Its monsoon time. Bit late this year again like last year, but trying to cover the peninsular India, just in nick of time. Time for some romance and some adventure. Actually brave ones find this the perfect time to hit the roads. Schools are open, hence the official holiday season ends, but not for the diehards. Besides, there are many festivals in the line-up. There are many places like Ladakh which can be visited just at this time of the year. My Top 10 list of ideas for this July…. Embark on Amarnath Yatra One of India’s most famous annual pilgrimages, to what is considered as one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism. The Amarnath cave is surrounded by snowy mountains, situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft), about 141 km from Srinagar. The cave itself is covered with snow most
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Beautifully laid untouched snow on top of the hill! An amazing 360 degree view of natural splendour in clear blue skies. Gorgeous unhindered spectacle of himalayan ranges from Himachal to Chaukhamba to Trishul and Nanda Devi right in front of your eyes. No mess of a tourist place. Calm and seclude and above all this altitude of almost 10 thousand feet so approachable as a just 45 minutes cool trek from main motorable route. Seems surreal, isn't it! And it is in India. Wanna be there? Drop down at Kaddukhal on main Mussorie-Chamba road in Uttarakhand and take a one and half kilometre trek through to top, to Surkanda Devi temple. Its amazing! ...
Read Moreबड़े हिल स्टेशनों की चमक-दमक में अक्सर हम उनके आसपास की ज्यादा खूबसूरत जगहों को भूल जाते हैं। सैलानी ज्यादा लोकप्रिय जगहों पर ही आकर अटक जाते हैं। ऐसी ही बात सुरकंडा देवी के मंदिर के बारे में भी कही जा सकती है। सुरकंडा का मंदिर देवी का महत्वपूर्ण स्थान है। दरअसल गढ़वाल के इस इलाके में प्रमुखतम धार्मिक स्थान के तौर पर माना जाता है। लेकिन इस जगह की अहमियत केवल इतनी नहीं है। यह इस इलाके का सबसे ऊंचा स्थान है और इसकी ऊंचाई 9995 फुट है। मंदिर ठीक पहाड़ की चोटी पर है। इसके चलते जब आप ऊपर हों तो चारों तरफ नजरें घुमाकर 360 डिग्री का नजारा लिया जा सकता है। केवल इतना ही नहीं, इस जगह की दुर्लभता इसलिए भी है कि उत्तर-पूर्व की ओर यहां हिमालय की श्रृंखलाएं बिखरी पड़ी हैं। चूंकि बीच में कोई और व्यवधान नहीं है इसलिए बाईं तरफ हिमाचल प्रदेश की पहाडिय़ों से लेकर सबसे दाहिनी तरफ नंदा देवी तक की पूरी श्रृंखला
Read MoreA morning after rains in hills of lower Himalayan region near Chamba in Uttarakhand. Clouds forming over Bhagirathi river! ...
Read MoreWhat is now a huge reservoir for Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand In India, there not so long ago used to be Tehri town at the confluence of Bhagirathi and Bhilangana rivers. A town with hundreds of years of living history was given a watery grave for a mega hydro-electric project despite all hue and cry by activists & environmentalists. This himalayan belt is already a high-seismic activity area. A strong local movement notwithstanding against brute state power driven by strong urge to have development at any cost, Tehri town alongwith more than hundred odd villages was finally submerged in 2005. Today only history remains... Overlooking Submerged History... An account from Sursingh Dhar http://vagabondimages.in/2013/06/14/overlooking-submerged-history/
Read MoreIf you don’t like to be alone and secluded in hills, still would like to have some great views than Sursingdhar (close to Chamba in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand in India) is the right place to be. Dense pine forests around will still keep you away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It is a delight for your eyes. Sprawling on the hill towards the left is New Tehri town. After dusk the lights of this young town along with Bhagirathipuram (‘B Puram’ as locals call it) will give you a perfect feel of star gazing. Down further, you can see the Bhagirathi River, more as a mammoth reservoir for the Tehri Dam. Up north-east, you can have splendid view of Chaukhamba and Nanda Devi peaks. Down south you can see hills hiding Devprayag and holy shrine of Chandrabadani. And this all can be e...
Read MoreNot like few other hotspots of the area, but a cool place to spend some quite days. Badshah Thaul has a slice of history and an eye on future. It is actually a educational hub with main campus of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University located right at Badshah Thaul. Just three km ahead at Ranichauri is research centre campus of Pantnagar Agriculture University. Badshah Thaul was historically one of the places, where the (Tehri) king used to have his court (Durbar) whenever he was on move in the area. Hence was derived the name. Now regular local fairs are being held at this place. From Badshah Thaul one can see the hills of Dhanaulti and also the hill where one of the most revered goddess of the region Surkanda Devi is seated. Things to see and do Badshah Thaul is facing ...
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