Traveling is good
No cannon or other displays that go along with a Fort do exist at Fort Kochi. Though there are narrow alleys but none led to any gallery or a palace of any king or queen that a fort guards. In fact there exists no fort though the name endures it. Fort Kochi is a place within the city of Kochi and lies in the peninsula. Perhaps the name takes its first part since a fort was built in this region by the Portuguese.
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If the second craftsman was satisfied with the measurement, his next function was to join the two ends of the rolled lac to make it into a bangle. For this, he brought both the ends of the rolled lac over the coal-burner and heated it for appropriate state of melting. The lac then binds itself and both ends join together. However, to make the joining spot invisible to the naked eyes, the craftsman had to rub off the uneven surfaces and make it smooth. He used a wooden handle for that function. Now, the bangle of the basic shape and size was made. It was handed over to another set of craftsmen for designing and sticking of semi-precious or artificial stones/glass pieces so as to make it attractive.
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The biggest challenge for any family-traveller is to convince his spouse to visit the very place to which the said traveller wants to go….
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рд╡рд░реНрд╖реЛрдВ рд╕реЗ рдЬреЛрдзрдкреБрд░ рд░рд╛рдЬрдкреБрддрд╛рдирд╛ рд╡реИрднрд╡ рдХрд╛ рдХреЗрдиреНрджреНрд░ рд░рд╣рд╛ рд╣реИред рдЬрд┐рд╕рдХреЗ рдкреНрд░рдорд╛рдг рдЖрдЬ рднреА рдЬреЛрдзрдкреБрд░ рд╢рд╣рд░ рд╕реЗ рд▓рдЧреЗ рдЕрдиреЗрдХ рд╕реНрдерд╛рдиреЛрдВ рдкрд░ рдкреНрд░рд╛рдЪреАрди рдЗрдорд╛рд░рддреЛрдВ рдХреЗ рд░реВрдк рдореЗрдВ рдорд┐рд▓ рдЬрд╛рддреЗ рд╣реИрдВред рдЬреЛрдзрдкреБрд░ рд╕реЗ 9 рдХрд┐рд▓реЛрдореАрдЯрд░ рдХреА рджреВрд░реА рдкрд░ рдПрдХ рдРрддрд┐рд╣рд╛рд╕рд┐рдХ рд╕реНрдерд╛рди рдореМрдЬреВрдж рд╣реИ рдЬрд┐рд╕рдХреЛ рдордВрдбреЛрд░ рдЧрд╛рд░реНрдбрди рдХреЗ рдирд╛рдо рд╕реЗ рдкреБрдХрд╛рд░рд╛ рдЬрд╛рддрд╛ рд╣реИред рдЗрд╕реА рдХреЗ рдирд╛рдо рдкрд░ рдПрдХ рдЯреНрд░реИрди рдХрд╛ рдирд╛рдо рднреА рд░рдЦрд╛ рдЧрдпрд╛ рд╣реИ-рдордВрдбреЛрд░ рдПрдХреНрд╕рдкреНрд░реЗрд╕ рдЬреЛрдХрд┐ рджрд┐рд▓реНрд▓реА рд╕реЗ рдЬреЛрдзрдкреБрд░ рдХреЗ рд▓рд┐рдП рдЪрд▓рддреА рд╣реИред рдореИрдВрдиреЗ рднреА рдЬреЛрдзрдкреБрд░ рдкрд╣реБрдВрдЪрдиреЗ рдХреЗ рд▓рд┐рдП рдЗрд╕реА рдЯреНрд░реЗрди рдХрд╛ рд░рд┐рдЬрд░реНрд╡реЗрд╢рди рдХрд░рд╡рд╛рдпрд╛ рдерд╛ред рдпрд╣ рдЯреНрд░реИрди рд╢рд╛рдо рдХреЛ рдкреБрд░рд╛рдиреА рджрд┐рд▓реНрд▓реА рд╕реЗ рдЪрд▓рддреА рд╣реИ рдФрд░ рд╕реБрдмрд╣ рд╕рд╛рдд рдмрдЬреЗ рдЬреЛрдзрдкреБрд░ рдкрд╣реБрдВрдЪрд╛ рджреЗрддреА рд╣реИред
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Usually deserts occur in low altitude, such as the great Indian Thar Desert. But there is also one high altitude cold desert in India which occurs in the Hunder village of Nubra Valley…………..We arrived there. It was beyond our imaginations and dreams to see such a vast bed of silver sands with brown mountains at the backdrop…………The sand dune offers to its visitors the great Central Asian double-humped camel safari. While other visitors were busy in getting their turn first for the safari, I went close to the camels. They look the same normal camels except those two humps. For the first time I saw those camels.
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The Government of and an-independent India, on its 25th Independence day in 1972, had changed the name of the Mutiny Memorial into тАЬрдЕрдЬреАрддрдЧреЭтАЭ to commemorate the sacrifice of all the native forces that had fought the war of the Independence and dedicated the same to the country.
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As we entered inside the museum we were briefed by an Army Personnel. This two storey museum is maintained by the Indian Army and divided into various sections for displays. A section of the ground floor portrays the facts, culture and history of Ladakh. It has a souvenir shop where you can get t-shitrs, coffee mugs, caps, pashnima shawls etc. Enthusiast may shoot photos in Ladakhi attire in the photo shop and take the print for a nominal charge. Finding no interest in it, we went to another section of the same ground floor. The walls here are occupied by the pictures of Kargil War 1999. It transported us to decades back. The displays on the walls gave us a vivid portrayal of how Indian Army fought the war.
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The upper floors of the palace house museum and monastery. While in the palace, you may come across with members of royal family. I did! It was for informing that photography inside the museum is not allowed! The rooms of the palace open to the visitors are the kingтАЩs room, queenтАЩs room, palace gompa and a room that displays a Ladakhi Kitchen. Among all, the best I found was the royal Ladakhi Kitchen. It is the traditional kitchen of royal family which displays utensils, ceramics, clay pots and clay stoves with chimney. Dining area inside the kitchen is beautifully decorated with low height tables. ItтАЩs a no photography zone! A staff of the palace was with the visitors to discourage photography inside. But there are some parts of the palace where you can take photographs.
It was my great experience to visit these royal palaces in Ladakh. By PALACE what comes primarily to our mind is a grand royal residence which is made in timeless elegance. But the palaces of Ladakh are not of such kind, yet they stand high to show their presence in the glorious past of a kingdom that lost in time!
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We reached straight at Mughal Garden Shalimar, Srinagar at 2.20 pm. As we were touring during Id festival, plenty of local people were there. All the fountains were in operation. The garden was flooded with glowing flowers.
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Like every other travelers in Ladakh, we too spent our second day in Leh. It is advisable to spend a day or two in Leh for acclimatization before going to any places of higher altitude like Khardung La or Pangong Lake. Leh has many great places to offer to its visitors including stunning landscape views, palaces, monasteries, stupas, war memorials and river Indus at Sindhu Ghat. We decided to visit the palaces and gompas on our second day in Leh and first to visit by us was the Leh Palace and Namgyal Tsemo Gompa.
The erstwhile royal residence of Leh locates around 2 Km from the main market place. Though the Palace locates on a hill top overlooking the Leh town it can be reached by car. As we reached the Palace we saw wandering young monks on bike!
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The Khajuraho Group of Temples are reportedly constructed during 10th& 11th century by the Chandelas and dedicated to the Hindus & Jains. Most of the temples are constructed by hard sedimentary rocks and erected in an advanced geometrical technology avoiding cementing mortars. A few are constructed by granites too. This was perhaps to enhance the longevity and religious faiths. The architecture is тАЬNagara-StyleтАЭ and rock cut sculptures are similar to wooden carvings during the earlier ages. The intricately expressive figures and designs are profusely available in all the structures. It is believed that there was originally 85 temples constructed around 25 km out of which only 25 survived within 6 km now. They are divided in three zones viz. Western Group, Eastern Group & Southern Group. A brief of these exquisite temples are compiled herewith for readerтАЩs delight.
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The landscape around the lake is astounding but heartening simultaneously. Hundreds of very well sculpted rocks, some of which still in better shapes were lying scattered at the lake side and around. A huge round sculpted тАЬAmalakaтАЭ (the stone disk/rim fitted atop a temple) is an eye catcher, depicting pathetic demise of its glorious past. The invaluable chiselled rocks and the sculpted remains of a temple were once an integral part of an exotic masterpiece, perhaps as good as the marvels in Khajuraho. Can it be restored now! Sadly, no or not to its original shape.
Descending through the broken stepsand balancing cautiously we reached at an open balcony. An alley of beautiful rock carvings and finely chiselled rock figures of different deities and symbolic, made the sweating effort worth.
Our next hunt was the hidden gems in the jungle at Ajaigarh. Our prime reason to visit the fort was to see those exclusive Khajuraho style Jain Temples in the forest. After some rest&normalising the respiration, we again started our stroll & soon reached a fenced arena. Our guide gestured to say, here is the Jain Temples. Where! In the woods we could havea glimpse of the structures only on reaching close enough.
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