Kudal, located to the south of Rajapur was governed by Lakham Sawant of the Sawants of Wadi who in the past had proved to be false to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on more than one occasion. He was a jagirdar under Bijapur and though had publicly claimed to accept Shivaji's leadership and ambitious goal of Hindavi Swarajya,... Continue Reading →
One of the most curious brick temples built in Bengal is the famous Ichhai Ghosher Deul located on the bank of the Ajay River at a little distance from Durgapur. This centuries-old brick temple is built in the rekha deul style of architecture that is more typical of Odisha than Bengal. There is little or no... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of Tezpur known as Sonitpur in the Mahabharat was the kingdom of the mighty Shiva bhakta Banasura. Banasura, an asura had pleased Lord Shiva with his manual dexterity using his thousand arms to play for Lord Shiva as he performed the Tandava (Cosmic Dance). Banasura was at the receiving end of Lord Shiva's wrath when... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of Thanjavur is famous for its culture, literature, music, magnificent temples, stunning sculptures and breath-taking artforms. Every dynasty that ruled over this territory has contributed to its rich history and the pre-eminence of this city has steadily grown over the centuries. The Maratha king, Raja Serfoji II was a distinguished litterateur and... Continue Reading →
The historically important Malda district is famous for its jute, mulberry plantations and wide range of mangoes. Some of the most exotic and delicious mangoes of India like Laxman Bhog, Khirsapati (Himsagar), Aswini and of course Fazli thrive in this stretch of land that runs along the banks of the Mahananda and Kalindi rivers. ... Continue Reading →
The wanton interference by the English outside the purview of their trade relations with Indian rulers and invaders at the siege of Panhala did not go unnoticed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. After Kartalab Khan and Rai Bagan were mousetrapped at Umberkhind and sent back with their honour intact, Maharaj appointed Netaji Palkar to keep an... Continue Reading →
One of the lesser-known and earliest examples of the char chala style of architecture is the centuries-old brick temple at Palpara. Though there is not much information about the date of construction, this temple is deemed to have been built in the 17th century. Locals and historians differ over the builder of this temple with the former... Continue Reading →
One of the most iconic forts of Madhya Pradesh is the Madan Mahal Fort located atop a hill in the centre of the historical city of Jabalpur. Built by Raja Madan Singh of the Garh Mandla kingdom of Gondwana in 1116, this fort is also known as Rani Durgavati Fort or Rani Durgavati ka Qila. ... Continue Reading →
उत्तराखंड राज्य के नैनीताल, चमोली, टेहरी, बागेश्वर, अल्मोरा, पिथौरागढ़ और चंपावत जिलों में करीब १००० से २००० मीटर की ऊंचाई पर नम और छायादार स्थानों पर उगाए जाने वाले सुगंधित तेजपत्ता सन २०१६ में भौगोलिक सांकेतिक टैग (जी आई) प्राप्त करने का अधिकारी हुआ। राष्ट्रीय और अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय बाजारों में उत्तराखंड का सुप्रसिद्ध तेजपत्ता मीठी... Continue Reading →
The quaint town of Arumbavur located in Veppanthattai taluk of Perambalur district is renowned for the five-hundred-year-old craft of wood carving. In the earlier days, the sthapathis used to travel from temple to temple creating masterpieces like the ratha (chariot), utensils, statues and other iconography as per the tenets of Shilpa Shastra. Many of these original pieces of art are... Continue Reading →
Boka Chaul is derived from the Assamese words boka which means mud and chaul which means rice and as mud is soft in texture, literally means soft rice. The ethnic tribes of Kamrup and Goalpara spell it as Bakachaul and pronounce it as Banka Chaol or Buka Chal or Boga Jhul while those dwelling in the Lower Brahmaputra Valley call it as Baka, Banka, Bukaor and Booka in their colloquial dialects. There is... Continue Reading →
The sacrifice of Veer Baji Prabhu Despande is gratefully remembered to this day by all Indians and is typical of the way in which Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was served throughout his illustrious military career. His daring escape from Panhala foiled the plans of the Adil Shahis of capturing him alive. On 22 September, 1660,... Continue Reading →
The centuries-old Char Bangla Mandiralaya at Baranagar is one of the most picturesque and interesting temple complexes built in Bengal. Located on the bank of the Bhagirathi River, this temple is a short boat ride upstream from Azimganj Sadarghat on the opposite bank. This temple is one of many built by the affluent philanthropist, Rani Bhabani... Continue Reading →
The fourth of the fifty-two forts conquered by Maharaja Sangram Shah of the Garha Mandla kingdom of Gondwana in the early 16th century is the impregnable Singorgarh Fort situated atop a hillock in Singrampur village in Damoh district. This hill fort is most famous for the valour and martyrdom of the ruling Queen of Gondwana,... Continue Reading →
The finest examples of the ancient craft of stone carving adorn the temples of Puri, Bhubaneswar and Konark and is a tribute to the architectural ingenuity that Odisha is renowned for. The sculptures with its exquisite detailing and craftsmanship were an expression of love, devotion and faith and went beyond religion into the realm of... Continue Reading →
The deliciously sweet Virupakshi Hill Banana commonly referred to as the 'fruit meant for the Gods' is an indigenous crop of commercial importance grown in the eastern parts of the Western Ghats and parts of the Eastern Ghats like Lower Palani Hills, Sirumalai and Kolli Hills. Virupakshi Hill Banana belongs to the pome group... Continue Reading →
The resounding victory of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in The Battle of Pratapgad and death of Afzal Khan left the Bijapur kingdom weak and open to attack. Maharaj understood that this was only the beginning of a long-drawn battle as Badi Saheba and Adil Shah would retaliate soon. He took advantage of the chaos that had... Continue Reading →
Sonamukhi, located in Bankura district is home to some of the most exquisite terracotta temples built in Bengal that are widely considered to be far superior to those seen in nearby Bishnupur. Sonamukhi derives it names from the powerful local deity Swarnamukhi Devi with Swarna meaning gold and mukhi meaning face and literally means gold face or golden face.... Continue Reading →
Pahadi Dhusran or Dhosi ka Pahad (Dhosi Hill), located at a little distance from Narnaul in Mahendragarh district is one of the most sacred places in India. This lone hill is an extinct volcano and a part of the Aravalli mountain range and has been mentioned in the Puranas, Brahmanas, Mahabharat and Hindus scriptures. The... Continue Reading →
The temple town of Nagercoil (derives its name from the Tamil words Nagaraja Koyil meaning Temple of the Serpent King) has been a prominent trade centre for spices (Nagercoil cloves) and rice for centuries. Nagercoil located in Kanyakumari district was a part of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom for more than 700 years and the architecture seen in... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of Madurai is famous for its temples (Madurai Meenakshi and two Arupadaiveedu of Lord Murugan namely Thiruparankundram and Pazhamudircholai), art, culture, literature, different kinds of biryani and of course, the legendary jil jil jigarthanda! Jigarthanda is derived from the words jigar meaning heart and thanda meaning cold and so roughly means heart... Continue Reading →
जिसे देखते ही मुंह में पानी आ जाए, वो है, "ओडिशा का रशोगुल्ला" इसकी उत्पत्ति का इतिहास आठ सौ साल पुराना है। भगवान जगन्नाथ को रशोगुल्ला भोग के रूप में अर्पण करने की परंपरा सदियों से चली आ रही है। ऐसी मान्यता है की १२वी शताब्दी से यह अद्भुत मिष्ठान्न, जगन्नाथ मंदिर में नीलाद्री बिजे... Continue Reading →
The picture of India stood thus towards the end of the 12th century - Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan of the Chauhans of Sambhar had recently conquered Delhi with Ajmer as his base, to the east of him lay the kingdom of Kannauj governed by the Raja of Garharwar that stretched up to Benares and south of... Continue Reading →
The quaint village of Sukharia located on the busy Somrabazar railway line in Hooghly district has some of the finest terracotta temples and old mansions that you will find in Bengal. Somrabazar has historically been the home of some of the oldest Zamindar families whose wealth, grandeur and affluence has had a significant influence on the culture... Continue Reading →
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