Opulent Elegance: A Journey through Ornate India (Part-7)

Qutub Minar is one of the most popular heritage compounds in Delhi and quite popular destination amongst tourists visiting Delhi. It's also a good places for local folks to spend quality time with their family & friends. Many times photographers and heritage explorers can be seen around Qutub Minar campus. This Photo Journey shares some of the special photographs from Qutub Minar campus. Reaching Qutub Minar has become pretty easy now. One can take Metro to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar Metro station is not close to the compound, but there are autos which drop folks from Metro to Qutub Minar and charge 10 rs each. If you don’t want to share the auto, most of the folks use meters and that’s reliable. It will not cost more than 30 Rs.Other good to way explore these beautiful monuments in Delhi are HOHO buses run by Delhi Tourism department. You can buy a daily pass and hop on/off to/from these buses at defined stations, which are usually very well located around the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.Booking a Taxi to go to Qutub Minar from Central Delhi, East Delhi or Noida might be a bad idea because of slow traffic movement. I had gone through such experience twice and now try to use Metro, if possible.After Red Fort, Qutub Minar is most visited monuments in Delhi and one should expect lot of people inside Qutub Minar compound, even on weekdays. Apart from the main minaret, there are various architectural structures in this compound having different stories associated. There are no guides around Qutub Minar now, but you can get an audio device on rent which will keep telling you about the place. Easy to use device and have good details about various spots in Qutub Minar campus.As you walk around this huge compound, you get to see spectacular beauty of the Qutub Minar from different angles. Above photograph shows one of the views of Qutub Minar through the other structures around.It's a wonderful place for photographers because of diversified opportunities to click architecture, people, landscapes and lot more. I have been part of various photo-walks here and every time it was different experience.Tourists from different parts of the world come to Qutub Minar to witness it's grandness and know about it's history. It's really strange that we don't care much to know our own history, but things have been changing for good. There are lot of social circles which inspire folks to visit such places and know more about our heritage. Mehrauli Archeological park is another interesting place around Qutub Minar. It's awesome to see these airplanes crossing through Qutub Minar. Although there is a huge different between the top most peak of Qutub and the flight, but such views look dramatic.Qutub is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj. Qutb Minar originally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is made of red sandstone and marble. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps, is 72.5 metres high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibakand was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. Check out more about Qutub on Wikipedia His expressions explain it all about the height and grandness of Qutub Minar.

 On the very first day of our stay in Wayanad, our host suggested us to trek to Edakkal Caves. 'Trekking' word did the magic and we decided to go there next day only. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs and information around the trek & caves.We requested Sunil (our host at Treasure Trove to arrange an auto for the day. We left in the morning after breakfast and Edakkal is 15 kilometers from Meenangadi, the place where we were staying.We drove through some beautiful landscapes and beautiful sights. The mountain in above photograph looked beautiful and was shot from moving auto only. Later we realized that Edakkal caves offer another great view of the mountain from the hill top.We took some breaks on the way and soon we came a cross a diversion which lead us to 4 kilometers climb in auto, till the parking of Edakkal Caves. There is a small market at the base, where all vehicles need to be parked and then the trek starts for Edakkal Caves.The trek is concrete, but quite steep. Initially we were in hurry but realized that we should go slow. We enjoyed trekking to Edakkal caves and took some breaks on the way.After walking for 30 minutes we reached a counter where we had to buy entry tickets for the caves. Ticket costed 20 Rs per person and 30 Rs for camera. Please do read message in above photograph. One needs to deposit 20 rs if you want to take water bottle beyond this point. They paste a sticker on the bottle and you can get back the money when you come back. This model really works in Kerala and they have implemented it in most of the tourist destinations in Kerala.These stickers are pasted on the bottles. People bring back their empty bottles to the counter and get back the deposited money.These stairs start from the ticket counter till main caves of Edakkal.There are various shops on the way to have some snacks or buy stuff for home. Lot of Kerala products are sold in these shops - tea, coffee, spices, coconut products, herbal soaps etc.There are good number of stairs from ticket counter till caves. The main cave is on the top of this hill and one needs to trek through other smaller caves. There are folks around this hill who ensure smooth movement of crowd. This is quite a crowded place and discipline is important. Mostly people walk in queue and ensure that things happen smoothly.This is the entry to first cave at Edakkal. Above photograph is clicked from the cave. It was good to see a disciplined movement of folks and of-course credit goes to the local administration for appropriate arrangements in terms of marking & people to help.Now the trek continued through caves and few more steep climbs till we hit the final cave. Steel stairs are installed inside these caves. Edakkal caves lie at around 1200 metres above sea level on Ambukutty Mala, beside an ancient trade route connecting the high mountains of Mysore to the ports of the Malabar coast .Kids expressions in above photograph shows the level of next climb :). Yes, it was getting steeper. Next few climbs exposed everyone to some of the beautiful sights of Wayanad.Finally we hit the main cave which has varied designs carved on all the rocks. Edakkal Caves are two natural caves which are approximately 24 kilometers from Kalpetta in the Wayanad district of Kerala. This lies around India Western Ghats.Inside the caves are pictorial writings. These signs are believed to date to at least 6000 BC, from theNeolithic man, indicating the presence of a prehistoric civilization or settlement in this region. The Stone Age carvings of Edakkal are rare and are the only known examples from south India.Check out wikipedia to know more about Edakkal caves.These are the stairs to come down on the back journey from Edakkal caves to the base. It was a nice experience to be there at Edakkal caves and enjoyed some of the amazing views from the top of this hill. It's a proper tourist spot so it's always crowded.

While coming back from Kannurto Bengaluru , we planned stop at Mysore Palace. We didn't stop for lunch on the way and thought of taking a break at Mysore and have some light lunch. It's a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. Asked our taxi driver to drop us at the entry gate of Mysore Palace and park for next 1 hr.There is a dedicated parking area adjoining Mysore Palace campus. There is another huge parking across the road and lot of buses were parked in that parking. Ticket counter was empty, so it hardly took 5 minutes for us to enter into the campus. There was no one at the main entry to check out tickets. Entry ticket for one person costs 40 Rs and there is no ticket for camera. I specifically asked for camera fees and surprised to know that no fees is charged for cameras.After entering into the Mysore Palace campus, we thought of taking a round of this huge compound. The palace houses two durbar halls and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills on the other side. There is lot of open space around the main palace. There is a temple around one of the corners of Mysore Palace.The Palace of Mysore is also known as the Amba Vilas Palace. After walking outside the palace, we reached the entry which takes you inside the palace. We needed to take out shoes. As we reached the counter to deposit our shoes, the guy standing there refused to give us a token and assured that we need not to worry :). Anyways, we moved on and stood in the queue.As we reached the security check, we were notified that cameras are not allowed inside and you need to keep it somewhere. Now I got to know that why there was no fees for camera but the person at ticket counter didn't bother to inform us about that. After spending 5 minutes in discussions with security folks, we got to know that a counter is there outside the compound where camera can be deposited. This was again a task of 15 minutes to take shoes back, deposit camera and then come back.Now we decided to directly go back to our cab and continue with our next journey towards Bengaluru. As we headed back to the shoe counter, the man at the counter asked for 'tip' and then gave us our shoes. Isn't it weird?Mysore is also popularly the City of Palaces. There are about 7 palaces inclusive of Mysore Palace. Now we didn't have to explore more in Mysore City. Probably we shall go there again sometime. I have also heard a lot of the Dussehra celebrations in Mysore, so let's see if I plan for it in future.To know more about the history and architecture of Mysore Palace, check out. It seems that Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3,000,000 visitors annually. But not sure if I should compare it with Taj or not.


While coming back from Kannurto Bengaluru , we planned stop at Mysore Palace. We didn't stop for lunch on the way and thought of taking a break at Mysore and have some light lunch. It's a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. Asked our taxi driver to drop us at the entry gate of Mysore Palace and park for next 1 hr.There is a dedicated parking area adjoining Mysore Palace campus. There is another huge parking across the road and lot of buses were parked in that parking. Ticket counter was empty, so it hardly took 5 minutes for us to enter into the campus. There was no one at the main entry to check out tickets. Entry ticket for one person costs 40 Rs and there is no ticket for camera. I specifically asked for camera fees and surprised to know that no fees is charged for cameras.After entering into the Mysore Palace campus, we thought of taking a round of this huge compound. The palace houses two durbar halls and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills on the other side. There is lot of open space around the main palace. There is a temple around one of the corners of Mysore Palace.The Palace of Mysore is also known as the Amba Vilas Palace. After walking outside the palace, we reached the entry which takes you inside the palace. We needed to take out shoes. As we reached the counter to deposit our shoes, the guy standing there refused to give us a token and assured that we need not to worry :). Anyways, we moved on and stood in the queue.As we reached the security check, we were notified that cameras are not allowed inside and you need to keep it somewhere. Now I got to know that why there was no fees for camera but the person at ticket counter didn't bother to inform us about that. After spending 5 minutes in discussions with security folks, we got to know that a counter is there outside the compound where camera can be deposited. This was again a task of 15 minutes to take shoes back, deposit camera and then come back.Now we decided to directly go back to our cab and continue with our next journey towards Bengaluru. As we headed back to the shoe counter, the man at the counter asked for 'tip' and then gave us our shoes. Isn't it weird?Mysore is also popularly the City of Palaces. There are about 7 palaces inclusive of Mysore Palace. Now we didn't have to explore more in Mysore City. Probably we shall go there again sometime. I have also heard a lot of the Dussehra celebrations in Mysore, so let's see if I plan for it in future.To know more about the history and architecture of Mysore Palace, check out. It seems that Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3,000,000 visitors annually. But not sure if I should compare it with Taj or not.


While coming back from Kannurto Bengaluru , we planned stop at Mysore Palace. We didn't stop for lunch on the way and thought of taking a break at Mysore and have some light lunch. It's a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. Asked our taxi driver to drop us at the entry gate of Mysore Palace and park for next 1 hr.There is a dedicated parking area adjoining Mysore Palace campus. There is another huge parking across the road and lot of buses were parked in that parking. Ticket counter was empty, so it hardly took 5 minutes for us to enter into the campus. There was no one at the main entry to check out tickets. Entry ticket for one person costs 40 Rs and there is no ticket for camera. I specifically asked for camera fees and surprised to know that no fees is charged for cameras.After entering into the Mysore Palace campus, we thought of taking a round of this huge compound. The palace houses two durbar halls and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills on the other side. There is lot of open space around the main palace. There is a temple around one of the corners of Mysore Palace.The Palace of Mysore is also known as the Amba Vilas Palace. After walking outside the palace, we reached the entry which takes you inside the palace. We needed to take out shoes. As we reached the counter to deposit our shoes, the guy standing there refused to give us a token and assured that we need not to worry :). Anyways, we moved on and stood in the queue.As we reached the security check, we were notified that cameras are not allowed inside and you need to keep it somewhere. Now I got to know that why there was no fees for camera but the person at ticket counter didn't bother to inform us about that. After spending 5 minutes in discussions with security folks, we got to know that a counter is there outside the compound where camera can be deposited. This was again a task of 15 minutes to take shoes back, deposit camera and then come back.Now we decided to directly go back to our cab and continue with our next journey towards Bengaluru. As we headed back to the shoe counter, the man at the counter asked for 'tip' and then gave us our shoes. Isn't it weird?Mysore is also popularly the City of Palaces. There are about 7 palaces inclusive of Mysore Palace. Now we didn't have to explore more in Mysore City. Probably we shall go there again sometime. I have also heard a lot of the Dussehra celebrations in Mysore, so let's see if I plan for it in future.To know more about the history and architecture of Mysore Palace, check out. It seems that Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3,000,000 visitors annually. But not sure if I should compare it with Taj or not.


While coming back from Kannurto Bengaluru , we planned stop at Mysore Palace. We didn't stop for lunch on the way and thought of taking a break at Mysore and have some light lunch. It's a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. Asked our taxi driver to drop us at the entry gate of Mysore Palace and park for next 1 hr.There is a dedicated parking area adjoining Mysore Palace campus. There is another huge parking across the road and lot of buses were parked in that parking. Ticket counter was empty, so it hardly took 5 minutes for us to enter into the campus. There was no one at the main entry to check out tickets. Entry ticket for one person costs 40 Rs and there is no ticket for camera. I specifically asked for camera fees and surprised to know that no fees is charged for cameras.After entering into the Mysore Palace campus, we thought of taking a round of this huge compound. The palace houses two durbar halls and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills on the other side. There is lot of open space around the main palace. There is a temple around one of the corners of Mysore Palace.The Palace of Mysore is also known as the Amba Vilas Palace. After walking outside the palace, we reached the entry which takes you inside the palace. We needed to take out shoes. As we reached the counter to deposit our shoes, the guy standing there refused to give us a token and assured that we need not to worry :). Anyways, we moved on and stood in the queue.As we reached the security check, we were notified that cameras are not allowed inside and you need to keep it somewhere. Now I got to know that why there was no fees for camera but the person at ticket counter didn't bother to inform us about that. After spending 5 minutes in discussions with security folks, we got to know that a counter is there outside the compound where camera can be deposited. This was again a task of 15 minutes to take shoes back, deposit camera and then come back.Now we decided to directly go back to our cab and continue with our next journey towards Bengaluru. As we headed back to the shoe counter, the man at the counter asked for 'tip' and then gave us our shoes. Isn't it weird?Mysore is also popularly the City of Palaces. There are about 7 palaces inclusive of Mysore Palace. Now we didn't have to explore more in Mysore City. Probably we shall go there again sometime. I have also heard a lot of the Dussehra celebrations in Mysore, so let's see if I plan for it in future.To know more about the history and architecture of Mysore Palace, check out. It seems that Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3,000,000 visitors annually. But not sure if I should compare it with Taj or not.


While coming back from Kannurto Bengaluru , we planned stop at Mysore Palace. We didn't stop for lunch on the way and thought of taking a break at Mysore and have some light lunch. It's a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. Asked our taxi driver to drop us at the entry gate of Mysore Palace and park for next 1 hr.There is a dedicated parking area adjoining Mysore Palace campus. There is another huge parking across the road and lot of buses were parked in that parking. Ticket counter was empty, so it hardly took 5 minutes for us to enter into the campus. There was no one at the main entry to check out tickets. Entry ticket for one person costs 40 Rs and there is no ticket for camera. I specifically asked for camera fees and surprised to know that no fees is charged for cameras.After entering into the Mysore Palace campus, we thought of taking a round of this huge compound. The palace houses two durbar halls and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills on the other side. There is lot of open space around the main palace. There is a temple around one of the corners of Mysore Palace.The Palace of Mysore is also known as the Amba Vilas Palace. After walking outside the palace, we reached the entry which takes you inside the palace. We needed to take out shoes. As we reached the counter to deposit our shoes, the guy standing there refused to give us a token and assured that we need not to worry :). Anyways, we moved on and stood in the queue.As we reached the security check, we were notified that cameras are not allowed inside and you need to keep it somewhere. Now I got to know that why there was no fees for camera but the person at ticket counter didn't bother to inform us about that. After spending 5 minutes in discussions with security folks, we got to know that a counter is there outside the compound where camera can be deposited. This was again a task of 15 minutes to take shoes back, deposit camera and then come back.Now we decided to directly go back to our cab and continue with our next journey towards Bengaluru. As we headed back to the shoe counter, the man at the counter asked for 'tip' and then gave us our shoes. Isn't it weird?Mysore is also popularly the City of Palaces. There are about 7 palaces inclusive of Mysore Palace. Now we didn't have to explore more in Mysore City. Probably we shall go there again sometime. I have also heard a lot of the Dussehra celebrations in Mysore, so let's see if I plan for it in future.To know more about the history and architecture of Mysore Palace, check out. It seems that Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3,000,000 visitors annually. But not sure if I should compare it with Taj or not.


While coming back from Kannurto Bengaluru , we planned stop at Mysore Palace. We didn't stop for lunch on the way and thought of taking a break at Mysore and have some light lunch. It's a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. Asked our taxi driver to drop us at the entry gate of Mysore Palace and park for next 1 hr.There is a dedicated parking area adjoining Mysore Palace campus. There is another huge parking across the road and lot of buses were parked in that parking. Ticket counter was empty, so it hardly took 5 minutes for us to enter into the campus. There was no one at the main entry to check out tickets. Entry ticket for one person costs 40 Rs and there is no ticket for camera. I specifically asked for camera fees and surprised to know that no fees is charged for cameras.After entering into the Mysore Palace campus, we thought of taking a round of this huge compound. The palace houses two durbar halls and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills on the other side. There is lot of open space around the main palace. There is a temple around one of the corners of Mysore Palace.The Palace of Mysore is also known as the Amba Vilas Palace. After walking outside the palace, we reached the entry which takes you inside the palace. We needed to take out shoes. As we reached the counter to deposit our shoes, the guy standing there refused to give us a token and assured that we need not to worry :). Anyways, we moved on and stood in the queue.As we reached the security check, we were notified that cameras are not allowed inside and you need to keep it somewhere. Now I got to know that why there was no fees for camera but the person at ticket counter didn't bother to inform us about that. After spending 5 minutes in discussions with security folks, we got to know that a counter is there outside the compound where camera can be deposited. This was again a task of 15 minutes to take shoes back, deposit camera and then come back.Now we decided to directly go back to our cab and continue with our next journey towards Bengaluru. As we headed back to the shoe counter, the man at the counter asked for 'tip' and then gave us our shoes. Isn't it weird?Mysore is also popularly the City of Palaces. There are about 7 palaces inclusive of Mysore Palace. Now we didn't have to explore more in Mysore City. Probably we shall go there again sometime. I have also heard a lot of the Dussehra celebrations in Mysore, so let's see if I plan for it in future.To know more about the history and architecture of Mysore Palace, check out. It seems that Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3,000,000 visitors annually. But not sure if I should compare it with Taj or not.


While coming back from Kannurto Bengaluru , we planned stop at Mysore Palace. We didn't stop for lunch on the way and thought of taking a break at Mysore and have some light lunch. It's a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. Asked our taxi driver to drop us at the entry gate of Mysore Palace and park for next 1 hr.There is a dedicated parking area adjoining Mysore Palace campus. There is another huge parking across the road and lot of buses were parked in that parking. Ticket counter was empty, so it hardly took 5 minutes for us to enter into the campus. There was no one at the main entry to check out tickets. Entry ticket for one person costs 40 Rs and there is no ticket for camera. I specifically asked for camera fees and surprised to know that no fees is charged for cameras.After entering into the Mysore Palace campus, we thought of taking a round of this huge compound. The palace houses two durbar halls and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills on the other side. There is lot of open space around the main palace. There is a temple around one of the corners of Mysore Palace.The Palace of Mysore is also known as the Amba Vilas Palace. After walking outside the palace, we reached the entry which takes you inside the palace. We needed to take out shoes. As we reached the counter to deposit our shoes, the guy standing there refused to give us a token and assured that we need not to worry :). Anyways, we moved on and stood in the queue.As we reached the security check, we were notified that cameras are not allowed inside and you need to keep it somewhere. Now I got to know that why there was no fees for camera but the person at ticket counter didn't bother to inform us about that. After spending 5 minutes in discussions with security folks, we got to know that a counter is there outside the compound where camera can be deposited. This was again a task of 15 minutes to take shoes back, deposit camera and then come back.Now we decided to directly go back to our cab and continue with our next journey towards Bengaluru. As we headed back to the shoe counter, the man at the counter asked for 'tip' and then gave us our shoes. Isn't it weird?Mysore is also popularly the City of Palaces. There are about 7 palaces inclusive of Mysore Palace. Now we didn't have to explore more in Mysore City. Probably we shall go there again sometime. I have also heard a lot of the Dussehra celebrations in Mysore, so let's see if I plan for it in future.To know more about the history and architecture of Mysore Palace, check out. It seems that Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3,000,000 visitors annually. But not sure if I should compare it with Taj or not.


While coming back from Kannurto Bengaluru , we planned stop at Mysore Palace. We didn't stop for lunch on the way and thought of taking a break at Mysore and have some light lunch. It's a historical palace in the city of Mysore in Karnataka, southern India. It is the official residence and seat of the Wodeyars — the Maharajas of Mysore, the former royal family of Mysore, who ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1399 to 1950. Asked our taxi driver to drop us at the entry gate of Mysore Palace and park for next 1 hr.There is a dedicated parking area adjoining Mysore Palace campus. There is another huge parking across the road and lot of buses were parked in that parking. Ticket counter was empty, so it hardly took 5 minutes for us to enter into the campus. There was no one at the main entry to check out tickets. Entry ticket for one person costs 40 Rs and there is no ticket for camera. I specifically asked for camera fees and surprised to know that no fees is charged for cameras.After entering into the Mysore Palace campus, we thought of taking a round of this huge compound. The palace houses two durbar halls and incorporates a mesmerizing and gigantic array of courtyards, gardens, and buildings. The palace is in the central region of inner Mysore, facing the Chamundi Hills on the other side. There is lot of open space around the main palace. There is a temple around one of the corners of Mysore Palace.The Palace of Mysore is also known as the Amba Vilas Palace. After walking outside the palace, we reached the entry which takes you inside the palace. We needed to take out shoes. As we reached the counter to deposit our shoes, the guy standing there refused to give us a token and assured that we need not to worry :). Anyways, we moved on and stood in the queue.As we reached the security check, we were notified that cameras are not allowed inside and you need to keep it somewhere. Now I got to know that why there was no fees for camera but the person at ticket counter didn't bother to inform us about that. After spending 5 minutes in discussions with security folks, we got to know that a counter is there outside the compound where camera can be deposited. This was again a task of 15 minutes to take shoes back, deposit camera and then come back.Now we decided to directly go back to our cab and continue with our next journey towards Bengaluru. As we headed back to the shoe counter, the man at the counter asked for 'tip' and then gave us our shoes. Isn't it weird?Mysore is also popularly the City of Palaces. There are about 7 palaces inclusive of Mysore Palace. Now we didn't have to explore more in Mysore City. Probably we shall go there again sometime. I have also heard a lot of the Dussehra celebrations in Mysore, so let's see if I plan for it in future.To know more about the history and architecture of Mysore Palace, check out. It seems that Mysore Palace is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in India, after the Taj Mahal, and has more than 3,000,000 visitors annually. But not sure if I should compare it with Taj or not.

During our recent visit to Wayanad in Kerala, we opted to stay in homestays and our second homestay was in Bamboo Village of Thrikkapatta in Wayanad region of Kerala. This Photo Journey shares our experience at this homestay and more details about the place, people and vegetation around this home stay. Our host Suneesh is a journalist and a social activist. He was a great host. During our stay at his place, he ensured that we make best of our time and explore things which are worth spending time. He took us on walks around the village and showed us vegetation, villagers busy in various activities, eco-tourism initiatives in the village and how Uruva is ensuring that young folks spend more time on their health instead of drugs.Suneesh stays alone in his house and his wife works abroad. His parents stay nearby and whenever he has hosts, his sister helps him with food and other stuff. In very first photograph of this Photo Journey Suneesh is standing with his sister and mother. A happy family. Throughout our stay, we saw them smiling al the time. Especially her sister keeps the place cheerful. She is a good cook and excellent singer. Don't miss to watch a video in the bottom of this Photo Journey, where Sunesh's sister is singing a prayer in her native language.Above photograph shows the lock-system which is popularly used on main gate of houses in Kerala. We saw it in almost every house.During our stay in Wayanad, we ate most of the Kerala dishes in this homestay. Suneesh's sister was always making something new for us in breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks with tea. Most of the things served during our stay were cooked fresh with stuff grown in their own farms.She served us various kinds of fishes cooked in different styles. Cooking style was very different but we enjoyed eating most of the meals served. Although we had to put efforts in eating the fish, but it was worth :). She cooked chicken and biryani for us on the last night we spent there.We ate a lot and many of the snacks are not captured which we enjoyed with tea. Room was simple and neat. This homestay is in middle of a village and there was lot to explore in the village - Bamboo industry, agriculture, rubber /coffee plantations, coconut & areca trees etc. Throughout our stay Suneesh arranged an auto-rikshaw for us to explore Wayanad. He proactively negotiated rates for us and that was quite helpful.This homestay exposed us to most caring hospitality during our North Kerala trip. And it was not limited to Suneesh adn his family. This homestay is part of an eco-tourism initiative and there are 5 more such homestays in Bamboo village. Most of the villagers are part of this initiative. Some have home-stays, some work as guides and few own taxis/autos. There are well defined rules of the village. Every home-stay gets equal opportunities to host guests.There was full freedom at the homestay. Most of the time was spent in the drawing room. Lot of discussions and knowledge sharing sessions. Suneesh wanted to know some basics of creating pages on facebook and managing them. btw, Homestay has wifi and we made best use of it :).On last day of our stay, a guide (Anoop) came and took us to village walk and it was another interesting experience for us. Overall we liked staying at Bamboo village. If you plan for Wayanad and considering a homestay, feel free to contact us. In short, this is a simple homestay with basic and clean rooms/washrooms, warm hospitality and peaceful surroundings.


This is a fresh photograph from recent visit to Mcleodganj. I know that old photograph of St. John Church was more interesting than this one, because that one was shot in appropriate season. Anyways, I also liked the church in new look after maintenance. Cleanness around the place is one of the main concern, although some of the local NGOs have active eye on it. There is a very active NGO called 'Mountain Cleaners', who have been keeping such place clean and beautiful. More photographs of St. John Church can be seen at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2012/05/another-visit-to-st-john-church-in.html

Recently I visited Hauz Khas Village which has various ruins of Firoz Shah's Tomb and a beautiful Lake with lot of colorful birds. It was a wonderful visit to this different place in Delhi. Hauz Khas Village market is quite different from other markets in Delhi and place is quite popular among foreign Tourists in India. Apart from tourists, the campus with ruins and Lake is popular among couples of Delhi.

Recently I was playing with latest version of Adobe Photoshop Ligthroom and thought of better utilizing ProcessVersion 2012 in 4th version. HDR Effect can be achieved from single photograph with various other Softwares but ease that Lightroom provides in unmatchable. Now onwards, I have decided to include HDR processing in our regular Lightroom Workshops for Expert Photographers. These days many folks want to try HDR and Lightroom 4.0 provides one of the brilliant workflow with wonderful results. Don't go by results you see in this photograph, as this has been processed in hardly 2 minutes. Wonders can be done with appropriate knowledge of Process-Version2012 Controls in Ligthtroom 4.0.

This photograph was shot two years back when we visited Old Fort in Delhi. It's very close to Pragati Maidan and Delhi-Zoo. There is a huge campus with ruins spread across the place. This is one of the huge building inside Old Fort campus. You can make out an estimate of height by looking at the size of couple sitting below it. More photographs of Old Fort can be checked at - http://phototravelings.blogspot.com/2011/07/purana-qila-old-fort-relieved-of-its.html

Few weeks back I was at Barog Railway station around Solan region of Himachal Pradesh, and got to know that this beautiful railway station has some guest rooms which can be booked through IRCTC website. It was amazing to explore that beautiful Himalayan railway stations have guest-houses to spend quality time around natural beauty. Railway station at Barog is one of the most beautiful station on Shimla-Kalka railway line. This region is one of the most beautiful hilly station around Solan and that's one of the main reason that people come to this place for picnic or a ride in toy train from Solan/Shimla. There are few rooms in this railway station which are facing a water stream. Are you wondering that how a stay on railway station can be interesting? Let me clear few basic doubts - only 3 trains cross this railway station in a day and everyone likes to see these toy trains crossing through Barog station :). Can you visualize a slow moving train through hills of Himachal Pradesh? But that's not enough. Even if there is no noise, why someone should spend 1/2 night(s) here? Definitely this place is for explorers and folks who love being around nature. It's very peaceful place surrounded by pine forests and high hills.

Few weeks back I was at Barog Railway station around Solan region of Himachal Pradesh, and got to know that this beautiful railway station has some guest rooms which can be booked through IRCTC website. It was amazing to explore that beautiful Himalayan railway stations have guest-houses to spend quality time around natural beauty. Railway station at Barog is one of the most beautiful station on Shimla-Kalka railway line. This region is one of the most beautiful hilly station around Solan and that's one of the main reason that people come to this place for picnic or a ride in toy train from Solan/Shimla. There are few rooms in this railway station which are facing a water stream. Are you wondering that how a stay on railway station can be interesting? Let me clear few basic doubts - only 3 trains cross this railway station in a day and everyone likes to see these toy trains crossing through Barog station :). Can you visualize a slow moving train through hills of Himachal Pradesh? But that's not enough. Even if there is no noise, why someone should spend 1/2 night(s) here? Definitely this place is for explorers and folks who love being around nature. It's very peaceful place surrounded by pine forests and high hills.

Few weeks back I was at Barog Railway station around Solan region of Himachal Pradesh, and got to know that this beautiful railway station has some guest rooms which can be booked through IRCTC website. It was amazing to explore that beautiful Himalayan railway stations have guest-houses to spend quality time around natural beauty. Railway station at Barog is one of the most beautiful station on Shimla-Kalka railway line. This region is one of the most beautiful hilly station around Solan and that's one of the main reason that people come to this place for picnic or a ride in toy train from Solan/Shimla. There are few rooms in this railway station which are facing a water stream. Are you wondering that how a stay on railway station can be interesting? Let me clear few basic doubts - only 3 trains cross this railway station in a day and everyone likes to see these toy trains crossing through Barog station :). Can you visualize a slow moving train through hills of Himachal Pradesh? But that's not enough. Even if there is no noise, why someone should spend 1/2 night(s) here? Definitely this place is for explorers and folks who love being around nature. It's very peaceful place surrounded by pine forests and high hills.

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…

If you are planning a trip to Manali, Rohtang Pass, Kullu, Manikaran or Lahual Spiti, which Photo Journey will give you some glimpses of landscapes you can expect along with some tips on planning the trip. Which includes modes of transportation, right places to stay and things to do around this region. Manali used to be one of my regular destination 8 years back and almost every year I was there during summers as well as winters.Kullu-Manali used to be one of the top 10 destinations in India, when most of the bollywood was only shooting around Kullu valley. Bollywood has been one of the most important influencer in tourism industry and over the years India has got many new places which were least explored. And some of them are over-hyped because of super-hit bollywood movies :). Still this remains in the top list for folks who like to be around natural beauty. Lot of tourists like Manali, although travelers may want to cross it to hit Spiti or Lahual region. Things have been changing very fast and the places as well.Manali is little far for non-Himachalis as compared to Shimla, especially folks coming from Delhi/Chandigarh and other states of the country. But roads are pretty decent and that’s the only way to hit Manali town. Train is available till Kiratpur(Punjab) and from there one needs to book the taxi or opt for bus. Weekly flights are also available from Delhi which would land you at Bhuntar and need to take Taxi. It would take approximately 3 hours from bhuntar to Manali (writing on the basis of road current conditions). So it’s always recommended to check road condition when someone plans to visit a place/region.Direct luxury buses are easily available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla or other nearby cities in Himachal, Punjab and Haryana. Most of the Volvo and Mercedes buses take 13-14 hours from Delhi to Manali. These buses take 2-3 stops for food and snacks. And they stop at good places unlike other roadways buses which usually stop at dhabas in relatively bad condition and having dirty places around. After 2016, time to reach Manali will reduce because of high-speed highway which is under construction right now and work is happening at very fast pace. And the best part is that new road will avoid the worst stretch of this whole journey.Summers is definitely a best time to explore Kullu valley and Manali, but keep a note that it would be very crowded during summers. All Hotels and Resorts would be full and highly priced. Personally I don’t like visiting places, when tourism is at peak (tourist season). My favorite time is to visit such places in off season and make the best :). So winter is again a good time and there is high probability of experiencing fresh snowfall if you are there between last week of dec and feb.This Photo Journey shares some of the very old photographs with my first point-n-shoot digital camera. I was out with my college friends and idea was to go till Trilokinath Temple which is in Lahual region of Himachal Pradesh.We booked a 4*4 taxi from Bilaspur and headed towards Manali, didn’t stop there and hit Trilokinath temple after crossing Rohtang Pass and some amazing & scary landscapes. We were driving on narrowest roads having river flowing on one side and high hill on other. By night we reached Trilokinath temple after some strrugles on the way. There were some landslides which had broken the roads but that experience made the trip memorable :).Spent a night at Trilokinath temple and drove through other parts of Lahual, mainly around Keylong. Amazing landscapes and humble folks. I will be sharing a separate Photo Journey about Lahual experiences.Crossing Rohtang Pass was one of the major challenges of this trip. Traffic jams are big issue on this road and as you reach the other end of pass, melting snow makes your life most difficult. At times, our taxi starting slipping on the frozen roads and it was very scary. Then we started following few army trucks which proved very helpfulOn our back journey, we spent one night in Manali. Stayed in a very basic hotel booked through a friend working in Himachal Tourism. Explored areas around Manali – Old Manali, Hadimba Temple, Naggar Castle, Kullu, Manikaran, Kasol, Vashishth etc. Probably separate Photo Journeys would be useful to share those experiences and specially the Naggar Castle and Fruits valley.Will share more about this journey in next post…

It last month of 2014 and I think it's the right time to thank my blog (PHOTO JOURNEY) for offering me various opportunities to travel, photograph, explore, meet people, experience different things and lot more. I thought of starting this series called 'Thank you 'PHOTO JOURNEY'' and would share some of the experience which made feel proud about this blog, my photographs and passion for continuous exploration.It feels really great when you receive an email with an invitation to visit vineyards in different parts of the country, or fly to a luxurious resort in hills southern India and the reason is that I am a blogger. And my blog is one of the top Travel Photography blogs in the country. Such mails really made a blogger feel proud and also encourages you to do things which you want to. This also proves that your passion is always good for you, it's just that you need to follow it with full commitment and joy.7 Years back when I started this blog, I never thought that such things would start happening in my life. In 2014, I was offered to travel 9 times to different places in India and abroad. Unfortunately my other commitments didn't allow me to take all of these opportunities, but they are still in pipeline. I hope to make best of the pending proposals in 2015.Apart from these travel opportunities and enjoy some of the luxurious resorts and hotels, many of the brands wrote to us for reviewing their products and services. Most of the times, these are pretty good experiences but at times you also come across brands which are not worth endorsing. It's not that they don't pay or deal well, but more because products/services they offer are not worth promoting. As a blogger the basic responsibility is to be true about these things and share right information. Your followers, viewers and readers are most important for any blogger and you can't cheat them. And the best part is that really good companies or brands approach you, who have full confidence in their products/services. Associating with companies like Lonely Planet, Nat Geo, Airbnb, Jabong, Google, Evernote, Microsoft, Fujifilm, Nikon, Canon, Tamron, Nokia, Tom Tom, Tata, Expedia, UB Red Bull, Citi Bank, Berigner, JKTyre, Black Dog, Four Seasons, McDowell, Opera, Saffola, New Zealand High Commission, Te Aroha , Le Meridien, Milaap NGO has been a great experience.The other day we were having this discussion about folks who are following their passion and doing things which they really want to do. Technology has brought a huge change wherein individuals with good skills are able to make best of those, which was not really possible in old days. With good skills, now you can get exposure with every good step you take and people start noticing you. It's just that you have do things in right way. And that automatically happens when you follow your passion(s).It's great to see lot of bloggers getting noticed for their good work. There are some brilliant food bloggers who probably do better food photography as compared to a professional photographer and that's because of the simple fact that they understand the food better. There are some bloggers who are considered as better book reviewers as compared to old world critics. There are many bloggers from different niche areas, who are one of the top consultants in their areas of expertise - Travel Interiors, fashion , health , personal care, literature , family and parenting, sports, technology, gadgets and what not. Isn't it amazing? Many of the national and international newspapers, magazines and book publishers contacted us in last 4 years. Some of them published few of our photographs and some of them asked for photo essays. It was an amazing feeling when my first photograph and a full photo story was published in a newspaper. Without this blog I wouldn't have imagined all those things so easily. Without PHOTO JOURNEY, it wouldn't have been possible to get exclusive access to many of the extra-ordinary events and places. I am really proud of my blog and would like to thank every friend, follower and family, who encouraged me to keep improving this blog through their suggestions, critics and ideas. For next few days, we would be sharing some of the unique experiences that amazed us during these years of blogging.

Qutub Minar is one of the most popular heritage compounds in Delhi and quite popular destination amongst tourists visiting Delhi. It's also a good places for local folks to spend quality time with their family & friends. Many times photographers and heritage explorers can be seen around Qutub Minar campus. This Photo Journey shares some of the special photographs from Qutub Minar campus. Reaching Qutub Minar has become pretty easy now. One can take Metro to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar Metro station is not close to the compound, but there are autos which drop folks from Metro to Qutub Minar and charge 10 rs each. If you don’t want to share the auto, most of the folks use meters and that’s reliable. It will not cost more than 30 Rs.Other good to way explore these beautiful monuments in Delhi are HOHO buses run by Delhi Tourism department. You can buy a daily pass and hop on/off to/from these buses at defined stations, which are usually very well located around the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.Booking a Taxi to go to Qutub Minar from Central Delhi, East Delhi or Noida might be a bad idea because of slow traffic movement. I had gone through such experience twice and now try to use Metro, if possible.After Red Fort, Qutub Minar is most visited monuments in Delhi and one should expect lot of people inside Qutub Minar compound, even on weekdays. Apart from the main minaret, there are various architectural structures in this compound having different stories associated. There are no guides around Qutub Minar now, but you can get an audio device on rent which will keep telling you about the place. Easy to use device and have good details about various spots in Qutub Minar campus.As you walk around this huge compound, you get to see spectacular beauty of the Qutub Minar from different angles. Above photograph shows one of the views of Qutub Minar through the other structures around.It's a wonderful place for photographers because of diversified opportunities to click architecture, people, landscapes and lot more. I have been part of various photo-walks here and every time it was different experience.Tourists from different parts of the world come to Qutub Minar to witness it's grandness and know about it's history. It's really strange that we don't care much to know our own history, but things have been changing for good. There are lot of social circles which inspire folks to visit such places and know more about our heritage. Mehrauli Archeological park is another interesting place around Qutub Minar. It's awesome to see these airplanes crossing through Qutub Minar. Although there is a huge different between the top most peak of Qutub and the flight, but such views look dramatic.Qutub is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj. Qutb Minar originally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is made of red sandstone and marble. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps, is 72.5 metres high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibakand was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. Check out more about Qutub on Wikipedia His expressions explain it all about the height and grandness of Qutub Minar.

Qutub Minar is one of the most popular heritage compounds in Delhi and quite popular destination amongst tourists visiting Delhi. It's also a good places for local folks to spend quality time with their family & friends. Many times photographers and heritage explorers can be seen around Qutub Minar campus. This Photo Journey shares some of the special photographs from Qutub Minar campus. Reaching Qutub Minar has become pretty easy now. One can take Metro to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar Metro station is not close to the compound, but there are autos which drop folks from Metro to Qutub Minar and charge 10 rs each. If you don’t want to share the auto, most of the folks use meters and that’s reliable. It will not cost more than 30 Rs.Other good to way explore these beautiful monuments in Delhi are HOHO buses run by Delhi Tourism department. You can buy a daily pass and hop on/off to/from these buses at defined stations, which are usually very well located around the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.Booking a Taxi to go to Qutub Minar from Central Delhi, East Delhi or Noida might be a bad idea because of slow traffic movement. I had gone through such experience twice and now try to use Metro, if possible.After Red Fort, Qutub Minar is most visited monuments in Delhi and one should expect lot of people inside Qutub Minar compound, even on weekdays. Apart from the main minaret, there are various architectural structures in this compound having different stories associated. There are no guides around Qutub Minar now, but you can get an audio device on rent which will keep telling you about the place. Easy to use device and have good details about various spots in Qutub Minar campus.As you walk around this huge compound, you get to see spectacular beauty of the Qutub Minar from different angles. Above photograph shows one of the views of Qutub Minar through the other structures around.It's a wonderful place for photographers because of diversified opportunities to click architecture, people, landscapes and lot more. I have been part of various photo-walks here and every time it was different experience.Tourists from different parts of the world come to Qutub Minar to witness it's grandness and know about it's history. It's really strange that we don't care much to know our own history, but things have been changing for good. There are lot of social circles which inspire folks to visit such places and know more about our heritage. Mehrauli Archeological park is another interesting place around Qutub Minar. It's awesome to see these airplanes crossing through Qutub Minar. Although there is a huge different between the top most peak of Qutub and the flight, but such views look dramatic.Qutub is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj. Qutb Minar originally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is made of red sandstone and marble. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps, is 72.5 metres high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibakand was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. Check out more about Qutub on Wikipedia His expressions explain it all about the height and grandness of Qutub Minar.

Qutub Minar is one of the most popular heritage compounds in Delhi and quite popular destination amongst tourists visiting Delhi. It's also a good places for local folks to spend quality time with their family & friends. Many times photographers and heritage explorers can be seen around Qutub Minar campus. This Photo Journey shares some of the special photographs from Qutub Minar campus. Reaching Qutub Minar has become pretty easy now. One can take Metro to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar Metro station is not close to the compound, but there are autos which drop folks from Metro to Qutub Minar and charge 10 rs each. If you don’t want to share the auto, most of the folks use meters and that’s reliable. It will not cost more than 30 Rs.Other good to way explore these beautiful monuments in Delhi are HOHO buses run by Delhi Tourism department. You can buy a daily pass and hop on/off to/from these buses at defined stations, which are usually very well located around the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.Booking a Taxi to go to Qutub Minar from Central Delhi, East Delhi or Noida might be a bad idea because of slow traffic movement. I had gone through such experience twice and now try to use Metro, if possible.After Red Fort, Qutub Minar is most visited monuments in Delhi and one should expect lot of people inside Qutub Minar compound, even on weekdays. Apart from the main minaret, there are various architectural structures in this compound having different stories associated. There are no guides around Qutub Minar now, but you can get an audio device on rent which will keep telling you about the place. Easy to use device and have good details about various spots in Qutub Minar campus.As you walk around this huge compound, you get to see spectacular beauty of the Qutub Minar from different angles. Above photograph shows one of the views of Qutub Minar through the other structures around.It's a wonderful place for photographers because of diversified opportunities to click architecture, people, landscapes and lot more. I have been part of various photo-walks here and every time it was different experience.Tourists from different parts of the world come to Qutub Minar to witness it's grandness and know about it's history. It's really strange that we don't care much to know our own history, but things have been changing for good. There are lot of social circles which inspire folks to visit such places and know more about our heritage. Mehrauli Archeological park is another interesting place around Qutub Minar. It's awesome to see these airplanes crossing through Qutub Minar. Although there is a huge different between the top most peak of Qutub and the flight, but such views look dramatic.Qutub is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj. Qutb Minar originally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is made of red sandstone and marble. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps, is 72.5 metres high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibakand was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. Check out more about Qutub on Wikipedia His expressions explain it all about the height and grandness of Qutub Minar.

Qutub Minar is one of the most popular heritage compounds in Delhi and quite popular destination amongst tourists visiting Delhi. It's also a good places for local folks to spend quality time with their family & friends. Many times photographers and heritage explorers can be seen around Qutub Minar campus. This Photo Journey shares some of the special photographs from Qutub Minar campus. Reaching Qutub Minar has become pretty easy now. One can take Metro to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar Metro station is not close to the compound, but there are autos which drop folks from Metro to Qutub Minar and charge 10 rs each. If you don’t want to share the auto, most of the folks use meters and that’s reliable. It will not cost more than 30 Rs.Other good to way explore these beautiful monuments in Delhi are HOHO buses run by Delhi Tourism department. You can buy a daily pass and hop on/off to/from these buses at defined stations, which are usually very well located around the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.Booking a Taxi to go to Qutub Minar from Central Delhi, East Delhi or Noida might be a bad idea because of slow traffic movement. I had gone through such experience twice and now try to use Metro, if possible.After Red Fort, Qutub Minar is most visited monuments in Delhi and one should expect lot of people inside Qutub Minar compound, even on weekdays. Apart from the main minaret, there are various architectural structures in this compound having different stories associated. There are no guides around Qutub Minar now, but you can get an audio device on rent which will keep telling you about the place. Easy to use device and have good details about various spots in Qutub Minar campus.As you walk around this huge compound, you get to see spectacular beauty of the Qutub Minar from different angles. Above photograph shows one of the views of Qutub Minar through the other structures around.It's a wonderful place for photographers because of diversified opportunities to click architecture, people, landscapes and lot more. I have been part of various photo-walks here and every time it was different experience.Tourists from different parts of the world come to Qutub Minar to witness it's grandness and know about it's history. It's really strange that we don't care much to know our own history, but things have been changing for good. There are lot of social circles which inspire folks to visit such places and know more about our heritage. Mehrauli Archeological park is another interesting place around Qutub Minar. It's awesome to see these airplanes crossing through Qutub Minar. Although there is a huge different between the top most peak of Qutub and the flight, but such views look dramatic.Qutub is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj. Qutb Minar originally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is made of red sandstone and marble. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps, is 72.5 metres high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibakand was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. Check out more about Qutub on Wikipedia His expressions explain it all about the height and grandness of Qutub Minar.

Qutub Minar is one of the most popular heritage compounds in Delhi and quite popular destination amongst tourists visiting Delhi. It's also a good places for local folks to spend quality time with their family & friends. Many times photographers and heritage explorers can be seen around Qutub Minar campus. This Photo Journey shares some of the special photographs from Qutub Minar campus. Reaching Qutub Minar has become pretty easy now. One can take Metro to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar Metro station is not close to the compound, but there are autos which drop folks from Metro to Qutub Minar and charge 10 rs each. If you don’t want to share the auto, most of the folks use meters and that’s reliable. It will not cost more than 30 Rs.Other good to way explore these beautiful monuments in Delhi are HOHO buses run by Delhi Tourism department. You can buy a daily pass and hop on/off to/from these buses at defined stations, which are usually very well located around the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.Booking a Taxi to go to Qutub Minar from Central Delhi, East Delhi or Noida might be a bad idea because of slow traffic movement. I had gone through such experience twice and now try to use Metro, if possible.After Red Fort, Qutub Minar is most visited monuments in Delhi and one should expect lot of people inside Qutub Minar compound, even on weekdays. Apart from the main minaret, there are various architectural structures in this compound having different stories associated. There are no guides around Qutub Minar now, but you can get an audio device on rent which will keep telling you about the place. Easy to use device and have good details about various spots in Qutub Minar campus.As you walk around this huge compound, you get to see spectacular beauty of the Qutub Minar from different angles. Above photograph shows one of the views of Qutub Minar through the other structures around.It's a wonderful place for photographers because of diversified opportunities to click architecture, people, landscapes and lot more. I have been part of various photo-walks here and every time it was different experience.Tourists from different parts of the world come to Qutub Minar to witness it's grandness and know about it's history. It's really strange that we don't care much to know our own history, but things have been changing for good. There are lot of social circles which inspire folks to visit such places and know more about our heritage. Mehrauli Archeological park is another interesting place around Qutub Minar. It's awesome to see these airplanes crossing through Qutub Minar. Although there is a huge different between the top most peak of Qutub and the flight, but such views look dramatic.Qutub is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj. Qutb Minar originally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is made of red sandstone and marble. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps, is 72.5 metres high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibakand was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. Check out more about Qutub on Wikipedia His expressions explain it all about the height and grandness of Qutub Minar.



Qutub Minar is one of the most popular heritage compounds in Delhi and quite popular destination amongst tourists visiting Delhi. It's also a good places for local folks to spend quality time with their family & friends. Many times photographers and heritage explorers can be seen around Qutub Minar campus. This Photo Journey shares some of the special photographs from Qutub Minar campus. Reaching Qutub Minar has become pretty easy now. One can take Metro to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar Metro station is not close to the compound, but there are autos which drop folks from Metro to Qutub Minar and charge 10 rs each. If you don’t want to share the auto, most of the folks use meters and that’s reliable. It will not cost more than 30 Rs.Other good to way explore these beautiful monuments in Delhi are HOHO buses run by Delhi Tourism department. You can buy a daily pass and hop on/off to/from these buses at defined stations, which are usually very well located around the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.Booking a Taxi to go to Qutub Minar from Central Delhi, East Delhi or Noida might be a bad idea because of slow traffic movement. I had gone through such experience twice and now try to use Metro, if possible.After Red Fort, Qutub Minar is most visited monuments in Delhi and one should expect lot of people inside Qutub Minar compound, even on weekdays. Apart from the main minaret, there are various architectural structures in this compound having different stories associated. There are no guides around Qutub Minar now, but you can get an audio device on rent which will keep telling you about the place. Easy to use device and have good details about various spots in Qutub Minar campus.As you walk around this huge compound, you get to see spectacular beauty of the Qutub Minar from different angles. Above photograph shows one of the views of Qutub Minar through the other structures around.It's a wonderful place for photographers because of diversified opportunities to click architecture, people, landscapes and lot more. I have been part of various photo-walks here and every time it was different experience.Tourists from different parts of the world come to Qutub Minar to witness it's grandness and know about it's history. It's really strange that we don't care much to know our own history, but things have been changing for good. There are lot of social circles which inspire folks to visit such places and know more about our heritage. Mehrauli Archeological park is another interesting place around Qutub Minar. It's awesome to see these airplanes crossing through Qutub Minar. Although there is a huge different between the top most peak of Qutub and the flight, but such views look dramatic.Qutub is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj. Qutb Minar originally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is made of red sandstone and marble. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps, is 72.5 metres high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibakand was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. Check out more about Qutub on Wikipedia His expressions explain it all about the height and grandness of Qutub Minar.

Qutub Minar is one of the most popular heritage compounds in Delhi and quite popular destination amongst tourists visiting Delhi. It's also a good places for local folks to spend quality time with their family & friends. Many times photographers and heritage explorers can be seen around Qutub Minar campus. This Photo Journey shares some of the special photographs from Qutub Minar campus. Reaching Qutub Minar has become pretty easy now. One can take Metro to Qutub Minar. The Qutub Minar Metro station is not close to the compound, but there are autos which drop folks from Metro to Qutub Minar and charge 10 rs each. If you don’t want to share the auto, most of the folks use meters and that’s reliable. It will not cost more than 30 Rs.Other good to way explore these beautiful monuments in Delhi are HOHO buses run by Delhi Tourism department. You can buy a daily pass and hop on/off to/from these buses at defined stations, which are usually very well located around the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.Booking a Taxi to go to Qutub Minar from Central Delhi, East Delhi or Noida might be a bad idea because of slow traffic movement. I had gone through such experience twice and now try to use Metro, if possible.After Red Fort, Qutub Minar is most visited monuments in Delhi and one should expect lot of people inside Qutub Minar compound, even on weekdays. Apart from the main minaret, there are various architectural structures in this compound having different stories associated. There are no guides around Qutub Minar now, but you can get an audio device on rent which will keep telling you about the place. Easy to use device and have good details about various spots in Qutub Minar campus.As you walk around this huge compound, you get to see spectacular beauty of the Qutub Minar from different angles. Above photograph shows one of the views of Qutub Minar through the other structures around.It's a wonderful place for photographers because of diversified opportunities to click architecture, people, landscapes and lot more. I have been part of various photo-walks here and every time it was different experience.Tourists from different parts of the world come to Qutub Minar to witness it's grandness and know about it's history. It's really strange that we don't care much to know our own history, but things have been changing for good. There are lot of social circles which inspire folks to visit such places and know more about our heritage. Mehrauli Archeological park is another interesting place around Qutub Minar. It's awesome to see these airplanes crossing through Qutub Minar. Although there is a huge different between the top most peak of Qutub and the flight, but such views look dramatic.Qutub is the 2nd tallest minar (73 metres) in India after Fateh Burj. Qutb Minar originally is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is made of red sandstone and marble. The stairs of the tower has 379 steps, is 72.5 metres high, and has a base diameter of 14.3 metres, which narrows to 2.7 metres at the top. Construction was started in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibakand was carried on by his successor, Iltutmish. Check out more about Qutub on Wikipedia His expressions explain it all about the height and grandness of Qutub Minar.



Movie poster created in Adobe Photoshop Elements: The Last House on the Left

This Photograph is shot few weeks back, when I was in Jaipur for shooting Tata Motor's event under banner - 'Blaze De Rajasthan'. This event was about Motorsport, where many motorsport enthusiasts come and participate in off-road rallies. It was a two days event on a weekend. During first day every car went through different parts of Jaipur City. Above photograph was shot on first day and more photographs can be checked at - HERE

Architecture from the past is a priceless gift that our ancestors have left behind for us to cherish. Even when some of the buildings constructed today struggle to keep standing, some of these magnificent buildings constructed centuries ago have withstood the test of time and survive as a testimony to the strong foundation our ancestors had laid for the humankind. One such building is the complex that houses the rock-cut monolithic temples of Masroor in the Kangra district of Himachal PradeshThe 3-kilometre walk from Pir Bindli to the temples reveals new treasures at every turn. But none of these are as rewarding as the first sight of the temples themselves. Tucked away amidst rural Himachal, just 38 kilometres away from the bustling town of Kangra, these temples are stunning examples of Indo-Aryan architecture. The entire complex contains about 15 sikhara temples and a rectangular water tank. Intricate carvings and beautifully ornamented sculptures make one wonder at the skills and perseverance of the people who were responsible for cutting these shapes out of the tough sandstone rock without the support of modern technology by their sidIn spite of the persistent presence of the temples, very little is known about when, how, and by whom, these temples were constructed. Even though there are legends associating these temples to Pandavs, a date of 8th – 9th Century CE has been assigned to the temples, based on the architecture and the sculptures. One fact that is known almost for sure is that ever since they were created, the temples stood more or less intact till the devastating earthquake of 1905 during which many of its sikharas fell down and many pillars developed cracks. But the main Sikhara still stands and is home to black-stone idols of Ram, Sita, and Laxman. However, the presence of the figures of Shiv in the doorway also indicates that this temple was originally dedicated to Lord Shiv. As is apparent, there are many mysteries yet to be solved about these marvelsRight now, there is increasing focus on developing these temples as a tourist attraction for rural as well as foreign tourists. Although it is true that visiting and learning about these ancient structures is an inseparable part of the process of enrichment and education, we need to tread carefully. Each crumbling wall and each falling stone is a part of history lost to us forever. Therefore, any tourism that crops up here needs to be monitored carefully and has to place conservation above everything else so that it does not cost us any part of our heritage.

Few weeks back I visited Shimla for some work and spent one day with a school friend in Solan. Since hills around Jatoli Shiva Temple are favorites of my friend, he planned a visit to the temple and spend some time together in peace. This Photo Journey share some of the photographs of trek to Jatoli Temple and the beautiful campus surrounded by hills.Jatoli Shiva temple is near Solan town and it takes 15-20 minutes to reach temple via bus from the main town. All buses going towards Shoolini University cross through the temple. Rajeev and I took a bus from Govt College Solan. There is a very small trek from the road till temple, which doesn't take more than 10 minutes to reach this beautiful temple. Above photograph shows the view of hills on other side of the temple. These hills look stunning during sunset, but we didn't have time to wait there for sunset. The same day, I had to come back to Delhi.Another photograph showing multi-layered hills across the Jatoli Shiva temple in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh.Here is a view of Shiva temple in Jatoli from the road which connects this place with main town of Solan. There is a very peaceful walk from the road to temple and we utilized this time to refresh our old memories from the school. Both of us studies in Govt Senior Secondary School Bhoranj, which is in Hamirpur district. Rajeev belongs to that place and my Dad was posted in Bhoranj during those days. Above photograph shows the view of Solan town from Rajeev's house, which is near to the govt. degree college. Solan is getting very populated with every day. It's very well located between Shimla and Chandigarh. Shimla is 1.5 hours away from Solan and Chandigarh also takes just 2 hours. This is one of the popular towns in Himachal, which is preferred by folks after retirement. Nice weather, well connected with main cities, all basic resources are available easily and what not Jatoli temple is one of the main places to explore around Solan town and folks who come to Solan don't want to miss this beautiful location. It's also a nice place for one day picnic Here is a photograph of main Temple of Shiva at Jatoli. Beautifully built temple with finer details on every cornerA photograph of interiors - another temple in same campusWe had great time roaming around the temple and enjoying natural beauty of the place.

Few weeks back, Nat Geo Moments Awards 2014 team announced an Instawalk in Delhi and Photographers were asked for share their Instagram & Twitter accounts to select 20 Photographers from the City. I also got a chance to join for this Instawalk, which happens in Mehrauli Archelogical Park in Delhi. Let's check out this Photo Journey to know more about the Instawalk and Nat Geo Moments Awards.I had also shared by Instagram account with Nat Geo team and was selected to join this Insta-walk. It sounded very exciting but at the same time I had my doubts about this Photo-walk, because I couldn't find names of photographers who definitely do great photography & my inspiration as well. Because it was about Nat Geo, I wanted to give them a benefit of doubt. One of my office friend was also joining for the walk, which was encouraging.Mehrauli Archeological Park is close to Qutub Minar Metro station, so we planned to take Metro-train from Noida to reach for Instawalk at 9:30am. Opposite to Delhi trends, Instawalk started on time and we were late by 5 minutes. But we hit the place before the first brief. Delhi Heritage Walks team was there to help every Photographer to understand the place, although most of the photographers were more interested in capturing the place well. There was negligible participation from Nat Geo. It seemed more like a promotional event by Nat Geo, wherein they wanted folks to create some buzz about #NGMA2014 through Instagram and Twitter.All of us met around Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex built in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Kamali is one of the oldest structures in the town which is maintained by ASI. It was built around 1528 CE.Breakfast was arranged during the Instawalk. There is a green area around Jamali Kamali, which was chosen for breakfast. Food was good and I think, it was home made.Mehrauli Archaeological Park is spread over an area of around 200 acres in Delhi. This Archeological park is located just on the back side of Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. This park consists of more than 100 historically significant monuments, although many of them are in ruins now. There are few interesting water bodies in this complex and most part of it is very well maintained with green patchesMehrauli Archeological Park is the only area in Delhi includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs, which makes it the oldest extant fort of Delhi.Mehrauli Archeological park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India... and then Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh),Quli Khan's Tomb, Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Gandhak ki Baoli, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and Madhi Masjid.A view of Qutub Minar from Kuli Khan Tomb. When we were roaming around this place, a bunch of folks were playing cricket in the back side of Tomb of Kuli Khan. This comparitively a smaller tomb and one needs to climb up few stairs to see it from inside. Tomb of Quli Khan, overlooking the Qutub Minar. All Instagrammers were busy in clicking photographs around the tomb and few were simultaneously posting these photographs to Instagram and Twitter. Rain had happened last night so some of us tried clicking reflections as well :).Above is a photograph of Rajaon ki Baoli, which is comparatively smaller than Gandhak ki Baoli. All this shows about rich Indian Heritage in capital city Delhi. It's a famous stepwell near Adham Khan's Tomb having multiple levels in it and one of the special places inside Mehrauli Archaeological ParkRajon Ki Baoli is also referred as 'Rajon ki Bain'. This magnificent three-storeyed stepwell is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.Rajaon ki baoli is one of the highlights of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and everyone during Instawalk liked this place the most. This baoli has multiple levels and each level of the baoli exposes to visitors as one walks towards its steps. The baoli-complex has a 12-pillared tomb and a mosque with some pretty plaster decoration on it. This Instawalk was concluded here and we headed back. Now it was time for me to attend a Blogger meet at CP.

Few weeks back, Nat Geo Moments Awards 2014 team announced an Instawalk in Delhi and Photographers were asked for share their Instagram & Twitter accounts to select 20 Photographers from the City. I also got a chance to join for this Instawalk, which happens in Mehrauli Archelogical Park in Delhi. Let's check out this Photo Journey to know more about the Instawalk and Nat Geo Moments Awards.I had also shared by Instagram account with Nat Geo team and was selected to join this Insta-walk. It sounded very exciting but at the same time I had my doubts about this Photo-walk, because I couldn't find names of photographers who definitely do great photography & my inspiration as well. Because it was about Nat Geo, I wanted to give them a benefit of doubt. One of my office friend was also joining for the walk, which was encouraging.Mehrauli Archeological Park is close to Qutub Minar Metro station, so we planned to take Metro-train from Noida to reach for Instawalk at 9:30am. Opposite to Delhi trends, Instawalk started on time and we were late by 5 minutes. But we hit the place before the first brief. Delhi Heritage Walks team was there to help every Photographer to understand the place, although most of the photographers were more interested in capturing the place well. There was negligible participation from Nat Geo. It seemed more like a promotional event by Nat Geo, wherein they wanted folks to create some buzz about #NGMA2014 through Instagram and Twitter.All of us met around Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex built in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Kamali is one of the oldest structures in the town which is maintained by ASI. It was built around 1528 CE.Breakfast was arranged during the Instawalk. There is a green area around Jamali Kamali, which was chosen for breakfast. Food was good and I think, it was home made.Mehrauli Archaeological Park is spread over an area of around 200 acres in Delhi. This Archeological park is located just on the back side of Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. This park consists of more than 100 historically significant monuments, although many of them are in ruins now. There are few interesting water bodies in this complex and most part of it is very well maintained with green patchesMehrauli Archeological Park is the only area in Delhi includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs, which makes it the oldest extant fort of Delhi.Mehrauli Archeological park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India... and then Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh),Quli Khan's Tomb, Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Gandhak ki Baoli, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and Madhi Masjid.A view of Qutub Minar from Kuli Khan Tomb. When we were roaming around this place, a bunch of folks were playing cricket in the back side of Tomb of Kuli Khan. This comparitively a smaller tomb and one needs to climb up few stairs to see it from inside. Tomb of Quli Khan, overlooking the Qutub Minar. All Instagrammers were busy in clicking photographs around the tomb and few were simultaneously posting these photographs to Instagram and Twitter. Rain had happened last night so some of us tried clicking reflections as well :).Above is a photograph of Rajaon ki Baoli, which is comparatively smaller than Gandhak ki Baoli. All this shows about rich Indian Heritage in capital city Delhi. It's a famous stepwell near Adham Khan's Tomb having multiple levels in it and one of the special places inside Mehrauli Archaeological ParkRajon Ki Baoli is also referred as 'Rajon ki Bain'. This magnificent three-storeyed stepwell is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.Rajaon ki baoli is one of the highlights of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and everyone during Instawalk liked this place the most. This baoli has multiple levels and each level of the baoli exposes to visitors as one walks towards its steps. The baoli-complex has a 12-pillared tomb and a mosque with some pretty plaster decoration on it. This Instawalk was concluded here and we headed back. Now it was time for me to attend a Blogger meet at CP.

Few weeks back, Nat Geo Moments Awards 2014 team announced an Instawalk in Delhi and Photographers were asked for share their Instagram & Twitter accounts to select 20 Photographers from the City. I also got a chance to join for this Instawalk, which happens in Mehrauli Archelogical Park in Delhi. Let's check out this Photo Journey to know more about the Instawalk and Nat Geo Moments Awards.I had also shared by Instagram account with Nat Geo team and was selected to join this Insta-walk. It sounded very exciting but at the same time I had my doubts about this Photo-walk, because I couldn't find names of photographers who definitely do great photography & my inspiration as well. Because it was about Nat Geo, I wanted to give them a benefit of doubt. One of my office friend was also joining for the walk, which was encouraging.Mehrauli Archeological Park is close to Qutub Minar Metro station, so we planned to take Metro-train from Noida to reach for Instawalk at 9:30am. Opposite to Delhi trends, Instawalk started on time and we were late by 5 minutes. But we hit the place before the first brief. Delhi Heritage Walks team was there to help every Photographer to understand the place, although most of the photographers were more interested in capturing the place well. There was negligible participation from Nat Geo. It seemed more like a promotional event by Nat Geo, wherein they wanted folks to create some buzz about #NGMA2014 through Instagram and Twitter.All of us met around Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex built in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Kamali is one of the oldest structures in the town which is maintained by ASI. It was built around 1528 CE.Breakfast was arranged during the Instawalk. There is a green area around Jamali Kamali, which was chosen for breakfast. Food was good and I think, it was home made.Mehrauli Archaeological Park is spread over an area of around 200 acres in Delhi. This Archeological park is located just on the back side of Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. This park consists of more than 100 historically significant monuments, although many of them are in ruins now. There are few interesting water bodies in this complex and most part of it is very well maintained with green patchesMehrauli Archeological Park is the only area in Delhi includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs, which makes it the oldest extant fort of Delhi.Mehrauli Archeological park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India... and then Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh),Quli Khan's Tomb, Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Gandhak ki Baoli, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and Madhi Masjid.A view of Qutub Minar from Kuli Khan Tomb. When we were roaming around this place, a bunch of folks were playing cricket in the back side of Tomb of Kuli Khan. This comparitively a smaller tomb and one needs to climb up few stairs to see it from inside. Tomb of Quli Khan, overlooking the Qutub Minar. All Instagrammers were busy in clicking photographs around the tomb and few were simultaneously posting these photographs to Instagram and Twitter. Rain had happened last night so some of us tried clicking reflections as well :).Above is a photograph of Rajaon ki Baoli, which is comparatively smaller than Gandhak ki Baoli. All this shows about rich Indian Heritage in capital city Delhi. It's a famous stepwell near Adham Khan's Tomb having multiple levels in it and one of the special places inside Mehrauli Archaeological ParkRajon Ki Baoli is also referred as 'Rajon ki Bain'. This magnificent three-storeyed stepwell is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.Rajaon ki baoli is one of the highlights of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and everyone during Instawalk liked this place the most. This baoli has multiple levels and each level of the baoli exposes to visitors as one walks towards its steps. The baoli-complex has a 12-pillared tomb and a mosque with some pretty plaster decoration on it. This Instawalk was concluded here and we headed back. Now it was time for me to attend a Blogger meet at CP.

Few weeks back, Nat Geo Moments Awards 2014 team announced an Instawalk in Delhi and Photographers were asked for share their Instagram & Twitter accounts to select 20 Photographers from the City. I also got a chance to join for this Instawalk, which happens in Mehrauli Archelogical Park in Delhi. Let's check out this Photo Journey to know more about the Instawalk and Nat Geo Moments Awards.I had also shared by Instagram account with Nat Geo team and was selected to join this Insta-walk. It sounded very exciting but at the same time I had my doubts about this Photo-walk, because I couldn't find names of photographers who definitely do great photography & my inspiration as well. Because it was about Nat Geo, I wanted to give them a benefit of doubt. One of my office friend was also joining for the walk, which was encouraging.Mehrauli Archeological Park is close to Qutub Minar Metro station, so we planned to take Metro-train from Noida to reach for Instawalk at 9:30am. Opposite to Delhi trends, Instawalk started on time and we were late by 5 minutes. But we hit the place before the first brief. Delhi Heritage Walks team was there to help every Photographer to understand the place, although most of the photographers were more interested in capturing the place well. There was negligible participation from Nat Geo. It seemed more like a promotional event by Nat Geo, wherein they wanted folks to create some buzz about #NGMA2014 through Instagram and Twitter.All of us met around Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex built in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Kamali is one of the oldest structures in the town which is maintained by ASI. It was built around 1528 CE.Breakfast was arranged during the Instawalk. There is a green area around Jamali Kamali, which was chosen for breakfast. Food was good and I think, it was home made.Mehrauli Archaeological Park is spread over an area of around 200 acres in Delhi. This Archeological park is located just on the back side of Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. This park consists of more than 100 historically significant monuments, although many of them are in ruins now. There are few interesting water bodies in this complex and most part of it is very well maintained with green patchesMehrauli Archeological Park is the only area in Delhi includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs, which makes it the oldest extant fort of Delhi.Mehrauli Archeological park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India... and then Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh),Quli Khan's Tomb, Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Gandhak ki Baoli, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and Madhi Masjid.A view of Qutub Minar from Kuli Khan Tomb. When we were roaming around this place, a bunch of folks were playing cricket in the back side of Tomb of Kuli Khan. This comparitively a smaller tomb and one needs to climb up few stairs to see it from inside. Tomb of Quli Khan, overlooking the Qutub Minar. All Instagrammers were busy in clicking photographs around the tomb and few were simultaneously posting these photographs to Instagram and Twitter. Rain had happened last night so some of us tried clicking reflections as well :).Above is a photograph of Rajaon ki Baoli, which is comparatively smaller than Gandhak ki Baoli. All this shows about rich Indian Heritage in capital city Delhi. It's a famous stepwell near Adham Khan's Tomb having multiple levels in it and one of the special places inside Mehrauli Archaeological ParkRajon Ki Baoli is also referred as 'Rajon ki Bain'. This magnificent three-storeyed stepwell is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.Rajaon ki baoli is one of the highlights of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and everyone during Instawalk liked this place the most. This baoli has multiple levels and each level of the baoli exposes to visitors as one walks towards its steps. The baoli-complex has a 12-pillared tomb and a mosque with some pretty plaster decoration on it. This Instawalk was concluded here and we headed back. Now it was time for me to attend a Blogger meet at CP.

Few weeks back, Nat Geo Moments Awards 2014 team announced an Instawalk in Delhi and Photographers were asked for share their Instagram & Twitter accounts to select 20 Photographers from the City. I also got a chance to join for this Instawalk, which happens in Mehrauli Archelogical Park in Delhi. Let's check out this Photo Journey to know more about the Instawalk and Nat Geo Moments Awards.I had also shared by Instagram account with Nat Geo team and was selected to join this Insta-walk. It sounded very exciting but at the same time I had my doubts about this Photo-walk, because I couldn't find names of photographers who definitely do great photography & my inspiration as well. Because it was about Nat Geo, I wanted to give them a benefit of doubt. One of my office friend was also joining for the walk, which was encouraging.Mehrauli Archeological Park is close to Qutub Minar Metro station, so we planned to take Metro-train from Noida to reach for Instawalk at 9:30am. Opposite to Delhi trends, Instawalk started on time and we were late by 5 minutes. But we hit the place before the first brief. Delhi Heritage Walks team was there to help every Photographer to understand the place, although most of the photographers were more interested in capturing the place well. There was negligible participation from Nat Geo. It seemed more like a promotional event by Nat Geo, wherein they wanted folks to create some buzz about #NGMA2014 through Instagram and Twitter.All of us met around Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex built in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Kamali is one of the oldest structures in the town which is maintained by ASI. It was built around 1528 CE.Breakfast was arranged during the Instawalk. There is a green area around Jamali Kamali, which was chosen for breakfast. Food was good and I think, it was home made.Mehrauli Archaeological Park is spread over an area of around 200 acres in Delhi. This Archeological park is located just on the back side of Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. This park consists of more than 100 historically significant monuments, although many of them are in ruins now. There are few interesting water bodies in this complex and most part of it is very well maintained with green patchesMehrauli Archeological Park is the only area in Delhi includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs, which makes it the oldest extant fort of Delhi.Mehrauli Archeological park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India... and then Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh),Quli Khan's Tomb, Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Gandhak ki Baoli, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and Madhi Masjid.A view of Qutub Minar from Kuli Khan Tomb. When we were roaming around this place, a bunch of folks were playing cricket in the back side of Tomb of Kuli Khan. This comparitively a smaller tomb and one needs to climb up few stairs to see it from inside. Tomb of Quli Khan, overlooking the Qutub Minar. All Instagrammers were busy in clicking photographs around the tomb and few were simultaneously posting these photographs to Instagram and Twitter. Rain had happened last night so some of us tried clicking reflections as well :).Above is a photograph of Rajaon ki Baoli, which is comparatively smaller than Gandhak ki Baoli. All this shows about rich Indian Heritage in capital city Delhi. It's a famous stepwell near Adham Khan's Tomb having multiple levels in it and one of the special places inside Mehrauli Archaeological ParkRajon Ki Baoli is also referred as 'Rajon ki Bain'. This magnificent three-storeyed stepwell is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.Rajaon ki baoli is one of the highlights of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and everyone during Instawalk liked this place the most. This baoli has multiple levels and each level of the baoli exposes to visitors as one walks towards its steps. The baoli-complex has a 12-pillared tomb and a mosque with some pretty plaster decoration on it. This Instawalk was concluded here and we headed back. Now it was time for me to attend a Blogger meet at CP.

Few weeks back, Nat Geo Moments Awards 2014 team announced an Instawalk in Delhi and Photographers were asked for share their Instagram & Twitter accounts to select 20 Photographers from the City. I also got a chance to join for this Instawalk, which happens in Mehrauli Archelogical Park in Delhi. Let's check out this Photo Journey to know more about the Instawalk and Nat Geo Moments Awards.I had also shared by Instagram account with Nat Geo team and was selected to join this Insta-walk. It sounded very exciting but at the same time I had my doubts about this Photo-walk, because I couldn't find names of photographers who definitely do great photography & my inspiration as well. Because it was about Nat Geo, I wanted to give them a benefit of doubt. One of my office friend was also joining for the walk, which was encouraging.Mehrauli Archeological Park is close to Qutub Minar Metro station, so we planned to take Metro-train from Noida to reach for Instawalk at 9:30am. Opposite to Delhi trends, Instawalk started on time and we were late by 5 minutes. But we hit the place before the first brief. Delhi Heritage Walks team was there to help every Photographer to understand the place, although most of the photographers were more interested in capturing the place well. There was negligible participation from Nat Geo. It seemed more like a promotional event by Nat Geo, wherein they wanted folks to create some buzz about #NGMA2014 through Instagram and Twitter.All of us met around Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex built in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Kamali is one of the oldest structures in the town which is maintained by ASI. It was built around 1528 CE.Breakfast was arranged during the Instawalk. There is a green area around Jamali Kamali, which was chosen for breakfast. Food was good and I think, it was home made.Mehrauli Archaeological Park is spread over an area of around 200 acres in Delhi. This Archeological park is located just on the back side of Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. This park consists of more than 100 historically significant monuments, although many of them are in ruins now. There are few interesting water bodies in this complex and most part of it is very well maintained with green patchesMehrauli Archeological Park is the only area in Delhi includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs, which makes it the oldest extant fort of Delhi.Mehrauli Archeological park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India... and then Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh),Quli Khan's Tomb, Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Gandhak ki Baoli, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and Madhi Masjid.A view of Qutub Minar from Kuli Khan Tomb. When we were roaming around this place, a bunch of folks were playing cricket in the back side of Tomb of Kuli Khan. This comparitively a smaller tomb and one needs to climb up few stairs to see it from inside. Tomb of Quli Khan, overlooking the Qutub Minar. All Instagrammers were busy in clicking photographs around the tomb and few were simultaneously posting these photographs to Instagram and Twitter. Rain had happened last night so some of us tried clicking reflections as well :).Above is a photograph of Rajaon ki Baoli, which is comparatively smaller than Gandhak ki Baoli. All this shows about rich Indian Heritage in capital city Delhi. It's a famous stepwell near Adham Khan's Tomb having multiple levels in it and one of the special places inside Mehrauli Archaeological ParkRajon Ki Baoli is also referred as 'Rajon ki Bain'. This magnificent three-storeyed stepwell is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.Rajaon ki baoli is one of the highlights of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and everyone during Instawalk liked this place the most. This baoli has multiple levels and each level of the baoli exposes to visitors as one walks towards its steps. The baoli-complex has a 12-pillared tomb and a mosque with some pretty plaster decoration on it. This Instawalk was concluded here and we headed back. Now it was time for me to attend a Blogger meet at CP.

Few weeks back, Nat Geo Moments Awards 2014 team announced an Instawalk in Delhi and Photographers were asked for share their Instagram & Twitter accounts to select 20 Photographers from the City. I also got a chance to join for this Instawalk, which happens in Mehrauli Archelogical Park in Delhi. Let's check out this Photo Journey to know more about the Instawalk and Nat Geo Moments Awards.I had also shared by Instagram account with Nat Geo team and was selected to join this Insta-walk. It sounded very exciting but at the same time I had my doubts about this Photo-walk, because I couldn't find names of photographers who definitely do great photography & my inspiration as well. Because it was about Nat Geo, I wanted to give them a benefit of doubt. One of my office friend was also joining for the walk, which was encouraging.Mehrauli Archeological Park is close to Qutub Minar Metro station, so we planned to take Metro-train from Noida to reach for Instawalk at 9:30am. Opposite to Delhi trends, Instawalk started on time and we were late by 5 minutes. But we hit the place before the first brief. Delhi Heritage Walks team was there to help every Photographer to understand the place, although most of the photographers were more interested in capturing the place well. There was negligible participation from Nat Geo. It seemed more like a promotional event by Nat Geo, wherein they wanted folks to create some buzz about #NGMA2014 through Instagram and Twitter.All of us met around Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex built in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Kamali is one of the oldest structures in the town which is maintained by ASI. It was built around 1528 CE.Breakfast was arranged during the Instawalk. There is a green area around Jamali Kamali, which was chosen for breakfast. Food was good and I think, it was home made.Mehrauli Archaeological Park is spread over an area of around 200 acres in Delhi. This Archeological park is located just on the back side of Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. This park consists of more than 100 historically significant monuments, although many of them are in ruins now. There are few interesting water bodies in this complex and most part of it is very well maintained with green patchesMehrauli Archeological Park is the only area in Delhi includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs, which makes it the oldest extant fort of Delhi.Mehrauli Archeological park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India... and then Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh),Quli Khan's Tomb, Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Gandhak ki Baoli, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and Madhi Masjid.A view of Qutub Minar from Kuli Khan Tomb. When we were roaming around this place, a bunch of folks were playing cricket in the back side of Tomb of Kuli Khan. This comparitively a smaller tomb and one needs to climb up few stairs to see it from inside. Tomb of Quli Khan, overlooking the Qutub Minar. All Instagrammers were busy in clicking photographs around the tomb and few were simultaneously posting these photographs to Instagram and Twitter. Rain had happened last night so some of us tried clicking reflections as well :).Above is a photograph of Rajaon ki Baoli, which is comparatively smaller than Gandhak ki Baoli. All this shows about rich Indian Heritage in capital city Delhi. It's a famous stepwell near Adham Khan's Tomb having multiple levels in it and one of the special places inside Mehrauli Archaeological ParkRajon Ki Baoli is also referred as 'Rajon ki Bain'. This magnificent three-storeyed stepwell is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.Rajaon ki baoli is one of the highlights of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and everyone during Instawalk liked this place the most. This baoli has multiple levels and each level of the baoli exposes to visitors as one walks towards its steps. The baoli-complex has a 12-pillared tomb and a mosque with some pretty plaster decoration on it. This Instawalk was concluded here and we headed back. Now it was time for me to attend a Blogger meet at CP.

Few weeks back, Nat Geo Moments Awards 2014 team announced an Instawalk in Delhi and Photographers were asked for share their Instagram & Twitter accounts to select 20 Photographers from the City. I also got a chance to join for this Instawalk, which happens in Mehrauli Archelogical Park in Delhi. Let's check out this Photo Journey to know more about the Instawalk and Nat Geo Moments Awards.I had also shared by Instagram account with Nat Geo team and was selected to join this Insta-walk. It sounded very exciting but at the same time I had my doubts about this Photo-walk, because I couldn't find names of photographers who definitely do great photography & my inspiration as well. Because it was about Nat Geo, I wanted to give them a benefit of doubt. One of my office friend was also joining for the walk, which was encouraging.Mehrauli Archeological Park is close to Qutub Minar Metro station, so we planned to take Metro-train from Noida to reach for Instawalk at 9:30am. Opposite to Delhi trends, Instawalk started on time and we were late by 5 minutes. But we hit the place before the first brief. Delhi Heritage Walks team was there to help every Photographer to understand the place, although most of the photographers were more interested in capturing the place well. There was negligible participation from Nat Geo. It seemed more like a promotional event by Nat Geo, wherein they wanted folks to create some buzz about #NGMA2014 through Instagram and Twitter.All of us met around Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex built in Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Jamali Kamali is one of the oldest structures in the town which is maintained by ASI. It was built around 1528 CE.Breakfast was arranged during the Instawalk. There is a green area around Jamali Kamali, which was chosen for breakfast. Food was good and I think, it was home made.Mehrauli Archaeological Park is spread over an area of around 200 acres in Delhi. This Archeological park is located just on the back side of Qutub Minar World Heritage site and the Qutb complex. This park consists of more than 100 historically significant monuments, although many of them are in ruins now. There are few interesting water bodies in this complex and most part of it is very well maintained with green patchesMehrauli Archeological Park is the only area in Delhi includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs, which makes it the oldest extant fort of Delhi.Mehrauli Archeological park contains sites like Tomb of Balban, wherein a true arch and the true dome were built for the first time in India... and then Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb of Maulana Jamali Kamali (Jamali Kamboh),Quli Khan's Tomb, Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal of Bahadur Shah II alias Lal Mahal, Gandhak ki Baoli, Hauz-i-Shamsi and Tomb of Adham Khan. Rajon Ki Baoli, a stepwell, and Madhi Masjid.A view of Qutub Minar from Kuli Khan Tomb. When we were roaming around this place, a bunch of folks were playing cricket in the back side of Tomb of Kuli Khan. This comparitively a smaller tomb and one needs to climb up few stairs to see it from inside. Tomb of Quli Khan, overlooking the Qutub Minar. All Instagrammers were busy in clicking photographs around the tomb and few were simultaneously posting these photographs to Instagram and Twitter. Rain had happened last night so some of us tried clicking reflections as well :).Above is a photograph of Rajaon ki Baoli, which is comparatively smaller than Gandhak ki Baoli. All this shows about rich Indian Heritage in capital city Delhi. It's a famous stepwell near Adham Khan's Tomb having multiple levels in it and one of the special places inside Mehrauli Archaeological ParkRajon Ki Baoli is also referred as 'Rajon ki Bain'. This magnificent three-storeyed stepwell is believed to have been built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.Rajaon ki baoli is one of the highlights of Mehrauli Archaeological Park and everyone during Instawalk liked this place the most. This baoli has multiple levels and each level of the baoli exposes to visitors as one walks towards its steps. The baoli-complex has a 12-pillared tomb and a mosque with some pretty plaster decoration on it. This Instawalk was concluded here and we headed back. Now it was time for me to attend a Blogger meet at CP.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.












When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.







When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.








When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.

When you are in Lucknow and creating a priority list of things to do, Bada Imambada is something you should keep on top. This Photo Journey is sharing some photographs of Bada Imambada with appropriate reasons visiting it, even when you have very less time in hand.Some time back I was in Lucknow for a wedding and thought of moving out for some time. After talking to friends in Lucknow, looking at city map I thought of going straight to Bada Imambada and keep my plan flexible.One of the main reasons to visit Bada Imambada was it's popularity which exposes you to beautiful architecture & gives you a sense of the city through people who visit this place. Lot of folks come to this place, you meet interesting guides at this place and has a small market at entry gate where you can buy some souvenirs. Lot of activities happen around this area of the city, through which you get better understanding of the place, it's residents, culture and lot more which we never expect from such places in an Indian city. To my surprise, Lucknow was quite different than what I had imagined and it kept me surprised on regular basis.Auto-Rikshaw is one of the best ways to explore the city. Various parts of Lucknow city are connected well through buses, shared/private Auto-Rickshaws & rickshaws. One needs to negotiate well with Auto-Rickshaw people but definitely the negotiation process is quite happy as compared to Delhi/Noida :). As Lucknow is know for 'tehzeeb', you can clearly see that people in city are polite and sensible. Although you always find exceptions, if you have a bad day.Another reason for choosing Bada Imambada is - Bhool-Bhulaiyaa. Bhool Bhulaiya is located inside Bada imambada campus, which is one of the main places to explore in Lucknow city. This is very interesting place which shouldn't be explored with any guide :). Yes, you read it right. The real fun lies in going inside bhool bhulaiya without any guide and try to figure out your way out. It can be difficult & frustrating when you always lead to wrong path, but it's fun and you feel like winner when you come out of it. We didn't hire any guide and went indie Bhool bhulaiya. After a while we were frustrated by the fact and everyone inside the Bhool bhulaiya was telling wrong path and situations were not even better when you don't follow anyone. But soon after to crack the logic and come out of it. There is a thumb rule, which I don't want to share on this blog. So just visit yourself and have fun. It is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land.Bada Imambada was built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also known as Asafi Imambada, but people hardly recognize this name except few from the city. Bada means big, and an imambada is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bada Imambada is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow city and probably state as well.Bada Imambada a huge campus which is well maintained, in my opinion. I liked the way cleanness is maintained and authorities maintain some rules to keep it clean and maintained. There are different type of tickets for entry inside Bada Imambada. We took 50 Rs ticket, which included everything inside the campus - Bhool Bhualaiyaa, Asfi Mosque, a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy, Shahi Bawli, Domed Chamber, Hallways, Rumi Darwaja, Tazia & Zari.Asfi Mosque looks similar to Jama Masjid in Delhi, but it was closed when we visited. Not sure, if it was temporary thing or mosque remains closed. It's quite inspiring to know that Nawab started to build this campus for providing work and food to folks around this region. It seems that Bada Imambada was built just because to provide some work to folks for earning food for their families.Above photograph shows a grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy. This is located just below Bhool Bhulaiya on the ground floor. One needs to take of shoes to go inside. It's one of the most colorful and well maintained part of Bada Imambada. This part of the campus is very well lit with colorful lights.Above photograph shows main mosque on the left and gateway on right. This gateway takes visitors inside the main campus and there is a road on the other side which goes to Chhota Imambada.There is a huge area in front of Bhool Bhulaiya, where families & friends like to sit down and enjoy the view of mosque, gardens and other things in Bada Imambada campus.One can see some guides burning a matchbox stick at the other end of the balconies that have openings to the Central Hall. It's another significant and architectural art in Bada Imambada campus. You can listen the sound of a match stick at the other end of the hall. It is really interesting and seems unbelievable. There are many interesting things about the place and local guides play a good role in helping you exploring all this. If you happen to hire a guide, don't take his help in Bhool bhulaiya unless you are extremely frustrated.A beautiful view of Mosque & main gate from Bhool Bhulaiya. Top of Bhool bhulaiya offers bird's eye view of monuments, the Roomi Darwaja, the Gates, Asifi Masjid, Clock Towers, Laxman Tila Masjid, Gomti river and the busy streets of Lucknow city.Chhota Imambada is visible from roof-top of Bhool-bhulaiya. We didn't have much time so preferred to visit Ganj instead of going towards Chhota Imambada.A caution - If you plan to explore the city using Auto, make sure that you don't change your plans as per information provided by them. Like other tourist destinations, Auto-walas try to take you to shops to earn some commission out of your purchase. We also ended up buying some stuff from lucknow because of our Auto-wala who took us to Ganj after Bada Imambada.Asafi Masjid which you can see in above photograph has sculptured domes and minarets. This mosque provides a most beautiful sight. If you are in Lucknow on Friday, make sure that you plan your visit when thousands of folks come here for namaz.Shahi Bawli is another interesting place inside this campus. This royal well is just opposite to the mosuqe. One can go downstairs to see the well with blue water on surface and the bathrooms constructed around the well on ground, first and second floors of the Well. Above photograph shows water in the middle of this well with mutual-layered building around it. If you have a look from one side of the well, you can see in the water - the image of person approaching the well. Different guide service can be availed at Bawli, although one can notice this easily.








Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...

Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...





Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Last winters we visited Churu town in Rajasthan and also got a chance to have a day tour to streets of Ramgarh. During the same street walk, we encountered 'Ramgarh Frescho' which is Heritage Hotel, which used to be a haveli few decades back. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Ramgarh Fresco along with some facts & details. Above photograph shows the view you see on entering into the compound of this haveli. Ramgarh is a big town with plenty of narrow streets with colorfulhavelis and ruins. We suddenly noticed a very well maintained haveli and then got to know that it's Ramgarh Fresco, which is quite popular hotel in the town.Ramgarh is not a very popular destination among Indian Tourists, but foreigners like this place a lot because of colorful paintings in every street of the town. Most of the havelis still have old paintings on the walls. Above photograph shows open lobby area on first floor. Most of the rooms, restaurant, lobby, library & loge - most of them are located on first floor of this Haveli. Every room is different from other and main architecture is haveli is maintained intact. Colors of old paintings are maintained well and few of the colors are touched to ensure that walls/roofs don't look bad. At the same time, we can say that original colors in this haveli are tempered. Vibha, Reena and Priyanka exploring the haveli cum Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh town of Rajasthan State. We saw two of the rooms of this Haveli and both of those had nice & spacious jharokhas. Furniture places in these rooms go well with the decor. Many of the small elements were preserved from the past and new things were also places accordingly.Here is one of the rooms in Ramgarh Fresco. During that time, there was hardly any guest at the property. I was wondering that who comes to this property because it's location is very odd. It's in middle of street-maze and in town like Ramgarh, where seasonal tourists come. When talked to the owner, he seemed quite confident and it seems doing pretty good business. And at the same time he accepted that things in the town are not tourist friendly. Ramgarh in itself was an interesting exploration for us and finding Ramgarh Fresco made it special for us. This place is definitely away from the madness of cities. Across the courtyard, there is a reading lounge with nice furniture and few books. We also checked out restaurant which looked average w.r.t. ambiance. We didn't eat anything at the restaurant as we had to rush now for special lunch at Sethani ka Johra, which is near to Churu town.Soon after we thought of going up to the roof and look at the town. The roof-top exposed us to huge view of Ramgarh town. Ramgarh Fresco is surrounded by beautifully maintained, stunning frescoes, and most of these are ~100 years old original ones. And all this makes the place all the more special. This haveli has not much open space but has plenty of space onroof top, which have great view of the town.It's good to see such properties in the country which encourage others to preserve out heritage.The property has 14 rooms with 8 functional rooms operational. Folks who have kids shared a very important thought that Haveli might not be very kidfriendly. Almost at every place, there were stairs - either going up or down. The haveli tastefully maintains a Marwari feel. Above photograph shows the painted courtyard on first floor and this photograph is clicked from the roof-top. It was good to know about this property and hope that we plan to stay there once to have more realistic details to share with you. Ramgarh Fresco, we may visit you soon...


Idea of this Photo Journey came after a brief discussion with one of my office friends, who want to go on a road-trip to Mcleodganj and other places around. During the discussion it came that they have approximately 4 days in hand and want to make best of this time. This Photo Journey is to help in planning such Road Trip around Palampur region of Himachal Pradesh. (Declaimer - This plan is made purely for Nature Lovers and Adventurous people)Please note that, if you want to know more about any of the places being discussed here; just click on photographs of appropriate links shared in between. So this discussion started with an idea of Road Journey to Mcledoganj and what other things can be approached if we have 4 days in hand. So what we planned is to hit Mcledoganj in morning or by noon.. Have some rest at your Hotel/Resort and have your breakfast/lunch... and move out to feel the place, as per your preference. Main places you may want to do around Mcledoganj Streets - a Visit to Temple near residence of His Holiness Dalai Lama, a small walk till St. John Church (This is a wonderful walk through high cedar trees around the road), Bhagsu Waterfalls & a temple near it and don't miss interesting eating options in Mcledoganj streets. Shopping is something you will figure out yourself :Next Day again can be spent around Mcleodganj for trekking around Triund or general walks around the place to better feel it and enjoy the nature around Dharmshala/Mcledoganj..Next day, we planned to move towards Barot. We planned to leave Mcleodganj by 7am in the morning and expect to reach Barot by 12:00 noon, which is reasonable estimate. Barot is least known place but wonderful place for nature lover. No commercialization, peaceful and isolated from tourist movements. The only challenge is place to stay. There are very simple Guest-Houses to stay, but not bad at all unless you are looking for good service with luxury arrangements in your room. Simple & clean rooms with basic stuff can be found across the river at Barot. While going to Barot, lot many things may compel you to stop and spend some time, but ignore while going to Barot and enjoy them during back journey. Don't think twice before stopping if you find something very interesting, which may not be possible to experience during back journey :)Spend one night at Barot and start back journey to Palampur in the morning... Now, it's time to chill on the way and take your time wherever you feel like. There is a cut on the way which takes us to Bir Billing. Distance-wise it's just 14 kilometers from main road but takes around 1-1.5 hr because of steep hill and bad road. Bir-Billing is one of the world popular place for Paragliding and World Cuo happens at this place only. From top, whole valley can be seen where everything looks very tiny. This is one of the best place to experience Paragliding and it can't be compared with paragliding options at Solang Valley or other hill stations. It takes 45 minimum to land in the valley if wind favors you, otherwise 1 hr to 1.5 hrs is average time to land after you fly from top. But please note that Bir Billing is at least one day affair, so need to be planned accordingly. So here I have put it as an optional place because you may not find anybody on top who can provide paragliding services to you.There is an interesting and huge Monastery on the way. It's just 2 kilometers away from main road which connects Barot with Palampur. There is a cut near Chuantra town which takes to us to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche Institute. You can choose to visit this Tibetan colony and Monastery. After spending some time here, we can further towards Baijnath, which is our next destinationBaijnath is one of the main important town with a popular Shiva Temple made up of rocks. This temple is on right side of the road and comes just in the beginning of Baijnath Market. Nice place to spend some time and go to it's back side which has well maintained garden with an amazing view to river flowing in the valley with snow capped hills in background.Drive from Baijnath to Palampur is simply amazing with wonderful road, scenic beauty and tea gardens on both sides of the road. If you haven't stopped your car for lunch, take a break at Taragarh Palace, which is a Welcome Heritage Hotel on the way to Palampur. This can also be a decent place to stay...As you come near to Palampur, don't miss to stop and see Kayakalp Health Resort... This area is generally very beautiful... A round inside Agricultural university can be a good idea, if you want to see how hybrid seeds are produced in their local fields and how they actually maintain all these things...As you enter into Palampur Town, just move up towards Chuapati and Neugal Cafe which is one of the beautiful place in Palampur. Huge Tea Gardens surrounded by beautiful cottages and colorful houses. Have a cup of tea at Neagul Cafe and enjoy wonderful view of Dhauladhar Mountain Ranges, which can be best seen form this place. If still you have time in hand, take a small detour to go near to Neugal River which flows just below the hill where Cafe is located. I know this day can be very tiring but rewarding as well. Now it's upto you where you want to stay. Going to Dharmshala/Mcledoganj doesn't make sense if you plan to leave back for Delhi/Chandigarh in morning. If still there is some desire to explore more around Mcleodganj, go to Dharmshala and spend your night there. In case interested in staying at Palampur, there is a nice hotel by HPDTC- Tea Bud. btw Palampur is known as Tea City of North India. Next morning, if you leave early I strongly recommend to go via Masroor Temples and hit Una, which will be 25-30 kilometers extra. But this temple is worth seeing. There are some series of Monolithic temples which are carved out of a huge hill. Temple is located at a very isolated village. This overall plan share details about some of the main places. To know more options, check out links shared in this Photo Journey which have more detailed information about each places discussed here.

Recently some of us were on Kinnaur Trip and there is place called Jeory on the way. Sarahan is approximately 30 kilometers from Jeory and it's a beautiful town located on hill-top with amazing views of snow covered hills of Kinnaur. Bheemakali temple of Sarahan is most popular place to visit and this Photo Journey shares some of the moments spent around Bheema Kali Temple.Bheema Kali Temple has a huge campus and different temples inside the campus. There are two main temples, out of which one is accessible to everyone during normal days.The Second one is opened on some special occasions and Devi only allows Raja Virbhadra Singh to open the door of that temple. Shri Bheema Kali Temple is located in Sarahan town of Himachal Pradesh in India which is dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali, presiding deity of the rulers of former Bushahr State. The temple is situated about 180 km from Shimla and is one of 51 Shakti Peethass. The temple complex has another three temples dedicated to Lord Raghunathji, Narsinghji and Patal Bhairva Ji (Lankra Veer) - the guardian deity.Architecture of Bheema Kali Temple is beautiful. Whole campus is built with Stone and wooden blocks. It seems some part of the campus has not even cement to fix the joints. Whole campus is very well maintained and there is enough security as well.Here is one of the doors of the Bheem Kali temple in Sarahan Town. It's made up of silver with beautiful carving. There is also some text written, mostly in Hindi and Tibbatian scripts. Most of the carved forms are different gods and linked through some old stories.Sarahan was the capital of rulers of former Bushahr State. Bushahr dynasty earlier used to control the state from Kamroo. The capital of state later was shifted to Sonitpur. Later Raja Ram Singh made Rampur as the capital. It is believed that the country of Kinnaur was the Kailash mentioned in Puranas, the abode of Shiva. With its capital at Sonitpur this former princely state was extended up to entire area of Kinnaur where for sometimes Lord Shiva disguised himself as Kirata. Today, the then Sonitpur is known as Sarahan. Banasura, the ardent devotee of Lord Siva, eldest among the one hundred sons of great ablative demon King Bali and the great grandson of Vishnu votary Prahlad, during the Puranic age was the ruler of this princely state.(Courtesy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhimakali_Temple)According to a legend, the manifestation of the goddess is reported to the Daksha-Yajna incident when the ear of the Sati fell at this place and became a place of worship as a Pitha - Sthan. Presently in the form of a virgin the icon of this eternal goddess is consecrated at the top storey of the new building. Below that storey the goddess as Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya is enshrined as a divine consort of Lord SivaThere is a small market around Bheema Kali Temple and there are enough shops to have lunch or light snacks. Apart from that local caps can be bought from this fellow. He was very welcoming and offered good discounts for us :). We had asked for rates in Rampur Market, but he had better stuff and reasonable prices. There are many other shops in the town where some local stuff can be procured. On top of all that, most of the folks were really sweet to interact with.During our visit, we were looking for ladies wearing Dhaatu but couldn't gain the courage to ask anyone to get clicked by us. And just outside the Bheema Kali temple, this lady asked us to click one of her photograph and show her how we click. Probably she was noticing us clicking & reviewing photographs around the temple. We clicked few shots and showed to her. She shared some tips to improve and finally approved few of the shots. After final approval, she invited us to her hotel nearby but we couldn't go because it was time to head back as we had booked guest-house in Jeory.Here is a nearby sight, which is popularly known as Hawa-Ghar. This point has very clear view of Kinnar-Kailash Hills and place was quite windy. We spent around 30 minutes here to enjoy the breeze and take rest. This place is isolated form hustle bustle of the town. When we reached, there was only one person sitting here. Probably this place was least used by localites, as everyone has Hawa-ghar around their own houses :)Whole place was surrounded by Pine or Deodar Forests and smell was awesome in the middle of these forests. It was really an amazing experience to roam around Bheema Kali Temple and Sarahan Town. Meeting different people, visiting one of the amazing temples in this region, Hawa Ghar, a huge house of old kingdom etc.The town Sarahan is known as the gateway of Kinnaur. Down below at a distance of 7 km from Sarahan is the River Satluj. Sarahan is identified with the then Sonitpur mentioned in Puranas.Before entering into the main temple, everyone needs to lock mobiles, wallets or anything else which is made of leather and then wear a cap. Above photograph shows Aneesh wearing the holy cap and standing on right side of lockers everyone gets to keep everything safe.



Goa is one of the favorite destinations for travelers & tourists, and many of the smart travelers chose to visit Goa during Monsoons. Do you wonder why? Let's check out this Photo Journey and know 5 main reasons for this.Best Deals - One of the main reasons for choosing Monsoons to visit Goa is TravellingCamera's favorite reason - 'Off Season'. Off Season means a lot of things but the main one is best deals - Cheap flights, great deals in best hotels and lot more. In Monsoons, you can afford 4-5 star property for as much you would pay to a normal hotel during peak season. On top of that, there are plenty of discounts for various things like car/bike hire, restaurants, discotheques etc. Cost for flights just gets down to 1/3rd or even less, Hotels in South Goa are even cheaper & here I am talking about all best properties of Goa - like Zuri White Reort, Radisson, Taj etc.Less crowded - I know different folks interpret it in different ways. I know folks who love to be in Goa when it's crowded. And also seen the same set of folks cribbing about the type of crowd. Without saying much, I would say that it's probably the best time for folks who like to be at peace when they travel. Of course, you get very good access to beaches and the sea. Good weather - What comes to your mind, when we say Monsoons in Goa? Don't spend your energies in imagining Goa in monsoons :). It's beautiful with soothing breeze folioing you all around. Fields and beaches are lush green, which makes the place more beautiful. Cleaner beaches - Goan beaches are much cleaner than usual, because of some obvious reasons. This makes your exploration 10 times better. After all, you visit Goa for these beautiful beaches and what can better if you see them like what you expect.Goan Monsoons - Goan Monsoons are very special and offers some brilliant experiences. The rains are very light and you feel like getting drenched in Goan drizzles. These rains encourage you to drive in hills around Goa which look beautiful and if you are lucky, you may come across some beautiful waterfalls which are usually missed by folks visiting Goa in peak season. All such experiences make Goan Monsoons special for you. If you have missed planning Goa trip during this monsoon, don't miss it next year and have fun with your loved ones !!!

Goa is one of the favorite destinations for travelers & tourists, and many of the smart travelers chose to visit Goa during Monsoons. Do you wonder why? Let's check out this Photo Journey and know 5 main reasons for this.Best Deals - One of the main reasons for choosing Monsoons to visit Goa is TravellingCamera's favorite reason - 'Off Season'. Off Season means a lot of things but the main one is best deals - Cheap flights, great deals in best hotels and lot more. In Monsoons, you can afford 4-5 star property for as much you would pay to a normal hotel during peak season. On top of that, there are plenty of discounts for various things like car/bike hire, restaurants, discotheques etc. Cost for flights just gets down to 1/3rd or even less, Hotels in South Goa are even cheaper & here I am talking about all best properties of Goa - like Zuri White Reort, Radisson, Taj etc.Less crowded - I know different folks interpret it in different ways. I know folks who love to be in Goa when it's crowded. And also seen the same set of folks cribbing about the type of crowd. Without saying much, I would say that it's probably the best time for folks who like to be at peace when they travel. Of course, you get very good access to beaches and the sea. Good weather - What comes to your mind, when we say Monsoons in Goa? Don't spend your energies in imagining Goa in monsoons :). It's beautiful with soothing breeze folioing you all around. Fields and beaches are lush green, which makes the place more beautiful. Cleaner beaches - Goan beaches are much cleaner than usual, because of some obvious reasons. This makes your exploration 10 times better. After all, you visit Goa for these beautiful beaches and what can better if you see them like what you expect.Goan Monsoons - Goan Monsoons are very special and offers some brilliant experiences. The rains are very light and you feel like getting drenched in Goan drizzles. These rains encourage you to drive in hills around Goa which look beautiful and if you are lucky, you may come across some beautiful waterfalls which are usually missed by folks visiting Goa in peak season. All such experiences make Goan Monsoons special for you. If you have missed planning Goa trip during this monsoon, don't miss it next year and have fun with your loved ones !!!

Last year I was out in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh and got to explore some very interesting places. Although it was summer season but uniqueness of these places made the visit worth.There are stories associated that architecture of Indian Parliament is inspired from the Chausath Yogini Temple in Mitawali (Mitaoli). This campus is in circular shape, as you can see these photograph. There is an outer region with 64 ('chausath' in hindi) pillars and a temple in the middle. Between the pillars, there are various small temples.There are other Chausath Yogini Temples in other parts of India. I have been to the other one in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) and that's also similar, but probably smaller in size. Other Yogini temples are situated in Ranipur Jharial & Hirapur in Orissa and Khajuraho.As you can see in these photographs, this place is situated in dry region. One needs to trek to reach the temple, although the path is very well maintained.Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitawali AKA Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple, Mitaoli is dedicated to chausath yogini. This circular structure has 170 feet radius, located on 100 feet mountain.

Last year I was out in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh and got to explore some very interesting places. Although it was summer season but uniqueness of these places made the visit worth.There are stories associated that architecture of Indian Parliament is inspired from the Chausath Yogini Temple in Mitawali (Mitaoli). This campus is in circular shape, as you can see these photograph. There is an outer region with 64 ('chausath' in hindi) pillars and a temple in the middle. Between the pillars, there are various small temples.There are other Chausath Yogini Temples in other parts of India. I have been to the other one in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) and that's also similar, but probably smaller in size. Other Yogini temples are situated in Ranipur Jharial & Hirapur in Orissa and Khajuraho.As you can see in these photographs, this place is situated in dry region. One needs to trek to reach the temple, although the path is very well maintained.Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitawali AKA Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple, Mitaoli is dedicated to chausath yogini. This circular structure has 170 feet radius, located on 100 feet mountain.




For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...
For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...








For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

 For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...
Wood carving using special wood like sandal, sheesham and rosewood is done to create some beautiful handicraft items showing symbols of rich Indian cultural heritage. This is one of the old art-form in India and done is few of the states like Rajasthan. You must have seen wood-carved elephants, peacocks and other cultural symbols in various handicraft shops across the country, but lot more than that is created by Wood-carving artsists for special clients, museums and some exclusive art-galleries. During our recent trip to Churu, we met a family of artists who have been doing this for many years now and various memebers of the family have got national awards for creating some exceptional art-pieces of wood-carving. This family has some records in Limca book as well. This was a great rendezvous, which exposed us to another great art-form of India. While we were roaming around Churu streets full of old Havelis, we realized that every haveli had beautiful wooden doors carved with beautiful designs on them and most of the furniture, windows and chattris were wood-carved. All this shows that how important this art would have been in old times as well. Most of the palaces and forts across the country have rich wood-carved art-pieces. Another great example comes to my mind is - Indian Institute of Advanced studies in Shimla which is Viceregal Lodge. I am sure that India must have many families doing this work in old days, but not very sure how this art-form is performing these days and how much demand we have. Maintaining these art-pieces is very challenging and everybody may not be able to afford good wood-carved art-pieces. Here I am not talking about the smaller elephants & peacocks.Here is the family of Wood-Carving artists. Don't be surprised if I say that the little boy also does carving, although his father says that he wastes lot of wood as of now :). But still taking such lovely art form further is a big thing and I really salute such families in India who are preserving these important art for next generations. Wood carving art is shown as xyloglyphy. The artists carve design on wood by hand with some sharp carving tools as you can see in the photograph on left. It is a traditional art which is extremely popular in India and abrpoad. This family has made so many wooden souvenirs which are in a great demand in Delhi as well as some specific families abroad. They usually give these art-works to gallerys, 5 star hotels and handicraft emporiums in Delhi to sell and also get direct orders from existing clients who are different parts of the world now. Rajasthan is one of the renowned states of India for its excellence in wood carving. Churu has few more families like this but this one is very special which is recognized by state and center government for many years. Different generations of this family has got national awards for wood-carving art. Rajasthan has high number of people involved in wood carving.This family uses sandal wood to create some marvelous art pieces by craving very intricate designs on them. This Photo Journey has one of the beautiful example to share. The art-forms made of sandalwood are the most famous among the other wooden artifacts for its sweet fragrance and it seems that sandalwood is most appropriate for intricate carving. At the same time, sandalwood art-pieces are most expensive amongst the all. Apart from states like Rajasthan, Mysore, Tirupati, Madurai, Coimbatore in Tamilnadu, Delhi and Varanasi are few of the main areas to find wood-carving artists in India. btw, Sandal is known as 'chandan' in HindiThe tiny instruments used for sandalwood carving are extremely simple.Things like a saw, plane, mallet hone or fine-grained hard stone, an assortment of various shapes and sizes of chisels and a few engraving tools, which were very delicate. The photograph on the left shows a box in the bottom with all tiny tools used for wood carving. Also a closer look of these tools is shared in very first photograph of this Photo Journey. First a design is made on wood with pencil, at times paper is pasted to ensure that wood color is intact after the project is over. Then a basic outline is made with one of the carving equipments. Slowing this outline becomes the basic carved design and then starts the real art of making each corner of the design elegant to look as a masterpiece. Last finishing steps is to ensure the perfectness and light/shade patterns, appropriate curves and textureAbove photograph shows a flower carved out of a sandalwood piece. Isn't it amazing. But hold on, this one is very basic as per there artists. btw, the upper part can be collapsed and it looks like a rose. The most popular articles carved out of sandal wood are elephants, peacocks, square figures and rectangular boxes to keep jewellery, photo frames, key chains and chess sets etc. These are few which are easily accessible in handicraft shops in different cities of India.Let me share some details about this amazing art-work created by this family. This is a creation to simulate the pocket clock with a string. The above photograph shows the clock with a wooden string. Here notice the designs carved out of this sandalwood piece and one thing which I want to highlight that - this whole creation is made out of single sandal-wood piece without any joints which is brilliant. Before I say further, you may have guesses things from the other photographs shown on both sides. Two parts of the clock can come out and inside them, we have few more creations. On one side, when we open it, we see Tajmahal. Story doesn't end here. There is another creation under the Tajmahal. When we unfold it, there is a a grave under it as we have in real Tajmahal. Again this grave could be opened to see the body. Please see the photograph below to have a closer look. This was very tiny. Can you imagine the way this whole creation would have been made. As per artist, this creation took 5 months to complete or may be more. He showed us many of such creations.Wood carving in Rajasthan and other states of India is one of the important art form. And it was great to know that state government and Govt of India recognize these folks for their great work. While compiling this Photo Journey, I came a across a link which is listing various national awards for artists of Rajasthan - http://www.jawaharkalakendra.rajasthan.gov.in/nationallist.htm . & http://www.rajsico.gov.in/Artisan.html Unfortunately I lost my diary which had more details about this family but hope to get in touch with them soon to share specific details about this family of Sandal Wood Carving Artists from Churu. We are looking for more such families who are indulged in some form of art for generations. So please keep us updated, in case you know someone.
Wood carving using special wood like sandal, sheesham and rosewood is done to create some beautiful handicraft items showing symbols of rich Indian cultural heritage. This is one of the old art-form in India and done is few of the states like Rajasthan. You must have seen wood-carved elephants, peacocks and other cultural symbols in various handicraft shops across the country, but lot more than that is created by Wood-carving artsists for special clients, museums and some exclusive art-galleries. During our recent trip to Churu, we met a family of artists who have been doing this for many years now and various memebers of the family have got national awards for creating some exceptional art-pieces of wood-carving. This family has some records in Limca book as well. This was a great rendezvous, which exposed us to another great art-form of India. While we were roaming around Churu streets full of old Havelis, we realized that every haveli had beautiful wooden doors carved with beautiful designs on them and most of the furniture, windows and chattris were wood-carved. All this shows that how important this art would have been in old times as well. Most of the palaces and forts across the country have rich wood-carved art-pieces. Another great example comes to my mind is - Indian Institute of Advanced studies in Shimla which is Viceregal Lodge. I am sure that India must have many families doing this work in old days, but not very sure how this art-form is performing these days and how much demand we have. Maintaining these art-pieces is very challenging and everybody may not be able to afford good wood-carved art-pieces. Here I am not talking about the smaller elephants & peacocks.Here is the family of Wood-Carving artists. Don't be surprised if I say that the little boy also does carving, although his father says that he wastes lot of wood as of now :). But still taking such lovely art form further is a big thing and I really salute such families in India who are preserving these important art for next generations. Wood carving art is shown as xyloglyphy. The artists carve design on wood by hand with some sharp carving tools as you can see in the photograph on left. It is a traditional art which is extremely popular in India and abrpoad. This family has made so many wooden souvenirs which are in a great demand in Delhi as well as some specific families abroad. They usually give these art-works to gallerys, 5 star hotels and handicraft emporiums in Delhi to sell and also get direct orders from existing clients who are different parts of the world now. Rajasthan is one of the renowned states of India for its excellence in wood carving. Churu has few more families like this but this one is very special which is recognized by state and center government for many years. Different generations of this family has got national awards for wood-carving art. Rajasthan has high number of people involved in wood carving.This family uses sandal wood to create some marvelous art pieces by craving very intricate designs on them. This Photo Journey has one of the beautiful example to share. The art-forms made of sandalwood are the most famous among the other wooden artifacts for its sweet fragrance and it seems that sandalwood is most appropriate for intricate carving. At the same time, sandalwood art-pieces are most expensive amongst the all. Apart from states like Rajasthan, Mysore, Tirupati, Madurai, Coimbatore in Tamilnadu, Delhi and Varanasi are few of the main areas to find wood-carving artists in India. btw, Sandal is known as 'chandan' in HindiThe tiny instruments used for sandalwood carving are extremely simple.Things like a saw, plane, mallet hone or fine-grained hard stone, an assortment of various shapes and sizes of chisels and a few engraving tools, which were very delicate. The photograph on the left shows a box in the bottom with all tiny tools used for wood carving. Also a closer look of these tools is shared in very first photograph of this Photo Journey. First a design is made on wood with pencil, at times paper is pasted to ensure that wood color is intact after the project is over. Then a basic outline is made with one of the carving equipments. Slowing this outline becomes the basic carved design and then starts the real art of making each corner of the design elegant to look as a masterpiece. Last finishing steps is to ensure the perfectness and light/shade patterns, appropriate curves and textureAbove photograph shows a flower carved out of a sandalwood piece. Isn't it amazing. But hold on, this one is very basic as per there artists. btw, the upper part can be collapsed and it looks like a rose. The most popular articles carved out of sandal wood are elephants, peacocks, square figures and rectangular boxes to keep jewellery, photo frames, key chains and chess sets etc. These are few which are easily accessible in handicraft shops in different cities of India.Let me share some details about this amazing art-work created by this family. This is a creation to simulate the pocket clock with a string. The above photograph shows the clock with a wooden string. Here notice the designs carved out of this sandalwood piece and one thing which I want to highlight that - this whole creation is made out of single sandal-wood piece without any joints which is brilliant. Before I say further, you may have guesses things from the other photographs shown on both sides. Two parts of the clock can come out and inside them, we have few more creations. On one side, when we open it, we see Tajmahal. Story doesn't end here. There is another creation under the Tajmahal. When we unfold it, there is a a grave under it as we have in real Tajmahal. Again this grave could be opened to see the body. Please see the photograph below to have a closer look. This was very tiny. Can you imagine the way this whole creation would have been made. As per artist, this creation took 5 months to complete or may be more. He showed us many of such creations.Wood carving in Rajasthan and other states of India is one of the important art form. And it was great to know that state government and Govt of India recognize these folks for their great work. While compiling this Photo Journey, I came a across a link which is listing various national awards for artists of Rajasthan - http://www.jawaharkalakendra.rajasthan.gov.in/nationallist.htm . & http://www.rajsico.gov.in/Artisan.html Unfortunately I lost my diary which had more details about this family but hope to get in touch with them soon to share specific details about this family of Sandal Wood Carving Artists from Churu. We are looking for more such families who are indulged in some form of art for generations. So please keep us updated, in case you know someone.
Recently we were in Baramati to explore UB's Four Seasons Vineyard spread over 55 acres of land. This Photo Journey shares some quick glimpses from the visit and detailed post will be coming soon. Enjoy and do check out the detailed post next week with some exciting stuff from Vineyard and some surprises including wildlife encounters around the place.
Recently we were in Baramati to explore UB's Four Seasons Vineyard spread over 55 acres of land. This Photo Journey shares some quick glimpses from the visit and detailed post will be coming soon. Enjoy and do check out the detailed post next week with some exciting stuff from Vineyard and some surprises including wildlife encounters around the place.
Recently we were in Pune for few days and the only agenda was exploring this part of the country. This was my second visit to Maharashtra state and was very excited about the same. After going through different options to explore, we finalized on Lavasa for a day trip. This Photo Journey shares some photographs from India's first planned hill station and some of the interesting facts about it. So join us in this journey to explore something special and different in India.When we were exploring the options around Pune for a day trip or 2 day outing, there were plenty of options contrary to Delhi. All this made our job difficult to finalize places we could explore. Our base was pune and we wanted to make best of each day there. So for one day, we thought of driving to Lavasa from Pune. Above photograph shows the view of Lavasa town in Maharashtra. You see the town something like this after a drive of 55+ kilometers from pune. Road from Pune to Lavasa is average and has some bad patches and has decent hilly terrains. Vibha was driving in hills first time and it was a good experience for her and she thoroughly enjoyed it. I am sure that it was a good learning experience as well.After a long drive from Pune, you hit a hill-top where main gate to Lavasa town is situated. After this gate, things suddenly change. Road becomes neat with sufficient street-lights throughout, colorful flowers surrounding these roads, toilets, places to sit and what not. Above photograph shows the very first view of Lavasa town from entry gate of the town. It's beyond imagination to see such township in the middle of nothing. There are very small villages around this part of the state and hardly any major development. All this makes Lavasa more special. Surprisingly there were security guards on each turn inside the town and there were plenty of turns on these hills. Not sure if these guards are permanently appointed on these location or it was just for that day, because a women car rally was also happening on same day. This rally also started from Pune and ended in Lavasa. All big brands were on this road on same day.This town is located around the lake. These colorful apartments are located on the shoreline and all beautiful villas are strategically located on different parts of the surrounding hills with brilliant views of lake and green hills around Lavasa town. There is enough parking space in the town. Vehicles can be parked on one side of the road and there are proper markings. Apart from these covered/paid parking is also available in different buildings around the lake. Initially we felt very uncomfortable in the town because in other Indian cities, you don't see such discipline culture. It was quite unusual to keep track of all sign-boards in the city and act accordingly.Luxuy of the city was high on our minds and soon after we noticed a chopper roaming around the hills. After a few rounds, it settled on one of the hills. Later we got to know that many of the residents of Lavasa use choppers and private planes to commute to this place from Delhi and other distant town of the country. While going back towards pune, we saw this helipad on the hilltop surrounded by beautiful gardens.After parking our car we climbed down towards the lake. We descended upon the lively promenade and discovered that it was lined with restaurants offering a variety of cuisines. Most of the options are quite expensive and many were also closed. Some of the popular restaurant chains are present here in Lavasa.On regular intervals, a musical fountain keeps entertaining visitors. These are huge and perform dance on music. Suddenly people go to the shoreline as fountain starts and whole environment changes for some time.Lavasa is a private planned city, which is stylistically based on the Italian town Portofino.There are few adventure sport options available in Lavasa, including lakeshore watersports. One can opt for city tour via tourism buses. We also thought of taking bus tour but we couldn't figure out the way to buy tickets. We went to tourism information center and they asked us to visit Town-hall. And we went to town-hall, they directed us to Tourism Information Centre. This weird. So finally we dropped this idea and thought of driving around the place in our car.Lot of resources have been used to ensure that water inside the lake is clean and well preserved.A photograph from Sales office of Lavasa town. We also thought of doing some timepass by looking at the offerings they have in the city. We were really impressed with the options available and the plans of the town. It seems that Lavasa town aims to provide space for .3 million permanent residents. And at the same time offering facilities to take care of 2 million tourists in an year.While in Lavasa, we though that we should have planned a night stay in Lavasa. I am sure that it would be worth to spend whole day and night to experience the hues of nature & the way this town lit up during night. There are some very good options to stay in Lavasa. Apart from hotels, there are options to book service apartments and it seems that service apartments are quite reasonable. In my opinion, these apartments are good options as they are very close to the lake. Some of the villas on hills are also available on rent. So if someone wants to have more peaceful place to stay, these are definitely better options as compared to the apartments. After spending few hours at Lavasa town, we thought of heading back before sunset. We wanted to cross the hilly area before it gets too dark. Water in the lake was shining beautifully under sun. This photograph shows extended part of the lake and it seems that similar city is being developed in this stretch as well.A view of lake from other side. We drove to the opposite side where lot of villas are located. In above photograph you can see roofs of the villas. These villas are located brilliantly with amazing views of the lake and hills. There is lot of green area around this place and I am sure that place would look far better during monsoons. Probably monsoon would beAnother photograph with clear view of Lavasa lake from one of the villas on hill topRoads in proximity of Lavsa town are very well maintained.There is not much to do in Lavsa and if something is available, options are expensive. But it's a highly recommended destination for folks who love to explore something different. Lavasa is unique in India and it's worth a visit. Next time, when I visit Lavasa I will make sure to stay here for a night and leave early in the morning towards konkan beaches. Few more Photo Journeys are planned from Lavsa, so keep looking this space for next few weeks to check out more stuff from this beautiful destination for folks in Pune and Mumbai.
Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus
Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus
Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus
Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus

Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus
Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus
Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus
Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus
Different beaches come to our mind when we think about Goa, but Goa has many other interesting things to explore. And Old Goa has some of the beautiful architecture which takes you to a very different world. In this particular post, we are talking about two main churches situated in Old Goa - 'Se Cathedral' & 'Basilica of Bom Jesus'.The very first photograph of this Photo Journey shows entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus which is located in old part of Goa. The Vasilica of Bom jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Basilica holds the mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier. There aresome very interesting facts associated with this place and we recommend to find a guide to walk you through some of the interesting elements of The Basalica. It was third day of our Goa Trip, when we though of exploring Southern part of Goa. Old Goa is in southern region. From Panjim, one needs to drive through Goa Institute of Management to reach Se Catheral and Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these campuses are nearby and at walking distance. So we parked our car near Se Cathedral. Spent some time around the Cathedral and then walked to the Basilica.Se Cathedral is also known as The Se Catedral de Santa Catarina. This is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Goa. Supposedly it's considered as the largest church in India, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria. Se Cathedral is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia as well.Above photograph shows the view of Cathedral from Basilica of Bom Jesus. Both of these are located across the road in Old Goa. Above photograph shows interiors of the Basilica of Bom Jesus. This church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the early days of Portuguese rule. 'Bom Jesus' name is used for the infant Jesus. The church is India’s first minor basilica which is considered to be one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.Another view of Cathedral from Basilica. Cathedral's tower has a large bell which is popularly known as the 'Golden Bell' on account of its rich tone. There is an altar, which is dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria and there are various old paintings on both the sides. On the right hand side, there is a Chapel of the Cross of Miracles. Check out more about this cathedral at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se_CathedralIf I try to summarize overall experience of Old Goa, it was more about Portuguese architecture. Both Se cathedral and Basilica of Bom Jesus are in a huge area and very well maintained. Both of these are very high buildings with some of the cool painting and sculptures. To me the marvelous architecture was beautiful thing to explore in Old Goahe architectural style of the Se Cathedral is Portuguese-Manueline. The exterior is Tuscan, whereas the interior is Corinthian. The church is very long &approximately 250 feet. And the breadth is bit more than 180 feet. Architecture was something that I could appreciate the most around this place & old Goa.This was shot inside the Basilica of Bom Jesus and wikipedia has very intersting details about it's architecture, which we missed exploring during the visit. Actually we had to go to Spice plantation on same day and didn't want to miss because of timings. Check out wiki link to know more about Basilica - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus

Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.

Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.


Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.


Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.


Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.



Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.






But we were not too late. Although Sun was not visible at all but still sky was welcoming us with awesome hues and after colors of the sunset. This was time to take out my Gorilla-Pod and capture these hues & some silhouettes. It was time, when few folks were on the way to this place and we had enough time in hand to experiment with sky colors at Sethani ka Johara.

Sethani Ka Johara is essentially a reservoir, which was constructed by widow of Bhagwan Das Bagla during the terrible Chhappan 

Last weekend we were in Churu Town of Rajasthan and the first thing to do in Churu was City Tour, mainly a 3 hour walk through the streets of Churu Town. This whole town has some of the very grand Havelis which are maintained by local folks. This Photo Journey shares some photographs of Havelis from Churu Town with relevant information.After crazy drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Maji Ka Karma which is a Heritage Hotel in the town. Deepak at 'Malji Ka Karma' had organized this city tour for us after lunch. So after having our lunch we moved to the street walk with a local guide Lal Singh. Malji ki Kamra was basically a Haveli for guests, so we first encountered the main Haveli of Malji which was just across the Hotel.Churu is a beautiful town in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. When I say beautiful, it essentially means the Heritage value and different culture to explore. Otherwise these streets were not very clean. Churu is also known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Churu town is the administrative headquarters of a District of Rajasthan. Churu District lies in the Thar Desert around National Highway-65 which connects Pali to Ambala. Town is very well connected through Train as well. Churu Town is near shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert & during the trip we had bonfire in desert as well. As of now, let's talk more about the Havelis and the heritage this town hasChuru has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings. Some of the biggest Havelis in Churu are Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. There is also a Hawa Mahal which has 1111 windows and doors of different sizes. Churu also has some fine Chhatris but relatively lesser in number as compared to Havelis. Mr Lal Singh took us to different Havelis.Near Churu town, there is a Dharam Stup, which symbolizes religious equality and supposedly, it's a popular religious place. At the centre of the Churu town, there is a fort which is built about 400 years ago. Because of this short trip, we couldn't visit this fort but it seems there is hardly any preservation of the fort and very few folks go there.Most of the walls of these Havelis were Painted. Some of the paintings were not in good shape but most of them were there and we could make out the subjects drawn. Only very few Havelis were well maintained and some of them had redrawn the painting. Few looked good and many of them seemed overdone with modern colors. Charm of painting done with natural colors is very different and can't be replaced with chemical colors. There were paintings of Maharaja of Bikaner, the closest Rajya to Churu.Arches in different Havelis have intricate work and this really shows the way art-forms were used in building these luxurious places to live. There is something very special about discovering the unknown. While walking through these lanes, I realized that may of the popular cities of Rajasthan must also have such Heritage Havelis but we end up exploring popular things which are marketed well by commercial players of those cities/towns/regions. For the regular tourist, Churu is a dusty little town in Rajasthan with no infrastructure and no real attraction. But if we take time to know more and keep exploring, every Haveli of Churu Town has stories to tell about prosperity & strong culture. Vibrancy of Churu Town lies very much into the historical value and it's strong cultural environment.Most Havelis in Churu Town of Rajasthan are owned by the various generations of the Kothari Family and Parekh Family. Most of them are all lying in ruins. Most of these have caretakers but even those families can take care of small portions of these Havelis. Mostly 2-5 rooms out of hundreds are operational in most of these Havelis of Churu. Above photograph is shot from the top of a Haveli and the views from top were amazing...At times, these Havelis were haunting. While moving around these streets, we started talking about ghosts and the discussion continued throughout the trip. The Hawa Mahal speaks the about haunted air of the place.Every part of these Havelis in Churu is a piece of art in itself - Be it windows or doors, Pillars or Basements, Roofs or Terraces... There are various stories depicted on the walls of these Havelis through paintings. At the same time, all these paintings also depict elemental stuff. Be it trains, cars, horses, elephants, palakis, gods, godesses etc.While exploring these streets of Churu Town in Rajasthan, we met some Silver artists, who were making crockery with silver and it seems that most of this stuff is exported.Long forgotten.. During the walk some of us were discussing about the heritage value of windows, doors & other artifacts in these Havelis. And it was shocking to see that no one is worried about the preservation of many of these things in town. Only government or actual owners of these properties can take this bigger responsibility of preserve this Heritage and increase the lifetime of this town, region and the state.Many of these Havelis in Churu have portraits of the Maharaja of Bikaner and the ancestors of the family who own few of these Havelis in Churu town of Rajasthan. While walking through the streets and Havelis of Churu, we reaches a street having heavy painting work on outer walls. A wall was showing very different stuff. Marwari merchants from Churu were very rich and well travelled as well. On some of the walls, Jesus Christ images were there. Some of the depiction on these walls can be disturbing for believers of religions.There is a very well presevred Temple in the town, which is surrounded by Havelis. The Jain temple replicates the exact architecture found in Amer Fort of Jaipur. We shall share a specific Story on Jain Temple of Churu Town. One of the few things maintained in Churu town was a temple, which is funded by the Kothari family.There is beauty all around us, only if our definitions of beauty are flexible enough to see beyond the obvious and explore more to appreciate it better.

Hiring a bike, car or jeep is one of the most important thing for exploring goa in best way and make best of your trip to this beautiful destination, which is popular for it's beaches. Goa beaches are very well connected through roads and best way to commute is through personal vehicles which can rented for as many days as you want. This Photo Journey shares some information about Car/Bike renting in Goa and some photographs from Goa which were clicked while driving across the city.Before going to Goa, we reached to few of the folks who rent vehicles in Candolim area. Actually we planned to stay around Candolim beach and wanted to rent out a vehicle around this place. One of our friends recommended someone and we confirmed our booking to him over phone. He picked us from the airport in same car and we took charge of the vehicle after that. It's overall very economical to hire a car or a bike instead of hiring a taxi. So essnetially travellers hire a vehicle for a fixed amount per day and then we need to bear the cost of Petrol/Diesel. And you would surprised to know that prices of Petrol are almost same of Diesel in Goa.Moonsoon is not main season is Goa so we got reasonable rates to rent out a Maruti WagonR. We paid 800 rs per day, when we took this car for 4 days, which was pretty reasonable if we calculate the cost of hiring a taxi for pick and drop from Aiport & travelling between the beaches of Goa.Driving on your own in Goa adds more excitement to your vacations. Now you can roam around the places as per your wish and no restrictions on timings. Goa is generally a safe place to wander at any time. Locals understand the importance of security of tourists and privacy. Major economy of Goa is dependent on tourism and hence overall environment is quite favorable for tourists. And Goa is happening during late nights as well.Driving on your own also brings lot of opportunities to explore the least explored parts of Goa. When we were coming back from Aguada Fort, as noticed a beach on our right with lot of coconut trees around it and an array of boats parked on one of the corners. Then we made a plan to visit this visit and have a closer look. It looked like a typical beach we usually see in photographs or television :) . When we drove to this beach, it was a great experience. Only we were there on that beach with all fishermen who stay around this beach. The very first photograph of this photo journey was shot when we were driving towards this beach through lush green paddy fields.Similarly when we went to Old Goa and spent some time around the churches and Magesh temple, we explored some beautiful roads which were not on our way to these places. All these drives exposed us to vegetable farms in countryside and the places where colorful flowers are used to make local wines in Goa. Even smaller waterfalls look awesome during these random drives.Most of the times, when we are in Goa we spend most of the time on beaches, casinos and comparatively lesser driving time. Although, if time allows one should spend more time driving around various parts of Goa as it has lot of things to explore. We had real fun driving in Goa and this made us explore lot more than what we planned. And personally I love exploring things which are least known or not so popular. These less commercialized places always bring a very different experience of holidays.
During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.

During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.


During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.


During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.


During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.


During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.










Recent visit to Churu with fellow Travel-Writers was an exciting trip. During this stay we visited Prem Sarovar which is a beautiful water-bosy surrounded by beautiful landscapes. It was great to spend some time around Prem Sarovar and enjoyed our special lunch hosted by Malji Ka Kamara. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Prem Sarovar in Churu region of Rajasthan.Above photograph shows the whole gang waiting for lunch to be served in one of the chhattris around the water body, which is called as Prem Sarovar in Churu. Malji ka Kamara team had done some very good arrangements for this special lunch after a round of Ramgarh with lovely havelis, chhatris and fresco.While compiling this Photo Journey, I tried to find more details about the place and found the National Geographic has written a beautiful article on Churu, which has wrong photograph of Prem Sarovar. The photograph shown in http://natgeotraveller.in/magazine/short-breaks/mansionsandmarkets.html is actually Sethani ka Johara and not Prem Sarovar. It was a big surprise to see wrong imagery used by National Geographic website, which is a very trusted portal to find right information about different destinations across the world.After having scrumptious lunch at Prem Sarovar, all of us came out and had few walks around the place. Rohan & Harnoor were leaving us after the lunch, so everyone wanted to have a photo session at Prem Sarovar. As you move out of the Prem Sarovar boundary, there is a huge land with beautiful trees standing high against blue sky.While everyone was busy clicking photographs of each other, I thought of going closer to these beautiful trees and click some photographs. Malji team had told us the name of these trees but I forgot. I will try to update the blog with name, as I get some specific details.Like Sethani ka Johara, tourists love to come here during sunset time to enjoy colorful sky and it's reflection in water. On the way to Prem Sarovar, we came across and group of peacocks and we found that Prem Sarovar is usually surrounded by peacocks and especially during early evening when this place gets more sunlight as compared to the nearest village there. Deers are also found around Prem Sarovar in Churu.I love shooting sun with star effect and Prem Sarovar at Churu was best place to try few shots like this. The clear sky during winters is very helpful to get it right without any extra lens-filter.Nadya was going straight to Railway station from Prem Sarovar and hence everyone wanted to spend more time with her. She was also in a very good mood and we got a chance to listen to some stories & poems. She is a happy child, who was a great company throughout the Churu trip :)Compre to Sethani Ka Johara, Prem Sarovar is father from the Churu town and hence less frequented by people visiting Churu. Sethani ka Johara is easilapproachable but Prem Sarovar is definitely a good option for peace lovers and folks who want to explore some local wildlife.



During our Heritage walk through streets of Churu, we reached a beautifully maintained temple near market. This is a Jain temple and have outer structure similar to a building inside Amer Fort of Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Photo Journey shares some of the golden photographs from the interiors of the temple and colorful fresco pantingsThis Jain Temple in Churu has some of the best paintings painted in Golden colors. This special temple , which is maintained by Kotharis, is at least a few centuries old and worth a visit when you are in ChuruThe Paintings inside Churu Jain Temple are mostly of moral living suggestions type. There are some beautiful paintings on walls and some glass work as well. Whole temple is very well lit with colorful lights. Apart from this temple Churu has various other temples, Gurudwaras & Masjids. Almost all the times, we were hearing prayer sounds from one or other religious places. While walking through the streets, we saw various smaller temples as well. And there were some smaller temples inside few of the Havelis as well. his Jain temple is surrounded by various old Havelis which are comparatively in bad condition. The Havelies in Churu are impressively decorated with Belgian etched kaleidoscopic glasses in many shapes and designs in interiors as well as outer walls. Their intricate designs and wood-carving on door-frames are commendable. Let me stop talking about Havelis again :)It was amazing to see such a temple in this old town of Rajasthan, Churu. Whole temple was glittering with colorful lights and their reflections on golden paintings and galss-designs. Above photograph shows the roof of this temple.This Jain Temple is a must visit option while you take Heritage Tour through old Havelis of Churu.
For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...

For last few weeks, you must be seeing various interesting things to explore around Churu region of Rajasthan. During our weekend trip to Churu, we stayed at Malji ka Kamara which is located in the middle of Churu town and this property was a Haveli of Kotharis and now converted into a Heritage Hotel. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs from Malji Ka Kamara and some details about The Hotel, services they offer and relevant stuff. After a tiring drive from Delhi to Churu, we reached Malji Ka Kamara which is located in one of the streets near Churu Market. Ater reaching at the place, we parked our car. There is space for parking 5-6 vehicles inside the campus and few outside in the street. So Parking can be an issue is Hotel has decent bookings. But the good part is that many of the folks come to Churu by Trains, so it's highly likely that you will get parking inside the campus. Anyways, staff helped us in taking the luggage to our room and offered a welcome drink.Malji Ka Kamra has Solar heating system to get hot water which effectively means that in morning, one may need to wait for hot water. But if needed, staff provides hot water in rooms. Malji Ka Kamra has installed geyser in two of the rooms on top floor and we were lucky to have one of them, so more freedom in getting Hot water whenever we wanted :) , although the fitting were wrong.. The Cold point was giving hot water :) ... After having bath with hot water and a quick nap, we headed towards the restaurant for lunch.Above Photograph shows the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara and the view is from first floor. Like the Havelis we see in Bollywood movies, Malji Ka Kamra has very high roof in the middle and first floor of the Haveli ha visibility to the ground floor through lobbies in all four directions. This corridor gives a royal feeling of being at a haveli. Some parts of the Haveli are kept intact to make visitors feel about the older look and feel of the place. It seems Foreigner tourists like that style, which don't even understood by Indian visitors. This is a common sentence you would hear or experience in Rajasthan. Folks from Rajasthan Tourism industry understand the foreigner tourists better and plan things accordingly. Let me stop here and write a separate post of the behavioral and strategic decision making of Rajasthan Tourism Stakeholders.Malji ka Kamra was built long time back in 1920, which was use by Kotharis for many years and then turned into ruins for a significant duration. Restoration of this Haveli started in 2006.. Haveli was in very bad shape when restoration started, because it was locked for more than 20 years and condition was very bad, which is happening with many of the other Havelis in Churu. Kotharis used to have this Haveli only for guests. Their family Haveli is just across the street which was again a huge building with colorful paintings. Malji Ka Kamara has mint green extiriors and there are different personalities sculptured on the walls, although these creations look very odd :) . It seems that original color of the Haveli was almost same and restorers attempted to retain those hues of this building.ere is view we get on seeing up from the Restaurant of Malji Ka Kamara.Malji Ka Kamara is considered as one of the well maintained Havelis (palaces) in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan State in India.Food served at Malji Ka kamara was nice. The Hotel has trained local chefs who are really good at cooking Rajasthani as well as other cuisines. During our stay we were were some of the famous rajasthani delicacies and we loved them. Staff was very polite, although they may need more training with time. The good part is the local folks are hired by Hotel which is a good way of ensuring that local communities also grow along with local tourism and the business of these Hotels. Local folks may not be that trained but with time, things can be changed and we have seen that happening in many of the other properties across India. So I personally like such properties which take responsibility of their own localities one or the other way.The Staff at Malji Ka Kamara offers some of the cool activities which make your stay experience more memorable to cherish for longer period of time. Two days for me were very tight and I wish to visit Churu again with at least 3 days in hands. I love to spend time with local culture, place, people at my own pace. During the stay we had Heritage Haveli Walk in Churu Town, Desert BonFire with lot of shooting stars around us, High Tea at Sethani ka Joahara, Visit to Golden Jain Temple in Churu Town, Royal Lunch at Prem Sarovar, Haveli Tour in Ramgarh, Visit to another Heritage Hotel in Ramgarh, Meeting National Award Winner Family of Wood-Carving Artists and some shopping of hand-made lacquer bangels. This list is never-ending and we missed lot of things which will be covered during our next visit. And here I would like to thanks the staff at Malji Ka Kamara who arranged all of these for us. Churu is not very popular destination among majority of the tourists who visit Rajasthan State of India, but it's definitely a hot off-beat destination and many of the foreigner tourists visit Shekhawati region and Thar Desert. Churu which is gateway to Thar is another special destination for those visitors. Due to seasonal and lesser inflow of tourists, local hospitality industry is not that mature but that gels well with the local atmosphere. So if you plan to visit this region, expect some hiccups and some non-touristic things.Above photograph shows one of the few rooms which are in their original form. But there are only very few such rooms which are maintained like they were earlier and reason is that it was very difficult to restore major parts of the Haveli. Arrangements in all the rooms are quite comfortable and if you feel something missing, staff is ready to help you on a call. Staff at Malji Ka Kamara is quite co-operative. Some of them had some language problems, but it was manageable. This Hotel has some of the selected folks from the region like Mr. Lal Singh, who is acclaimed guide in Shekhawati region. He took us to the Haveli tour in Churu. Since most of the Haveli Owners/Caretakers know him, we got access to go inside and see some of the beautiful Havelis in town. Likewise, Malaji Ka Kamara is associated with some historians who visit the hotel to share some facts about the history of Churu and Shekhawati with tourists staying there. Although we had our own doubts on some of the facts shared by Mr. Bhanwar Singh Somour, but he looked a passionate and knowledgeable person who has high regards for his land, culture and the way different families of this region has influenced various things in our country.Most of the rooms at Malji Ka Kamra look just like any other Hotel and don't have any old paintings on walls of roof, expect the few which are mentioned above. But Malji Ka Kamra Management tried to give Rajasthani touch to the rooms by using some of the local crafted stuff. The rooms are large and comfortable with basic facilities and bathrooms are also very basic. To know more about the place, checkout their original website which has appropriate contact details as well.We enjoyed being there at Malji Ka Kamara, it's humble staff and moderatelycrowded lanes full of old Havelis around it...





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