has a kitchen attached, because, as we will return to, it is not recommended to go out at night in Auroville; unbelievably, taking into account that this is meant to be a haven where people of all nationalities can live together in peaceful cooperation, there are significant problems in the relationship between Auroville and local Tamils living outside Auroville. This has resulted in a number of alleged rapes and even murder. There have been suggestions to make Auroville into an American style gated community, but that idea has luckily been shot down by the sensible people of Auroville. If you are willing to travel on the hopeless roads in the pitch black darkness of night amongst mosquitoes and other potential dangers, it is possible to find dinner at Solar Kitchen, Repos or at the Visitor's Centre.
So, why exactly would anyone want to go to Auroville? We'll look at that in the next post.
March 19, 2009
Nasik
"Welcome to City of Pilgrimage" is with what Nasik(or Nashik) welcomes you when you reach their by road. It was my third day of Shirdi/Nasik trip. Nasik is one of the most holiest places in India and is sacred as it is in this place Lord Rama along with Devi Sita and brother Laxman spent their part of the exile period and has witnessed several mythological events. Its is one of the four cities which hosts Kumbha Mela which occurs every after 12 years (next is on 2015).
Legend has that during Sagar Manthan the Demigods while they tried to hide the Nector of Immortality from the demons, four drops fell onto the four location on the earth (other location are Prayag,Haridwar and Ujjain). Thus these four places are believed to have acquired mystic power and hosts the Meha Kumbha Mela every after 12 years ("Kumbha" means "Pot of Nector" and "Mela" means festival) where dates are calculated depending upon the certain planetary positions. In the medieval era several temples where built by devotees along the bank of river Godavari.
The name Panchavati it got is from the five banyan tree present in the vicinity where Lord Ram and Sita spent their exile period. The name Nasik also has a legend, during exile period Laxman (brother of Shri Ram) cut off Shupernakha's Nose (In Sanskrit Nose means "Nasik") and throws it on other side of the river Godavari (Ganga) which then christened as "Nasik" or "Nashik".
Thus on one side of the sacred river is known as Nasik while other side where five banyan tree is known as Panchavati. Various legends are associated with each of the places here and its to be noted that Lord Rama hasn't consecrated any of the Idols during his exile period here though some of the priests here falsely claims that some Shivlingams are consecrated by Lord Rama himself. Most of the temples falls in Panchavati province where only one or two resides other side of the river Godavari i.e. in Nasik.
Feeling tired at 2:00 AM in the morning will cover the rest of the story later.
Keep watching this space for more info....
Cheers !
Legend has that during Sagar Manthan the Demigods while they tried to hide the Nector of Immortality from the demons, four drops fell onto the four location on the earth (other location are Prayag,Haridwar and Ujjain). Thus these four places are believed to have acquired mystic power and hosts the Meha Kumbha Mela every after 12 years ("Kumbha" means "Pot of Nector" and "Mela" means festival) where dates are calculated depending upon the certain planetary positions. In the medieval era several temples where built by devotees along the bank of river Godavari.
The name Panchavati it got is from the five banyan tree present in the vicinity where Lord Ram and Sita spent their exile period. The name Nasik also has a legend, during exile period Laxman (brother of Shri Ram) cut off Shupernakha's Nose (In Sanskrit Nose means "Nasik") and throws it on other side of the river Godavari (Ganga) which then christened as "Nasik" or "Nashik".
Thus on one side of the sacred river is known as Nasik while other side where five banyan tree is known as Panchavati. Various legends are associated with each of the places here and its to be noted that Lord Rama hasn't consecrated any of the Idols during his exile period here though some of the priests here falsely claims that some Shivlingams are consecrated by Lord Rama himself. Most of the temples falls in Panchavati province where only one or two resides other side of the river Godavari i.e. in Nasik.
Feeling tired at 2:00 AM in the morning will cover the rest of the story later.
Keep watching this space for more info....
Cheers !
March 18, 2009
Bangaluru Aquarium
Bangalore Aquarium is located right in the heart of the city, next to the Cubbon Park entrance at the end of the MG Road. But not many people seem to notice the place, and even if they notice they hardly visit the place. Most of the people around me had not visited this place, though they had seen the board while crossing that crossing or while waiting at the signals all around that point. It is a small aquarium, with a small entrance charge of Rs 5/- for an adult.
The ticket counter is a separate hut outside the aquarium. After you buy the ticket, you have to take the ramp to enter the aquarium. Building is circular in shape and the aquarium is spread on two levels. The fishes are kept in series of small aquariums that are around the circumference of the building. There are about 50 varieties of fishes that can be seen on both the levels.
Most of the fishes are commonly available or commonly seen ones. Aquariums is in bad shape to say the least, as if there is hardly any maintenance, no wonder it hardly attracts any visitors despite being in the center of the city. Quite a few aquariums were broken and hence had no fishes. The labels that displayed the names of the fishes were missing in lot of places. Many boxes had labels but no fishes and some had fishes but no labels. The place could hardly be called clean, the lighting was poor. It seems the place has not been painted for years. Not sure how often are the fishes added to the place. One thing that fish lovers may enjoy is some 9-10 varieties of fish that is served in a small food joint outside the aquarium. Now, I being a vegetarian, can not comment on the quality of the food available, but my guess from the vibes that place gave is that it should be a good place to eat.
Though the aquarium is small, compared to famous aquariums in many cities around the world, but I think it still has the potential to be a good tourist attraction if it is maintained properly. Since Bangalore neither has a beach nor a river, this can be good place for children to learn about the aquatic life. There can be more educational material on aquatic life that can be made available to make the place more interesting. A simple thing could be instead of labels saying just the common name of the fish, it can give the more details like where do you find this fish, characteristics, scientific names etc. I sincerely hope that authorities responsible for this aquarium do something to make it more interesting and inviting.
The ticket counter is a separate hut outside the aquarium. After you buy the ticket, you have to take the ramp to enter the aquarium. Building is circular in shape and the aquarium is spread on two levels. The fishes are kept in series of small aquariums that are around the circumference of the building. There are about 50 varieties of fishes that can be seen on both the levels.
Most of the fishes are commonly available or commonly seen ones. Aquariums is in bad shape to say the least, as if there is hardly any maintenance, no wonder it hardly attracts any visitors despite being in the center of the city. Quite a few aquariums were broken and hence had no fishes. The labels that displayed the names of the fishes were missing in lot of places. Many boxes had labels but no fishes and some had fishes but no labels. The place could hardly be called clean, the lighting was poor. It seems the place has not been painted for years. Not sure how often are the fishes added to the place. One thing that fish lovers may enjoy is some 9-10 varieties of fish that is served in a small food joint outside the aquarium. Now, I being a vegetarian, can not comment on the quality of the food available, but my guess from the vibes that place gave is that it should be a good place to eat.
Though the aquarium is small, compared to famous aquariums in many cities around the world, but I think it still has the potential to be a good tourist attraction if it is maintained properly. Since Bangalore neither has a beach nor a river, this can be good place for children to learn about the aquatic life. There can be more educational material on aquatic life that can be made available to make the place more interesting. A simple thing could be instead of labels saying just the common name of the fish, it can give the more details like where do you find this fish, characteristics, scientific names etc. I sincerely hope that authorities responsible for this aquarium do something to make it more interesting and inviting.
Gujrat Expeditions
1.Surat
2.Nasik
3.Daman and not Diu
4.Wapi
5.Navasari
6. Aurangabad
7. Ajanta
8. Ellora
9. Saputara
10.
2.Nasik
3.Daman and not Diu
4.Wapi
5.Navasari
6. Aurangabad
7. Ajanta
8. Ellora
9. Saputara
10.
March 11, 2009
Incredible North - Royal Rajasthan
1. Ajmer sharif
2. Jodhpur
3. Jaislmer
4. Jaipur
5. Pushkar
6. Neem Rana
7. Narnaul
2. Jodhpur
3. Jaislmer
4. Jaipur
5. Pushkar
6. Neem Rana
7. Narnaul
February 09, 2009
Thekkady - Kerala
It took me a while to pen this down, for all my travelers, this is a place must visit in entire India.
There are a number of interesting tourist attractions in Thekkady, the most beautiful hill station of South India.
Tourist Attractions of Thekkady and Periyar:
The tourist attractions of Thekkady are its Spice Plantations and the Periyar National Park.
Periyar National Park: One of the of the most interesting tourist attractions in Thekkady, the Periyar National Park is famous for its different species of flora and fauna. The National Park which also is a Tiger Reserve is the home for a number of animals like Gaur, Wild Pigs, Sambar, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer and Indian Wild Dog. If you are lucky enough you can get to see the herd of playful elephants on the banks of the Periyar River.
Periyar Lake: It is an enriching experience to take a boat cruise along the Periyar Lake. If you wish to see the varied topography of the forests of Periyar then arrange for a boat cruise on the Periyar Lake. If you are a keen observer you might get to se the spotted tigers, playful elephants or the red eyed bisons. This is one of the major tourist attractions in Thekkady.
Kumily: Kumily is one of the growing spice plantations of Kerala. From the daily edible spices to different other spice varieties, Kumily is now a growing township which is also known as the Spice Village.
Cardamom Hills: These are the mountainous regions in Kerala which produces cardamom, pepper and coffee. The thick plantations of cardamom covering this hilly area have given it the name of Cardamom Hills.
I am working on this pics will upload on Flickr soon.
Cheers !
There are a number of interesting tourist attractions in Thekkady, the most beautiful hill station of South India.
Tourist Attractions of Thekkady and Periyar:
The tourist attractions of Thekkady are its Spice Plantations and the Periyar National Park.
Periyar National Park: One of the of the most interesting tourist attractions in Thekkady, the Periyar National Park is famous for its different species of flora and fauna. The National Park which also is a Tiger Reserve is the home for a number of animals like Gaur, Wild Pigs, Sambar, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer and Indian Wild Dog. If you are lucky enough you can get to see the herd of playful elephants on the banks of the Periyar River.
Periyar Lake: It is an enriching experience to take a boat cruise along the Periyar Lake. If you wish to see the varied topography of the forests of Periyar then arrange for a boat cruise on the Periyar Lake. If you are a keen observer you might get to se the spotted tigers, playful elephants or the red eyed bisons. This is one of the major tourist attractions in Thekkady.
Kumily: Kumily is one of the growing spice plantations of Kerala. From the daily edible spices to different other spice varieties, Kumily is now a growing township which is also known as the Spice Village.
Cardamom Hills: These are the mountainous regions in Kerala which produces cardamom, pepper and coffee. The thick plantations of cardamom covering this hilly area have given it the name of Cardamom Hills.
I am working on this pics will upload on Flickr soon.
Cheers !
February 02, 2009
Tamil Nadu - Shrines and tollywood
- Madurai
- Rameshwaram
- kanya kumari
- East coast road
- Pondicherry
- Auroville
- Kodia kanal
- Chennai
- Tiruchahhrpalli
- Coimabatore
- Salem
- Coonor
- Kanchi puram
- Tirupati
Karnataka - Heaven in India
gokarana
murudeshwara
kundapur
udupi
mangalore
shimoga
coorg
sharvanbelogeda
kalsa
kudremukh
shengeri
dhrmasthla
koka subramnyam
aihole
patdakal
sangam
badami
bijapur
savana durga
mysore
bangalore
karwar
surat kal
bhatkal
chikal mangloor
madekeri
hassan
hampi
tumkur
karkal
moodaa bidri
mulki
shiraanga patna
bheemeshwari
Bengaluru Aquarium
murudeshwara
kundapur
udupi
mangalore
shimoga
coorg
sharvanbelogeda
kalsa
kudremukh
shengeri
dhrmasthla
koka subramnyam
aihole
patdakal
sangam
badami
bijapur
savana durga
mysore
bangalore
karwar
surat kal
bhatkal
chikal mangloor
madekeri
hassan
hampi
tumkur
karkal
moodaa bidri
mulki
shiraanga patna
bheemeshwari
Bengaluru Aquarium
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