Skip to main content

Featured Post

Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
1 comment

Skywatch Friday - Mountains and Monuments



The best thing about Shimla is its colonial architecture, and the beautiful views of the surrounding Shivalik ranges and Himalayan peaks. Having just returned from a visit to the erstwhile summer capital of the country, I can't stop thinking of the beautiful views we woke up to, for a whole week. So, for Skywatch today is one such view... from the Mall at Shimla.

Labels:
Location: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India

Comments

  1. AartiJanuary 4, 2013 at 12:24 PM

    Beautiful breathtaking view indeed

    ReplyDelete
  2. MridulaJanuary 4, 2013 at 12:38 PM

    And I can only imagine how this will look once it catches golden light! Lovely capture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 4, 2013 at 3:42 PM

      It was so beautiful, Mridula! I spent early mornings and late evenings just by the window in our room watching the play of light on the snow clad hills. unfortunately, i couldnt capture the beauty satisfactorily with my camera. need to learn how to :D

      Delete
  3. PoornaJanuary 4, 2013 at 2:46 PM

    Thanks for sharing the beautiful picture of Shimla. In spite of horrendous development, Shimla is still a charming place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 4, 2013 at 3:43 PM

      Yes, Poorna. In spite of all the horrendous development, as you put it so well, Shimla is still charming! wonder how long it will last though if such 'development' continues..

      Delete
  4. UnknownJanuary 4, 2013 at 3:26 PM

    Fantastic ! - I REALLY want to travel through India one day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 4, 2013 at 3:43 PM

      Thanks!! I hope you can come and travel all through India soon!

      Delete
  5. eileeninmdJanuary 4, 2013 at 3:30 PM

    What a beautiful scene, I love the mountains! Thanks for sharing your skies! Happy Skywatching!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Vishal RathodJanuary 4, 2013 at 7:24 PM

    Beautiful Picture

    ReplyDelete
  7. LorriJanuary 4, 2013 at 9:18 PM

    Lovely capture of nature and architecture...the red really stands out.

    ReplyDelete
  8. R Niranjan DasJanuary 7, 2013 at 8:10 PM

    Lovely photo. Frame it!

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  9. ArunJanuary 8, 2013 at 3:05 PM

    Nice. Never saw snow peaks from the mall. Winter effect?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJanuary 8, 2013 at 3:26 PM

      Thanks so much, Arun! yes, certainly it is the winter effect! plus unusually clear skies for the weather!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw...
9 comments
Read more

Review of Executive Lounges at New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand , I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again early in the morning. There was hardly any time to visit people. I would only have a couple of hours with them before I’d have to leave again. For the first time, we considered booking a hotel, but there again, we were hesitant about the actual hotels, the costs involved, and the logistics of getting from the airport to the railway station and then back again from the station to the airport.  That’s when we remembered reading something about a corporate-managed lounge at Delhi station. We soon figured out that we could book online and pay by the hour. Besides, we also learnt that there wasn’...
1 comment
Read more

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
3 comments
Read more