TravelStream™ news feed for member inadar on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/inadar en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:46:43 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258109026/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258109026/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258109026/tpod.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:46:43 -0500 Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ajanta, Maharashtra, India

Ajanta is a series of Buddhist caves constructed between 200 BC and 650 AD. Some of the caves are influenced by the Hinyana School and some are influenced by Mahayana. One group of caves have stupas and they do not have any form of decorative elements. It is bare and functional. The other group of caves have elaborate paintings and sculptures.
These caves are truly grand and the sculptures and paintings are worth watching. Some of the paintings are more popular than others.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258108754/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258108754/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258108754/tpod.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:42:10 -0500 Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Daulatabad, Mahārāshtra, India

Daulatabad fort is located about 13 KM from Aurangabad on the way to Ellora. This fort has an elaborate defence system comprising of many gates, moat, canons and maze. The Menda (Ram) canon is among the largest canons in India. The dark maze is home to bats. At one point the maze opens into the moat. A wall has been built there now. After you cross all the obstacles, there is a short hike to the palace on top of the hill. There is also a 110m tower of victory called Chand Minar (Tower of the moon).

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258104911/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258104911/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258104911/tpod.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:40:43 -0500 Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Khuldabad, Mahārāshtra, India

Kuldabad is a Muslim pilgrimage town situated about 3 KM from Ellora. Aurangzeb, a mughal emperor who ruled for 50 years, is buried here. He wanted to be buried near the dargah of his guru and he wanted a very simple monument to be built from the money he earned by writing Koran teachings on prayer caps and selling them. The tomb of a Muslim saint Hazrat Khwaja Syed Zainuddin Shiraz is right next to Aurangzeb's tomb. Prophet Mohammed’s robe is also kept here and is brought out and kept on display once a year. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258103514/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258103514/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258103514/tpod.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:17:36 -0500 Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ellora, Mahārāshtra, India

Ellora caves have been carved during 350 AD to 700 AD. There are in all 34 caves out of which 12 are Buddhist caves, 17 are Hindu caves and 5 Jain caves. Cave 16 also known as Kailasa temple is a magnificent structure carved out of a single rock. Some of the sculptures show tantric influence. 

Cave 5 is a huge assembly hall. On nearing this cave, I could hear chanting. I thought that it must be playing on a sound system, but on entering the cave I saw a group of people were chanting. It was a group of Buddhism practitioners from USA on a pilgrimage to India. In the ancient days monks would have assembled here like this to meditate and chant. 
 
 

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258102466/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258102466/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/12/1258102466/tpod.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:10:55 -0500 Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India

We made a weekend trip to the Ajanta and Ellora caves near Aurangabad. The travel plan was as follows:

• On Friday 6th night board a sleeper bus from Mumbai to Aurangabad (Approx 8 hour journey)
• Reach Aurangabad early morning, check into hotel, start for Ellora after breakfast
• Day 1, visit Ellora, Daulatabad fort, Aurangzeb tomb, Bibi Ka Maqbara, and Panchakki (a 17th century water mill)
• Day 2, visit Ajanta and Aurangabad Market, board the sleeper bus at night for Mumbai

However later on we found out that two days were not really sufficient and one more day would have helped. Aurangabad is a base city from where you can visit all the above places of interest. Ajanta and Ellora are the most important places of interest and they are located in two different directions from the city. Thus they must be visited on two different days. Ellora is located about 30 KM from Aurangabad, and Daulatabad fort and Aurangzeb tomb is on this route, so you can cover these 3 sites in a day. Ajanta is located about 105 KM from the city and you could give an entire day for it. Bibi Ka Maqbara, Panchakki, and Aurangabad caves are located near the city so these sites can be visited on the third day.

On the first day we visited Ellora, Aurangzeb tomb and Dalatabad fort. We decided to visit Bibi Ka Maqbara next day, however, by the time we got back from Ajanta it was already dark. Bibi Ka Maqbara is usually lit during night time, but that day there was no power in the city. The moon was also hidden behind clouds so we could not really see the monument.
 
One of our fellow travellers, who knew the city well, took us to pan (pronounced paan) shop called Tara Pan Center. Pan is betel leaves wrapped in some fillings usually eaten after dinner. Though I am not a big fan of pan, I tried the meetha (sweet) pan. This place is an institution in Aurangabad.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/11/1256214146/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/11/1256214146/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/11/1256214146/tpod.html Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:55:15 -0400 Zen Retreat in India

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India

Bodhi Zendo is the only Zen centre in India. It is located in the Palani hills, 12 KM from Kodaikanal. Though it is possible to visit the centre anytime of the year, I wanted to participate in their week long retreats called Sesshin. In order to attend a Sesshin it is advised to attend a mini-Sesshin which is held for 3 days. So I booked myself to attend the mini-Sesshin to be held from 1-4 October.
 
Getting There

Bodhi Zendo is 108 KM from Madurai by road. Buses and Taxis are available from Madurai. Madurai is also the closest airport. The other nearest airport is Coimbatore, which is 175 KM away. From Mumbai there is no direct flight to Madurai, but there are direct flights to Coimbatore. Thus it is cheaper to fly to Coimbatore. I flew to Coimbatore and took a taxi from there.
 
If you are travelling my train then the nearest station is Kodai Road which is 80 KM away.
 
The Kodaikanal hill station town is 12 KM from Bodhi Zendo.
 
About the Zen Master 

Bodhi Zendo is run by the Zen master AMA Samy. He became a Jesuit priest at a young age. Since he did not find spiritual fulfilment from Christian spirituality, he started visiting Hindu ashrams and Buddhist meditation centres before going to Japan to learn Zen.
 
He spends a few month of the year teaching abroad. I knew that he was not in India during the 1-4 October mini-Sesshin, but was hoping to meet him when I visit again for the full Sesshin.
 
My travel diary 

I am reproducing extracts from the notes I made in my travel diary.
 
01 October 2009, Thursday, 6:30 PM 

After a 45 minutes delay, my flight landed at Coimbatore at 10:10 AM instead of 09:25 AM. The driver from Kannan tours was waiting with my name on a placard. It is a little more that a four hours drive to Bodhi Zendo. You drive south on the highway NH 209 which connects Dindigul in Tamil Nadu and Bangalore in Karnataka. You will see the imposing Western Ghats, standing like a wall, to the west of the highway. Beyond those ghats is the state of Kerala. The driver said that the mountains are situated 15 KM away from the highway. Palani, which is famous for the Palani Murugan temple is on the way. From Palani to Kodaikanal the route is truly scenic. The ascent begins 50 KM from Kodaikanal. There are 14 hairpin bends on the ghat section. 
 
Bodhi Zendo is located inside a private farm, St Joseph Agri Farms. It is 2KMs from the main gate of the farm. When going from Coimbatore, after crossing the Perumalmalai village, you will see the farms gate to your left.
 
There were 13 participants in this mini Sesshin. I found out that the December Sesshin was already fully booked. Also found out from a western lady that Kurinji travels charges INR 2,000 only from Coimbatore airport to Bodhi Zendo whereas I paid INR 2,500 to Kanan tours. She also said that the car was new and the driver was decent.
 
The first thing I noticed about this place was the silence. It is very quiet out here.
 
I just got back from my first Zazen session. Have been feeling a bit tired. Need to sleep at 9:00. The first Zazen session starts at 5:30 AM tomorrow.
 
02 October 2009, Friday 

Yesterday I borrowed the book "I am that," which is talks of Nisargdatta Maharaj, from the library. The Bodhi Zendo library has a good collection of books. Meditation is going on well. I am thinking that I must come again for a slightly longer duration.
 
Complete silence is maintained during Sesshins. There is one hour of samu (selfless service) daily. I was assigned to the Japanese stone garden. I have always liked the stone gardens and just the other day I was thinking that I should build one, if I ever built my own independent house. So I was pleased with the allocation. Today morning I cleaned the garden. 
 
While reading "I am that" I was reminded of the ecstasy I used to experience when I was a kid. The whole body and mind would be in an elated state for few moments. Ecstasy may not be causal, but in my case they were triggered by something. I guess it must have been triggered by some kind of realization. Once it happened just before a school vacation.
 
03 October 2009, Saturday, 9:45 AM 

After starting off well today I haven't been meditating properly. In the morning session I got attached to thoughts and went into day dreaming.
 
7:45 PM 

In the evening also I did not meditate properly. Eventually I decided to go back to basics. In the previous session I did the breath counting technique. This worked well. I also found that it takes approximately one minute to finish the ten counts. 
 
Today afternoon I did not sleep and was reading in the garden. By the evening I was feeling sleepy. Maybe I should take an hour long nap in the afternoons.
 
I will adopt the breath counting technique in the closing session now.
 
04 October 2009, Sunday, 8:00 AM 

Today morning I could meditate well. I did the Breath counting technique through out and found it useful. Even when there were sexual thoughts in the mind, I could continue focusing on the breath and stay centred.
 
7:45 PM 

The 10:30 AM sitting was the best. I remained focused on the breath without resorting to the counting technique. The mind remained still through out the session. What a great way to end the retreat!

Additional Information 

To learn more about Bodhi Zendo please visit http://bodhizendo.org/.
 
You can also read about Zen by visiting the “About Zen” section on the above site.
 
You need to book your stay at the Zendo by sending them an email, which is available on the site. They will send an email confirmation.
 
I booked a taxi from Kannan Tours and Travels and was satisfied with their service. You can find their contact details at http://www.kannantours.com/.
 
Bodhi Zendo recommends Kurinji travels for taxi and they can be reached on +91 (0)4542 240006. Note that I have not hired their service, but heard good comments from another participant.
 

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/10/1247821403/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/10/1247821403/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/10/1247821403/tpod.html Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:32:17 -0400 Trek to Kohoj Fort

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bombay, Mahārāshtra, India

Kohoj fort is situated off the Mumbai Ahmedabad highway near Manor. It is a moderate grade trek. To get there you drive down the Ahmedabad highway towards Manor (102 KM). Take a right turn 2 KM before Manor on the road to Wada. You can start trekking from either Vaghote (13 KM) or Ambai (11 KM) village.

This trek was organized by Nature Knights, an eco-adventure group. The group comprised of 33 people including the trek leaders. We started the trek from Vaghote village. A village youngster, Sunil was our guide. He led us through the fields before emerging at a mud road. At the outskirt of the village is a huge water tank.

Half hour into the trek, some villagers told the trek leaders that few people were seen on a different route. On realising that the trailing group was missing someone went back to fetch them and the rest of us waited.

On approaching the base of the hill we were greeted by a small lake and a beautiful view of the mist covered fort. From this point on the ascent begins. At places there is thick foliage. While trying to catch up with the leading group, I realised that I was having trouble staying on the trail, especially in the rocky patches.

We reached the fort after a tiring 3.5 hours trek. After emptying our lunch boxes, most of the group went ahead to climb the pinnacle of the fort. I decided to stay back and enjoy the view. Sitting on the edge of the hill and watching the vast expanse was a soothing experience.

On the return trek we stopped at the lake for a refreshing dip.

Note: I clicked the photos on my Nokia E71 phone. The fifth photo of me enjoying the view is courtesy Asif M.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/9/1246337614/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/9/1246337614/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/9/1246337614/tpod.html Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:38:11 -0400 Where Three Oceans Meet

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India

Kanyakumari is located at the southernmost tip of India. It is named after the virgin goddess Kumari. This is probably the only place in the world where three oceans, the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean meets.

I visited the following places of interest:

Kumari Amman temple

Men are supposed to remove their shirts and enter the temple with bare torso. I decided to just walk around outside the temple. There is a bathing ghat outside the temple. The sea is very rough here so people are advised to stay close to the shore. Cops keep a watchful eye on the crowd.

There is also a tsunami memorial near the temple.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Swami Vivkeananda, also known as the wandering monk, travelled all over India. When he visited Kanyakumari in December 1892, he was drawn to the two rock islets which are the southernmost tip of India. He did not have money to hire a boat so he swam to the rocks. He meditated on the rock for three days and had a vision of one India.

The main hall has a tall statue of Swami Vivekananda. The other hall is built around a foot shaped carving on the rock. According to folklore this is the foot print of goddess Kumari who stood on this rock on one foot in penance. There is also a meditation hall called Dhyana Mandapam.

I went into the meditation hall and sat down on a chair. Lot of people were passing through the hall and you could hear the shuffling of feet and people talking in spite of request for silence. Even in such atmosphere I was able to get meditative quickly. In a short while the lights went out and there was silence. It must have been a power cut. After some time, strangely, the number of people entering the hall reduced and for a while no one came. I am not sure how many minutes passed, but my mind became still and I experienced a meditative state.

Tiruvalluvar Statue

Just a stones throw away from the Vivekananda memorial is the 133 feet tall Tiruvalluvar statue. Tiruvalluvar is a great tamil poet, philosopher, and saint. His greatest epic Tirukkural has 133 chapters. One can climb up to the feet of the statue to get a great view of the city and the sea.

Gandhi Memorial

Gandhi was taken by the beauty of Kanyakumari. After Gandhi’s death the urn containing his ashes were placed on a platform for public viewing before being immersed in the ocean. Later a memorial was built around the spot where the ashes were kept. The memorial is engineered in such a way that the sun rays fall on the spot where the ashes were kept, on Gandhi’s birthday, the 2nd October every year. Though the sun rays enter from an opening in the ceiling, not a drop of rain water enters the hall.

Observation Point

An observation point has been constructed at a short distance from the Gandhi memorial. This is a nice spot to watch the sun rise and sun set or just to communion with the expansive ocean.

Vivekananda Museum

The next morning I visited the Vivekananda Museum, where a photo essay on Vivekananda is exhibited. There are many rare photographs of Vivekananda and others. You will also find the photographs of various places he visited in those days. The write up is also excellent and it would take time to read through the entire material.

There is free bus service to Vivekanandpuram at regular intervals from here. It is the head quarter of Vivekananda Kendra. I did not have time to visit it.

Vattakottai Fort (Circular Fort)

Vattakottai fort was build by the king of Travancore around the 18th century. It is situated about 6 KM from Kanyakumari. The fort offers a good view of the sea and shoreline with a farm of windmills. On the other side you can see the Western Ghats. The fort is reasonably well maintained. There is also a water tank inside the fort.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/9/1246275714/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/9/1246275714/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/9/1246275714/tpod.html Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:06:51 -0400 Where Three Oceans Meet

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India

On 27th May 2009, my brother's wedding ceremony was held at my mother’s village, Iravampatti near Tuticorin city in Tamil Nadu. I am visiting my native place after a decade.

I flew to Tuticorin via Chennai on the 24th May. After visiting my uncle’s house at Pudukotai, which is about 5KM from the Tuticorin airport, I spent the night at another uncle’s house in Tuticorin city.

Next day my sister and her in-laws picked me up in her brother in laws car on the way to Iravampatti. I spent four days there before leaving for Kanyakumari on the 29th May. I will write about Kanyakumari in the next entry.

On 30th May I returned from Kanyakumari and spent the night at my uncle’s house in Pudukotai and took the return flight to Mumbai on 31st May. Since the Chennai Mumbai flight was delayed due to a technical problem, I visited my sister’s house. The 18:15 flight on 31st May departed at 02:00 on 1st June.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/8/1238968800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/8/1238968800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/inadar/8/1238968800/tpod.html Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:20:23 -0400 Trek to Kothligad

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Mumbai (Bombay), Maharashtra, India

I was excited to go on my first night trek. Since the summer has begun, I thought it is a good idea to cover part of the trek at night. I was also looking forward to enjoy walking under a star filled night sky.

An adventure group Nature Knights organized this trek. They had organized a bus, and the first pick up point was near Andheri station. The bus started at around 9:30PM. After picking up some more participants on the way, the bus moved out of the city. We had a brief round of introduction in the bus.

We reached Ambavne village at around 1:00 AM, and started the trek immediately. A waxing moon lit our path, however, a cloudy sky hid the stars from us. We were walking on a mud path wide enough for bullock carts. The path started getting steeper, and I started sweating. There was no breeze.

AM had instructed us to have few sips of water every twenty minutes. Since I had been dehydrated on my last trek to Sudhagad, I was careful to have water at regular intervals.

We also took regular breaks. After one such break, when we were picking up our bags to resume trekking, something fell off the side of the path, and rolled down the slope. It was one of the girls bag. Her knight in shining armour (read husband) immediately climbed down the muddy slope carefully and retrieved her bag.

When we got near the Peth village we were greeted by barking dogs. AM and DG entered the village while we waited for the rest of the group to catch up with us. They had arranged for us to stay at a villager's house.

It was about 2:30AM and I was feeling sleepy. I spread my bed sheet in a corner and went to sleep. Though the sleep was shallow, I woke up at 6:30AM refreshed.

After having a sweet cup of tea we started towards the fort at 7:30AM. We left our bags at the villager's house and took only our water bottles with us. There was some tree cover near the village and we could hear lot of birdcalls. As we climbed further there was only rocks and dry grass. At some places patches of land was burnt and you could see black ash.

At the base of the fort an old canon was lying. It was a foggy morning and we could not really enjoy any views. The pinnacle of the fort is shaped like an inverted funnel. From a distance it looks like a submarine sail. Incidentally this fort was primarily used as an observation post. Stairs have been carved on the hollow interior to reach the pinnacle.

After relaxing and exploring the fort for a while, we returned to Peth village. The villager, whose house we stayed in, had prepared breakfast. We had poha, a Maharashtrian breakfast dish made from flat dry rice flakes.

At around 11:00AM we left the village to trek back to Ambavne village. The sun was up and it was burning hot, and there was no breeze whatsoever. The road offered very few shaded area. I was sweating like a soaked sponge getting squeezed. Again I was careful to have water regularly.

We reached Ambavne village in an hour. I walked the entire distance without having to sit down to rest. I would only stop to have water. I was satisfied with my physical ability.

At Ambavne we were greeted with a cool glass of kokum juice (of course it was paid for). Then we had a simple Maharashtrian meal. We had bhakri made from rice flour, vegetables (two), dal, rice, and karvanda kadi. The karvanda kadi was superb.

There were twenty-two participants including the organizers. There were lot of couples. All the people were nice, but not so friendly.

Mother nature was not very favourable to us through out the trek. The night sky was too cloudy, there was no wind to cool our parched souls, and the fog denied us any breathtaking views from the pinnacle. This trek turned out to be a test of endurance.
]]>