Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram

Trivandrum Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple Complex (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram, is the world’s richest temple in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala state. This temple with the deity Lord Vishnu in “Anantha sayanam” posture (eternal sleep) is a rare posture. Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is one of the prominent Vishu temples in India.

Maharaja of Travancore kingdom are the traditional  trustees of the temple and the (titular) Maharaja still does the ritual duties of temple. Sree Padmanabhadasa Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma is the current titular Maharaja of the erstwhile Travancore princely state.

Sree Yoga Narasimha and Sree Krishna Swami deities are two other deities in Thekkedam and Thiruvambadi shrines inside  the temple. Thiruvambadi  lord is Parthasarathi  which is a granite idol and the shrine is an independent shrine with  its own ‘namaskara mandapam’, flagmast, etc. Thiruvambadi   shrine predates the  Padmanabha shrine. There are other shrines also in the Padmanabhaswamy   temple complex in Thiruvananthapuram city.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram enfoces strict dress code and men should wear Dhoti and should not wear shirts. Gents can tie angavasthram around their waist. (Dhoti’s are available on rent at the entrance to the temple.) Ladies are not allowed to enter the temple premises wearing Salwar and Commies. Ladies can wear Saree and blouse,  traditional Pavadai and blouse, etc.

Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram became prominent after the recent treasure findings at the underground cellars. Evaluation of few cellars has resulted in around 90,000 crore worth of treasure findings and more treasures are believed to be lying in the other unopened underground cellars of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram.

How can I go to Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram?

Padmanabhaswamy  temple is in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city. Thiruvananthapuram is well connected to other parts of the country by train and road. Thiruvanathapuram central railway  station is the nearest railway  station to the Padmanabhaswamy temple at Trivandrum.

Thiruvananthapuram International airport connects the city with other cities of India and the world.

 

 

Hampi the temple town

Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, Karnataka (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hampi the temple town is in Northern Karnataka state of India. Hampi is one of the main religious tourist centers of India.

The group of ten temples at Hampi are declared as a UNESCO Heritage site called “he Group of Monuments at Hampi”. These are 8 Shiva temples, one Shaivite sanctuary and a Jain temple, thus making a total of 10 temples.

 

Great Chalukya and Vijayanagar Kingdoms were headquartered at Hampi; many many centuries ago. And these temples are said to have been build during those days. Hampi town is on the banks of Tungabhadra river. Vijayanagara  city was a seven layered fortification and the most inner layer around the city is still preserved and has many historic buildings other than the above mentioned temples. There are also military heritage buildings in Hampi town.

You can also see the remains of a giant  Aqueduct near to Anegondi in Hampi. Archaeological Museum is there at Kamalapura in Hosapete, around 13 km distance from Hampi. there is a scale model of the city centre of Vijayanagara in this Archaeological Museum. 

Where is Hampi the temple town?

Hampi the temple town is near to Hospet, which is 13 km away, and serves as the nearest railway station to Hampi tourists. Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state is at around 350 kilo meters distance from Hampi. 

Bellary is the nearest airport at 75 kilo meters distance from Hampi town.

Mantralayam temple town on the banks of Tungabhadra  river in Andhra Pradesh state is at around 150 km distance from Hampi.

Maharashtra Tour

Maharashtra offers many many tourist places to a visitor.

Lonar crater, India (Photo credit: Pawan Kesari)

Maharashtra is well-connected by roads, train and by air. Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur etc are saome of the main cities which are well-connected to the rest of the world by all modes of modern transport.

Ajantha caves and near by Ellora Caves offer the tourist the best of Indian art. Mumbai offer its rich heritage and cosmopolitan culture to any visitor. Melghat Tiger Reserve and Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve offer the best of wildlife to a tourist like you.

Lonar Crater Lake is  nature at its best with its rich background of cosmic or meteoric history.

Kodikanal, the Ultimate Hill station

Kodaikanal Lake (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kodaikanal, a hill station near Madurai in Tamilnadu state of India, enjoys its position as a leading hill station.

Tourism is the main industry and it is best to visit the place during Summer, even though it is cool throughout the year.

Kodaikanal is known for its rich flora. Of the big trees; acacia, eucalyptus and cypress are the main varieties. High quality pear tree fruits are available here.

A walk , cycling or horse ride around the lake in the heart of the city is a refreshing experience. One can stay at home stay at Aranmula and visit the places at most affordable rates.

Kodikanal Ineternationsal School is a leading Public school at Kodaikanal. There are many other educational institutions here.

Kodaikanal Lake offers boating facility. Coaker’s walk, the road which is right of the bus stand just before the bus stand, is around half a kilometer from the bus stand. One can walk around the edges of steep slopes here, which is a breadth-taking experience in itself. 

Solar Observatory, Pillar rocks, Guna caves, Silver cascade water falls, Dolphin Nose, etc are some of the other major tourist attractions.

How do I go to Kodikanal, the Ultimate Hill station?

Nearest railway station is Kodai Road, in between after Dindigul and Madurai,when travelling from Chennai, on the Chennai – Tirunelveli Railway Line.

Madurai airport is the nearest airport which connects Maduarai mainly to near by cities of Tamilnadu. Cochin International Airport, Cochin, Kerala, is at 260 kilo meters away from Kodaikanal. Chennai International airport at Trisulam, Meenambakkam, Chennai is at around 500 kilo meters away.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination.

Illumination de l’hôtel de ville de Rouen (Photo credit: zigazou76)

Kerala Backwaters

Kerala Backwaters

Kerala Backwaters (Photo credit: superkimbo)

Kerala has lot of backwaters. Kuttanad near to Allepy or Allapuzha as it is called now, which is known the Venice of the East, is a major backwater lake in India. This backwater lake extends kilo meters and kilo meters spannign multiple districts of the state. Backwater Tourism is a major industry here in Kerala, Gods Own Country. It is water, water, water – endless water! One can see backwaters below sea level here, very close to sea at a few kilometers distance in many places. Paddy is cultivated in these areas bounded by man made walls, in between backwater stretches.

Kerala Backwaters offer wonderful experience for  a tourist. You can hire a motor boat or luxurious country boats with a/c bedrooms and enjoy the mouth watering locally made food inside these boats.  There are many islands on your way, which may  be explored by walking around these islands. ‘Pathiramanal’ island is famous among tourists.

Sasthankottai lake, in the neighboring Kollam District, is a freshwater lake. This lake supplies water to Kollam ( Alias Quilon) Corporation.

Ooty, Queen of hillstations in india

Oooty, Alias Uthagamandalam, in Tamilnadu state in South India is a leading hills station in India. It has beauty on abundance. It is the queen of hill stations in India.

(Photo credit: http://www.beontheroad.com

Uthagamandam, or Ooty as it is fondly called, is near to Coimbatore town in Tamilnadu. There are buses to Ooty from many cities of Tamilnadu and from nearby states.

“Mountain railway” is a major tourist attraction here, enjoyable for people of all ages. This Heritage train from Mettupalayam station to Ooty alias Uthagamandalam, starts at 7.10 am from Mettupalam and reaches Ooty by around Noon. The same train reaches Mettupalam on its return journey in the evening. In summer months of April and May, a special train is also run between Mettupalayam and Ooty, to cater to the demand from   the  tourists to Ooty. The Mountain railway of Ooty is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, along with Darjeeling and Shimla mountain railways.

Ooty lake is one of the other main tourist attractions in Otty hill station, There is boating facilities inside the lake. There is a water park in front of the boating area for children, which was started a few years back and is a hit with children of all ages.

Ooty Botanical garden is one of the best maintained botanical gardens in India. There is an annual flower show in the month of May, every year. This attracts lot of tourists to Ooty Botanical garden. There is also a  rose garden in Ooty with more than 20,000 varieties of roses, which is said to be the largest rose gardens in India. You can see even black and green rose flowers here in the rose garden at Ooty!

Coonoor with its tea estates offer a great experience for a tourist. Those tea estates looks as if the hills are covered with green carpet!   There is a wax museum in the Ooty – Coonoor road.

Himalayan Pleasure tour of Shimla, Manali and Chandigrh

HIMACHAL PRADESH, Popularly known as Devbhumi “Land of the Gods”, is one of the most beautiful hill states in India, nestles in north-west region of western Himalayas.

9 nights, 9 nights group tour package from travelescorted.com costs just rupees 21850 per person.

Uttarakhand – Ganges River – Photo credit: travelmeasia

One prominent places of tourist interest in Uttarakhand is Rishikesh. It has been a magnet for spiritual seekers. Beatles rocked up Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in the 60’s.

Travel and Discover India

Being the second largest country in terms of population, India is  diverse in culture, language, religion etc. Travelling is one of the best ways of finding the culture and heritage of India. India, with its diverse culture surely needs much of travelling to find its true identity.

fixed group tour

India has around 29 states, 6 union territories, 6 major religions, 15 offical languages plus many unofficial languages and dialects.

Staying at home-stay at Aranmula home stay is one plus point while visiting India.

Goto Kerala this holiday season

Kerala, with its neat beaches, 44 rivers, backwaters, mountains, valleys and hill stations is one of the best tourist attractions in India.

Munnar,Ponmudi, Allepy, Cochin, Kovalam, Wayanad, Athirapally water falls are some of the best tourist places in Kerala, the Gods Own Country.