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Odisha Part 10: Bhubaneshwar – the city of temples

Bhubaneshwar is often called the city of temples . It is impossible to know exactly how many temples there are, but it has been estimated that there might be over 700 temples in the city. This number, while impressive, is just a fraction of the original number, which, sometime in the 13 th century, would have been about 7000. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to the Hindu temples of Bhubaneshwar , where 93 temples are listed. All these are ancient temples, built between the 7 th and 13 th centuries CE. Bhubaneshwar was once known as Ekamra Kshetra , the sacred mango grove. We know this name from an inscription at the Ananta Vasudeva temple, which mentions the name of the place, and the main temple (that we now know as the Lingaraja temple) in the mango grove. Ananta Vasudeva Temple, with a sculpture of Trivikrama in the niche It is extremely interesting to note that the Ananta Vasudeva temple is the only temple to Lord Vishnu in this city. Varaha, Ananta Vasudeva Temple Located v...

Skywatch Friday - Akshi Beach, Alibag

Every week, as Friday approaches and I go hunting for an image to post as part of Skywatch Friday , I lose myself among all the images I have clicked.... re-live the memories of all those trips... and wish I was there again!

Memories of 2012 - Alibag

April brought my cousin to Mumbai, and with him, an unexpected trip to Alibag....

Korlai Fort and Lighthouse

A lone fort stood over a hill, on an island just off the creek. The island was a small one, with a fishing village at the foot of the hill, and a fort atop it. From what we could see, from across the creek, there was nothing much to be seen. The fort appeared to be in ruins, as were most of the other forts we had seen in the area. Yet, a friend had assured me that I would like the place, and it was all thanks to him that we driving in the relentless heat towards Korlai Fort in Alibag.

Skywatch Friday - Sunset over the Mumbai Skyline

Summer is here, and Mumbai is sweltering hot! This is not really the best time to travel, for its hot everywhere, but this does not seem to stop us from travelling!! I just returned from two short trips - a week long trip to Gujarat, where we visited Somnath, Junagadh and Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, and another shorter break to Alibag. There is lots I have to write about, and hopefully I shall get started soon.... Meanwhile, another good news is that I have finally upgraded my camera!!! I am now the proud owner of  Nikon P510!! Those of you who are wondering why I didn't finally switch to a DSLR, the reason is that I decided that Samhith was quite enough to handle for now! I didn't want the additional burden of lenses and stuff that had to be cared for at all times! The P510 seemed to be the perfect compromise, and I set off for Gir with the new camera in hand..... I have been agonising over which images to post first, and have finally decided that these sunset s...

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 ...

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...