The ghats of Benaras – a place like no other

The ghats of Benaras – a place like no other

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Numerous invaders came, ruled and left. All of them tried, in their own way, to superimpose their own ideas, their beliefs on the land they had conquered. Yet, in the end, they had to retreat, vanquished by a spiritual force that was beyond their comprehension. The all-knowing Ganga, unperturbed by such delusions of grandeur,  gently flows along these blessed ghats as she has been doing since the beginning of time.

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In the last & the highest village of the Baspa Valley – Chitkul…..

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Look closely and you can see the trails of the stars that form the Orion Constellation. No, Just look above the snow capped peak, a bit on the right from the center of the pic and you will see the trails of the three stars that are in the middle of the Orion Constellation. And you can also see a pink colored streak just a little bit on the right of the peak. That is Orion’s Nebula. Didn’t i tell you, i also spotted as much as 9 shooting stars and 1 satellite while capturing the star trails.

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Visit to Somnath, Dwarka and Nageshwar Mahadev – Part 2

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The legend behind the distance is the annoyance of Durwasaa Rishi, who cursed Rukmini that she would remained separated from her husband as she had not offered the Rishi the water which she took while pulling the Chariot of the Rishi, and hence this temple is said to be located at a distance of 2 kms from Dwarkadheesh’s temple.

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Sarnath, the birthplace of Buddhism

Sarnath, the birthplace of Buddhism

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Sarnath, probably a corruption of Saranganath, is the birthplace of Buddhism. It is here, 26 centuries ago, that Gautama Buddha delivered his first ever sermon after attaining enlightenment. A massive monument, the Dhameka Stupa, was erected at this spot by the Magadhan Emperor Asoka.

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From the Editor – Citizens of a Positive Community

From the Editor – Citizens of a Positive Community

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The question is what do we do when we read someone’s well-written post that makes the amount of hard work that would’ve gone towards creating the story apparent. Do we post a comment or do we simply appreciate the story in our mind and move on to the next? And if we do post a comment, is it just a general comment or do we take pains to show the author that we read through each line and appreciate the details?

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On Cloud 9 ! Skydiving in Dubai

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I put on my eye gear, tied my hair tightly and let Ellis attach me to his harness. We were waiting for our pilot to sign us when we would reach the 12,000 ft mark and as he waived a Thumps up….Oh F***, we have to jump now….NOWWWW!!!!!!….we crawled our way to the entrance of the plane, I could see the Palm Jumeira view and he said Jump….I bent my knees, jus couldn’t think anything and I jumped….we both jumped together, the freefall was amazing, the cool air dashing my face. Was I flying?? Have I reached heaven???? Is this really happening??? Am I a bird???? Wait wait wait….I was so shocked by the whole experience, so stunned by the beautiful views of Atlantis and Palm Jumeira and the lovely infinite blue and green ocean…..its just like a different world….Mind blowing !!!!!

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To the last & the highest village in the Baspa Valley – Chitkul…..

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The condition of the road was getting worse by each passing kilometer. The tar road made way to the grainy, rocky road covered by dust. At some of the stretches the water tankers were moving on the road to keep down the dust. Suddenly the roads became never ending and driving getting difficult especially for a lone bike rider all along the way. I kept on driving slowly and crossed Wangtoo, Chooling and reached the Karcham Dam. A right from here would take me off the NH – 22 and put me on the Sangla- Chitkul road. The winds were also picking up and it was getting difficult to stand near the dam. So, i started the bike again to cover the final stretch of the day. The road condition was bad and the way to Sangla was steep and narrow. One slip here and i would have to pay for it with my life. So, with all the concentration on the road and a speed of 10-15 kmph i began the ascent on the hair raising Sangla – Chitkul road.

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Kashi – a spiritual sojourn

Kashi – a spiritual sojourn

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Kashi has temples everywhere, a dozen of which are important; hundreds of smaller ones  crop up in unexpected places: along the river bank, in cul-de-sacs,  under trees and in various nooks and corners of its byzantine lanes. The origin of some is lost in antiquity, some of them are less than a century old but the holiest of them all, the Vishwanath Temple is the cynosure of Hindu pilgrims. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas (manifestations of the Lord as Light) of Saivism.

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