Kutch Diaries 2014 !

Vijay Vilas Palace

Inside Aina Mahal

Inside Aina Mahal

Mathal Dam

Vijay Vilas Palace

Traditional Paited Door

Mandvi Beach

Pragmahal Palace

Pragmahal Palace

City of Bhuj from the top of Pragmahal Palace

Still trying to understand who is more surprised !

Almost 15 kms of straight road with farm lands on both sides

National Highway Passing through a small town of Nakhtrana

Cotton Farm

That taste of tea made of Goat milk

Mathal 0 km

One hundred miles of solitude

Cattles coming home

Weekly Photo Challenge: Free Spirit

I believe in life, I believe in karma, I believe in death.

Everything else is in between these. Free spirit to me is being free of bondage’s and dogma’s. Free of notions that limit our reach, free of beliefs and practices that blind our vision.

This is my interpretation of this weeks photo challenge theme “Free Spirit”. This being first entry in the theme, I am not sure about the general protocol of the challenge but whatever I have known and read in the blog, I hope this is fine.

Postcards from Haridwar

Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to Hindus which is an important pilgrimage city in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. The River Ganga, after flowing for 250 kilometres from its source at Gaumukh at the edge of the Gangotri glacier, enters the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India for the first time at Haridwar which gave the city its ancient name, Gangadwara.

I am posting here some of the photographs from a short visit to Haridwar.

Wooden toy shop on the streets of the city. These are small toy Dholak (two-headed hand-drum) on the display.

Streets of Haridwar | You will find such streets very common where there are many aashrams, temples side by side on a long stretch of a road.

This is one of the most common sight at the streets where you will come across plenty of saadhu’s (wandering monks). The north Indian land, particularly that of Uttarakhand is considered to be the land of mystic where many people keep wondering around such holy places in search of Moksha (nirvana) and devine knowledge.

Street side barber.

Scene from Har-ki-Pauri ghat at the time of Ganga aarti.

Devotee at Ganga aarti.

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If you want to experience how the faith and belief of one of the biggest religion in the world (Hinduism) drive the human race in one of the biggest country (India) in the world, you have to visit the place and see it for yourself.

Additional Information: 

http://haridwar.nic.in/

http://www.euttaranchal.com/tourism/haridwar.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

Jim Corbett National Park – Travelogue

Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India named after hunter and conservationist Jim Corbett. The park is spread across approximately 1300 sq km. The park is heaven on earth for wild life enthusiasts and adventure seekers as its largest tiger reserve. Tourism activity is only allowed in selected areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve so that people get an opportunity to see its splendid landscape and the diverse wildlife. As per some estimates around 70,000 visitors come to park every year. The park is closed for visitors during the monsoon.

I visited the park in June, just before it closed for the monsoon. The experience is one of a kind. If you are a travel enthusiast and have not visited Jim Corbett, wait no more. Left for the jungle safari at 6 in the morning and the journey till you reach the check post for entering the park is also treat early in the morning. Lack of proper lenses prevented me from taking typical jungle shots which was a bog big mistake. Never ever travel without proper lenses. Here are some images I managed to capture with basic kit lenses.

Motorable road inside the park. If you are lucky enough you might spot tiger walking right in front of your Geep.

This is tigers jaw marks which is made by tiger to mark his area within the park. Apparently there can be only one male tiger in a particular area marked by the tigers themselves. If any other tiger dares to intrude this space, they have to fight it out between them.

This is river Ram Ganga, considered to be the life line of the national park. The entire wildlife inside the park is dependent on this water source.

The beautiful jungle resort, “The Den” at night. Our home during the visit.

Additional Information :

http://www.corbettnationalpark.in/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett_National_Park

http://thedencorbett.com

Kankhet – An experience

During the visit to Jim Corbett National Park we got an opportunity to stay at one of the most beautiful location inside the Kumeria forest reserve “The Den”. The place is located on the banks of Kosi river which runs through the national park. On the other side of the river there is a small village called “Kankhet”. One of the most beautiful village I have ever seen with around 100 families making the most of the village.

It was my idea to visit the village once we got to know about it from the resort management and then our fellow traveler Mr Sharma with “18 till I die” attitude suggested, we go and visit some random family and ask for a cup of tea. Not a bad idea at all. It was almost dusk when we reached there so could not click many pictures but the experience was unforgettable.

Young boy at the banks of the river Kosi who was accompanying his father who came to get some water for household work. I tried speaking to him but he was not in a mood to entertain.

Some of the boys who are watching Haryana Ranaji cricket team practicing | Haryana cricket association conducts cricket camp every year at this place for its Ranaji team. They also provide cricket gears and some basic training to these boys as a goodwill gesture who regularly come to watch the cricketers.

Locked door at some random house at the village.

The home we visited at the village.

Nirmala and Anil. We visited their home and had a wonderful tea made by their mother. I liked the spirit of Nirmala, the way she spoke and the amount of knowledge she had. I always believed that children from town are relatively smart than children from rural areas for obvious reasons. This girl proved me wrong. She is updated about latest movies, music, Indian cricket team, about Delhi and “Bombay” and many more things…..

Anil. So much innocence and hope in the eyes of this little child.

Nirmala and Anils’s elder sister, getting water from the river for household works.

Page from Anil’s workbook.

One of the most beautiful sunset I have seen. Kankhet at dusk.

The holy fire

At Ganga aarti Haridwar | The aarti is being performed for time immemorial at Harki Pauri Ghat at river Ganga, Haridwar. | When I visited the place in June this year, somehing happened. Spiritually. I dont know what but something which gave instant peace of mind, the sense of calmness. The floating diyas carrying hopes and beliefs, the sanskrit chanting, the people, the sound of bells, the sight of long flames of aarti, the saadhu’s…… surreal.