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Opulent Elegance: A Journey through Ornate India (Part-2)

Karan Mahal is another palace inside the fort and it was built by Maharaja Karan Singh ji in 1680 to celebrate his victory over Aurangzeb. The palace consists of balconies and gardens. And later the mahal was painted red and gold and patterns of glass were added to it by Maharaja Surat Singh and Maharaja Anup Singh.

Even though the fort lies in ruins today, you can still find traces of the past splendor in the tall walls, the carvings and the various temples and courtyards. Even today, it is impossible to understand the Fort without understanding its history. And history's tangible footprints can actually be found here in form of the various gates that the conquerors built here, such as the Jahangiri Darwaza (attributed to Mughal Emperor Jahangir), the Ahani and Amiri Darwaza, (attributed to the first Mughal Governor of Kangra Nawab Saif Ali (Alif) Khan), and the Ranjit Singh Darwaza, (attributed to Maharaja Ranjit Singh).

Looking at the family that stays there, you wonder how do they feel safe staying in this structure. They have young children who are curious and mischievous as children of that age are. Even if the structure doesn't betray them, you wonder what it would be like to be the sole occupants of two rooms in a huge, otherwise empty, three-storied structure. Many rooms of this haveli most probably haven't been opened in decades. What would the place feel like on a dark and stormy night?

After this, the demon prayed to Lord Shiv again. The Lord told the demon that while he could not take back the saint's curse, he could pronounce him as "Indrunag", a deity with powers of both snakes and Indra. Since then, Indrunag has been the protector deity of these hills and praying to him keeps these hills safe from heavy rains. Related Blogpost - Mcleodganj – Where the World Comes Together in Peace : by Vibha Malhotra, TOI

On the banks of Barua Sagar tal, there is also the temple of Maharshi Shringirishi, who had married Mata Shanta, the sister of Lord Ram. You need to cross this temple to reach the waterfall and to climb up to the embankment of the Barua Sagar Tal.

It is an L-shaped space, and you can either decide to park your vehicle deep inside the parking, if the parking isn't already full, or park it closer to the parking entrance and leave your keys with the parking guy. We weren't too comfortable to leave the keys with anyone as we were travelling with some luggage, so we didn't have much choice but to park it deep inside. But this would cause considerable hassle later on. Will share more later.

However, these sculptures are just lying here and not much information is available about them at the palace. You can look around them, but if you are looking for plaques describing the artwork or at least dating them, you will be disappointed. Since ASI maintains it, I hope they will make all efforts to actually turn it into a very informative museum.

When you look at the grandeur of some of these old buildings and realize that almost all cities of the country have such hidden gems, you also realize that so much priceless history and heritage lies unexplored and might also be going to pieces at a very fast pace. The speed of decision-making in our country is dismal, and considering how shoddily most of our people treat places of historical importance, the thought just depresses me. But nevertheless, ASI has slowly but steadily been working towards restoring some of these places, and I do hope that the bureaucratic machinery too will catch up soon.

After having lunch, when we reached the parking, we realized that our car was still at the far end of the parking and there was a long queue of cars parked behind it. But the parking guy was very optimistic about our prospects of taking out our car. The fact was that even if all the cars were backed out, we would need to reverse our car all the way back onto the road. There was no space to turn the car. And then when the parking guys started backing out other cars, it created ruckus on the already crowded road. The amount of honking was unbelievable. And to top it all, the car right behind us broke down and had to be pushed all the way out. In the end, we managed to reverse our car out, but it was an interesting experience, to say the least.

While we did not spend enough time to explore the palace, it was a nice place and people who are interested in art and sculptures can find a lot of articles of interest in here. At Rs. 20, the place is definitely worth a visit. The place has a lot of unharnessed potential and we do hope that ASI will take the right steps to do justice to it.

The Chaturbhuj Temple is one of the most noticeable element of Orchha Skyline. Its Vimana stands tall and can be viewed from miles away. In a way, it is like the centerpiece around which the Orchha town has grown. When you think of a temple like this, you expect it to be as opulent inside as its exteriors are. But that is one of the interesting aspects of this temple. Its insides are stark and bare with one idol at the extreme end of it. Once you are inside, it is easy to forget how imposing it is when viewed from a distance.

Almost all the cenotaphs are built on raised platforms and are multistoried, except for a few. And as is typical to most chhatris, the ceiling is domed or conical. The chhatris are visible from quite a distance and are among the most photogenic monuments of Orchha. Do take out at least half a day to explore the chhatris, and do read about them beforehand so that you know exactly what you are looking at. And a visit to the opposite bank for a sunset shot of the Chhatris too is highly recommended.

Like many forts, the Orchha fort also houses several monuments within its boundaries, including the ones that are across the bridge that connects the Orchha Palace with Orchha town. But in this post, we will talk about the monuments within the Orchha Palace complex. The oldest among these is the Raja Mahal, which was built in the early 16th century.

However, when she reached there, she recited a couplet in the court that could be loosely translated to mean "only scavengers eat from a plate that has already been touched by another person." The emperor understood that Pravin was in love with someone else and impressed by her wit, he sent her back to Orchha with honor.

We did drive around a bit, but in retrospect, we could have done more. However, it is also tiring to climb all the steep stairs to explore these palaces properly. May be one should plan for two days to explore the Orchha fort complex. One day dedicated to the palace complex only.

Some things to keep in mind while visiting Orchha: There is one single ticket for all historical monuments in Orchha including the Palace, Chaturbhuj temple, Chhatris, Laxmi Narayan Temple, etc. And that can be purchased at the Palace only. The ticket is Rs. 20 per person for Indian citizens + Rs 25 for camera. This is quite reasonable considering that this also serves as a day pass for all the other monuments. You can take your vehicle right up to Jahangir Mahal and also drive around. The roads are narrow but decent enough. There are no parking charges if you take your vehicle inside the Palace complex. If you are parking outside, the ticket is Rs. 30 per person, and the ticket is valid almost all over Orchha.

Overall, the Palace Complex is beautiful and definitely worth a visit and even a repeat visit. When we visited, it wasn't too crowded because of Covid-19, but in regular days, it will probably be crowded. However, the palace is extremely clean and that is a wonderful thing, really. Carry beverages and snacks, but please don't litter.

Overall, the Palace Complex is beautiful and definitely worth a visit and even a repeat visit. When we visited, it wasn't too crowded because of Covid-19, but in regular days, it will probably be crowded. However, the palace is extremely clean and that is a wonderful thing, really. Carry beverages and snacks, but please don't litter.

Today, when you visit this area, you would need to be aware that the area has had only about 15 years of relative peace to develop. This will help you be empathetic as your vehicle wobbles across the pothole-ridden roads of Morena (a separate post on this topic is on its way). However, once you have braved that, the rewards are worth each pothole that you crossed. And one of the most gratifying is the breathtaking sight of the Bateshwar Group of Temples in Padavali.

When you look at the temples now, it is difficult to imagine that till the year 2005, this site was nothing but a huge pile of rocks. When Shree K K Mohammed, the regional director of the Archaeological Survey of India came upon this site, there were only a couple of small temples still standing, that gave him some idea of the structure and architecture of the temples in this site. It was clear to him that in order to start the restoration, they would need to clear the site first so that they can study the foundation of temples and start piecing together the puzzle.

So the team set about the work, photographing, documenting, and restoring the small area. They were up against a tight timeline and a very challenging task. After 4 months when the dacoits returned, they were amazed to see the miraculous restoration and hence they gave their permission to let the restoration work proceed. As time passed many of these dacoits actually became a part of the restoration activity, clearing the areas, sorting rocks, and reassembling the temples. In his interview, KK Mohammed observes, "we were not only restoring the temples, we were actually restoring the lives of these dacoits as well." For some interesting before and after restoration photographs of the site, please see the following article: Article about Bateshwar Group of Temples by Kevin Stand Photography.

Not too long back, mere mention of the name Morena was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. This district near the Chambal river was once a stronghold of notorious dacoits, such as Daku Man Singh, Nirbhay Singh Gujjar, Phoolan Devi, and Paan Singh Tomar. If you happened to be passing through this district and your vehicle broke down, you would automatically start praying to the lord for your safe exit from this area (this actually happened to my parents back in 1982, so I am kind of talking from experience).

The entrance of one temple has sculpted footprints of Vishnu. And amid this scene of greens and grey, the vermillion-covered statue of Hanuman with Kamdev and Rati under his feet, stands out. In most of these temples, Pooja isn't carried out. The temples are free for everyone to explore. And there is much to discover.

Not too long back, mere mention of the name Morena was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. This district near the Chambal river was once a stronghold of notorious dacoits, such as Daku Man Singh, Nirbhay Singh Gujjar, Phoolan Devi, and Paan Singh Tomar. If you happened to be passing through this district and your vehicle broke down, you would automatically start praying to the lord for your safe exit from this area (this actually happened to my parents back in 1982, so I am kind of talking from experience).

Anyway, we parked our car in the the outside parking and walked the couple of 100 metres to the ticketing counter, bought the ticket (Rs. 40 per adult). As soon as we entered the Nursery though, we spotted a Rufus Treepie and a Grey Hornbill. VJ had left his camera in the car, so upon spotting these exciting birds, he went back and got it. However, we did not have much luck with birding at Sunder Nursery. May be we were not patient enough, but the sheer number of house crows and jungle crows in the gardens kind of overshadowed all other birds.

We have all had different reactions to the pandemic. Some of us have barely stepped out, others started reclaiming the space as soon as the second wave subsided. We are somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. Stepping out a little, but with precautions and only in spaces that are open. Meeting people in a social bubble (almost). And always always wearing masks when in public spaces. So I like to believe that we have been careful, but also a little adventurous.

Naina Devi temple is one of the important temples in this region and has a very well maintained campus. During this visit, we saw lot of improvements in terms of infrastructure and covid protocols were being followed pretty well. If you are visiting the temple during first half of the day, you may want to enjoy bhandara (food) in the campus. Bhandara space is open for everyone till 2pm. There is no major hotel or dhaba around the temple, if you want to eat anything. So it's recommended to have your meal at Rewalsar and then climb us. Light snacks, cold drinks etc are available around the main gate and if you are looking for a recommendation, we would suggest to have a 'Kulfi', which was amazing and that only costs 10 Rs.

Tea, cold-drinks, chips and some light snacks are offered by small vendors inside the garden. It's good to see dustbins installed at reachable places, which are quite helpful in keeping the place clean. Many families come to Lodhi Garden to celebrate weekend with their kids & family members. It's always really nice to see a different type of environment in the lawns of Lodhi Garden.

Lodhi Garden is a good place for Delhites and tourists to escape from the hustle-bustle of the city. During afternoon some parts of the garden is full of by couples seeking solitude.

Above photograph shows interiors of the mosque inside Lodhi Garden. This Mosque was built in 1494, during the reign of Sikander Lodi. Just opposite the Bara Gumbad is the Sheesh Gumbad (Glass dome). Seems like this Gumbad must be constructed using lot of glass which you can't find today. Inside Sheesh Gumbad, there are remains of an unknown family. Apart from that bats live in these structures and at times, stink when you enter into the gumbad.

Travellingcamera loves walking around these wonderful structures of Lodhi Garden and click these shadows & filtered light making various interesting shapes inside the darkness of these tombs and structures. And I love this contrast of greens outside and interiors of dark brown structures, as you can see in above photograph.

There are lot of fitness groups who do various kinds of fitness sessions at Lodhi Garden. Frequency of those sessions is different. Some are organized by individual and few by companies like Reebok & Decathlon.

Above photograph shows Tomb of Mohammed Shah.

Some time back restoration work has happened for these monuments. In fact, these days two main projects are under progress at Lodhi Garden - One is a colourful initiative by some Artists to paint all dustbins at Lodhi Garden with some beautiful designs. The second one if restoration work happening near the mosque. The work of conservation Mohammed Shah's Tomb was started with the Mohammed Shah’s Tomb. At first, restoration of the inverted lotus on top of the dome was carried out.

Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi is the official residence of the President of India, located in New Delhi, Delhi, India. Until 1950 it was known as Viceroy's House and served as the residence of the Viceroy of India. It is at the heart of an area known as Lutyens' Delhi. It is the largest residence of any Head of the State in the world. The layout of the palace is designed around a massive square although there are many courtyards and open inner areas within. There are separate wings for the Viceroy and another wing for guests. The Viceroy’s wing is a separate four-storey house in itself, with its own court areas within. The wing was so large that the first president of India decided not to stay there, staying in the guest wing, a tradition which was followed by subsequent presidents. At the centre of the main part of the palace, underneath the main dome, is the Durbar Hall, which was known as the Throne Room during British rule when it had thrones for the Viceroy and his wife. It's a must visit place for Architecture lovers.

Old Fort (Purana Quila) is very close to Zoo and a few kilometers from India Gate. If you are planning a visit during evening, you can spend good time watching light & sound show which takes you through history of Delhi. Check out the link below for more details on that. Ishq-e-Dilli - A light and sound interpretation of the allure of Delhi at Old Fort

The Hindi show starts at 7:00pm and the English one at 8:30pm (during the month of October). The timings are different during different months, so it's recommended to check out the ITDC website for right timings of these shows. For the English show, entry starts 15 minutes before the show and the show itself starts almost on time. The sound that tells the story of Delhi is perfectly in sync with the visuals projected on a facade of old fort. All these photographs show different visuals flashed on the walls of Old Fort in Delhi. The ticket costs 100 Rs per person and it's 50 Rs for senior citizen, kids & students. If you are going in a car, there is enough parking space at the gate, unless there are lot of people. If you want to use Delhi Metro for commute - take the metro to Pragati Maidan and from there an auto would charge 40/50 Rs. Several buses too travel on this road from Pragati Maidan Metro station.

Taj Mahal of Delhi in red stone is Humayun's tomb, although the real connection between Taj Mahal & Humayun's tomb is more interesting. When Taj Mahal was built, the inspiration for Architecture came from this beautiful tomb in Delhi. Certainly the size of Taj Mahal is huge in comparison to the Humayun's Tomb and other basic difference is kind of stone used. Taj Mahal is made up of white marble when Humayun's tomb is in Red Stone. Both of these beautiful monuments are symmetrical and built on top of a square platform. Look at the monument from any of the four directions and it will look the same.

Delhi is extremely rich in terms of heritage and there are 3 UNESCO sites in the capital city of India. Apart from Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun's tomb there are lot of other monuments to visit & explore in Delhi. Safdarjung is very special amongst them because of various reasons like it's architecture, well maintained gardens around it, it's location and a lot more which we will share through this blogpost. We will also discuss about how to reach Safdarjung Tomb from various parts of Delhi by using various transportation systems and entry ticket fees, timings etc. But more than that, we bring you some interesting secrets about Safdarjung Tomb and places around it.

Most of the times we aim for destinations and may not give importance to places on our way. But real exploration is when you give equal importance to the journey. In fact, at times I have regretted about not enjoying the journey and usually excuse is time :). Anyways, today we are sharing about a place which we explored on our way to Barot valley and it was one of the best breaks we took. This place always remained special for me and visited a few times again. It's Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lödrö Institute in a town called Chauntra in Himachal Pradesh. Let's check out this blogpost to know more about this place, how to reach and some of the details around other places to explore around Chauntra.

The colour red isn’t usually associated with peace and tranquility. But one look at this building and your perception of red changes forever. The majestic building, which is the monastery, presides over the sprawling grounds, surrounded by the green hills and resonant with the chirping of birds and the gushing of wind in the trees. In the circular dormitory, a lone monk sits against the pillar, engrossed in his scholarly exploration of the theories of Buddhism, or perhaps English, which is taught in the institute with a vision to enable the Buddhist teachers to spread the teachings of Buddha across cultural and linguistic borders. There is such concord between the Institute and the surroundings that it is difficult to imagine what the landscape would have looked like before the institute was constructed hardly a decade back. The Tibetan way of life seems so prevalent that you have to force yourself to remember that the institute was inaugurated as recently as 2004, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and several other lamas and dignitaries.

Even though this encounter doesn’t come as a surprise, it still retains the power to inspire you with awe and, if your mind is receptive, a chance to realize how miniscule we actually are in the larger scheme of things. One leaves this place either speechless or on a spiritual high that only a long, meaningful interaction with nature can induce.

A closer look at huge statue of Budha @ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Institute. It located on the way from Baijnath to Jogindernagar. It's actually located at a small town named as 'Chauntra'. Hardly 2 kilometers from main highway which connects Dharmshala with Mandi/Kullu.

Badami is in Bagalkot District of Karnataka State. Badamai Cave Temples are most popular places to explore in this region. They are special because all these 4 temples are carved out of huge red Stone Mountain in Badami. Out of these 4 cave temples in Badami, 3 are dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, while the 4th one is dedicated to Jainism. Each cave temple of Badami has brilliant carvings and intricate art-forms on walls, pillars & ceilings It's hard to imagine how people would have carved temples & god forms to depict stories. Wondering if there are artists in India who can create such things today and if government or other organisations are supporting these initiatives. While sitting at home and seeing these things on TV may not create much excitement, but when you are there lot of such thoughts cross your mind and you feel like there must be some ways in modern times to leverage such brilliant skills of artists/specialists.

Bhuthanatha Temples is located around the beautiful Agstya lake in Badami and it's mainly dedicated to lord Shiva. This temple is made up of sandstone, which is locally available in Badami area of Karnataka state in India. There are two major temples here in this complex of Bhuthanatha Temples. First temple on the east side of the lake is called the Bhutanatha temple which has a superstructure that resembles early South Indian style or North Indian style with its open mantapa extending into the lake. Second temple in this complex is on the north-east side of the lake which is called the Mallikarjuna group of temples. Mallikarjuna temples have a stepped superstructure which is commonly found in Kalyani Chalukya constructions. Bhutanatha temple contain architectural forms from different periods as it's built over the years and changed by different dynasties who ruled Badami in the past.

Open Air Museum is another interesting place in Badami which has 4 separate section and 2 of them are open air. This museum has plenty of things from mythological & pre-historic era. This part of South India has certainly lot to explore & impress.

In above photograph, Vishu is sitting on Adisheesha. This is clicked at Cave temples of Badami. Bhanshankari Temple is also located in Bagalkot district of Karnataka. This is considered as one of the important shrines in Karnataka state of India.

You can notice a mosque between these 2 rocky mountains. It's called Mosque of Badami in Karnataka state of India. This is close to the entry gate of Cave temples and the bus stand.

Aihole in this region is a store of temples & heritage. Aihole has plenty of temples and ruins spread over the town and that makes it very special. It's also advisable to accompany a guide who can share about Aihole it's history and how it transformed over a period of time. During this post we also promised about sharing some of the most stunning ceilings we saw in Badami region. So make sure you look up when you are visiting these places in Badami.

Creative Ceilings are one of the favourites of Travellingcamera and we have been sharing some posts specially dedicated to such creativity. In this blogpost we are sharing about carved Ceilings we saw at Badami Cave temples in Karnataka state of India. Most of these are influenced by religious faith and beliefs. We loved the Brahma on Hamsa in cave-3 on the ceiling but not just that.

Badamai Cave Temples are most popular places to explore in this region. There are 4 cave temples here and 3 are dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, while the 4th one is dedicated to Jainism. Each temple has brilliant carvings and intricate art-forms. It's hard to imagine how people would have carved temples & god forms to depict stories. Wondering if there are artists in India who can create such things today and if government or other organizations are supporting these initiatives. Note the dancing shiva in the first photograph which is clicked near cave-1 in Badami. Time needed to explore Cave Temples : 2-3 hrs Entry Ticket Fee : 5 Rs for Indians and 100 Rs for Foriegners ($1.5)

Badami Fort was built by Tipu Sultan in 18th century and it has few watchtowers and 2 shiavalayas. Few other essential things include Durga Temple, Lad Khan Temple, Ravanaphadi Cave Temples, Huchimalli Temple, Meganagudi group of temples, Gowda Temple & lot others. Timings - 6am to 6pm Bhuthanatha Temples is located around the beautiful Agstya lake in Badami and it's mainly dedicated lord Shiva. This temple is made up of sandstone, which is locally available in Badami.

The ceilings show Vedic deities such as Agni and Indra, along with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Other deities displayed include love god and goddess Kama and Rati respectively, as well as Nayikas with various emotional expressions. The carvings show the same vahana for the various gods and goddesses that are found in contemporary Hinduism. Evidence of pigment remains have survived and are visible in the ceiling. It is likely that the ceiling was elaborately painted like those in Ajanta Caves of Maharashtra. Open Air Museum is another interesting place in Badami which has 4 separate section and 2 of them are open air. This museum has plenty of things from mythological & prehistoric era. This part of South India has certainly lot to explore & impress. Aihole in this region is a store of temples & heritage. Aihole has plenty of temples and ruins spread over the town and that makes it very special. It's also advisable to accompany a guide who can share about Aihole it's history and how it transformed over a period of time.

In above photograph, Vishu is sitting on Adisheesha. This is clicked at Cave temples of Badami. Bhanshankari Temple is also located in Bagalkot district of Karnataka. This is considered as one of the important shrines in Karnataka state of India.

Cave 3 also shows fresco paintings on the ceiling, some of which are faded and broken. These are among the earliest known surviving evidence of fresco painting in Indian art. The Hindu god Brahma is seen on Hamsa vahana in one of the murals. The wedding of Shiva and Parvati, attended by various Hindu deities is the theme of another. Vellamma temple in Badami is another place to visit in this area. After exploring Badami, I am most impressed by Cave Temples. You can notice a mosque between these 2 rocky mountains. It's called Mosque of Badami in Karnataka state of India. This is close to the entry gate of Cave temples and the bus stand.

Agstya Lake is considered as a holy lake of Badami which faces famous cave temples of Badami. Apart from caves, this lake is surrounded by redstone temples & the mosque of Badami. While we were walking around the caves, this lake was clearly visible from cave-2 and beyond. It was certainly a good place for many of the co-travellers to get a photograph clicked.

During our visit to Binsar in Uttarakhand, we also planned a day trip to Jageshwar Dham. I had heard a lot about the group of ~125 temples and Jageshwar weather. Jageshwar Mahadev temple is surrounded by high deodar trees and hence Jageshwar temperature is usually very pleasant. There is a beautiful water stream with cold water. There is lot more than these deodar trees, water streams & temples, which we will discuss in this blogpost along with details like how to reach Jageshwar Mahadev, where to stay/eat etc.

It was a good ride from Binsar to Jagwshwar and back to KMVN Binsar via Almora. Other places to explore around Jageshwar Dham : Almora Binsar Ranikhet Nainitaal Mukteshwar Dhanachuli If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling - - Manage your waste well and don’t litter. - Use dustbins. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin. - Avoid bottle waters in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem. - Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits. - Don't play loud blaring music in forests or jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite.

Kolkata has lot of beautiful buildings from british era and Victoria memorial is one of the most beautiful & popular place in the city. During our trip to Kolkata, we visited Victorial memorial twice - once in the morning and once in the evening, when whole building was well lit. This post shares about Victoria Memorial, it's lush green gardens and some of the interesting facts about this beautiful building & other places around.The Victoria Memorial is a huge marble building in Kolkata (Calcutta) city of West Bengal, India. Victoria Memorialis dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria and is now a museum and tourist destination and taken care of by Ministry of Culture. The Memorial is surrounded by grounds around Hooghly river near Jawaharlal Nehru road.There are multiple gates for Victoria Memorial and the Memorial building is surrounding some water bodies & lush green lawns. We entered into the Victoria Memorial campus through main which is just front of the memorial.We turned towards left just after entering into the Victoria Memorial campus. There is a beautiful water body on the left side of the memorial, which offers great views of Victoria Memorial in water reflection.Different types of birds can be seen around lush green gardens of Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, but Cormorants were in abundance. Most of them were sitting around the edge of water body and it seems that campus has good amount of fish as well.The day we visited Victoria Memorial was being celebrated as National Tourism Day and entry to all monuments was free. Otherwise entry ticket for Victoria Memorial costs 10 rs and ticket for museum is extra,which is priced at 20 rs.Lot of folks come to Victoria Memorial for morning walk or jogging. There are monthly/yearly passes available for folks which cost 100 rs for month and 1000 rs for an year.Victoria Memorial opens at 10am in morning and closes at 5pm. Ticket counter closes at 5pm. There are lot of maulshree trees around Victoria Memorial, which make the whole environment fragrant. Especially the other side of water body, which is full of trees and plants.These lions sitting on the entry makes the places grander.

Kolkata has lot of beautiful buildings from british era and Victoria memorial is one of the most beautiful & popular place in the city. During our trip to Kolkata, we visited Victorial memorial twice - once in the morning and once in the evening, when whole building was well lit. This post shares about Victoria Memorial, it's lush green gardens and some of the interesting facts about this beautiful building & other places around.The Victoria Memorial is a huge marble building in Kolkata (Calcutta) city of West Bengal, India. Victoria Memorialis dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria and is now a museum and tourist destination and taken care of by Ministry of Culture. The Memorial is surrounded by grounds around Hooghly river near Jawaharlal Nehru road.There are multiple gates for Victoria Memorial and the Memorial building is surrounding some water bodies & lush green lawns. We entered into the Victoria Memorial campus through main which is just front of the memorial.We turned towards left just after entering into the Victoria Memorial campus. There is a beautiful water body on the left side of the memorial, which offers great views of Victoria Memorial in water reflection.Different types of birds can be seen around lush green gardens of Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, but Cormorants were in abundance. Most of them were sitting around the edge of water body and it seems that campus has good amount of fish as well.The day we visited Victoria Memorial was being celebrated as National Tourism Day and entry to all monuments was free. Otherwise entry ticket for Victoria Memorial costs 10 rs and ticket for museum is extra,which is priced at 20 rs.Lot of folks come to Victoria Memorial for morning walk or jogging. There are monthly/yearly passes available for folks which cost 100 rs for month and 1000 rs for an year.Victoria Memorial opens at 10am in morning and closes at 5pm. Ticket counter closes at 5pm. There are lot of maulshree trees around Victoria Memorial, which make the whole environment fragrant. Especially the other side of water body, which is full of trees and plants.These lions sitting on the entry makes the places grander.

Kolkata has lot of beautiful buildings from british era and Victoria memorial is one of the most beautiful & popular place in the city. During our trip to Kolkata, we visited Victorial memorial twice - once in the morning and once in the evening, when whole building was well lit. This post shares about Victoria Memorial, it's lush green gardens and some of the interesting facts about this beautiful building & other places around.The Victoria Memorial is a huge marble building in Kolkata (Calcutta) city of West Bengal, India. Victoria Memorialis dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria and is now a museum and tourist destination and taken care of by Ministry of Culture. The Memorial is surrounded by grounds around Hooghly river near Jawaharlal Nehru road.There are multiple gates for Victoria Memorial and the Memorial building is surrounding some water bodies & lush green lawns. We entered into the Victoria Memorial campus through main which is just front of the memorial.We turned towards left just after entering into the Victoria Memorial campus. There is a beautiful water body on the left side of the memorial, which offers great views of Victoria Memorial in water reflection.Different types of birds can be seen around lush green gardens of Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, but Cormorants were in abundance. Most of them were sitting around the edge of water body and it seems that campus has good amount of fish as well.The day we visited Victoria Memorial was being celebrated as National Tourism Day and entry to all monuments was free. Otherwise entry ticket for Victoria Memorial costs 10 rs and ticket for museum is extra,which is priced at 20 rs.Lot of folks come to Victoria Memorial for morning walk or jogging. There are monthly/yearly passes available for folks which cost 100 rs for month and 1000 rs for an year.Victoria Memorial opens at 10am in morning and closes at 5pm. Ticket counter closes at 5pm. There are lot of maulshree trees around Victoria Memorial, which make the whole environment fragrant. Especially the other side of water body, which is full of trees and plants.These lions sitting on the entry makes the places grander.

While travelling, I decide my own itinerary or follow the experts in the field or blogging or sensible media. The Beacon team was very helpful in exploring Kolkata in best way. Sohail suggested to go for early morning walk around Princep Ghat and this was one of the best experiences of Kolkata.I left from my hotel in Elgin and planned to take local bus to reach Babu Ghat. Buses were relatively empty in the morning and it was an interesting experience. This was going to Howrah from Elgin and was always on the move. It was hardly stopping to pick passengers. Driver used to press break for few seconds and then start when passenger is on board. This bus journey costed me 8 rs.I got down at Babu ghat. When you are facing Ganges at Babu Ghat, you see Howrah Bridge on the right and Vidyasagar Setu on the left. I headed towards Left and Princep ghat is on the same side.Above is the photograph of Princep ghat, which was relatively quiet as compared to other ghats I crossed. Babu Ghat and Pani Ghat had lot of pilgrims taking holy bath. Vidyasagar Setu is very close to the Princep Ghat.There is a nice walking area from Babu Ghat to Princep Ghat, through green landscapes and well paved path around the ghats. The whole stretch is well maintained and clean, although some of the views to Ganga were disappointing. I will be sharing more about that in a separate post soon, but overall this walk is very enjoyable and full of experiences.There is a railway track passing by this pathway and few local trains cross through this track. There is a railway station at Princep Ghat and I saw lot of folks waiting for the train there. I spent around 2 hours around these ghats and 2 trains crossed through this railway track.At almost every 150-200 meters you can see these beautiful boats parked around the ghats. They were gearing up for the day and few of the folks had already arrived who wanted to take a ride on ganges.Above is a photograph from Pani Ghat which comes on the way from Babu Ghat to Princep Ghat. This was most crowded ghat when I was walking through these ghats.During the walk I observed lot of old ships standing around the ghats and some of them seemed non-functional, although they looked beautiful :)Some of the folks were cooking food on these boats. Nt sure if these folks stay in these boats or something else, but noticed many of the such boats where folks were busy cooking something.If you are visiting Kolkata and love exploring the city in true sense, you would not want to miss this walk which exposes you to different experiences which are difficult to find in other parts of the country.

On last day of our Kolkata, we planned to visit Jorasanko Thakur bari, the place where Rabindra Nath Tagore lived and now a brilliant museum having collection of his art-work, literature, photographs, paintings of cultural exchanges. I was not sure if it's worth visiting the place but it has lot more to offer apart from the beautiful haveli and the museum. Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the house in which the poet and first non-European Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was born. It is also the place where he spent most of his childhood and did some important meetings. We took Metro from Elgin to Girish Park and walked to Jorasanko Thakur bari. Metro is most convenient way to reach this place if you are around Metro station. Otherwise, this area is prone to traffic jams, which we experienced when we planned to take taxi to return back. As we get down at Girish Park, cross the road and walk towards the main gate which takes you to Jorasanko Thakur bari. Anyone around this area would guide you easily, but you need to clearly remember the whole name of the place - 'Jorasanko Thakur bari'. If you only say Thakurbari, you may lead to wrong place. Tourists enjoying their reads while listening to Rabindra music. You would really enjoy the place if you have time, 2-3 hours. This place has lot to explore and know about Rabindra Nath Tagore, his work, family and influence in different countries and culture. But even if you have just 1 hr, that enough to get inspired and appreciate the kind of work he has done many decades ago. Jorasanko Thakur bari is located at a peacful place, although you have to cross through some of the busiest lanes of Kolkata. But you enter the campus of Jorasanko Thakur bari, you feel the peace and there is a sudden change. Green landscapes around vibrant haveli makes it more special. There is an entry ticket for the museum and it costs 10 rs per person, which is very reasonable. The way this place is maintained is awesome. Every hall and exhibition gallery is air conditioned and clean. They have appointed folks at different parts of the museum to ensure that visitors follow the right path and there are no unwanted elements inside. This place shows the grandness of Tagore's family but more than that it shows the great work he has done. He was into different types of art-forms and his work at Jorasanko Thakur bari is very inspiring for someone who has creative inclinations.The museum is huge and needs time to explore it well. We had to catch the train on same day, so didn't have option to stay back for long. Here is the main road near Jorasanko Thakur bari. It's empty because I waited for that and vehicles are behind me because of red-light :). After we took taxi, we spent 35 minutes on same road. Then we were regretting that we should have taken the Metro to go back.Vibha and I loved visiting this place and while coming out to the main road, we used hand-pulled Rickshaw. This is one thing we wanted to do in Kolkata.

On last day of our Kolkata, we planned to visit Jorasanko Thakur bari, the place where Rabindra Nath Tagore lived and now a brilliant museum having collection of his art-work, literature, photographs, paintings of cultural exchanges. I was not sure if it's worth visiting the place but it has lot more to offer apart from the beautiful haveli and the museum. Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the house in which the poet and first non-European Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was born. It is also the place where he spent most of his childhood and did some important meetings. We took Metro from Elgin to Girish Park and walked to Jorasanko Thakur bari. Metro is most convenient way to reach this place if you are around Metro station. Otherwise, this area is prone to traffic jams, which we experienced when we planned to take taxi to return back. As we get down at Girish Park, cross the road and walk towards the main gate which takes you to Jorasanko Thakur bari. Anyone around this area would guide you easily, but you need to clearly remember the whole name of the place - 'Jorasanko Thakur bari'. If you only say Thakurbari, you may lead to wrong place. Tourists enjoying their reads while listening to Rabindra music. You would really enjoy the place if you have time, 2-3 hours. This place has lot to explore and know about Rabindra Nath Tagore, his work, family and influence in different countries and culture. But even if you have just 1 hr, that enough to get inspired and appreciate the kind of work he has done many decades ago. Jorasanko Thakur bari is located at a peacful place, although you have to cross through some of the busiest lanes of Kolkata. But you enter the campus of Jorasanko Thakur bari, you feel the peace and there is a sudden change. Green landscapes around vibrant haveli makes it more special. There is an entry ticket for the museum and it costs 10 rs per person, which is very reasonable. The way this place is maintained is awesome. Every hall and exhibition gallery is air conditioned and clean. They have appointed folks at different parts of the museum to ensure that visitors follow the right path and there are no unwanted elements inside. This place shows the grandness of Tagore's family but more than that it shows the great work he has done. He was into different types of art-forms and his work at Jorasanko Thakur bari is very inspiring for someone who has creative inclinations.The museum is huge and needs time to explore it well. We had to catch the train on same day, so didn't have option to stay back for long. Here is the main road near Jorasanko Thakur bari. It's empty because I waited for that and vehicles are behind me because of red-light :). After we took taxi, we spent 35 minutes on same road. Then we were regretting that we should have taken the Metro to go back.Vibha and I loved visiting this place and while coming out to the main road, we used hand-pulled Rickshaw. This is one thing we wanted to do in Kolkata.

On last day of our Kolkata, we planned to visit Jorasanko Thakur bari, the place where Rabindra Nath Tagore lived and now a brilliant museum having collection of his art-work, literature, photographs, paintings of cultural exchanges. I was not sure if it's worth visiting the place but it has lot more to offer apart from the beautiful haveli and the museum. Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the house in which the poet and first non-European Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was born. It is also the place where he spent most of his childhood and did some important meetings. We took Metro from Elgin to Girish Park and walked to Jorasanko Thakur bari. Metro is most convenient way to reach this place if you are around Metro station. Otherwise, this area is prone to traffic jams, which we experienced when we planned to take taxi to return back. As we get down at Girish Park, cross the road and walk towards the main gate which takes you to Jorasanko Thakur bari. Anyone around this area would guide you easily, but you need to clearly remember the whole name of the place - 'Jorasanko Thakur bari'. If you only say Thakurbari, you may lead to wrong place. Tourists enjoying their reads while listening to Rabindra music. You would really enjoy the place if you have time, 2-3 hours. This place has lot to explore and know about Rabindra Nath Tagore, his work, family and influence in different countries and culture. But even if you have just 1 hr, that enough to get inspired and appreciate the kind of work he has done many decades ago. Jorasanko Thakur bari is located at a peacful place, although you have to cross through some of the busiest lanes of Kolkata. But you enter the campus of Jorasanko Thakur bari, you feel the peace and there is a sudden change. Green landscapes around vibrant haveli makes it more special. There is an entry ticket for the museum and it costs 10 rs per person, which is very reasonable. The way this place is maintained is awesome. Every hall and exhibition gallery is air conditioned and clean. They have appointed folks at different parts of the museum to ensure that visitors follow the right path and there are no unwanted elements inside. This place shows the grandness of Tagore's family but more than that it shows the great work he has done. He was into different types of art-forms and his work at Jorasanko Thakur bari is very inspiring for someone who has creative inclinations.The museum is huge and needs time to explore it well. We had to catch the train on same day, so didn't have option to stay back for long. Here is the main road near Jorasanko Thakur bari. It's empty because I waited for that and vehicles are behind me because of red-light :). After we took taxi, we spent 35 minutes on same road. Then we were regretting that we should have taken the Metro to go back.Vibha and I loved visiting this place and while coming out to the main road, we used hand-pulled Rickshaw. This is one thing we wanted to do in Kolkata.

It was time to head towards Iskon Temple. Before starting the journey, everyone goes to Iskon temple and Iskon Bengaluru is one of the important temples by Iskon organisation. It started raining as we reached outside the temple, but it was manageable. As we reached closed to the entry gate, it started raining heavily and one has to go through open areas to reach main temple. All of us the group were brave to take the call that we want to see the temple. It was ok if we got exposed to showers but it was worth. As we headed back, some of us found that our shoes are wet. They were placed in common area just outside the temple. That was little disappointing for some of us. This event spoiled the mood of some co-travellers. This is was of my learnings from this trip, but why it was learning? I would be writing a separate post about learnings from the trip and how someone can get prepared when planning such trips. Also there was few things for Golden Chariot team. So stay tuned.

This morning, we had to pack some clothes and essentials as the night stay was planned in KSTDC Kabini River Lodges (Jungle Lodges).

The Mysore Palace is a historical place in the city of Mysore in Karnataka state in south India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state from 1399 to 1950. It’s considered as one of the most beautiful palaces in India and it’s amazing to see the kind of palace it was at that time. Brilliant art-works, teek wood work, chandeliers from Belgium, glass paintings from Glasgow etc. Mysore Palace has 2 durbar halls (ceremonial meeting halls of the royal court) and has various courtyards, gardens & buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills.

Mysore is commonly described as the City of Palaces. There are about seven palaces inclusive of this. However, Mysore Palace refers specifically to the one within the Old Fort. Built by the Maharaja Rajarshi His Highness Krishnarajendra Wadiyar IV , Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India , after the Taj Mahal. The only sad part is that you can’t click photographs inside the Mysore Palace. Our guide Nazir took us through the whole campus and told various stories associated. There are some brilliant paintings inside Mysore palace depicting various forms of processions. There are paintings which are called as 3D paintings by guides because subject moves as you move in different directions. One of the painting depicts ambulances that were used during that period. Elephants used to be an integral part of the palace.

After the movie, the dinner was set. The dining area of Jungle lodges is close to the Kabini river. One could see the river through the trees in the lodge area.

At 3:45pm we started for Srirangapatna. Srirangapatna is one of the important historical town in Karnataka state of India and located near the city of Mysore.

After that we planned to visit Tipu’s tomb. That’s the place where Tipu, his father & mother’s tombs are.

Lalitha palace is painted in pure white and looks grand. The same was converted into a heritage hotel in 1974, which is now run by the Ashok Group of the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) under the Government of India .

Here is the grand ballroom of Lalitha Palace, which is now restaurant on the ground floor. This was the place where we had our dinner and then headed back to the Golden Chariot.

I love clicking beautiful roofs and this one is clicked at Lalitha Palace in Mysore. This was the roof of restaurant at Lalitha Palace.

We went to Bellur temple first, which was 30 minutes drive from Hassan Railway station. Bellur temples is a campus with various temples inside it. Belooru is a taluka in Hassan district of Karnataka state of south India. Belur town is renowned for its Chennakeshava Temple one of the finest examples of Hoysala workmanship. There are two more shrines in this temple compound that are still in use by devotees and there is a Pushkarni or stepped well to the right side of the main entrance. The Dravida style rayagopura at the entrance which was a later addition by the Vijayanagar kings, who considered this deity as one of their Kuladevata or family god.

After quick snacks, we headed towards Halebidu Temples. It took 30 minutes from Bellur to Halebidu. These temples are surrounded by beautiful lawns and trees. Shiva temple of Halebidu has brilliant carving work on outer walls. The Halebidu temple complex comprises two Hindu temples, the Hoysaleshwara and Kedareshwara temples and two Jain basadi.

In front of these temples there is a large lake. The two Nandi images on the sides of the Hoysaleshwara temple are monoliths and you can see one of them in above photograph. Soapstone (chloritic schist) was used for the construction of these temples.

We shall share a separate post about Halebid Temple. Beware of the hawkers when you move out of the temple.

Here is another view of the statue of Bahubali at Shravanabelagola. This was clicked from outside the main temple but from same hill.

The original statue of Narasimha had the image of goddess Lakshmi, sitting on his lap. But this statue has been damaged seriously during the raid leading to the fall of Vijayanagara. Above photograph shows the huge shivalimgam which is situated close to Lakshmi Narsimha Temple.

After spending some time around Lakshmi Narsimha Temple, we walked around the beautiful hill with huge rocks and ancient temples. Above is one of the views from this hill and Virupaksha temple is exactly opposite to this place.

On the road near Virupaksha Temple, there is road surrounded by ancient market where pearls, gold, diamond trading used to happen in Vijayanagara kingdom. This is huge one and I really wanted to spend some time around this space.

Here is another view of Virupaksha Temple from one of the surrounding hills. This is one of the most interesting places in Hampi to closely experience gigantic rocks, monolithic structures and beautiful views. I am sure sunset would look much better from this place as it gives great views in all directions.

We boarded the bus and then stopped around Lotus Mahal, Elephant’s Stable, Ranga Temple and Zanana enclosure.

Above photograph shows Elephant’s Stable at Hampi.

Next halt was Hazararama temple and near that were the ruins of Hampi palace.

Most of the structures of Vajayanagara were made up of sandal wood, which don’t exist now and so only stone structures can be seen, which were usually the base of any palace or watchtower.

There was a huge swimming pool and we guessed it’s depth as 30 feet.

Here is a photograph of water source near the main mahal of Vijayanagara kingdom. Is surrounded by huge land full of ruins.

On our way, we had a quick halt near Zananaghar - the place where important ladies of the kingdom used to come for bath. The central place used to be water pond, which is empty now.

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