A series of flagrant pictures that depicts ‘India’ as it is – seizing the audacious and unabashed moments from the vibrant streets of India. I’m glad to share the first one here
The veil of Religion! Apologize for the low resolution, this one was clicked from a mobile phone, it was so crowded that holding the camera was super risky!
People here are ardent followers of ‘Gods’ and their dedication includes all kinds of prayers, fasting, and what not! Continue reading
Tickling the Travel bug with the Renuka Lake – the largest natural lake in Himachal!!
Renuka Lake finds its prime place in the quaint hamlet of ‘Renukaji’. Renuka is located just 40kms away from Nahan in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh. Renuka is also a natural wetland with freshwater springs, fed by a small stream flowing from the lower Himalayan out to the Giri river. The lake is home to at least 443 species of fauna including like Puntius, Labeo, Rasboro, Channa.
The place is revered for a number of reasons and cuts for the awesome weekend getaway from Delhi perfectly. New Delhi to Renukaji is a distance of ~300 kms and takes around 7 hours by road.
Renuka Lake, the largest natural lake measuring a little over 3 kms is so scenic and picturesque that it seems perfect to find solace and tranquility.
The place is luxuriant with greens and it is treat for eyes. The continuous chirping of birds and light natural music of water makes it really interesting!!
Renuka Lake during the day 🙂 It looks so serene!
Yes, boating is available and costs only Rs.250 for 30 – 40 minutes. I’m going to do a elaborate post on Things to do at Renukaji, so stay tuned 🙂
The History
It is believed that Renukaji is the birthplace of ‘Lord Parshuram’, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Parshuram was born to Maharishi Jamdagni and his wife Renukaji. Their prayers were answered by Lord Shiva and they both were rewarded for devoted meditation. The legend has it that Maharishi Jamdagni received a divine cow ‘Kamdhenu’ from Gods and was repeatedly attacked by Shastrabahu, to capture the cow, when he failed he killed Maharishi Jamdagni. Following the event, RenukaJi (Jamdagni’s wife) jumped in the Ram Sarovar and took Jal Samadhi, since then, the Lake is popularly known as RenukaJi Lake. The locals believe that the lake (and region around) is blessed by Renukaji and her spirit. The place is highly revered by the devotees.
It is also believed that on the occasion of Devprabodhini Ekadashi every year, Renukaji and her son Lord Parshuram meet. The day is celebrated with much fanfare. Continue reading
The beauty of Travel !♥
You visit a place and come back to routine life but your heart yearns… for more moments, more memories, more nature walks, may be more pictures too 🙂 You Travel once to particular destination and the experience alters you forever. So, physically you are not traveling though but your brain is!! As they say, ‘ Once a Traveler, Always a Traveler’.
Some destinations are so beautifully blessed that the sights find a special place in your heart and every time a discussion comes up about that place, your eyes sparkle and a positive smile runs across uninhibited.
Today, I’m sharing few of my favorites – pictures as well as quotes, made me introspect , retrospect and HAPPY!!
All of these were clicked at Udaipur.
Udaipur city stands as a testimony to the living heritage and eternal legacy of the Sisodiya dynasty. Sisodiyas ruled the city for over 1200 years. The origin of Udaipur dates back to 1559 A.D when Maharana Udai Singh met a sage who blessed the Maharana and advised him to build a palace at this favorably located spot.
Udaipur is a visual treat, it’s shimmering lakes against the backdrop of Aravali Hills, formidable palaces, enticing structures, fascinating ambience makes the city a captivating destination for domestic as well as international tourists.
Happy Exploring 🙂
Just wanted to share one happy news, our Facebook page is now 1100 members strong, so if you would like to connect on FB as well, we will be glad to reciprocate. Charu ♥≈° Ashish
On this beautiful note, wish all our fellow bloggers and readers – Happy Weekend 🙂
The picture in background was shot at Badamvaer in Srinagar, Kashmir. More stories on Kashmir here – A cuppa of story from Kashmir, Different hues of Dal Lake, A day at Srinagar.
Team Untraveled Routes’ (that’s Ashish & Charu) wishes all the fellow bloggers and avid readers a great year ahead.
Honestly I firmly believe every single day should be welcomed with much fervor and excitement. Every single day is a ‘Happy New Day’!!!
Well, this is officially the first post on the blog for 2017 and really long due, my last post was in November 2016 and other major events kept me away from blogging. But here I am 🙂
After much deliberation I zeroed on sharing the experience of witnessing grandeur decorations of the most significant event in India – August 15th, the Independence Day celebrated in 2016 commemorating the 70th Independence Day.
Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official home of the ‘President of India’. The incredible architecture that one witnesses is the culmination of imagination of Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker. The mansion has a total of 340 rooms spread over four floors, 2.5 kms of corridors and 190 acres of garden area!! Isn’t that amazing? It is the
However I thought of sharing these pictures earlier but you know how it goes!!
August 15, is observed as the Independence Day by India. On this day, India attained independence from the British Empire in 1947. The ‘First War of Independence’ was led in 1857, since then for decades the struggle and battle to assert freedom from the British Raj continued claiming life of countless freedom fighters.
Every year this day is observed as National Holiday, glad to share some magnificent pictures captured by Ashish when the ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan’ looked every inch captivating.
This one is my favorite, I get little biased with reflections and the lights!!
Udaipur never fails to mesmerize!! A beautiful capture from the heritage city to tickle the travel bug. 🙂
Tickling the travel bug with an offbeat treasure between Tabo and Kaza, Spiti Valley
Also featured in “Tangy Picks” on Blogadda
Our visit to Tabo village had left us excited and yearning for more. After visiting the Tabo Gompa and taking a short walk in Tabo village we were ready to continue our 11 days Trans Himalayan voyage.
We began driving towards Kaza around 11 am (though our next stop was Dhankar); thankfully the road was straight and real smooth. The sun out there was bright enough to give us serious tan however the wind was chilly. And it was super windy!!!
Take me wherever these roads go!!
Beautiful! Beautiful! Journey
Spiti River was accompanying us religiously; it looked so pristine and blue. We couldn’t hold back our excitement and decided to go closer and feel the water. We really wanted to stay more but the ruthless Sun and our restless Baby boy pushed us to drive further.
Pristine waters of Spiti River glorified by bright blue sky!!
The Entrance
It’s hard to miss the road to Dhankar; it’s beautiful and quite evident.
The Ascend
This is the ‘BEST’ part of visiting Dhankar. The magnificent views that your eyes witness will fill your heart with excitement beyond ordinary. There are many turns on this road and the views keep changing with every turn leaving one with great expectations.
Ashish taking a quick break and enjoying the wind!! He deserved all the breaks after all he was the one driving throughout. The challenging and strenuous roads are nothing less than tight rope walk more so when there is a 11 months old little baby in a tow!!
As an encore the car keeps shaking most of the time owing to strong wind.
There it is!! The picturesque Dhankar Village
Places to be visited
One peculiar thing about Spiti Valley is that it’s not really about sightseeing but more about enjoying the journey, adrenaline rush and spectacular nature.
Mostly at all the destinations you will find a Monastery (Gompa) and/or a Fort accompanied by amazing history and legends.
Dhankar- The Intriguing History!!
Dhankar stands tall at an altitude of 12,774 feet. Dhang/dang means cliff, and kar/khar means fort. Hence, the fort on a cliff is popularly known as ‘Dhankar’. The confluence of Spiti & Pin Rivers from this height is incredible!!!
Dhankar houses a 16th century old fort monastery; however one can see the new monastery now in the tiny village of Shichilling. The old monastery complex is also known as Lha-O-pa Gompa; it has five different halls and includes a number of multi-storied buildings. Don’t miss out on the Lhakhang Gompa – the Monastery of the followers of Lha-O, famous lama who was born in 1121. The highlight of the monastery is the a statue of Vairochana or Dhayan Buddha with 4 figures seated back to back.
Dhankar served as the ancient capital of the Spiti Valley Kingdom in the 17th century. The Nonos, the former rulers of Spiti, chose this strategic high altitude village for competent control. The legends say that the monastery has also served as a prison in the former era.
The monastery is associated with Gelukpa order of Tibetan Buddhism and has around 150 lamas residing in it.
What a gorgeous combination of chocolate dipped descending terrains and ice capped mountains!!! @Dhankar, Spiti Valley
The monasteries in Spiti Valley are mostly locked (at least in April they most certainly are) but the Monk usually opens it up on request for the visit. And sometimes the Monk will happily give you a tour explaining all the details about idols, scriptures, artifacts. We were not so lucky at Dhankar but at Tabo Gompa we met a super friendly Monk who spent so much time clarifying our doubts about Buddhism and Tibetan religion and culture.
Landscape view of Dhankar, Spiti Valley
Dhankar Gompa / Monastery is declared as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world by World Monuments Fund in 2006. The ceilings and walls mostly made of wood are in dilapidated condition yet the beauty is eternal.
If you liked reading about Dhankar, then this might interest you too –
The Epic Road Trip to Spiti Valley
Sarahan – Abode of Goddess Bhimalkali
Majestic Mountain Range at Kalpa!!!
Happy Exploring!!
“Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs” – Ansel Adams
This image was captured in Ki village, Spiti Valley near Key Gompa / Monastery in India.
Suggested Reading – Reaching Spiti, Road trip to Spiti
With colors so vivid and views so breathtaking, Spiti Valley will find a place in your heart forever 🙂
We captured this incredible image on the way to Tabo – The Ajanta of Himalayas on our recent road trip to Spiti Valley
We have never seen something like this, the combination of colors adorned by this place naturally is incredible!!! If you are planning to visit Spiti Valley this summer this surely will help – Reaching Spiti Valley, The road that leads to Spiti Valley.
Happy Exploring!!!
This beautiful temple door really seems to be the entry to the heavenly mighty Himalayas. We captured this shot at Kalpa, Kinnaur. Kalpa, is few kms from Reckong Peo, the drive itself will make you fall in love with this place. The place could be perfect summer destination !!! Go for a nature walk, relish the Apple orchards and magical views of Kinner Kailash range. We covered Kalpa on our recent road trip to Spiti Valley (April 2016) but you can easily make journey plans only around this place if you have less time and wish to stay in the lap of nature
