My flight was about to land at Leh airport, and my first feeling was, where is this flight landing … I am not trying to hint at turbulence, rather trying to divert your attention towards the scenic beauty. Leh airport is one of the highest airports in the world and the experience of touching down...
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...
Rajasthan is known for its forts, palaces sand dunes, colourful art and folk music. This is a short introduction to the spiritual side of Rajasthan. Welcome to Pushkar, the scared pilgrimage site for Hindus and Sikhs. When you enter this town, you will find yourself surrounded by the humming tune of chants, devotional songs, temple...
I had been to Badami close to four years back. We drove down from Bengaluru to participate in the Go Heritage Run there. I had heard a lot about the Rock Cut Cave Temples of Badami but never visited it. To make best use of our trip, we visited Bijapur and Pattadakal too. Badami is located...
Mahakali caves, Buddhist caves right in the middle of the city Sounds like a name inspired by the Hindu goddess Kali, but all these caves are dedicated to Buddha and Buddhism. Mahakali caves were originally known as Kondivite caves, because of its proximity to a village by the same name. If the pace of Mumbai has...
Diego Suarez can be the base for two amazing day trips to the surrounding areas. First is the tropical forest of Amber National park – where you can see crater lakes, waterfalls, diverse flora, lemurs and yes, one of the smallest chameleons in the world (barely more than 1 cm). The second is the beautiful...
Every time I happen to visit Chennai, I make it a point to cover the ancient temples. A few years back I covered a few namely Kapaleeswarar temple, Parthasarathy temple and Santhome Cathedral Basilica. The Kapaleeswarar temple is a massive temple and an ancient one too. The belief is that the goddess of this temple...
Tashiding Monastery is believed to be the holiest monastery in Sikkim. The legend is that just the glimpse of Thongwa Rangdol Shrine (chorten) , washes away your sins. Seeing is cleansing here; no need to take a holy dip into a holy river. The walk up to the monastery is dotted with white coloured prayer...
Iceland inspiration for me and Led Zeppelin My first tryst with Iceland was with the band Led Zeppelin. Their association with the title “Hammer of the Gods” came after their tour of Iceland and performance in Reykjavik. In fact, Iceland was the inspiration for one my favorite Led Zepp songs – the Immigrant Song. Remember? The lyrics...
Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park (Wandoor National Park) Islands, rocks, mangrove forest, lagoons, sandy beaches and creeks! Welcome to the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park in Andaman. National parks are not just about the tigers, lions, elephants and other four footed animals . This park was set up to conserve the beautiful marine life including...
