A memorable visit to Druk Yul, Bhutan
In the journey of life, we do get many friends in different phases of time. Amongst all, friendship with old school mates stands tall….
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Vaishnodevi Shrine – A Ghumakkar’s journey for quick darshan
Man proposes, God disposes – that’s what the famous proverb says. That again proved true for me during my trip to Vaishnodevi and Himachal Pradesh during the end of September 2015. Looking at the calendar, I planned a tour programme covering Vaishnodevi, Chamba, Bharmour, Hadsar and Mani Mahesh
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The mysterious Naga Sadhus and humbling return journey
Very soon the faint evening glow, which was prevalent in the sky, vanished. The vessel did not have any light in the upper deck area. All the lights we had, was only the cosmic glow in the sky. I could not see anything ahead. The person sitting next to me was a mere silhouette. Up above there were innumerable stars and glowing planets travelling with us and below there was infinite quantum of water through which we were moving.
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The legend of Ganga Sagar – How the holy river meets the vast sea
Mythological Significance Let us have a snapshot view of Hindu mythology to understand the significance of Sagar. Kapil muni, an incarnation of lord Vishnu,…
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Being one of the 12 Lac++ pilgrims to Gangasagar Mela
Sagar mela is held every year at the same place drawing huge turnout irrespective of caste, colour, creed and age. Last year the turnout was 12 Lakh and this year the Govt. of WB made all the arrangements for an expected turnout of 20 Lakh. The holy dip is observed on the day of Makar Sankranti, the day when the Sun makes a transition to Capricorn from Sagittarius.
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Jallianwala Bagh – the humbling, overwhelming visit
Jallianwala Bagh. We were familiar with this name since school days. It is located in the heart of Amritsar, which has taken a permanent place in…
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The holy trail – Chamunda Mata, Sri Baijnath, Brajeshwari Temple and Sri Harmandar Sahib
The name Chamunda is a combination of Chanda and Munda – two demons, who were killed by the goddess. She is also known as Chamundi, Chamundeswari, Charchika etc. and identified with goddess Chandi or Durga. She is one of the 64 Yoginis.
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McLeodganj – The mystical hub of Himachal
We then moved to the church of St. John in the Wilderness between Forsyth Ganj and Mcleod Ganj. This neo-gothic stone shrine was made in 1852 following Anglian structure. It was named after John the Baptist. As the structure lies deep inside dense woods, during the olden times, they appropriately named it as St. John In The Wilderness. There is a memorial devoted to Lord Elgin, who was Viceroy of India during British raj.
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Dalhousie – how we made the most before the onward journey
The church just stood behind, surrounded by tall and dense trees. It was an old Catholic church built in 1894 exhibiting elegance of Victorian architecture. This church is a look alike of a church of England. Construction of the church was financed by people posted there during that time and local inhabitants. That is why its door remains open for all.
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Getaway to Phuentsholing, Bhutan and Jaldapara National Park (WB)
During last week of Octoeber 2015, my work took me to Phuentsholing, Bhutan. Being a Ghumakkar, I worked out the possibility of making a fine balance between profession and passion.
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Digha Beach – An old boys’ weekend trip to the Brighton of the East
There were no local photographer, no hawker, nobody else. Only some fishermen were pulling their boat from the sea into the beach, after completing their fishing trip. Once they departed, we became absolutely alone. So we decided not to wait for tourists, but to start taking bath. It was a repeat show of yesterday with childish enjoyment.
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Parasnath Hill – completing the revered pilgrimage with Jal Mandir, Madhuban and more temples
There was a long array of steps towards the entrance of the temple. Since it was rainy season, heavy cloud was intermittently covering the temple top. Even in cloudy atmosphere the white marbled temple was glowing. Like other Jain temples it was also clean. No dirt, no flower or leaf residues were visible.
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