Bhima Kali Temple : I didn't know the trip to Himachal would turn out to be so interesting. I visited the Bhima Kali Ji Temple and realised that it was one of the best decisions I made in the trip. The temple has a magnificent construction with lovely carvings on the inside. I clicked several pictures.
Stained Glass Catholic Church Shimla : I have always been fascinated by painted glass works and glass mosaics. The stained glass catholic church of Shimla is a unique combination of beauty and art. It is a place for catholic religious tourists. I enjoyed viewing the amazing glass mosaics on the church windows. They were true depictions of glass art.
Unfurling Shimla by trekking or hiking would disclose the hidden and unseen splendor of this hill station located in Himachal Pradesh. The places of tourist attraction are unending in the fascinating hills of Shimla. Jhaku Temple Shimla is among one of them. Being hardworking person by nature I always put my best efforts to get the highest yields and at the same time I love to travel in and outside India to unwind with great pleasure. I never forget to pack my camera before packing my luggage for travelling and I am fond of relaxing in the nearest spa centers wherever I travel. These activities put me in the land of quest and excitement. Visiting this temple of Shimla was equally an affair of exhilaration. Located 2km away from the heart of the city, the temple is bestowed with its reviving beauty and offers a captivating view of the hills and remote mountain ranges. Sunrise and sunset are equally thriving from this state of point at the time of monsoons. The temple is the holy shrine of Lord Hanuman, the prime worshipper and devotee of Lord Rama. Legend says that Lord Hanuman stopped here during his search for Sanjivani Plant, an herb that required curing Laxman who was fatally wounded during the battle in Lanka. The temple is connected with a ropeway and it houses a tall figurine of Lord Hanuman with 108 feet in height. I was left with spellbinding experience and capitulate myself to the divine place. The temple is easily and excitingly accessible from the Ridge that crosses near Christ Church. I loved to see the monkeys wandering around the temple but not hurting anybody with their mischievous acts. I gave them sum bananas that I carried with me during my visit to the temple. The temple is also approachable through dense forests and needs good stamina to climb. Ponies are also available there to carry pilgrims to the Jhaku Temple Shimla. It is the best ever seen point of attraction that Shimla embrace in its treasured casket. I came out of the temple to witness some of the more interesting places of Shimla.
Dakhni Sarai, Punjab : If you are in Punjab and you love palace or fort this is a must visit place for you. It is also a part of the sarai mahal. It was built by in 1640 AD during the rule of Shah Jahan by Ali Mardan Khan who was of the most well known Mughal nobles.
Mosque And Circular Well, Sarai Nurmahal : Our next destination “Serai Nurmahal” is real close to my heart. My grand father took my here a couple of time when I was a kid. This palace was built by the great Mughal Emperor Jahangir. One of my favorite part of this mahal is the beautiful Mosque and Circular Well.
Ustad's Tomb Nakodar is located outside the town of Nakodar and a well known tourist spot in Punjab. During our stay in Amritsar we went to visit the tomb, which was quite far from Amritsar, in the district of Jalandhar. As we reached the place, we were very impressed by its massive structure and beauty. It is tomb built on the mortal remains of Ustad Muhammed Momin, who a tambura player was serving under Khan-IKhanan, one of the Navratnas in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The tomb was built in 1612 during the reign of Jahangir. The tomb had a hemispherical dome and a pinnacle, and a series of steps on two sides, which we climbed to reach an octagonal platform. The tomb stands on this platform. The structure looked octagonal from outside but when we stepped inside, it looked square. There are two entrances to the tomb, one on the northern side and the other on the southern side. Other entrances are blocked by screens and therefore not in use. The tomb is decorated with beautiful designs and tile works that were glazed and painted.
After visiting the tomb of Muhammed Momin, we went to visit the other tomb nearby, which is the Tomb of Haji Jamal, a disciple of Muhammed Momin. It was built in 1657, during the time when Shah Jahan was the emperor. It is built in the middle of a square platform, with a flight of steps on each side. The burial chamber is reached from the southern entrance. The inner chamber of the tomb is octagonal while it looks square from outside. It is also decorated with beautiful designs and the larger panels were filled with flower pots. We saw that on the west of the tombs there was a gateway, which was built in 1667 AD, as we were told by the local people. There was another gateway which is now in ruins, on the eastern side of the tombs. There was also a tank on the northern part of the tombs. The visit to the Ustad's Tomb Nakodar taught a lot about the history of Punjab and we returned back, getting a lot more informed by the visit. Building Bhatinda Fort : Since I love castle when it comes to visiting places i’m always excited. I recently visited the bathinda fort in Punjab. Most of you guys may not know this but this palace was actually decided and named after the Bhati Rajput kings. This palace has a very colorful and ancient history. Hence, it is one of the most visited places in India..
The Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is located north of Amritsar and we went to visit it during our stay in Amritsar. The palace is now has a museum with a wide collection of paintings, weapons, coins, manuscripts and artifacts. The palace is closed for public on Mondays. It is open to the public from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm on all other days except Saturdays and Sundays. During these two days it is open from 10.00 am to 9.00 pm. It is a double storey structure and is surrounded by a beautiful garden called Ram Bagh. The garden was given the name by the Maharaja himself, as a tribute to Guru Ram Das, who was a famous Sikh guru. As I reached the palace, I saw that it was surrounded by a high wall and there is a moat filled with water surrounding the wall. You have to cross it to enter the palace. The entrance to the palace called Darshani Deorhi is very beautiful and exclusively designed. It consisted of four towers in the four corners of the garden and each one is double storeyd. It had two tanks, one of which supplied water to the palace and the fountains in the garden and the other was connected to the air conditioners in the palace. Inside the park I could see many beautiful plants and flowers that I have never seen before. They are well kept and maintained by the gardeners and looked lovely with flowers and fountains. I took a few photographs of the garden and the palace. The interior of the palace was richly decorated and reflected the royal splendor of the Maharajas. Maharaja Rnjit Singh was known as the Lion of Punjab and was a brave and valiant ruler. He built the summer palace to stay when he visited the city of Amritsar. The museum in the palace had a collection of oil paintings, glass paintings and water paintings. It also contained a replica of the Kohinoor diamond. We also saw many weapons used in those days, manuscripts and armors. The visit to the palace taught us a lot about the history of Punjab.
The incident at Jallianwalla Bagh constitutes one of the dark chapters in the history of India. It was here that thousands of innocent Indians were massacred heartlessly by the British. It makes you wonder how people can be so cruel and hard to their fellow beings. We went to visit the place on the second day of our visit in Amritsar. The park was open for the public from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm and as we reached the place, it was already busy with lots of tourists. We entered through a narrow lane that lead the park wondering what lay inside. We saw a memorial inside, which was built and inaugurated in 1961 by Rajendra Prasad, who was the president then. Later on a flame was added, which we saw, was made of red brick and stood to a height of 45 foot. It was made in the shape of a flame and is called the Flame of Liberty. We also walked past the Martyr’s gallery. The guide who accompanied us gave us a brief picture of what happened on 13th April, 1919. It was the day before the Baisakhi festival, which was one of the major festivals in Punjab. The park was usually used for meetings and protests during those times. So, as usual, a meeting was going on in the park in protest against the Rowlatt Act. A lot of man, women and children were there in the park. It was a very peaceful meeting and more than 10,000 people took part in it. Suddenly fire was opened on them by General Reginald Dyer and his troop of soldiers. The park had houses and buildings around it and had only a few narrow entrances, most of which were kept locked permanently. The main entrance was blocked by the British soldiers. So the poor people had no place to escape. Some tried to escape through other lanes and got killed in the stampede that occurred. Many of them jumped in to the well inside the park and got killed. Thousands of people were killed and injured for no reason.
The story was very saddening and we made us realize the hardships taken to attain independence. Anyone who visits Amritsar is sure to visit the Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib, the sacred place of the Sikhs. On the day we reached Amritsar, we went to visit the temple in the evening. It was only 2 km from the hotel where we stayed and there was free cab service from the hotel to the temple. We got on to the cab and reached the temple shortly. The sight of the temple was so beautiful that we stood in front of it, mesmerized by it grandeur. It was golden in color and reflected in the evening sunlight. The architecture of the temple was unique to its own, built in white marble and coated with gold. It was more than 400 years old and is one of the most visited places in India. The temple is surrounded by a lake called Sarovar and there are four entrances to the temple. Before entering the temple premises we had to remove our shoes and wash our feet in a pool of water. People also had to keep their heads covered when entering the temple. Adi Grantha, the sacred book of the Sikhs, was put on a platform decorated with jewels. The temple was open to all people, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. Inside the Gurudwara there were shrines dedicated to the Sikh Gurus and saints. We also saw many memorial plaques in the name of Sikh gurus and saints. The verses from the scripture were chanted in the temple throughout the day and it could be heard from a distance. We sat down and listened to the melodious sond for some time. Each verse had a meaning and it taught us a lot about our life and how to lead a meaningful life. The kitchen in the Gurudwara was a large one and it served meals to thousands of visitors daily. The dining hall had the capacity to accommodate 35,000 people at a time. Here people from all walks of life sat together and had their food. The visit did not take long and soon we were on our way back to the hotel. |
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About Me..
A big hello to everyone here... I am 'the' Geeta Sharma, a young, vibrant, and fun-loving girl from Agra. As a kid, tall buildings always inspired me and now as I type, I myself have attained a master’s degree in Architecture and am working on several projects in and around my city. Whenever I feel taxed of my job, I find a way out in the nature, my second habitat for obvious reasons! Meditation, camping, and photography are activities for which Mother Nature inspires me! On my way back, I also make it a point to get my mind and body relaxed at nearby spa centres. That is about me and you will find much more in detail with regular blogs and updates from me. So stay tuned and sit tight for new experiences every day!
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