Trivia: Stamped Moments

There are eight natural sites in India which are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh is one of them. It's one of my favorite places to go back time and again. Every time I have been there, it was a different season, and a different valley. But I have thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful vibes each time. It's always a surreal experience. Though it's not as popular among tourists as some other places in the Himalayas, it's going to change soon. To know more about it, please follow this link:  https://stampedmoments.com/a-guide-to-the-great-himalayan-national-park/ There are basically four valleys to explore in the GHNP- Parvati valley, Tirthan valley, Sainj valley and Jiwa Nal valley.  Each of these valleys are gorgeous with wonderful landscapes. Apart from the gorgeous valleys and mountains, I love the villages with  lovely spread across the valleys.  How to reach: Take a volvo bus from Delhi in the evening (12-13 h

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

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

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

The central Indian circuit of Khajuraho- Orchha- Jhansi is absolutely amazing for history/heritage lovers. One can start the trip either from Jhansi or Orchha; both the towns are well connected by train routes; Khajuraho has a small airport too. Let’s start at Khajuraho. Orchha is about 175 kms from Khajuraho, and Jhansi is just 15 kms away from Orchha. In this article, I am briefly sharing a plan to visit the circuit; however, for a more elaborate article, please see our main blog:  https://stampedmoments.com/grandeur-of-the-khajuraho-orchha-jhansi-circuit/ Khajuraho: Khajuraho used to be a religious hub of the Chandelas during the 9 th century and 12 th century CE.  They had built about 85 great temples in an area of 20 square kms. These temples were devoted largely to Hindu Gods (2/3 rd ) and Jainism (1/3 rd ).  Khajuraho temples are well known for their erotic sculptures depicting sexual themes, though there are only about 10% of such sculptures. One of the explanations of such

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

The region of south Gujarat can be explored in 4 to 5 days; I am suggesting a five-day trip. Vadodara is the gateway to south Gujarat, and is well connected with rest of the country via airways and railways.  Day-1: Vadodara If you reach in Vadodara in the morning, start exploring the city in the afternoon. The major attraction in the city is the Laxmi vilas palace.  Built in the 1890 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad of the Maratha empire, the palace is one of the most beautiful palaces in India. Major Charles Mant designed it in Indo-Saracenic revival architectural style. With a campus of more than 500 acres and floor space four times larger than the Buckingham palace, it's huge. It will take good part of the afternoon to explore. Have a ride around the MSW University (lovely medieval buildings) and Kamati baug before it is dark.  Vadodara is famous for the traditional Garba during Navratri; so, it's always advisable to plan your trip during Navratri. There are quite a number of

Along with Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Mehsana and Patan a little north to Ahmedabad form an extraordinary travel circuit. To help travelers planning to visit this part of India, I put together a plan for 3 days.  Best time to visit: December to February. Day-1: Bird sanctuary | Ahmedabad Reach Ahmedabad in the evening of day-0. Have authentic Gujarati dinner at Pakwan restaurant or Gordhan Thal or Rajwado or Sasumaa (you can explore the next day as well). Nal sarovar bird sanctuary: It's a good way to start the trip with a visit to the nearby (60 kms) Nalsarovar bird sanctuary. The best time to visit a bird sanctuary is early in the morning, before sunrise. More than 200 species of birds- both local and migratory birds flock at the Nalsarovar lake and marshy land surrounding it during winter- spring season.    Sabarmati/ Gandhi Ashram: Late in the afternoon,   start again; y our next stop will be Sabarmati/ Gandhi Ashram. Gandhiji established this ashram in 1917 to carryout his Satyag

Western Gujarat, also know as Saurashtra has in store an amazing array of treasure trove to be explored by enthusiastic travelers. Starting with Dwarka, a principal Hindu pilgrimage site, to Somnath, Gir national park (lions), Diu and Palitana, the sheer variety of destinations is mind boggling. Though the places are too far away from from each other to be called a circuit, I have a great plan for travelers with energy to cover the whole region in 5 days. Though Ahmedabad is the gateway to western Gujarat, I have not included Ahmedabad in this as it's strictly not in western Gujarat. If you have time, have another day to explore Ahmedabad; please see next post in this blog for details of Ahmedabad. Day-1: Dwarka Dwarka is considered one of the four major pilgrimages (called Dhamas ) for the Hindus. Adi Sankaracharya had established four sacred mathas in the four corners of India; it's one of them. Dwarkadhish temple was built 2500 years ago (partially destroyed by Mahmud Begada