Skip to main content

Featured Post

Odisha Part 5: Two less visited temples

My quest for ancient temples often takes me to hidden corners of the country, often less visited by regular tourists. More often than not, my drivers are completely unaware of these temples, and we often get lost looking for them, despite the ease that Google Maps has provided. On my recent visit to Odisha, I had only two such less visited temples on my list – the Varahi temple at Chaurasi, and the Gangeshwari temple. I had heard and read about the Varahi temple at Chaurasi , and was eager to go see her. The form of Varahi has always fascinated me, and this particular temple was said to have an exceptionally beautiful idol of the deity. Persuading my driver wasn’t an easy feat – he was reluctant (to say the least) about going in search of temples he had never heard of, but my persistence paid off. The Varahi Temple at Chaurasi The Varahi temple dates back to the 9 th century, and the architecture is unusual, as compared to the other temples of Odisha. The temple is closest in st...
Post a Comment

Skywatch Friday - Sunset and Moonrise

During our recent trip to Shimla, we had a wonderful view of the hills from our room at the resort at Mashobra. We enjoyed watching the shadows lengthen over the hills and valleys, day after day, and on one of these days, were treated to this spectacular sunset... and moonrise!






I simply sat by the window for the whole time, watching the deep red spread all over the mountains.... the bright full moon emerge slowly from behind the clouds....




What an experience it was! One I am going to treasure for the years to come!

For more beautiful skies from around the world, visit the Skywatch Page. 

Labels:
Location: Mashobra, Himachal Pradesh, India

Comments

  1. LaloofahJanuary 18, 2013 at 6:39 PM

    Wow, beautiful skies and beautiful scenery - and that full moon just makes it perfect! Your last photo is really fantastic. I can't believe that's the view from a hotel window! And I can see why that sunset will be a treasured memory for a long time. Thank you for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MridulaJanuary 18, 2013 at 7:22 PM

    What a stunning picture, that last one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sylvia KJanuary 18, 2013 at 8:31 PM

    Awesome skies and superb captures, Anuradha!! The sunset is gorgeous and I do love the moon in your last shot! Such incredible beauty and certainly worth being treasured!! Thank you for sharing the beauty! Enjoy your weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. LizJanuary 18, 2013 at 11:11 PM

    Great captures. Happy sky watching.

    My sky.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJanuary 18, 2013 at 11:40 PM

    Wow, how beautiful! Especially the last photo. I really love it! Dropping in from North Carolina, happy skywatching!

    ReplyDelete
  6. RenukaJanuary 18, 2013 at 11:40 PM

    Nice pictures, exclusive!


    http://renuka-mytraveldiary.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  7. MaritesJanuary 20, 2013 at 3:42 PM

    gloriously beautiful! I'd probably be sitting for hours watching these too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. UnknownJanuary 20, 2013 at 6:06 PM

    beautiful

    checkout this too

    http://olivedigmedia.blogspot.in/

    ReplyDelete
  9. RitvaJanuary 20, 2013 at 8:29 PM

    Love the lat shot!

    ReplyDelete
  10. R Niranjan DasJanuary 23, 2013 at 11:55 AM

    Brilliant sky. You have captured it well.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  11. SteffiJanuary 25, 2013 at 12:38 AM

    Fantastic photos of skies!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...
10 comments
Read more

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
9 comments
Read more

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...
2 comments
Read more