Many moons ago, a lad named Kazi and a girl named Ranga fell in love & wanted to marry each other, since the sands shifted, they eloped into a forest where they disappeared & hence the name Kaziranga. This was one of the etymologies of the place Kaziranga that I’ve heard from the native people but they were not certain, still it interested me.
Kaziranga is a National Park in the Indian state of Assam. It seemed a golden oldie with lots of tourists visiting all throughout the year.
A visit to the Kaziranga National Park was a little scary in the beginning, at the same time; I was also excited, because the whole atmosphere was new to me. I’ve seen Robin Banerjee’s documentary on Kaziranga but meting the lion in its cage is totally a different ball game.
“Kaziranga National Park": a reserve forest sheltered so many animals& birds, whose names I’ve never heard in my lifetime, Elephant carried me inside the jungle, it was a rum do moment for me because for the first time in life I saw one horned Rhinos. They were roaming about in a group breathing the air of ultimate Freedom; this sight cheered me up, the one - horned Rhinos were not the only pebble on the beach but there were so many other wonderful animals, like Hog deer, sloth bears and swamp deer.
This reserve forest also preserved Tigers; this world Heritage Site, welcomed new guests from other countries, during winter, Capped langurs, Hoolock Gibbours and wild Boars lighted a fire under me to explore more about the wildlife in Kaziranga. Observatory tower in Foliamari revealed the Indian Elephants, Jungle cats, tigers and Hog deer.
Darker the berry, sweeter the juice, Likewise Denser forest, cuts a dash with elephant grass and dense tropical moist broadleaf.
Kaziranga has been decked out naturally with the beauty of colorful birds. A wake of buzzards flying looked like the bevy of beauties, in a beauty pageant. About the bird life, I would like to introduce the most beautiful birds of Kaziranga, Oriental Honey Buzzards, Black kites, White Tailed Eagles; Pala’s fishing Eagles, Grey-Headed Fishing Eagles, Himalayan Griffons and many others.
Hornbills, Weaver birds, Warblers& Grass birds added more spice to the forest. Fleet of birds from so many other countries comes to Kaziranga during winters. Bar-Headed Geese, Falcated Duck, Red Crested Pochard & Northern Shoveller were dressed up to the nines.
Other most important denizens of Kaziranga were snakes. I had a glimpse on the King Cobra the highly venomous snake that lived in Kaziranga. Reticulated pythons and Rock pythons scared the daylight out of me.
Kaziranga Rivers had Ganges Dolphins, & the whole forest was full of tall grasses like sugar canes& Elephant Grass. I stayed in the Wild Grass Resort. The Gooseberries of the forest tasted so good.
I found a place in the sun while in the jungle. It gave me all sort of happiness, and loads of wonderful memories I carried back.
Nowadays, it has become a moving mountain task to preserve the animals &birds in the forest. Let’s pull out the fire & help to create awareness about the endangered species of the forest.
Nov 25 – Nov 29 2012
Dev Deepavali celebrated 15days subsequent to Diwali, brings in the festive mood once again by lighting up the houses on the full moon day and refreshing the settled minds with more joy and heavenly bliss.
Ganga is revered as one of the most holy rivers in India, Ganga Mata gives hope to those who belong to her, and I felt a special sense of attachment and association with her when I stood by the banks.
Diyas all around Ganga, lit my fire, it brought down a glorious image of the Almighty which promised a good light all through my life.
For the stretch of 5days the festival portrayed a prolific atmosphere of music and art performances. Surrounded with all sweetness and light of the Benares People I was with my bells on. All I could say is the 5days ceremony is just amazing and I was filled with full of joys of the spring.
I was privileged to take bath in the banks of Ganga during the Mahotsav days because it is believed that the Gods from Heaven would come down during these days to take bath in the Ganges.
I had the time of my Life, Varanasi the cultural capital of India is a blessed destination for the Indians, You will feast your eyes on during these days of Ganga Mahotsav.
Indian exquisite adds to its diversity of events and unity in every occasion to its vibrant to its richness. Adding to the culture, heritage and rich meaningful traditions there is much more to add to the impeccable ideas of trade, color, fun and fashion.
What would anyone look forward to from a dry land other than stretches of sands and sand dunes, possibly an oasis and people who live by livestock… what a holiday in a desert land can quicken you other than quick stand???!!!
Here is what took me aback!!! As I sketched my road through the dunes in India I beacon you to join the roads!!! The road to Pushkar, a lively town in Ajmer a district in the state of rajasthan. A land I discovered as I travelled was known for a site of pilgrimage for Hindu devotees. There are these fascinating tales I learnt about like the pond at the “katas raj temple” which seems to be filled by lord Shiva’s tears at the loss of his wife Sati.
The land stretches on the shore of the Pushkar lake. The list of places you can spool from the web… What I thought I’d ebb is about the stunning fair I landed at. The venue was “Pushkar fair”. This birthed with my partial knowledge that a traveler like me could explore the dunes of the Thar Desert on the hunches of the desert ships.
“Pushkar Mela” as addressed by the natives (mela – meaning fair) is 5 long days of celebrating other than just trading all means wrought from their livestock. Especially caramels, it is said that about 50,000 camels from all around is brought to the fair all clad and adorned to be displayed as pride, win the pageants and earn an errand.
All I see is people in all sizes with stunning colours drapped more busier indulging with their bread winners drapping the tall four limbers with goodies and glitters, hues and drapes embodied with the Indian touch. Hitlisted to be the largest camel fairs in the world starts on the time of full moon in the month of November attracting with all its hospitiability of over 3,00,000 spectators every year.
If you think there is no gradeur in the great terrains of the sands… there is more to sink in other than quick sand… go on and decipher to know “matka phod”, “long moustache” and “bridal competition”.
The South Indian TajMahal giving room to 2.7 million tourists round the year is the Amba Vilas Palace Mysore. Yes! I’m talking about the Mysore Palace built by the Wodeyar Kings.
A palace built with the architectural passion and with the poetic blend of Gothic, Muslim, Hindu and Rajput styles invited me inside its three – storied building.
The indigenous sculptures of Goddess Gajalakshmi and her elephants above the central arch looked majestic. This magical building designed by Henry Irwin with the combination of gray granite and deep pink marble domes raised the fervor for art in me. The facetiously wonderful façade had 7 big arches with 2 small ones on either sides of the central arch.
As I marched on, more surprises awaited me; I passed through a beautifully carved rosewood entrance which led me inside the presence of Lord Ganesha. The strikingly large Ambavilasa stood out with its luxurious stained glass ceilings and ornamental steel grills. The nave of the room had golden columns. Imagine how the floor of a palace would be? No wonder, it was adorned with precious stones showcasing the florally embellished chandeliers.
Cruising along, a splendid dignified marriage hall called Kalyana Mantapa with peacocks on the floor and ceiling hung the moon, Walls shed light on the antiquated celebrations and splendid processions via oil paintings, this enriched me with historical vibrancies.
Saving the last for my favorite place in the Mysore palace, the very entrance houses a wide variety of dolls from history; the best among them is the Elephant Howdah. It looked so amazing ornated with 84 Kilograms of Gold.
There were several other rooms that were mind-blowing like Armory, filled with weapons used by the royal kings, Royal Wedding Hall, Public Durbar and Audience Chamber.
The 12 temples present were nothing short of peaceful environs.
As I prepared to leave the palace, Shakespeare’s lines hit my mind, “You can never be old, and such seems your beauty still.” Yes, the noble beauty and the magnificent aura of the palace will never be old.
Sparks of love, lightening of laughter, crackles the gloom, rays of riches, horde of happiness displayed as arrays of diya is all together Diwali.
Celebrated to commemorate the victory of Rama over Ravana brining, Sita back to Ayodhi after 14 years of exile. Added is the deliverance that people clenched after Narakasura was killed.
Authentic glimpse of traditional rituals, tickles to your sweet tooth, sheer joy of lighting up lamps to welcome goodness and Bangs of thundering crackers to drive away evil that possibly keep you awake past dawn. There could be tons of reason one can pen to bring kith and kin together and flag up reunions.
Diwali is pitched in the mid of October – November of the Gregorian calendar. The festive mood etched along for five days from Dhanteras.
Let this Diwali fill your houses with lamps of Love and Prosperity.
Govardhan Puja is celebrated a day after Diwalli.
The day is celebrated is being celebrated with two ideas in mind based on very interesting mythological beliefs and has become a prevalent tradition in North India.
The term Govardhana pooja is also termed as Annakut – which means a heap or a mountain of food grains. This is to honor nature thanking God for rain and its reap. People build heaps of cow dung to replicate the Govardhan hills and worship the cattle and their lands for the yield.
It is celebrated almost in every Indian States.
Govardhana also bares another meaning, “Go” means cow and “vardhana”’ means Krishna and is belived that as his devotees increase their devotion to him will attain divinity. On the whole a day to extend the reasons to celebrate… more joy, more warmth, more food and thankful times of togetherness!
November 15, 2012 to December 13, 2012
It’s an over the moon moment for the Muslims to see the moon rise for the Islamic New Year or for the commencement of the Holy Month because it promises the moon and gives hope for all those who have cried for the moon. Muharram brings the sense of pietistic recall with regard to the remembrance of the Hussein ibn Ali – the grandson of Mohammad. Sects of Islamic people mourn for Hussein who has been martyred.
Muslims fast on the day of Muharram. The amazing fact is that “The tenth day” of Muharram is considered to be Holy even for the Jews and the Christians. 10th day is called the Day of Ashura in which Prophet Musa (Moses) delivered the People from the captivity of Pharaoh Egypt. Muslim friends fast the day before and the day after of the day of Ashura just to be more deliberate than the Jews and Christians who also fast on the same day. Muharram is observed throughout India.
The Shias, Sunnis, Dawoodi Bohras all observe Muharram; they all memorialize the death of Hussein ibn Ali and his family at the Battle of Karbala. It is envisaged that the world will be got done on the 10th day (ashura Friday). The 10th is so auspicious that the earth, paradise and the whole universe is created on that day.
Prophets regarded on this day: Prophet Adam, Prophet Ibrahim, Prophet Musa, Prophet Issa, Prophet Nooha, Prophet Yunus and the Prophet Yakoob.
Muharram Dates for the following 3 years:
4 November 2013 3 December 2013
25 October 2014 22 November 2014
14 October 2015 12 November 2015
What a beautiful reverberating memory it is to think of the Children’s day we had always looked forward to! Contests, prize distributions, sure of sweet distributions, cultural festival displays and the buzz in the schools that never faded right from play school to finishing school!!!
Children’s day is being celebrated globally to honor children and to protect them from laboring lengthy hours amidst risky circumstances and to encourage children to be educated. The United Nations general assembly recommended agreed to declare the rights of children of their basic welfare and education which was proposed in 1954 and adopted in 1956. Latter the Convention of the rights were rated by 191 nations on the November 20th in 1989 to be a global Children’s day.
In India Children’s day is celebrated on our first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday. He emphasized on giving love and affirmation to little children, whom he saw as the bright shining stars of India. The love he displayed for children and the way he stole their hearts still moves our hearts while we fondly remember him as our “Cha Cha Jawaharlal Nehru”.
There is no halt when you land in India for all the fun and festive adornments. Every celebrated date, hour and time is presented with a vast purpose with added a glaze of myth. “Dhantera” a festival much known in Northern parts of India is significantly one that peaks up for every business man than any day of insouciance.
The Word Dhan means wealth and Tera is 13, which tales for itself to presides on the 13th day prior to Diwali on the Hindu lunar calendar on the month called Karthik.
Buying bounties like gold, silver and utensils is believed to inflate more wealth while praying to the God of death for prosperity and protection.
A fabled tale to the visual fluid line to the principal tribute is the tale that goes like this, King Hima’s son who was to die on the 14th day of his marriage was saved by his clever wife who saved him from Yama the God of death by keeping him awake all night telling him stories while Yama who took the form of a serpent was listening to her all night spared his kill.
Looking to escape from routines and longing for indulgence, tired of red lights, mad honking, meeting deadlines, draining the soul!!! “Go green!!!” was the text that caught my eyes!!!
After a day of unending contemplation on the list of dreams to be my destination, I settled to Go Green…. Go Coorg!!!
Bubye to the Chaos, tailing traffic, rotten routines, mundane list to do… here I come packing my dreams to soothe my being, pamper my palates., strolling up the ghat roads here I am all drenched with the magical splendor of the Serene beauty of the stretched hills and valleys below, I see coffee, oranges and vanilla tickles, spices and silver oak all the way, lost in the tranquility of the natural luxury surrounded by mountains, greens of a large degree… no doubt but is the Scotland of India.
Sights of every evolution along the infringed beauty personify the aged glamour, carried culture and significant architectural magnificence besides the extolled peaks and overlaid curves. Good old Kodagu hills otherwise Coorg which is about 180 years old is known for its camouflaged shrubbery and unraveled wild life, serene beauty of the silver shimmer of the crystal clear waterfalls and the serenity of the whispering tree souls. Coorg lies a 100km west of Mysore in the Western Ghats with its eastern environs stretching to the plateaus, jungle and yes kept fields here and there at the feeding of nature.
The interminable clicks would drive anyone crazy amid the unflappable climate, the sterile climate itself might become just the reason for doing nothing, yet, there is a million reasons to drag your feet to the outdoors to feed your eyes of the many beliefs that were carried through generations and some tale baring blocks like the home of Rev. Rictor, an early missionary to Coorg during the colonial rule. The ancient iron bells stand witness to his presence at this soothing place that also is a home to an unseen range of birds and animals.
Starting from where you mark get lost in the woods and the scenic paintings of the makers perfection! A gallant trekker can explore the less frequented routes for an implausible jaunt. I suggest stay soulful to let the place linger in its innate purity.
After the soul search in the woods just laze gazing at the lush blush with a hot cup o coffee – a never to miss and of course the delicousy of spicy servings if you would spare your diet…
Here you go with the choicest list you could do with,
Nisargadhama: An atoll and picnic spot near Kushalanagara, formed by the river Kaveri.
Iruppu Falls from the Brahmagiri hill range. The Lakshmana Tirtha River flows nearby.
Abbey Falls: a sight to steal your breath away
Dubare: mainly an elephant-capturing and training camp of the Forest Department at the edge of Dubare forest; on the bank of the river Kaveri along the Kushalanagara – Siddapur road.
Nagarahole: a national park and wildlife resort.
Bhagamandala: situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Kaveri and the Kanika. A third river, the Sujyothi, is said to join from underground.
How to get there
By road - There is a good set of road connections to the east and west.Tellicheery-Coorg road links Kodagu to Malabar region of the neighbouring state Kerala
By Train - The nearest railway stations are Thalassery,Mysore and Hassan.
By Air - nearest is Mysore Airport, 90 KMs away as an option Mangalore International Airport is around 180 km away. Kannur International Airport at Mattannoor is 55 Kms away from Virajpet.
Hampi Utsav, the festival of Karnataka jubilates the cultural revue of the city. This is celebrated for three days in the month of November. Hampi a perfect international tourist site stages the monumental days of the Vijayanagar Reign. The artistes of the city execute dance and music performances, which directly pictures the wonderful culture of the place. One of the best traditional states which I admire the most is Karnataka.
The Raja Marga nearby to the Virupaaksha Temple looks splendid with the decorations exactly like the Vijayanagar Kingdom. This Hampi Utsav attracts the tourists from all over the world; the tourists enjoy the festive atmosphere with the music of pipes and drums played throughout.
Now let me point out a few parts of the event which I really enjoyed when I took part.
Puppet Shows exhibiting the richness of the golden era (Vijayanagar Era) and the brightly colored Handicrafts enlightened me with the artistic flavour of the ancient Vijaya Kings.
Men of the city dressed in Yellow, Red, Blue and White personifying the Vijayanagar Militants forming Gopuras along the lanes of Hampi, is such a sight which seemed an arm and a leg to me.
Classical ragas sung by exceptionally talented singers and the folk songs sung by the natives was so fetch that awe – inspired me.
Stop to shop at Hampi when you are in need of accustomed stuff. I tell you I was all over the shop till I dropped.
I heard that the specialty this year would be the Elephants marching majestically at the Hospet Town called “Jumbo Savari”.
Don’t wait for the grass to grow under your feet, Join the fest and create memorable moments in Hampi.
More than a Historical festival Karva Chauth is considerd to be a Romantic festival in the present days. At least I feel that way!! Instead of Satyavan – Savitri and Draupadi – Arjun, Amitabh Bachan – Hema Malini and Shah Rukh Khan – Kajol are seated in my mind whenever I think of Karva Chauth, The effect of Baghban & Dilwale Dulhaniya Le jayenge, whatsoever, I love this festival not because I like Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol but because of the intense motive behind celebrating the festival.
It strengthens and deepens the relationship between the Husband and Wife. Women of history Savitri, Karva, Draupati and Veervati being Pati - Vrats fought their beloved husband’s lives and saved them from the hands of Yama. Pati – Vrats are the married women who fast from sunrise to moonrise for the good healthy fettle and long life of their husbands. It is lapped up that even Yama is panic stricken at the Pati – Vrats.
Nowadays even unmarried women fast for the good health and longevity of their betrothed, not only women, men (obviously unmarried) also have started to fast for their loving honewale brides. All Kidding aside, let me explain how our elegant Indian ladies celebrate Karwa Chauth.
Starting from Puja thali to beauteous jewelry everything is purchased beforehand and kept decorated, the pre-dawn meal is prepared by the Mother – in – law which the daughter – in – laws eat with all love and respect. The fast begins with the sunrise, at the commencement of the fast the abstinence is maintained by not even tasting a drop of water.
The women finish their fasting at the moonrise after a series of evening ceremonies like the narration of historical events of Karwa Chauth, men are restricted to this kind.
Adorned with heavy jewelry and dressed up in orange, red and golden lehangas, salwars or saris the ladies stand before their husbands, drink water for the first time of the day from their hands and break their fasts. Another very beautiful part is that the wives using a sieve look at the chauth (full moon) followed by seeing their spouses with the same sieve. An immense feeling of attachment and love flows between both of them; husbands also give gifts to their wives and enjoy seeing the joy in their faces.
There are reasons and cultural explanations behind each and every festival that we celebrate in India. Karwa Chauth builds the family and refreshes the family members to continue their family life with love beyond words.
