Skywatch Friday - Akshi Beach, Alibag

The Hindu and Buddhist history of Odisha , or rather, ancient Kalinga, is rather well known to everyone. Who hasn’t heard of the grand temples of Odisha – Puri, Lingaraj and Konark, or the great war of Kalinga which inspired Ashoka to convert to Buddhism? In contrast, very few know of the Jaina heritage of this region. This is quite a pity, since, just around 7 km from the city, is one of India’s most ancient inscriptions, which throws light on the Jaina heritage of Odisha. This inscription is the Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, in the hills of Udaygiri. Udaygiri and Khandgiri are two hills located opposite each other, and both are testaments to the rich Jaina heritage of Odisha. The caves at Udaygiri are older, while Khandgiri is relatively newer, but has lasted much longer, and continues to be a place of pilgrimage for Jains even today. These hills, from inscriptions and excavations of caves, shrines and rock beds, appear to have been a haven for Jaina monks, right from the ...

Skywatch Friday - Akshi Beach, Alibag

Every week, as Friday approaches and I go hunting for an image to post as part of Skywatch Friday, I lose myself among all the images I have clicked.... re-live the memories of all those trips... and wish I was there again!

Today's image is from the Akshi Beach at Alibag.... clicked on an impulsive trip with my cousins. I have loads of photos of the beach, of the trees, of the water... but this is among my favourites. It was early in the morning and we were waiting for the sun to rise. And these were people already at work... ferrying the water scooters for the adventure sports... to the next beach....

It has been almost two months since the year began, and I have been stuck at home. Two months without travel is a long period for me, but we are governed by school, not our desire to travel alone. As I post these pics, I hope the opportunity for travel comes again... soon!

Meanwhile, here are some of my posts about Alibag