Majuli : The Largest River Island

Majuli, Assam

Majuli – 421.65 square kilometers river island is the largest river island in the world and is located in the middle of mighty river Brahmaputra. Once you visit this place you will feel like getting touched with heaven and you consider visiting again.

Majuli is known for its beauty and cultural heritage which is the great way to enjoy during your tour. Majuli has got all the charm that can attract is visitors towards it. The cultural tradition, wildlife sanctuary and the exotic island is the best view to opt for. The striking feature of Majuli is the population free environment and hospitality of the locals are just remarkable. This place is blended with beautiful art and craftsmanship of Assamese culture and tradition.

Aside from enjoying the laid-back vibe, highlights of a visit include bird watching (the island is home to nearly 100 species of birds) and learning about neo-Vaishnavite philosophy at Majuli’s 22 ancient satras significent of them areAuni Ati satra, Dakhinpat Satra, Garamurh Satra (Hindu Vaishnavite monasteries and centers for art) where monks are keen to show you their little museum of Ahom royal artifacts. The best chances of observing chanting, dances or drama recitations are around dawn and dusk or during the big Ras Mahotsav Festival, in celebration of the birth, life and feats of Krishna.

Majuli has got a good connectivity with other cities of India. Majuli island is accessible by ferries from the City of Jorhat. The island is about 200 kilometers east from the state’s largest city Guwahati located in the heart of Assam.

Majestic Umananda Temple

Umananda Temple is a Shiva temple located at the Peacock Island in the middle of mghty river Brahmaputra in the heart of Guwahati city. It was built by the Ahom King Gadadhar Singha (1681–1696), who was a devout Shaivaite.

It is known as smallest inhabited riverine island in the world. Country boats that are available on the bank of Brahmaputra take the visitors to the island. The mountain on which the temple has been built is known as Bhasmacala.

Siva is said to have resided here in the form of Bhayananda. According to the Kalika Purana, in the beginning of the creation Siva sprinkled ashes (bhasma) at this place and imparted knowledge to Parvati (his consort). It is said that, when Siva was in meditation on this hillock, Kamadeva interrupted his yoga and was therefore burnt to ashes by the fire of Siva’s anger and hence the hillock got the name Bhasmacala.

This mountain is also called Bhasmakuta. The Kalika Purana states that Urvasikunda is situated here and here resides the goddess Urvasi who brings Amrit (nectar) for the enjoyment of Kamakhya and hence the island got the name Urvasi Island.

Road leads to Umananda Temple

Peacock Island in the evening

Summer hoilday at Lansdowne

Lansdowne is primarily a cantonment town. It houses the command office of the Garhwal Rifles. Originally known as Kaludanda, after kalun (black) and danda (hill) from the Garhwali language, Lansdowne was founded and named after the then viceroy, Lord Lansdowne, in a supreme act of vanity in 1887 – the viceroy presided over the fate of India from 1888 to 1894. The town was developed by the British to cater to new recruits of the Garhwal Rifles. More than half of the hill station is still made up of the cantonment area with British- era Army quarters and offices dotting the streets and corners. The cantonment’s presence has saved Lansdowne from being spoilt by unbridled development.

Landsdown (Photo courtesy euttaranchal.com)

Sunset in Landsdown (Photo courtesy euttaranchal.com)

Lansdowne is about six hours and a half by car from Delhi (it is 245km away). Plan your journey in such a way that you complete it before sunset, so that you can catch glimpses of some of the most beautiful locations on your way to the quaint little town. The quality of the road is pretty good too – the entire stretch from Delhi to Lansdowne is covered by national highway (NH- 58 and NH- 119), but don’t expect a smooth flow and room for manoeuverability (it becomes a two- lane highway from Meerut) as on the Jaipur and Agra highways.

Kaziranga National Park

Morning view at kaziranga National Park

kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park, a world Heritage site, hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned Rhinoceroses. Kaziranga boasts the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Bird life International for conservation of avifaunal species. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility.

Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, crisscrossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the park includes numerous small bodies of water.

(Courtesy : Wikipedia)

Unknown facts about Delhi city – Part1

Age old baolis

Visiting back in time, several magnificent age old Step well (baolis) are still visible in Delhi. The history of Delhi, its rise & fall, victories and defeat would remain incomplete without the presence of these baolis.

Rajon Ki Baoli

Agrasen ki Baoli

Located midst of busy marketplace of Connaught place surrounded by office towers and shopping malls, the Agrasen ki Baoli, named after Raja Agrasen of the Mahabharata, is believed to have been built during the 10th century BC. But historians feel that the Baoli was built in the 14th century AD by the Agarwal community. The well was surrounded by cool corridors where the locals lounged on hot summer afternoons

Agrasen ki Baoli: Located off Hailey Road. Nearest metro station: Barakhamba Road.

Hazrat Nizamuddin ki Baoli

Dedicated to the legendary Sufi saint who made generous use of this water tank, it lay in ruins and was all but forgotten till the year 2009. The Delhi administration in consultation with the Dargah officials undertook a massive cleanup exercise and repaired the crumbling edifices of the Baoli. This drive exposed the blocked passage and underground springs which had been choked with garbage and filth. Today this is one of the few remaining baolis which despite its 800+ years of history has an active underground spring. You can find it next to the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.

Hazrat Nizamuddin ki Baoli : Nizamuddin West, New Delhi-13

Rajon Ki Baoli

The Rajon ki Baoli, deriving its name from the word masons is a 3 story step well, that has made its own niche among various monuments, as a relic of the last pre-Mughal dynasty, the Lodhis.. It is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the time of Sikander Lodhi. The first impression you get of this baoli is of a medieval courtyard surrounded by many-pillared verandahs, arches done in a stylized fashion.

Rajon Ki Baoli : Mehruli Archelogial Park, Mehrauli, New Delhi-30 , Nearest Metro Station : Qutub Minar

Gandhak ki Baoli

Currently used by neighborhood, the Gandhak ki Baoli was built by Iltutmish for Bakhtiar Kaki (a Sufi mystic responsible for establishing the Sufi order in Delhi). The Gandhak ki Baoli got its name from the smelly sulphur springs that fed the well. It is located at one edge of the vast Mehrauli Archaeological Park and remains a trailer to the ruins of a settlement that had developed in the 16th & 17th Century.

Gandhak ki Baoli : Mehrauli, New Delhi-30 , Nearest Metro Station : Qutub Minar

Anangtal Baoli

Located in Mehrauli, on record it is the oldest existing baoli in Delhi, dating back to the 10th century. It was built by the Rajput King Anang Pal II of the Tomar Dynasty. Legend has it that the king commissioned the construction of many such baolis, big and small, all over his kingdom, at the behest of his favourite courtesan whose family of meagre means died of thirst and impoverishment.

Anangtal Baoli : Near Jogmaya Temple, Mehrauli, New Delhi-30, Nearest Metro Station : Qutub Minar

Tughlaqabad Fort Baolis

Out of the 13 Baolis which were constructed in the 14th century on the order of Ghazi Malik, only 2 survive in the fort. The remaining baolis have died in the human made smoke, some ruins still lie in the background of the rural villages but it is strictly prohibited for the locals. In the current scenario, the existing two baolis are situated on either side of the fort – at the east or west side.

Tughlaqabad Fort Baolis : Tughlaqabad Fort, New Delhi-19, , Nearest Metro Station :Tughlaqabad

Lal Qila Baoli

This opulent baoli dating back to the Mughal period witnessed a lot of havoc until it was restored by the ASI. It is quite a unique structure made of Delhi Quartzite with perpendicular staircases from two sides, lined with chambers at the intersection of which lies a pit, attached to the well. The water was fresh and clean and there were fish inside it.

Lal Qila Baoli : Red Fort Complex, Netaji Subhash Road, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi-06, Nearest Metro Station : Chandni Chowk

Image of the week : Rani ki Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat

Rani ki vav is a famous step well located in Patan town of Gujarat (India). It was included in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. ( photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Hauz Khas Village, Delhi

Hauz Khas Village is a glamorous village with Pubs, Night clubs , Narrow colorful streets and street arts all around. The ambience of this place is simply amazing with narrow streets, graffiti walls, crowded with foreigners, cafes and lounges, numerous art galleries, upscale boutiques, restaurants, antique shops added to the beauty of the place. A variety of food options ranging from the street foods (rolls, momos, pani puri) to traditional South Indian and North Indian and continental food are available here.
Apart from the cafe’s lane you have hauz khas lake to see, which is very fascinating lake amidst surrounding greenery. The water tank (Hauz Khas Lake) was excavated during Alauddin Khilji‘s reign (1296–1316) in the second city of Delhi to meet the water supply needs of the newly built fort at Siri. Now the tank size has substantially reduced due to encroachment and siltation but is well maintained in its present state.
Hauz khas village also houses an Islamic seminary, a mosque, a tomb and pavilions built around an urbanized village with medieval history traced to the 13th century of Delhi Sultanate reign. It was part of Siri, the second medieval city of India of the Delhi Sultanate of Allauddin Khilji Dynasty (1296–1316).