An old temple stands in Greater Noida’s non-descript small Bisrakh village. Got to know one fine day, that Bisrakh village near to Noida is believed to be birth place of demon king Ravana and that ancient temple stands testimony to that. Ooh la la, I have been in Noida for the last 8 years but never had heard about this village and this associated history piece.
After speculating for a couple of weeks about the place and searching on internet about it, one fine Saturday I decided to just drive and find out more about this place. It took me around 30-35 minutes from my home to reach Bisrakh village, the birth place of Ravana. Finally I reached the spot where an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva stands. Here I am at the temple entrance praying to lord Shiva and seeking benevolence to explore this spot.In the City of 14 Gods, Agartala
I hired an Auto quickly and reached the sacred “Temple of 14 Gods”, the deity temple of royal family of Tripura and was built by King Krishna Manikya Debbarma around the year 1760. All 14 presiding deities of this temple have been continually worshipped by the royal family of Tripura since times immemorial. Tradition of worshipping all of the Gods together has been a practice and has been delegated to coming generations.
Brahma Sarovar, Kurukshetra
Where you
will find the Gods, where is the heaven?
Simple
answer, please visit Hindu temples. And if you want to enjoy a walk with the
Gods alongside, please come to Brahma Sarovar (Pond) at Kurukshetra.
Legend says the Sarovar was created by none other than Lord Brahma. After performing a huge Yagya (ritual) here, Lord Brahma went on to create the universe from the sacred land of Kurukshetra. Cradle of civilization, Brahma Sarovar is breathtakingly picturesque and the most visited site in Kurukshetra.
The Guy with a Map in Tokyo
Nations need armies to win, but explorers need only a Map to conquer the
World.
Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, is one of the world's most modern
cities in terms of its infrastructure and design. However, it is also
considered as world's most expensive city, but for travelers like me thanks to
its superb rail and subway networks, it is also one of the easiest to get
around. That’s all which is required to explore this beautiful city.
With one full day to explore as much as I can, I started as early as I could
have from my hotel. Just around the corner from my hotel there was a small
temple, so took the blessings of the Gods to make most of this day. I
started from Shinagawa Station and got down at Tokyo station to walk my way
towards Imperial Palace. The palace is still in use by the Imperial
family. During cherry blossom season the palace is one of the most sought
out spots in the city for photography. The Palace has been also known as Edo
Castle in the past, home to samurai warriors.
Sensoji Temple, Asakuza (Tokyo)
Mohan Shakti Heritage Park, Solan
Coming from Jatoli Shiv Temple in Solan and after travelling 8 kms towards Shimla, turn right on a narrow downhill road. You have to be a very confident driver for this 7 km. of road, if driving yourself, in order to find this Khul Ja Sim Sim like Treasure of our Heritage.
Wonderlands around Shimla...
The mountains, when covered with dense forests may look similar, but
something is surely in the air. When it comes to driving nothing beats the
romance of snaking in the hills around Shimla. Is something actually in the air
of Shimla and surrounding places or it is just
the unparalleled beauty of this heavenly region...?
Outskirts of Shimla are the places which separates
visitors from explorers. If you ask people if they have visited Chail, Kufri,
Mashobra and Naldehra; there is good chance to hear that most of the people
would have ended on Kufri only. These four locations can be covered in a day if
you start from Shimla before the first ray of the sunlight. Though you may also
enjoy a night stay of perfect solitude at Chail or at Naldehra.
To explore these out of the world spots where blanket of Pine and Deodar trees grace the landscapes, this eternal vagabond started his early morning drive to Chail (51 km. from Shimla) to get an authentic morning mystic feel of the valleys. Till Kufri (20 Km. from Shimla) you will find many visitors. Once you will move ahead from Kufri, its only nature and yourself, enjoy the symphony of birds chirping, whistling of tree leaves and your camera clicks.
Mesmerized in Shimla
Exploring divine Almora...Day 3 & 4
As told by the locales once King Chand saw a cow milking itself on a stone while he was going for a battle. On further checking the place a ‘Shivling (holy symbol of Lord Shiva)’ was revealed. After returning victorious from the war, King Chand constructed this temple. Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, also houses a status of Lord Ganesha.
Try taking road to Vridh Jageshwar to cherish the vibrant natural beauty of the place.
Being situated on the topmost point in the Jageshwar valleys, the spot offers fascinating views of the nearby hills. If there are no clouds the snow-capped Nanda Devi peaks are clearly visible from this point.
Heavenly peace and beautiful landscapes; pilgrimage as well as adventures…Amazing Almora. Trekking enthusiasts can take a trek back to Jageshwar, this is the 3 km. trek from the back of Vridh Jageshwar temple…
And the last nearby spot was the Dandeshwar temple complex, dedicated to Lord Shiva. This is the biggest shrine of all the 500 temples in Jageshwar. Contrary to custom the Shivling here is a natural uncut rock. Flowing water steam and adjacent hills provide a fantasy tale setting to this temple.
Read more about DandeshwarTemple…
By late afternoon we were back at Jageshwar, the evening was totally reserved for exploring the Jageshwar temples and take part in the evening worship, AARTI at the temple.
There are around 500 temples spread across the hills surrounding the Jageshwar Dham. Keep on exploring the beautiful surroundings, keep on counting the temples. This is the most beautiful complex of temples in Almora or temples in India, I have come across.
Uttarakhand is called as देवà¤ूमि, Land of the Gods. At Jageshwar there is no doubt Gods must have stayed or still are staying at this place. There is also a museum, 50 m. from the Jageshwar Dham, which carries an intricate treasure of beautiful statues. Do take some time to visit this, you will be astonished by the art...
Photography is strictly prohibited inside the museum...
The Aarti finishes by 6:30 PM and thereafter the Jageshwar town goes to sleep. That finished our Day 3 as well in Jageshwar. Perfect harmony with nature at Jageshwar. Read more about Jageshwar...
Day 4: After early morning worship at the temple, we set out for return journey to Kathgodam. We had night train from Kathgodam, so we had sufficient time to cover the Katarmal Sun temple and Bhimtal.
Katarmal is 16 km. from Almora town and hidden inside cluster of hills. Visit here is all joys and curiosity how such a gigantic construction took place at this spot. Once in year, the first ray of sun falling on temple enlightens statue of Sun God in the temple and many devotees from the nearby places visit this temple. Katarmal is one of the perfect offbeat attractions in Uttarakhand.
It will take around 1.5-2 hours to cover. Read more about Katarmal…
While cruising via Almora, do try the delicate sweets of this region. Bal Mithai (बाल मिठाई) is a brown chocolate-like fudge, made with roasted khoya (thickened/ dried milk by heating), coated with white sugar balls. Singori or Singauri is a sweet made with fresh Khoya and wrapped in maalu leaf.
In the way we came across a spot called “Frog Point”. Out of curiosity we stopped the car and went ahead on the suspension bridge to see this place. A huge rock resembling the shape of frog is lying at the river bed and most of the visiting vehicles stop at this point. Check out…
Finally, towards the end of our journey we arrived at Bhimtal. Prominent attraction here is the Bhimtal lake which is named after Bhim, the most powerful of the Pandavas. A huge lake with an island at the centre is a major attraction. One can enjoy boating in the lake, horse riding, mountain biking and hang gliding at Bhimtal.
Bhimtal is the place which connects Kathgodam to the Kumaun region and to Nepal and Tibet. It might have been the part of the famous ancient silk route. There is a big market nearby to lake and one can enjoy every cuisine in this market.
To reach Almora:
Keep travelling Guys...
Pandharpur - Place of Lord Panduranga (Vitthal)
Sonagiri, the Milky Hill...
By now we have explored almost every road in ChambalRavines, to further extend our safari beyond Gwalior
we started our drive towards Orchha on road from Gwalior. While
exploring the roads and asking for the directions, some locales advised us to
visit the milky mountain of Sonagiri. Milky Mountain…? The name Sonagiri
actually means mountain of gold. We too were surprised by this, till the
locales told us that 77 beautiful temples, all in white colour is the
reason behind milky Sonagiri Hill. Locales are the best guides.
Golden City of Jaisalmer
This is a place whose skyline is crafted in Gold, has been a travellers’
delight since long. Located in the heart of scorching and arid
Thar Desert the Golden Yellow colour becomes a delight to eyes much before the
majestic “Jaisalmer” begins.
Boarding an early morning train (Delhi-Jaisalmer Express) from Blue City of Jodhpur, we comfortably arrived in “Golden City” at 11:15 AM with second half still with us to explore. The mighty and impregnable fortification of “SONAR Qila” rising like a mirage from the ground, which is also the largest living fort on this earth is the landmark and defines the skyline of this city.
From Udaipur, On the trail of Maharana Pratap...
After the grand Chittorgarh, our excursion took us to "Udaipur", the city of Lakes. As I always say - The best plans should be kept early in your schedule. In line with my philosophy the first on schedule was the "Walk down the history lane which had witnessed the legendary battle of Haldighati, from Udaipur to Nathdwara via Haldighati".
All the good things start with praying to God, just on the outskirts of Udaipur there is a small temple of Lord Krishna. However you have to climb a 100 steps to reach to the temple. After praying we were all set to our first destination, Haldighati Museum.
This is the route which had once witnessed the battle of Haldighati. The excursion around Udaipur has been designed in such a way that one gets to walk the way which was be taken by Maharana Pratap for the battle of Haldighati. The hospitality of the local population is amazing and is worth mentioning. They are always willing to go an extra yard to assist the tourists in order to metamorphose their good experience into an excellent one.
Udaipur: Isn't Venice - Udaipur of the West..
It was all excitement and counting of days as soon as we planned a trip to Udaipur, one of the most romantic places in India and also popular as “city of lakes”. Every lane of the city is worth falling in love and network of Seven (7) lakes provide an ideal setting for romantic evenings. Established by Maharana Udai Singh in 1553, when he shifted the capital of Mewar from Chittorgarh. Udaipur City is one of best examples of Royality defined from India is one of most visited tourist destinations across the world.
Along with Chittorgarh, Udaipur is a proud constituent of
Mewar region. Mewar is the region which has weathered most of the attacks
coming from the West to protect India. The folk tales of brave Rajputs and
Maharana Pratap can be heard at every street and corner of this city.
After history hunting at Chittorgarh, it was the
time to discover the Grand Udaipur City.
As all good things shall start by prayers; one auto rickshaw driver advised
us to first visit the Manshapurna Karni Mata Temple on the Machla Hills
and enjoy the ropeway ride to reach the temple on top of hill. While
enjoying the ropeway, one can click some breath-taking views of Pandit Deendayal
Upadhyay Park adjacent to Doodh Talai Lake.
From the ropeway, the distant emerald Lake Pichola was visible and calling us to cherish the legendary boat rides on its blue waters. As soon as we returned from the temple, within no time we were at the boat ride station entry.
In the front of us were visible the noted monuments of Udaipur. The Boat ride will take you closer to Udaivilas and Lake Palace hotels which are situated in the middle of waters. Lake Palace used to serve as royal residence during summers.
All the lakes are interconnected. While enjoying our ride, a beautiful channel of connection of Lake Pichola with Fatehsagar lake.
No doubts all the boats gather at this point to click, this beautiful spot. Now I fully understood, why foreigners prefer to call Udaipur as “Venice of the East”. Venice must be feeling proud on this comparison with Udaipur. Check out Udaipur City from the water side...
Ride turned a full circle and the majestic City Palace, the royal residence of royal family of Udaipur was standing in front of us.
City Palace is complex of 11 palaces, courtyards and gardens and acclaimed globally for its intricate peacock mosaics, something heard only in mythological stories. A good part of City Palace is now turned into a museum. Camera is allowed inside after paying the prescribed entry fees. Take your camera to capture the grandeur from inside...
Around 200m. from City Palce is the major attraction and much visited Jagannath temple or Jagdish Temple.
It is believed that Lord Jagannath ordered the Maharana to build a temple in Udaipur where the God himself will come to bless this place. This 100 ft. high temple is also an architectural marvel and various mythological stories have been carved on the walls of this temple.
One has to take 32 marble steps to reach the temple. And to welcome the visitors, there stands two huge elephants with its trunk uplifted on either side of the stairs.
These elephants were built 11 stones’ blocks with such a craft that the joints are never visible. Lord Vishnu is called as Lord Jagdish here and is the worshipped deity here.
Located at the north of Lake Pichola is the Fatehsagar lake, which is an artificial lake and one of the most popular tourist hangout destinations in Udaipur.
Surrounded by Aravalli Ranges, the panoramic lake looks like an artists sketch. It is an ideal place to enjoy some quite moments with yourself or some romantic moments with your beloved.
A model of Chittorgarh Fort is also on display, as we were coming from Chittorgarh, we started identifying all the land mark features of the fort once more...

Water dripping down in the form of thin sprays from the terrace of the cenotaphs shaped like birds, create a
wonderful sight like singing rains. The Saheliyon-ki-Bari opens
from 8 AM to 5 PM.
We may have clicked numerous
pictures and enjoyed some great food here, but what which can not be
expressed fully in the words is the experience and remarkable hospitality
of the people. Something is there in the Udaipur weather. For food lovers,
Sukhadia Circle is the epitome of satiating the taste buds. Come early and
secure a place, else enjoy the fountains while waiting for your turn at the
food stalls.
Every moment in Udaipur is exploration of amazing history of our motherland and some memorable romantic moments with the soil of this region. Not only Udaipur city history is spread outside of Udaipur too, take some time to follow the trail of Maharana Pratap and the battle of Haldighati.
Keep Travelling Guys…