Tirupati Travel Experience as Newlyweds: A Spiritual Start to Married Life

 

The Journey through 7 Hills.

DAY:1

On Nov 27th, 2014 we  boarded  our train from Khurdha railway station to reach our long time dream & divine destination of TIRUMALA  TIRUPATHY TEMPLE.

TIRUMALA TIRUPATHY TEMPLE -A NIGHT VIEW

                         The most revered temple in Andhra Pradesh which comes under Chittoor district is dedicated to LORD VISHNU .The holy temple is situated on the TIRUMALA HILLS /SHESHACHALAM which has 7 peaks namely

1. SESHADRI
2. NEELADRI
3. GARUDADRI
4. ANJANADRI
5. VRUSHABADRI
6. NARAYANADRI &
7.  VENKATADRI , The  main temple is on the Venkatadri hills. ..                                                                                                    
                          The story of Lord Venkateswara begins when all gods,goddess and saints in the Devlok(heaven)decide to perform a grand pooja (offering).But then they were baffled, as among all the Gods who was the most worthy to offer the pooja. Therefore, to make a decision the main saint among them Saint Brugu sets on a journey to take a test of all the Gods.Lord Brahma ,Lord Shiva and all the other gods fail in his test and finally he reaches VAIKUNT, the abode of Lord Vishnu.Lord Vishnu wins his heart by paying him proper homage but Goddess Lakshmi gets hurt because of the abuse lord vishnu has to suffer and she alights from VAIKUNT & goes to  Karavirapur to lead the rest of her life & starts meditation. Lord Vishnu becomes crestfallen and he too leaves Vaikunt and roams on his vehicle THE GARUDA(the mighty eagle) & finally reaches  Seshachalam(Tirumala hills)as   Lord Venkateswara( an avatar/incarnation of Lord Vishnu)seeking Goddess Lakshmi.Lord intends to  meditate abstaining from having food and water.All the gods then makes a stratagem to unify both of them.Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma disguises themselves as a calf and  mother cow respectively and Goddess Maha Laksmi as cow's possessor and vends the cow to a king in Chola region .The cow begins to nourish the Lord Vishnu  with her milk and finally this act was caught and the cowherd who was blamed as a thief became outrageous and throws an axe to the point where the cow showered the milk.Lord Ventakeswara receives the wound by extricating the cow,so Lord's  head gets injured and the volume of blood which flowed like a stream was such that it could cover 7 hills placed  one on top of each other.This act  made Lord angry and cursed the Raja(CHOLA KING) ,so that he became a beggar. The King then pleaded for innocence and God blessed him & told his curse will end only when Lord will be crowned during his marriage with  Padmavati.

                          In the mean time  Lord was being  looked after by Bakulamalika just as a mother nurtures her son. Meanwhile a king named Akash Raj who was childless obtains a beautiful girl child from lotus and so he names that girl as Padmavati (the one who came from lotus .Padmam meaning lotus)who grew up as a charming  & beautiful princess .It is Goddess Lakshmi who emerged as Padmavati after 12 long years of tapas /meditation in order to unite with her husband Lord Venkateswara (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) . One day during hunting Lord happens to see Padmavati and fell in love with her.With the permission of Bakula devi and Padamavati's parents Lord marries Padmavati. As God has no place to live Lord asks for some land from Lord Varaha Swamy(the 3 rd incarnation of Lord Vishnu)and with the help of Thondiman ,Padmavati's father's brother,who was a great devotee of Lord Venkateswara, a grand temple was constructed on the Venkatadri Hills and Lord along with  Goddess Padmavati begins to lead their life there for  LOKA SAMASTA SUKHINO BAVANDHU (meaning-forblessing the universe for its  well being ,peace and prosperity ).Meanwhile Goddess LEKHSMI understanding the commitments of her husband decided to live in the heart of her husband  Lord Venkateswara forever...

 Note :The entire story of Lord is beautifullynarrated in a book named "Venkateshakalyaan"

                                                                                      We had to travel  hours to reach there.On the way we enjoyed the most in our cabin munching on  Vijaywada (a place on the way,in Andhra)special SAMAOSA  with hot green chillies  & chilled our tummy with lassi(spicy or sweet buttermilk).Wowww...It was just awesome.Some how we killed our time and at last reached the Tirupathi  Station by 3.30 am on 28 t h Nov.After a long 1 hour wait, the Kerala express reached and we met my parents and straightaway hired a cab (it costs 500- 1000 INR) and started our journey up the hill  .

crispy samosa with hot chillies & lassi

There are three choices to reach the top of the hill.............

1.Through the cab/private vehicles
 

 THE ROAD  WAY

       
2.Through the foot/ pedestrian  path  which starts from Alipiri/Sri vari mettu  & will take only 5-7 hours to reach all the way up the hill .Free luggage counters are also avaliable there to transport our baggages up the hill.

Note:They will receive only the bags which have locks on them.

 THE PEDESTRIAN PATH

3.Through APSRTC at very reasonable rates.

APSRTC BUSES

  At Sapthagiri  check point after clearing the formalities we headed straight to  CRO(central reception office) Complex ,from where we got our room keys  as we had  already completed  the formalities for reserving rooms for us through  the e booking site of TTD(www.ttdsevaonline.com and go for accomadation.if you are doing e booking don't forget to take your id's and printed copy of the receipt along with you ) .

SAPTHAGIRI CHECKING POINT

{nowadays TTD offers e booking facilities for booking rooms,darshanas and other poojas{web address:www.tirumala.org} .Its better to reserve the rooms and poojas ahead .}

For us PANCHAJANYAM  guest house was allotted . The  rooms were clean and comfortable.We had a good shower, devoured our breakfast and  were all set for an outing.

Paanchajanyam  guest house

ready for an outing..

The main destinations other than the Tirupathy Temple  which we visited  are

1.SRI VARAHA SWAMY TEMPLE

             As the tale suggests one should  first have the darshan of Lord Bhoo Varaha Swamy(the third avartar/incarnation  of Lord Vishnu) then of Lord Govinda as a token of respect for the Varaha Swamy who lend   the land to the lord to build a stay for himself in the Tirumala Hills.The idol of Lord Varaha Swamy along with his consort Bhoo Matha (the mother earth )  residing on  Swamy's  lap is very beautiful and a mind soothing experience.This temple is boarded  by the Holy Pushkarini Pond/Chakra Theertham on one side and the main temple of LORD VENKATESWARA  on the other side..

SRI BHUVARAHA SWAMY TEMPLE

THE HOLY PUSHKARINI

2.SRI PADAM/SRI VARIPADALU

                    :It is believed as the point where  LORD VENKATESWARA  first set his foot on the  TIRUMALA HILL & left his foot prints there.

INDIAN GIANT SQUIRREL/MALABAR SQUIRREL 

foot prints of LORD

3.SILATHORANAM /ROCK GARDEN

                        SILA MEANS ROCK & THORANAM MEANING GARLAND. It is actually a rock garden & various rocks in there are compared to the Lord Venkateswara's xancus/sankh,the sacred wheel /chakra  and  TiruNamam (the dot/bhindi on Lords nose and forehead)

ROCK GARDEN

4.SRI GOPALA SWAMY TEMPLE
                           
                           :A beautiful shrine with Lord Krishna along with his love Radha Rani as the main deities.

SRI GOPALA SWAMY TEMPLE

On the way back i relished a cup of cool buttermilk with black salt & sabja/basil seeds  and Mr.V with a  cup of hot badam milk.A lot  of refreshing drinks and snacks like tasty raw mangoes with a spicy dip,bhelpuri(spicy puffed rice),dosas (crepes),pakodas & bhajjas(fritters) are available  and with the advent of time we will even get Chinese veg special dishes like manchurian and chowmein which symbolises the development even in this holy land.

buttermilk from  clay pot

hot badam/almond milk

5. PAPAVINASANAM

             :It was actually a sacred waterfall .It is believed that bathing in this water will purify the sins of the devotees and will bring peace & prosperity in their lives.All those who visit Lord Balaji 's temple  in Tirumala will surely  make a visit  to this place.But now considering the security reasons the TTD have made available this water in the form of showers in a more secure place.Such a fascinating pilgrim and tourist spot it was but now spoilt by the devotees bathing spitting and littering .Nothing much to see there.If you have  ample  time you can make a visit to the place.
                                                 

PAPAVINASANAM

 6)CHAKRA  THEERTHAM

       Another sacred water lodged area where we have a shrine for God & Goddess Shiv & Parvathi, Lord Narasimha(lion man incarnation of Lord Vishnu) and some Snake Gods.If you like trekking get ready for a small adventure.

on the way to Chakra Theertham

7)AAKASHA GANGA:
           
                   The name  itself signifies the  Holy River Ganga from originating from  the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu,yet  another sacred waterfall on the Tirumala hills.

                               By 4 pm we arrived  back to our hotel.After having tea and some snacks we  were dresses up to go for the Darshan(in main sanctum sanctorum)It was our first visit after marriage so we dressed up in our traditional attire ie. me in a saree and MR.V in mundu or dhoti and shawl.
                                     
  Note:

1.Those who book/reserve darshan and other pooja tickets through internet are strictly allowed only in the traditional attires like saree/half saree/davani for ladies/girls and dhoti/mundu/pijama kurta for men. They  should also take their identity cards with them to show to the officers on demand.
2.Mobile phones.video cameras/still cameras/pager not allowed inside the temple
3.No drinking,smoking,eating non-veg foods and littering in the temple premises.
4.Do not wear flowers on your head as it is believed that all the flower on the hills are for Lord Venkateswara Swamy.  

TTD offers a lot of  facilities at free of cost for the devotees who reach there from around the world.

1.Free Food & water

The TTD offers free food throughout the day to the devotees.We also got a chance to have the prasadam(Annadhanam- Free lunch offered from temple to the devotees). It is served in batches in a multi story building throughout the day.

builing where free food is served

2.Free transportation by TTD buses in an interval of 5 minutes to important land marks in and around   the main temple.

     

grand TTD buses

3.Free accomdation facilities are also provided by TTD  from the CRO complex,where devotees will get free locker facilities,free bathrooms and toilets round the clock.The amount(200 INR) they deposited will also be refunded when they vacate the rooms.Each room can accommodate 10 -15    people &will be having a common bathroom and fan.                                                                                                        

4.Free medical help is also arranged by TTD in the  temple premises for the devotees in case of emergencies .  

                By  gods grace within a period of 2 hours we had darshan ,got the prasadam  and overwhelmingly we came out of the temple to join the procession of  Utsava Moorthy along with his consorts in the golden palanquin .(the main deity is permanent  in the temple,which is immovable whereas the utsava moorthy or the movable idols are  used for various festival/ poojas  outside and inside the main shrine.)
             

utsav moorthy in golden palanquin

After which we galloped some food and slept  peacefully..
                                                           

a night view from the streets of tirumala

DAY 2:
                                                 From 10 AM to almost till afternoon we were attending the celestial  KALYANA UTSAVAM. EVERYDAY MARRIAGE CEREMONY IS CELEBRATED IN THE  TEMPLE FOR UTSAVA MOORTHY ALONG WITH HIS CONSORTS ,Goddesses LAKSHMI & PADMAVATI OR BHU(bhoomi or mother earth) DEVI AND SREE (Lakshmi Devi) DEVI" FOR THE WELL BEING OF ALL CREATURES AND TO LEAD THEM ON THE RIGHT PATH.             COMMEMORATING ALL THE RITUALS WHICH ARE PERFORMED IN A HINDU MARRIAGE, ARE PERFORMED TO GOD AND HIS CONSORTS.AFTER WHICH AKSHATA(SACRED RICE GRAINS) IS GIVEN TO THE  DEVOTEES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE GLORIOUS WEDDING . Evening was set aside for roaming  on the streets  and to do a little shopping  for our cousins..

DAY:3

It was time to bid bye to Tirupathy with a hope to reach  back to the shrine of the Lord as soon as possible..On a cab we traveled all the way down through the 7 hills.

PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE TIRUPATHY  TOWN 

RUSTIC ROADS

                                                                                                                                                     That day we visited  the famous temples in and around Keezhu Tirupathy or on the valley of Tirumala Hills.

 1)ISKCON   TEMPLE:
           
                  One  among the beautiful temples of LORD KRISHNA which is flourished all around the world with mesmerizing interiors.The  forever chanting  mantras 
 HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE" indulges the devotees in a spiritual ambiance.

ISCKON TEMPLE,TIRUPATHY

ANOTHER CLICK

2) SRI KODANDARAMA TEMPLE {Ram,Sita ,Lakshman & Hanuman temple}

                    The ancient SRI KODANDARAMA TEMPLE is situated in Tirupathi town.In token of visit  of SITA ,RAM AND LAKSHMAN to  this place ,their idols were consecrated .

SRI KODANDARAMA TEMPLE

3)SRI KAPILA THEERTHAM

                  Another  noteworthy waterfall ,of Vedic  importance, cascades   from the Tirumala Hills is the Kapila Theertham. A shrine dedicated  to Lord Shiva is situated besides this waterfall. It is one of its kind in the premises of Tirupathy temple which is  dedicated to Lord Shiva majority being the temples of Vaishavites (devotees of Lord Vishnu).It is believed that the Holy Saint KAPILA resided  here  & worshiped  before the idol of Lord Shiva and hence the name Kapila Theertham. Don't miss  the  other shrines present in the temple premises like  LORD HANUMAN,LORD MURUGAN & VENUGOPALA SWAMY.

KAPILATHEERTHAM

4)SRI KALAHASTI

                    Another  Holy Temple located on the outskirts of Tirupathy town , on the banks of river Swarnamukhi, dedicated to Lord Shiva  is the renounced temple 'SRI KALAHASTI"  which is also known as the" DAKSHINA KAILASAM". This temple  is around 40-50 km from Tirupathy town. Here the Lord Vayu   is incarnated as Lord Shiva and is worshiped as KALAHASTEESWARA. The Goddess Parvati is worshiped here as  Gnanaprasunambika.The name of  the  temple derives from the 3 ardent devotees of Lord Shiva
A spider named SRI
A hunter named KALA &
An  elephant HASTI . This  temple is also famous for Rahu Ketu (the celestial bodies  in the Indian astrology)poojas.

the lofty gopuram on the entrance 

5)ALAMELU MANGAPURAM/SRI PADMAVATI AMMAVARI TEMPLE ,TIRUCHANOOR

                        The temple devoted to Goddess Padmavati (lakshmi) the wife of Lord Venkateswara  is only around 5 km  from the Tirupathy town.It is said that  a visit to Tirupathy becomes incomplete without a visit to this temple.This was our last destination in that Temple city of Tirupathy.We availed special darshan by buying a 50/- ticket.  Once we see the goddess we will be blown away by grace and charm,after all goddess being the lovely wife of Lord Venkateswara Swamy..!
 

  with  new ray of  hopes in our minds & with a strong wish  to return to the  fane we bid bye to the Holy land  ........govinda govinda...          

                   

Best Day Trips in Odisha: Top Destinations for a Perfect One‑Day Getaway

 

The day trips to different destinations in ODISHA                


Odisha,formerly known as Orissa , is a state in India flanked by the Bay of Bengal and the Eastern Ghats on its either sides.This state owns the famous Sun temple which itself stamps Odisha in the must visit place list.

                         We  moved to Odisha in 2014 Nov as Mr.V got a transfer to this place..Some of the places we visited are listed below..

1)THE SUN TEMPLE,KONARK

A  marvelous proof of Kalinga architecture which is built in the form of a giant chariot with 12 pairs of wheels dedicated to SUN GOD(SURYA) in Hindu  mythology.It is built facing the east direction so that the first rays from the sun will fall on the main entrance.We can visualize intricately carved walls, pillars and wheels which will amaze us about the skill and dedication of the workers who built this mammoth structure. No doubt the temple comes under UNESCO world heritage site.

THE SUN TEMPLE ,KONARK 

A CLICK NEAR THE GIANT WHEEL OF THE CHARIOT

Note:Hire a private vehicle if you want to visit the place as public transportation is very weak in this area. Don't  forget to take umbrellas or hat ,water bottles and some snacks and eateries if you are visiting during summer holidays.Light clothes are preferred the most.The entrance and the camera fees are reasonable only.

2)LORD JAGANNATH TEMPLE,PURI

This temple in the city of Puri is one among the famous temples in India built in the typical Kalinga architecture.It is a temple devoted to the Lord Jagannath(the Lord of universe),who resides here along with his siblings Subhadra(sister) and Balabadra(brother).It is the place where the famous CHARIOT FESTIVAL is held every year and is one among the CHAR DHAMS".

MAHA PRASAD(FOOD OFFERED TO GOD) FROM THE TEMPLE

DEITIES IN PURI TEMPLE

 





3)BEACHES IN PURI

xancus/shankh   

              Puri is also famous for its serene beaches.They  are a major tourist attractions of the area as it  hosts the sand art displays as well as the annual beach festival which is very famous throughout the country.It is a wondrous  place for  collecting sea shells and Xancus.

enjoying in THE BEACH 

  from my MIL'S COLLECTION

Note:Beware of  certain anti social elements on the isolated parts of the beaches.


4)NANDANKANAN ZOOLOGICAL PARK

NANDANKANAN  ZOOLOGICAL PARK

                 A must visit place if you are in Bhubaneswar. A place worth spending a whole day without any regrets. We spent one whole day in zoo which is carved out of Chandaka forest. We enjoyed every bit of it. One of the most well maintained zoo,with clean surroundings,ample parking and eatery stalls.Toy train ride,the beautiful garden the aquarium,the reptile park,the aviary and the amazing safari are add ons to the visit.

TOY TRAIN 

A CLICK FROM LION SAFARI

A SNAP FROM THE GARDEN     

     

FEROCIOUS PIRANA

Its the den for a variety of fauna(animals) .We can even enjoy the shades of trees as well as the banks of the river Kanjia flowing beside the zoo.The  zoo protects wide variety of tigers ,the other endangered species like the one -horned rhino,the black buck  etc &offers lion & tiger safari,deer safari and bear safari too.Its a bus ride through well protected fences where we will be in a cage and we can see the animals majestically roaming in the forest.

Note:Its better to go to the zoo by passenger train (10-15 INR )from Khurda Road Railway station as it is very cheap.From there, hire an auto rickshaw which will cost you 50 INR only.{be ready to bargain with the auto  rickshaw drivers}.At the entrance gate itself take the tickets for all the safari inside which will save a lot of time.The most important thing is to take sufficient water bottles ,snacks,and meals along with you.

5)KHANDAGIRI &  UDAYAGIRI CAVES 

The twin hills are bestowed by the amazing historical monuments of the land: the Khandagiri and Udayagiri caves.These rock cut caves are supposed to be built for the Jain monks in the 2nd century.Both the hills have lot of caves in them like the Rani Guha(or the queen's cave ),Ganesh guha etc. It was indeed an exihilarating experience to spend a day in the caves.

 Note:We can explore the caves by walking but don't forget to carry eateries and water bottles as most of the shops will be packed by the people all the time.Beware of the monkeys also.
                   

RANI GHUHA {KHANDAGIRI }

ON THE{L}:UDAYAGIRI CAVES AND ON THE{R} KHANDAGIRI CAVES

6)CHILKA LAKE 

 Chilka lake is Asia's largest brackish water lagoon which is a heaven for thousands of migratory

KALIJAI TEMPLE

birds,aquatic fauna,reptiles & mammals.We enjoyed  a boat ride through this massively spread lake to KALIJAI TEMPLE which is on an island in the lake.Other attractions are the Nalaban island& Dolphin view points.Best time to visit the place is from Oct to June.One can also enjoy the mesmerizing sunset and sunrise views too..

boat ride through the chilka  

                                                                                                                                   

                                   
                               

CHILKA LAKE

7)DHAULI  STUPA/WHITE PEACE PAGODA

     Dhauli Stupa is situated on the Dhauli Giri Hills on the banks of the river Daya.Its a place of historical importance. It is told that the area hosted the famous Kalinga war and due to the horrendous war, water in the Daya river turned red which made Asoka to realize about his foolishness and he threw away the path of conquer and war & embraced the Buddhism.This pagoda was

 THE WHITE PEACE PAGODA

built in remembrance & Asoka turned this
area into an active Buddhist centre promoting his teachings.Another great attractions are the 4 different types of Lord Buddha statues situated on the 4 sides of the round  pagoda.

Note:Best time to visit is during the early morning hours.

LORD BUDDHA'S STATUE IN THE STUPA/PAGODA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8)LINGARAJ TEMPLE,BHUBANESWAR
 

 
   This temple dedicated to LORD SHIVA is the pinnacle of Kalinga architecture.The temple is surrounded by a huge fence made of stones.Once we enter,the inner area, one will come across a lot of other shrines dedicated to many gods like Lord Ganesha ,Goddess Parvathy & many other snake gods.The main sanctum is a HARI HARA LINGAM(half Shiva and half Vishnu).Devotees from all over the country visit the temple during the festival of Maha Shivaratri

THE ENTRANCE GATE OF THE TEMPLE

NOTE:Photography,mobile phones,bags are strictly prohibited inside the temple.                        

                                                                                 

 

9)THE STATE MUSEUM,BHUBANESWAR                                                                         

This museum is a treasure trove,though its under rated tourist spot. It has something for every single visitor.It has alot of sections like Archaeology,Contemporary art,Numismatics,Patta painting,mining, 

ARTIFACTS FROM THE MUSEUM

geology,Art and crafts,Arms,Manuscripts and the list goes on. It is located in the center of the city and is easily accessible with a nominal entrance fee.  

THE ENTRANCE TO THE MUSEUM                                     

10)  ARTS AND CRAFTS                    

            Odisha market has something for each of its customers from costly silver filigree to cheap shells & xancus,from traditional  Patta chitra paintings to  modern  hand  carved sculptures,from hand painted bottles to hand woven fabrics.You can buy  relishing gifts so that the receivers will cherish those gifts forever as a token of love from your part....

TOYS MADE FROM COIR

HAND PAINTED BOTTLES

 HAND PAINTED ARECANUT  CAR ACCESSORIES

the journey continues...!

Journey to Tagore’s Bengal: Bengal Yatra Travel Experience

  BENGAL YATRA: To the land of  TAGORE {Feb,2013)

                         

My first journey after marriage with my in-laws to the land of Tagore is indeed close to my heart.

Our endless evening walks , little romance with my hubby, the intimate photo sessions,our first shopping ,eagerly waiting for his arrival from the office ,roaming in the city  malls,relishing dinners in local restuarants..ahh..what else could be treasured more than this..!

      VICTORIA MEMORIAL
       
I got a chance to visit this landmark while we were in Calcutta.Its a place meant for history lovers which brings back the memories of British colonialism through the paintings, books, statues of British generals and other artifacts that are displayed there.Another attraction of the place is that there are pre-recorded tapes (at extra charges) about almost all paintings sculptures etc that are displayed there  which helps the visitors to gather knowledge in more depth.Apart from the other places which we visited,crowd management was good & one can sit back and enjoy the beautiful garden and the lake view together with the chirping of birds.

 

 

 HOWRAH BRIDGE  

                                                                                                             

  An incredible piece of engineering is all that we can say about this bridge.Its a massive structure majestically built across the river Hoogly connecting the city of Howrah to Calcutta. It is a cantilever bridge,which  is considered  as one of the oldest bridges and engineering marvel across the country.The daily traffic on it is said to be more than 1 lakh(0.1 million). In addition to the vehicles, we can also see all kinds of people wandering on the bridge.like the tourists enjoying & clicking pics for their albums,pedestrians engaged in their routine life, the street vendors selling fruits and other stuffs  for there livelihood. Its an architectural jewel about which every native will be proud of.
                 These yellow colored ambassador taxi cabs are another cute attraction of the city premises.

SOUTH PARK STREET CEMENTARY

A  spooky and eerie place to visit.we were told that it was a very old cemetery & having  the grave stones of many popular foreigners with huge headstone of various shapes and sizes which is not very common in our country...

However a glimpse from the gate itself made me uneasy and in a jiffy i told MR .V that I am not going inside & so we dropped the plan of enjoying the quiet ambiance inside among the moss encrusted tombs & we moved on to our next destination..thank God  :) mm..

SCIENCE CITY

A city which takes us through the fascinating world of science.a must visit place for both kids and grown ups to refresh the basics  of science and to learn new things .it has a science park,a convection center,mirror house ,theater for 3D movies ,aquarium ,cable car ride and many more.Even if you spend a whole day there its worth and better  valuable than spending in a  mall.



THE GREAT BANYAN TREE IN ACHARYA JAGDISH CHANDRA BOSS BOTANICAL GARDEN ,HOWRAH

The journey became terrible as we got stuck in the traffic block.Except for view of the banyan tree & a peddling boat ride we didn't find anything more interesting.But still one can visit the garden for the panoramic view of the this majestic tree standing across  1.7 km,its one of the oldest tree in our country and rather than a tree that area looks like a miniature forest with its aerial roots  spreading across a vast area of the land.

DAKSHINESWAR TEMPLE-the place of peace and power

It was a road cum boat journey ..from Belur Math we sailed in a boat with the locals and traveled through the banks of  Hoogly river to reach this temple.As it was the evening time,we  got a chance to enjoy the sunset, the night view of the city & the Howrah bridge.Once we reached the temple we were overwhelmed as the night pooja (aarti or rituals) was going on and we had the darshan of KALI MA, worshiped as BHAVATARINI  in the temple.
                                  Along with the main temple there are 12 temples dedicated to LORD SHIVA, ghat for bathing ,beautiful garden as well as  some buildings dedicated to the remembrance of  SRI RAMA KRISHNA PARAMAHAMSHA , Belur Math.

DAKSHINESWAR TEMPLE
                                                                                                          

BELUR MATH

ESPLANADE & THE PARK STREET

We explored these two areas through pavements and by a tram  which helped us to witness the local lives of the natives .In the Esplanade you can see a lot of street hawkers selling almost all types of goods at a very cheap rate.If you have the patience to search you can get good stuffs at a very reasonable rate. haha..You guys guessed right..!We did a quiet good shopping from Esplanade as well as enjoyed the local cuisine of Kolkata (thali meals from a local restaurant ) which was tasty as well as at a reasonable rate.

THE TRAM & THE METRO

The pride of Kolkata .The Metro  railway in Kolkata is the first in our country. Its the oldest, well maintained and one of the easiest way to reach places within minutes and an escape from all the chaos and pollution in the city.Our  first metro journey through the first metro rail in our country was indeed a memory close to our heart.

Tram:One of its kind in our country and the oldest tram operating in  Asia,which paves way to observe the historic part of Kolkata .

 DROOLING STREET FOODS

FROM THE TOP LEFT PAPDI CHAAT,PAV BHAJI,DAHI VADA AND GOLGAPPA

Kolkata too is famous for its street foods.We too forgot about the calories and enjoyed the yummy streets foods from the local stalls and food vendors .The must try food includes the pani poori/pucha/golgappa,papdi chat,pav bhajji,samosa,sweet curd matki chai(chai in clay glasses) machi curries(fish curries)aloo subzi(potato stir fry)..the list goes on.. yum yum.

     Tickling our taste buds with chat pata chats & Energizing our mind with piping hot chai  we bid bye to the cultural capital of INDIA..

NOTE:
      1)  BE PREPARED TO BARGAIN
      2)  HEAVEN FOR POTATO/ALOO LOVERS
      3)  CARRY MOSQUITO REPELLANT CREAMS
      4)  ALWAYS BUY WATER FROM TRUSTED BRANDS
      5)  BEFORE HIRING AUTO -RIKSHAS  CONFIRM WITH THE DRIVER ABOUT THE
           FARE AND YOUR DESTINATION POINT.
       
       

       

My First Flight Experience: A Memorable Journey Above the Clouds To Mumbai ,Maharastra

 

                                           MY FIRST TRAVEL ON WINGS
                                             

          I got a chance to travel by air from Bengaluru to Mumbai,on  Aug  15th, 2013.I boarded my first flight from Bengaluru airport with my father-in-law to Mumbai.I was going to meet my hubby after long 3 months.Already my happiness has no bounds and on top of it I was to experience a journey by air for the first time.My brothers dropped us in the airport.After the security check at the entrance we went in straight to the ticket counter and we got our boarding passes.The child in me was so happy that  i got a window seat. Once again we passed through security checking and we waited at the terminal to board the flight.

                   Meanwhile, a lot of worries were flashing through my mind,like whether I will have air sickness or will I have a problem with my ears or nose likewise a long list followed. Still I managed to glue a smile on my face and sat patiently.By then announcement was made for the passengers to board  the flight. I could hear the  lub-dud sound of my heart. I had a mix of feelings whether to be happy or to be worried.We had our ticket verified and then a bus dropped us near our plane.

                 For the first time I visualized an aeroplane beside me .Oh..I felt as if a  mammoth bird resting majestically and welcoming us by stretching its grand wings.As soon as we got into the plane it was noisy ambiance in there as all passengers were restlessly in search for their seats and tucking there luggage in the cabin.All of a sudden everything became silent and I was struggling to  put the seat belt,somehow I did it. I called my father proudly to inform him that we were in the flight and within minutes the plane would  take off.

                 Meantime the cabin crew started  the instructions with demo about how to wear the belt and how to handle an emergency situation. The plane started by a roaring sound and for 1st few minutes it was just like a bus journey but then the plane took a turning after which the speed increased suddenly and butterflies flew in my tummy and adrenalin was rushing through my nerves making my heart beat fast and my hand becoming ice cold.Suddenly I clung on my seat tightly, closed my eyes and in a jiffy we were in air.I felt as if I was suspended in air.Then I slowly opened my eyes and smiled at my in-law assuring him that I was okay and stared through the window.

                                                                                         I was surprised by the view  of the city which  looked like a model and the roads like a line and vehicles like  the tiny toys.As the  air hostesses were  serving the passengers with drinks and chocolates, the pilot welcomed us & introduced his co-pilot & other cabin crew. I began to enjoy the view through the clouds.All of a sudden our eyes were blinded by fog and turbulence was felt.It was just like, we were in a ride in some theme park which swirled and churned us to all 4 directions.I wished to scoop the clouds passing by my side and enjoy its chillness on my cheek. 1 1/2  hours passed & I was in my own dream land.Then we  were told to switch off the electronic gadgets and to tighten our seat belts as were to approach the run way. Landing was a bit relaxing and exciting as well.We landed safely and all of a sudden I switched on my phone and received a call from my hubby that he is waiting to receive us.Finally I got to breathe some fresh air as we came out of the plane. Though the journey of my dreams ended, it was the moment for reunion and rejoice.