10 Amazing Photos of India - a photo-essay featured on Go! Overseas

God's Own Country, Kerala

Go! Overseas have this week published on their website a photo-essay contributed by me. The objective of this photo-essay, titled '10 Amazing Photos of India', is to market India as a destination where the international community can explore opportunities to teach, study and volunteer. The pictures are a preview to what they can expect in India in terms of the beauty and the culture of the place.

The post has been compiled based on the pictures taken by me during the many journeys I have undertaken to discover the magnificent diversity of India and hence (constrained by my travels) may not be truly representative of all that India has to offer.

In the words of Go! Overseas - "From the towering Himalayas, to white-sandy beaches, India clearly is blessed with an amazing abundance of natural and cultural diversity"

To read the post click here
To know more about Go! Overseas, click here


I hope you enjoy the post. As always I look forward to your feedback. A special thanks to Andrew Dunkle of Go! Overseas for providing me the opportunity to showcase India.

Lahaul - Spiti Valley Jeep Safari: Notes & anecdotes from a 7 day odyssey through the middle land!

Connoisseur’s delight…door to freedom...

Komic

If you are not averse to any of these -

• living at an average altitude of 4,250 metres in a cold desert;
• travelling on narrow (single lane), gravel and water filled roads winding through the Himalayas, which stare thousands of feet down into a violent river, and where road blocks due to landslides and snowfalls are as common as the day and night;
• living without newspaper and telecommunication network (save for BSNL) in a place unscathed by modernity;

then Spiti is the place for you - the connoisseur traveller, the solitude seeker, the adventurer!

Spiti Valley came on my radar a couple of years back while researching some exotic driving holidays in the Himalayas. I was instantly taken in. Ladakh had been on my travel list for over seven years (since the time the populace had not even heard about it), but seeing the swarm of casual tourists thronging to it since the release of 3 Idiots, I decided that it had to be Spiti that I must visit this time around, before the hotels over there too started dishing out thalis!

View of Spiti Valley from Kye Monastery

Spiti, which means ‘the middle country’, is the land of ragged and snow capped mountains that reach out to the clear deep blue skies. Here, in the cold desert, trees are scarce and the moonscape expansive. Spiti is the land of several perennial rivers - Spiti, Pin, Chandra - whose gurgling sounds will soothe you in the night and whose ferocity will awe you when you travel alongside them in the day time. Ah, and not to mention the placid, azure blue lakes like Chandra Taal, Nako, Dhankar. The observer would also be struck by some of the most beautiful canyons and the most unusual clay and rock formations along the river bed and in the mountains. The continuity of the landscape is only broken by numerous waterfalls and glaciers, including one of world's largest non-polar glaciers - Bara Shigri.

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Maximum City, Mumbai - Flora Fountain

Flora Fountain is a spectacular heritage structure located at the Hutatma Chowk in South Mumbai. It is about 5 minutes walk from the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station along the Dadabhai Naoroji Road (which is lined with heritage buildings). It may have lost its magnificence over the years, due to inadequate maintenance, but is beautiful nonetheless.

One can read about its history at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_Fountain

Maximum City, Mumbai - Gateway of India

The Gateway of India, located beside the Arabian Sea in South Mumbai, is easily the most recognisable monument in Mumbai. No visit to Mumbai can be complete without soaking in the air over here. It is always teeming with people and bustling with activity, representing the vibrancy of this great city. Some of these are depicted below -

From the Gateway one can take ferries for the Elephanta Caves or enjoy short tours of the sea. There are a number of tourist attractions in the vicinity (particularly the Kala Ghoda area, which is also referred to as the Art District of Mumbai) such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya (Prince of Wales museum), Jehangir Art Gallery, National Gallery of Modern Art, David Sassoon Library, etc. Other hotspots in the neighbourhood are Cafe Mondegar & Cafe Leopold, Regal Cinema and some great eateries.

Postcards for my dear 2

Some more...

Postcards for my dear

An assortment of pictures on which I decided to employ some creativity.

City of Gold - Jaisalmer

Panoramic view of the fort at night

Jaisalmer is a city built amidst the vast expanse of Thar Desert in the State of Rajasthan. It's called 'The Golden City' owing to widespread use of sandstone in houses and 'hawelis', which gives the city a distinctly yellowish appearance. The fort, pictured above, towers over the city and houses numerous Jain temples, a palace and some hawelis. In fact, like the Red Fort in Delhi, there are people residing inside this fort.

Inside the fort

One can easily spend an entire day inside this fort marvelling at the various structures inside. Unfortunately I had only an hour to spend :(

City view

Enough gold out there.

On the window sill

Such ornately carved windows and balconies are quite common in Jaisalmer.

Bada Bagh

Bada Bagh is located enroute to Lodurva (site of beautiful Jain temples) from Jaisalmer and is worth a visit for those who want to go back in time and spend some quite moments admiring the architecture.

Some of the other attractions in and around Jaisalmer are Amar Sagar, Ghadisar, Patwon ki haweli (must see), Sam desert and Lodurva.

Empty vessels and an Angel

Some abstract visualisations of a demented mind. On a more serious note these are pictures taken inside a fort (Jaisalmer fort - first pic) and a palace (Udaipur's City Palace - other two).

Shimmering beauty

Literally shimmering in the night, this supremely beautiful Lake Palace is today a luxury hotel run by the Taj Group.

Built in the middle of the 18th century, on an island in Lake Pichola, it served as the summer palace of the Maharanas of Mewar. The palace is surrounded by the City Palace (which today is part museum and part residence of the descendants of the royal family), Aravali mountains and Jag Mandir on its three sides.

The palace is visible from several windows inside the City Palace as well as from Dudh Talai (a nature park). However, one can get a good unobstructed view of it by walking down the narrow lanes that start from the Jagdish Temple (locals will be your best guide) towards the several ghats (embankments).

The other attractions which one must not miss while in Udaipur (also called City of Lakes / Venice of the East) are the City Palace, Saheliyon ki Bari, Moti Magri (memorial of Maharana Pratap), Dudh Talai, Gulab Bagh (park and zoo), Sajjangarh Fort, Jagdish Temple, Sukharia Circle and the Nehru Garden (located on an island in Fatehsagar Lake).

Nawab's palace / Purani Haweli

Residence of the Siddi Nawab, Ahmedganj Palace, is located in Murud on a small hillock overlooking the Arabian Sea. Entry to the palace is unfortunately not permitted. The descendants of the royal family currently reside in Mumbai. Though the palace is clearly visible from the outside, I took a picture from the arch on the side entrance to give it an out-of-bounds, mystical & haunted appearance - considering that quite a few Ramsay's horror films like Purani Haweli were shot over here.

Arch - aeology

Inside the Janjira Fort

At the Gol Gumbaj

Gol Gumbaj at Khokari (5 Kms from Murud, 1 Km from Rajpuri) is another place to see on one's visit to Murud-Janjira. Believed to be some 5 centuries old, they house the tombs of the Siddi rulers. Though the structure is well preserved (restoration was in progress when we visited there) it has suffered from neglect over the years and the spot is not on the to-see list of many visitors to Murud-Janjira for want of publicity.

Inside the majestic Janjira Fort

At the entrance

Ruins of a once bustling settlement

Guns of Never-on: I decide to take my own shot at an approaching boat. There are almost 120 odd canons inside the fort today, the silence of which eerily conveys the battles they have once fought.

Sweet water lake amidst sea water

Haunted Palace?: The guide nonchalantly mentions that earlier, when the Government permitted, quite a few horror films were shot over here!

Continuing from my previous post...The fort, spread over approximately 20 acres on a rocky island, was built over a period of 22 years. The ruins tell the story of grandeur that once existed and the many battles fought. Of the several canons, the largest is Kalal Bangadi. Close to the entrance is the tomb of Panch Peer Panjatan Shah Baba and inside the fort one can see the remains of a temple, mosque, graveyards, minister's residence, and palace (pictured above). A highlight of the fort, that has intrigued visitors, is the presence of a sweet water lake (pictured above) considering the fort is in the middle of Arabian Sea. Until very recently, the fort was inhabited with locals who were shifted to Rajpuri village after the archaeology department took it over...they carried the ancient doors, windows and then some more along with them!

Travelling to Janjira Fort

Rajpuri Port

Outline of the fort as seen from the port

Imposing walls of the fort

Sail boats that take visitors to the fort

Boatman aims his own canon at the impregnable fort

Visit to the mystical Janjira fort was the highlight of my recent trip to Central Konkan. The fort, built almost 4 - 9 centuries ago (accounts vary) amidst the Arabian Sea, was the bastion of local Siddi rulers and has the reputation of being unconquered (ajinkya) even by the likes of Shivaji Maharaj, the British and the Portuguese. One can read a good detailed account here  http://www.murudjanjira.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murud_Janjira

Journey to the fort begins from the old Rajpuri port (about 4 Km from Murud) in sail boats. For an extra fee, the boatman also doubles up as a guide. Even as one approaches the fort, its imposing walls tell the story of invincibility & quality of engineering. One can spot several canons thrusting out of the windows giving the appearance of being on their radar. It is said that it is difficult to make out the entrance of the fort from a distance (especially during high tides) and that a secret tunnel exists 60 feet below the fort that links the Rajpuri village. The fort is a must see site in Maharashtra.

We shall take a look at the interiors of the fort in the next post.

Kuda Caves

Kuda Caves were built for dwelling and meditation by Buddhist monks over 2000 years ago. They are located near Bhalgaon about 20 kms from Murud. A traveller to the place faces tough times since there are no signs leading to the place. Many of the locals are also unaware about their location and even existence (!) leading to several false turns and its importance appears lost when one takes a look at the level of maintenance. There is a barely motorable road that leads to this spot in the hills from the village. People travelling to Murud - Janjira and having their own vehicles can make an attempt though, compared to other caves in Maharashtra (Ajanta / Ellora, Elephanta, etc.), they are quite modest and in ruins.