October 2008 ~ Travel In Home

Sunset on Ramappa lake

About 70 kms from the twin towns of Warangal and Hanamkonda is a village called Palampet which is completely lost in the middle of civilisation. The journey is one of the best I have ever travelled and what is interesting is that there was not a single milestone that will tell me that[...]

by Jour ~ Thursday, October 30, 2008 0 comments

Moissac Cloister

The magnificent cloister of Moissac Abbey in southwest France is the oldest and largest cloister with narrative capitals in existence. Completed in 1100 AD, it contains 76 capitals plus marble pillar reliefs of apostles. Forty-six of the capitals depict narrative scenes from the Bible or the lives of the saints. Unfortunately nearly[...]

by Jour ~ Monday, October 27, 2008 0 comments

Bandipur-going wild

Here is a wild adventure this Deepavali. An elephant chase in Bandipur . Well,I am not going to post it here .Read more about this wild excapade in CLAY(Club Mahindra and You) a corporate blog of Club Mahindra where I am a guest writer. It is a great initiative by Club Mahindra which[...]

by Jour ~ Monday, October 27, 2008 0 comments

Deepavali Wishes

Happy Deepavali to all of you..please have a noiseless Deepavali..The best thing I like about Deepavali is having an oil bath and eating a lot of "bakshanam" or savouries like murukku and mixture which are typically South indian ..and I love lighting lamps..Here are two traditional pictures,[...]

by Jour ~ Sunday, October 26, 2008 0 comments

Warangal - a sneak preview

A sneak preview into the historic past of the old city , Warangal. The fort built by the Kakatiya rulers in the 12 century. The four Keerti Toranas (gateways of glory )which symbolise Kakatiyas architecture still stand today in the four directions...More than 30 feet high, these stone[...]

by Jour ~ Sunday, October 26, 2008 0 comments

Visiting the twin cities Hyderabad and Secunderabad

I am in the twin cities after almost a year and a half. My most memorable trip here was when I was here when I launched a media product here a couple of years ago ..and my trips gradually stopped after I left my job .The Charminar has always been one of my favourites and I strolled along[...]

by Jour ~ Thursday, October 23, 2008 0 comments

Tournus Abbey Church

New on Sacred Destinations: the magnificent Abbey Church of St. Philibert in Tournus, France. One of many fine Romanesque churches in Burgundy, this was built mostly in the 11th century and has all kinds of interesting things to see. Click photos for captions, learn more in the detailed new article or just go straight to the big[...]

by Jour ~ Tuesday, October 21, 2008 0 comments

Magnificent Medieval Art

Medieval art is one of my favorite things about Europe's churches and cathedrals. I've been working with photos of medieval art quite a bit lately, so you can now explore the following places in detail on Sacred Destinations:One of the beautiful early-1200s stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral in France. Shown above is the[...]

by Jour ~ Friday, October 17, 2008 0 comments

India through my eyes - carrots in kodaikanal

We were passing through this idyllic village called Mannavannur near Kodaikanal looking for a lake ..it was an agricultural belt and the terrace farms looked inviting..we did not see anyone and then in a green corner, we found four men "cleaning" the carrots they had harvested..the carrots[...]

by Jour ~ Friday, October 17, 2008 0 comments

Stuck at home with itchy feet

I am stuck at home as I am broke..no money to fly or stay in a decent hotel and all trains are running full.So am currently looking for sponsors and well wishers and good ideas to travel without spending much.I write for a living and so if any magazine or website out there wishes me to[...]

by Jour ~ Wednesday, October 15, 2008 0 comments

India through my eyes - What the Gods eat !

Grams sold outside the Azhagar (Alagar )temple dedicated to Vishnu near Madurai . This is bought by devotees and served to the Gods.. I asked why and no one answere[...]

by Jour ~ Friday, October 10, 2008 0 comments

New City Pages, Plus Hildesheim and St. Cecilia

I've started to upgrade the layout of the city pages on Sacred Destinations. This will be a long-term project that I won't do all at once, but so far Ephesus and Rome are available for your perusal: www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/romewww.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/ephesusHope you like it! Let me know if you don't. Comments[...]

by Jour ~ Tuesday, October 7, 2008 0 comments

Travel plans - Can you guess this destination ?

I did not travel anywhere in September . And October has been disappointing as travel plans were altered or canceled. I had already dropped out of two trips that were scheduled to happen this month and finally even today's plans got altered - a simple day trip. But an impulsive decision[...]

by Jour ~ Saturday, October 4, 2008 0 comments