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Last week we were off to Mahabalipuram, little over 350 kms from Bangalore. Although we were planning the tour since long, but couldn't get it done. But on monday last, the last day of April, while we were cozily lying on bed, trying to sleep we decided we should just get going the very next day! Immediately all three sets of eyes were wide open and we were trying to make a last minute hotel booking. Though there are many hotels, mostly three stars and below, all seemed to be heavily packed. However, we managed to book one which appeared decent enough for the next day! For the remaining 2 nights and 3 days we got one of the four star hotel booked. Bags packed we left the next morning! The next day there was a heavy downpour in Bangalore. I woke up to the intimation of my maid's entry into the apartment. It was 6.25 am. The rain outside was sort of dampener but I thought like always Bangalore rains would stop soon! So I got on with my morning rituals and woke up my spouse too...

Sunday morning we planned a trip to Kotilingeshwar, a temple in Kammasandra, in Kolar district of Karnataka. Its around 73 kms from our apartments! So a kind of very short tour for us! We started very late, around noon. Sunday being a lazy day. The drive down was smooth and quick, and before we realized, we were in Kolar. We drove straight to the temple. Summer is early this year, the day was scorching! There is a parking fee of Rs 30. We parked the car and left behind our shoes in the car itself, walking bare foot into the temple. And must say, the floors were blazing! The entry had all sorts of shops, we typically see in any temple entry in India! Idols of God, feng shui items, fake flowers, gift items, food. In short, you name it, you get it kind of shops! The only thing missing was a ATM! As we were passing the sub entry, there were few lady hawkers who had all ways to convince us and all people that we would not get anything inside the temple and hence we should buy flowers, di...

Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty Dargah of  Sufi saint at Ajmer, Rajasthan, India is renowned not only amongst the Muslim community but also the other religious communities!  It is said that people who visit Ajmer Sharif and pray with pure faith and loyalty at his Dargah will  free their soul. Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chishti is also known by different names as Khawaja Gharib Nawaz, “Sultan-Ul-Hind”, Khwaja Baba, Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Ajmeri, Khwaja Sahib, Khwaja Saheb, Khwaja Ajmeri Saint Moinuddin Chishty. This Dargah has several tombs, buildings, Daalaans and courtyards are of  Mughal architecture. As for me, I always have this thing for religious places. I love visiting places of worship - be it temples, Churches, Mosque, or anything. My believe is simple, there is only one God, whatever we name it, wherever we look for him! Having heard of Ajmer Dargah so much and having done my share of research on it, I was desperately waiting for my turn to ...

2006 was the year when I visited Puri. My aunt had some official tour and she asked if we, me and my mom wanted to join in. My mom and me had always been ardent believers of the Lord Jagannath. And we invariably wanted to visit that place and see him with our own eyes. And when we saw the opportunity, we didn't wanted to let it go! Bags packed, off we went for a Odisha tour. The Eastern India state of Odisha is the proud host of the Lord Jagannath. The small City of Puri being here. Puri is around 60 kms to the South of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Odisha and laid strategically by the Bay of Bengal! Puri known as "Shrikhetra" locally and the very majestic "Jagannath Temple" is called as "Badadeula", meaning the biggest home! Around 80% of the economy of the town comes in from the religious activities devoted to the lord himself. Jagannath temple observes some 24 festivals! 12 months and 24 festivals - typical Indian Society, what say? The sublime ...

"Yamuna ke tat par Nachita kanhaiya Tat trum thaiya Bajita payeliya Ta thaiya ta thaiya" And Yamuna par it is. Mathura - the sacred city and the birth place of Lord Krishna. Mathura lies on the banks of the river Yamuna. The place has some 22 ghats of which Vishram ghat being considered the holiest. As a little girl, I grew up to stories of Mathura and Vrindavan. My maternal granny was a devotee and had visited these places long back. She had all fortales to tell us. And me, being the Theist that​ that I'm, fell in love with these places even before I could actually visit them. My granny used to tell me how Sri Krishna still roams around the place and keeps a watch on the people. I still remember her story of when a little boy visited a sweet shop. It seems he took some sweets and when the shop keeper asked for money, he handed over a gold bangle. The next day the news spread that someone has stolen a bangle belonging to the Sri Krishna idol in the m...

It's better to travel well than to arrive -                                                                   Buddha And hence comes this article! Every journey is always so enticing! Getting to see different places, meeting new people, experiencing new adventures, tasting new cuisines; all these makes a tour worth remembering forever! And when the destination is Goa, the travel is worth every penny! The western India's state of Goa has it's west side guarded by the grand Arabian Sea itself. This small state is making it's money from mining, tourism and pharmaceuticals! Economic survey showed a dip in tourism growth rate in 2016 which was mere 19.55%, as compared to 2015 when it was 30.55%. However, the number of tourist visiting this place every year never sees a diminution! Such is the furor of this place ...

India has some amazing beaches; be it Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Pondicherry, the beaches of Kerala, Daman or Mumbai. But assuredly Goa is the King! The very small state of Goa is known as the "Konkan of Western India". Having the entire Western side bounded by the Arabian Sea, Goa is a electrifying state! Traveloholic people tend to keep hitting the roads to be there in Goa. That's the perfect way to reach Goa. Specially people from Karnataka, which is bounding Goa in the East and the South, and from Maharashtra, bounding Goa on the North, are the ones who take the road lines. Of course people from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh too drive down. Nevertheless, people also fly down and take the rail route to this amazing place too!! We had been there in Goa earlier. And we decided this time too, it had to be the serene beaches of the flabbergasting place! As usual we didn't do much thinking over our journey. We just packed our bags and headed off to the roads. A...

Asom is a place of festivities and the very colorful Rongali bihu or the Bohag Bihu is the most popular. Commemorating the onset of the Axomia New Year, Rongali bihu is called as such because it brings in colour into every one's lives. Celebrated in the month of Bohag or April, marking the onset of Spring! Nature is at its best this time of the year. " Xewaali phool xorotor..   Bohaag maahor duporor   Protitu dhulor saaapore..   monot pelaai kotha atitor.. " The merriment and feasting starts and continues for full seven days! However the delirium starts from March itself. People buy new clothes, prepare pitha, larus, jolpan, xandoh giving real festive essence to the season! This is the time when farmers plough the land for cultivation. And there is a general sense of joy around. " Axomor   suke   kune .. Dhul pepai gorojile..." The various associations starts the Bihu functions. There is a popular sense of gaiety in every ...

The city of Nawabs, as they call it, Lucknow is the capital of the largest state in India, Uttar Pradesh! The multicultural city of Lucknow flourished as a North Indian cultural and artistic hub, and the power of nawabs in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is also the centre of Shia Islam in India with the highest Shia Muslim population in India being here in Lucknow! Let me point out 10 reasons why one should visit Lucknow! 10. Tonality - The City of Nawabs has people speaking  in a distinct tone which no one else can compete with! The patronizing is so peculiar and distinctive that one could recognize it even in a crowd! 9. Hazratganj - Hazratganj or Ganj as it's popularly called, is a shopping destination in the heart of  the city! Always crowded, this area now has been renovated and got a better look. Founded in 1827, the then Nawab Nasiruddin Haider introduced China Market and Kaptaan Bazaar for selling foreign goods. The name was changed to HazratGanj in 1842 afte...

Last year in September we got transferred to Mumbai. The city of dreams as they call it was never in our minds. We never hoped to work in Mumbai. It was just not our choice. However destiny had other plans quite opposite to ours and we we were forced to be in Mumbai! The day we were to leave 'Dilwalo ki Dilli' for 'Amchi Mumbai', our flights got delayed. Delayed not by 5 minutes or 10; not by an hour or half. But by complete three hours! And like said 'Teen teegara kam beegara'!!! And that was the beginning of our 'bigra kam' or bad days!! We landed in Mumbai late, extremely late at around midnight. Taxi to our hotel was long journey too. By the time we reached hotel we were super exhausted, hungry and angry! Then the formalities that followed at the hotel reception was icing on the cake. Sitting at the reception at mid night could only race our already super excited nerves. However, all done. We finally retired to bed. Sick and tired, we instan...

I have visited almost the length and breadth of my country, India. Have interacted with people of diverse languages, cultures, religions, ethnic groups. Believe me, humanity rules. Let me in this blog write about 10 states in India I visited. 1. Assam - I was born in the small town of Tezpur, in Assam. Hence obviously had travelled  across Assam. Assam is a very simple state. People are very friendly. There you would not find people being adamant on you speaking their language. Instead, they would try and learn your language. Try to understand you and offer all help. They have a very sweet language. You would fall in love with them once you get to know them. Never met such courteous people anywhere else in India! Besides being courteous, Assam is well known for the Flora and fauna. The place is surrounded by hills. Even the metro places like Guwahati, the capital of Assam, has hills! Its a pleasure to the eyes. Bhalukpung The Kaziranga National Park, the Manas Nat...