Rock-Cut
Caves are also seen on the hills of Khandagiri and Udayagiri which
are about 8 km from Bhubaneswar. Thedouble-storeyed Rani Gumpha (Queen’s
Cave) is the largest cave with ornate carvings,The Hati Gumpha (Elephant
Cave) has the Chronicle of King Kharavela carved on it
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Sri Jagannath Temple |
PURI Puri the abode of Sri Jagannath or the Lord of the Universe is famous all over the world. The golden triangle of Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar is too popular both with the domestic and foreign tourists. One of the four holiest places (Dhams) of India, Puri has been a great centre of pilgrimage for centuries. The
shrine is surrounded by a 20 feet high enclosure measuring 652 feet by
630 feet.Then there is another enclosure around the temple . In front
of the main gate is a majestic 16 sided monolithic pillar measuring
11 meters in height .Originally it stood in front of the famous Sun Temple
at Konark and was brought here in the 18th century .The main gate
is guarded by two lions and so it is known as the Simha Dwara
or the Lion Gate.
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Sri Balbhadra, Devi Subhadra Sri Jaggannath |
There is no caste distinction and all are welcome before the Lord Jaggannath but non-hindus are not allowed inside the shrine. The temple kitchen is said to be the biggest in the world feeding thousands of devotees daily with, its holy food called the Mahaprasad. In the Garbhagriha or sanctum sanctorum there are a strange archaic type of wooden images of Sri Jaggannath, his sister Subhadra and brother Balbhadra. Sister Subhadra is in between the two brothers and smaller in size. While in Puri we went to Puri beach close by and wet our feet in the Bay of Bengal . |
NANDAN
KANAN ZOOLOGICAL PARK
Back In Bhubaneshwar where
the temple and monuments and redolent with the culture of a hoary
era, we experianced the vibrance of life in the sprawling Nandan
Kanan Zoological Park. Endowed with a natural lake, it is known for
the rare white tigers and migratory birds which nest here during
winter. It has also the country’s largest Lion Safari Park and White Tiger
safari with Ropeway and Toy Train. The park is located 20 km from Bhubaneswar.
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CALCUTTA
After an over night journey from Bhubaneshwar to Calcutta the Vidyasagar setu welcomed us in to the city of Joy. Vidyasagar setu ( commonly known as 2nd Howrah bridge), connects the city to the other side of the river. This bridge was recently built. Calcutta is a truly remarkable city of sweets , trams and the underground metro.Calcutta, on-the-Hooghly, retains the aura of days long gone, weaving the past and the present, the intense and the funloving into a charming fabric. |
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Calcutta is the gateway to
Eastern India. A city with a rich heritage, bustling streets and bewildering
variety of facets. Home to four Nobel laureates Ronald Ross, Rabindranath
Tagore, Mother Teresa and Amartya Sen, It is the nerve centre of intellect
and human values, where many modern movements began in art, cinema and
theatre, science and industry. India’s quest for freedom began here
Here we visited the "Science City" located at the extreme eastern end of the city near Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. The complex exhibits different technology models. The place is for fun and scientific knowledge with the Imax theater and various scientific displays . |
Dakshineswar Kali Tample |
Next we visited which is considered an essential pilgrimage for Hindu devotees. Built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, this temple complex was where Sri Ramkrishna attained his enlightenment. His residence too was located within the premises and is open to visitors. The main temple is called the Navaratna Temple. Here there is a silver lotus with a thousand petals. On the flower is the idol of Goddess Kali, standing on the prostrate body of Lord Shiva. Within the complex are 12 mini-temples of Shiva. A temple dedicated to Rani Rashmoni has later been added near the entrance. |
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Belur Math : Built in 1847,
on the banks of the Hooghly, north of Calcutta, the temple
is associated with Shri Ramakrishna, the eclectic 19th century saint who
revived Hinduism during the British Raj. The Belur Math, headquarters
of Ramakrishna Mission. The Monastery is a haven of peace and religious
harmony.
Before we returned to the hotel we travelled in underground metro . Then back at our hotel off lansdown street we spent our new year Eve dancing into the night.Yet the next morning we left for early in the morning. |
Shantiniketan,
a school in the traditional gurukul system founded by Nobel Laureate
Rabindranath Tagore in 1901. Tagore’s vision was a world where man exists
in perfect harmony with nature. Shantiniketan the abode of peace-
is a fruition of this vision.
Shantiniketan
is the embodiment of serenity and peace, far removed from the concrete
jungle. Here imposing sculptures of Ram Kinkar greet you at every turn
of the road. Paintings of Nandalal, Abanindranath and Binod Bihari
captivate your senses. Uttarayan, the complex where Rabindranath
lived, has a museum and art gallery. Visva Bharati University at Shantiniketan,,
is now a centre of international studies and culture.
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The next morning back in Calcutta we explored some heritage buildings.First we visited Victoria Memorial , built between 1906 and 1921 on the lines of the Taj Mahal, in memory of Queen Victoria. Topped with a moving angel, this memorial faces the Calcutta Maidan. It houses paintings, manuscripts and other objects of historic value in its Museum and Art Gallery. |
 St.
Paul’s Cathedral |
Next we stoppped at which was constructed between 1839 and 1847 in Gothic style with stained glass windows and two Florentine frescoes. The cathedral is the largest in the city , St. Paul’s was conscerated in 1874. |
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Located at the junction of J L Nehru Road and Theatre Road, at one corner of Maidan and Victoria Memorial we saw the Birla Planetarium.Its is India first Planetarium built in 1962. . The Internal diameter of the tomb is 82 feet which makes the artificial sky with stars and other celestial members. The auditorium inside can hold up to 500 people. |
Howrah Bridge |
In the afternoon we took the Kamrukh express for Guwahati
from
Howrah station which is lies near the Howrah bridge.
Howrah Bridge ( Rabindra Setu ), was the only bridge connecting Calcutta to the other side of the river for a long time until the Vidyasagar Bridge was built. Marvelous engineering architectural structure. Used to have tram lines, but removed to reduce traffic jams. Completed in 1941. Length main span : 450 meter, length of drop in span : 172 meter, height: 82 meter. |
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ASSAM
GUWAHATI
On the
2nd of January we left on a day journey to Guwahati by train, this route
is suppose to be dangeous as it passed notorious dacoit regions, but our
experiance differed , we had our compartments invaded by scores of hawkers
selling delicious bengali sweets and cheap chinese made electronic goods
ranging from cameras , phones to walkmans and wrist watches. And ofcourse
with our group of 130 touring college students travelling they sold
their wares in no time.
Guwahati
is the Capital City of Assam, which is experiancing a lot of terrorism..
So our journey through Assam enroute to Bombdila was a tense one. We were
stopped by the army at various check points , who told us to be careful
and also by a group in military uniform whom we suppect were terrorist..
Anyway with our adrenalin raging in the beautiful plains of the Brahmaputra
river we finally made to the arunachal pradesh border with assam.
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Arunanchal Pradesh
BOMDILA
Arunachal pradesh is a land
of beautiful Himalayan mountains full of virgin naturally beautiful forests.
We first went to small town of Bomdila an altitude of 2,530 m above
sea level is perched amongst the panoramic settings of the lofty ranges
of the eastern terrain with its snow-covered summits. The weather in Bomdila
is alpine. Summers (April–June) are short and mild, while winters are cold
(November–February). It experiences rainfall between July and September.Bomdila
is the headquarters of the West Kameng district of the state of
Arunachal Pradesh. It is famous for its apple orchards and
travelers can take a walk through them. It also has a couple of Buddhist
monasteries or gompas.Bomdila is located in the northwestern part of the
state of Arunachal Pradesh After a night halt we left for Tawang
which is close to the Tibetian border.The road from Bombila to tawang is
dotted with army presence , but unlike assam there is peace in this state
and the army is very friendly. They helped us when our cars gave us trouble
and gave us refreshments too during our journey.
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TAWANG
Tawang is perched at a height
of over 3,400 m above sea level,about 100 km into the journey we had to
pass the Sela Pass the second highest motorable pass in the world at 4,177m
above sea level . Here the temp was around -7 degree C. and had low oxygen
levels. The experiance of seeing snow on the roads and frozens water falls
and lakes was a novelty to us .
Tawang's popularity and importance lies in the fact that it houses one of the biggest and most famous Mahayana monasteries, which standing on a ridge 2760 metres high, overlooking the wide valley and surrounded on all sides by towering mountains, is a magnificent site in itself. Established in 1643-47 by a Monpa Lama called Lodre Gyaltso (popularly known as Mera Lama)this large fortified monastery spreads over 140 square metres and is enclosed by a compound wall 610 metres long. The complex comprises 65 residential buildings, numerous lanes by-lanes and 10 other structures including chortens.
The fountain of spiritual life for followers of the Geluopa sect of Monpas and Sherdukpens, this three-storeyed Gompha has a capacity to house 500 lamas. Religious dances and outdoor ceremonies are held during festivals. Rich wonderful gold work is done on the main door. The main assembly hall called the Duknang has a large number of icons of the Buddha and Rimpoche (a Buddhist priest) in various sizes.The ceilings are covered with murals and richly embellished pillars. In the rear chamber is a richly gilded idol of a seated Buddha. Besides the temple, the monastery also houses the establishment of the head priest, living chambers of the lamas and an ancient library.
The ‘Parkhang’ hall of the monastery houses the library which boasts rare hand written and block-printed Thankas or manuscripts of revered books like ‘Tangym’, ‘Kangyur’ and ‘Sungbhum’. The other uncommon works of Buddhist literature include 108 gold-embossed manuscripts of the ‘Teaching of Lord Buddha’ and 225 volumes of the explanations of Buddha’s teachings covered with specially designed moth - proof silk adorned with paintings. The monastery complex also includes a towering 18 ft high gilded statue of the Buddha. There is also a craft centre, which produces exquisite woollen carpets.
Unlike many monastries in Ladakh
and Zanskar, Tawang is vibrantly alive in this modern ageTawang predominantly
a Buddhist centre appears as the last link with the civilization with its
modern sloped houses, a thriving bazaar, satellite communication and all
the other amenities of modern life.Beyond it lies the forbidden land of
Tibet to the north, connected by the Bum La and Tulung La passes.
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Assam, the land of hills and valleys, the land of the mighty river Brahmaputra, the land of Mother Goddess Kamakhya, lies in the northeastern corner of India. It is a land where you find flowers that are exquisitely beautiful, animals that are rare .North east of Guwahati,on the banks of Brahmaputra river we visited the Kaziranga National Park, famous both for the Flora & Fauna. The last major home of the rare one horned Rhinos. The 430 sq Km park is thought to have the largest population of rhino in all India. The park also has Elephants, Wild Gaur (Buffaloes), Swamp Deer, Tigers, bears and Rare birds like the Florican and the Hornbill..
Though Guwahati is tensed we stayed there for 2 days and spent 1 evening cruising on the bramhaputra river. Our journey home to Bombay by the Guwahati - Dadar express took us 60 long hours passing thru the states of Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madya Pradesh and finally Maharashtra . .
But we came home happy and
content after seeing the expanses of our great country traverseing the
himlayan mountains , the the lush green argicultural plains and mighty
indian rivers .. The krishna, the Godavari, the Bramhaputra, the Ganges
and the Narmada and grazing endless at the Bay of Bengal.
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Orissa