Held every year on Raksha Bandhan, Devidhura Bagwal is a unique festival India is a land of myriad cultures. The different cultures and societies have their own festivals. And, even the festivals common across cultures have different ways to celebrate. Most of these festivals find their roots in mythological stories and legends, therefore don’t feel surprised when I say that even today a festival is celebrated where people throw stones on each other with intent to hurt so that blood is spilled which would eventually make the goddess happy and she will shower her blessings. Barahi Devi temple at Devidhura Festival happens at Devidhura in Champawat district of Himalayan state Uttarakhand every year on the day of Raksha Bandhan, which falls on full moon day of the Shravan (or sawan...
Read MoreTag: Uttarakhand Tourism
Located between Sitarganj and Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, Gurudwara Nanakmatta Sahib is one of the historical shrines associated with Guru Nanak. On the occasion of 550th Prakash Parv (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh religion, lets go on a photo tour of the Gurudwara Nanakmatta Sahib. View of the Gurudwara from the main road It is said that Guru Nanak Dev visited this place during his third Udasi (Guru's travels) in 1514 AD. At that time this place was under spiritual control of Siddhas (Yogis, devotees os Guru Gorakhnath). People also say that, just because of this the place was earlier known as Gorkahmata. Main building of the Gurudwara Guru Nanak's way of spiritual awakening among people was entirely different from what was pr...
Read MorePant museum at Kausani in Uttarakhand isn’t a touristy place as such. In my three visits to this place in the course of last few years, I have rarely seen any other tourist there. Despite, this place being in the heart of the Kausani town with just a few steps to walk upto the museum from the road head. I wonder, if even more than five percent of the tourists coming to Kausani would remember the name of Sumitranandan Pant, although surely most of us in Hindi heartland of India have read his poems in school text books. Ancestral house converted into museum Main entrance to the Sumitranandan Pant museum Actually, we don’t respect our literary persons. They are the ones who guide our intellectual discourse, many of them have been leading lights for various movements but we tend to...
Read MoreLast year, when we went to Shitlakhet, we headed for an early morning trek to Syahi Devi temple. But we started a bit late, and then we had a packed schedule in the day ahead. And, with some clear view of Nanda Devi range consuming lot of our time, we dropped the idea of going till the top and returned mid-way. I had then decided that, I won’t let that happen next time. Hence, when I visited Shitlakhet again this year, I kept the very next morning after my arrival for the trek to temple. What a beautiful day it was, calm and clear. Now, in the hindsight when I look back at that decision, how remarkable it turned out to be, as the second morning onwards, the weather went for a toss. Sun rises while on trek to Syahi Devi temple Morning colours on the snow peaks It gets brighter a...
Read MoreI have always felt that spring is the best time to go to hills, specially in the lower Himalayan region. And, that's not just for adventure trips, but also for the leisure trips to hill stations. It's about weather, it's about brightness, it's about colours, it's about nature and its about views. Everything in abundance. It gives such a jovial feeling when you are here during this time. As soon as the winter freeze gives way to the some warmth, the new life comes out of the earth. The whiteness of winter turns colourful with all types of flowers. Peach blossoms are this region's answer to Cherry Blossoms in East Asia during most this time. Peach blossoms turn the surroundings pink in the spring time. Although it's not so as of now, I think that it won't be too long when pe...
Read MoreRishikesh is one of those places which hold a special place in my life, hence no doubt that I have a special liking for this spiritual township. My first memories of this town are from 1987 when I came here as a teenager and spent more than a week alone in search of myself. That’s altogether a different story, but since then I developed a close affinity to this place. I have come here a number of times since then, and what is significant that almost my every subsequent visit to this place has been part of a defining trip, as much as my first visit here. Magical colours of Rishikesh Haridwar nearby was the more heralded one always- mythologically as well as religiously. It was bigger and more accessible, but it still couldn’t make Rishikesh less attractive for me. Whenever I had a ...
Read MoreHarsil is a land of mystique. Although it still doesn’t have that tourist rush but it has already collected many adjectives, more than many other places in the region. It is often dubbed as mini Switzerland of India. But it indeed is more than that. It is surely one of the most beautiful places in whole of Uttarakhand, but it is actually a gateway to something more beautiful than what we see at Harsil. It opens to some uncharted territories, yet to be explored- some spiritual and some natural. I had heard and read lot about Harsil. But never had been able to go towards Gangotri valley, until in summers this year riding the first ever Bloggers Bus of Uttarakhand Tourism. It could have seemed like a mission accomplished but actually it left me wanting for more. Its not a place to be s...
Read MoreI had been hearing about Shitlakhet for almost ten years now, ever since I started visiting the Almora region more frequently. I even made some flying visits to the village, and had some incredibly tasty maggi. But never got an opportunity to stay overnight and explore the place until last month when I was there as the part of the Bloggers Bus of Uttarakhand Tourism. Although a one night stay is just not enough to do any justice to this place, but we tried to extract as much experience as possible. Shitlakhet is certainly not a happening place. But I can bet, it is unimaginably beautiful. It is just a small village at the end of the mountain ridge. But it is full of adventure and it is certainly a photographers paradise. Hence, I though that it is better to talk about this ...
Read MoreHoli in monsoon and that too with no colours but butter and curd milk! Well, nothing to be surprised. India does have such a vivid culture that there are scores of different festivals held every now and then. Many of them are unique and few of them have roots in remotest of places. Some of these places, which were not known so far are slowly getting popularity due to increased tourist activities. Raithal in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand is one such place. Raithal is popular among adventurers as it is also the base for trekking expeditions to Dayara Bugyal and further. Raithal is also an ideal tourist village also known for its rich history and cultural heritage. Included in this heritage is this festival which is almost unique in Indian traditions. And interesting thing is that...
Read MoreIf I would have been believing in ghosts than I could have said that this ghost certainly loved nature and he lived in most exotic of locations. Ghosts or not, this place known as Abbott Mount certainly had a captivating charm. It did create a magnetic pull on us. As soon as I came to know that there is this haunted place, in no time I was just running on the mountain trail towards that spooky mansion on the top the mountain along with two others. I felt just like a member of ghost busters team on a mission. Other members of our Bloggers Bus team stayed back, few may be because of fear, few due to disinterest and remaining for hating to walk so long. Prelude But there is very interesting prelude to this visit. We reached Lohaghat on fifth night of our roadtrip in Kumaon region of
Read More