Blogs from Uttarakhand, India, Asia - page 4

Amit was finally getting married. He had spent sleepless nights thinking about marriage and had even made this his ultimate goal a few months back. So, when a colleague achieves his topmost goal and invites you to attend his marriage 1800 km from your location, what do you do ? Accept the mission and be ready to travel, party, dance, eat and explore. It was a sudden revelation for most of the people (my ex-team is notorious for that) when Amit dropped us an email saying that he was engaged along with the invitation for his marriage. A few of us decided to attend his marriage and started thinking of the arrangements. Amit was extremely excited that we had decided to join him on his momentous occasion and made a host of arrangements to ensure we ... read more

Amongst all the treks in Uttarakhand, Dayara Bugyal is considered to be the most breathtaking. The trek brings us to a highland meadow situated in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand which stands tall at an elevation of 10,000-12,500ft. This lush green expanse of meadows serves as an excellent destination for skiing during winter and is spread over 28 sq km. This breathtaking location is nestled amidst towering snow-peaked mountains. While on this memorable Himalayan Dayara Bugyal trekking tour in India at Uttarkhand, catch sight of the lake of Barnala Tal strewn across the green alpine prairies– in whose reflection the peaks look even more beautiful. The trek starts from the tiny hamlet of Barsu nestled on the Haridwar-Gangothri road which is 32 kms from Uttarkashi. One can settle in any one of the rest-houses or GMVN ... read more

The land of sages and of adventure A place where spirituality meets leisure: it's rishikesh For Delhites, a weekend' s perfect getaway is Rishikesh. One need not even have a plan for a trip to this place. I planned at night and by 12 in the noon next day I was off for Rishikesh. It's hardly 200-250 kms from Delhi and requires 6-7 hours in a bus. Its a complete vacation of an aam Aadmi. A private vehicle takes even lesser. But if you are going for the purpose of refreshing yourself then I recommend you to take a bus and leave the tension of driving on to the state bus driver. The bus ticket ranges from 500-800 rupees depending on the ac or non ac requirement. If you are traveling in summers -March, April , ... read more

Himalayas had always intrigued me. Snowcapped mountains, towering peaks, pristine beauty comparatively untouched by man, mystical places, home to many sages, rare medicinal plants and unpredictable weather had all created a fantasy and longing to visit the world’s tallest mountain range. Being accustomed to the comforts of city life we were not sure if we could handle the difficult terrain and the majesty of the Himalayas. So we decided to start with just 2 dhams instead of the usual 4 dham yatra taken by devoted pilgrims. From Bangalore we took a flight to Dehradun. A local taxi took us to Rishikesh@ Rs.1200. We stayed in Rishikesh for 2-3 days and then hired taxi from a local travel agent. The char dham yatra generally starts with Yamunotri followed by Gangotri , then Kedarnath and finally Badrinath. However ... read more

Hindus celebrate Shivratris every month on the day before the new moon. Mahashivratri is the most spiritual of these because of a natural peak in energy on the day that falls in February/March. It is especially significant for those on a spiritual path or journey or who have particular ambitions. Mahashivratri, 'the Great Night of Shiva' is a solemn festival of remembrance, observing 'overcoming darkness and ignorance' in the world. We should be so lucky. It is observed with chanting, prayers, fasting, yoga and meditating, among other things. Devotees keep awake all night, visit one of the Shiva temples or go on a pilgrimage to Jyotirlingams. As has been previously stated, I am not a good meditator. So I tried some yoga and like single ladies across India I prayer for a husband like Shiva (described ... read more