RSS
|
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National ParksMountains in Uttar Pradesh, India Nestled high in West Himalaya, India’s Valley of Flowers National Park is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya, praised by mountaineers and botanists for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Copyright © UNESCO/World Heritage Centre. All rights reserved.
0 comments
Send to a friend
Review by Photo by flickr user Dawn Endico |
|
The Great Stupa GatewayWorks of Art in Bhopal, India Between the 3rd and 12th centuries, during the rule of the Satavahna and Sunga dynasties, a number of Buddhist monuments were built at Sanchi to form a place of holy pilgrimage, near what is now nothing more than a tiny village near Bhopal in India.
The most complex and impressive of all these is a giant stupa, or Buddhist burial mound, which is guarded by four finely-detailed, carved stone gates. The life and attributes of the Buddha are represented in them with all the artistic perfection that religious fervour can bring; the lotus, which represents his birth, the bodhi tree, signifying his enlightenment, the wheel of nirvana and even his footprints are revealed in the greatest detail and held up for worship by all who visit the site.
Crowds of carved Indo-Greek figures cluster around these many facets of Buddha, dancing, singing, praying and celebrating as they watch him leaving home, walking on water, overcoming his enemies and providing divine inspiration at different periods in his life.
The gates are, unsurprisingly, regarded as key pieces in the foundation of all Indian art which followed.
0 comments
Send to a friend
Review by Photo by flickr user Carol Mitchell |
|
Arunachaleswar Shiva TempleSacred Spaces in Karur, India There are three categories of Shiva Lingam sites in India: the Jyotir Lingams, the Swayambhu Lingams and the Bhuta Lingams. Located in five south Indian temples, the Bhuta Lingams are places where Shiva manifested himself as the natural elements. The temples and their respective elements are Chidambaram (Ether), Sri Kalahasti (Wind), Tiruvanaikka (Water), Kanchipuram (Earth), and Tiruvanamalai (Fire).
The Shiva temple in Tiruvanamalai is situated at the foot of Arunachala hill. Sprawling over 25 acres, with an unknown date of founding, the complex grew over millennia and the large towers, called gopurams, were erected between the 10th and 16th centuries. The tallest gopuram is over 60 meters tall and has 13 stories. The central temple enshrines images of Shiva as Lord Annamalai and his consort as Unnamalai. Every year during the Hindu month of Kartikai (November to December), the great Deepam festival is held to celebrate Shiva's manifestation as the light of Arunachala. For ten days the city of Tiruvanamalai is alive with celebration, processions, dancing and singing. On the final day of the festival, the eve of the full moon, a huge beacon fire is ignited atop the hill in commemoration of the fire left by Shiva. Arunachala hill is considered a miraculous healing place, especially for ailments of the lungs and barrenness in women. The hill of Arunachala is also a symbol of spiritual knowledge and several great sages have lived here, including Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950).
0 comments
Send to a friend
Review by Photo by Photography: Martin Gray |
|
Assam TeaIndustrial in Silchar, India Assam tea was first exported to Britain in 1836 when, after a lengthy argument, it was agreed to be superior to the then popular Chinese tea. By the mid-19th century, when tea-processing became mechanised, the industry was booming.
It is now the most widely-consumed tea variety in the world and what is more, the conditions under which it is picked and processed are no longer as exploitative as they were in the Victorian times, with an increasing number of small, independent farms taking a share of the market and engaging in fair trade projects, though many of the workers on the larger plantations are still poorly paid.
Most Assam tea is now grown in the southern Barak Valley and in the Upper Assam regions. A visit to one of the tea estates is both an education and a delight; begin your day with a 'banbati' bowl of fresh tea and a wander through the cool, aromatic tea fields and spend the afternoon learning how the tea is processed and how the industry began and developed from the tea workers themselves.
Unlike the dismal, dusty offerings we can pick up in UK supermarkets, the real Assam article tastes malty, earthy, dusky, rich and very distinctive.
0 comments
Send to a friend
Review by Photo by flickr user ahinsajain |
|
Parmarth Niketan AshramSpiritual Retreats in Haridwar, India One of the most renowned temple and ashram complexes in India, known for its substantial work on Hinduism, it is a school in the breathtaking valleys of Rishikesh laden with stone and golden Hindi statues. Once the most active yoga school, it has little to offer the Western visitor today, except for those keen to immerse themselves in Hindu culture and introspection. “When global orange sun suspended, waits low amid the red/yellow streaked horizon, then all these combine to give this town a very special evening. The temple bells roar, priests enchant mantras. Immersed in sublimation stand the pilgrims. Cupped leaves, with saffron marigold petals and a small candle flame, flickering ride the current of water of wisdom. Suddenly the sky darkens, spreading a blanket of stillness. Everything stops, except the sound of current, which has just sunk the tiny flames of cupped leaves, few minutes back”.
0 comments
Send to a friend
Review by Photo by flickr user J I G I S H A a.k.a Nitin |
Archives by Month
Archives by Country |
Popular entries |
About usStuck at your desk? Gazing out at those grey skies and imagining you are somewhere else? I want to go here is all about inspiring you to do something different - about encouraging you to check out a new experience or destination. It's simple - we post something new every day. If you like the look of it, send it to a couple of friends. If not, wait and see what tomorrow brings. And if it gets past the fantasy stage, we'll soon have links to research the experience further, but you can also send us an email, and we'll tell you where to look or book next. |