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Showing posts with the label Culture

Odisha beyond the golden triangle- An enchanting road trip

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Odisha has a lot more to offer you than the 'Golden Triangle' of Bhubaneswar-Puri-Konark. If you are willing to explore a bit beyond the beaten track. If you are looking for an offbeat yet very different kind of experience, I have a few interesting things on the list for you- an exciting road trip. Here we go! You can take a flight to Jharsuguda (a small airport with limited flights) and drive down to Sambalpur for your first stop, or check out if you have a direct train to Sambalpur from wherever you are; or, you can start the other way round, take a flight to Vishakhpatnam (in Andhra Pradesh), and start your drive to Koraput to start this road trip. In this article, we will start from Sambalpur. 1. Sambalpur: Day- 1 & 2 Sambalpur is the western heartland of Odisha with a vibrant culture, scenic natural beauty- pristine forests, and beautiful rivers. Major attractions:  - Hirakud dam (15 kms from the city): Independent India's first mega engineering project, the firs

Charming tribals of Dang

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Dang, a small district in the Indian state of Gujarat, is blessed with unmatched natural beauty and unique charming landscape. It boasts of the only hill station of Gujarat. However, I am here going to share with you my experiences and memories of its people and culture. Travel interests for reasons concerning its natural beauty is a subject for another day. Dang's demography constitutes 94% tribals (aboriginals), defined by the government of India as Scheduled Tribes (STs) for administrative reasons.   Two cute school children engaged in cleaning up their own school campus It's no secret that the tribals are largely untouched by the rapid economic development witnessed elsewhere. However, they are rich in their hearts; one can feel their innocence just from their looks. Sometimes, it's difficult in the beginning to break ice with them because of the language and cultural barriers, but once you have won their hearts, they will do everything for you without asking anything

South Kerala: A magical experience

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Kerala's backwaters lined with coconut groves are as picturesque as it gets. For a long time, it's on the world tourism map being highlighted by major Travel and Tourism promoting entities. I visited Kerala for the first time in 2009 for a dear friend’s wedding. And I turned that opportunity into a multi-destination trip including Cochin, Alleppey, Munnar, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum. In this post, I am sharing my experience in brief, and a few tips on how to travel across south Kerala. In another post, I have explained in great detail about my experience and the places. Please have a look at it here:   https://stampedmoments.com/5-best-places-to-visit-in-south-kerala/ Kochi (previously known as Cochin): I and Sajith  took a boat ride in the Arabian sea from fort Kochi. We tried our hands at the fascinating Chinese fishing nets- in picture above (needs a separate blog on that). Then we visited St. Francis Church, where the mortal remains of Vasco da Gama was kept for a long

Uttarayan and Navratri- two quintessential festivals of Gujarat

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Festivals are integral part of a culture, and a way of coming together as a society and celebrating life in general. India celebrates festivals through out the year; some of the festivals are common all over India, and some festivals are unique to particular places. I lived in Gujarat for more than a decade and loved its unique way of celebrating some of the festivals. Though there are many important festivals, the two quintessential festivals that define Gujarat are Uttarayan and Navratri. The authentic Gujarati traditions come to life during these times. Uttarayan: Makar Sankranti (winter solstice) is celebrated across India on 14 th January, and is called differently in different parts of India- Makar Sankranti in most parts, Bihu in Assam, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Maghi in Punjab, and Uttarayan in Gujarat. It’s perhaps celebrated the most enthusiastically in Gujarat. Kite flying is the most important part of the celebrations in Gujarat. When I was in Ahmedabad, just before my fir

Kutch- a land so unique and magical!

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With a unique landscape, diverse cultures, great history and heritage, rich crafts, the largest district of India is a little enigmatic. In this article, I intend to share with you a list of five must-do things in Kutch, drawing from my long time experience in Kutch.  5 must-do things while in Kutch:  1. Watch the sunset over the salt-flats near Dhardo village: At about 80 kms from the district HQ of Bhuj, the village Dhordo is base for the great salt flats, where the annual Rann Utsav (Desert festival) is organized. Every year (Nov-Feb) during the festival, a temporary township is established by the government offering best of Gujarat's art, music, food and cultural vibes.   2. Have a little fun at the Mandvi beach: Mandvi, a small town in south Kutch, 60 kms from Bhuj, offers a pristine beach; good to visit both in the morning and in the evening. I would suggest staying here at least for a day. 3.  Marvel at the architecture of Vijay Vilas Palace: Built in the early 1920s by the