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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
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Kashi Yatra


Varanasi is a city which has always fascinated me, and I have been fortunate enough to visit it twice. The first time I was a school kid, and my memories are vague, but the second time, which was about two years back, I spent 10 memorable days there while my in-laws performed all conceivable rituals and prayers. I came back so full of information and enthusiasm, that I wrote 16 posts on the trip, and finally ended up making a separate blog for all of them. 

Once I was through with it, this blog was left forgotten and never updated, since I had nothing to add! However, I have been surprised by the slow, but steady response this blog has received over the last two years. People have not just been visiting the blog, they also leave comments, and mostly write to me asking for clarifications or telling me about their experience. A few people, in fact, came back to tell me that my blog had helped them plan and execute their trip. For a blogger, there is nothing more satisfying, wouldn't you agree?

Well, moving on, having nothing to write about, I have recently started looking at my other blogs and have been trying to update them or bring something new to each one of them. The first one I have looked at and made some changes in, is my Kashi Yatra blog.

Many of you are recent visitors to my blog, and may not have seen my Kashi blogs. Please head on to Kashi Yatra and take a look. 

For those who have already seen it, there are a few changes - the most important being an eBook! Yes, I have compiled the blog posts into a eBook in Pdf format, and you can download it and read it at your leisure. This feature has been added mainly for people like my mother and mother-in-law who love to read about temples and pilgrimages, but are not comfortable with computers and ask me to take printouts of interesting things so that they too can read and enjoy them

So go ahead and take a look. And please tell me what you think.........

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Comments

  1. MridulaFebruary 17, 2010 at 8:09 PM

    Loved your Ayodhya pictures on the kashi Yatra blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. sandeepFebruary 19, 2010 at 4:46 PM

    nice writeups :)

    varanasi and rameshwaram are two places i wanted to visit for a long time now. dunno when i will :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anuradha ShankarFebruary 19, 2010 at 5:46 PM

    @Mridula: Thanks

    @Sandeep: Thanks a lot... they are both beautiful places.. and i am sure u will go sometime... and i shall look forward to your pics when u do....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jacks WilsonAugust 18, 2010 at 4:39 PM

    Well written, i want to featured your blog on my blog as a best blog.
    my blog url- http://evrythingaboutindia.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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