Sikkim - monasteries around Gangtok

There is something magical about a monastery that cannot be explained. Spinning the prayer wheels, we entered the Lingdum or Ranka Monastery near Gangtok .While the lamas were in the midst of their evening chants, some of the younger boys were practicing their ritualistic dances in the courtyard. As they swirled around, their movements synchronized with the sonorous music that came from the monastery .A boy lama was gently caned by his senior as he did not get his steps right.

Watching them perform, I remembered some of my earlier trips to Sikkim when I had visited a couple of monasteries. Steeped in myriad myths, they had a mystical aura about them .Our first stop had been to Emchey monastery, built atop a ridge near Gangtok, . We were admiring the views of the city, when we heard this story from our guide. 

The 19^th century Gompa was the home of a flying saint who had initially built his hermitage here. A tantric called Lama Drutob Karpo with powers of levitation had flown in here from South Sikkim and had blessed this site.  Even today, people from Gangtok believe that the Gompa called the Solitary Temple contains and preserves the spirits of protective deities which take care of them .

A little further from Gangtok is the older Rumtek Monastery which is one of the largest in Sikkim . We were awed, not just by the sheer size of the monastery, but by the heavy security patrolling the site. The silence however was all pervading as we walked around the Dharma Chakra Complex, the Institute of Buddhist studies and the Golden Stupa.

Our guide explained that the monastery was the seat of the Karmapas, who belonged to one of the schools of Buddhism called Karma kagyu . Rebuilt by the 16^th Karmapa in the 1960s ,who took refuge here after his exile from Tibet, it was originally founded in the 16^th century, Even today precious relics along with the remains of the Karmapa are preserved here in the Golden Stupa.

The Karmapas are also called the Black Hat Lamas, on account of the Black Crown that symbolizes their power. According to legends, the first Karmapa was visited by several dakinis or the Buddhist versions of  fairies  and each of them gave him a strand of their hair as a gift. These strands were later woven together into a black hat and is handed down by one Karmapa to another. My guide explained that the Black Hat is kept at Rumtek Monastery and it has to be either worn by the Karmapa or tucked safely in a box for they believe that otherwise, it would fly away.

But the monastery was soon mired in controversy and sectarian violence over the selection of the 17^th karmapa which led to heavy security. As the guide finished the narration, I looked around at the peaceful monastery set amidst the mountains and found it ironic that it had to be protected by men with guns

This story was published in my column, Inside Story last week

The Kimball Castle

Most of us believe in ghost. Many say that if a person dies the ghost still remain at the place where he died. But some say that the ghost has their own world. Moreover there are people who really want to encounter ghosts. Those people call themselves as paranormal experts. Because of what they are doing people now then believe that there are really has a ghost in every place. These places are known to be as one of the most haunted place.

One of the most haunted places is the Kimball castle in New Hampshire. The castle was own by Benjamin family. The entire family lived here and also died here. After the death of the family this castle was then preserve as what the last heir want for it. People from different country can view the castle anytime or they can stay if they want of whole night. But according to the people who pass here no one wants to stay here overnight because

of paranormal activities happening most of the time especially in night time. They said that though the castle has no electricity the lights can be seen by them. Some of the care takers heard of doors banging in the middle of the night or sometimes the door will lock and unlocked with their own. Footsteps also heard or books coming out of the shelves. And the scariest is a woman looking at the windows at the same time walking around the castle.

The castle until now is preserved and as one of the most visited places in New Hampshire.

Deepavali Bonanza

Ive been in for a lot of surprises this year and another one greeted me today. I had been out the entire day and was rather tired when I finally got back home about a couple of hours ago. A parcel had landed in the afternoon for me and the cover mentioned it was from Singapore Tourism. When I opened it, I found a box of chocolates with a Deepavali greeting card waiting for me. A few months ago, STB had invited me to cover their Youth Olympic Games and now, they were kind enough to remember me and send me this gift. Thanks STB...Im happy to share this gift virtually with all my readers .

A quick update on some other interesting meets and activities happenning around me . I met blogger Deepak aka magic eye a few weeks ago in Bangalore and lo, he posts on a Bangalore darshan. Sikkim trip organised by Club Mahindra for the bloggers ( I help them with the editorial for CLAY - their blog ) also led me to meet some very interesting bloggers and friends .

 I was briefly away in Madras and got back yesterday and received a Nokia N8 mobile for review. The interesting bit was that I got to participate in Bangalore Urban Spree" where we photographed the vibrant spirit of Bangalore on our mobile  and shared it on twitter and other social media tools. I still have the N8 for review and I met some cool tech bloggers as well yesterday while we all binged on pizzas, courtesy Bloggers Mind, who organised the events. 

Now, coming to the not so exciting news - my travel calender for November , December looks bleak..so does 2011 as of now..I do wish there are more Deepavali Bonazas around..anybody out there who would like me to travel to some exotic place in return for some blog posts and tweets and updates on FB ? I hope someone out there is listening..:)

Costa Cruise Line

Relaxing in cruise line ship is one of the best ideas to make a perfect mood for a whole month. Though cruise line is quite expensive many traveler still want to experience of spending their special days here with their love ones. It’s really amazing to have time to relax in front of an endless beach that is why more and more people love to spend their vacation usually at beach places or cruise line ships. For traveler it is very important to have an experience of enjoying life in cruise ships.

Talking about cruise ships line Costa cruise line is the famous one who offers unique activities for each passenger. The ship inspired with Italian foods and beverages. Entering at the ship makes you feel that you are in Italy. Most of the accessories are made from Italy. The bars, drinks, foods are mostly inspired from Italian people. This is perfect for Italian people or those people who want to experience of becoming an Italian.

Costa cruise line is also full of different activities. The entire family will surely enjoy the offer entertainment and fun doings. The activities usually found here are film, theater, dancing, shopping, bars, and so on. This is a perfect place to relax, unwind as well as to enjoy.

Sikkim - a walk in the clouds

You can write an ode to the mist in Sikkim or lose yourself in the fog. But the clouds tell a story of their own. You see them floating from one mountain to another, carrying your thoughts along with them. Sometimes, they just rise from nowhere - just when you think the sun has set and the dusk is here, casting a dark shadow on the sky, a lone cloud shines like a knight, with a flash of brilliance .

Norwegian Cruise Line

Spending vacation on board is so much exciting especially if the ship you chose is the best of the best. Basically, choosing the best one is not so difficult. There are many cruise lines out there available anytime offering different activities for attracting customers. They have with them techniques just to make their lines the best among the rest. Some of them provide services to make sure that the passengers satisfy of what they offer to them.

One of the best lines is Norwegian cruise line. Their technique to make their passenger comfortable is providing them good services with approachable and friendly staff they have. They believe that having friendly staff is an additional point of appreciating from the passenger.

Moreover, Norwegian cruise line has so many restaurants for Chinese, Filipino, English and Italian people. Each restaurant is fully original recipes from each country. This is to make sure that passengers may no longer choose what they want to eat. The ship also provide 24hours serving for several activities including exercising activity, entertainment, and many more.

This cruise line is also one of the most luxurious lines all over the world. The ship can travel around the world in different country for several months.

Memories of Sikkim

I woke up with a groggy start today after a rather dramatic day yesterday and my thoughts went back to Sikkim. I was there for just a few days, staying at the Club Mahindra's Royal Demazong property near Gangtok and my only crib was I just didnt have enough of it. Being on the road took most of the time and I would have , given an option just preferred to stare at the mountains from the balcony all day. At 5.30 am, when the mountains were still drenched in rain, the whistling thrush used to greet me with a song . I woke up with a sore throat and a heavy sinus, but couldnt resist standing in the balcony, losing myself in the mountains

Celebrity Cruise Line

Choosing celebrity cruise line for vacation is more expensive than ordinary cruise line. The reason is that this is the best cruise ship for celebrities from different country. Aside from that, most activities here are all elegant such as spas, suites and restaurants. A celebrity cruise line is not just for celebrities but for everyone as long as the person has enough money for the whole vacation.

Knowing that the ship is luxurious, traveler may expect fun, challenging and extremely exciting entertainment for the entire family. The celebrity ship will provide these interesting activities. Whether you have with you your kids or not you will surely enjoy the trip because of the extra activities added. All ages are fit for this kind of ship.

Celebrity ships are one of the most popular cruise lines as for now. The cruise line offers each person to their respective choice of activity. This ship has everything that people usually like to do such as shopping, facial treatments, eating, relaxing, and so on. They grant this for a reason that each person has its own way to relax or to enjoy. All they are looking for and they want to do are offer by celebrity cruise ship.

River Teesta - Sikkim

These were a couple of pictures that I took of the River Teesta in Sikkim during my last trip..Cant wait to go there again. Its been more than four years and I didnt even have a analog SLR then - just a simple aim and shoot. This is a very short trip and its organised by Club Mahindra as part of their bloggers trip every year. Im looking forward to meeting the bloggers and visiting Gangtok again .

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

If you decided to have vacation in Royal Caribbean Cruise Line you won’t exactly forget your experience here. Royal Caribbean cruise line is actually a royal ship with so many activities. Spending your time here is one of the best ideas. You will not feel bore because there are lists of activities that you shouldn’t miss. All you are looking for at city is in royal Caribbean cruise lines.

Moreover, if you are with you your kids you don’t have to worry about the activities they like. There are many activities for kids at royal Caribbean cruise line for families who bring with them their children. The children will then busy playing their favorite games here or you might send them to day care center while you and your partner spending time relaxing at the activities offers by the cruise line.

When your child or children are old enough for the activity, the cruise provides children an activity that fits on their age. Swimming and adventures for kids while for older children they may watch movies, rock climbing and so on. For teenager they might socialize while listening with their favorite music. All ages are suit for this elegant royal Caribbean cruise ship.

The entire family will never forget their vacation here and they will surely talk on their friends over and over again about the exciting experience they have in Royal Caribbean ship.

Inside Story - Onake Kindi - rock art from a prehistoric site

We passed through lush fields as we drove down from Anegundi.    There were neither huts nor shops in sight. All that we could see were columns of boulders randomly stacked on top of each other.  Our auto stopped in front of some paddy fields as my guide Virupaksha announced our destination. “ Onake Kindi - This is a prehistoric site madam .”

The sun’s rays beat down rather mercilessly as we crossed the fields and climbed our way through a steep narrow pathway in a rocky terrain. The path led us to a wide plateau of tall grass , where we found ourselves ringed in by hillocks. There was no one in sight. “Keep a watch for snakes,“ came a word of caution,  as we wondered where we had landed.

The idea of heading to Onake Kindi  came up when I asked Virupaksha about  megalithic dolmens in a site  called Mourya Mane . I learnt that it was much further and high up in the hills and Virupaksha convinced me that he would instead take me to a prehistoric site closer to Anegundi, which had some rock paintings.

As we walked through the grass and looked around the boulders, we found a rock with some red and white markings, which had some stick figures of humans and some animals like the bull. In another boulder was a circular diagram which looked like drawings of sun and moon, but we could not figure out the symbolism behind it.

On my return to Bangalore, I started researching on the prehistoric sites near Anegundi and learnt from Professor  Ravi Korisettar , an authority on the subject that the rock painting  belonged to the Iron Age,  somewhere around the period of about 1500 BC .

(PIC : Aarti K)

 “The faded circular painting is a very rare depiction of a megalithic style of burial. If you look closely, you can see a human body in the middle and a lot of burial goods, surrounded by a  stone circle“ said Professor Korisettar , from  the  Department of  History and Archaeology from   Karnatak University in Dharwad.

The sun and moon like symbols , the ladder and the water depicted on the rock probably referred to their various beliefs .” We can only interpret these images; the sun and moon for instance can be seen in some hero stones as well which probably suggests immortality,”  added Prof Srikumar Menon, a Faculty of Architecture from the Manipal Institute of Technology.

You will find the bull in almost all paintings . It is a reference to the bull cult, which was a male fertility symbol, “ explained Professor Korisettar , talking about the symbolism in rock art.

I had not understood the significance  of the paintings when I had seen those crude red sketches on the rocks. However as I delved deeper into it, I realized that we were probably looking at some of the most ancient forms of beliefs that are rather deep rooted within us  today.

This story was published in the Metro Plus today in my column, Inside Story . I thank Professors Ravi KoriSettar and Srikumar Menon for sharing a lot of insights with me and Santosh Martin for putting me on to them. Its amazing to see how every corner of our country is so rich and it makes travel a wonderful experience for a simple vagabond like me . 

Hampi - A perspective

Mahanami Dibba - Hampi

Built by king Krishnadevaraya to celebrate his victory over the rulers of Udayagiri, this is the Mahanami Dibba. Virupaksha, my guide told me that this is where the kings presided over a ceremony or a festival, especially during Navaratri . As this post coincides with Navratri, I couldnt but help wondering about the celebrations in that era. Climbing up, I saw the entire landscape of this forgotten town, lost in ruins. I took this picture when I was leaving the Royal Enclosure. It just made me think how we are so tiny and our achievements , even more insignificant and yet, we gloat over them. Even a mighty empire like Vijaynagar had to crumble one day.

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Hampi - Photo essay on a nomadic life

We met a few nomads in Hampi and the women folk shyly spoke to us. They are mainly from  Belgaum, but they hardly have a destination called home. They move from villages to villages, often working as shepherds or rear cattle and live in temporary settlements. Their belongings are usually their horses and a few vessels which they carry along with their bundle of clothes.

They work in and around the villages in Hampi until the monsoons are over and then they begin their journey towards their home again. However, when you ask them whether they are headed home , they just smile and say no..When pressed for an answer as to where they are headed, they simply say - " To the next village."

Safari Adventures

There are people who really love animals. Scientist calls them animal lovers. They usually like to go wildlife places just like Africa. Every place on earth has safari adventures. There are so many safari places those animal lovers’ wishes to visit. That is why safari adventures created. Safari is loaded with different kinds of animals from different places. And the most common animals found here are elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, monkey, birds, snake, and so on. It is one of the most exciting adventures for people who like interesting activities.

Safari adventures are great experience not just for adult but also for children. This is done through riding 4 wheel vehicle or any kind of vehicle depending on the type of the location. One of the best wildlife adventures is Africa. The country is full of extreme animals with different unique kinds of safari adventures. You may choose whether you want to see those wild animals or friendly one. African safari has a big difference from others because the country itself was the one protecting their own animals. Visiting African safari is extremely realistic while riding at the safety car at the same time face to face with the most dangerous wild animals in the world. So, if you have planned to have a safari adventures, look for the best in internet and choose Africa for your choices.

India through my eyes - rustic life

While returning from Daroji, we stopped by at a small village near Hampi to have tea. The locals gathered around us and the mothers asked us to take photographs of their kids. They were extremely happy to see the photographs and within minutes, the entire village, which probably consists of a few houses had gathered around us. As I left the hamlet , I saw the happy faces of these people and told myself that happiness is not that elusive after all. 

More birds from Hampi

There are several birds in and around Hampi and Daroji - we used to wake up to the call of the Grey Francolin or see the red spur fowl disappearing amongst the rocks . Sometimes we used to see quails running away like balls of cotton and  disappearing into the undergrowth.  I was unable to get some good pictures of these birds , but here is a photo-feature on some of the others that posed for me .

Laughing dove and ashy crowned sparrow lark above, while a pair of Eurasian collared dove below.

A white browed wagtail and a wire tailed swallow

Scaly breasted munia followed by rufous tailed lark

A sandpiper followed by a long tailed shrike

A red wattled lapwing

And finally we saw a row of blue tailed bee- eaters in Anegundi..a pair was on the wire and then a trio and within minutes there were close to half a dozen of them...

Birding in Hampi - the pied kingfisher and the commonkingfisher

There are many surprises in Hampi. Everytime I visit this magical place, I see something new. Last year, I did some extensive birding there and found that there were quite a few migratory birds around as well . This time around, I was a little too early for the migratory season, but I did see quite a few birds.

This post is largely about the two varieties of kingfishers that I spotted during the trip. While the regular white breasted kingfisher eluded my lens, I managed to click some pictures of the pied kingfisher while it was fishing near a canal enroute to Daroji . I also saw a pair of the uncommon common kingfisher, which are much smaller and rarer  near the kalyani of the Vittala Temple at Hampi.

As you are aware, Jungle Lodges and Resorts have opened their property in Hampi and they offer birding and nature walks in addition to sightseeing of monuments of Hampi. Please let me know if you would be interested in holidaying in Hampi as Novemeber onwards the season begins and its a great time to spot birds and also see bear cubs at Daroji in addition to the splendour of Hampi and Anegundi . 

The Most Outstanding Environmental Friendly Company

One of the biggest wind turbine located in Puerto Rico is Bacardi. It is said that the turbine create natural wind energy that produces power for making of one of the popular rum in San Juan. There are about 250, 000 tourist every year in the casa Bacardi visitor center just to know more about the rum. Moreover, now that the Bacardi’s wind turbines spread the news about their real production behind the turbines, people who visited will find out how wind energy gives power for making rum.

Since their company is completely one of the leading corporations for environmental friendly tools, they will do their best to lessen the carbon footprint from the production. There are two powerful large wind turbines installed for making their mission inclusive can be seen far, miles away from the area. The turbines are made from Aspenall Energies and to make it more useful they put up for sale the electricity from the wind produces by Bacardi.

The Bacardi Family wishes to be one of the leading corporations in the whole Puerto Rico. The company itself encourages the others to make their corporation more responsible in helping the environment while making their products in their community. Bacardi Family is the partner of the Puerto Rico government to sustain the greener energy solutions group.

Bacardi Family and Aspenall Energies are the only company who primarily introduce wind turbines for manufacturing venture in Puerto Rico. Basically, their first environment project is the CO2 from the fermentation of the rum which is to be used as fuels. The fuels are not the original one that can produce pollution. Another is they are using the waste water from the production. Aside from that they also reused damages barrels for landscaping as well as the old banners and make it as shopping bags.

300 and more - would like your feedback

In the last  couple of months, Ive been travelling rather extensively and some of these overseas trips have been rather unplanned. The Singapore trip was rather a surprise and then I decided to add Bali along with it at the last minute as Borneo and Cambodia, my initial choices did not quite work out. My trip to Hong Kong was a family trip - again, a last minute affair .All three islands have been very different from each other . The journeys have also been very different in nature. So, while I start  posting about these destinations here, I  wanted to know your thoughts on what you would like to read

- Would you prefer first hand experiences and narratives or articles that I write for other publications ?
- Would you prefer photo features ?
- May be you would like short snippets and insights into sights and sounds of a country ?
- Or just little things that interested me about a place ?
- Probably you would prefer a guide book style - what to do, where to go..
- Maybe you would like to hear more about people than places..

Its just that I realized that after  four years of backpacker  and  with more than 300 posts, blogging is more about being reader focussed than just personal trivia. This does not mean that I will stop posting the way I am doing currently, but some feedback from all of you would be deeply appreciated in the comments sections . Thanks for being around .

Bali - Towering sculptures

The first thing that strikes you about Bali is its art. Its the only island in Indonesia where Hinduism is predoninant and there are temples in every nook and corner and every house has a courtyard filled with temples. But what strikes you are the towering sculptures and statues on the road , inspired by Ramayana and Mahabharata. The giant , Ghatotkacha, is one of the first you would encounter when you step out of the airport. The other characters are Bheema, Karna among others. "Take a picture madam," said my taxi driver ," The roads are going to be widened soon and all these may be removed or destroyed." Sounds familiar, doesnt it !

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