Gleaming with net like sunrays that etch sparkling patterns on the serene Thiruvallam backwaters ensconce a delightfully green world set on the junction of two rivers Karmana and Killi in Kerala, South India. Visit Place for holidays.com for more details.
Month: February 2015
Meera Bai’s Temple in Chittorgarh Rajasthan
Chittorgarh the birth place of Meera Bhai, the saint-poet and a sixteenth century Rajput princess. Princess Meera Bhai who had given up the lavish majestic life to spend her life dedicated to Lord Krishna. During the rule of Maharana Kumbha the Rajput king, the temple was constructed. It was devoted to Mira Bai, one of the well-known accomplices in the Bhakti Cult movement. The dome of the temple is overstated with a arrangement of five human bodies with a single head symbolizing the four castes of the Hindu religion or the Varnas and the fifth caste of the Harijan. The single head who can be equally realized by all symbolizes the faith in God. The temple has four pavilions in North Indian style designed in the open arcade enclosing the sanctum. Interior of the Sanctum is ornamented with attractive eye catching paintings of Meera Bhajans and Lord Krishna.
Shanti Stupa in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir
Shanti Stupa in Ladakh is a Buddhist Monastery located in the Changspa area of Ladakh. Shanti Stupa was built around 25 years ago by the Japanese Buddhist Organization namely Japanese for World Peace. The aim behind constructing the Shanti Stupa Monastery in Ladakh was to celebrate the completion of 2500 years of Buddhism. The inauguration … Read more
Dharamshala Hill Station | McLeod Ganj
Set against the backdrop of the dramatic Dhauladhar Mountains the hill station of Dharamsala is perched at the elevation ranges from 1,250 m to 2,000 m above the sea level in the upper reaches of Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh. The town is divided into two distinct and widely separated sections Upper and Lower Dharamsala differing by about 1000m in altitude. Today the hill station of Dharamsala become popular on the world map as it is the seat of His holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It also houses a large settlement of Tibetan refugee. The hill station of Dharamsala also has number of monasteries and temples which serves as a major tourist attraction. Even if the Tibetan community dominates the town but it still retained its colonial lifestyle and British fervors.
Kanheri Caves the rock cut monuments
Kanheri (19°13’ N; 72°55’ E), the Kanhasela, Krishnagiri, Kanhagiri of ancient inscriptions, is located north of Mumbai, was a major Buddhist centre. The Kanheri Caves are a group of rock-cut monuments, located north of Borivali on the western outskirts of Mumbai, India, deep within the green forests of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It is 6 km from the National Park Main Gate & 7 km from Borivali Station. Tourists can go in after 7.30 a.m. Kanheri Caves are signs of Buddhist influence on art and culture in India. Kanheri comes from the Sanskrit word Krishnagiri meaning black mountain. They were chiseled out of a massive basaltic rock outcropping. About Kanheri Caves Kanheri thrived due to its proximity to ancient sea port towns like Sopara (Surparaka, the Supara of Greek; Subara of Arab writers; the ancient capital of northern Konkan), Kalyan a thriving port; Chemula, the Samylla of Greek geographers, Chemula of Silaharas, on the island of Trombay; the other ancient localities nearby were Vasya, perhaps Vasai or Bassein; Sri Staanara or Thana; and Ghodabandar. These caves date from 1st century BCE to 10th century CE. In total in the basalt there have been carved 109 caves. Unlike the elegant splendor of Elephanta Caves nearby, the earlier cells are spartan and unadorned. Each cave has a stone plinth for a bed. A congregation hall with huge stone pillars contains the stupa, a Buddhist shrine. Farther up the hill are the remains of an ancient water system, canals and cisterns that collected and channeled the rainwater into huge tanks. Once the caves became permanent monasteries, they began to be carved out of the rock with intricate reliefs of Buddha and the Bodhisattvas carved into the walls. Kanheri had become an important Buddhist settlement on the Konkan coast by the 3rd century A.D.