Heritage – VAGABOND IMAGES

Ranthambore Fort: Red lake, langurs and a Ganesha with three eyes

Upendra SwamiOctober 25, 20202339 Views11

It is said to be one of the strongest forts in India. It isn’t a surprise as a fort sitting on a hilltop with deep trenches on three sides, surrounded by many other hills covered by severely dense tiger infested forests could have been nothing else but a very formidable one. Currently the fort is right in the middle of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and National Park. It is said that this region was part of the Chahamana Kingdom of Shakambhari. Shakambhari is where present day Sambhar is. Those who have visited Sambhar Lake will know that there is a very famous and revered Shakambhari temple at Sambhar. The kingdom ruled the many parts of the present day Rajasthan for many centuries until the 12th century. Some historical references say that Chauhans were derived from Chahamanas. Th...

IndiaPhotogallery

How all the fountains at Taj got their water from Yamuna!

Upendra SwamiJune 11, 20202061 Views2

So like me, many of you would have visited Agra and Taj Mahal a number of times, may be. And, each time you would have been so engrossed in admiring the beauty of the marble marvel that you might have easily ignored all the other details of this huge Taj complex, such as its beautiful fountains. Quite unjustified, isn’t it! Gardens, fountains and the channels add to the glory of Taj Mahal Although nothing can undermine the beauty of the white mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, but you can’t deny that surrounding gardens and the fountains add to the glory of whole structure. That is the reason, why Taj Mahal is also a ‘rauza’ as per Persian principles- a tomb with a ‘charbagh’ (four cornered squared gardens), fountains and channels. So were the many other tombs of the M...

IndiaPhotogallery

Lockdown reads: Walking down the Agra’s necropolis, in the shadow of the Taj

Upendra SwamiApril 5, 2020725 Views0

Walking around Taj Mahal is like roaming within different layers of Mughal history. Once you start peeling off these layers, you get to know—one after the other—many lesser known facts and events of the period which was largely overshadowed by a single story of love. As one of the curators of our walk, Shradha Arora would say it as the ‘shadow of the Taj’, a ‘necropolis’ where all dead lay buried, including the other queens of Shahjahan, all of whom have largely been forgotten. We all know about Mumtaz Mahal and the story of Taj Mahal. In an earlier post we also talked about the first wife of Emperor Shahjahan. Kandahari Begum, as she was know, has her tomb at Sandali Masjid complex on the other side of the Taj Mahal complex, but not the part of it. We are now going to talk about other...

India

Where a Shah Jahan’s queen lies in solitude on the other side of Taj

Upendra SwamiMarch 13, 20201621 Views8

At a very remote corner just outside the boundary of Taj Mahal complex towards its Eastern gate, when you climb the narrow stairs of Sandali Masjid you get an eerie feeling. With monkeys and dogs around, what attracts you more is the presence of a big number of cats, many of them black. Sandali Masjid is also called as Kali Masjid. Mosque is at the one side of the complex, with its back towards the Taj complex across the road. While right in front of the mosque, in the middle of a garden is an octagonal tomb. Its onion shaped dome in white marble signifies that it belongs to someone from the royal family. We are told that it belongs to the first queen of the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan- Kandahari Begum. Platform of Kandahari Begum's tomb You will hardly find any tourists here. F...

IndiaNews

When story transcends literature and becomes an art and drama

Upendra SwamiFebruary 8, 2020507 Views0

We all have listened to stories in our childhood. And, I am certainly not talking here about text book stories but about bedtime stories listening to grandmas in particular. It never used to be a simple narration. Grandmas will be sourcing all elements of theatrics to make it as dramatic as possible. That used to be its most fascinating part even if content in the story was good for nothing. That is perhaps the strength of story telling. A very good content can be very boring to listen, while an ordinary story can be made captivating by a story teller. And, it has nothing to do with being a kid. A good story mesmerises adults equally. Fortunately, art of storytelling has seen a great revival recently. From audio stories to story telling festivals, people are enjoying it. Udaipur Ta...

India

There would have been no Jaisalmer without Gadsisar

Upendra SwamiFebruary 3, 2020674 Views2

In the maps, Gadsisar Lake of Jaisalmer is said to be as big as the city itself! Besides size, it also shares most of its age. In about 800 years of the existence of the city, this lake has been there for almost 700 years, quenching its thirst! Neither of them would have existed for so long without the other. Just outside the Gadsisar Lake (stone spells it wrong) At a glance around you can see the huge mounds of sand on the other side. Even if you approach closer, you will feel as if you have reached the edge of the desert. But, it actually is the high and long bund of the Gadsisar Lake. Moving ahead, you will find a huge arched gateway with two watch towers on either side, five beautifully carved oriel windows and one big entrance and two smaller ones on the either side of it...

IndiaPhotogallery

Lodurva, a temple to see and a love story for delight

Upendra SwamiJanuary 28, 20201044 Views2

The vast barren dunes of Thar are strewed with many mysteries of history… many of them untold, a few unexplained. A lot of it might be because of absence of more written account of those times. Erstwhile capital of the Jaisalmer Rawals- Lodurva stands one among those. Nothing remains of the capital city, but for a beautiful Jain temple. The deserted ruins of Lodurva, the Bhati Rajput capital before Jaisalmer, are 17 km northwest of Jaisalmer and 10 km beyond Amar Sagar. Lodurva itself is on the banks of river Kak. Shikhars of temples as seen from outside There would have been a perfect logic for any strongman to rule this place. This place was on ancient silk route and entry point to India, hence rich traders would have been passing through here on regular basis. This would have als...

IndiaNews

Madhya Pradesh welcomes you to Orchha with a brand new festival

Upendra SwamiJanuary 11, 20201002 Views10

Adding to its ongoing initiatives to promote Madhya Pradesh as a leading tourism destination in the country, the State Tourism Board will be organising “Namaste Orchha”, a new festival scheduled to be held from 6-8 March 2020, celebrating the cultural landscape of the state in the historic town of Orchha. This will be an annual event now onwards in the MP tourism calendar. Festival was announced in a curtain raiser in Delhi on Friday. View of Orchha from the other side of Betwa river The three day extravaganza in this ancient and quaint town will feature diverse activities of music, art, wellness, travel, nature, adventure, history and culture. These activities would be led by experts in their respective fields with participants comprising invited delegates. An immers...

International

Explore hidden gems of Costa Brava in Spain

Upendra SwamiNovember 29, 2019570 Views0

The Costa Brava is a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain known for its virgin beaches and bays against the scenic backdrop of heavily wooded hills. One of the most stunning coastlines in the country, this unexplored region is only a 2-hour drive from Catalonia’s culture-soaked capital of Barcelona and just a short distance away from some incredible ski resorts. Here’s what you must see with V.R. Costa Brava, a destination management firm that provides immersive local and bespoke experiences in Costa Brava- Girona - Largest city of Northern Catalonia region, Girona has museums, galleries, Gothic churches and 16 restaurants which have a total of 20 Michelin stars making it the highest Michelin star per capita ratio in the world, ahead of Paris, Rome or London. Walk alon...

AdventureInternationalNews

Diriyah going to be new cultural & lifestyle tourism destination

Upendra SwamiNovember 16, 2019473 Views0

The restoration and reimagining of Diriyah, a sweeping 18th century adobe city that once served as the capital and stronghold of the first Saudi State, will be officially inaugurated at a special November 19th gathering. This cornerstone-laying event comes as the country continues its pioneering plans to welcome visitors from near and far, and underlines Saudi Arabia’s mission to showcase the cultural icon to the world as one of its great gathering places. The celebration will formally inaugurate the new giga project known as ‘Diriyah Gate’, a cultural and lifestyle tourism destination for Saudi Arabia with a UNESCO World Heritage Site at its heart. Located on the North Western edge of the Saudi capital of Riyadh, Diriyah is first and foremost, a place that is deeply important t...