Blogs from Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia - page 100

...storms, hail, some more storms, diarrhea for heather and a neck sprain for me. But now things are much better. *sigh* of relief. The weather has been outrageous. Watching people's reactions to hail storms was rather interesting to me. I did not understand why people ran down the streets when caught in one, but that mystery was quickly solved. Returning back from work on Monday, I was caught in one. After the passing of a serious heat wave, this one seemed angry. But, really, one should not run - unless you have mastered running downhill on marbles against a stubborn wind. Well, you get to decide- whether you wish to land on your rear or get pelted. I chose the latter. I took refuge in a bus stand, and then when it seemed as though there ... read more

no time to go on internet since travelling and the phone went out of batteries...sorry to those who were worried... not much time now, just to drop a short note. all is well, we're in mcleod ganj at the moment, which is part of the place called Daramsala. we went on a trek on the 7th and 8th up the mountains, and our phones somehow seemed to drain out of batteries really quickly... came back down last night. everyone good and healthy. doing a bit of shopping now. will leave this place tonight, we have an overnight coach, which will take us to Manali. will arrive in the morning on 10th. the phone's also running out of money. the network we bought the card from, Spice, doesn't seem to be very prominent outside of Punjab, so ... read more

One of my volunteer assignments has involved working with an organization called Tong-Len. It's a non-profit organization which provides education and medical support for the families that live in a slum camp here in Dharamsala. The slum camp is named "Charan," and is home to immigrants from Rajistan and Maharashtra, two distinct states in India (the state I am in is called "Himachal Pradesh.") Tong-Len has set up two children's schools in Charan, which we affectionately call "The Big School" and "The Nursery School." Essentially they are two large tents smack in the middle of all the other make-shift tents in the slum camp. The Nursery School holds classes for the youngest children (I think between ages 3 and 5) while The Big School accomodates everyone else (kids between ages 6 and 12 - all in ... read more

After recovering a few days back in dehli i ventured back to the hills. This time not as far as West Bengal. I travelled due north to the state of Himachal Pradesh, home to the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, the historical colonial summer capital of Shimla and the adventure capital of India, Manali. i also bid you all a fond farewell. This will be my last blog update. I have finally returned home after an adventurous 6 months and send this final blog from the UK. ... read more

Brejreshvari Temple, Chamba (H.P) This temple is also of shikhara style built in stone at the entrance of Sarota outside the town dedicated to goddess Vajreshwari. It is known for its fine sculpture. It is believed to have been erected in eleventh century A.D. There is a short tree-line inscription carved on one of the two pillars in front of the entrance of the shrine. There are eighteen brief one-line epigraphs on the outer walls of the temple. An inscription on the pillar records that on the 17th day of Asadh 1992, the work was started in the temple. This work evidently refers to the repairs of renovation of the temple which was probably carried out during the reign of Udai Singh. At the entrance gate there are two dvarpalas standing with staff held in their ... read more