New Year Greetings 2017

Your continuous support and interest in my blog enthused me to show more of my Little World.

Looking forward to share more of my travel experiences in the New Year.

Magazine Room, Bekal Fort

Bekal Fort in Pallikere covers an area of 40 acres and one of the biggest fort in the Kerala state.

There are very few structures inside the 17th century fort that are intact and one of them is Magazine Room.

It is used to store weapons and ammunition. This fort is under the management of the Archaeological Survey of India. There is no entry for the general public into the magazine room and remains closed all time.

Yumthang, the Valley of Flowers

Yumthang Valley is a beautiful place situated at an altitude of 11,800 ft. above mean sea level. It is a truly paradise on Earth for nature lovers with a fascinating blend of flora and fauna and breathtaking scenic beauty.

It is a grazing pasture surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in the North Sikkim.

Here one can get to see lovely views of the mountain peaks such as Pauhunri and Shundu Tsenpa forming the backdrop of the river Teesta.

This beautiful place is popularly known as 'Valley of Flowers'.  In spring season, wild flowers such as primulas and Rhododendrons cover the landscape in rich colours, making it delight to the eyes. It is home to the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, which has rear species of the rhododendron.

We started from Lachung at 8:00 in the morning and visited this and many more places on the route. It was a truly paradise with all its scenic beauty.

How to Reach: To visit this place one has to find accommodation at Lachung for the overnight. From Lachung this place is 25 kms and it is just 1.5 hours drive by road.

Parrots at Fort, Diu

The majestic Portuguese Fort the Diu in on the sea shore is visited by lot of birds. One of such bird is Parrot.

Glimpse of parrots on the tree can be seen here.

They also occupy small niches in the walls of fort.

Roses of Ooty Rose Garden - 1

There are many roses of different colours and sizes at the Government Rose Garden at Ooty. 

They differ from each other with very minute differences. Here is a glimpse of colourful roses.

Egret, Chilka Lake

Chilka Lake which is around 55 kms from Puri is home for many birds. One can get to see many birds in this place during the winter months. Among other birds we could spot Egret.

Siddhara Basadi, Shravanabelagola

At Shravanabelagola on the Indragiri hill there are various ancient monuments all over the hillock. One among them is Siddhara Basadi immediately to the right of the entrance leading into the outer enclosure around the Gommateshwara image.

This is a small shrine  built in 14th century that is facing the west that has only a Garbhagriha and a sukhanasi. 

In the garbhagriha is a seated figure of a saint Siddha. 

On both sides of the garbhagriha doorway stand two fine inscribed pillars that were erected in 1398 and 1432 in honour of Saint Pandithardhya and Srtamuni respectively. One of the magnificent tower is shown above.

Aravelam Waterfalls

Aravelam in Goa has many spots of interest. In the vicinity of Rudreshwar Temple is very scenic and is a beautiful picnic spot that has a waterfall.

This charming waterfall cascades down from the mountains from a height of 50 metres.

The waterfall descends to the ground through rocky cliff with thunderous gush shedding its exuberant silvery showers.

Spotted Owlet at Hebbal Park, Bangalore

Hebbal Lake in north Bangalore is favourite spot for various colourful birds. People have identified nearly 100 spices of birds here. One among them is Spotted Owlet.

It is a small and stocky bird with upper parts that are grey-brown, heavily spotted with white. The underparts are white, streaked with brown. The facial disc is pale and the with yellow eyes. It has a white neckband and supercilium. 

It is a common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation. It feeds on insects and small vertebrates.

Puri Beach

Puri Beach is on the shore of the Bay of Bengal in the holy city of Puri.

The beach is comparatively clean and quite place. 

The long sandy beach is picturesque and the water here is shallow, offering excellent bathing facilities.      

The kids had good fun with the waves.

Sri Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple, Tadipatri

This beautiful temple in Tadipatri is right in the heart of the city. It is believed that the temple was built in the mid 16th century by Sri Thimma Naidu under the orders of the Vijayanagara kings.

The temple has lofty gopura that has been partially destroyed by the earthquake. But it has been rebuilt recently.

This magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is built on 5 acres of land. 

The deity in the sanctum is 10 feet high. Once in a year, the sun rays touches the feet of dirty for 3 days continuously. These sun rays pass through the holes of monolithic chariot that is about 70 m away from the deity.

The hall in front of the Sanctum has beautiful pillars of different shapes and that have amazing sculptures on it.

The carvings of episodes of the Ramayan, Mahabharatha and Bhagavatha have been carved beautifully around the Garba Griha, Madhya Ranga, the Astana Mandapa and the Kalyana Mantapa. The carvings are very explicit and they express the story. 

Guru Padmasambhava, Samdruptse

The main tourist attraction in Samdruptse is tall statue of Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rimpoche. 

This wide gigantic 45m high statue of Guru Padmasambhava over the forested Samdruptse ridge and is visible for miles around.

Painted in shimmering copper, pink and bronze, the statue of the hallowed Buddhist leader sits atop a giant lotus plinth. 

Within the complex, there are some splendid art and crafts objects such as statues, several paintings, and other artefacts. 

The walls of the complex are adorned by attractive sculptures and paintings. 

Uma Maheshwar Shrine, Nandi

The Bhoganandisvara Temple at Nandi is the finest architectural  specimen of Dravidian order built anytime between 9th and 15th century A.D. 

In the Bhoganandisvara Temple complex  between the twin temples Bhoganandisvara and Arunachalesvara there is a intervening shrine of Uma Maheshwar.

In front of shrine there is a Kalyan mantapa built of soap stone very interestingly carved with creepers and birds.

The interior of the central dome has 3 layer of fine carvings of interesting figures.

The excellent craftsmanship can be seen in every inch of the carvings. Each pillar of the mantapa is carved very intricately.

Birds of Jakkur Lake - 6, Bangalore

At Jakkur Lake in north Bangalore you can come across many colourful birds.  The egret which was flying over the lake finally could find its target.

It caught a fish and flew back to its destination.

Moon over Lachen

Lachen is a scenic mountain village surrounded by imposing snow capped peaks, glaciers and rock cliffs.

During our stay in this picturesque valley we could see half moon over the snow peaks.

Here are few shots that I could capture in the cold night.