Are you one of those who consider Rishikesh as a short stop before moving onto more exotic places in Uttarakhand?

My suggestion is to take sometime out for this holy town which is as much a gateway to the pristine Himalayas for the urbanites as it is a gateway for the hill people to reach the hullaballoo that is the urban life.

Here are a few things that you must experience in Rishikesh before embarking on your destination.

Take a walk along the streets and you’ll find an interesting and intriguing world opening up to you.

The street shops are a great place to spend your time. They will sell you anything from small artifacts or souvenirs, big sculptures, clothes, trekking equipment (new and old) to religious stuff etc. Bargaining is the name of the game here. But beware of cheats. We were taken to a shop to show the only one-faced Rudraksha in Rishikesh. That day alone we saw 10 of those in 10 different shops.

Walk towards the Triveni Ghat off the market road. You can see the Gangesat its fastest. Must be over 40KmPH. Further upstream, one can enjoy white water rafting too. Triveni Ghat is where people come from all over Indiato “wash off” their sins. Come evening, you have the official prayer offered to the Goddess Ganga. It is quite a spectacular spectacle! Not to be missed. Here is a six minute video if you really want to have a feel of the aarti.

Not to forget the Lakshman jhoola, the famous iron suspension bridge on the river. This is where Lord Rama’s brother Lakshman is said to have crossed the river on a jute rope.

If you are upto it then you can take a rickshaw to Ram Jhula (a clone of Laxman Jhula 200 metres downstream) and walk to the other side. There you will see a small potbellied man with painted face in front of a restaurant with a well styled lock of hair, choti, kept in place by setting hair gel. If you don’t eat at this famous Chotiwala restaurant, your visit to Rishikesh is considered incomplete. Everything is made of Pure Ghee (clarified butter).

Wait, there is another one, next door. Apparently the original Chotiwala had two sons and so now both are Chotiwalas. Food, of course is yummy to say the least.

In case you have plenty of days / weeks then you can sign up for Yoga in the so many ashrams where you can live and learn Yoga for a nominal sum.

All this is fine in normal days. If you happen to go there during Mahashivaratri days, the place plays host to the tens of thousands of devotees called the Kavaris. They walk from their distant villages bringing containers to collect waters from Ganga to take back to their respective villages and offer it to the local Shiva Temple. During this period, the place transforms into a bustling town.

Getting there – Being a popular all weather destination getting to Rishikesh is quite easy. The nearest airport is  JollyGrantAirport at Dehradun which is just 20-25 kilometers away. Alternately you can enjoy a bus/train ride which are plenty fromDelhi, Haridwar and other places.

Club Mahindra has a property in Kanatal, around 76 KMs north of Rishikesh. Depending on the weather you choose to go, it offers a lush green or snow capped Himalayas ranges besides a very warm hospitality.

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!

Rajasthan means the land of Kings and I had always envisioned it as a land of bright colours and happiness and my visit to Udaipur did not disappoint.

Udaipur was established as the capital of Mewar by Maharana Udai Singh II in 1559, hence the name Udaipur. Now it is known as ‘Venice of the East’ and also as City of Lakes as it has five major lakes.

Oh wow, what a city! The old and the new sit comfortably cheek by jowl and once in the old quarter of Udaipur you dont want to ever move over to the new monotonous urban Udaipur.

Old Udaipur is a maze of narrow lanes and bridges and gates populated by cattle, humans and other livestock. All the lanes lead to various palaces, forts, havelis and museums. If you are on foot you will have to walk around gingerly to avoid all the dung and droppings of the forever munching cows and goats. It is literally like you have travelled in a time machine to the times when the Rajas ruled.

The few must visit places are The City Palace, the Vintage Car Museum, Bagore ki Haveli and the ride to the hill top by cable car from where you can get breathtaking views of Udaipur. The Lake Palace is out of bounds for casual visitors as it is now converted into a hotel and is the exclusive prerogative of the guests of the hotel.

This Lake Palace hotel had shot into fame when it was featured in ‘Octopussy’ – a James Bond film. This movie, even now, after so many years is still screened in almost all the hotels of Udaipur!

Close to the City palace is one of the most famous temples of Udaipur – the Jagdish temple. This temple in the Indo Aryan style was built by Maharana Jagjit Singh in 1651 and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

If you have the time do visit the monsoon palace from where you can get a lovely view of Udaipur and the journey is wonderful.

As far as food is concerned well Udaipur is totally tuned to catering to the Continental tastes. In the bed and breakfast hotels you have a choice of Indian/Continental breakfast. In Continental you get cornflakes/pancakes/eggs to order with bread and in Indian you get parathas/parathas or more parathas or of course the masala omlet (please specify you want it spicy if you like it) with bread.

If you are looking for authentic hygeinic Rajasthani cuisine there is one restaurant in Udaipur serving it – Nataraj dining hall. It is worth the effort and value for money. Do visit it for the experience. It is near the Udaipur railway station.

If you intend to shop around, do ask your hotel reception the best place to do so and also the approximate price at which to buy to ensure you are not ripped off.

Similarly for travelling around, fix the rates with the transport operator before you start off. The 3 wheeler autorickshaws are the best as they can very easily maneuver through the narrow lanes of old Udaipur and save time.

Overall Udaipur is a wonderful city that has tradition and modernity in equal measure and a wonderful gateway to Rajasthan.

Visit Udaipur and enjoy the hospitality of our resort, Flora , Udaipur which adds a touch of contemporary to the ancient air of the heritage town. If you have the time,  do visit Kumbalgarh, a town steeped in history .

My friends and I got a 2 day break and we wanted to get out of Bengaluru. After a lot of discussion we zeroed in on Pondicherry. Even though I had been to Pondicherry 2 years back, I didn’t mind going to that coastal town again. We took the overnight bus from Bengaluru and reached Pondicherry the next day morning.

Pondicherry which is also known as Pondy and Puducherry is one place that is filled with a lot French flavour despite being very much a part of India. The people, the food, the streets, the language – everything has something to do with its old colonial rulers. I could feel their presence everywhere. Pondicherry has a very relaxed and leisurely approach to life and this is exactly the reason why people come here. Pondicherry is divided into the tamil quarter and french quarter by a canal which separates them. The french side has french names to its roads and buildings. The beach and the hotels also come in this part of the town. However all the shopping areas are in the tamil quarter.

Even though there isn’t much to see around Pondicherry, a visit to the Aurobindo ashram/ Auroville is a must. We hired a couple of bikes and left for Auroville. It is situated in the outskirts of the town and we passed through serene localities before reaching there. We did a study tour of the place and then moved on to the lovely restaurant which served delicious french food. After some finger licking business we checked out the shops which sold curios, souvenirs, candles and different kind of hand made goods.

From the ashram we headed straight to the beach road, which is one of the most frequently visited roads in Pondicherry. There is a huge statue of Mahatma Gandhi on one side and a statue of Joan of Arc towards another end. With a lot of coffee shops and vendors around, this is a favourite spot with both the residents and the tourists. The road was also filled with evening walkers as this is a vehicle free road. We had some hot coffee and listened to the waves thrashing itself against the rocks. The icing on the cake was however the sea breeze blowing across our face taking us to the zenith of serenity. We didn’t leave the place until it got really dark. Pondicherry lost this lovely beach to the Tsunami in 2004 when it swept across the east coast of India. The beach is now covered up with rocks and boulders to make sure that the waves don’t start eating up the remaining piece of land. However people still sit on the rocks and enjoy their evenings. After the evening stroll it was time to gobble down some french food. We went to a french restaurant which was completely lit up in the night and helped ourselves to some lovely cocktails and a tasty french dinner.

The next day morning we visited a couple of churches of the 17th and 18th centuries. The churches have some lovely glass paintings and beautiful architecture which makes them a must visit for all tourists. Pondicherry also has a lovely museum and a french war memorial which are worth a visit.

Our next destination was Chunambur which was away from the town. We had to take a small boat ride across a big creek to reach the Paradise island beach. It is a lovely beach with absolutely no commercialisation except for one shop which provides refreshments for the visitors. It began drizzling while we were at the island and there was no place where we could get a cover. We returned back after an hour of fun at the beach. Another beach that we explored was the Aurobindo beach which was swarming with the local crowd in the evening.

Pondicherry is known to be a shopper’s paradise and we didn’t want to miss out on it. After a small round shopping and lazying around, it was time for us to wind up our short trip to the lovely beach town, Pondy. Whether you call it the French Riviera of the East or the Goa of the East Coast, Pondicherry has its own charm which makes people go back to her again and again.

Club Mahindra has a beautiful resort- the Club Mahindra Big Beach Resort in Pondicherry. Make sure to experience the property when you plan your trip to Pondicherry.

If you are visiting Coorg then do not forget to keep at least half day for a visit to Bylakuppe. It is a Tibetan settlement about 40kms away where the Indian government had leased 3,000 acres of land to the fleeing Tibetans in 1961. It consists of two Tibetan refugee settlements that were setup in 1961 and 1969 respectively and has now grown into a full-fledged town housing the largest Tibetan population outside of Dharamsala in India.

It is the largest Tibetan community in exile with about 40,000 people in five settlements containing monasteries, kindergarten to higher level secondary schools, health care clinics, a hospital and a traditional Tibetan medical facility. The ‘Lugsum Samdupling’ settlement established in 1961 has grown to a veritable township with monasteries, nunneries and cafes and stalls that showcase the Tibetan way of life.

As you near the settlement you will find monks in robes zipping past on two wheelers. Makes one wonder – what’s the hurry for the monks? Ah well, the monks here are well rooted in tradition and well connected with all modern technology too. You will see monks chatting away on a mobile phone in one hand and rolling beads on his rosary in another!

The most visited temple here is Namdroling (The Golden Temple) and the signage is loud and clear. And of course you can spot it from afar. Three beautiful larger than life gold plated statues look down at visitors above the altar. Buddha around 60 feet tall holds prominent place, flanked by Guru Padmasambhava and Amitayush (each around 58 feet tall). The walls are adorned with colourful paintings depicting gods and demons from Tibetan Buddhist mythology. The entrance has a curtain of beads which is the favourite of kids who love going in and out.

The monastery attached to this temple is considered to be one of the best places for higher learning. This monastery dedicated to the teachings of Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism was established by His Holiness Pema Norbu Rinpoche shortly after he came to India from Tibet. A long, leisurely visit to the Namdroling monastery would take up almost half a day. If you are lucky you will witness a prayer chanting session in one of the temples and it is a ‘must experience’. Rows of monks will sit and start chanting from their books and a couple of them will blow wind instruments while there will be another who will play the cymbals. All this will be accompanied by the rhythmic beat of the drums.

The exterior of the new Zangdokpalri temple looks majestic with a majestic rainbow arch. We are so used to being told not to photograph the idols in temples, that the ready willingness of the monks to let the idols in their temples being photographed is such a pleasant and welcome surprise. Most of the monks when approached are very friendly and ready to talk and answer all your question about their life there or Buddhism. It is almost like visiting a foreign country in your own!

There is a large parking area near the Golden Temple. A shopping arcade next to it houses many curios shops and restaurants.

Getting there: Bylakuppe is situated on the state highway 88. The nearest town for Bylakuppe is Kushal Nagar. Auto-rickshaw is the best mode for a trip to the Golden Temple from Kushalnagar. There are frequent buses shuttling between Mysore and Madikeri and you can get down at Kushalnagar.

Club Mahindra has a beautiful resort in Coorg and Bylakuppe is not too far away from our property.  Enjoy your visit to the coffee country with us and  plan a visit to Bylakuppe at your leisure.
Watch this video to experience the destination more.

There’s something about sleepy Puducherry or Pondicherry that draws me to it over and over again! For most people one visit is enough to look around and soak in the atmosphere of this laidback former French colony. For me, every visit only makes my heart grow fonder. The beauty of Pondicherry lies in the way it straddles two very distinct cultures with complete ease. Be prepared to hear native Tamilians converse in fluent French as you walk down the streets. Ask their names and expect to be even more surprised because names like Brutus Vivek are not uncommon in this part of the country.

It never ceases to amaze me how French and Tamilian cultures have come together and coexisted so beautifully. The Sri Aurobindo ashram is probably the most visited piece of real estate in the city. Years go by, but the ashram remains the same – a place of universal acceptance and abundant peace. A few minutes spent there will soothe your nerves. Walk across to the Manakula Vinayagar Koil to visit the temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha or just go there to see Lakshmi – the temple elephant. Lakshmi is always surrounded by locals and tourists some seeking her blessings, and some just enjoying watching her antics.

Both the temple and ashram are located in the French quarter of Pondicherry – the part of town that still has magnificent French style villas and where street names begin with “Rue” meaning street or road in French. Magnificent doorways peeping out from under a curtain of bougainvillea in full bloom welcome you instead of a regular metal gate. With imposing walls and long windows with grills, it’s practically impossible to take a peek inside, making these houses and their residents even more fascinating. You can walk around and take as many photos as you like, as the inhabitants of these villas take no offence. In fact, across the city, you are most likely to be greeted by smiling faces and people who will stop by to chat or help.

No one is in a hurry in Pondicherry. Rest is not frowned upon and afternoon siestas are a norm. As evening sets in, the seaside promenade comes alive. Crowded and full of vendors trying hard to make a sale, I prefer a walk by the sea in the mornings when it is calmer. French cuisine is well known the world over, but again considering its Pondicherry we are in, even French cuisine has been strongly influenced by the local culture. Known as Franco-Tamilian cuisine, you can sample this at the many cafes and restaurants located in the French quarter. Seafood lovers are in for a special treat. Different people visit Pondicherry for different reasons. Whatever it is that draws you to the city, you will definitely leave a calmer and rejuvenated person. There’s something in the air. While it’s hard to describe what this magical thing is, it’s a total pleasure to experience!

Club Mahindra has a beautiful resort- the Club Mahindra Big Beach Resort in Pondicherry. Make sure to experience the property when you plan your trip to Pondicherry.

Our journey into Coorg’s heritage takes us on a spiritual quest – atop mountains, inside forests and coffee estates and by the river side.  These are temples etched in the cultural landscape of the Kodavas, although some of them will never find mention in any religious texts.

It is misty as we climb a small hilltop to the Padi Iguthuppa temple in Kakkabe. The bells start ringing the moment we enter the temple , as a gentle breeze blows from the rolling hills around. A group of Kodava women enter and speak with the priest Kush Bhat who welcomes us and insists that we stay over for lunch. “ No one comes to the Iguthuppa temple and goes away without eating lunch ,” he says. He explains that Iguthappa means giver of food and the deity is a form of Subramanya or Muruga, son of Shiva

“Close your eyes and ask Iguthappa whatever you want ..If you have faith, you will get the same,” says Kush Bhatt adding that centuries ago, Shiva and Subramanya came here and loved the hills so much that they decided to settle down here . The temple is known to feed anyone who comes here and all pilgrims offer food, not money to the deity . “Iguthappa told the people of Coorg that you will never go hungry as long as Im here and if you accept me as your God, ” explains Kush Bhatt. Some call him a saint, some say he is one of the four brothers who settled in the hills around the area. But despite the legends, every festival of the Kodavas starts with the invocation of Iguthappa and the  most important festival of the temple is Tulabharam .

We go to the another Iguthappa temple in Naljee, inside a forest through a lush coffee plantation . There is not a soul around and it is peaceful just listening to the sounds of the forest. These monuments are probably lost to the average tourist , but as a traveler, I realize that one finds sanctity in the silence around them

Club Mahindra has a wonderful resort in Coorg and make sure you get an experience of mystical Coorg when you visit them next

We were on our way to Jodhpur from Udaipur and an important halt on the way had to be Kumbalgarh as were told that it was a ‘not to miss’ fort. We were not disappointed. The roads all the way were wonderful and despite visiting Eklinji and Nathdwar on the way we reached Kumbalgarh by 1pm. On the way we passed the impressive Club Mahindra Kumbalgarh Resort.

Though the sun was beating down mercilessly the first sight of the fort was enough to drive away any tiredness. Having parked in the official parking lot and buying the entrance tickets we set out to explore this much talked about fort.

We were accosted by ‘guides’ at the gate but we decided doing the fort on our own. There is a map at the entrance which one can use to decide what one wants to see. There is also a plaque there which told us that this fort was built by Rana Kumbha of Mewar in the 15^th century. It was built on a 3,500feet high hill overlooking the approaches from Ajmer and Marwar and was considered impregnable. The fort remained impregnable to direct assault, and fell only once, due to a shortage of drinking water, to the combined forces of Mughal Emperor Akbar, Raja Man Singh of Amber, Raja Udai Singh of Marwar, and the Sultan of Gujarat.

Another interesting fact was that, of the 84 fortresses defending Mewar, 32 were designed and built by Rana Kumbha. Of these, Kumbhalgarh, with its 36-kilometer long wall and soaring towers is the most impressive. This wall is supposed to be 2^nd only to the Great Wall of China in size!

Now it is famous as the birthplace of Maharana Pratap, the great King and warrior of Mewar. It was occupied until the late 19^th century but now the fort is open to the general public as a museum. It is lit up for a while every evening which is supposed to look spectacular. Unfortunately due to paucity of time we did not have the fortune to witness that.

Apparently there are 360 temples within the fort , 300 ancient Jain and the rest Hindu. To ascertain this, would have had to stay at Club Mahindra Resort nearby, maybe will do some other time. But if you have the time and the patience and the interest in history it would be a delightful exercise.

According to legend, in 1443, the Maharana of Kumbhalgarh, Rana Kumbha, was initially unsuccessful in repeated attempts to build the fort wall. To overcome this hurdle a seer was consulted about the construction problems who advised ruler that a voluntary human sacrifice would solve whatever that was causing the impediment. He also advised building a temple at the spot where the head would fall after the sacrifice, and to build the wall and the fort where the rest of his body lay. As can be expected, for quite some time no one volunteered, but one day a pilgrim volunteered and was ritually decapitated. Today the main gate of the fortress, Hanuman Pol, contains a shrine and a temple to commemorate the great sacrifice.

Right on top is the Badal Mahal which offers spectacular views.

We spent a couple of hours taking in the awesome sights of and from the fort and then started back the long walk back to the parking lot with a sense of having participated in the most historic forts of Rajasthan.

The Club Mahindra Resort in Kumbalgarh is a sprawling luxurious property overlookin the magnificent mountains. The fort is barely 5 kms from the resort.

Everything is nothing, nothing is everything! This is what our guide said about the Borobudur temple. Borobudur temple has 13 levels and all the way up the steps, there are carvings of Buddhist culture and history with a tiny bit of Hindu culture. There are war sagas and legendary beauties all the way from level four till level nine. Now, these are not equally spaced levels. From ground level to level four might have been around 20 steps. But upwards happens to get more steeper. After listening to the Buddhist history on level four, we pondered.

Took a moment to enjoy the cool morning breeze and looked around. Coming to Borobudur for the famous sunrise had been worth the ride. Fortyfive minutes from the city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the middle of nowhere, temperate climate and yet really close to a beach. Everything was around the temple. This was Borobudur, within the beautiful jungles Java.  In distance was the active volcano Mt. Merapi. Hot and blazing up smoke.  So the nothing around this temple is indeed Everything.

Why is the Borobudur sunrise so famous? When you walk up the levels of the temple and look east, what you see is the sun rising behind this active volcano. The sight of  hot gases and smoke rising up as sunrays slowly emerge behind Merapi is amazing. It first felt like see a hot cup of coffee with steam against it and a beautiful sunrise. Magnify that hot cup but two million times and that is Merapi for you. Active and scary, the local guides have actually stopped mountain treks to Merapi which were a hit with visitors till a few years ago.

As we walked up the levels ten to thirteen, the last four levels mostly have Stupas. Each of the Stupas is supposed to have a Buddha inside who is seeing the world through the square holes. Restoration of the temple is in progress and some Buddhas can be spotted sitting inside the Stupa with a little teasing smile.

The topmost level was under restoration when I visited in August 2011. But all it housed was another Buddha. Another Buddha looking through the square holes of the Stupa and smiling at the world. That’s the nucleus, the everything. Nothing really!

During our road trip to Rajasthan we were fascinated by the havelis that were so unique and beautiful. We were told by the locals that these were built by the nobles and traders who dared not build palaces and yet had to build palatial mansions to differentiate them from the commoners.

Havelis are huge mansions with beautiful frescoes on their walls and they were built by the rich traders as status symbols. The term ‘haveli’ in Rajasthan was first applied by the Vaishnava sect to refer to their temples but later the Marwaris erected huge buildings and called them havelis. They commissioned artists to paint these buildings which were heavily influenced by the Mughal architecture.

Most of the havelis in Rajasthan are not occupied and are tended to by a caretaker.

The first haveli we saw was in Udaipur – Bagore ki haveli. It is on the banks on Lake Pichola at Gangori Ghat. It was built by Amir Chand Badwa the Prime Minister of Mewar, in the 18^th century. In 1986; it was handed over to the West Zone Cultural Centre who then converted it into a museum. They have done a wonderful job of restoring it in consultation with the experts and members of the royal family. To maintain the local flavour and colour they utilised local material and the services of local craftsmen.

There are numerous corridors & balconies, courtyards and terraces in the haveli. The interiors of the Haveli are embellished with intricate and fine mirror work. On view also are the private quarters of the royal ladies, their bath rooms, dressing rooms, bed rooms, living rooms, worship rooms and recreation rooms.

Unique symbols of the Rajput clan, such as jewellery boxes, dice-games, hukkas, pan boxes, nut crackers, hand fans, rose water sprinklers, copper vessels and other items are also on display here.

The second haveli we saw was in Jaisalmer. It was Patwon ki haveli. This ostentatious haveli was commissioned and constructed in the year 1805 by Guman Chand Patwa, a rich trader. It has ornate wall paintings, intricate yellow sandstone-carved jharokhas (balconies), gateways and archways.

The office of the Archeological Survey of India and State art and craft department is also situated in the haveli.

Just a few minutes walk away from Patwon ki havelis is ther Nathmalji ki haveli.

This Haveli was the residence of Mohta Nathamal who was the Prime Minister at the Jaisalmer Royal Court. It was commissioned by Maharawal Beri Sal and constructed by two architect brothers named Hathi and Lalu.

It is said that the two brothers constructed different facets of the Haveli simultaneously.

At the entrance of the Nathmalji ki Haveli there are two elephants made of yellow stone. There are beautiful pictures of horses, cattles engraved on pillars and walls.

Then in Mandawa we stayed in a haveli that was converted into a Hotel. It was very beautiful, traditional with all the modern conveniences!

Mandawa is full of havelis and we toured the place on foot and overed most of them. The Havelis were built in this grand style by the prosperous merchants of those times. Now the entire town is referred to as an Open Art Gallery.

All these havelis are now tourist attractions. Apart from the havelis there is nothing else to see in Mandawa and it is known as Haveli tourism! Many of the other travellers we encountered during our journey had decided to stay in Club Mahindra resort- The Roop Vilas Palace Nawalgarh and explore Rajasthan..