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Omkareshwar Part 2 - The Parikrama
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 11 November 2009
The importance of Omkareshwar lies not just in its temples, but in the island itself. The island is a hilly area, and resembles the Hindu symbol “Om” (`) when viewed from above. This not only gives the island the name “Omkareshwar’, but this is what has drawn holy men to this site from time immemorial. Over the ages, so many temples were built on the island that at some point in time, a
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Omkareshwar Part 1
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 11 November 2009
My trip to Omkareshwar, the home of one of the 12 Jyotirlings, was one I was looking forward to, since the temple lies on a small, hilly island on the Narmada, one of the seven holy rivers of India. I made our plans well in advance, checking out all details, and making arrangements for our stay. While I was amazed at the lack of information about the temple and the location, I was pleasantly
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Inside the Indian Rat Temple
Blog: UnpoppedCollar - 11 November 2009
About thirty kilometers south of Bikaner lies, hands down, the most bizarre place I’ve ever visited. The Karni Mata Temple is a beautiful marble temple, but upon arriving and removing one’s shoes, the carving on the doors make it clear that this is no ordinary Hindu temple. The depictions of rodents foreshadow what is about to become apparent within a couple of steps: running around throughout the temple are thousands — perhaps tens-of-thousands — of rats.
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The Best Homestay in Kerala – Community Greenpalm Homes Review (Part 3)
Blog: Kerala India Travel - 8 November 2009
Community Greenpalm Homes is my favourite Kerala homestay. In Part 1 of my review I gave my reasons why, including the wonderful location, friendly host, relaxing atmosphere and delicious food. In Part 2 I focused on the fantastic range of activities on offer, such as village walks, bike rides and canoe trips.
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Inside the Rat Temple with Alex Budak
Blog: Twenty-Something Travel - 8 November 2009
Peering around a dark, damp corner, in search of my source of good luck, I was startled as I felt a strange combination of fur and flesh touch my foot. I looked down and saw a huge rat sidling up to me, and before you can say “Karni Mata” I was out of there. About thirty [...]
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Lady in the Golden Triangle
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
Destination #1: DelhiMy most recent adventure was a very last-minute trip to India. Two weeks before I left, I bought a plane ticket and wrangled a visa from the crazy India visa office in London. I spent a few hours one morning booking seven trains and three flights. I found hotels, packed, and made sure I wasn't forgetting anything. With all that done, I jetted off to Delhi in a comfy seat on a 747 thanks to a last-minute upgrade from BA.
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Lady and the Leopard
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
Continued from Lady in the Golden Triangle...Destination #4: Ranthambore National ParkAfter visiting the Golden Triangle, I ventured further into Rajasthan in search not of great palaces or towering forts, Buddhist enlightenment or Hindu gods, but of a rare beast that lives deep in the jungle. I was looking for a tiger.
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Lady in the Land of Kings
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
Continued from Lady and the Leopard...Destination #5: GaltaAfter my exciting albeit tiger-less safari in Ranthambore National Park, I headed back to Jaipur for a quick stop in Galta. Galta, a collection of 250-year-old temples, is on the outskirts of Jaipur's city center, and is a peaceful haven from the chaotic Pink City.
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Lady in Southern India
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
Last month I took a whirlwind trip through northern India. I saw the sights in Delhi, visited the Taj Mahal at sunrise, explored Rajasthan, and went searching for tigers in Ranthambore National Park. It was an amazing experience, except for one thing: I only got to see a tiny part of the vast, diverse country that is India.
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Lady in India
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
Back from India. Exhausted. Will write more tomorrow, but for now I will leave you with a few photos since I've been getting requests all day.Beautiful tomb in DelhiNo explanation necessaryFatehpur Sikri at its finest
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Ved Shala - The Observatory, Ujjain
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 6 November 2009
Our trip to Ujjain was purely a temple tour, but I simply can’t imagine a visit to a place without going all over it, looking at interesting places and things. From all I had read about the city, the Kalideh Palace seemed an interesting place, situated on the banks of the Shipra at the site where once stood a sun temple. Unfortunately, our driver absolutely refused to take us to the palace,
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Friday Flashback – The Taj Mahal & Red Fort in Agra, India
Blog: GoBackpacking - 6 November 2009
On the overnight train from Varanasi to Agra, I saw my first purple sunset and met a Parisian by the name of Laura, who would eventually show me around her home town. Agra surprised me in that even the budget backpacker hotels had stunning views of the Taj Mahal, at least on the rooftop where meals [...]Buy travel insurance from Worldnomads.com (Lonely Planet's preferred carrier)
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Some more temples in Ujjain
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 6 November 2009
Gadkalika Mandir This temple dedicated to the Devi has its roots in ancient times, and is related to the story of Kalidasa, one of the foremost poets of ancient India. It is believed that Kalidasa was a simple and stupid, but a handsome lad, who was devoted to Kali (hence his name, which literally means – the servant of Kali). His looks attracted a princess who married him, only to be soon
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Why I Hate the Indian Bureaucracy (Part 2)
Blog: GoBackpacking - 5 November 2009
And that’s when I got the help I couldn’t do without. I used the last of my funds to get a cab from the edge of town I crawled to to get to the bar where I met two Peace Corps volunteers, mutual friends of a sorority sister, and agents of [...]Buy travel insurance from Worldnomads.com (Lonely Planet's preferred carrier)
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5 Karmic do's for Rishikesh
Blog: 99 + 1 countries - 5 November 2009
1. Arrive in the oh so New Age Rishikesh weary of all the hippies and yoga nutters, conviced that this would not be your place. Laying your eyes on the sacred Ganges have a total change of heart.
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Bhartruhari Caves, Ujjain
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 5 November 2009
Bhartruhari was the elder brother of the legendary Vikramaditya (probably a step brother). He was unduly attached to his wife, Pingala, who conspired to get Vikramaditya thrown out of Ujjain. Once, it is believed, a Brahmin gave Bhartruhari a fruit which would enable him to live longer. The infatuated Bhartruhari gave his wife the fruit, who, in turn gave the fruit to the horse-keeper of whom she
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Kal Bhairav Temple,Ujjain
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 5 November 2009
One of the most famous temples in Ujjain, this temple adds to the similarity of Ujjain and Kashi. As at Kashi, Kal Bhairav is the Kshetrapal, or the guardian deity of the city, and it is the custom to leave the keys with the deity when the temple is closed at night, in the belief that he takes care of the temple and its properties. However, this temple is famous, not for its origins or its
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Why I Hate the Indian Bureaucracy
Blog: GoBackpacking - 4 November 2009
The first worrisome truth: my ATM card wouldn't work in the country.Buy travel insurance from Worldnomads.com (Lonely Planet's preferred carrier)
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Sandipani Ashram, Ujjain
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 4 November 2009
The Sandipani ashram was the first halt on our temple tour of Ujjain, and we entered the grounds expecting a short 10 minute halt, warned by our driver cum guide not to waste too much time, and ended up spending close to an hour wandering around the ashram. The reason was an inmate of the ashram, an engineer by profession and a Veda scholar by choice, a descendant of Guru Sandipani – the
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Harsiddhi Temple, Ujjain
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 3 November 2009
Ujjain might be a city most well known for its temple to Shiva as Mahakal, but it is also the abode of Parvati as Harsiddhi, a temple occupying a position equal to that of Mahakaleshwar. The Harsiddhi temple is one of the 52 Shakti Peeths situated all over India. According to legend, Shiva married Sati, the daughter of Daksha, a Prajapati who was proud of his position and disliked his
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Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 3 November 2009
All roads in Ujjain seem to lead to the temple of Mahakaleshwar, which is the focal point of the city. Mahakal, as Shiva is known here, is not only the guardian and patron deity of this holy city, he is also regarded as the ruler of this city. Our car driver regaled us with tales of Vikramaditya, the legendary king of Ujjain, tales which were more of myths, interspersed with history. One such
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A journey to the heart of India - Glimpses of Ujjain
Blog: A Wandering Mind - 2 November 2009
The ad for the MPTDC (Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development corporation) says “ ih<dustan ka idl deoae”, in English – “Come and see the heart of India”. This is the line that keeps cropping up as I walk along the busy streets of Ujjain. Ujjain might be a modern city today, with developments happening all over, but at heart, it remains the spiritual capital of central India – a position it holds
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10 do's for McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala
Blog: 99 + 1 countries - 1 November 2009
1. Arrive in McLeod Ganj two hours early from Manali at 4 AM when everything is closed. Fight with touts who want to take you to the shabbiest guesthouses down some freaking long steps. Say no to the overpriced lousy rooms and walk the even longer seeming steps back up and camp out on the street with stray dogs. Good fun if you have the right company! Shalom! Something in Danish!
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Hindu temples favorites
Blog: World Travel Blog - 1 November 2009
Mathura Mathura is famously known for being the birthplace of Lord Krishna, and many temples, if not all in the city, are dedicated to that deity. The Main temple is a massive complex in the place where He was supposed to be born. This picture was taken in a nearby temple, when the bus I was [...]
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Khadela Haveli (and Jaipur).
Blog: Leave Me Here - 31 October 2009
We were quite excited about our time in Jaipur, gateway to the wild west of Rajasthan, Amber Fort and an old city that’s completely pink, but when we were dropped off at Khandela Haveli (http://www.khandelahaveli.com), we had something else to be excited about.. I’ve stayed at some seriously nice places over the years, but Khandela Haveli [...]
