Pondicherry or Puducherry is popular for its beaches and pretty french colonies. Not far away from Puducherry is the experimental community of Auroville. People from all over the world live here in harmony. This township thus is a perfect example of human unity. Mira Alfassa - the spiritual companion of Sri Aurobindo founded Auroville in...
I am sure all of us have heard about Goa and been there at least once if not numerous times! Not only is Goa popular for its beaches, party like atmosphere but also for its Latin Quarter. Fontainhas in Panjim, Goa houses the largest Latin Quarter in Asia ! UNESCO declared Fontainhas as a Heritage...
The Golden Temple in Amritsar is the most sacred place for Sikhism in India. Located in the state of Punjab, this Sikh temple or Gurudwara welcomes people from all religions and faith. Called Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib, this temple (Gurudwara) has a sacred water tank - Amrit Sarovar that surrounds it. Interestingly the city...
The Mahabodhi temple is located in the center of Bodh Gaya in Bihar. It is here where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. As a matter of fact Buddha spent a period of seven weeks here. This temple is one of the earliest forms of brick temples in India. Built 180 feet high,...
The second largest Tibetan settlement in the world outside Tibet is in Bylakuppe. The largest being in Dharmshala in Himachal Pradesh. Bylakuppe is located in the city of Kushalnagar and at a 2 hour drive away from Coorg. Setup in 1960, there are over 70,000 Tibetans here in Bylakuppe. The Tibetans earn their living by...
Give me a choice between Bengaluru and Mysore, and I will choose Mysore - the City of Palaces! It's just because Mysore has so much history to rewind upon. The heritage sites around Srirangapatna can keep one busy for an entire day. Mysore has a flavor of everything, be it heritage, wildlife, palaces, temples, churches...
Coorg is a popular hill station in the southern state of Karnataka. This place is famous for its coffee and coffee plantations. Coorg accounts for 40% of the country's coffee produce. Called as the 'Scotland of India', this place has a little bit of everything. This includes lush green landscapes, waterfalls, mountains, flora and fauna....
Shatrunjaya Hill is one of the holiest of places for the 'Swetambara' Jains. The others being Girnar, Mt. Abu and Chandragiri. This hill is located at Palitana town in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. It is a hill where most of the tirthankaras also called jina's attained nirvana. Atop Shatrunjaya Hill, one gets a great view...
As I kid I remember playing table tennis with my friends (Balaji and Govinda) who were twins. It was quite baffling and irritating to face an identical opponent after defeating one of them. To make it worse, apart from looking similar they wore the same outfit which added to the confusion. I have grown up watching...
During my last trip of Rajasthan many a years back, i happened to visit Ajmer Sharif. I was aware that it was a popular shrine that of Moinuddin Chisti. Khwaja Garib Nawaz (patron of the poor) is the namesake for Moinuddin Chisti. This dargah is located on a busy street with shops on either side...
