We visited Borobudur temple in the third leg of our Indonesia trip, when we were stationed at Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta is the biggest city close to this UNESCO world heritage site. Borobudur at Magelang in Central Java province of Indonesia is a Mahayana Buddhist Temple built in 8th and 9th centuries. It has been recorded as the largest Buddhist Temple in the world. But not just that... it is not just because of its size. It is considered to be one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world and for that matter, among the greatest monuments in the world. Complex is huge and very artistically and geometrically built. It wasn't possible for us to see it from the top, but this aerial image (below) taken from internet gives an idea of what this structure is like. In the image below yo...
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Well, India shares a lot of its history with Sri Lanka - since mythological times! Ditto with Buddhism, which spread from India to Sri Lanka. As a traveler Indians will often feel home there. Kandy is beautiful place to be for the tourists for elephant orphanage of Pinnawala near by and also for its Royal botanical garden. Kandy is in heart of Sri Lanka - virtually as well as actually. Geographically it is in the centre of the emerald island nation. Kandy is also famous for Dalada Maligawa temple known also as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha (image below). The temple is located in the royal palace complex (image below) of the former kingdom of Kandy. In the buddhist nation, this relic was held in such a high esteem that it w
Read MoreSummer in the northern part of India seems to be peaking a bit early. Such a weather instigates desperate search for cooler vistas. With annual summer vacations just round the corner, we bring you our choice of top ten ideas for the month of May- first of India’s traditional two months of summer vacations. Many festivals around and a few adventures to calm you down. Go ahead. 1. Malwa Festival, Indore, Ujjain Celebrated with great enthusiasm, Malwa Utsav is one of the biggest and most spectacular events of Madhya Pradesh. The festival restores the age old culture and the tradition of India through its various classical dance performances and traditional music. Performers and entertainers from different parts of India charm the cities of Indore and Ujjain for a remarkable five day cel
Read MoreThese are tough times, when there is a big tragedy so close, as seen in Nepal. Wouldn’t it have been first choice for many of us to visit in summer vacations, had it not been for this earthquake! In this modest mood we bring you our choice of top ten ideas for the month of May- first of India’s traditional two months of summer vacations. Many festivals around and a few adventures to boost the adrenaline. Go ahead. Escape the heat at Coorg Escapade A perfect one for those who love fitness and the great outdoors. Organised for the first time in 2014, the Coorg Escapade is set out to be India’s premier outdoor sports festival. Last year the Coorg Escapade was but was restricted to a 10K Trail run. This trail run took runners through coffee plantations, waterfalls and hills. Focus was o...
Read MoreOne of those things which you crave to have photo of as a photographer- this idol of Buddha in Embrace was my that moment. On trek to Sandakphu in West Bengal, there is a small village named Meghma (in the clouds) because it remains surrounded by clouds all over most of the time. Village is so closed to Indo-Nepal border that half of village falls within the Nepalese territory. There we found this monastery from one of the schools of Vajrayana sect of Buddhism. Nobody there, had tough time in getting somebody to open it, and when it did, it was a true delight. ...
Read MoreBhutan is considering using Guru Padmasambhava in their tourism promotions to attract more tourists from the neighbouring Himalayan regions. Guru Padmasambhava, also known as the Second Buddha, was a sage guru said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet, Bhutan and neighbouring countries. This all even when Bhutan has all other advantages to become a tourist hot-spot. It has some of world's greatest trekking and mountaineering routes, breathtaking landscape, peace & tranquility, friendly people, exclusive culture, worldlife and easy entry & exit policies. Although Bhutan is a Buddhist country and get inquiries about Buddhist Pilgrimage Tourism, it has no connection with the historical Buddha. It can’t even claim that he came to Bhutan! Hence, it wants to promote Gur
Read MoreNako is a high altitude village in Hangrang valley (Himachal Pradesh, India) on way to Spiti, situated at more than 3200 metres. It is a historical village known mostly for its monastery. Part of the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, Nako is on the way to Kaza, just before Malling and almost eight kilometres after Kah zigs. Location wise this is one of the most beautiful villages of region. Village also has a beautiful small natural lake. Nako is one of the few important stops for bikers going to Spiti valley.. Historical monastery of Nako was established in the first half of the eleventh century by Lochen Rinchen Zangpo popularly known as the great translator Ratan Bhadra. This monastery has four chapels. On entering the main gate and walking clock-wise one can see an ordinary single...
Read MoreHistoric Buddhist sites across eight south-east Asian nations will be mapped out and compiled into an atlas to boost tourism potential, an official said. In accordance with the Indo-Thai initiative, the National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) is scheduled to complete the mapping project in two-to-three years spanning a plethora of Buddhist sites in countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Indonesia, India and Thailand. The mapping would be done with the help of remote sensing data available and through various facts and figures available in the cultural texts and records of various countries. The Department of Science and Technology-funded project will take into account remote sensing data through images from Cartosat, which are earth observation satellites develo...
Read MoreMahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar province of India, reopened Monday evening. This world famous UNESCO heritage site was rocked by series of explosions on Sunday early morning, which left three people injured. Visitors were allowed in the temple after thorough search by security agencies. Thousands of people thronged the temple immediately after the gate was opened. Blasts did some damage to India's one of the most visited tourist sites. Reasons are still being investigated, and it is still too early to say that who was behind these blasts. Few more pictures from the explosion and its aftermath- ...
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