Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi

By Arpit

I do not care for the ‘truths’ they have faith in or the ‘lies’ they spread. This is not the first cremation that I am descrying nor shall it be the last, but in this moment, I’ve understood the human endeavor of fighting death with life. The answer to the fears of our faith is in welcoming it with our arms wide open and embracing it like a long lost brother. It’ll be perhaps in this gesture that the faithful shall be granted nirvana.

Around a 1000 strong crowd has gathered to see what is a daily ritual but is as powerful and enchanting as it must have been a 1000 years ago. The spiritual seekers have loaded the boats – some to get a better view, some for better pictures and some for their beliefs – an adventure of a lifetime. The head priest is crying hoarse asking people to sit down calmly – all the skills of a masterful showman.

So much for the lonely moksha… (sigh)

अयोध्या नगरी – प्रथम भाग

By Uday Baxi

शायद उस नन्हे से टीले को वे कोई बड़ा पर्वत ही समझ रहीं थीं और बड़ी खुश हुईं. टीले के ऊपर भी एक मंदिर है, जिसमें सीता-राम का नयनाभिराम विग्रह है. मणि पर्वत के बारे में जनश्रुति है कि हिमालय से संजीवनी बूटी ले कर लंका जाते हुए हनुमान जी ने पर्वत-खंड को रख कर यहाँ विश्राम किया था. अन्य लोकोक्ति यह कहती है कि राम विवाह में राजा जनक जी ने इतने आभूषण इत्यादि दिए थे कि अयोध्या लाने पर उनका एक पर्वत बन गया, जिसे मणि पर्वत कहते हैं. मणि पर्वत से नीचे उतर कर मैंने महसूस किया कि माताजी के मन में पर्वत चढ़ने से थोड़ी थकान छाई हुई है. शायद जिसे मैं नन्हा-सा टीला समझ रहा था, वह उनके लिए किसी पर्वत से कम नहीं था.

आगरा का मनकामेश्वर मन्दिर

By Anirudh Singh

आगरा में भगवान शिव जहाँ स्वयं आये थे कहते हैं कि आगरा के मनकामेश्वर मन्दिर में स्थित शिवलिंग की स्थापना स्वयं भगवन शिव ने की थी जब भगवान श्री कृष्ण मथुरा में जन्म ले चुके थे. पौराणिक दृष्टि इस मंदिर का इतिहास लगभग साढ़े पांच हजार वर्ष पुराना हमें द्वापर युग की याद दिलाता है, जब भगवान शिव कैलाश पर्वत से इस स्थल पर आये थे.

A visit to Banaras or Varanasi

By Vivek Kumar Srivastava

Our next destination Sarnath is about 10 km from Ramnagar. On the way to Sarnath, we saw Sher Shah Suri Makbara. We were at Sarnath around 1 pm and we all were hungry. So, we first ate Dosha and drank Cold Drink in Vaishali restaurant.

We hired a guide there, guide told us that Sarnath has five main point; Ashoka Stupa, Main Temple campus, Japanese Temple, Sachi Stupa and God Budha statue. Ashoka Stupa ruins and Bodhi Tree inside main temple campus are famous and most important place in Sarnath. Main temple is designed in Japanese temple architecture and walls inside the temple have been painted related to God Budha life. We visited all points but we did not explore much due to very hot day.
“भगवान बुद्ध की विशालकाय मूर्ति, मंदिर के दीवारो पर चित्रित उनकी जीवनी, बोधिवृक्ष के नीचे पाँच मित्रों के साथ बनी उनकी मूर्ति उस समय का अनुभव कराती है ।”

Bura na mano holi hai

By rajeev kumar

It was my 43rd holi. You must have guessed my age. But here I am not talking about my age. Here I am going to talk about Holi which I celebrated first time at Vrindavan with my beloved friends and their families and it was a lifetime experience. My childhood friends usually visit somewhere in India at least once a year with family. Which increase our bonding in between family and our child.

Delhi – Patna road review

By Nandan Jha

Once you are out of Agra, the road gets a little better and traffic reduces. Press the pedal and hit Firozabad. This is the first city (after Agra) where you would start to feel the Mughal Era. Some of the old buildings could be still seen, the city is known for its bangles and glass work. There are these big tempting bangles showrooms which you need to pass quickly else a female fellow traveler’s urge makes you stop.

वृन्दावन – राधा कृष्ण की रासलीला स्थली………….

By Mukesh Bhalse

पागल बाबा मंदिर दर्शन के बाद अब हम पहुंचे श्री कृष्ण प्रणाम परम धाम मंदिर में। यह भी बहुत सुन्दर मंदिर था तथा यहाँ पर सशुल्क यन्त्र चालित झांकियां भी थीं, हमने भी झांकियां देखीं, कृष्ण भगवान के जीवन पर आधारित ये झांकियां बड़ी ही मनमोहक थी, बच्चों को तो यह शो इतना पसंद आया की वे मंदिर से बाहर निकलने को राजी ही नहीं हो रहे थे। अब हम फिर अपने वाहन में सवार हो गए थे, ये दोनों मंदिर तो मथुरा के ही बाहरी इलाके में थे अतः मैं सोच रहा था की अब शायद मथुरा की सीमा समाप्त होगी और फिर कुछ देर के बाद वृन्दावन शुरु होगा, लेकिन मेरा सोचना गलत साबित हुआ, अभी मथुरा समाप्त ही नहीं हुआ था और ड्राईवर ने कहा की वृन्दावन आ गया। मुझे बड़ा आश्चर्य हो रहा था की ऐसे कैसे वृन्दावन आ गया।

Delhi – Moradabad – Sitapur – Lucknow : Road Review

By Nandan Jha

Anway, so about two weeks back, I drove till Maigalganj (40 odd KM ahead of Shahjahanpur) on the way to Lakhimpur. I didn’t intend to write this post since I have not really done the complete stretch but I met Aditya the other day and he convinced me that it still makes lot of sense to do a small review. For the remaining stretch, he promised me to get inputs from other people so here it is.

हस्तिनापुर के राजा परीक्षित का शुक्रताल: मुज़फ्फरनगर, उत्तर प्रदेश

By Raj Gopal Singh Verma

यहाँ पहुँचने के लिए गूगल मैप्स के भरोसे ना रहें क्यूंकि मैप में शुक्रताल को लोकेट नहीं किया जा सकता. वैसे रास्ता बहुत सरल है और मुज़फ्फरनगर बाई पास से मात्र ३५ मिनट में सुगमतापूर्वक आप शुक्रताल पहुँच सकते हैं.

Music by the ghats of Varanasi – The Mahindra Kabira Festival

By Nandan Jha

Mrs. Sucharita Gupta. While Harpreet sang some soulful self-composed pieces on Kabir, Mrs. Gupta worked her magic with thumris, bhajan and you-name-it on Kabir. It is another level of performance when the artist herself feels elated and wants to continue performing bringing out new stuff from the bag. And classical/semi-classical Indian Music works well with our taste and sensibilities. So it was, as they say, magical!

The Residency – India’s Alamo

By Patrick

The Residency is a wonderful piece of history. It tells us of the resilience of Indian troops during the mutiny. Studies tell us that they were defeated due to the lack of officers. Any army needs officers to coordinate fire and chalk out strategies. This was sadly lacking and the revolution petered out. The British on the other hand realised that they could not be masters for long in a country not their own. The Residency stands today as a testimony of the rule of that day.

Kolkata to Kumayon- at the holy city Varanasi

By Debjit Chakraborty

We started at 0700 hrs from Lucknow, had our mobile breakfast on the way keeping in mind to cover the distance of 314 kms to Varanasi within midday or a bit more to enjoy the essence of the holy city “Varanasi”, as we only scheduled there for only a day. I purposely avoided the NH 30 and NH 19, which went through Allahabad, remembered the situation while we started through Allahabad in the beginning, though there was no special cause of traffic jam that time but didn’t take the risk.Hence took the NH 30 and to NH 31 after Raeberilley from “Modhupuri”. It took the clock 6 hours to stuck 1300 hrs when we reached at Varanasi.

1 Vayable Trip Dalhousie – how we made the most before the onward journey

Really enjoyed reading this Dalhousie journey. The way you described the last moments there and the return journey made it feel like I was travelling along with you. Beautiful memories.
2 Rajeev saini A Day trip to Fatehpur Sikri from Delhi

Hi Nitesh I m planning to trip to Agra ,fathe pur ,Sikri AND I WILL BE GUIDED BY UR ABOVE INPUT.
3 ucmini My trip to H.A.L Museum in Bangalore

I am wondering how I might be notified when a new post has been made.
4 hire himachal cab गढ़वाल घुमक्कडी: कर्णप्रयाग – विष्णुप्रयाग – बद्रीनाथ

great article keep it guys
5 Ahmed Top 10 fun things to do in Dubai

Fun things about explained nicely, must read it article.
6 Rambahadur Pranami Orchha, A precious ‘Gem’ of Bundelkhand.

Bundelkhand avashya hi bharatvarsh ka hriday
7 Bharathi Solo Visit to Stoners’ Paradise- Kasol

I enjoyed reading about your solo trip to Kasol. The way you shared your experiences, travel tips, and beautiful moments makes this article both interesting and inspiring for anyone planning…
8 sdivyashree Khajuraho – Beyond Temples

Thank you for sharing such an insightful perspective on exploring Khajuraho beyond its famous temples. I particularly appreciated how the article highlights the region's broader cultural, historical, and natural attractions,…