The Athi Varadar festival shot into prominence last year (2019) with people from all over India flocking to the holy city of Kanchipuram. This festival is celebrated at Athi Varadaraja Perumal temple. The Athi Varadaraja Perumal temple was built by the Chola's in 1053. Basically Athi means 'Fig' and Varadaraja means 'King who bestows boons', hence...
Kolukkumalai! The highest tea estate in the world at more than 7000 feet above sea-level. Some of the best teas of the world with a very distinctive flavor… Plus, the panoramic views of the rugged mountains and plains around it as a bonus… And its in India, less than 40 kms from the bustling hill-station of...
Bull surfing is an old and obscure cultural practice. This underlines the man-animal relationship. It is a part of the Maramadi Festival in Kerala, South India Surfing is all about the sea, water, pristine nature and a single person’s effort to control and ride the waves, right? Yes, but not always. Think muddy paddy fields, oxen and...
I have had the privilege of walking through pristine rain forests only a few times in my life and each time I have enjoyed the proximity to raw pure nature! A short 6 hour hike through Mt Elgon National park in North East Uganda was one such unforgettable experience. The basics - Mt Elgon National park The...
Just before you embark on the boat ride to visit the Source of the Nile, you will be surprised to find a well maintained monument honouring Mahatma Gandhi. A bronze bust of the Mahatma was unveiled by the then Prime Minister of India – Mr. I K Gujral during his official visit to Uganda in...
One of the highlights of a trip to the Pearl of Africa is to visit the Source of the longest river in the world – the River Nile. One can visit the particular point where the Nile ‘officially’ originates in Lake Victoria near Jinja in Uganda. Jinja is a couple of hours (depending on the...
White Water Rafting. The Longest river in the world. Grade 4 + rapids. Wow! Get set for a memorable adventure on the River Nile! The River Nile offers some excellent opportunities for a White-water Rafting adventure. The initial stages of the Nile shortly after it emerges from its source near Lake Victoria near Jinja town in...
My tryst with Indian history was through the school text books. I learnt more about them through the history books, newspaper articles, TV serials and movies as I was growing up. I am sure , all of us are aware of the Mauryas, the Marathas, the Rajputs, the Pallavas, the Cholas etc . They were...
Chausath Yogini cult - an obscure, forgotten cult in ancient India that celebrates the feminine, its philosophy, persecution and fall For fans of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the answer to the ultimate question is 42. Ancient Tantric rituals and beliefs had another number that evoked fear, belief and piety - the 64. Or...
Crete and the Minotaur - Beauty & the Beast, Legends & History - A Beyonder look Crete! The name sounds nice and exotic… And it is… 150 miles long and 30 miles wide, this isolated land mass floats in between the Libyan and Aegean Seas with 15 mountain ranges guarding it. Metaphorically speaking, this is a land...
