Ranikhet, a perfect getaway of Himalayas

Ranikhet is in Uttaranchal and a perfect hill station to visit. Ranikhet is a very silent and beautiful weekend getaway from Delhi. It is 58 km away from Nainital. Its story goes like this; many years ago, a beautiful Kumaoni queen Rani Padmini fell so deeply in love with the green glades and meadows of a tiny hill paradise that her king, Raja Sukherdev, built her grand palace there and named the place Ranikhet, or queen’s meadow. My dad have always talked about Ranikhet as a paradise on earth, but today when I see it I understand why dad liked Ranikhet and still now wants to visit it. As I approached to Ranikhet my eyes were watching the best views of all to the left, the ancient, snow clad Himalayas. I wanted to relax under a pleasant sun and gaze leisurely at the beautiful Himalayas with sipping my cup of tea.

There are government orchards at Chaubatia, 10km to the south of Ranikhet. We went with a picnic basket and buy some seasonal fruits from the orchids. Then there was Bhalu Dam which supplies water to the Ranikhet and is also famous for fishing.

From the bus stop there is an Army Golf course at Upat which offers golfing at high attitudes. Also there is an old temple dedicated to goddess Kali from where the town of Kalika gets its name lies just a kilometer away from Upat.

Another 13km down the Almora road this village had many beautiful picnic spots. We wanted to take a walk in the forest so we strolled down Ranikhet from behind the Army Holiday home to the AMU guest house. We liked the walk from the Mall towards this same guest house as we saw many old British bungalows here.

Then a little path took us towards the Kumaon Regimental Centre. The KRC Museum displayed memories of wars that the regiment had fought.

I picked up some woolen fabrics and few small things from the Mall. Ranikhet comprises of two main areas of tourist interests; the Mall and the Sadar Bazzar. The Sadar is full of hotels and guest houses, the crowded ones and the Mall is peaceful place.

Find Driving Direction from Delhi to Ranikhet here..

Mandvi Palace

Two and a half kilometers of beach all to me was my idea of enjoying the camping holidaysMandvi Palace. It is in the middle of 450 acres of mildly domesticated jungle that make up the backyard of Vijay Vilas, the summer retreat of the former rulers of Mandvi, situated in Kutch, Gujarat. It is the only private owned beach in India, with the property extending to the waterline. I have heard that the Mandvi family has refused offers from various chains to take over and the run the palace as a hotel. Mr. Pragmulji III is the current head of the family. I didn’t get to meet him either because he was off campaigning for the elections way over on the other side of the Gujarat, but when we spoke his enthusiasm for the place was evident. He liked the idea of tents instead of making sculptures so he and his wife designed tents in their own way and got them made locally. It is an accommodation with my family. The waves gambol in the few feet away. I’m at the beach at of 10 pairs of guests at the moment, so it works out to a comfortable 200 meters of beach per couple at peak occupancy. Well, I exaggerate and came to know that the place was also for the day trippers however charging them a fee for access to the beach, so it may not be so deserted.

The camp consisted of 10 tents in a clearing, each sleeping two, a sand dune and a line of scrub and trees separating them from the beach and protecting them from the worst of the weather. Each one is set on its own concrete plinth, a little sit out in the front with a couple of dinky camel leather deck chairs. The styling is reminiscent of royal expedition tents like scalloped edges, carved finials atop the tent poles, awning over the entrance. The tents are set rather too close to each other, with the support ropes of neighboring tents overlapping. The tents are triple layered, a candy striped inner tent, over that a thicker outer, and over it all, a waterproof roof and the lack of natural ventilation is more than compensated for with a high power air conditioner.

Inside, a carpeted floor, twin beds, bedside tables with small storage space, carved wood chairs and a writing table. The chair are nice looking but not to comfortable. Lighting is a couple of lamps beside the beds. At the back, behind the flap, is a largish tiled, walled bathroom, its roof an extension of your tent. Meals are delivered to your tent or you can amble over to the thatched roof restaurant that looks out on to the beach. It served continental, Chinese and Indian.

Overall, the place does itself a disservice with its branding as it calls itself a luxury beach camp which raises expectations way too much. It is no doubt very comfortable and gives fair value for money.

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Chiplun, Break free of Goa

Chiplun lies along the banks of the Vashishti River, just shy of the Konkan coast, almost half highway to Goa from Mumbai. Chiplun is like a host undemanding of its guests but always solicitous. No dazzling attractions force you choose, there are always wide green vistas to gaze upon and beautiful points drive to. Also, enough good food and purchases will interleave your interlude.

You can cover all of Chiplun in 1 day and the other day you can view places outside Chiplun. I rented a car for sightseeing, basically my hotel did the booking part for me, however you can also get the auto rickshaws. Most places are easy to find in Chiplun, despite the fact that most of the roads don’t have names.

Pethe Parshuram Village near Chiplun is a dreamy, times-gone- by air, which belies its uniqueness and its significance to the people of the Konkan. According to my guide, Parshuram, a hot-tempered saint gave up all his land to prove to his guru that he was a true sanyasi. He came to Pethe Parshuram, the legend continues, and in characteristics anger, threw his mighty axe into the churning sea, which at that time, presumably, came right up to Chiplun. The water receded up to the point where his axe landed. Pethe Parshuram is today a clean, one cobbled stone street village that makes a quite living from tourists who come to the temple and buy knick-knacks from the surrounding shops.

Vashishti River is 20 minutes from the highway. You can do boating, and while you enjoy the boat ride you might also view crocodiles. You can fish also for which you do not require a permit.
All restaurants are called hotels in this place and hotels are called lodging so don’t be confused. You can stay at Gateway Riverview Lodge, Hotel Royal Palace and Motel Vanashri and many more.

There are few restaurants like Taj’s Riverside for Konkani cuisine, Pethe Vishranti Graha for papad and there are many dhabas to eat also.

Mahabaleshwar, strawberry fields forever

Mahabaleshwar to me is a place for strawberries, jams, crushes, jellies, you name it and they’ve got it. There is much in common between the hill station and the delightful red fruit. It is the summer capital of Mumbai, which engages not only the strength of its natural beauty but also because of the charming tales spun around its most favored points. It has rugged hills, steep and sudden falls, forests crowded with plant life, rivers that flow every way they please. The fabulous weather here will never make you sweat despite of electricity often playing truant. You can go at anytime of the yearend be assured of a warm welcome and all the hill station experience you anticipated.

You can also take a guide for a tour of the hill station. At Sunset point or Mumbai point adults and children come to ride or about horses. Arthur’s seat is named after British actor Arthur Malet was destroyed in an earthquake in 1967. There is a grilled area that marks the point where Arthur would sit and ponder the nature of the wind. Mahabaleshwar has almost 30 designated sightseeing spots like Hunter Point with its clear view of Pratapgad Fort to Mahabaleshwar’s highest, Wilson Point that offers a spectacular view of the twin peaks of Makrangad. Malcolm point is named for Mahabaleshwar’s first citizen, who loved these hills.

On the Mahabaleshwar Oanchgani road there is a Lake Venna, which is the ideal place for an evening outing after we had done with all points, high and below.
Then there is Mahabaleshwar Temple where ancient shivaling inside the temple is a natural formation and over 500 years old.

The most famous was the Panchaganga Temple, which is situated at the confluence of five rivers the Krishna, Gayatri, Savitri, Koyna and Venna. The water from these rivers pours from the spout of a sculpted cow suckling its young one, and collects below. There were separate outlets of the river at the temple. This natural setting is considered very auspicious and devotees through come here through out year.

Then we went to Morarjee Castle, where Mahatma Gandhi stayed when he visited Mahabaleshwar and there is also few colonial style bungalows built during the Raj.
Mahabaleshwar is excellent trekking city. There were taxes and buses conducted tours but we preferred our own vehicle and used a guide to show us the place.

There is a bustling marketplace nearby where you will find all varieties of jams and jellies.
We stayed at Strawberry country, which gave us a affordable tariff, however there are many more hotels and resorts like MTDC Holiday Resort, Pratap Heritage, Hotel Shreyas and many more.

Mahabaleshwar offers several kinds of cuisine from Chinese to Indian, Continental to Mexican. The Imperial stores are famous for their pizzas and burgers and after having that I suggest to try them once. Then the Aman Restaurant is good for kebabs and tandoori.

Then Archie’s’ strawberry Farm, near Kate’s Point is a great place to glut a few milk shakes and learn a few things about strawberry cultivation.

Amritsar, Golden domes and spicy papad city

Amritsar remains a city of tumultuous bazaars, of all modes of transport nearly missing all kinds of pedestrians, of stray dogs and placidly wandering cows, which seems same as told by my grandmother when I was small. Those who love Amritsar for them Golden temple has overtaken the Taj Mahal to become India’s most – visited monument. At heart’s it’s still the dera of Guru Ram Dass. It’s soul the incomparable Golden Temple, has desecrated and damaged countless time over centuries. Afghans and Mughals sacked the holy city several times, the Sikhs squabbled over it amongst themselves, it bears the scars of the violence of partition, the atrocities of Jallianwala Bagh and operation bluestar bears the scars. Yet each time the city has rebuilt its shrine and itself with unshakeable determination.

As the GT Road eases into the urban sprawl of Amritsar, the first tell tale sign is a rapid build up of traffic. Then concrete boxes replace the green fields. The faith of Harmandir commands continues to dominate the spirit of Amritsar, resulting in an overwhelming atmosphere of devotion. Make your parikrama of the Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib around the golden temple, partake of the langar and move on reassured of the brotherhood of humanity that is this gurudwara greatest gift to all comers. Wash your feet and climb up the marble steps. As you climb down again towards the centre of the complex, the Golden temple is revealed to you in all its glory. The shining façade of this graceful gurudwara is accentuated not only by hundreds lights but by the faith and devotion it commands from its followers, many of whom are not even of the Sikh faith.

The Harmandir Sahib consists of two large shrines and many smaller subsidiary shrines. All set around a large tank known as the Lake of Nectar. The complex is a sea of white marble, trimmed with eye- catching features picked out in gold leaf and fine stone inlay. The airwaves are dominated by the sweet sounds of gurbani, the Sikhs hymns. Bathing in the Amrit Sarovar is of course an ancient tradition. The water is believed to have healing powers and so draws the sick and the ailing from all faiths. Bring a towel along if you want to go in for a dip. There is walled off portion where woman may bath.

The streets around the complex are dotted with many gurudwaras and spots of historical interest. The temple is situated in the oldest area of the city, abutted by ancient, crowded bazaars dotted with elderly historical buildings. The Gurudwara Baba atal and the Gurudwara Mata Kaulan are both within walking distance if the Harmandir as is the Guru Ke Mahal where the Guru’s lived when Golden Temple was under construction. Also nearby is the charming Gurudwara Saragarhi sahib.

Jallianwala Bagh is small clearing outside the Old city, is lined on every side by buildings outside a high, unbroken wall. It is very easy to miss the single small entrance to the spot where on April 13, 1919, a crowd filed through this same narrow alley to hear a nationalist speech or two. However Brigadier General Reginald Dyer decided to break up the assembly. He blocked the alley with armored cars and ordered his troops to open fire on the peaceful, unarmed crowd. Over 300 people, including children, died and closed to a thousand were injured. Now its landscaped garden with a museum run by the Jallianwala Bagh Trust. It’s favorite with children, who play hide- and- seek in its hedges. The well has been bricked up, trees planted where the corpses lay. The original boundary walls have also been preserved, complete with the dents circled in white paint and labeled bullet mark.

The markets of the Old city are much more exotic than the main shopping areas of the New City. The Hall Bazaar in the purana shehr and the areas surroundings the Kotwali are vast and traditional shopping areas. Their pickles and papad are famous. The bazaar outside Darbara Sahib is the place where you will found stainless steel cutlery and consecrated weaponry.
Amritsar offers many hotel accommodations from basic to the higher category like MK Hotel, Ritz Plaza, Mohan International Hotel and many more.

Nandi Hills, weekend destination from Bangalore

Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills are flat surroundings plains just outside Bangalore. The hills get their name from the beautiful statue of Nandi standing guard outside the Yoganandeeshwara Temple atop the hills.

Reaching the top is easy as there’s a good, mortable road going all the way up. Nandi hills are the place where laziness can be perfected into an art form. The most strenuous activities here are long ambles along the walkways meandering along the hills.

Tipu’s drop, a near 2,000 ft- high sheer cliff has a gory past. It is the place from where convicted prisoners would be hurdled to their death by Tipu Sultan’s decree. From here you would be able to view Bangalore in the distance sparkling beneath you like a giant rangoli decorated with diyas.
Yoganandeeshwara Temple is the abode of Shiva the ascetic at the top the hills was build by the Cholas. This ancient temple also has an inscription in the name of Sambhaji, son of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Amrita Sarovar is a large tank fed by perennial springs and is called the lake of ambrosia. People visit it in night when it shimmers in the moonlight. Nearby lies the chabootra or platform where Tipu Sultan used to pray.

Nehru Nilaya is the house where Nehru lived in, however now it is a guest house belonging to the Horticulture Department.

Bhognandeshwara Temple is at the base of the Nandi Hills. Nandi hills have only two accommodation options one is the Hotel Mayura Pine Top and the second one is Nehru Nilaya.
Nandi Hills is blessed with a pleasant climate all year round.

Lonavla- Khandala

Bollywood filmmakers discovered the potential of this favourite hill station getaway as a shooting local a long time ago. Conventional wisdom in India says to stay away from hill roads during the rains, however when the rain comes, Mumbaikars take the train to Lonavla, as it pours down relentlessly. As the downfall increases they make their way to bushy dams. It’s the afterwards when people play cards in a cosy room, sippijng rum and eating piping hot bhajias, with the relentless sound of rain beating down outside, the aroma of wet earth.

Apart from being an honeymoon getaway, this is also an outdoor enthusiast’s hotspot. With so many Buddhist caves, forts and rugged hills within easy reach, this is a starting point for treks, hikes and rock climbs.

Bushy Dam is the small dam nestled in the forests just 6km outside Lonavla is far the most popular spot. On weekends during the monsoon, the place is packed with the people as the water running over the steps of the dam creates an interesting waterfall. People like to sit on the steps as the water flows over them however they are not allowed to swim as there can be a sudden surge in water force and level.

Ryewood Park is supposed to be a botanical garden but is a large park. There are lawns, trees and plenty of open spaces for picnic lunches in the cool shade. There is an old Christian cementry opposite the park where some of the gravestones are more than a hundred years old.
Duke’s Nose, named after one of the British government of erstwhile Bombay, is locally known as Nagphani. You can also walk or hike the summit from Khandala station quite easily.

About 15 km outside Lonavla are several Buddhist rock- cut caves and forts. The Karla Caves represent the best example of rock cut architecture in this region, also famous for two rows decorated pillars that line the main hall. Outside the main hall there is now a Koli Temple. Opposite the Karla rigde are the Bhaja Caves. The rock –cut architecture is beautiful here than Karla.

Lohagad, the iron fort. From Malavli station walk 3 km or path an auto to Bhaja village. You wil pass through several gates before you reach the top. You would be able to view the finger like projection of a lava fissure called the Scorpion’s Sting. On the left is the vast expanse of Pawna Lake with Tikona Fort on its left. Tung Fort lies further out in the distance as do Koregad Fort and Morvi Dongar.

Visapur Fort is opposite Lohagad. It’s much larger fort than Lohagad. At the top you will find lots of water tanks, ponds and the double – walled ruins of a chieftain’s residence.

Tikona Fort, at the top of it is an ancient Buddhist cave and some water tanks. If you go early on a winter morning there then you would be able to see Tung Fort clearly reflected in the waters of Pawna Lake. Tung Fort have some water tanks and ramparts and one gets view of Lohagad, Visapur and Tikona Forts and Pawna Lake from the top. We can also view the solitary fort of Koregad which is embellished with e few ponds, stands alone in majestic solitude.

The Lonavla is considered the Lake District of western India because it is having many lakes however all artificial. Many of these are secluded and remote. Tungarli Lake is a small lake just outside Lonavla and is at its best just after the monsoons, though water is still clear and deep right unti; December or January.
Valvan Lake is created by Valvan Dam with some nice gardens but is a restricted area. Then there are Lonavla and Monson Lake which are at its best after monsoons.

There is plenty of opportunity for fishing in these parts. Most lakes are open for fishing except those belonging to Tata Electric Company.

Beyond Lonavla town there are many hotels and resorts like Fariyas Holiday Resort, Hotel Rainbow Retreat, Shiv Shanti Resort and many more.

In Lonavla there are all types of cuisines available in various hotels from Gujrati thali to Mughlai.
Lonavla is also famous for chikki capital of India. Maganlals and A1 are the most famous stores in Lonavla. The chikki shops are invariably crowded on weekends. You can taste each variety before you decide which one to buy.

Rishikesh, Rapid Ride To Nirvana

Rishikesh

Rishikesh is all about the river, the Himalayas, the divine mornings, the starry evenings, the faint strains of shastriya sangeet in the air, sadhus bathing in the river, foreigners in saffron ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ kurtas and the constant chime of the temple bells. It is the unique package for the mind and body.

As we drive from Haridwar to Rishikesh you will first pass by the famous Ram jhula, a bridge swaying above the Ganga waters. People enjoy the experience of it by standing in the centre of Ram jhula and look down at the river to view fishes. Ram jhula connects Shivanand Ashram on the east bank with Swargashram on the west by getting its most popular name Shivanand jhula.

You can also find Laxman jhula, which is easier to cross where Laxman, Lord Ram’s brother crossed the Ganga on the rope. It is the centre of bazaars and crowded cafes. People not wanting just a spiritual break can book the room in this area, which is the most happening part of the town. Across the jhula you will find people feeding the fish through small dough breads. On crossing the bridge, you will find two 13- storey temples Swarg Niwas and Shri Tryambakeswar.

You can also view the Bharat Mandir near Triveni ghat, south of the road from Haridwar between Laxman and Ram jhulas. Going further to 17km trek up the east bank of the Ganga you will find the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple. It is believed that Lord Shiva saved the world by holding poison churned from the sea by the gods and the demons in his throat. And the poison remains there forever, which is why Shiva’s throat is blue. Every March there is a celebration of Mahashivratri here.

Rishikesh has gained popularity, especially between foreign tourist and the NRI as a centre of learning yoga, Hindu philosophy and ayurveda. There are plenty of ashrams offering yoga courses and the lectures on Hindu philosophy. You can go around the east bank of Laxman jhula to Swargashram to check out the various ashrams.
At the northern end of Laxman jhula you can view the stalls selling the religious audio and video cassettes, kullu topis, kurtas, salwar kameez and jewellery line the narrow streets.

There are many budget hotels in Rishikesh and other famous hotels like Glasshouse on the Ganges, Hotel Ganga Kinare, Hotel Natrajand many more.

Rishikesh is strickly vegetarian and we cannot carry meat or alcohol into the town. You will find many cafes overlooking the Laxman jhula serving continental and Chinese vegetarian dishes.