Nimishamba Temple, Ganjam

Ganjam (State: Karnataka) is located at a distance of 17 kms from Mysore. Here is the famous Nimishamba Temple on the banks of river Cauvery.



This ancient temple was built by Mummadi Krishanaraja Wodeyar, king of Mysore. The presiding deity of this temple is Goddess Parvati. Idol of the Goddess is carved in black stone. People believe that she will grant your wish in a minute.



Other idols inside the temple are Lord Shiva, Ganesha, Surya Narayana and Hanuman. There are sculptures of Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati at the entrance on either side of the main tower.

Route: On the Mysore - Bangalore highway near Srirangapattana town, a road towards right leads to Ganjam.

Mysore, the Heritage City

Mysore (State: Karnataka), is located at a distance of 140 kms from Bangalore. For many centuries the city was under the control of Wodeyar Dynasty.

Mysore is well known for the festivities that take place during the period of Dasara. It is celebrated for 10 days every year and was introduced for the first time by King Raja Wodeyar I in 1610.

The city is known for its heritage buildings, palaces which are all around the city. The city can be rightly called "The Heritage City".

The main attractions are:

• Amba Vilas Palace
• Mysore Zoo (1)
• Art Gallery
• Railway Museum
• Chamundi Hills
• Chamundeshwari Temple
• Brindavan Gardens
• Lalith Mahal Palace
• Karanji Lake
• Big Nandi
• Statue of Mahishasura
• St. Philomenas Church
• Silver-Jubilee Clock Tower

Nearby Tourist Attractions are:

• Somnathpur
• Ganjam
• Srirangapattinam

Balancing Rock, Jabalpur

Balancing rock in Jabalpur (State: Madhya Pradesh) is unique rock formation. One can witness this near Madan Mahal.

It is believed to be eroded volcanic rock formation that survived even in earthquake of mag 6.5. The balance of the rock is intact since ages.

Lalbagh Flower Show - January 2011

Every year in the month of January and August, the Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore hosts Flower Show. If in Bangalore around this time one should not miss the event.

In the month of January, it is usually organized for 10 days from January 17th to 26th. The theme for this year is metro transport system. To ease the traffic in city the metro train project is currently in progress.

This year another attraction at the event is one of the original city gate towers. It is beautifully made from colorful roses.

On display were lot of varieties of Anthuriam, Orchids, Celosia and Dianthus among others.

Every day thousands people enjoy the beauty of these flowers on display. It is mostly crowded in the evening on the weekdays. Best time to be in this place is the early afternoon. I had been here on the weekend afternoon. Even though it was crowded I had enough space to take some snaps.

Very minimal entrance fee is charged for the show. No charges for camera.

Lalbagh Flower Show - Yellow Zinnia

At flower show in Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore on August 2010 there were exclusive collection of lot flower plants. Lot of Zinnia's were planted as part of the show. The colors were amazing.

The flowers were seen with lot of bees hovering over them.

Jaisalmer Fort Palace Museum

The magnificent Golden Fort of Jaisalmer (State: Rajasthan) is constructed by the renowned Rajput ruler Jaisal in 1156 on the Trikuta hills. The fort contains both ancient and modern structures. There are majestic palaces and Jain temples inside the fort.

Royal Palace of 19the century, also known as Raj Mahal inside the fort is a grand structure. Constructed in lime stone, this is a imposing seven-storied palace. It is also used as museum as well as heritage center. The lattice work on the windows show cases the excellent craftsmanship of the people.

One can enjoy the marvelous beauty of the Royal Palace from all angles from the big courtyard enclosed in the fort. This place might have been used for the ceremonies and celebrations of the Dussehra festivals in those days.

Elephants in Mysore Zoo

Mysore Zoo is the most popular zoo at Mysore (State: Karnataka) in India. There are various animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Elephants.

They have been provides lot of space to move around. There are both Indian as well as African elephants here.

This is a nice place for the kids to get know about the various wild species. The trip through the zoo consumes more than half a day.

Lalbagh Flower Show - Orchids - 4

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.

Touring in Maharashtra

As you all know I love traveling. After touring Madhya Pradesh in Dec, 2008, I did not travel for next two years due to severe backache. In Dec 2010, I planned a family vacation to Maharashtra after 2 years of no travel. It served the dual purpose of testing my back as well as family outing. The entire journey was done by train in the night to maximize site seeing as well as to avoid travel by road.

We boarded the train at Bangalore in the afternoon and reached our first destination Pune on the next day morning. We traveled extensively across Pune for two days. One of the place we visited is Shinde Chatri, the Samadhi of Shrimant Mahadji Shinde. The architecture of this is marvelous and remains unaffected by the passage of years. On the two days we stayed here, we also visited the Sinhghad, the fort captured by brave warrior Tanaji. The mountain fort is a beautiful place where one can spot various fauna and birds.

On the second day at Pune we boarded the evening train to Shirdi. We reached the the place late in the night. Next day (3rd day) after offering prayers at Sai Mandir, we reached Aurangabad in the night. Next day (4th day) was exciting as we covered two more important places. In the morning session we conquered the powerful Daulatabad Fort. It was a adventurous as we had to climb around 600 steps to reach top most point in the fort.

In the afternoon we headed to Ellora caves. The World Heritage Site is the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 caves excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. Again here we had to climb walk a lot to see these marvels in the rock. Below is the image of Ellora Caves.

On 5th day we headed to Ajanta which is 120 kms from Aurangabad. The World Heritage Site has 31 rock-cut cave monuments dating back to 2nd century BC. The caves include paintings and sculptures considered that are masterpieces. Below is the image of Ajanta Caves.

On the same night we boarded the train to Mumbai, our final destination. Next three days (day 6 - 8) we rested, toured, rested here as I had my relatives here. The rest was very much essential for my back by now. Here we mainly visited Kanehri an Elephanta caves apart from local site seeing. Below is "Gateway of India" with Taj Hotel in the background.

On the ninth day we headed back to Bangalore, very much content and happy.

Dhuandhar Falls, Bhedaghat

Bhedaghat by the side of river Namada is a place known for beautiful Dhuandhar Falls. Here the Narmada river, while making its way through the marble rocks narrows down and plunges over the rocks making a powerful roar and smoking cascade. 

Water falling from a height of 150 ft generates great noise with water sprinkles. It looks like a white smoke or fog. Hence the name Dhuandhar (Smoky) Falls.

The impact of the natural splendor while reaching the ground, the affinity of the falling river is a charming cascade. This place remains closed during monsoon season for general public i.e. from July to end of September month.

Lalbagh Flower Show - Orchids - 3

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.

Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysore

The historical Chamundeshwari Temple of Goddess Durga is located on the top of Chamundi Hills about 13 km from Mysore.
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The original shrine was built sometime in the 12th century by Hoysala rulers and its tower was probably built in the 17th century by the Vijayanagar rulers. The temple tower is seven story tall and is decorated with intricate carvings.
On top of the sanctum is a small tower that can be seen from outside the temple. Around the temple are small beautiful carvings of Goddess in black stone. They are present both on inner courtyard as well as outer walls of the temple.

When in Mysore, even though outside city the visit to the temple is really worth.