Tikse Gompa, Leh, Ladakh

LADAKH, the far-flung eastern corner of troubled Jammu and Kashmir state, is India's most remote and sparsely populated region, a high-altitude snow desert cradled by the Karakoram and Great Himalayas ranges, and criss-crossed by a myriad razor-sharp peaks and ridges. The highest concentration of monasteries is in the Indus Valley near Leh, the region's capital. Surrounded by sublime landscapes and crammed with hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants, this atmospheric little town, a staging post on the old Silk Route, is most visitors' point of arrival and an ideal base for side trips. Leh only became regional capital in the seventeenth century, when Sengge Namgyal shifted his court here from Shey, 15km southeast, to be closer to the head of the Khardung La-Karakoram corridor into China. The move paid off: within a generation the town had blossomed into one of the busiest markets on the Silk Road.

Ladakh's most photographed and architecturally impressive gompa is at TIKSE, 19km southeast of Leh. Founded in the fifteenth century, its whitewashed chortens and cubic monks' quarters rise in ranks up the sides of a craggy bluff, crowned by an imposing ochre- and red-painted temple complex whose gleaming golden finials are visible for miles in every direction.

Tikse's reincarnation as a major tourist attraction has brought it mixed blessings: its constant stream of summer visitors spoils the peace and quiet necessary for meditation, but the income generated has enabled the monks to invest in major refurbishments, among them the Maitreya temple immediately above the main courtyard. Inaugurated in 1980 by the Dalai Lama, the shrine is built around a gigantic fourteen-metre gold-faced Buddha-to-come, seated not on a throne as is normally the case, but in the lotus position. The bright murals on the wall behind, painted by monks from Lingshet gompa in Zanskar, depict scenes from Maitreya's life. For most foreign visitors, however, the highlight of a trip to Tikse is the view from its lofty roof terrace. A patchwork of barley fields stretches across the floor of the valley, fringed by rippling snow-flecked desert mountains and a string of monasteries, palaces, and Ladakhi villages. To enjoy this impressive panorama accompanied by primeval groans from the gompa's gargantuan Tibetan trumpets - played on the rooftop at the 7am puja - you'll have to stay overnight or arrange an early Jeep from Leh.

A metalled road cuts up the empty west side of the hill from the main highway to the monastery's small car park. If you arrive by minibus from Leh (hourly, from the town bus stand), pick your way across the wasteground below the gompa and follow the footpath up through its lower buildings to the main entrance, where monks issue tickets (Rs20). The last bus back to Leh leaves at 6pm. The village's Chamba Hotel (April-Sept; Rs150–500), run by the monastery,offers accommodation and flexible rates, with a good garden restaurant serving a varied menu from Tibetan food to pancakes.

Leh now has a good range of places to stay and eat. Some of the best and inexpensive places of accomodation are :-

Dragon Hotel	Green Land Hotel	Indus Guest House
Lbex Hotel	Kanglachen Hotel	Lharimo Hotel
Khangri Hotel	Lasermo Hotel	Omasi La Hotel
Old Ladakh Guest House	Paul Guest House	Oriental Guest House
Padma Hotelguest House	Saichen Hotel	Shambhala
Tisei Guest House	Saser Hotel	Shanti Guest House

If you are planning to visit TIKSE you can refer the LEH Accomodation Guide

Its a quite relishing place to discover the beauty of the barren paradise.....

Kaziranga National Park, Assam

A World Heritage Site covering an area of 430 square kilometres on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra, the magnificent KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK, 217km east of Guwahati, occupies the vast valley floor against a backdrop of the Karbi Anglong hills. Its rivulets, shallow lakes and the semi-evergreen forested highlands blend into marshes and flood plains covered with tall elephant grass. A visit here, especially in the early morning, is an exhilarating experience and you will likely see elephants, deer, wild buffalo and the park's famous one-horned rhino - numbering around 1500, the largest concentration in the subcontinent. Though its estimated eighty tigers are very elusive, driving through the park's landscape of open savannah grassland interspersed with dense jungle is a wonderful experience. The abundant birdlife includes egrets, herons, storks, fish eagles, kingfishers and a grey pelican colony.

Kaziranga celebrated its centenary in 2005. Sadly, with grasslands bordering onto cultivated fields, and domestic cattle encroaching on the sanctuary and introducing epidemics, the wild animals are under increasing threat. The authorities say that poaching is now under control, though rhino horns still fetch astronomical prices as aphrodisiacs. The rhino is best seen from the back of an elephant, first thing on a winter's morning. They seem oblivious to camera-clicking tourists, although like the unpredictable wild buffalo, they're equipped with lethal horns and are potentially ferocious. Jeeps will take you deeper into the forest than elephants but they cannot get nearly as close to the rhinos.

Kaziranga is open from November to early April. Try to avoid visiting the park on Sundays, when it gets busy with noisy groups of Indian tourists. During the monsoons (June-Sept), the Brahmaputra bursts its banks, flooding the low-lying grasslands and causing animals to move to higher ground within the park.

Kaziranga is easily accessible by bus, with services from Tezpur (80km), Jorhat (97km), Guwahati (220km) and Dibrugarh (220km) in Assam, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh and Kohima in Nagaland. ASTC and private buses from all directions stop at Kohora, the main gate, on the NH-37 (AT Road), with Network Travels serving as the pick-up and drop-off point - you can arrange transport to and from the park here, and there's an inexpensive restaurant. The nearest town is BOKAKHAT, 20km east, which is good for shopping and has Internet facilities.

For information on the park, visit the Directorate of Tourism (Telephone03776/262423) in Bonani Lodge, or contact the Field Director (Telephone03776/268095). Visiting Kaziranga is expensive because of the two-tier price system, with different entry costs for Indian nationals (Rs20) and foreigners (Rs250), plus camera fees (Rs 500 still, Rs10,000 video [Rs250/Rs 2500]). Both Jeeps (Rs500 plus Rs150 tax, Rs50 compulsory guard fees and Rs20 "viewing" fees) and one-hour elephant rides (5.15am, 6.15am & 7.15am; Rs750 plus Rs250 viewing fee [Rs120 plus Rs20]) can be booked in advance via hotels or the park offices in Kohora, as can guides. All vehicles also have to pay an extra toll of Rs300. Elephant rides take place in both the Kohora and Baguri ranges of the park.

Kaziranga now has a good range of places to stay and eat. Some of the best and inexpensive places of accomodation are :-

• Aranya Tourist Lodge
• Bonani Lodge
• Bonhabi Hotel
• Bonoshree Lodge

If you are planning to visit Kaziranga National Park you can refer the Kaziranga Accomodation Guide

Its a paradise for wildlife lovers !

Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur

Described by Kipling as the work of angels and giants, Jodhpur's Meherangarh Fort, provides what must be the most authentic surviving taste of the ceaseless round of war, honour and extravagance that characterized Rajputana. It wasn't always so stunning, however. For decades it was locked up, caked in bat droppings, until in 1972, the current, Oxford-educated maharaja - who was born a midnight child in the year of India's Independence and took office at the age of four - created a foundation to rescue the derelict edifice. Unlike the fort in Jaisalmer it is uninhabited, its paths trodden only by visitors to the temples and palaces within its high crenellated walls.

On the wall next to Loha Pole, the sixth of seven gates designed to hinder the ascent of charging enemy elephants up a steep winding cobbled road, you can see the handprints of Maharaja Man Singh's widows. Following the Rajput code of honour, they voluntarily ended their lives in 1843 on their husband's pyre, in defiance of the law against sati passed in 1829 by the British. Beyond the massive Suraj Pole, the final gate, lie the palaces that now serve as the superb Meherangarh Museum. From the courtyards, you can see the fantastic jali (lattice) work that almost entirely covers their sandstone walls and balconies, as well as a portrait of Rao Jodha himself. Solid silver howdahs (elephant seats) and palanquins are on display, as well as daggers and photos of the maharajas' coronations. One prize exhibit is a 250-year-old pure silk tent seized during a raid on the Moghul court in Delhi. In the Jhanki Mahal, or "Queen's Palace", there's a colourful array of cradles of former rulers, while Moti Mahal ("Pearl Palace") holds the nine cushions reserved for the nine heads of the Jodhpurian state (and one central cushion for the maharaja).

Outside, in Shangar Chowk ("King's Coronation Courtyard"), is the majestic marble coronation seat upon which all the rulers apart from Jodha have been, and still are, crowned. Nearby, the royal astrologer provides consultations for a Rs150-300 fee. The most elaborate of the apartments is Phool Mahal ("Flower Palace"), a dancing hall for the entertainment of the maharaja and his guests. Pictures of dancers, deities and rulers look out from its walls and wooden ceilings.

The walk up to the fort from the old city passes through busy bazaars, with some streets so narrow that pedestrians must advance in single file. You can also get there by taxi or rickshaw along the much longer road (5km) that enters the old city at Nagauri Gate. The outstanding self-guided audio tour takes a couple of hours to complete, and finishes with a stroll out to the Durga temple, perched on the far southern tip of the precipice. The fort's café restaurant gets busy during the day and is only really worth a refresher. But be sure to leave time to explore the first rate gift shop, which sells expensive, high-quality crafts, vintage jewellery and even Jodhpur riding britches, which were the height of fashion in Europe when brought over in 1887 by a royal emissary.

Visiting Details

Daily:

• summer 8.30am-5.30pm
• winter 9am-5pm

Entry:

• Rs250 entry includes audio tour if you leave ID as deposit
• Plus Rs50 for camera
• Rs200 video
• Elevator Rs 15

For more info visit www.maharajajodhpur.com

For Jodhpur Hotel and Accomodation Guide Visit Jodhpur Hotel Guide

This fort is worth visiting. It will give you a life time experience.

The Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Ajanta Caves
Ajanta (more properly Ajujnthi), a village in the erstwhile dominions of the Nizam of Hyderabad in India and now in Buldhana district in the state of Maharashtra
(N. lat. 20 deg. 32' by E. long. 75 deg. 48') is celebrated for its cave hermitages and halls.
Located 99-km from Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Ajanta encompasses 29 rock-cut rooms created between 200 BC and AD 650 using rudimentary hand tools. Most are viharas (living quarters), while four are chaityas (temples).

The Ajanta caves were discovered in the 19th century by a group of British officers on a tiger hunt.

Ajanta began as a religious enclave for Buddhist monks and scholars more than 2,000 years ago. It is believed that, originally, itinerant monks sought shelter in natural grottos during monsoons and began decorating them with religious motifs to help pass the rainy season. They used earlier wooden structures as models for their work. As the grottos were developed and expanded, they became permanent monasteries, housing perhaps 200 residents.

The artisans responsible for Ajanta did not just hack holes in the cliff, though. They carefully excavated, carving stairs, benches, screens, columns, sculptures, and other furnishings and decorations as they went, so that these elements remained attached to the resulting floors, ceilings and walls.

They also painted patterns and pictures, employing pigments derived from natural, water soluble substances. Their achievements would seem incredible if executed under ideal circumstances, yet they worked only by the light of oil lamps and what little sunshine penetrated cave entrances.

The seventh century abandonment of these masterpieces is a mystery. Perhaps the Buddhists suffered religious persecution. Or perhaps the isolation of the caves made it difficult for the monks to collect sufficient alms for survival.

Some sources suggest that remnants of the Ajanta colony relocated to Ellora, a site closer to an important caravan route. There, another series of handcrafted caves chronologically begins where the Ajanta caves end.

Ellora Caves
Near Ellora , village in E central Maharashtra state, India, extending more than 1.6 km on a hill, are 34 rock and cave temples (5th–13th century).

Located about 30 Kilometres from Aurangabad, Ellora caves are known for the genius of their sculptors. It is generally believed that these caves were constructed by the sculptors who moved on from Ajanta. This cave complex is multicultural, as the caves here provide a mix of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain religions. The Buddhist caves came first, about 200 BC - 600 AD followed by the Hindu 500 - 900 AD and Jain 800 - 1000 AD.
Of the 34 caves chiselled into the sloping side of the low hill at Ellora, 12 (dating from AD 600 to 800) are Buddhist (one chaitya, the rest viharas), 17 are Hindu (AD 600 to 900), and 5 are Jain (AD 800 to 1100).

As the dates indicate, some caves were fashioned simultaneously - maybe as a form of religious competition. At the time, Buddhism was declining in India and Hinduism regaining ground, so representatives of both were eager to impress potential followers.

Although Ellora has more caves than Ajanta, the rooms generally are smaller and simpler (with exception of Kailasa Temple).

Visiting Ajanta and Ellora

One of India's greatest architectural treasures, the Kailasa temple attracts thousands of tourists annually.

Visiting Details
Today, both Ajanta and Ellora are maintained by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. The sites are open daily from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., with guides available for hire. Visitors pay a small admission fee to enter the Ajanta site and extra to attendants for lighting cave details. Entry is free to all caves at Ellora except the Kailasa Temple.

A good base from which to visit Ajanta and Ellora is Aurangabad, serviced daily by Indian Airlines and East West Airlines flights from Mumbai (Bombay). The city has a variety of accommodations, ranging from a youth hostel to five-star hotels.

At least a three-night stay in Aurangabad is advised, because Ajanta
(100 kilometres northeast by road) requires a full-day excursion and Ellora
(30 kilometres northwest) a half-day.

Wait for more exiting travel guides....

Ajanta, Ellora and Kailasa Temple

I have been traveling around whole my life, since I was 1 yr old. So I decided to contribute some of my favourite destinations. Ajanta Ellora is one of my favourite destinations in India.

Ajanta and nearby Ellora are two of the most amazing archaeological sites in India. Although handcrafted caves are scattered throughout India's western state of Maharashtra, the complexes at Ajanta and Ellora - roughly 300 kilometres northeast of Mumbai (Bombay) - are the most elaborate and varied examples known. The caves aren't natural caves, but man-made temples cut into a massive granite hillside. They were built by generations of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain monks, who lived, worked, and worshipped in the caves, slowly carving out elaborate statues, pillars, and meditation rooms.

Kailasa Temple

Although all of the caves at Ellora are stunning architectural feats, the Hindu Kailasa Temple is the jewel in the crown. Carved to represent Mt. Kailasa,
the home of the god Shiva in the Himalayas, it is the largest monolithic structure in the world, carved top-down from a single rock. It contains the largest cantilevered rock ceiling in the world. The scale at which the work was undertaken is enormous. It covers twice the area of the Parthenon in Athens and is 1.5 times high, and it entailed removing 200,000 tonnes of rock. It is believed to have taken 7,000 labourers 150 years to complete the project.

The rear wall of its excavated courtyard 276 feet (84 m) 154 feet (47 m) is 100 ft (33 m) high. The temple proper is 164 feet (50 m) deep, 109 feet (33 m) wide, and 98 feet (30 m) high. It consists of a gateway, antechamber, assembly hall, sanctuary and tower. Virtually every surface is lavishly embellished with symbols and figures from the puranas (sacred Sanskrit poems). The temple is connected to the gallery wall by a bridge. The Kailasa temple is an illustration of one of those rare occasions when men's minds, hearts, and hands work in unison towards the consummation of a supreme ideal.
Its awesome…
I will describe more in my next post.
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