Rameshwaram - Tracing the footsteps of Lord Ram

It all seemed like a fantasy at first. It was an auspicious full moon night. Goddess Parvati, dressed up in all the fineries, was taking the round of the Rameshwaram temple in a golden palanquin. The accompanying chants, smoke and drum beats added to the rare spectacle. The following round by Lord Shiva from his sanctum to the goddess’ almost seemed like a royal routine. And, why not, for, he is the Lord of the Lord here in Rameshwaram – literally meaning Ram’s god.

When Lord Ram returned to these shores after slaying Ravan in Lanka, despite being on the right side, he wanted to repent for the killings. He washed his hair at the spot now called Jada Teertham before worshipping Shiv. Where Laxman, Ram’s younger brother, took bath Laxman Teertham. It so happened that Hanuman was getting late in bringing a lingam from the Himalayas for the worship, so Sita built one from sand. The lingam in the sanctum of the Ramanathaswamy temple or the Rameshwaram temple is believed to be the same. And, the 22 tanks and wells in the temple’s periphery, called teerthams, are said to absolve the sins of human beings today.

Read More

Top 5 Tourist Attractions in Tanzania

The travel and tourism industry contributes almost 17% to the GDP of Tanzania and employs nearly 11.5% of the country's workforce every year. Tanzania must be a preferred destination for tourists.

Tanzania (officially the United Republic of Tanzania) is an East African country located within the African Great Lake region. It is a tourism country with a wide range of the amazing tourist attractions.

Read More

Mandore Gardens, Jodhpur

- Time has stood still since 1459 CE in Mandore -

A suburb of Jodhpur, 5 km. from Jodhpur is the small town of Mandore which was once a seat of power of prominent Rathore clan Rajputs. Not only Rathore Rajputs, Mandore had been the capital city of many Rajput kings and has played a major role in safeguarding Northern India from the attacks of western invaders and Muslim kings from Gujarat. During 6^th century, a princess of Pratiharas dynasty was married into Rathore dynasty and Mandore was the Wedding Gift to the Rathore prince.

Around 1450, the capital seat was shifted to Mehrangarh Fort in order to protect the city and the residents from further attacks and invasions. However Mandore Gardens still stand high in pride to tell the glorious tales of the bygone eras seen by the Mandore. Though Mandore lost the prominence in 1459 CE as the capital seat shifted to Mehrangarh, but word abandoned cannot be used with the town. Mandore gardens have been well preserved to let visitors visualize/ imagine the glorious past of this ancient town.

Ancient temples, Cenotaphs of erstwhile Jodhpur rulers and an ancient tunnel makes an enriching trip to Mandore Gardens. Brilliant temples carved out of Sandstone are the first to get attention. 

Read More

Best ways to save and invest money to fund my travels?

As a kid, I distinctly remember how elderly people used to consider visiting Varanasi or Badrinath or Vaishno Devi as once in a lifetime event. My father was an Indian Railway employee and had privilege of free train journeys; despite that our vacations were quite less, probably due to associated other expenses.

Gone are the days, when travelling was considered a luxury or once in a while affair. Travelling has now become a necessary part of our lives. Escaping Workplace Stress, Pollution are pretty honest excuses, but in reality it is financial independence which is driving this new found breed of vacationers.

During my early career days, I used to save and just save for small trips, hardly 250 -300 km. from Delhi. Such a trip along with a few friends, more than once in a year used to be a big achievement. The way I used to plan for these trips, I now see the youngsters plan for Thailand, Maldives, Eurotrip and practically much more than I ever could have thought of. By seeing the millennials plan for such foreign trips, I at times used to wonder – Who is funding their frequent travels? Are they availing Loans?

I know one of my friends, who took a loan to take his family abroad for a trip and proudly paid back a hefty interest amount for the next couple of years. Well, this was not so smart an option which he realized later, when he ended up paying interest costs to the extent of 20%.

There must be a better alternative to EMI’s and Investing is a smart way of saving. With investing comes the basic question Where and How much to invest? Being myself a travel enthusiast, I will be always open to explore any investment opportunity that can help me in continuing my travels even post my retirement with some luxury and adequate risk cushion. Why not? Why should I not? 

Read More

Bisrakh Village - Birth place of demon king Ravana

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.

Read More

Plan a trip with Travel Diaries

 Planning to travel, rely on Travel Diaries for...

• An optimized itinerary for covering maximum spots during your vacation (India only).
• Offbeat destinations which generally travel planners exclude.

Write to us your travel requirements. Trust Travel Diaries for a comfortable and amazing journey, Delhi onwards.

Read More

Jatoli Shiv Temple, Solan

Solan is a small town in Himachal Pradesh, but has one of the oldest breweries in India, is popular as “Mushroom city of India” and is also known as “City of Red Gold”. First 2 are self explanatory, well the "Red Gold" is for the tomatoes production, almost highest in the country.
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.

On way to Shimla from Kasauli, via Solan take a right turn on Rajgarh Road and drive for 8 km. to reach the scenic hilltop grand temple. Jatoli Shiv Temple is one of the sacred destinations in Solan, which attracts devotees from all over the country. Jatoli Shiv temple is the tallest temple of Lord Shiva in Asia and is also one of the very ancient temples. It is believed that Lord Shiva had visited this place and stayed for some time and reason behind the 112 ft. height of this temple is the Jatas (Hairs) of Lord Shiva.

Read More

Kanch Mandir, Indore

He was known as then "Cotton King of India", had set up the first Jute Mill in India, he was from Indore and he had penchant for creating masterpieces. Millions of glass pieces have been out together in order to built this glittering temple of glass, known as Kanch Ka Mandir. Outer Hall of this temple has numerous artifacts, all made of innovative use of glass. All that glitters here is Glass, beautiful Glass:

The temple is located inside one of the most popular markets in Indore city. The construction began sometime around 1903, but location of this temple is located inside a busy market was baffling me. Probably market got developed over the time around this popular spot; however the ITWARIYA market is much older than the temple.

Read More

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. 

Read More

Best places to visit in Oman

Oman, formally the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab nation on the Arabian Peninsula's southeastern shore.

Holding a deliberately significant situation at the Persian Gulf's mouth, the United Arab Emirates flanks the country toward the northwest, Saudi Arabia toward the west, and Yemen toward the southwest. Arabic is the official language of Oman.

Read More