Faith...

Faith am told can move mountains. But did you know it can move oceans.....

Haji Ali mosque in Mumbai is built in the middle of ocean! Just imagine.. A mosque in midst of Arabian sea...  

The path connecting Haji Ali to the land is accessible only when the tides of ocean are low.  All of this seemed so mystical to me that I definitely had to make a pit stop here during our Mumbai Visit.....

I sadly do not have any pic that will do justice to this place...

And thus comes to and end my posts of the Mharashtra Road Trip.....

Linking this to AtoZ challenge  F is for Faith

Eating in Kolhapur..

Kolhapur was the pit-stop on our Bangalore-Mumbai road trip. Of course, it was a conscious stop considering this place is synonymous with its non-veg cuisine :).

This is how our dinner plate looked like that evening. Now, this is the interesting bit - you'll see two kinds of gravy - the red and the white one.  The white\green gravy is called "Pandra Raasa" and its mildness is the perfect foil for "Tambda Raasa" which is a fiery hot red gravy!

For breakfast next day morning, we landed at Phadtare Misal Paav. This is a no-frill, modest eatery open only for breakfast and the only item in the menu is Misal-Paav. Its rated as one among the best in  Kolhapur and it truly didn't disappoint( Of course am no expert on Misal, but it was definetely lip smacking good).......

Of course, no trip to Kolhapur is complete without picking up these famous Kolhapuris....

 

Linking this to AtoZ challenge  E is for Eating@Kolhapur

Dilras Banu Begum @Bibi Ka Maqbara

The beauty of Road trips are the hidden gems that you chance upon! Look at one that we happened to chance upon in Auranagbad........

This monument is called Bibi Ka Maqbara or locally Mini Tajmahal. I haven't yet had a chance to visit Taj Mahal yet ~~ but am told this is a true replica(though less grander) of Taj Mahal...

"Bibi ka Maqbara" was started by Aurangazeb in honor of his first wife, Dilras Banu Begum and was completed by his son. Co-incidentally, it was designed by Ata-ullah, son of Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, the architect of the Taj Mahal.

Couple of Kms away from this place is Bhadra Maruti Temple - A temple that has a strong sufi influence The folk singers who pepper this temple courtyard are a pleasure to listen to - I have posted about it in detail on Cory's blog  few weeks ago(Do listen in to the video there)...



Both thee places can be clubbed up along wit Ajanta - Ellora Caves


Linking this to 2014 AtoZ Challenge - D is for Dilras Banu Begum, the queen whose mausoleum is Bibi Ka Maqbara 

Caves of Ellora

And with this post comes to end the Ajanta - Ellora bit of the travellogue. Did you know that these caves are separated by a good 40 Kms.....

Ellora caves are synonymous with "Kailash". Can you believe that this entire gigantic structure is carved from a single rock! All the pics you see below are of "Kailash" and they do not even cover half of it....

 

 

Ellora thou is a famous world heritage site, the place sadly lacks the basic Travel infrastructure in terms of Stay and food. The only saving grace is Hotel Kails - A boutique hotel that's a stones throw away from Ellora. I highly recommend this place - it definitely adds to the overall experience......

Also of interest to Hindu travelers is the fact that one of the twelve jyotirlings - Grishneshwar - is located hardly a kilometer away from Ellora Caves.

Linking this to 2014 AtoZ Challenge - C is for Caves of Ellora

Buddhist Caves - Ellora - Part 1

Did u know Ajanta & Ellora caves were rediscovered by accident. History has it that they were built centuries ago, but were later abandoned and soon forgotten. It was in 1819, that a British Hunting party sighted these caves purely by accident and the excavations have been going on since then.....

Ellora caves are widely spread out and need a minimum of one good day to traverse through. Unlike Ajanta Caves which are all Buddhist, Ellora caves have Hindu, Jain and Buddhist figures engraved in them......

There are 34 caves in all at Ellora, out of which the first 12 are the Buddhist caves.....

 Linking this to AtoZ Challenge - B is for Budhhist Caves @ Ellora

@Ajanta

Am starting this season of AtoZ with stories from my road trip in Maharashtra that we did late last year. The caves of Ajanta and Ellora is what lured Pheno to do this back-breaking road-trip(
Mumbai - Bangalore is almost 1200km one way)........ So A is for Ajanta....

Caves of Ajanta are not just another tourist attraction but also holds religious significance for Buddhists across the world. The day we were visiting, the place was teaming with Buddhist Monks from Thailand.....

Did you know, Ajanta caves is full of priceless fresco Paintings? I for one didn't know about it. The painting of Padmapani with Louts takes the cake though.....

The sculptures from that era leaves me in awe.... Considering they are from centuries ago and they must have just had the basic of the tools to chisel these out.....

 

But my favorite should be this reclining Buddha ... the peace it exudes............

I was definitely awed by this place! Next time you are in Mumbai or Pune, do make a weekend trip to this place....

And thus we kick-start 2014 AtoZ Challenge - A is for Ajanta

Slice Of Life: AtoZ Challenge Theme!

AtoZ is almost here! Unlike last time, when I joined in at the nth moment and ran around like a headless chicken, this time I'm more planned (or so I think!). Of course all the credit goes to the cheer leaders at WT who are known to be tough taskmasters (:-P)

Speaking of WT, it has got me so addicted to fiction writing that I realize I have not done justice to the loves of my life - Books, travel and food........

Revealing my AtoZ theme - "SLice Of Life" ...

Munch(my Nephew) can be the eye-candy in this collage no :)

Head over to Vidya's blog to know the themes of rest of us participating....

Darkness to Light....

Today is a guest post by a dear friend. A friend who I associate with "Generosity" - after all my Kindle, favorite watch are courtesy him. It was in strange circumstances we became friends but am glad he remained my friend even when the "circumstance" ceased to be! He is a "ping" away at office - and on days when am down or downright bored - he is the man to go to :).  A man of few words(atleast when you met)  - he amazed me with his writings. Hidden deep somewhere is a philosopher - I wish he would write more.....

Over to him for his post on IWD....

It was a bright sunny day. A perfect day to spend time outdoor, the options are numerous, cricket?? football?? beach?? fishing?? long ride?? long drive??... the list goes on but something in my mind prompted me to go and experience the vastness, harshness & the calmness of the sea. The decision was indeed easy I decided to go with it..

Now I cannot just run into the vastness of the sea. First I packed some grub and loads of water. A bottle of sunscreen lotion, shades, cap and a fishing rod ...I think I am good to go. I rented a motorboat from the adventure club outlet near the beach and with their assistance I started my ride...er I set sail..

I was first amused then absorbed into the vastness of this giant creature we call an Ocean/Sea, gradually the beach and the people were becoming a distant memory. With every moving second the bright sunny day was turning into a cold windy and darker day. The next second I could feel myself lifted 500 ft and the following second a huge wave came crashing down my boat and the immediate second that followed was filled with emptiness.

The next moment was that of submergence. As I gradually went down and darkness set in, reminiscence of all things good made way into my empty & wet mind. This feeling of submergence was familiar, was not the first time ... I remember the helplessness of a newborn and the hand that pulled me to her warmth. I remember the helplessness of a boy and also the smile of an angel that pushed me through. I remember the struggle and helplessness of a young man and the soft shoulders that calmed me every day. Now I see another hand that is gradually pulling me and there I was in the arms of my sweet heart with coffee n toast beside me . She kissed me good morning and I woke to a wonderful day yet again.,, and indeed it was a good day,,, a sunny day,,,, time for outdoors., a walk by the beach with my sweet heart is all that is on my mind.

Every passing day and every passing moment, you have pulled me from darkness to light. You continue to inspire me to live another day another moment...

Do head over to his blog and tell him how beautifully he writes.....

Linking this to Day 7 of WT Fest ..... And with this comes to an end third edition of WT Fest of Words!I had an absolute whale of time during this fest.....

Chandru's Pink Elephant...

Two-year old Chandru dozed off - cuddled up with his favorite pink-elephant.

A tight slap woke him up - Chandru whimpered when he saw the stick in his mother’s hand. He knew these toys that his mother sold on streets for a living, were out of bounds for him. But the child in him refused…

Link this 55 word fiction to Day 6 of WT Fest....

Family HeirLoom

In this post written a good three years back, I grieved about not having a hand written letter from my father... Here is an excerpt from the post...

Today when my dad is no more, all the memories I have are in my heart and may be a few pics that will speak for themselves. Isn’t it sad that my child will never have a chance of knowing him better especially considering what a beautiful writer my dad was........

But what I do have is this souvenir (this plank was stenciled and laminated by him) in which he had engraved the principle that truly governed his life and was a permanent resident at his office table!  Today it endows my home, at a place where I set my eyes as soon as I wake up in the morning..... My Kitchen window. A good piece of wisdom  to take in as I brew my cup of morning tea rt :)

This souvenir in indeed an inspiration for me... On worst of my days, I take a deep breath and read this aloud - The day suddenly seems more bearable.....

 Linking this to  Day 5 Of WT Fest of words - "An Inspiring Story" .


 This post is also my entry for the ‘My Most Memorable Memento’ contest conducted by My Yatra Diary travel blog and Indian Coupons.". I tag Pixie, Aditi, Ishi to share their most precious souvenir and its story...