Weekend-Delhi

Nainital – The Last Leaf

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Sitting in a restaurant on the Mall Road, you feel happy. The early December air is nippy, fresh and clear. There are few tourists this time of the year. Sun rays reflect off the dark green water of the lake creating silvery ripples. Wisps of clouds float in the incredibly blue sky. Such blue skies are seen over Delhi for maybe two days a year. You have chosen to sit in the open sided area. The sun is soothing. You are almost in a trance. It seems life has receded leaving you in a glowing fuzzy ball of warmth. And then you see the tree.

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Classic Nawalgarh : Special Frescos

Classic Nawalgarh : Special Frescos

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In medieval period, the inhabitation in Shekhawati was in the form of walled cities having gates at different directions. The role of the ruling royalty was to give protection to the citizen living under their dominions. Similarly, the role of the business families was to trade and pay taxes to the royalty for the maintenance and protection of the cities. However, the administrative structure was changing fast.

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रणकपुर से कुम्भलगढ़ की डायनामिक यात्रा – Ranakpur to Kumbhalgarh, a dynamic journey

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स्टेशन के प्लेटफार्म नंबर दो पर मैं रणकपुर एक्सप्रेस का इंतज़ार कर रहा था जो समय से आधा घंट ही लेट थी (थैंक गॉड) | मेरे साथ कुल 10 सहयात्री रहे होंगे जिसमे से एक 4-5 स्टूडेंट्स का ग्रुप था | मैं अकेला बैठ सोच ही रहा था की किसी से कुछ वार्ता वगैरह शुरू की जाये तो समय पास हो पर सामने के जीआरपी रूम के खुले दरवाजे से एक पुलिस वाले द्वारा एक पतले दुबले युवक को पीटने की झलक मिली | अब किसी को ट्रेन की फ़िक्र नहीं रही और सभी लोग भिन्न भिन्न एंगल बनाकर दृश्य को देखने की कोशिश करने लगे |

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Demystifying Bhangarh

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Part I was about mysteries of Bhangarh Fort – based on prevalent notions (online and otherwise), which have endeared a relatively unknown Bhangarh to…

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Sundari Sekhawati

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The Aravallis cut across Jaipur and Sekhawati regions in North Rajasthan. The climatic conditions in the region are very harsh and extreme, ranging from sub-zero Celsius in winter to more than 50°C in summer. People of this region are known for their bravery and hard work and it is a fertile breeding ground for Jawans in Indian Army! Two districts of modern day Rajasthan, i.e. Jhunjhunu and Sikar can administratively be considered as the constituents of “Sekhawati” region. However the Churu district is equally important as the Sekhawati dialect is also spoken here and famous painted Havelis and Forts are omnipresent in all these three districts. The Haveli was to Banias, what the Fort was to Rajputs, an abode.

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Classic Nawalgarh, The Morarka Haveli – Anatomy of a Shekhawati Haveli

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It was gradually becoming more interesting. Though the guide could address many of my curiosity, I was still left with one more. I knew that 150-200 years ago, the motorized transportation had not begun with full swing. People used to travel on foot, on dolis, on animals etc. So, I wanted to know about their provisioning in the havelis.

“Where did they keep their horses, carts and elephants? And what were the facilities for their maintenance?” I asked. My guide took me to an open space, adjacent to the main mansion. It was the place for facilities like keeping domestic animals. There were also the rooms for servants or animal-keepers. This area was also equally decorated with frescoes. There he said, “This is called “नोहरा”. It was here they kept their cattle and other domestic animals. The means of transport like horse-carts or camel-carts were also kept here only.”

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श्री कृष्ण की नगरी नाथद्वारा और सांवलिया सेठ की यात्रा

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नमस्कार  मित्रो, ऐसे तो प्रतिवर्ष 1-2 धार्मिक स्थल की यात्रा करता रहता हु और हालाकी ये नियम भी कुछ ही सालो से बनाया है…

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Charming Jhunjhunu: Top Must See 7 Monuments

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I feel that water harvesting was the most important aspect of the life in Shekhawati. Mainly three methods were used to harvest the rainfall. They constructed ornamental well near their locality to collect the water underneath the surface of the earth. They also constructed Step-well (bawri) to collect more water partly above the earth surface and partly underneath. Thirdly, they used to construct Johara, which was an alternate of artificial pond. The following picture of Johra was taken near Fatehpur.

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Misty Mukteshwar – From a 12 year olds’s view

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The third day, we went to see a river and waterfall. We went there by trekking, starting early in the morning. It was a very lengthy journey. I kept on asking my guide that when we will reach the river. All the time his reply was that it is just a few kilometers far. The area was full of pine and oak trees. I collected many pine flowers (pine cone).We heard birdsongs of many types. One particular bird with long tail was very attractive. The guide told that the bird’s name may be ‘paradise bird’ but he was not sure. After coming to the guest house I searched in the internet and identified that it was a ‘red billed blue magpie’. It was an extremely beautiful bird which glided smoothly down the valley. I slipped on the fallen pine leaves and fell down many times on the way but it was all fun! After walking for about four hours we heard the sound of water rushing through the rocks. I started running in the direction of the sound and found a very fresh and clear stream, crashing through the rocks. This place was not visited by many tourists and hence very clean. Usually people throw things in the water. The sound of water falling from the high mountain was very loud. I missed my brother because with him I would have enjoyed more. The water was cold and green. Whenever I see water I can’t control myself and I started swimming.

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Charming Jhunjhunu: Rani Sati Temple

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After paying our tribute to all the twelve sati, we went inside the main mandapam of the Rani Sati. It was huge structure similar to those found in the Rama Krishna Mission temples. Lots of space was available for people to sit and pray. There was no statue of any sati. Instead a simple trident depicting the Goddess was placed for devotees to pray before her. The walls and columns of the mandapam were again beautifully painted. Two or three purohits were helping the devotees in offering prayers there. The followers of Rani Sati trace her origin from the times of Mahabharata, in which she was the wife of Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu. Her name was Uttara. She wanted to perform the rites of sati, when Abhimanyu died in the Mahabharata battle. Then, Lord Krishna persuaded her not to do so, giving her a boon that she would get an opportunity to perform Sati in her next birth. As prophesied by Krishna, she was born in modern-day Rajasthan (Shekhawati) and Abhimanyu was born near modern-day Hissar in Haryana. Her name was Narayani and Abhimanyu’s name was Tandhan. He had a beautiful horse, which was also eyed by the King’s son. However, in the battle for the horse, king’s son was killed. Further, an infuriated king killed Tandhan in the battle. The brave Narayani, after killing the King in revenge, performed sati at the pyre of her husband. She was supported by the caretaker of the horse, named Ranaji. For his efforts, the brave sati granted Rana Ji a boon that his name would always be remembered before her vey name. Thus, the name “Rani Sati” came into existence.

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Charming Jhunjhunu: Making of Lac Bangles (Shekhawati style)

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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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