Nathiya’s Weblog

 Tirupati Venkateswara Temple is a famous Hindu temple of Lord Venkateswara located in the hill town Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is located on the Venkatachalam hill that forms part of the seven hills of Tirumala, and hence the temple is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills (Edukondalu in Telugu). The presiding deity of the temple, Lord Venkateswara, is also known by other names – Balaji or Srinivasa.

The Tirumala hills comprising of the seven hills of Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. Laddu is the most famous prasadam given at Tirumala Temple. Many other delicious prasadams are also available including curd rice, tamarind rice, vada, dosa and sweet pongal.

Hogenakal Falls is a beautiful water falls in the state of Tamilnadu, is a good Picnic spot and also its wates supposed to have curative powers. This beautiful, quiet waterfall is 40 km from Dharmapuri and 180 km from Bangalore towards Salem. Here the Cauvery River enters the plains and the river dashing against the rocks is a great sight. Hogenakkal is a riverside spa where, according to its devotees, good health can be had for the asking. The sound of the Cauvery, roaring between rocky banks, is a constant presence in most places in Hogenakkal. The river, here flows through a wooded valley, splitting and merging and splitting again around rocks, and little islands with towering trees, and boulder-strewn out crops, which are covered only when the river is in spate with the rains of the monsoon. People cross the current-rippled waters in circular basket boats covered in buffalo hide or plastic.

Shimla – the aging Charmer is the seven picturesque hills of Shimla are in Southern Himachal, 117 km from Chandigarh. This once favorite summer retreat of the erstwhile Britons have so changed over the years that if the souls of its founders are to be come back for a dekko, they would either be saddened or gladdened to see it transform into the poshest of tourist magnets amongst the Himalayan hill-stations. The Mall street is lined with branded showrooms, the city is studded with hep resorts and out of every seven heads, one is a rtourist. Considering the phenomenal tourist hobnob, at times, slicing out your space – so wanting of such laid-back vacations – may be difficult in a place Shimla. This difficulty is promptly attended to with the neighboring getaways, the resorts, the golf at Naldehra and skiing at Kufri and Narkanda, and Shimla continues to charm her visitors.

The Himalayan State Museum is very close to the Institute, in a colonial building set in spacious lawns, is the museum. It has collections of Pahari miniatures, stone sculpture, local handicrafts, textiles and embroidery. The sequestered Mashobra village, with one of India’s loveliest hotels – Wildflower Hall, is an ideal base for treks up the area’s highest peak Shali at 10,000 ft. or for a stroll to the “sacred grove” of Sipur, which is crowned with a small indigenous-style temple dedicated to the local deity, Seep. Beyond Mashobra is the the popular recreational resort of Naldehra. Other than the Golf Course and the cedar forests, the charming log huts studded in the lush grasslands, make it a warm overnighting locale. The hot sulphur springs of Tattapani, noted for their curative effects, lie a farther 28 km away.

Darjeeling – a Himalayan Queen

At an elevation of 6812 ft., this West Bengal hill-station, with its monastries and tea gardens set against the snow-capped vistas of the world’s third-highest mountain, Mount Kanchenjunga (27,400 ft.), is just the perfect retreat if the mention of a cozy vacation peppered with adventure escapades ticks you on. Just as the flight of your imagination begins to take off, a quaint whistle of a century old little train penetrates the vista and you are reminded once again – it is Darjeeling!

The century old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, fondly nicknamed ‘toy train’, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This engineering marvel begins from Sukna (533 ft.) and chugs up the hill to reach Darjeeling(6812 ft.) passing Asia’s highest railway station Ghoom at 7407 ft. – making it one of the most treacherous rail jouneys in the world. The hung-ho apart, the toy-train trail is something should not be missed if you want to feel the spirit of a this paradisiacal land and of its humble denizens.

Perched on the Jawarhar Parbat, about 2 km from Chowrasta, is an institute for training the adventure mongers. Why you should go there for is the institute’s collection of historic mountaineering equipment, specimens of Himalayan flora and fauna, a relief model of the Himalayas and a record of all attempts to scale the Mount Everest.
Neighboring the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute is the Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park that houses the Siberian tigers, Himalayan Black bear and the Red Panda. Not to be missed is the Snow Leopard breeding centre here.

The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple (Tamil: மீனாக்ஷி அம்மன் கோவில்) is a historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareswarar or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of Minakshi). The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2500 year old city of Madurai, home of the Tamil language.

The temple has a stunning architecture and a significant testimony for Vishwakarma Brahmins for their master architecture in sculpting this temple.This was a frontrunner in the election for the modern seven wonders of the world for its architectural importance.The complex houses 12 magnificent gopurams or towers that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is believed to have been built only recently in the early 17th century.

The history of the original structure is not properly known, but Tamil literature speaks about the temple for the last couple of millennia. Thirugnanasambandar, the famous Hindu saint of Shaiva philosophy, has mentioned this temple as early as the 7th century, and describes the Lord as Aalavai Iraivan. The temple was believed to have been sacked by the infamous Muslim invader Malik Kafur in 1310, and all the ancient elements were destroyed. The initiative to rebuild the structure was taken by Arya Natha Mudaliyar , the Prime Minister of the first Nayak of Madurai (1559-1600 A.D.), the founder of ‘Poligar System’. Then came the most valuable contributions of Thirumalai Nayak circa 1623 to 1659. He took considerable interest in erecting the Vasantha Mandapa of the temple complex.

Taj Mahal of India – “the epitome of love”, “a monument of immeasurable beauty”. The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. The very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance leaves one mesmerized.

Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous with love and romance. It is believed that the name “Taj Mahal” was derived from the name of Shah Jahan wife Mumtaz Mahal and means “Crown Palace”. The purity of the white marble, the exquisite ornamentation, precious gemstones used and its picturesque location, all make Taj Mahal travel gain a place amongst the most popular ones. However, unless and until, one knows the love story behind the Tajmahal of India, it will come up as just a beautiful building. But, the love behind this outstanding monument is what has given a life to this monument.

The Golden Temple or Temple of God, is culturally the most significant place of worship of the Sikhs and one of the oldest Sikh gurdwaras. It is located in the city of Amritsar, which was established by Guru Ram Das, the fourth guru of the Sikhs and the city that it was built in, is also due to the shrine, known as “Guru Di Nagri” meaning city of the Sikh Guru.

The golden plates which cover the exterior of the Gurdwara’s upper floor and domes, as well as its exquisite marblework was done under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the leader of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. Also called Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of the Punjab), the Maharaja was a heavy donor of wealth and materials for the shrine and is remembered with much affection by the Punjabi people in general and the Sikh community in particular. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was responsible for a rennaisance of many Gurdwaras damaged or destroyed during Mughal rule, including many new Gurdwaras as well. Two of the other most revered temples of Sikhism were built to honor the memory of Guru Gobind Singh. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s deep love of and respect for the 10th Guru lead to his having both the Takht Sri Patna Sahib (Built at the birth place of Guru Gobind Singh) and the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib

Kutralam is a place located near Tirunelveli in Tamilnadu. It can be reached via Sengottai. Kutralam lies in the Tamilnadu Kerala border.

Kutralam is famous for water falls. The climate is cool and enjoyable. There are two main water falls. One is the main falls and the other one is aintharuvi (five streams of water). Both are very famous. If you visit Kutralam in the months of January or February you can witness a cool climate as well as the full speed of the water falls.There are lots of waterfalls in India. But, the specialty about the kutralam water falls are its purity, medical value etc., Kutralam water falls has the capacity to cure Tonsillitis, Blood Pressure, Cough, cold and many more diseases.Most of the people think that if we take bath in kutralam cold might attack, but contrarily, if we take bath the herbal water will fight against cold and other diseases.The water here passes through a lot of valuable medical herbs and hence it has the capacity to cure a lot of ailments.