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Showing posts from April, 2009

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Odisha Part 11: Discovering the Jaina Heritage of Odisha at the caves of Udaygiri and Khandgiri

The Hindu and Buddhist history of Odisha , or rather, ancient Kalinga, is rather well known to everyone. Who hasn’t heard of the grand temples of Odisha – Puri, Lingaraj and Konark, or the great war of Kalinga which inspired Ashoka to convert to Buddhism? In contrast, very few know of the Jaina heritage of this region. This is quite a pity, since, just around 7 km from the city, is one of India’s most ancient inscriptions, which throws light on the Jaina heritage of Odisha. This inscription is the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, in the hills of Udaygiri. Udaygiri and Khandgiri are two hills located opposite each other, and both are testaments to the rich Jaina heritage of Odisha. The caves at Udaygiri are older, while Khandgiri is relatively newer, but has lasted much longer, and continues to be a place of pilgrimage for Jains even today. These hills, from inscriptions and excavations of caves, shrines and rock beds, appear to have been a haven for Jaina monks, right from the ...
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My 100th Post !!!!!!!!

I began this blog almost a year and a half ago – to be precise, on the 17th of November, 2007. Over the years, I have traveled quite a lot, and during the last year and a half, have written about my experiences too. It has been a wonderful journey, meeting like minded people and learning about new places too, discovering much about myself too. Thanks, Sandhya, for encouraging me to blog! As a celebration, here is a post about two places I have visited recently, or rather, to be accurate, a trailer of what is to come soon, within the next week. …. and Two Travelogues Coming Up!!!! Travel, they say, broadens the mind – be it a short trip just to a place you haven’t been before, or to a place you have visited a number of times. So it has been with me too. Over the last two weeks, I have visited two places – one right in my backyard, so to speak, and the other more than a thousand kilometers away, to a city I have visited often, and where I went to the same places I have been to...
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My top 5 tips to make long journeys more fun for kids

Vacations are here , or rather, almost here. While some schools are on the verge of closing, Samhith’s school has just begun the new term – yes; like the ICSE schools, only, his is IB! So, we have another month to go before we look forward to the holidays. We have already begun planning our summer trip , even though we are still not too sure if it is actually going to happen! Meanwhile, all around us, all we can hear are about the holidays – where someone is going, what they are going to do there, and of course, how they are getting there…. While most people seem to be flying these days, there are still a few like us who prefer trains. Yesterday, while we were on the topic of vacations, someone asked me how on earth I managed my son in the train, and why I did not fly. The answer to the latter is easy – 1. Flights are expensive – Yes, they are, even with all the low-cost carriers around!! I would rather spend the money traveling around wherever I am going 2. Flights are boring ...
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Alibag Tour Part 3 – Temples and more……

No matter which corner of India you go to , you are certain to find temples – there are ancient temples, some of them almost crumbling, yet standing distinguished by their wonderful architectures and sculptures, and then there are the newer temples, beautifully designed and well maintained, thronged by crowds who come to enjoy the ambience as much as they arrive to pay respects to the deity. My choice is clear – I prefer the older ones, even though they may be in ruins, though by no means do I avoid the newer temples. We visit all kinds of temples when we visit a place, and did the same on our Alibag visit. As soon as our trip was finalised, we made a shortlist of the places we wanted to visit, and right on top, preceded only by the beach, were two temples, both ancient ones we had read about. Once we reached there, we were told about a newer temple worth a visit, and we added that to our list too. This final part of my Alibag travelogues is a description of these 3 temples. Datta ...
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Alibag Trip - Part 2 – Beaches and Forts

Alibag is not known as Mini-Goa without reason…… For one thing, it is near enough from Mumbai to be more accessible. Secondly, it is much cheaper (both accommodation as well getting around), which attracts tourists with all budgets. And of course, there are the beaches – so many of them, the entire coastline boasting of some lovely panoramic views of the sun, the sand and the sea. Alibag Beach: My first memories of the beach at Alibag are those of dirt and litter – this was when I visited the beach as part of a picnic when I was in my 12th standard. We had visited the Akshi beach (I think!!) and stopped over at Alibag for a visit to the fort. I couldn’t understand why everyone wanted to visit this beach – it was so dirty! Now, things are a bit better, certainly. Of course, there is still litter – we Indians are great at littering – no one bothers to look for a dustbin, but at least, it seems to be cleaned regularly now. Secondly, the food area has been moved outside the beach, and...
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