Puskar-Ajmer Trip

This was a road trip to Pushkar through NH8. We reached Pushkar in mere 6 hrs, thanks to NHAI for building this fantastic highway. Before reaching Ajmer, one needs to go to the bypass to reach Pushkar. Road to Pushkar is small and moreover lonesome for next 25 kms. We had booked at Gulaab Niwas Palace, a newly built resort with all amenities and perfect view of Pushkar.
Pushkar is a sacred place for Hindus. The only Brahma temple in india. Pushkar means born due to a flower. In Hindu mythology it is said that the gods released a swan with a lotus in its beak and let it fall on earth where Brahma would perform a grand yagna. The place where the lotus fell was called Pushkar. It is situated 14 Km from Ajmer and is one of the five sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus.

One of the best interesting thing happened here was banners in Hebrew :D. It was a surprise to me to see these. The story from local guide was even more interesting. In Israle its compulsary to have 2 year stint in Army, and after that many people come down to India for some spiritual peace and they visit Pushkar the most.

Ajmer is just 25 kms away from Pushkar and is separated by mountains. These mountains are rocky with no or negligible trace of plantation. Ajmer situated in the green oasis wrapped in the barren hills has been a witness to an interesting past. Ajmer is a very beautiful city, since it is surrounded by the mountain by all sides. You can run your eyes through 360 degrees and you will find the spectacular Aravali Mountains. Ajmer, also known as Ajaymeru, was the city which was ruled by Prithviraj Chauhan. My aim for Ajmer was to visit Dargah, tomb of the most revered Muslim sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, the Gharib Nawaz.

The Dargah Shareef of Khwaza Moinuddin Chishti is situated at the foot of the Taragarh hill, and consists of several white marble buildings arranged around two courtyards, including a massive gate donated by the Nizam of Hyderabad, a mosque donated by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the Akbari Masjid, and the domed tomb of the saint. To this place Emperor Akbar, with his queen, performed pilgrimage on foot from Agra every year in observance of a vow he had made when praying for a son. The large pillars, erected at intervals of two miles the whole way between Agra and Ajmer, marking the daily halting places of the royal pilgrim, are still extant.

We had nice time at Ajmer. Bought some Ajmer special sweets, clothes etc.

While returning back, we went to Khatuji Ke Shyam. We had to take a cut from Shahpura, around 150 kms away from Pushkar. The road was the opposite of NH8 and nice bumpy ride. The temple is constructed of pure white Makrana marble and is an example of unique architecture. The idol is in form of a head "SHISH" which appeared in the holy pond as Shyam Kund. The "SHISH" (head) was retrieved and was instituted in the temple.

Rameshwaram-Madurai-Kanniyakumari Trip

This was a cool trip where we planned to cover major pilgrimage places down south. First we went to Tiruvantpuram by flight. Flight had a brief halt in Bangalore. We had planned to travel to Madurai by train then on the same day. We reached Madurai by 11 PM and had quick dinner :).

The next our first venue was Rameshwaram. I somewhat wnted to visit this place due to its so much importance in Ramayana and also the place where our former president and bharat ratna Dr. APJ Abdul Kalaam was born. We did see the college from where he graduated ! Rameshwaram is connected by the mainland by a single long bridge. The sole earning rameshwaram has is through tourists. Rameswaram is a town in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on an island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is less than 40 kilometers from the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Together with Kashi, it is considered by Hindus to be one of the holiest places in India to Hindus.

Rameshwaram is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to Benaras is incomplete without a Pilgrimage to Rameshwaram. The presiding deity here is in the form of a Linga with the name Sri Ramanatha Swamy, it also happens to be one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The masterpiece of Dravidian architecture boasts of the largest temple corridor in India. Different rulers built the Ramanatha Swamy Temple over a period of time starting from the 12th century. The temple comprises forty wells where the taste of the water of each well is different from the other.

According to the Puranas, upon the advice of Rishis (sages), Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana, installed and worshipped the Sivalinga here to expiate the sin of Brahmahatya (killing of a Brahmin) (Ravana was a Brahmin the great grandson of Brahma). Rama fixed an auspicious time for the installation and sent Hanuman to Mount Kailas to bring a lingam. As Hanuman could not return in time, Sita herself made a linga of sand. When Hanuman returned with a linga from Mount Kailas the rituals had been over. To comfort the disappointed Anjaneya, Rama had Hanuman’s lingam (Visvalingam) also installed by the side of Ramalinga, and ordained that rituals be performed first to the Visvalingam.

The interesting part here was to have brief bath from water of 22 wells one by one. Its unique and somewhat crazy too :D.

We went to see Madurai in the same evening. Went to Meenakshi Temple first. The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai - home of the Tamil language, Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi or Fish-eyed Goddess). The temple forms the heart and lifeline Madurai. The temple has a stunning architecture and it was a frontrunner in the election for the modern seven wonders of the world for its architectural importance. The complex houses 12 magnificent gopurams or towers that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is believed to have been built only recently in the early 17th century. After meenakshi temple we went for local shopping, bought saaris and and lady suits from Nallis and I ate a local dry dish made from Bamboo !

We went to Trivandrum back by train very early morning. The best part on Train was the local Idlis :D Wrapped inside banana tree leaves. Those are my favorite. We went to our final destination Poovar Island resort. One of the best resorts have been in :). Its on an island and one has to take steamer to go there. No road links !! Completely located in backwaters. We had complete leisure there, nice food, ayurvedic massage and cool view.

Next day we were on to Kanniyakumari. Kanyakumari District (also spelt 'Kanniyakumari' or 'Kanniakumari District) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and also the southernmost land area and district of mainland India. Kanyakumari takes its name from the Kumari Amman or the Kanyakumari Temple, situated at the shore on the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. According to the local lore, Kanya Devi, an avatar of Parvati, was to marry Shiva, but he failed to show up to the wedding. The rice and other grains meant for the wedding feast remained uncooked. Today tourists can buy tiny stones which look like rice, in remembrance of the marriage that was never solemnized. The princess Kanya Devi is a goddess who blesses pilgrims and tourists.

We visited the Kanniyakumari temple first and then the Vivekananda Rock. Its awesome. Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a sacred monument and popular tourist attraction in Kanyakumari, India. The memorial stands on one of two rocks located about 500 meters off mainland India's southernmost tip. It was built in 1970 by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee in honour of the visit of the great spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda to Shripada Parai during the month of December 1892 for deep meditation and enlightenment. He swam to this rock and meditated about the past, present and future of India. It is said that he attained enlightenment on the rock, and henceforth became a reformer and philosopher.

After that we had the favorite time for my mom and wife. Shopping !! Bought many things made from shells and dry fruits :)

We went to Kovalam beach the same day. One of the best beaches in India. Kovalam has three crescent shaped beaches separated by rocky outcroppings. Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of metres are ideal for swimming. The beaches have steep palm covered headlands and are lined with shops that offer all kinds of goods and services. Kovalam was brought to the public eye by the Maharaja of Travancore. The European guests of the then Travancore kingdom discovered the potentiality of Kovalam beach as a tourist destination in the 1930s. However, Kovalam shot into limelight in the early seventies with arrivals of the masses of hippies. That started the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into one of the most important tourist destinations in the world- the Kovalam beach.

We had nice lifetime horrifying and interesting experience the next early morning :D Well kept secret though.