Skip to main content

Posts

Featured Post

Odisha Part 11: Discovering the Jaina Heritage of Odisha at the caves of Udaygiri and Khandgiri

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 ...
1 comment
Read more

Lollipop Plant!!!

Yes, that's one of the names this plant is known by. The other common name for it is 'Golden Shrimp Plant' and its quite obvious where it gets its names from.
7 comments
Read more

Faces in the Crowd - Women carrying firewood

She is a common sigh t across the country, cutting and carrying firewood home...
4 comments
Read more

Book Review: Arjuna by Anuja Chandramouli

Arjuna, in the Mahabharata, is described as the Nara to Krishna’s Narayana. In the entire epic, if Krishna is the one who wields the strings, albeit behind the scenes, it is Arjuna who is in the forefront of the story. It is he who is the most loved among the Pandavas, and it is his story Anuja Chandramouli seeks to relate, in her book by the same name.
3 comments
Read more

Skywatch Friday - Bird on a Beach

We saw plenty of Brahminy Kites over Om Beach, fighting over the fish brought in by the fishermen, early in the morning....
13 comments
Read more

Hotel Review: Mauve Orchid, Mysore

Mysore had been on my wish list for a long, long time. I planned trips to the city thrice, but something turned up all three times, and the trips had to be cancelled. It was during one such trip planning that a friend recommended Mauve Orchid as a good place to stay. I called them up and fixed up all the details, only to call them again to cancel everything. The years passed by, and Mysore still didn’t beckon…… till May this year, when I finally decided to leave my husband behind and head over with just Samhith.
4 comments
Read more

Beaches of Gokarna

I stood behind a small shrine , atop a hillock. Ahead of me, as far as I could see, was the sea. Below, the waves lapped at the rocks, sending a stray spray up to where I stood. On one side, I could see the rows of palms which designated the end of the beach. Beyond were rooftops, the only evidence of the town. Somewhere amidst those roofs was an ancient temple, the one I had come to visit. For once, it wasn’t just the temple, but the beaches which beckoned. For, I was at Gokarna, a town known just as much for its holy temple as its magnificent beaches.
14 comments
Read more

Wayanad post on Thomas Cook Blog

In April this year , as I was making the last minute arrangements for my Bangalore-Mysore trip, I received an offer from Thomas Cook, to try out one of their planned trips at a concessional rate. The offer was just too good to refuse, and as I wrote about it earlier , I took up their offer of exploring Wayanad. Since I returned, you have been treated to my long series on Wayanad, and now, finally, my post is up on their blog too.... Click here to read the post. 
Post a Comment
Read more