TweetCannot ignore Narayan Sarovar despite it being pipped to the post by neighbour Koteshwar. For Hindus, it ranks as one the important pilgrimage places. The lake at Narayan Sarovar is regarded by Hindus as one the five holiest ones including those at Mansarovar (Tibet), Pampa (Karnataka), Bhuvaneshwar (Orissa) and Pushkar (Rajasthan). Legend goes that a drought hit the region, and [...]
TweetWill today be a momentous day? I am headed to Narayan Sarovar, marked as the westernmost motorable point in India by Gujarat Tourism. Turns out Gujarat Tourism is wrong. Koteshwar, 2 kms beyond Narayan Sarovar, is the westernmost point of India. Drive further and you will fall in the Arabian Sea. I have done Siachen in Ladakh and Kibithu in [...]
Tweet By Prashanth Vishwanathan Limited edition prints of this image are for sale. Ordering info is given at the end of the post. Click on the image for a larger view. Meandering in the streets of Haridwar this February, I had this wonderful series of pictures of holy men in various stages of nudity, embracing technology and modern habits, yet [...]
Tweet A tree cutter Prem Subba was working in a forest around the Kardo village (on a hill by the same name), about 4 kms from Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh a few years ago. Unfortunately for him, the tree fell the wrong way. When he went down the slope to retrieve it, he noticed a pointed rock sticking out from [...]
Tweet The Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu is generally regarded by Hindus as the most sacred of all temples devoted to Lord Shiva. Thousands of devotees visit the site every day from Nepal, India and other parts of the world. And on a special day like Shivratri, it is a sight to behold. I was lucky to be in Kathmandu when [...]
TweetEven when sin is for sale, there are no taboos in invoking the Gods to close a deal. Here is the not so surprising part: Walking around in Thamel in Kathmandu after sunset, I had a few boys come up to me and whispering if I would like to smoke hash. No thank you I said. And then one came [...]
Tweet Religion seems to love to create records of its own kind. At Bhairavsthan near Tansen in Nepal, you can expect to see the largest Trident (used by Hindu God Shiva) in Asia. If this is true, it could well be the largest in the world as it is unlikely any bigger exist beyond Asia. You reach the temple after [...]
Tweet This set of photos were taken at the Maha Kumbh Mela (fair) at Haridwar, a once-in-12-year event. The 2010 edition started on January 14 to end on April 28. This photo was taken on January 15. Click on any image for a larger view. It is an occasion for Hindus to come to Haridwar and take a dip / [...]
TweetI am off to the Haridwar Mahakumbh Mela starting January 14. Will be there till January 17. Hope to post some interesting stories and pictures from there. The once in 12 year event will continue till April 28, 2010. The following is a travel advisory and list if important dates I received from a diplomatic mission in New Delhi. Appending [...]
TweetAny celebration in India has to be accompanied with food. Period. Everything else is incidental. Take the Dussehra celebrations in Subhash Park, also known as Parade Ground, located across the road from Red Fort in Old Delhi. Venue of the biggest Ramlila, stage performances based on Ramayana depicting the life of Hindu Lord Rama, you will find food stalls galore. [...]
TweetThe actors in the Dussehra procession have no fancy green rooms with teams of make-up and costume artists. They set up base in a modest guest house in Cycle Market in Old Delhi, and a single person gets to work on them. This make-up artist is Shyam Sharma who single-handedly gets nearly 50 actors ready within a few hours. And [...]
TweetI used to go to watch the Dussehra procession in Old Delhi as child; I must have last gone 25-30 years back. And when I went back this year, I could not help drawing comparisons between the versions I remember and the one I currently witnessed. Here are some key differences: Click on any image for a larger view The [...]
TweetWho are the actors and organizers participating in the Dussehra processions? And what motivates them to be a part of it? Click on any image for a larger view For one, most of them are not professional actors. They are students, businessmen and professionals who stop whatever they are doing for a fortnight to be a part of the festivities. [...]
TweetNo other festival in India is celebrated the way Dussehra is. It is celebrated in most parts of the country, and stretches to 10-12 days. You can witness stage performances of Ramayana, the story of Hindu God Rama, fairs, special prayer sessions and burning of the effigy of Ravana, the demon king slayed by Lord Rama. But few people know [...]
Designed by
Copyright © 2012 Kunzum. All rights reserved.
This site is protected with Urban Giraffe's plugin 'HTML Purified' and Edward Z. Yang's 
. 46399 items have been purified.
RSS
Email
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
Flickr
YouTube