Travel

Hungry Stones! ʻIt is the same in love as in war; a fortress that parleys is half taken.ʼ—Marguerite de Valois Nahargarh Fort, along with two other forts: Amer and Jaigarh: once formed a strong defense for Jaipur city. Built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1734, this fort was originally named Sudarshangarh Rajasthan is …

MAGIC CITY Jodhpur is also known as the ʻBlue Cityʼ due to the vivid blue-painted houses around the Mehrangarh Fort. The old city circles the Fort and is bounded by a wall with several gates. However, the city has expanded greatly outside the wall over the past several decades.  The second largest city in the …

ONCE UPON A TIME The glory of Murshidabadʼs royal past may have faded long ago but the atmosphere of the city is still replete with nostalgia. Located on the southern banks of the Bhagirathi, a tributary of the Ganges River, during the Mughal period it was the capital of Bengal. In 1704, Murshid Quli Khan, …

Land of Myths and Mysteries “The land so barren and the passes so high, that only the worst of enemies or the best friends would visit this land…” — Ladakhi Proverb Cut off from the rest of the country for major part of the year, Ladakh or the ʻLand of High Passesʼ is barren yet …

UNESCO World heritage site The worldʼs largest intact salt-tolerating forest, the Sunderbans, is today an UNESCO World Heritage Site that is a magnificent tangle of mangroves and the only one of its kind in the world. It is spread over 54 islands that straddle India and Bangladesh. It forms the transition zone between the Ganges …

Hanging on a Cliff! Nothing prepares you for a view of the mighty Kanchendzonga from Sikkim. Stretched lazily across the skyline, topped with perpetual snow, the peak is a reminder of natureʼs unconditional bounty. And then there is the Teesta River, the lifeline of Sikkim, finding its way through the mighty mountains. “According to legend, …

You have to visit Khatu Shyamji, a village of religious importance in Sikar District of Rajasthan, some 80 kilometres away from Jaipur, with unconditional faith in your heart. Pilgrims walk long distances even today, carrying saffron flags and singing praises to the deity. After all, it is home of Shyam Baba who is supposed to …

­­“Where does one go in a tremendous city like Calcutta to find insider information? I recalled Indiaʼs golden rule: do the opposite of what would be normal anywhere else.”—Tahir Shah What do I say about Kolkata, my home? It is a city that may not be full of historical monuments like Delhi or Agra, but …

The markets in and around Jaipurʼs Hawa Mahal in the Old City have a timeless quality. Here, the site and sounds are as colourful as the items sold from stalls that lie within the crumbling walls of the City Palace. There are several bazaars to explore, and each one is like peeling another layer of …