What is Real Beauty?

What does beauty means to you? Is there anything real and unreal about the beauty? Beauty means different things to everyone. There is no one common agreed answer for this.

Is it the innocence on the face of young kids playing in a old temple premises?

Is is the scenic winding route in the countryside?

Is it the famous sculpture of lady looking into the mirror in the temple of the Belur?

Is it this flower?

Is it the scenic view of the beach with the palm trees on its shore?

To me it is innocent smile on the face of the kids who are engrossed in their own world? This beauty one can only seen in the kids who are still untempered by this cunning ways of this World.

What about you?

Lalbgh Flower Show - Orange Cosmos

At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2010 there were lot of Orange Cosmos flowers. Below are some of the flowers on display:

Bangalore, Silicon Valley of India

Bangalore, the capital of the Karnataka state is popularly known as Silicon Valley of India as major IT players have their offices here and this place is the major source of IT man power.

The history of the city dates back to 9th century and since it has been ruled by the rulers of various dynasties till the independence of India. Most prominent among them is Kempe Gowda I, a vassal of the imperial Vijayanagara Empire and he is known as founder of the city.

The city has various historical as well as modern world attractions. The most prominent among them are:

• Lalbagh Gardens
• Cubbon Park
• Tipu Sultan's Palace
• Bangalore Palace
• Vidhana Soudha
• Government Post Office
• Town Hall
• Karnataka High Court
• HAL Heritage Museum
• Bangalore Public Library
• Mayo Hall
• Temples of Bangalore
• Hebbal Lake
• Sankey Tank

Bangalore is also known by the name Garden City due to various gardens through out the city. There are various flowering trees on either side of the roads in most areas adding color to the city.

There are various lakes through out the city to add value to scenic beauty of the city along with gardens. Below is the glimpse of Sankey Tank.

Bangalore well connected to other city's through road, train, and air. Locally buses operated by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation are an important means of public transport available in the city other than autos and cars.

Sheesh Mahal, Jaipur

Sheesh Mahal is located in Amber Fort at Jaipur (State: Rajasthan). As the name suggests, this palace is called Palace of Glass.

This is constructed in 1623 during the reign of Raja Jai Singh. King used this place to meet his special guests.

The walls and ceilings of the hall are beautifully covered with mirrors, in such a way that even if a small ray of light enters the Mahal this light would reflect in the mirrors and the entire hall would have a natural light up. The glass used here ids imported from Begium.

There are various design patterns with mirrors on the walls and ceiling. Above is one of the intricate designs in the ceiling.

Lalbagh Flower Show - Orchids - 6

At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2010 there were exclusive collection of Orchids on display. The colors were amazing. Below are some of the orchids on display:

There were stalls selling the Orchids plants outside the flower show. The price ranged from Rupees 600 to 1200 depending on the variety.

Statue of Mahishasura, Mysore

Chamundi Hills at Mysore (State: Karnataka) offers lot of attractions. One among them is colorful statue of daemon Mahishasura.

This gigantic image of the daemon greets visitors as they reach summit of the hill. In one hand there is cobra, while in another hand there is sword. This statue was built, along with the steps leading up the hill during the reign of King Dodda Devaraja.

As per the legend the demon was vanquished by Goddess Chamundeshwari as a symbol of victory of good over evil.

Poetry in Stone - 3

This is third in the series of Poetry in Stone. So far it has been about the craftsmanship in ancient temples. But the modern India also has temples that are not so old that are marvelous.

One such temple is Radhoasoami Memorial at Dayalbagh (State: Uttar Pradesh) which is at a distance of 15 kms from Agra. Made of white marble has several wonders in stone.

Rose flower carved in white marble.

Hibiscus flowers carved in white marble.

This monument apart from flowers has several other artistic designs all around.

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Pune, the Queen of Deccan

Pune (State: Maharashtra) is known as the "Queen of Deccan" as it is situated 560 meters above the sea level on Deccan Plateau. The beautiful City known for its pleasant weather is surrounded by hill forts. One such fort is Sinhagad, a hilltop fort.

This ancient city is around since 937 AD. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire, lived here as a young boy, city grew into a place of importance during his reign. It was once the capital of Maratha Empire.

The important tourist attractions in the city are:

• Aga Khan Palace(1, 2, 3)
• Parvati Hill & Temple
• Parvati Temple
• Peshwa Museum
• Pataleshwar Temple
• Shindyachi Chhatri (1, 2)
• Dagdu Seth Ganapati
• Raj Kelkar Museum
• Saras Baug Ganesh Temple
• Vishrambaug Wada
• Shaniwar Wada (1, 2, 3)

Above is the view of Aga Khan Palace.

The interesting places near by are:

• Sinhagad
• Shirdi

We shall discover these places in more detail in subsequent posts.

Spot Me - Answers

Here are the answers for the fun trivia "Spot Me" that I had posted last week. Thanks to all my friends who participated in this trivia. Some of you were successful in locating the birds in both pictures, while others in first picture. Congrats to all of you.

Most successful (both correct) one are: Dhiraj from Team g Square, Bhushavali from My Travelogue

Picture 1

The answer is box no 10. Netra and Stranger also got this right.


Picture 2

The answer is box no 8.

The bird went around quietly seeking necter from the flowers without bothering about its surroundings.

Once again CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners.

Devi Kund, Bikaner

From Bikaner (State: Rajasthan) at a distance of 8kms is the site royal cenotaphs of rulers of Bikaji dynasty known as Devi Kund. The royal crematorium has several exquisite cenotaphs.

Each of them are erected in memory of rulers of Bikaji dynasty and is situated on the exact place where they were cremated. These marble cenotaphs reflect the Rajputana style of architecture.

The cenotaph of Maharajah Surat Singh is very intricately designed. There are beautiful miniature frescoes on the ceiling of this inside the dome. The paintings even today appear very fresh.

Tour of Bikaner is incomplete without a visit to this place.

Poetry in Stone - 2

Temples all over India represent the rich cultural heritage. The ancient temples are richly carved and they behold ones attention for their craftsmanship.

One such little known temple is in Padavali (State: Madhya Pradesh). This temple located inside a small fort is a architectural gem. This externally simple looking temple is a treasure trove from inside. The carvings are examples of master craftsmanship.

These numerous tiny carvings are in the ceiling or on the walls close to the ceiling. These carvings depict stories of Lord Vishnu.

There is another temple close by at Mitavali (State: Madhya Pradesh) with totally different style of architecture from the above. This circular temple is a Lord Shiva temple and very unique in shape.

Here the carved circular double pillars are noteworthy.

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