The Travel Connection

The short flight from Bagdogra to Paro on the wings of the Dragon was the first time I sat back and started to look at Bhutan closely. This was one of those holidays which was quickly put together and left me little time to explore Bhutan on paper. As I flipped through the pages of the on board magazine, my excitement perked up as i read the following titles. A birding paradise that is Bhutan The bottom line is happiness Where prayers are in the air 84000: Translating the words of Buddha Klu- The powerful mythical serpent being The sustainable relationship to the planet How could I not but think " Tashi Delek (May all auspicious signs come to this environment)" and help myself to it to further reading later. Yes, guilty as charged! Here I was on the way to a honorable country and I do the dishonorable deed. As one of the eight Tashi Dagay (auspicious symbols), Dhunkar (white conch) was already in play and expelling a tiny bit of ignorance at a time. Mam/sir, ...

KING'S GUARD   Ceremonial Soldier at Tashichho Dzong , Thimphu AT YOUR FEET, LORD Humbly yours at Tashichho Dzong , Thimphu SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY The curious Bhutanese Gentleman at Memorial Chorten, Thimphu   CIRCLE OF LIFE Protected by 108 stupas at Dochula Pass THUNDERING DRAGON Tame the evil at Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong SCREEN THY MYTH   Protect thee at the Palace of great happiness, Punakha   PROSPECT   Three dimensional at the Fortress, Punakha       FORTRESS OF BLISS   Overlooking Punakha Dzong   ECHO THE GREEN Valleys of Punakha and Wangduephodrang       WAIT   Line at Paro Dzong     FOGGY DISPOSITION, NO PROBLEM   Pass the Dochula Pass NO NONSENSE   Respect ! Sangchhen Dorji Lhuendrup nunnery VEIL Haze over Taktsang Monastery and an invisible cloak on o...

Three distinct memories will never  leave me after my visit to Thrissur. The first one is the unusually rare architecture of a circular inner sanctum sanctorum Sri kovil. Second is the frescos that adorned the walls of these temple and thirdly the oil lamps used in various locations and for different purposes within the temple complex. Vadakkumnathan Temple is a religious complex dedicated mainly to Lord Shiva but housing several other deities . The circular Sri kovil  with painted substructure, has a conical brass plated super structure over it. The sanctum sanctorum is further divided into three chamber with Ghee adorned lingam facing west and  Parvati facing east denoting the ardhanarishvara concept. Also housed within the main Sri kovil is Ganapathy facing the complex kitchen. What was interesting the circumambulation around this shrine was in anti clockwise direction  and was only 3/4 th of the circle. Was is a temporary ritual as restoration was on? I can...

Leap of faith! An unforgettable moment on my short visit to Thattekad was when the nimble Malabar gaint squirrel  sprang from one tree to another at a height of more than 20 feet. What was even more amazing was that my guide let me know the possibility of this moment much before it happened.The flight from the tip of a slender branch to another was among many moments that got me closer to nature and accentuated the importance of understanding the behavior of  its inhabitants  both the animal kind and the man kind. Now my experience says understanding animals is far more easier than understanding some of our fellow men. Am i wrong? Thattekad had been on my wish list for sometime as it is considered  one of the richest bird habitat in India. The fact that two of favorite activities were offered at one place , made it even better. What was the second activity. Let me get back to it later For the less informed Salim Ali bird sanctuary is situated between branch...

Soul stirring spell , Emotional connection, Cherished moment, Unforgettable memory!  Seeveli at Sri Krishna temple in Guruvayur is all of the above and more. Three caparisoned elephants circumambulating the internal court of the temple complex with devotees following them is a dramatic sight.The most majestic of the three elephants has the honor of carrying the deity. The elephants have on them three very stable well balanced young men each holding the tinseled silk parasols muttukuda,  swaying white tufts vencamaram and peacock feather fans alavattam. All of this is accompanied with an orchestra which  touched me almost instantaneously.  I cannot recall another event wherein I was under its spell so easily. The crescendo of different instruments is loud really loud but at the same time so musical that it touches your heart. I got to know later that the five piece orcestra is called panchavadyam and it includes Kombu, Edakka, Thimila, Illathalam and Maddalam ...

The best part about traveling to Ooty is that the drive through Bandipur, Mudumalai and Masinagudi is worth every minute spent on the road. Time and again i have heard that the drive through these jungles lead to more sightings than taking a safari through the interiors. And we were not disappointed. Like always the spotted deer gave us company all along Bandipur. Mudumalai proved to be even better with our friends elephants, peafowl, langurs, wild boars among other animals dropping in along the highway and greeting us with an smile. I am so tempted to get preachy on how people don't respect the distance factor but let's leave it for another day. As long as we are conversing about roads, it was enlightening to realize that the flat 2d google map is no match for the roadways on the hills. What looks like a straight road will have its curves and leave you wondering where to take the next turn. Was is it just me or has anyone experienced the same. The queen of hil...