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Temples of Kashi - The Kardameshwar temple

The absence of ancient Hindu structures in Kashi is something I have always lamented about. The shrines are certainly ancient, and that is something that has always attracted me to the city. However, I miss the beauty of the ancient structures that we see at other sites. This feeling is intensified when I see marble and concrete and tiles in temples that once would have been beautifully adorned with evocative sculptures, and worn by the passage of time, touched by the hands of seekers who came before. This time , this desire to see some remnants of an ancient Hindu structure in Kashi came true when I managed to visit the Kardameshwar Temple. The Kardameshwar temple is not one of the main temples in the city. It is part of the temples on the Pancha Kroshi yatra, a pilgrimage which takes one on a circumambulatory tour of the whole city. The temple is located on the outskirts of the city, on the western bank of a tank called the Kardama Kund. The Kardameshwar temple is one of the...

A tea plantation walk in Dharamsala - a Photo Post for Skywatch Friday

This weekend promises to be a hectic one for me, and I am sure you have plans too. Therefore, instead of something for you to read, I have a photo post for you... These were clicked when we went for a walk in a Tea Estate in Dharamsala. The sight of greenery against the backdrop of the mountains, birds, butterflies and flowers never fails to inspire me, and I hope they will inspire you too!  It was supposed to be a Tea Plantation walk, but the first thing we saw were roses!!! lots of them! 

Faces in the Crowd - A Selfie Moment

Somewhere in McLeod Ganj.... A couple of monks with a friend were roaming around, the monks were bored, the friend was trying to click a selfie! It was a moment, just asking to be caught on camera! People-Watching is fun, though not as much to click them, at least for me! However, when they are so engrossed in their own selves, and least bothered about who is watching... or clicking... them, I sometimes give in to the impulse and capture them on my camera! What do you think of this photo? I would love to hear your thoughts! This post is part of my series on my #summertrip 2015, and I hope to take you along with me as I recount stories from my month long trip, which took me across the country. To get an idea of all the places I visited, and what you can hope to read about,  click here .   Related Posts: The Story of my Summer Trip The Himachal Series-  Learning about Tibet in Dharamsala A Glimpse into our Dharamsala Experience in 20 Photos Bha...

Learning about Tibet in Dharamsala

McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala are now synonymous with the Dalai Lama. Our knowledge about him or Tibet was sketchy at best, which is why our highest priority during the  Dharamsala trip was to see if we could learn something more. Our first stop at McLeod Ganj was therefore, the Dalai Lama temple and the Tibet Museum.

Bhagsu Nag - More than just the temple

“Aapko mandir nahi jaana? Theek hai, mat jaiye. Par waterfall dekhne to jaiye! (You don’t want to go to the temple? that’s ok, but at least go to see the waterfall)” insisted our driver as he dropped us off at the parking lot of the Bhagsu Nag Temple. The three of us walked slowly along the narrow path, paying more attention to the stalls that lined it, Samhith grumbling that we had just started our trip, and were already breaking rule no. 1. “No Temples”.

A Glimpse into our Dharamsala Experience in 20 photos

From the jungles of Tadoba in Nagpur , Maharashtra, our Summer Trip next took us to the foothills of the Dhauladhar ranges in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. We spent a little over three days in Dharamsala, driving around, exploring the region, with just one caveat – no temples; at least, not big, popular, crowded ones. That was a promise we had made to Samhith, since this was part of his birthday trip! Much as I enjoy visiting temples, this was one decision we did not regret, since there was so much more to see! 

The Tadoba Experience

- Some Thoughts and Information You have read about all the animals and birds we saw at Tadoba, and our trysts with the tigers. Most of you have been asking for information about booking of safaris and accommodation. I chose to keep the earlier posts free of information, and just about my experiences, so here is one final, detailed post before I end the Tadoba series, with a few of my thoughts and some information which may help you plan your own trip.  So, Read on..... 

Birds of Tadoba - A Photo Post

Criss-crossing the jungle in search of the tiger, it was birds that we most often came across. I have already written about some of the birds we saw, but there were so many more, that I decided that a photo-post was in order, to show you just how many there are! And these are just the few I managed to capture on camera... there were many, many more, that I didn't.