India

Sipping on some kahwa to start off an elaborate iftar meal in his drawing room in Srinagar, Ferooz Ganai looks surprised when I enquire about visiting the old city the next day. A long-term acquaintance of my family, Ferooz uncle had…
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Kopeshwar Temple near Kolhapur in Maharashtra is a masterpiece of Chalukyan temple architecture. It is yet to get the fame like Chola temples of Thanjavur or Chandela temples of Khajuraho. Maybe because it is a single temple in this region…
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Summer or Winter, every visit to the “City of Nawabs” had me gripped with its amazing history, delightful art, colorful culture & yummy food. The capital of Uttar Pradesh has something for everyone – so much that you might find that…
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Like most non-resident Bengalis, I travel to Calcutta frequently, and every time, I chance upon some unexplored treasure tucked between the drapes of history. But this time was singularly special. I have been researching on the journey of…
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Firozabad in my mind was always the city of glass bangles. Every time I looked at piles of colorful, bright shining glass bangles in fairs and markets across India, I wanted to visit the town. So, this time when I went exploring Holi in…
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Stealth and grace marked his every step; his long furry tail swished like a bridal train, helping him maintain balance at the top of a ridge. The snow leopard paused, preened and then presented a proud profile, unaware of the adoring…
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It’s that time of year when everything is bathed in a warm, fuzzy, honey glow and there’s a sweet fragrance in the air. That might be partly due to summer setting in across India but it’s also because the best (and India’s national) fruit…
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I first came to know of Kalady when I read the biography of Adi Shankaracharya. Google helped me locate the place very close to Kochi Airport. A Kerala trip soon came along and I grabbed the opportunity to see the birthplace of Adi…
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I first came to know of Kalady when I read the biography of Adi Shankaracharya. Google helped me locate the place very close to Kochi Airport. A Kerala trip soon came along and I grabbed the opportunity to see the birthplace of Adi…
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Thousands of tourists from India and around the world have many reasons to come to Kashi, often called the world’s oldest living city. Some come to experience the “real India”, some to wash their sins away, and yet others come here to die…
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While the Bara Imambara, the Residency and Chota Imambara is there on almost every visitor’s list of attractions in Lucknow, it is time to add a few offbeat places to this list. Last week I shared my heritage walk of ……
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A hot gust of wind caresses the mangrove forests along the creek. It is the middle of February, and 20 of us have set out from the village of Gupti in Kendrapara district in eastern Odisha. I scan the mudflats in the light of the afternoon…
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The one thing that seemed pretty strange to me when I walked around Lucknow is that none of the heritage monuments I saw were palaces. Given the grand structures like the Bara Imambara, Rumi Darwaza and Chota Imambara, I expected to…
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Holi Festivals is the most fun festival in India. However, if there is one place you need to enjoy Holi – it is in Braj Bhumi or Mathura Vrindavan. What is Holi Festival?Colors of Holi – Mathura Vrindavan, Stock Photos – AJP /…
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Ancient Temples in Prayagraj are hardly known outside the city. We know the city for the Holy Sangam of Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati – The Triveni Sangam. When I visited the city for Kumbh Mela, I wanted to visit its ancient temples too.…
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