The Shanta Durga temple as seen from the parking lot

Walking barefoot, i literally trotted trying to manage the heat under my foot and the sun blazing from the sky. There was a tall tower of sorts near the main building, which is a structure i heard was common in temples in Goa [the other famous temple Sri Mangeshi Temple also bears a similar structure]. 

The majestic 6 storeyed Deepasthamba

 A man who was sitting along one of the walls saw me and took it upon himself to tell me a bit about the temple. The temple was built during the reign of Maratha ruler – Shahu Raja of Satara, who had received a request of the Naro Ram Mantri, in 1738 A.D. The shivalinga here at the temple is said to belong to the Mahajans [the community with the surname 'Vorde' who are the Kulavis]. He went on to say the temple is also called Shanteri Temple. 

The main temple building

“Goa is not just a destination – but a state of mind”…. So, next time you plan a trip to enjoy the long stretches of beaches, explore the heritage sites, soak in the spirit of Goa, enjoy it in style by staying at Club Mahindra’s Goa Varca Beach Resort. The sun, the sand and the sea will rejuvenate you as you visit some of the churches and monuments around our property.

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.

Colorful umbrellas all over the house ( considering the fact that there are 4 naughty brats), wet cloths that never seem to dry looking rich and colorful, the lush greenery that greets you, the reflections of the coconut trees in the paddy fields, ‘chakka vevichathau’ ( a yummy jackfruit dish) and hot hot chaai whever you go, the delightful smile on my little niece’s face as she experienced her very first monsooon in God’s Own Country ….

A destination that will help visitors unwind, and explore the unexplored. Club Mahindra’s Tusker Trails in Thekkady  is at an altitude of 2,700 feet above sea level. Built in the traditional ‘machan’ style, it is nestled within a plantation of coffee and spices.

When my eyes opened in the morning, the bus was climbing the ghats and I was treated to lovely views of valleys. Flowers in different shapes, sizes and colours blossomed from all sides. Kodaikanal was just waking up when I descended from the bus and headed to my hotel.

My first destination was Bryant park which gets its name from British army officer Glenn Bryant and is located next to the lake. Every year in the month of may, flower and vegetable shows are held at the the park and when I visited in the month of march, the place was getting readied with new layers of grass, new plants and a lot of cleaning. The place looked beautiful with a lot of trees, flowers and greenery around.

One of the most visited places in the princess of hills is Coakers walk. It is a beautiful walkway with enchanting views of the valleys, the distant hills and floating clouds. Honeymooners, youths, families and school children were all strolling down the walkway admiring the beautiful landscape and clicking photographs. It also offers a telescopic view of the beautiful valleys but the long queue did not really push me to go and have a look through the telescope. The place also has a lot of hawkers selling different memorabilia and paraphernalia to the tourists.

Moyer’s view point also attracts a large number of visitors. One has to climb up an elevated place to gaze at the exceptional vistas. The place however was too small and claustrophobic with the numerous visitors pushing shoulders to have a glimpse of the vast landscape. The place is also closer to the road that leads to Berijam lake. Without prior permissions visitors are not allowed to go to Berijam Lake. This lake is also the starting point for the Kodai- Munnar trek.

A few kilometers away from Moyers view point lies Shanti valley. The place can be easily misunderstood for pine forests. Though Shanti valley looks quite similar to pine forests, it looked serene and secluded. There were hardly any tourists or hawkers. The only people whom I found were a couple of professional photographers. It definitely is a lovely tourist spot devoid of tourists with lots of shade and calmness.

Very few people call Devil’s Kitchen by its official name and rather call it by its popular name, Guna caves. Made famous by the Kamal Hassan movie, Guna, this place became a prominent one on the tourist circuit after the movie was filmed here. Its a small walk from the road to reach Guna caves. The place looks eerie with roots of trees weirdly snaking all around and I felt Devil’s Kitchen was the apt name and more suited than Guna caves. The place is quite steep and the gravel doesn’t help in climbing. As you trek higher above the roots, the mist covered pillar rocks comes into vicinity.  This is the view of the rocks from the other side and not from where usually tourists see it. The place has been fenced to a large extent but still has stretches where if you slip, its the last the world will see of you. Expansive valleys and mist covered green hills make up for an eye-soothing experience. The caves where the Guna movie was shot lies between the pillar rocks and has been prohibited from entry. This place was earlier known to be a killer as many people who had trudged further ahead ended up loosing their lives. However, Devil’s Kitchen does leave its visitors spellbound with the beautiful vistas and quirky roots.

Pillar rock is supposedly one of the most famous and frequently visited tourist spots in Kodaikanal. Three huge rocks in the form of pillars jut out from the hills to form the Pillar rocks. The rocks with beautiful landscape in the background and mist hovering around it is a treat to watch.

Renamed as Green valley view, Suicide point has changed immensely from what I had seen of it 15 years ago. It used to be a huge open land with a fencing just before the gorge but has now turned into a busy commercial location. It has numerous shops on both sides selling everything from chocolates to earrings with a narrow pathway wedged between them that leads the visitors to mindblowing vistas that the gorges and hills offer. Tourists and travellers were frolicking all over the place happily clicking photos through the huge fencing and buying all that were being offered by the hawkers.

The only letdown during my visit to Kodaikanal came in the form of waterfalls. Silver cascade waterfalls is located a few kilometers outside the limits of Kodaikanal and I had a quick look at it when the bus passed by. There was a huge crowd that had assembled to see a trickle of water flow down the rocks. Summer was peaking and that denied me the view of Silver cascade in its full vigour.

Bear Shola falls is another waterfalls in Kodaikanal which attracts tourists. After a long walk through the woods I was surprised to find the place without even a drop of water. The place had completely dried up and the only way I could imagine that it was a waterfall was after seeing water flow marks on the rocks.

Pambar falls was made famous by liril advertisement in the 90′s when the Liril girl danced under the waterfall promoting the brand. With just the rocks and my imagination of the falls, this was also no different from the earlier falls that I had seen.

After a brief but fulfiling  darshan, we managed to return to catch a glimpse of the Brahma Aarti that takes place every evening. We were glad to have reached there at 6pm for the crowd was overwhelming.

The temple, the streets, the hotels are all filled with people, tourist, most of whom were on a backpacking tour around Rajasthan. There  were also the odd Sadhu amidst the crowds, who seemed to be lost in their own world, oblivious to the rest of us. One needs to know how to weave around the crowds to get to places of importance in Pushkar.Since there were many elders in our group, the agenda was primarily around the temples and holy places, including taking a dip in the river.

And before we knew it, our trip was coming to an end, but not before we saw the procession of people heading towards the Pushkar fair. People from all over the country and world, every religion seem to be a part of this group, quite an array of colours and life bringing the entire place to life.  For us, rather for me this particular holiday was more than just sight seeing and adventure, it was about learning the nuances of our Hindu culture, the different hues we see in people and ofcourse the importance people give to Holy places, and the satisfaction they achieve from visiting/saying a prayer/performing a pooja/taking a dip/sitting still for a few minutes.

Feel the essence of Rajasthan and enjoy the hospitality of our resorts in this state when you visit Puskar. You can book yourself into The  Flora , Udaipur , The Fort Kumbalgarh, Kumbalgarh or Roop Vilas, Nawalgarh, each of which adds a touch of contemporary feel to the ancient air of the heritage town. If you have the time,  do visit Kumbalgarh and Udaipur, towns rich in history and culture.

It was dusk in Madikeri and there was a slight nip in the air .” You mean, its haunted ? “ I asked giving him a quizzical  look and looking up at the domes of this early 19^th century temple built in the Indo sarcenic style. The lights came on giving it an ethereal feel as the reflections danced in the waters of the tank below. I felt a slight shiver although I dismissed the ghost story and went right in.

The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva , however did resonate with a tale of a king haunted by a ghost . It was the early 19^th century, when Coorg was ruled by the Haleri king Lingaranjendra, whom the history books paint as a tyrant. Violent, whimsical and with an eye for women, the king hardly fought wars during his reign. Instead he hunted tigers and women with equal vigor and was known to have a veritable zoo in his court and an ever increasing harem.

Our story starts one summer morning when a poor Brahmin comes to Madikeri with the intention of giving his daughter away to the Raja’s harem, as he was unable to take care of her. He however changed his mind and left Madikeri after listening to stories about the king from Subarasaiah, another Brahmin who lived in the town. When the king heard about the incident, he  mercilessly beheaded Subarasaiah’s sons besides slaughtering the Brahmin as well.

Lingarajendra went to sleep that night only to be woken up by Subarasaiah staring at him .The visits continued as the king became distraught as the spirit hovered around him.  The dead Brahmin had become a demon or a Brahma Rashasa . Tantriks finally advised the king  to build a Shiva temple  and bring a linga from Varanasi to appease the demon . The king however did not recover fully and died within a year.

The temple built in IndoSarcenic style has domes and turrets and overlooks a beautiful pond with a mandapa in the middle. A light they say perpetually glows from the sanctum. Even today, I hear, the spirit of the demon roams freely in the sacred grove within the temple premises where the Brahma Rakshasa resides.

The starry night sky reflected in the waters as I left the temple. The story left me wondering why mortals sometime behave more like demons.

This story was published in The Hindu as a part of the author’s column, Inside Story.

Club Mahindra’s resort at Coorg is located near Madikeri and is an absolute  birding paradise and looks right out of a tropical rain forest. The luxuriant greenery is a perfect haven for birds. The botanical garden, the dense canopy of fruiting and flowering trees, small plantations of cardamom , coffee and pepper takes you into an entirely different wrld. Stay with us  at Coorg and open your doors to nature.

What is the contest about?

The #OneFrame photo contest gives you the chance to share that one holiday & travel picture with us that you are proud of and is most special to you!

So why is this contest so exciting?

The winner of the #OneFrame contest stands to win an Apple I Pad 2.
There will be only one winner of this grand prize, so choose that special picture very carefully.

The winner of the #OneFrame photo contest will be decided by our expert jury panel.

• Lakshmi Sharath  - http://backpakker.blogspot.in/
• Neelima Vallangi – http://www.travelwithneelima.com/
• Vishal Sabharwal – http://vishalsabharwal.com/

How to submit your stories to the contest?

• To enter the contest you need to send us a picture taken during your holidays via your Twitter account. Attach the picture in a tweet and mention @clubmahindra & #OneFrame when you send the entry.
• You must follow the Club Mahindra Twitter account for us to be able to track you and get in touch with you in case you are the winner. Make sure you choose your best holiday picture because only a single entry per twitter user is permitted.
• The contest will be open to entries from 25^th April to the 4^th of May. Once the entry period is over, all the pictures will be uploaded as an album for all to view.
• The entries will be adjudged by our expert jury panel.
• The winner will be the recipient of the grand prize, an Apple I Pad 2.

Where will the results be announced?

• The results and updates of the contest will be put up on CLAY and also announced on the Club Mahindra page on Facebook (facebook.com/clubmahindra), Jiyo Life page on Facebook (facebook.com/jiyolife) and Twitter (Twitter.com/Jiyolife, Twitter.com/clubmahindra)

Rules of the contest:

• Only one picture per twitter user is allowed
• The photo needs to be a travel or holiday moment
• The photo needs to be an original
• Contest only open to residents of India.
• The contest will run between 25^th Apr to 4^th May.

Please read the Terms and Conditions for more information.

The stepped seating arrangement made the place look like an amphitheatre – a small one though. In front of us was a huge temple, behind us the sea. The cool breeze was a welcome respite from the scorching heat of the day. Over us, the moon shone, brighter than usual, for it was a full moon night, and all around, the stars twinkled, perhaps smiling at us humans who had gathered to hear a story, almost as old as time. And why not? For the story we had gathered to hear, involved them – the moon and the stars….

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!

There is something about being near water that brings out the romantic in me.  Perhaps its the way the visions reflect against it creating alternate dreamlike realities or the knowledge that underneath the surface lies another unique and enchanting universe.  Sitting on the sidewalk looking over Lake Pichola was just like being transported to a new dream-like place.

The beautiful Lake Pichola curves itself around the palaces of Udaipur providing a stunning backdrop for this charming town. I have visited Udaipur twice, first in Monsoon and again in Winter.  Regardless of the season, it remains for me one of the most magical places in India. In my opinion it is best seen by boat and by foot so you can slowly take in the atmosphere.

During monsoon, whilst the city was blanketed in grey, it was still breathtaking. We took a boat ride around the Lake, and whilst sitting in the boat in the middle of the Lake mother nature treated us to a spectacular monsoonal display.  The rains pelted down around us in a steady staccato rhythm, and the white facade of the Lake Palace faded into the sky as it darkened in the middle of the day.  We were drenched from head to toe, but in that moment looking out onto the Lake it felt whimsical and wild, like in carefree childhood days when you could dance in the rain for hours.

Lake Pichola surrounds three stunning palaces.  The most famous palace being the brilliant white marbled Lake Palace, that arises from the water like an oasis covering the full expanse of Jagniwas Island.  Built in 1754 and connected to the mainland only by boat, it is now a private hotel and provides a private and idyllic place for those who visit. It was also featured in the film Octopussy, with James Bond adding a touch of his charm to the history of this palace.

The second palace to grace Lake Pichola is on Jagminder Island, originally built in 1620 it is believed to have inspired Shah Jahan when creating that other romantic building, the Taj Mahal. It’s entrance is flanked with carved elephants, that watch over the Lake and lead you into an open courtyard.  Also a hotel, this palace is open for visitors to wander through, stop and have a drink in the airy courtyard or visit the picturesque garden with views to both the Lake Palace and the City Palace. It provides a peaceful and pleasant vista to while away an afternoon.

Taking the boat back to the mainland, we walked up the cobble stone path to reach the City Palace.  This magnificent building lines the edge of Lake Pichola and takes advantage of its view at every opportunity. However the true marvels of this palace are in its brilliantly jewelled walls.  Famous for its Mor Chowk which houses mirrored mosaics of peacocks as they display their brilliant sapphire and emerald feathers to attract a mate, walking through the City Palace museum you are transported into the world of beauty and opulence of the Rajputs.

Walking out of the grand palace gates, we wandered through the cobbled lanes leading down towards to the water.  Through a narrow corridor arched gates appeared in front us leading our to Lal Ghat. It is here where everyday life in Udaipur can be seen under the gaze of the Lake Palace.  Here the women pound their clothes against the stone steps and bathe, readying themselves for the day ahead. Here the lake is transformed into an essential part of everyday life.

We continue walking through the charming streets lined with artists selling their traditional miniature paintings and brightly coloured clothing, we make our way to the bridge that connects the city to Hanuman Ghat. As nightfalls, we follow the narrow path alongside the river to catch a glimpse of the palaces of Udaipur lit up under the night sky.  The Lake Palace glows in the middle of the dark lake whilst the city palace reflects against the water, almost setting it alight. It is beautiful and peaceful.

For the romantic, Udaipur has charm, beauty and breathtaking views.  Whilst its palaces are its most famous draw -card, for me the true soul of this town is the omnipresent Lake Pichola that weaves its magic from every viewpoint.

Feel the romance at 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 .