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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...
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The saga of my really long summer vacation!

It was a summer vacation with a difference. .... it rained wherever we went! Yes, we traveled across three of the southern states, but the rains seemed to follow us, making sure we enjoyed the weather, as much as we did the sights! Let me show you some glimpses of our memorable vacation, through photographs - not of the sights, but the moments!  Fog, mist and rain! We didn't expect to see sights like this in peak summer!
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Back at last.... after a long break!

Here I am, after almost a month of silence. Where have I been? On a trip of course!
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Binsar - Part 3 - A trek to a river... with a bit of Bird Watching thrown in!

  Trekking is something I am least enthusiastic about, while Shankar loves to! No matter where we go, he manages to explore the place on foot every morning, sometimes even going seriously trekking with a guide. This time though, I was the one who wanted to go, when I saw that there was a bird watching trek on the anvil. Shankar, as usual, was sceptical about seeing any birds, but consented, especially since he knew that I wouldn’t be able to manage Samhith on my own while walking. I had expected to walk around the resort, maybe a short trek, and it was short, just 2 Kms one way, but the route took us over the hill and into the valley towards the villages and I was out of breath by the time we were even halfway through! To my surprise, we weren’t the only people on the trek, there were five others, one a solo traveller and the four others in a group, but all from Bombay ! Even more interestingly, two of them were science teachers in coaching classes, and we had some very interest...
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Binsar - Part 1

The idea of a perfect vacation is different for different people. While some like to make the most of it, doing something every minute, some like to do absolutely nothing at all. The perfect place for a vacation too, differs – while some expect homely comforts no matter where they go, some like to go with the flow and live a totally different life. As for me, I am possibly the moodiest person around, sometimes wanting a vacation filled with activities, trying to discover every single place in and around, while at times, I just want to relax with a book, and won’t stir from the armchair. My recent trip to Binsar was just that – the best of both worlds – we trekked (very very moderate treks, which tired me out, which says a lot about how fit I am!), we explored some wonderful temples, and for days, I just relaxed in an armchair in the midst of nature, listening to the sounds around me, a book in my hand! Absolutely the perfect vacation! Before I get into details , here is a clarificatio...
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10 things you can look forward to reading….. Yes, I am back!!!!!!

Hi folks, I’m back!!!!! And with lots of material for more posts!!!! Those of you who have been looking forward to reading my posts, here is a glimpse of what you can expect to read in the coming days – 1. A little about the temples of Trivandrum – little, because cameras were not allowed, and I felt totally lost without my trusty Canon around, besides, the language was a major barrier between me and the priests… 2. A lot about the museum and zoo – mom and son totally freaked out for 2 ½ hours, while dad fumed in the auto…… 3. Poovar – a heavenly island nested between the backwaters and the Arabian Sea… 4 days of total relaxation….. 4. Thekkady – 3 days of trying to keep Samhith amused – in what is now a bustling tourist hangout on the outskirts of a tiger reserve (where tigers are truly elusive) 5. Kalady – an unplanned visit to a beautiful temple – the birthplace of the foremost of the gurus of our age – Adi Shankaracharya 6. The consequences of the unplanned...
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Videos of the fog

In my earlier post, I spoke of the fog and how we were thrilled by it. Here are a couple of videos I recorded, which show the extent of the fog and how the vehicles seem to appear from and dissappear into nothingness.... Go on, take a look at them.....
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Magnificent Munnar – Part II - A day in the hills

Munnar has enough magic keep one enthralled for at least 3 days. There are a number of places to see and lots of trekking routes to explore in all the four directions. We however had only a day with us, and had to make the most of it. We decided to take the route which would take us to the dams and lakes where we could spend the day boating, which Samhith enjoys immensely. As it happened, most other tourists seemed to have had the same thought, and every boating pier was full, and we had to return without a single boat ride. We had lots of fun in other ways though, but let us take things in sequence. The View From Mattupatti Dam We started for Mattupatti Dam, about 12 Kms away. Here, in the lake created by the dam, one can ride speedboats. However, the speedboats were few, and tourists too many, and we were told that we would have to wait for at least an hour. None of us is known for our patience, and we decided to move on, albeit with some reluctance. Outside the boathouse, we fou...
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