Uttarakhand

Ranikhet and Kausani : Himalayan Meadows – Part I (The Journey)

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The king with his entourage was passing through jungles of Kumaon, when a saint crossed his path. The vain king was offended and soon the saint was brought before him. The saffron clad saint, annoyed with King’s heckles, plucked a leafy branch from a wayside bush and swiped it across the King’s bare arms – it sent the king writhing and groaning in pain, as if a million needles were inserted in his arm. This is how the hymns of Ranikhet started.

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Kolkata to Kumaon – Corbett to Kausani via Ranikhet

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 We reached the city at around 1230 hrs and found a place to park the car and went straight to the market place of the Mall area where maximum numbers of restaurants were there.We had a hearty lunch in a place, overlooking the descent of hill terrain and numerous colorful civilization monumented by the tiny match box like houses. After lunch we went straight to the Ranikhet Golf Course nearby and after that around 55 kms drive to Kausani.

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Himalayan Adventures: Finding Neverland

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Traveling to the rolling mountain-escape of Himalayas in Uttarakhand is always an enlightening experience, as much about spirit as about landscapes. The luxury of contrasting beauty manifest in sweeping valleys and undulating mountain peaks is akin to the difference between the void described by soul and the apparent divine perceived by heart. A journey to the “Devbhoomi”, abode of gods needs to be experienced. It’s a transcendental experience which can’t be shared…only told.

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At Kedarnath Dham – The holy town

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After the darshan we immediately went to the rear side of the temple to see the ‘Bhimshila’, the miracle boulder that was perched at the boundary of the temple and had supposedly diverted the mud flow from damaging the temple. It really seemed to be a true act of God. The path the mud flow had taken from Gandhi tal, whose walls had ruptured leading to the floods, were clearly visible.

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Romancing with the Kumaon Hills

Romancing with the Kumaon hills to Jageshwar – III

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Why do we need vacations? There is a very simple answer to it. We need vacation to rest, rejuvenate, relax, as well as to recharge ourselves at least for the next few months. It’s very important to get away and de-stress oneself in today’s world. When we work for a living, we must get away from the work once in a while. Recently, we went to Nainital and then an unplanned visit to Jageshwar Temple. We were mesmerized to see the beauty of the Kumaon Hills & surroundings areas. You can also plan a trip there.

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Delhi to Kedarnath, a long and arduous journey

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The continuous rains had made the final climb even tougher. While I waited with the kids, my husband and Ajay bhaiya went in search of a tented accommodation put up by GMVN. I was told that there was a long queue even for this basic accommodation, however Ajaybhaiya managed to get 5 beds for us in tent no C80. The accommodation was very basic and each bed meant a foam mattress and a sleeping bag.

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माँ चंडी देवी, हरद्वार की यात्रा

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माता के जिस स्वरूप की हम बात कर रहे है उसका थोड़ा व्याख्यान करना तो बनता है। तो प्रिय पाठकों माँ चंडी देवी का मंदिर नील पर्वत पर स्थित एक सिद्ध पीठ के रूप में प्रसिद्ध है। कहा जाता है की आठवीं शताब्दी में प्रसिद्ध हिन्दू धर्म गुरु आदि शंकराचार्य द्वारा माता की मूर्ति की स्थापना यहाँ पर की गयी थी। इस स्थान से जुडी एक पौराणिक कथा यह है की शुम्भ-निशुम्भ नामक राक्षसों, जिन्होंने इंद्रा का साम्राजय अपने अधिपत्य में ले लिया था, का वध करने के बाद माता चंडी देवी, जिनकी उत्पत्ति देवी पारवती के अंश से हुयी थी, यहाँ पर कुछ समय के लिए विश्राम करने हेतु रुकी थी।

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Gurgaon-Lansdowne Weekend Road Trip

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I will finish the story with few words about the Oak Grove Inn. The hotel is running for past one year and after an initial slow take off it remains full on most of week ends now. The normal rooms are small but very clean. I would recommend the family room as it is huge in size but there is only one available. Next time I go there I will ask for the top floor rooms which have a wide balcony (ideal for playing cards or chatting in a group) in front

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Lansdowne – A Relaxing Weekend Getaway

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Finally the day came when we had to get back to Delhi. We went out for an early morning walk again. It was quite sunny although there was nice breeze so really did not feel the harsh effect of sunlight. I was just observing around myself and could not help but admire the charm of this place over and over again.

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Haridwar – Stairway to heaven revisited

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In the dead silence of the night, the gushing sound of the fast flowing river sounded like heavenly music. Soothing, mesmerizing and it deported you a heavenly bliss. It was like being hypnotized, lifting the spirits to incredible heights. I can’t recall when I went off to sleep; but when I got up early morning, I walked to the bank of the river and watched it flowing away gingerly. I have never forgotten that river sound since then.

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Delhi to Bhimtal by road, all routes explained

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Avoid early morning drives during full-moon days since Garh Mukhteshwar sees a lot of pilgrims. Karthik Purnima is biggest. There would be three Toll points, most of them decently managed. Pilakhua is a great place for a 30 minute shopping break for towels, bed-sheets, pillow-covers. Just shy of Garh Muketshwar, you can buy all the moodhas (functional ones as well as decorative/toy ones) you always wanted. Bargain hard.

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