Alwar (earlier known as Ulwar), a city in Rajasthan, is believed to have been a part of the ancient Matsya mahajanapada that had its capital at Viratnagar (now Bairat). It is said that the Meenas were the first to settle in Alwar and build a mud fort and town, remnants of which are still seen scattered…
Tag: nature
Paintings by the colonial era Company artist: SitaRam
During the late 18th century as the East India Company expanded its control over Bengal and parts of northern India, Indian painting technique and style underwent revolutionary changes. The Mughal style of painting using natural pigments and minerals were abandoned for the newly learned watercolour technique, and old painting themes that were based on historical…
Tibetan Culture and Traditions
In the land of lama, don’t be a gamma. A sage advice given by those that build and maintain roads in these cold, barren lands. Whoever has travelled to the distant high mountains of Ladakh and Spiti have seen these cautionary yellow boards with advice written in black by the BRO, asking drivers to be…
In the Land of Pilgrimage ~ Haridwar
Escaping the cycle of life and death In India, the tradition of pilgrimage is deeply rooted within the realms of its religious consciousness. Owing to large number of pilgrim spots spread all across this sub continent, the entire region can be labelled as one vast sacred space. There are early mentions of pilgrim spots or…
Traversing the Ganges, from Old Times to New – Part II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=GGpybbYBOfI Once upon a time, when man did not bind waters for his own selfish needs, rivers moved freely. They traversed borders, crossed countries, beginning from one and ending in another; sometimes merging with rushing brooks, and sometimes branching away into runnels. They formed a network of waterways, which seamlessly interwove varying cultural, religious, and social…
Traversing the Ganges, from Old Times to New – Part I
A lifeline that has defined human civilisation. A river that holds a cosmos in itself, a fascinating world of flora and fauna, unseen from above, yet pulsating below, under tranquil waters. (Pic – Yamuna in Agra. Yamuna is the largest tributary of the river Ganges) In a land where infrequent monsoons are held as the main season,…
From the Fort That Once Held the Hills~ Kangra fort
It was a long weekend in the searing heat of May 2014, and the three days looked perfect for a quick escape to the cooler hills. The idea of exploring the Kangra fort and Norbulingka Institute (close to Mcleodgunj) had been egging me for quite some time, and at that particular moment looked especially inviting…
Kalpavriksha or the Tree of Life – Origins and Historical Relevance
Moolatho Brahma roopaya, madhyatho Vishnu roopine, Agratha shiva roopaya Vruksha rajaya they Nama. (My salutations to the king of trees. Whose root is the form of Brahma, Middle is the form of Lord Vishnu, And top is the form of Lord Shiva.) Aswatha sarva papani satha janma arjithanicha, Nudhaswa mama vrakshendra, sarva aiswarya pradho bhava….
Moni Gāthā 