Traditional folk dance at Waan during Nanda Devi Rajjaat Yatra 2014. Last inhabitated village on Rajjaat route towards Bedini Bugyal, Waan is famous for its Latu temple. Latu is considered to be brother of Goddess Nanda Devi. Here onwards Latu leads the Yatra till Homkund. The video here is of traditional 'Jhora' in Nanda Devi's praise by men & women in traditional attire. Most special are women ornaments, these ornaments also reflect their social status. Sung in local dialect, group of men first recite a couplet, which is repeated by the women folk. This can go on for hours, the flow of words and rhythm (steps as well) of dance keep on changing, but tempo remains the same. Normally it is a slow paced dance. People keep on joining or moving out of the sequence as per their conve
Read MoreMonth: September 2014
Bugyali horses are very famous and watching a few galloping at a place no other than Aali Bugyal at an altitude of 13K fts could be so fascinating. Not a perfect silhouette though, still worth an eyeful! ...
Read MoreNanda Ghunti peak (6309 mts) peeking from clouds as seen from Bedni Bugyal (3354 mts), a Himalayan alpine meadow in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Bedni Bugyal makes the base for trek to mysterious lake of Roopkund. From Bedni sight of Trishul peak is equally amazing!
Read MoreThe mighty Trishul (trident) peak (alt: 7120 mts) as seen from Bedini Bugyal (alt: 13K ft) in Uttarakhand. Trek to Roopkund and further to Shila Samudra & Homkund from here takes you right in the base of this peak. Left to Trishul is Nanda Ghunti (not seen in this picture). It is one of favorite treks in this region and challenging one too! ...
Read MoreTalking about Gulf is not always talking about deserts, dunes, oil and camel! There is lot more to Gulf, especially country like Oman. Did you know that thousands of sea turtles migrate annually from the shores of the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea and Somalia to lay their eggs on Oman’s shores? The best time in fact to witness this beautiful phenomenon is now. July - October is the peak time for turtle watching in Oman as approximately 30,000 turtles or more lay estimated 50,000 - 60,000 eggs each year in Oman. Oman has five of the world’s seven species of sea turtles: The Green Turtle, found on most Omani beaches & plentiful in Ras al Hadd, Ras al Jinz, Masirah Island & Daymaniyat Islands; the Loggerhead Turtle that nests on Masirah Island, the shores of Dhofar & Daymaniyat Isl
Read MoreHow good it feels when weather clears up after a muggy day of hard trekking. Evening view from Baguvawasa at 14,100 fts. Clouds filling up frame very quickly from top left and bottom right corners, sun trying to show its presence in between dark clouds and far enough a color of dusk. The place, just below mysterious Roopkund is known for presence of Brahmakamal, the state flower of Uttarakhand, found only at this altitude.. ...
Read MoreFamous Pandav Dance of Sutol Village in Chamoli district of Himalayan Uttarakhand. This dance is done by village artists when Nanda Devi Rajjaat Yatra reaches to village on its way back from Homkund to Nauti (It was 4th September 2014 this year). This folk dance has been played here since centuries, remembering incidents from epic Mahabharata. Whole village and returning Yatris of Rajjaat gather at village square in front of local temple at night, while artists perform one after another. Himalayan pilgrimage of Nanda Rajjaat Yatra, termed as Himalayan Kumbh, takes place in not less than 12 years. A culture well preserved in the region, mainly due to its distant location which keeps it at arms length from changes coming in the society... ...
Read MoreMumbai will soon have a cultural hub on the lines of Times Square in New York. It will be developed by Maharashtra Tourism with help from Union Tourism ministry. This open air hub is proposed to be built in Kala Ghoda area of the metro. There are many plans to develop this area. Project has been approved and work will start on this very soon. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture, Shripad Naik has said that Ministry of Tourism would sanction Rs. 5 crore for phase-I of the project with similar amounts for every subsequent phase. This would be over and above what the Government of Maharashtra would spend in creating the basic infrastructure to incentivize private sector parties to invest in the project. The Government of Maharashtra/local authorities, M...
Read MoreA double rainbow as seen from Aali Bugyal at an altitude of more than 13 thousand feet in himalayan region of Uttarakhand. Aali Bugyal is just 3 kms from all popular Bedini Bugyal in Nanda Devi region of Uttarakhand Himalayas. Aali is a beautiful bugyal with a lot of yet to be explored skiing opportunities in winter. View of Nanda Ghunti and Trishul peaks from here on a clear morning is just amazing. Bedini bugyal is just 13 kms trek from nearest road head at Waan. Aali is further 3 km on the ridge. A must see place. ...
Read MoreRajjaat concludes amidst enthusiasm braving tough weather Thousands of people gave an emotional send-off to their mythical daughter Nanda Devi at Homkund at an altitude of almost 16 thousand feet right at the base of Nanda Ghunti peak (in Uttarakhand in Himalayan India), bringing to close a much awaited Nanda Devi Rajjaat Yatra which takes place in not less than 12 years. Called as Himalayan Kumbh and longest religious procession in Asia, this 290 km Yatra started from Nauti near Karnprayag in Uttarakhand on 18th August and ended at same place on morning of 7th September after customary rituals. Nanda was bid adieu at Homkund on 3rd September. Comparing to last two occasions in 1987 and 2000, number of pilgrims as well as the Chantolis (canopies) representing various goddesses in Ku...
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