We were at Somnath, one of the most important temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the twelve special temples, the Jyotirlings, and even among them, it is said to be the first. The story of Somnath is one of regeneration – of the wheel of time, and above all, of change. If anything has stayed the same, it is the sea, who has witnessed the vicissitudes of the temple – its days of grandeur as well as those of neglect.

The story of Somnath begins with the moon – Soma. The Moon God was married to 27 daughters of Daksha – the lunar constellations. He promised to be true and fair to all of them, but as time passed, he fell more and more in love with one – Rohini. The other wives were angry and complained to their father about the preference given to Rohini. Daksha was angry and he cursed the moon to lose his lustre. The moon god was repentant, but Daksha could not retract his curse. He finally turned to Lord Shiva, who eventually modified the curse, causing him to lose and gain his lustre in a cycle we know as the waning and waxing of the moon. It is believed that the Moon God built a temple of gold at this location, the first temple ever to be built here. Since then, the temple seems to have followed the moon, its fame and fortune waxing and waning alternately with the passage of time.

The legendary golden temple of Somnath is said to have given way to a silver structure built by none other than Ravana, the king of the demons, but also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. In time, that gave way to a wooden temple built by Krishna while he lived at Dwaraka. While these three temples are a part of legends, the earliest historical records show the presence of a temple around 649 AD. The temple was first invaded in 725 AD by the Arabs of Sind, and rebuilt by the Gurjar Pratihara king, Nagabhatta II in 815 AD. This was a huge structure made of red sandstone, and survived for over 200 years, before it was ransacked and destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1024 AD. The temple was rebuilt, first in wood and later in stone by the Gurjar and Solanki rulers of that era, but again it lasted no more than 200 years before it was ransacked once again, this time by Allaudin Khilji, in 1296 AD. AD 1300 saw another temple rise, but it lasted only a few years, destroyed repeatedly by the Sultans of Gujarat. In 1701 AD, Aurangzeb not only attacked and destroyed the temple, but also built a mosque over the ruins. In 1783, Ahilyabai Holkar built a temple on an adjacent site, where she installed the Shiva Lingam in a chamber under the ground, to protect it from future invaders. In a chamber over this original Lingam, she installed another Lingam, one named after her as Ahilyeshwar Mahadev. It was in this simple temple constructed by her, that prayers to Lord Shiva continued unabated until modern times, when a grand temple was constructed at the original site after India gained independence.

Somnath is essentially a temple town today, whose main attraction is the Jyotirling. The main temple is a beautiful structure, built with great attention to detail, and surrounded by flower-filled gardens. A covered promenade along the seashore is a favourite with the visitors, and especially interesting is a pillar at one end with an arrow believed to indicate an unobstructed sea route to the South Pole!

The older temple built by Ahilyabai Holkar is simpler, but equally (if not more) spiritual. On one of my earlier visits a number of years back, I remember praying to the Ahilyeshwar Mahadev on the ground level and then climbing down a winding set of stairs to the underground shrine. It is an impression that has stayed with me over all these years. Now, some changes have been made for the convenience of pilgrims, and we can now visit the underground shrine directly and then climb up to the other shrine if we feel like it.

The new temple is essentially modern, with a touch screen telling us the story of the temple, a series of photographs showing the reconstruction, and a set of panels exhibiting the stories associated with it. The tight security ensures that we stay a reasonable distance away from the deity, and just get a glimpse of the Lingam as we make our way in the constantly moving queue. This keeps us free from the scores of pestering priests and flower sellers who take up their stations outside the older temple, where we are allowed to perform the prayers to the Lord by ourselves.

While most people visit Somnath for the temple, we looked around for the other things we could do while there. Here is what we came up with:

1. The beach is the least known part of Somnath. It is surprisingly clean and my son enjoyed playing in the water. It was also quite safe, since a bunch of guards on horseback kept an eye on those bathing or playing in the water. As the sun set and the tide started coming in, they made sure that everyone got back to the shore before the water level rose. Next time you are in Somnath, don’t miss the beach!

2.The museum is something even most of the auto drivers aren’t aware of. We just noticed a board, and pestered our auto driver to take us there, which he did after much complaining. The museum is maintained by the Gujarat government and is tucked in a busy lane in the older part of the village. It is housed in a structure built over the ruins of another ancient temple, and all the ruins and relics of ancient temples found in the area are preserved here. Relics are classified by age, so we get an idea of what the ancient Somnath temples looked like.

3.The other major attractions at Somnath are the places connected to Lord Krishna. This is believed to the place where he spent his last days, and there are various temples associated with the events which occurred then. The Golok Dham tirth has His footprints, while the Bhalaka Teerth is believed to be the place where a hunter pierced his foot with an arrow. However, if you are looking for something different, try going for a boat ride on the Triveni Sangam – where the rivers Hiranya and Kapila merge with the hidden Saraswati and finally join the sea. The sangam is said to have been the site chosen by Krishna for his final days, and if you can close your eyes and shut out the pilgrims, you can almost imagine the place the way it might have been, centuries ago!

Somnath is about 7 Km from Veraval, which is well connected by Road as well as Rail. In addition, Somnath also has a railway station, which is presently connected only by a few selected trains. Accommodation in Somnath is basic, though clean. There are plenty of budget hotels around the temple. The temple trust has also built a huge complex for tourists, and the accommodation is comfortable and affordable.

You can also combine a visit to Somnath with a trip to the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary. The Club Mahindra Safari Resort at Gir is about 50 Km from Somnath and in spite of the village roads, the journey takes about an hour and a half. The resort has rooms, cottages and even tents to stay in, and is a perfect way to visit the temple while enjoying all the comforts of the resort, as well as communing with nature!

Udaipur is the lake city of Rajasthan.  Most of the state might be a desert, but Udaipur, with its five huge interconnected lakes is blessed with not just a perennial water supply, but the lakes also keep the city and its environment cool, even in the sweltering heat of summer! The city draws not just crowds of tourists coming from across the world for a glimpse of its magnificent palaces, but also droves of migratory birds drawn by the lakes! The city is thus an interesting blend of history and nature, well worth a leisurely visit. While there is much to see and do in Udaipur, here are some things you should not miss –

   1. Take a leisurely walk around the Fateh Sagar Lake….

Visit the garden amidst the lake and watch the sun set over the water… as well as birds returning home.  In winter, the garden hosts numerous migratory birds, but even in peak summer, we saw scores of birds, especially lapwings, nesting.

While there, also pay a visit to the museum dedicated to Maharana Pratap. While the museum is mostly about the battle of Haldighati, what we especially enjoyed were the miniature models of the Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh forts!

2. Visit the city palace and museum and take one of the complete tour packages… and spend the entire day amidst relics of a bygone era….. the palace is well preserved and provides a glimpse into the life of the royal family in days gone by….

While there, don’t miss the crystal gallery! Can you imagine sofas and beds all made out of crystals? No? Just visit the crystal gallery…. Also included in the complete package

Go for a boat ride on Lake Picchola to wrap up the experience!

3. Ride the cable car to the Karni Mata Temple… Not spiritually inclined? Doenst matter! The view is worth the ride!!

4.      Visit the Sajjangad Fort

Located within the wildlife sanctuary, the fort is the only monument in  the area not maintained by the royal family, but by the ASI. Don’t expect the richness and the opulence visible at the other palaces , but this fort is still worth a visit, for its enviable rain water harvesting system designed over 500 years ago! Talk to one of the guides and they may just take you on a bike ride into the forest, and show you the towers built for the hunting kings and small palaces built for queens to watch the hunting!

5. Wind up your day with the Sound and Light show at the City palace.  Conducted in English during the peak season and Hindi during off-season, the story of the Mewar Rajputs is recited in a captivating manner. Listening to the stories of the kings, queens and their struggles, it is impossible not to get involved. There was not a dry eye at the end! And the palace looks magnificent, all lit up!

Rediscover , relax and rejuvenate yourself in Club Mahindra’s  Kumbalgargh property in Rajasthan

The Kosi river forms the eastern boundary of the Corbett National Park, and Club Mahindra’s Corbett Safari Resort is located on its banks. The winter had begun to set in, and the river was just a narrow stream, though flowing quite deep and fast at some stretches. The rest of the river was just a bed of stones worn smooth by the flow over the years, a tempting sight for me, since as you all know, I love to collect stones!

On the very first day of our Bloggers trip at the Club Mahindra Corbett Safari Resort, we went upstream to an old bridge to try out some adventure sports.

The first thing I noticed was the bridge itself! The suspension bridge stretched over the wide river, and even from a distance, looked quite old.

A board told us that the bridge was built by the Central Water Commission, and though the year wasn’t quite clear, we were told by a helpful lemonade seller (the only vendor in the area) that it was built in the year 1877!

My appreciation for the bridge rose at once, and since I am really queasy when it comes to any adventure activity, decided to explore the bridge and its environs while the others had some active fun!

The age of the bridge and its condition is obvious, and seeing the growth of grass all over made me wonder how safe it is, especially when all of us walked over, and we could feel the vibration!

I was intrigued especially by the narrow channel on one side of the river……And the remains of a wheel system in it….

Could this have once been a mill wheel? What do you think?

The warmth of the sun seemed to bring out the butterflies….

And other insects, such as these damsel flies, and also grasshoppers….

And while I was busy clambering up and down the sandy banks of the river to reach the stone filled bed, the others were all busy too…some watched birds and butterflies while some photographed them, while the active ones tried out river crossing, rappelling and other such activities…

This was a place I could have stayed at forever! There were kids – local, I suppose, splashing in the water, and though I can’t swim to save my life, I wished I could join them! The water was so inviting, and I wished I could just sit there on the stones, with my feet in the water, a notebook on my lap, waiting for inspiration to strike! But it was time to leave, and the adventurous ones were lowered into the water from the bridge, and as they walked back to the jeep, I packed up my thoughts and headed back too. This is one place I will surely be back to, whenever I visit Corbett again!

Anuradha Shankar was one of the travel bloggers who was with us in the Bloggers TriptpoC to Corbett . For details on the Club Mahindra resort in Corbett, please visit here

Hubby: Let’s go to Pondicherry.

Son: What’s there in Pondicherry?

Me: It was once ruled by the French, and there are still lots of French people there. The old part of the city is also exactly like it was then.

Son: It sounds boring. Let’s go somewhere else.

Hubby: We can get to eat French food!

Son: What is French food?

Me: To begin with, Crêpes – pancakes to you

Son: We’ll get pancakes there? Let’s go!

And that’s how it began… our search for crêpes at Pondicherry.cop

We were in Chennai unexpectedly with a day to spare, and being in the mood to explore, headed towards Pondicherry. None of us had been there before, though we had passed by the East coast road a couple of times on our way to visit some temple or the other. Not knowing what to expect, and without enough time to plan things properly as we usually do, we headed out in a car borrowed from a cousin, deciding to take things as they came.

The union territory of Pondicherry or Puducherry as it is now called, is a former French colony, made up of 4 unconnected districts – Puducherry (in Tamilnadu, near Chennai), Karaikal (also in Tamilnadu, but near Thanjavur), Yanam (in Andhra Pradesh), and Mahe (in Kerala). We were visiting Puducherry, which is about 150 Km from Chennai. The city is divided into two parts – the French quarter, called Ville Blanche or white town, and the Indian quarter, called Ville Noire or Black town. We need no imagination to see where these names came from! The two halves of the city are quite disparate. The French quarter, with its colonial styled houses, roads with names listed neatly in French, the huge churches, neatly laid gardens and the Indian quarter with its comparatively narrower lanes, Indian style houses with verandas and gardens and huge doors, a temple on every lane…. The two are easily recognizable.lat

We then set off in search of something to eat. Our mobiles had decided to give up on us as soon as we arrived in Chennai, so we had no Google to help us out. Since our driver had said that he had been to Pondicherry a number of times, we decided to ask his advice instead. Our question, “Where can we get French food” brought on a frown and a minute’s silence before he finally replied, “All the people I have brought here eat at the Adayar Ananda Bhavan”. Wondering silently if we had come all the way to eat at A2B (as we call the hotel, which is a chain all over south India), we told him to drive around, so that we could look for a place to eat. It took us only a few minutes to realize that driving around would not work. To begin with, he had no idea of the kind of place we wanted to go, and he knew less than nothing about the French quarter. It would be much better for us to explore on our own.

The scorching peak summer heat made walking around difficult, and deferring our exploring for the evening, we managed to find a patisserie and gorged on veg baguettes and milk shakes, slaking our hunger for the moment. The evening saw us setting out once more in search of something remotely ‘French’ to eat! Being vegetarians, we did realize that our options were severely limited, and that the best option was to hunt out a place where we could get something like crêpes for breakfast.

The beach promenade seemed like the place to start, and a friendly traffic policeman sporting a kepi suggested we go to Le Café. The beach was too crowded for us to even want to step in, so we opted to go directly to Le Café, where a table set on the porch gave us a great view of the beach, but kept us at a safe distance from the crowd.  We soon realized that the view was the best thing about the place. It was just a café, and all we would get were sandwiches (again!) at this time of the day! In any case, sandwiches and French fries sounded better than idlis and dosas, so we opted for sandwiches again.

Determined to find a place which would serve us crepes for breakfast, we walked up and down the promenade entering every place which looked like a hotel, homestay or lodge. We found quite a few good options for staying, if we ever visited again, but none served anything like crepes for breakfast, and all seemed surprised that we wanted something like it! The only options in hand seemed too expensive – not what we wanted at the moment!

Tiring of the ever increasing crowd at the promenade, we decided to abandon it and try one of the inner roads. At least they would be empty. On the Rue Dumas, we saw a flashy sign for Le Club, which promised ‘authentic French and Italian Cuisine’, but a peep told us that it wasn’t really our kind of place. Next door was a sign that said ‘Dumas Guest House’ and I walked in, without much hope in my heart.

The lady manning the reception spoke English with a French accent, and she smiled happily when my son said, “Bonjour”, showing off his scanty knowledge of French. My enquiry about crêpes brought another smile, and she told me that I had arrived at the wrong time. This was off-season. The place was packed with the local tourists making the most of the summer vacation, but the real tourists wouldn’t arrive until later, when the rains came. That was the best season to spend here, and that was the time the whole place would be filled with stalls selling all kinds of things, especially French food! As of now, we had no choice but to go to one of the larger hotels or a few select ones which served French cuisine throughout the year. However, if all we wanted were crêpes, we did have two other options – the first was La Terrasse, a restaurant barely five minutes away, where pancakes were served all through the day, and the second was the Alliance Française, located right opposite, which served the best breakfast in Pondy! She suggested we try the breakfast at the Alliance Café since we would not be leaving until after breakfast, and we happily decided to accept her advice.

So there we were, at the doors of the Alliance Française at 8:30 in the morning, their first customers of the day! The beautiful old building, with its wooden staircases, and the small garden enclosed by huge walls made us forget the rest of the world outside. As for the menu, there were plenty of choices, but our eyes were drawn just towards one word – crêpes!

Between the three of us, we managed to try out every variety of crêpes they could make this early in the morning – with cinnamon, bananas, apples and honey! My son has had pancakes before, but crêpes were a first for him, so he was rather surprised that it was so thin, unlike the pancakes he normally has. He looked at it with suspicion for a minute, but all it took was a bite, and he was won! He managed to finish off two by himself!

The Alliance Française de Pondicherry was started in 1897, and it was one of the first Alliances in the world after the one in Paris! The café de Flore on its premises is a recent venture, originally opened only for members. Unfortunately, the response wasn’t too good, and it was thrown open to the public, which is a big boon for us! The ambience and the crêpes made our day and we were able to leave happily with full stomachs for our next halt – Auroville!

Plan your visit to Pondicherry with Club Mahindra.  For details of our resort visit here

The boulders of Hampi – you see them everywhere. They stand testimony to the creativity of the artisans, who created works of art which the world would admire…

They talk of Gods…..

And stories about them…

They talk about the people who lived among them…..

They tell us about those who fought for their kings….

They watched over as one king gave way, or was made to give way, for another…..
They watched as greed and envy ruled over everything else, and all the good work came to naught.
They watched as a bustling city was laid waste…… as it was abandoned…..

They were the sole witnesses as nature re-claimed the land……. As trees grew over whatever was left …….and poor farmers replaced the rich merchants who once walked along the same path……
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And then came those in search of the ancient ruins, and dug up the fields, exposing the stone floors below…. Bringing to light chambers which lay hidden under the earth….

People come from all over to world just to see them, and as I stand amidst them, I can’t help wondering if these huge boulders have a message for us….. Standing tall among all the ruins, are they telling us not to make the same mistakes as those before us? To live a peaceful life without greed or enmity, forgetting petty differences such as religion and languages, to live in peace and harmony, for as humans, our life is short. We will soon pass on, but these huge boulders shall remain witness to our lives too, and what we choose to make of it!

The first thing that strikes you in Hampi is these huge boulders all over the place. They were everywhere, and we started recognizing the distinctive ones over the two days we spent wandering around, looking at what was left of the erstwhile Vijayanagar Empire. While I listened to our guide and stared at the ruins with awe, all I could think of was the story that these huge boulders could tell, if only they could speak…. But then again, maybe they do speak…They speak of an age long gone by….

How they came to be there, no one knows for certain. Mythology says they were thrown there by a mischievous god. Science tells us that they are the last remnants of a volcanic eruption…….

No matter how they came to be there, they stand vigil, sole witnesses to the highs and lows of various dynasties who passed by….

They watched over as kings were born, as kings ruled and made their names, some for their valour, some for their wisdom, some for their greed….. Some found a way to tame these huge boulders, some as old as time……..

And they endured, as men found a way to break them up, carve them and use them to build their empire…… They bore the chisels as they worked their way inside, splitting them into smaller pieces, easier to manipulate….

They still bear the marks…. Even as they stand tall, still bearing the weight thrust on them…

They stand testimony to the kings’ foresight….. As water channels and aqueducts, capable of supplying water even today, five hundred years after they were made…

They stand testimony to the kings’ understanding of markets…. as huge areas set aside for commerce…

And they stand testimony to the kings’ spirituality… in the form of huge temples….

Having finished with the natural wonders of Binsar, we decided to explore some of the places around.

The first of these was the temple complex at Jageshwar . The complex has over 200 temples, small and big, and the main temple is considered by some to be one of the Jyotirlings. However, what is fascinating about this place are the Deodhars – these huge trees cover every part of the mountain and the valleys around this temple. What is interesting is that the Deodhar forest exists only in the area around the temple…. all other parts of the mountains abound in pines, with the occasional Deodhar and oaks. But here, you can barely see any other types of trees!

The temples are all beautiful, and have wonderful sculptures, taking us back to the era when they were built by the hardy residents of this area. Some of the more beautiful ones excavated here have been kept in the ASI museum.

If Jageshwar was fascinating for the beauty of its man made creations, our next destination was a triumph of nature, and to the imagination of man! Patal Bhuvaneshwar is an ancient cave with natural formations of stalactites and stalagmites. However, what is fascinating here is that our imagination has converted the natural miracle into a religious destination! So, while one outcrop becomes a snake, another becomes Ganesha and yet another becomes Lord Shiva. What’s so wonderful about it? You may ask, but it is interesting to see where the imagination stems from – the sight of a small, jet black rock might make us think of a Shiva Lingam, but when you see pure white stalactite dripping water right onto the rock at the base, the water collecting in a pit nearby, not overflowing, but not stagnating either, it becomes much, much more easier to imagine that is indeed Lord Shiva there, with the Ganga emanating from his tresses! Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in the cave.

A relatively less known place near Almora is Lakhudiyar, the site of prehistoric cave paintings. Under a rocky outcrop are a few remaining prehistoric paintings, which will soon disappear if care is not taken.

One of the most famous temples in the area is the temple of Golu Devta, a local deity, where devotees tie bells in the belief that their prayers will be answered. The temple is filled with bells of all sizes – thousands of them! people come to this temple not just to pray, but also to see the ‘bell temple’ as it is now popularly known!

The sight of a swift sitting in its nest, and its baby peeping out for food made my day…..

…while the sight of a river bed full of stones and another river full of hungry fishes thrilled my son!

Towards the end of our trip, the sight of a forest fire made us aware of the problems caused by sheer carelessness.

We rounded off our trip with a visit to Nainital, and boating on the famous lake…

We have returned with some wonderful memories to treasure….. And a desire to go back sometime!

LOCATION: Binsar is about 30 Kms from Almora and 383 Kms from Delhi.
The nearest railway station is Kathgodam, and the journey takes about 3 ½ hours by car. Plenty of taxis are available for hire outside the station, and the typical cost is about Rs.1000-1200/-
There are plenty of buses available from Haldwani, just 4kms before Kathgodam.

The KMVN guest house is located within the sanctuary. It is most conveniently located for treks and exploring the jungle, and a large number of birds can be seen from the resort itself. Bookings can be made online through the KMVN website.
Another option within the sanctuary is Khali Estate, which is slightly on the expensive side, but offers some great sights as well as experiences.
The best options outside the sanctuary are Club Mahindra Binsar Valley resort, and The Binsar retreat.

30 Kms from Almora, away from the crowded hill station, is the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of the Corbett National Park. The sanctuary is reputed to be home to over 300 species of birds, and is, therefore a haven for bird watchers and nature lovers. We recently made a visit to this beautiful part of Uttarakhand, and came away enraptured with the place….. Come along with me as I visit Binsar and around…..

Binsar is about 100 Kms from Kathgodam, which is the nearest railway station. We arrived at Kathgodam and took a cab to our resort, winding along the twisting and turning mountain roads. The journey to Binsar valley resort took us more than 4 hours, and the resort was a welcome sight, nestled among the mountains, just off the road, but out of sight till the last turn! Cottages set apart by lots and lots of trees made for a fantastic and soothing atmosphere, something we appreciated after two whole days of travel!

Even more spectacular were the log huts where we stayed, perched atop the opposite side of the mountain, approachable only by a narrow road where only the resort jeeps were allowed to ply.

The wonderful views and the silence were worth the hectic travel to get here!

An added bonus were the birds we spotted, without having to move from the comfort of our room – bulbuls by the dozens, chattering away all day long, drongoes flying in and out of the trees, a lone plum headed parakeet which decided to wake us up early the very first morning, and a hoopoe pecking away at the grass – these were just a few of the winged visitors to our temporary home!

A short walk to the valley behind the resort took us along some villages and to a stream flowing silently, a natural setting for the birds this valley is famous for. We saw flocks of red billed blue magpies, oriental white-eyes, babblers, spotted doves, and many other birds, not to mention a variety of trees such as apple, walnut and the rhododendron.

The Rhododendron is the most prominent tree in this area, and its red flowers were seen everywhere. This flower is not just decorative, but is renowned for its curative powers – its juice is said to cure asthma and is reputed to be good for the heart too!

A visit to the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary was something we all looked forward to, and we opted for the simplest option available of driving till the KMVN guest house and then trekking to Zero Point, the highest point in the sanctuary. Summer having arrived, the paths inside the sanctuary were covered with fallen leaves, and it was a pleasant trek. While we just managed to glimpse a herd of barking deer, and did see a few birds, the majority of the fauna of the sanctuary gave us a miss…… To really enjoy this sanctuary, one must stay at one of the resorts within the sanctuary itself.

This wondrous sight met us as we stepped on the platform constructed at Zero Point – a panoramic view of the Himalayas, a view my camera does no justice to. It is a sight to be seen with ones own eyes…

Having finished with the natural wonders of Binsar, we decided to explore some of the places around, which I will share with you in Part 2

Sand and water have much in common…..One always associates the sea with the seaside, that is, the beaches. When we had been to Bordi, we were amazed to see only sand as far as eyes could see. It was low tide then, and the water was far far away.

Yet, one also associates sand to deserts. For there also, there is sand as far as eyes can see. Truly, Sand and the Sea have much in common. From where one stands, one can see only the same view, stretching, maybe to the end of the world.

As we stood on the sand dunes of Jaisalmer, surrounded by sand on all sides, we felt really small… It was so easy to get lost in the never-ending desert…if it wasn’t for the guide with us…It was scary, but so beautiful…nature at her rawest… One admires the people who live there. It is probably only because they have been born there, and have it in their blood that they can survive there. It is so easy for an outsider to succumb to the vagaries of nature in that land….unbearable heat in the summer, and long, cold nights in the winter. It is the basic rule of survival of the fittest, which rules the place and one can not but help admire the people who have survived in such a place.

It is such people who have made Jaisalmer what it is today. The Kings who ruled this land were proud and brave, and they built a beautiful fort, which, till today guards a city full of life, within its walls. According to our guide, it is the only fort in India, where people still live. In his words, it is “A Living Fort”. And what a beautiful one! Like the other forts of Rajasthan, this one too is well maintained. But, unlike the other forts, here, one can catch a glimpse of what life was like, within the walls of a fort. Narrow streets take one around the fort, within which, everyone knows everyone else. There are people pursuing professions which their great grandfathers practiced, and enjoying it! Since the fort is a heritage site, there haven’t been many changes inside, and people live in the same houses their ancestors lived in, of course with slight modifications. This lends a genuine aura to the place, which makes it a hot tourist destination.

And that brings me to an interesting fact. Tourism brings in the highest revenue here, and everyone wants to have a hand in the pie. So, as our guide told us “Children all over the world learn their mother tongue first, and then the local language of the area. However, in Jaisalmer, the first language a child learns is English, followed by French and Spanish. Many children know Italian and German too. Hindi is a secondary language for them. After all, how many tourists actually speak Hindi? As far as our mother tongue is concerned, it is a dying language. No one speaks it any more. One can earn in foreign currency by speaking in the language of the tourist. Hindi brings in little, but Marwadi, nothing at all!” A very logical reasoning, borne by the truth of his words. I could see so many children conversing in foreign languages, with an ease that comes only with regular conversation, not learning. I myself have learnt French, and actually considered myself to be good at speaking the language, but honestly, I didn’t have the guts to try out my language skills on them… they were so much better at it !

Among the places we visited was the Gadi Sagar Lake. It was once the source of water supply to the city, for the lake was built in such a way that there is water throughout the year. A miracle by itself, to build a like in the middle of a desert, and also have potable water in it! The lake is filled with catfish, which are held to be sacred by the locals. No one would dare to try to fish in the lake! On the contrary, people come and feed the fish daily, as a sort of a vow! The fish have grown to enormous sizes, and the sight of them leaping to catch the crumbs thrown by the people is an impressive one.

An interesting story goes along with the lake. This is the place where the Gangaur festival takes place, attended by the royalty. It seems that at one time, there was a prostitute in the area, who was very rich. She wanted to build something that she would be remembered for, after her death. And, being a gutsy woman, she wanted to turn up her thumb in the royalty. So, she got a huge arch built at the entrance of the lake, through which the King would have to pass during the festival. The king, would, in effect be bowing before her structure. Needless to say, the royalty wasn’t impressed, and plans were made to tear down the structure. This is when the resourceful woman showed her mettle, by constructing a small temple on the arch, overnight. No one in India will knowingly destroy a temple, and the arch stands there to this day. Checkmated by the prostitute, the King pretended to ignore the arch, and entered the premises from one side. To this day, the practice continues, with the kings not using the arch as an entrance.

The old Havelis are a major tourist attraction in Jaisalmer, and rightly so. They are huge, and palatial, and belong to the erstwhile landlords of the area. They seem to be next in the rung after the royalty, and were as conscious of their comforts. The beautiful carvings and the architecture of the houses are worth a closer look.

We visited Jaisalmer in June, when it was hot, but not as hot it would have been in peak summer. It was the off season, and there weren’t many tourists around. What I mean is that there weren’t many foreigners around. The only tourists were Indians like us, on their holidays just before schools reopened. The guides told us that during the peak season, all the hotels would be full, and tents put up all along the roads. Most people came to stay in the tents. That was when the local performers would be around, lending a genuine touch to the heritage sites. From one and all, we heard about the festival season, when Jodhpur and Jaisalmer could be seen at their best.

I beg to differ. Of course, the festivals and the festivities are what make India the unique country that she is, and that is what people come to see and be a part of, from all over the world. Undoubtedly, that would be a great experience. However, one must not forget that these are places where all the population lived in a very small area, within the fort for instance. Outside the fort were vast open spaces, which have remained so, because of nature being what she is, a bit difficult to manage. The feelings and thoughts that permeate the atmosphere in such seclusion are never possible when there is a crowd. Just for that reason, I would like to go back there, again during off season. I can not forget the wonderful feeling I had, of being on top of the world, when I looked down from the fort, or the feeling of oneness with nature, which I felt on the never-ending sand dunes, or simply the pleasure of sliding and rolling down the sand dunes with my son. It is a feeling that stays with me, and one that I would encourage others also to experience.

Island – the word evokes memories of childhood classics such as Robinson Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson and Treasure Island. These were some of my favourite books and there have been times I have wondered what it would be like to be actually marooned on an island, cut off from the rest of the world. Well, I live on an island (Bombay), but there is no feeling of being cut off from the world – in fact, it is more crowded and noisier than many other cities, and there doesn’t seem to be the remotest chance of my being marooned on some uninhabited island. So much for fantasies……

However, this vacation brought the fantasy as near to fact as it is possible in these days of faster and more efficient methods of communication, when we visited Poovar.

When my husband first suggested Poovar for our annual vacation, I asked him, “Where on earth is that?” So much for my awareness of places in my own country! He told me to look it up on a map, and that is when I realized that it was an island! That is what began my fascination with the place. The fascination grew when I learnt that it wasn’t just an island. There was a river merging with the sea, backwaters galore and the wide open sea all around! Just imagine – this is a place which is an island, set at the mouth of an estuary, with a beach on one side and backwaters on the other, with small lakes all over! This was a place which captured my imagination at once!

We flew down to Trivandrum, my son jumping with excitement at the sight of the vast blue sea and the deep green palm trees welcoming us to God’s own country. We spent a day at Trivandrum, visiting the temples and palace before heading out to Poovar. Instead of hiring a car, we decided to take an auto, a decision which turned to be wise, as our driver kept us regaled with his pronouncements about all the tourists who turned up.

The auto dropped us at the Poovar jetty, from where we took a boat to the Club Mahindra Floating Palms resort, where we had booked rooms. The ride is free for those who have reservations, but I wonder how many people actually turn up at such a remote place without reservations!

The ride to the resort was a wonderful journey, as we passed fishing boats with locals in them, the backwaters lined with cormorants. My son, who is just getting to recognize birds, squealed excitedly as a kingfisher swooped down to catch a fish, and a cormorant turned towards us lazily, perhaps wondering why humans were staring at them and pointing them out to others!

At the resort, we found that we had not been lucky enough to get one of the floating cottages, but the rooms we got were good, built amidst pools of water, and connected by wooden bridges. This again excited my son, who noticed fishes and crabs in the water, and spent most of the day standing on the bridges, looking out for them!

We spent three days at Poovar – three glorious days, when we did nothing but relax. It was hot in the afternoons, but the mornings and evenings were just right for a leisurely walk. The high point of the stay though was the backwater cruise.

The local fishing boat was itself a novelty, but even more were the fabulous sights. Green was obviously the dominant colour, closely followed by blue, but before this trip, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine so many shades of just these two colours! We took a cruise around the island, observing the darker shades of the backwaters as they merged into the lighter shade of the sea, the whole stretch of blue bordered by the green – lush green grasses and palm trees. It was difficult to distinguish between bluish-green and greenish-blue, and I was as excited as my son when we saw a purple heron disappearing into the foliage.

Amongst all these outpourings of nature were a few rude awakenings too, as we realized that this was not the only resort in this place. There were two others, one recently built, catering to the masses of tourists arriving in the peak season, and more were coming up! As we turned back towards home, lingering a while to see the sun set over the horizon, I could not help, but wonder if the place would manage to retain its identity and abundance of natural beauty a few years from now.