tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35509336500926466672026-07-06T19:55:14.063+05:30My Travels Across IndiaAnuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.comBlogger1087125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-70031773304465629442023-12-12T13:04:00.004+05:302023-12-12T13:05:41.748+05:30

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-27850294899521179242023-06-24T13:37:00.003+05:302023-06-24T13:39:11.765+05:30

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com10Bhavan, Katra, 18230133.0308295 74.94904164.7205956638211575 39.7927916 61.341063336178848 110.1052916tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-10167911139912366732023-05-22T19:01:00.000+05:302023-05-22T19:01:11.149+05:30

During my recent trip to Uttarakhand, I was faced with a problem I had never encountered before. We were passing through Delhi, but we had hardly any time in the city. On earlier visits when I have had to change trains/flights at Delhi, I have always arrived in the morning and left again at night, visiting relatives in between. This time, I was arriving in the city at night, and leaving again

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com2New Delhi Railway Station, Bhavbhuti Marg, Ratan Lal Market, Kamla Market, Ajmeri Gate, New Delhi, Delhi 110006, India28.6428915 77.21908940.33265766382115558 42.0628394 56.953125336178843 112.3753394tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-21070622435674249342023-03-21T22:01:00.001+05:302023-03-22T10:46:12.138+05:30

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007. The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs,

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com9Pandharpur, Maharashtra 413304, India17.6805816 75.315503499999991-14.201033725031795 40.159253499999991 49.5621969250318 110.47175349999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-40671657958084889192022-10-21T20:53:00.001+05:302026-04-07T14:03:03.851+05:30

A little bit of context before you begin reading this book review. I have recently enrolled for an MA in Philosophy at the University of Mumbai. Philosophy is something I have been getting interested in, over the past few years, as those of you who have been reading my blogs and Instagram posts would know. During the pandemic, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do next, and this is

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-83208645192236926582022-05-20T20:59:00.005+05:302022-05-20T20:59:52.762+05:30

The Elephanta Caves, located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, about 11 Km off the coast of the Gateway of India, Mumbai, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A visit to these caves, excavated probably in the 6th century CE, is awe-inspiring, and also thought-provoking. Over the years, I have visited the caves a number of times, and also attended a number of talks by experts in the fields of art,

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com15Elephanta Island, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra18.9608385 72.9312921-9.3493953361788442 37.775042099999993 47.271072336178847 108.0875421tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-80406844512581233272022-04-15T12:24:00.003+05:302022-04-15T12:25:36.234+05:30

A chubby, naked, fair Krishna, holding a butter ball, covered in golden ornaments, Yashoda by his side, an indulgent smile on her face, even as her finger is raised in admonition. Rama and Sita seated on the throne, Lakshmana on one side, Bharata and Shatrughna on the other, surrounded by sages and kings; Rama a distinctive green in colour. These are both popular themes in Tanjore Art. I first

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com7159-161, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Lion Gate, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400023, India18.9269015 72.83269159999999-9.3833323361788459 37.67644159999999 47.237135336178845 107.98894159999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-89188729440661388572022-02-25T13:03:00.003+05:302026-04-07T14:04:38.781+05:30

Ayodhya is synonymous with Rama, which is why it is a pleasure to read a book about Ayodhya, where there is no Ram. The events of “Warlord of Ayodhya” occur in the city, when Rama is in exile. It is Bharat who is at the centre of this story, an unwilling character forced to play the lead. While he rules the kingdom with his brother’s sandals on the throne’s footrest, and remembers his brother’s

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-15924492049476953762021-08-20T17:31:00.002+05:302021-08-20T17:31:45.293+05:30

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out! Leh, the capital of Ladakh, is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-19594128876167532702021-08-05T11:05:00.001+05:302021-08-05T11:05:43.267+05:30

The spectacular landscapes of Ladakh continued to astound us as we continued on our way past Lamayuru. Somewhere along the route, the Wakha river joined us, and along her canyon were stunning natural rock formations, which reminded me of the ancient temples of central India. This continued all the way to Mulbek, where we stopped to see the colossal Maitreya Buddha carved into the rock. We

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-91112117257868272812021-07-29T16:51:00.000+05:302021-07-29T16:51:18.201+05:30

Lamayuru is one of the most ancient monasteries in Ladakh, the oldest surviving structure dating to the 11th century CE. What makes this monastery particularly fascinating, is its location, amidst what is today called the “moonscape”, for the spectacular natural rock formations, which truly are “out of the world”! As per legend, there once existed a huge lake in this area, populated only by the

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com7B.P.O Khaltse, Ladakh, Leh, Jammu and Kashmir 19410634.2830063 76.77418815.9119113962224574 41.617935417790989 62.654101203777536 111.93044078220902tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-85067003817145517392021-07-22T18:01:00.002+05:302021-07-22T18:01:29.495+05:30

Our final morning at Leh began with a rather long wait for a new driver, who had gotten lost within the maze-like roads that led to our homestay! Why a new driver? Because most drivers in Ladakh don’t like to drive into Srinagar! Besides, we would be driving through Kargil and entering Srinagar on the 15th of August, Independence Day. The date wasn’t intentional, and had we known, we would have

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-74703948422328612282021-07-15T16:00:00.002+05:302021-07-15T16:00:41.979+05:30

Pangong Tso, or Pangong Lake, situated at an elevation of about 4,300m (around 14,000ft), is the highest saltwater lake in the world. It is 134km long and covers an area of over 600 square metres. Only 40% of the lake lies within Ladakh. The rest is controlled by China. The lake is a picturesque sight, and is one of the most popular destinations in Ladakh. We set off from Leh at 9 AM, eager to

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-15195367636488291452021-07-13T11:21:00.006+05:302021-07-13T11:23:37.568+05:30

Our original plan at Nubra was to enjoy the sand dunes and relax. We took one look at the crowds and changed our mind! Of course, it helped that we had a destination in mind – one that had been suggested by many people we had talked to, over the past few days – Turtuk! The village of Turtuk, about 200 km from Leh, lies in the region of Baltistan. This is one of the few villages of the region

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com0Turtuk34.8474964 76.82740716.5372605151975769 41.671154417790987 63.157732284802421 111.98365978220902tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-66127400627646520342021-07-08T11:18:00.001+05:302021-07-13T11:24:11.778+05:30

The Nubra region lies north of Leh, two scenic valleys formed by the Nubra and Shyok rivers, between the Ladakh range and the Karakoram mountains. The region is part green, part rocky and barren, and part desert, sand dunes and all. This was our destination for the next couple of days of our Ladakh tour. Mountains, rivers, trees and sand, together at 10,000 ft! Setting off quite early in the

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com0Nubra Valley, 19440134.6863146 77.5672886.3760787151975826 42.41103531779099 62.996550484802427 112.72354068220902tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-76320136776967752812021-07-05T10:52:00.001+05:302021-07-05T10:53:19.061+05:30

Buddhism is the predominant religion in Ladakh. The religion is said to have entered the region even before Ashoka, and has changed with the times. Today, the people follow a form of Tibetan Buddhism, a later Mahayana form with elements of Vajrayana. (On an aside, practicing Buddhists in Ladakh do not like their religion being called Vajrayana. The word implies Tantric associations, and they

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-29544791830731669852021-07-01T09:30:00.003+05:302021-07-01T09:30:29.133+05:30

We stayed at the Mizka Homestay in Leh, a small, simple place, an old house extended to accommodate guests. It is located on one of the inner roads off the market, so was peaceful and quiet. There were 4 rooms on the first floor, for guests. One of these is actually a kitchen which doubles up as a guest room when there are extra visitors. All the rooms were occupied, since this was the peak

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-23913979817439006812021-06-28T09:48:00.006+05:302021-07-01T09:31:20.560+05:30

We made an early start from Jispa, at 7 am, after a breakfast of hot, buttered alu parathas, toast, and tea. All signs of habitation disappeared by the time we reached Sarchu, where we crossed into Ladakh from Himachal Pradesh. Today, it is a Union Territory, but then, this was still part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.Borders, I believe, are simply lines drawn by man, over land, and

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-83506697477670045442021-06-25T15:55:00.002+05:302021-06-28T09:51:42.205+05:30

Our journey to Ladakh began with a flight to Chandigarh, and a drive to Manali, our first halt. My earliest diary entries are all about what I would like to do, not on this trip, but on the next! Speaks volumes, doesn’t it, that I would be planning the next trip, even as I was setting off on one? Right on top of the list are the Chandigarh Museum, Naggar Castle and the Bijli Mahadev

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-32671597178308880152021-06-24T10:21:00.002+05:302021-06-24T10:21:20.725+05:30

4 years ago, Shankar and I went on a trip to Ladakh and Srinagar. It was a special trip… Samhith was off in Germany, attending a German language summer camp, and the two of us were travelling by ourselves the first time in almost 13 years! We had been planning the trip for months, and the choice of destination wasn’t our first, or our second, or even our tenth! We had first planned an

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-66922504904357094612018-01-09T12:46:00.002+05:302018-01-09T14:48:01.929+05:30

The Narmada flows down the mountains, carving out a path for herself as she makes her way down to the plains of Central India. She cascades from the rocks, her fine spray making it appear as if billows of smoke (dhuan) arise from the flowing streams of water (dhaar), giving it the name Dhuandhar. Dhuandhar Falls The force of her flow creates a gorge, smoothening and carving out the

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com43Bheda Ghat, Madhya Pradesh 483053, India23.1305898 79.802357423.1232888 79.7922724 23.137890799999997 79.812442400000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-49039860706349396352018-01-08T12:08:00.000+05:302018-01-08T12:19:32.010+05:30

Happy New Year, friends! A post shared by Anuradha Shankar (@anushankarn) on Dec 31, 2017 at 4:28pm PST 2017 brought me lots of travel, to new destinations, as well as lots of inspiration. However, it also brought along a massive writer's block which I am still trying to overcome. So here I begin this New Year with my latest attempt to break the jinx, hoping this is the

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-81441436881679038592017-07-12T16:00:00.000+05:302017-07-12T16:00:16.037+05:30

Mumbai’s beaches. The first word that comes to mind when we think of them, sadly, is ‘filth’. Over the years, we have so got used to seeing our beaches in a mess, that we rarely give a thought to the marine life teeming there. Our eyes were opened to the incredible marine bio-diversity of Girgaum Chowpatty, (more popularly called Chowpatty Beach), when we recently went on a walk with Marine

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com23Girgaon Chowpatty, Mumbai, Maharashtra18.9542851 72.81277390000002518.9467761 72.802688900000021 18.9617941 72.822858900000028tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-61387076401021970292017-06-07T07:58:00.001+05:302017-06-07T07:58:59.946+05:30

I first read about Pundrikji-ki-Haveli on the ASI Jaipur circle website. It is said to be the home of Pandit Ratnakar Bhatt, the royal purohit (priest and advisor) at the court of Maharaj Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur. As the story goes, the pandit, originally from Maharashtra, was studying Astrology and Tantra Vidya at Kashi, where he met the King of Jaipur. Impressed with his

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com6Brahampuri, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India26.9479409 75.82724819999998526.891320399999998 75.746567199999987 27.0045614 75.907929199999984tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3550933650092646667.post-58385237773645583822017-06-01T07:59:00.000+05:302017-06-02T09:03:21.175+05:30

Deep inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve, a narrow road led us to the foothills of a mountain. There, it abruptly stopped, and we wondered how we were expected to go on. Our driver looked at me accusingly, surely blaming me for getting us all lost, in search of a temple he hadn’t heard of. Just then, a local on a bike appeared, hurtling out of nowhere. Seeing us, apparently lost, he stopped, and

Anuradha Shankarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10460310200883662583noreply@blogger.com9Neelkanth Temple, Sariska TIger Reserve, Alwar, Rajasthan, India27.2474459 76.3518799999999371.7254113999999987 35.043285999999938 52.7694804 117.66047399999994