Rock Garden, Malampuzha, Kerala

When I visited Rock garden in Chandigarh long back, I was impressed by the breathtaking artwork and installations. I had the same experience when I made a detour to Rock Garden which is located 800 meters south of Malampuzha Dam in Palakkad district, in the Indian state of Kerala. This garden is situated with a backdrop of the Malampuzha dam and the collection of artwork is conceived and designed by the renowned sculptor Padma Shri Nek Chand...

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Lucknow Guide : Kebab, Chikankari and Architecture

I had  read much about Lucknow over the years. It was the capital of the Nawabs of Awadh during the 18th and 19th century who lived well, enjoyed the arts and indulged in good food. Hence, Lucknow is often lovingly referred to as the city of Nawaabs, Tehzeeb (Respect), Kebab (Food) & Shabaab (Beauty). The rulers of many dynasties ruled the city which finally came under the rule of British. After independence, the city was made the capital...

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Sarnath - Land of Ruins And Modern Buddhist Temples

It was  2 PM when  we rushed to Sarnath after a visit to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Our plan was to reach back before 5'o clock for a boat ride in the Ganges.  But Sarnath, one of the four major pilgrimage destinations for Buddhists, had lots of surprises in store. Situated just 10 km from Varanasi, Sarnath is one of the most revered Buddhist pilgrimage centers. WAT THAI SARNATH TEMPLE This Buddhist temple is built in Thai...

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Varanasi

Just after a week in Kanpur on an official visit, I managed to make my first visit to Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India ! It was unplanned and it just happened !! After a night long journey, we reached Lahartara in Varanasi at around 5 AM. Fortunately, we got an autorickshaw and we asked the driver to drop us at any one of the hotels near the temple. Since our visit was on the very next day of 'Dev Deepavali' which is a famous festival of...

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Mountain Getaway : Meghamalai

Meghamalai  is located in the Western Ghats in Theni zone, the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is situated at an altitude of 1,500 m above sea level. At 5.30 am,  our party of 26 boarded the van from Kochi. When each one of us boarded from different locations, we exchanged quiet good-mornings and set off through the darkness. Our route was,  Kochi - Idukki - Kumily - Cumbum - Chinnamanur - Megamalai After breakfast at Neriamangalam...

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