Located midway between Delhi and Jaipur, Alwar is one of the oldest cities in Rajasthan, with history going back to the time when Viratnagar used to be flourishing center. Viratnagar, the same Matsya Desh dating back to the times of Mahabharata, where Pandavas spent last year of the 13 years of exile. Despite located close to Delhi, Alwar somehow gets missed out from the itinerary as crowds prefer opulence of Jaipur or probably information about unseen spots in Alwar is rather limited.
Alwar - Unseen Getaway
Amazing Roads, Road trips in India
When I finally reached my destination, I realized that I was too
tired. So, I had to sit back for the sake of recharging myself before I could
have thought of exploring the destination.
While I was sitting and
recalling the drive to the spot, a thought flashed to my mind – “Was this the
RIDE, I should be PROUD of, or I will CHERISH FOREVER”. Probably not.
Perhaps in my excitement
quest to reach the destination ASAP, I drove too fast and pushed myself to the
limits. I forgot that “LIFE is a JOURNEY, not a DESTINATION”.
Essence of Life lies in
enjoying the moments and Essence of TRAVEL lies in ENJOYING the Roads as well. This
resonates with practically most of us, especially while driving. Being myself
an avid Roadtripper, trust me “Taking a couple of breaks to appreciate the
beauty of the roads and surrounding natural landscapes will not delay your
journey, but will surely add the Magic to your spirit”.
1) Road to Naddi Village, 3 km. from Mcleod Ganj -
Jatoli Shiv Temple, Solan
Solan once a cantonment settlement, is one of the secrets of Himachal to be explored with some beautiful temples and scenic landscapes. Not just temples, Solan is home to tallest Lord Shiva temple in Asia, Jatoli Shiv Temple.
Canada: Best foods to try
I will continue driving for rest of my life on the above roads. With such locations; no doubt, Canada is
one of the most desirable tourist destinations that you can find out
there in the world. Since it is the second-largest country globally, you will
be able to discover a fascinating geographical variety.
This is the main reason behind the thriving tourism industry that exists in the country. The main tourist attractions you can find in Canada are centered around Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Niagara Falls, Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, and the Canadian Rockies. The large cities in Canada are well-known for their diversity, historic sites, and national parks.
Karla Caves
Ray of light peeping out, all of a sudden from behind the dense leaves or drops of rainfall after a long hot spell. Perhaps one of the best experiences, which is delightful to everyone as a change from regular.
Now try to recall, when was the last time you felt elated on getting a surprise day off or just a half day off from your official duties? Most of us prefer to go home and relax or settle for an outing with family. But some out of mind boring people think of driving to some nearby locations. For
a long time, I had been hearing about ancient rock cut caves near to Dolvi, which had became a weekly visit affair for me. Subconscious mind was always craving to make a trip, however business routine always used to shackle my spirits/ my legs whenever I dared thinking about to explore this spot.
One
fine day, got a surprise when all the business formalities got finalized without much discussions and I realized that I have got a few hours for myself. Around 65 km. from Dolvi would have been slightly difficult on my feet or by public transport to return back by night, so requested a friend for his bike. He obliged and also informed me about the route. What a feeling it was gearing the bike🏍 after a long! My spirits, legs, hands and eyes; seemed everyone was also
craving for a break. That was it; the lone
ranger has started the drive to Karla Caves, the much cherished spot.
65 km. separated me from the Karla Caves, a complex of ancient rock-cut caves
located at Karli near Lonavala. It took me around 1.5 hours to reach the
spot. Not just a spot, it is a grand example of Indian architecture expertise,
for which even mighty mountains were just a canvas.
View from outside, for a moment turned me into Indiana Jones and so was ignited the curiosity to explore the interiors and unwind some ancient secrets –
There is no definite information on the timelines of these caves, but believed to have carved around 2nd century BC and thereafter 5th century AD. A grand hall is the first one you come across on entering inside the caves. Large open space must have been a gathering place. This is probably the biggest temple hall I have come across in such constructions.
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.
VarahNarsimha Simhachalam Temple
Forts, Beaches and Alibaug in the Incredible Western Ghats
Older than the Himalaya mountains, is the Western Ghats ranges that runs
parallel to the western coast of the India through the states of Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A drivable road from inside
the lush green forests and alongside the coastline will take you on a journey
to a different world.
What is Western Ghats? A world set aside in the serenity
of the green mountains, where music of chirping birds and where streams of
flowing water play a perfect symphony to the tired souls. Well known for
their rich and unique flora and fauna, Western Ghats is one of the eight
"hottest hot-spots" of biological diversity in the world and UNESCO
has declared Western Ghats, a world heritage site.
As per the studies, Western Ghats are sustaining around 7402 species of
flowering plants, 1814 species of non-flowering plants, 139 mammals' species,
508 bird species, 179 amphibian species, 6000 insect species and 290 freshwater
fish species. This is not all, many may get discovered tomorrow. Over and
above these, Western Ghats provides shelter to at least 325 globally threatened
flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species.
A small welcome break from the business schedule opened a
window to explore the incredible Land of Western Ghats, its biodiversity,
nearby a small coastal town of Alibaug. Alibaug is much popular for its neat
and clean beaches. It was the time to enjoy attractions near Alibaug.
We started early morning for our first destination, Korlai Fort which is approx. 25 Km. (75 minutes) from Alibaug. Though now in ruins, Korlai Fort is an old Portuguese structure situated on a hill top. Built in the year 1521, Korlai Fort originally meant as a watch point for the invaders and was used to be a house of 7,000 people including horses and Portugese army men. The Korlai Fort is surrounded by Arabian Sea on three sides and has a beautiful lighthouse as major attraction.
Of food, fun and the run in Jaipur
Jaipur by Nite ended with great food, live music and marathon.
And then they ran:
Health was not a lost case at all as over 1,500 enthusiasts from Jaipur, nearby cities and other part of the country got together for the last act of the three-day event – 10km and 5km marathons. Post 10, the Mubarak Mahal and the grounds had an altogether different buzz to them as groups of runners, in their colourful sportswear, started collecting around for the marathon.
Lake Rewalsar...
We started at 8:00 AM from Shimla and took the way to Kullu via Mandi. The objective was to visit Lake Rewalsar, 140 km. from Shimla. Lake Rewalsar (locally called as Tso Pema/ Lotus Lake) along with statue of Padmasambhava (popular as Guru Rinpoche in Tibet) is one of the most popular symbols in Himachal Pradesh tourism advertisements. Surrounded and hidden in rugged mountains this sacred lake is 23 km. from town of Mandi.
It was from this place Indian teacher Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche in Tibet) left for Tibet to spread Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet. Annoyed by fondness of his daughter for long haired Padmasambhava, legend says that the king of Mandi, Vihardhara tried to burn alive the sage Padmasambhava, to prevent his daughter Mandarava running off with him. It is believed that the charred corpse of Padmasambhava liquefied into water forming Lake Rewalsar. The spirit of Padmasambhava is said to still reside in the islands of floating reed since then. Statue of Lord Padmasambhava defines the skyline of Lake Rewalsar.
Saga of Raja Ram Temple at Orchha
After exploring the Chambal ravines and an amazing pit stop at Sonagiri temples the road to Orchha was in front of us. We have driven
for 15 km. from Sonagiri, when a fort along side a river came to
our sight. It was the imposing 7 storied Datia Fort, also known as Bir
Singh Palace. However no member of Datia royal family ever lived in this
palace.
The Blue City of Jodhpur...
City of Jodhpur, also known as Blue City has been a travelers delight since times. City of Jodhpur has something which is very unique to Jodhpur only. Mighty Mehrangarh Fort and royal grandeur of Umaid Bhawan Palace has made Jodhpur frequently being listed as most extraordinary places to visit and stay, most recently in 2014 by Lonely Plant. Check Mehrangarh Fort on top of the Hill:
Kuldhara - Curse of the Exodus
"A COMMUNITY VANISHED
OVERNIGHT"
Where people used to celebrate festivals, sit together in the night alongside the bon fire and which was once an oasis in the Thar Desert, is now an abandoned spot. Along with Bhangarh, this place Kuldhara is considered as one of the most haunted and cursed place. But, Why...?
Something had happened one night when all the residents from Kuldhara had abandoned the place; however they left a curse that this place will never be inhabited again. The curse stays till date...
If we take a plunge into the history lanes, all the abandoned places have been flourishing centers in various time zones, some of them were way ahead of then civilizations. This is true for Bhangarh and I believe the same for Kuldhara too. So first investigate the history of Kuldhara: Around 13th century, Paliwal clan migrated from Pali to settle in Kuldhara due to tyranny of the Pali king. Majority of the clan members were believed to have been brahmins, so mention of Paliwals come as Paliwal brahmins most of the times -
- With their knowledge and enterprising
nature they turned Kuldhara (and 84 villages around Kuldhara) into
a flourishing place for trade and commerce activities.
- The farmers were adept in cultivating crops like wheat in the desert lands.
It’s true, they were masters in identifying rock layers underneath
the sand which could hold the required quantity of water for
cultivation. Such was effluence built into the region that each new family was welcomed with a brick
and a gold coin from every other family in the village. Brick was
meant to build a house and gold coin to start a livelihood. I have not
heard of such levels of prosperity and brotherhood in the history of
mankind.
Then the question is why these people deserted this prosperous place. Some legends behind this:
The prosperity of Kuldhara had become a thorn in the eyes of Mughals/ other invaders. It is said that in the 18th century, a raid from the invaders resulted in the exodus of the entire community from the Kuldhara area. It is believed that all the water sources and wells got poisoned due to dead animal carcasses, While leaving, a curse was put on the Kuldhara, which stays till date.
Once a prime minister of the region (Jaisalmer), Diwan Salim Singh got captivated by a beautiful girl of this community and wanted to marry her. When his proposal was not approved by the community, he threatened Kuldhara residents with dire consequences. To preserve their dignity and keep honor intact, people from Kuldhara and nearby 84 villages made an exit in one night (around 1825 - 1830). While leaving, a curse was put on the Kuldhara that this place will never see any inhabitation, which stays till date.
Taxes were increased by the government/ king to such an extent that residents had no option but to leave.
Widely believed and accepted reason is the 2nd one. However when looking at the condition of the houses, it looks highly improbable that this desertion took place only 200 years back. None of the houses have roof or even a part of roof intact. Houses look like they are lying in this state for much more than 2 centuries. Other reason to question this belief is that this was a peaceful exit, and residents took with them only bare necessary stuff and there was no fight.
This cart got left behind, most probably there were no animals left to drive this. |
So
structure of the houses should have remained intact, albeit with gradual
deterioration with time. One house which is said to be of the head of the tribe has roof intact.
Belief and logic do not coincide here, mystery is still unsolved.
![]() |
Underground tunnels, which no one has dared to explore... |
House is being renovated by ASI |
I
personally feel that something related to reason no. 1 is more appropriate.
Generally raiders/ invaders after looting, used to destroy everything, India is
a witness to many such raids. Whatever be the reason, the status of
Kuldhara as a paranormal activity infested place is intact. Visitors to this
place often complaint of uneasiness, touching on shoulders and sudden drop and
rise in temperatures.
Around 19 km. from Kuldhara is Khaba fort, which again was abandoned along with the Kuldhara. Now ASI has taken over and converted it into a museum with ancient artifacts on display.
Walking around this fort gives a feeling associated with minimal human activity; however, one can find lot of peacocks around this fort. From top of this fort one can another abandoned village with all the houses in ruins. This village was inhabited by around 80 families and got abandoned along with Kuldhara.
The place is different and not so popular in the tourist circles, only visitors are inquisitive souls like us. Situated at 23 Kms. from Jaisalmer City, one can hire auto rickshaw or taxi to Kuldhara. However, to include Khaba fort in your visit itinerary, better hire a taxi.
Kolkata - The city with a spirit
I travel on a predefined budget
and this time it was no different. I made the train bookings and decided to not
plan too much and leave some room for adventure. This was going to be like an
alien visit as I do not speak anything except English or Hindi but this didn’t
seem like a problem at the time.
Another
thing which was fascinating about the journey was that we were going in the
worst possible weather conditions. But fortunately, the monsoons were late and
we were left with the Indian summers in a train journey that would last for at
least 40 hours.
Me and my friend, who is an athlete (read superhuman), were excited to hit the roads again as it had been two years since we had travelled together.
So we boarded the 8:30 train
from Dehradun railway
station and set off to a long journey which would take us all the way through
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and then finally to West Bengal.
The best part about travelling is not the destination but the journey.
Travelling
with so many people is really an enriching experience for the mind and soul.
Train journeys are so special because you get a chance to actually interact
with lot of people and it is an excelleny way to satisfy the inner curiosity.
We saw some
pretty great things on the train and came to realize that we should avoid
eating the food that they sell at the station and try to live on fruits and
stuff which doesn’t spoil like soaked grams and boiled eggs etc.
Kolkata is a
major tourist attraction for people from all across the world mainly because it
was the capital of India and the first metropolitan city as well. The Bengali
culture is considered one of the richest and most attractive cultures
throughout the world with its extensive popularity in the fields of film, music
and literature.
Being an art
and history lover so I was really excited to see some museums and visit
libraries as well.
So we
reached Kolkata at the right time (thankfully). Getting off at the platform of
one of the biggest cities in a country like India is an experience that no one
should miss. An astounding number of people in a single place is a sight to be
seen. I think that is why Kolkata is considered a destination for travelling
veterans, maybe to take the culture shock in a lighter spirit.
We were
startled by the speed by which everything works there. You can see markets
starting not too far from the platforms and people actually start shopping the
moment they step their foot in this city. It was quite amusing to see chaos at
such an early stage and the day had just begun.
When you step out the railway station, the first thing that you see is the glorious Howrah Bridge and before it stands the glorious Rabindranath Setu. It is a huge steel structure which looks magnificent from every angle that you can see. Built in 1943, this bridge is still an engineering marvel.
We found the buses going to the
inner part of the city and it was not difficult to find a bus to the nearest
hot spot of the city which is called New Market. We knew that we will find
accommodation and good places to eat there. After all, food was one of the
major things which drew us to Kolkata all the way from the north.
We saw a few hotels and finalized hotel Raunak which was near Nizams, a traditional restaurant which offers great Mughalai and authentic bengali food. The hotel is situated at the main marketplace near the S.S hogg market and we were able to get a room for two at 550/- per night. The rooms were reasonably clean and there was nothing fancy. We needed rooms to sleep so we just kept our bags in the room and left to explore.
You should definitely try the fish cutlets from any of the restaurants and you will happily say that you have never had such fish in your life.


Apart from what I have already told you, I am listing some other things that you must eat in Kolkata.
Puchkas aka Pani Puri aka Gol Gappe:
- S.S Hogg Market
- New Market
- The Park street
- Esplanade
- Victoria Memorial
- Indian Museum
- Teretti Market
- Mullick Ghat
- Howraw Brigde
- Kewpies (missed)
You can find a lot of friendly Langur Monkeys (read gigantic monkeys with huge tails who can bitchslap you with one eye closed) who sit patiently for visitors to sit with them and sometimes feed them with their own hands!
The Dakshineshwar temple starts with a lively market where you can buy statues and pictures of gods and get souvenirs for your family, there are many stalls to eat if you feel hungry after the ferry ride and all the walking.
We travelled mostly on foot but we enjoyed the local transport as well. Don’t forget to catch a metro ride in the country’s oldest metro rails. Ride a yellow taxi or jump up on a tram. Trams are really interesting and the way they run on the roads beside the main traffic, it is really strange and wonderful to watch. The local buses are colorful, their interiors are broken and weary but worth experiencing.

No job, No money, No comfort, Nothing can match the joy of travelling and a trip to a city with a spirit, like Kolkata can make you rethink about your life and goals and most probably will make you realize what you are and who you want to be.
Contributed by Nikhil Godiyal...
From Kolkata, holy land of Lord Jagannath, Puri is only 500 km, 8-10 hours journey. Do not forget to visit...