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The Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves , located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6 th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art, history and archaeology on the caves. Together, they help me understand these caves, their art, and the people they were created for, just a little bit better. Every new visit, every new talk, every new article I read about the caves, fleshes out the image of what the island and the caves would have been like, at their peak. I last wrote about the caves on this blog, in 2011, almost exactly 11 years ago. Since then, my understanding of the caves has, I would like to think, marginally improved. Hence this attempt to write a new and updated post, trying to bring to life, the caves of Elephan
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Memories of 2013 - Travel Vignettes - Wayanad

Our trip to Wayanad was probably the 'Trip of the year'! To begin with, it was partly sponsored by Thomas Cook, and it was a new experience for me, to have someone plan my trip! Second, and more importantly, this was the very first time Samhith and I went on a vacation alone! And finally, Wayanad itself was so unexpected, it was truly a journey of discovery! From the Indian Rock Python we saw in the wild...





to the ancient, crumbling temple that turned out to be so interesting...



From trying to decipher the prehistoric cave paintings of Edakkal...



to sailing on a simple bamboo raft in the river..


Wayanad was full of surprises... and magical moments to remind us of the trip, forever!

Related Posts on Wayanad:

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Location: Wayanad, Kerala, India

Comments

  1. MridulaDecember 22, 2013 at 11:05 AM

    In the bamboo river raft picture both of you look so happy!

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarDecember 22, 2013 at 11:36 AM

      Yes, Mridula! It was such a different experience for us.... me for the adventure of it all, which I usually shy away from,,, and for him, the experience of swimming along side the raft, keeping up with its pace! unforgettable experience!

      Delete

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