Commonly called ‘The King of Oranges’ and ‘pride of Meghalaya’, the renowned Khasi Mandarin of Meghalaya has bagged one of the coveted positions in the world’s first food atlas. The North eastern state of Meghalaya is considered to be one of the richest biodiversity hotspots of the world and known for its exotic flora and... Continue Reading →
The exotic Kachai Champra or Kachai lemon commonly known as the ‘pride of Manipur’ is found only in the remote village of Kachai in the Ukhrul district in the North eastern state of Manipur. This village is the highest producer of lemon in Manipur and one may wonder, what makes this lemon so striking? ... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of Ujjain or Ujjayini as it was known is steeped in history, culture, art, music and literature. This heritage city is home to some of the greatest writers ever to have walked this earth. One of those literary geniuses is Raja Bharthari, an eminent scholar of religion and ethics. Raja Bharthari was... Continue Reading →
The supremely sacrosanct Jambavant cave or Jambuvant ki gufa located in Ranavav in Porbandar district is one of the most historical places in Gujarat. This beautiful ancient cave which is on the Panchadwaraka path is the resting place of Chiranjeevi Jambavan who had the rare opportunity to not only witness the divine Kurma avatar of Lord... Continue Reading →
The ancient Shiva temple in the remote village of Bavka in Dahod district in Gujarat is popularly known as the 'Khajuraho of Gujarat'. This absolutely stunning temple that stands on a small hill near Hirlav lake in ruins was probably one of the most spectacular temples built in the Solanki era (or the Chaulukya dynasty... Continue Reading →
Mahabaleshwar, an idyllic summer getaway for the Bombay province during the British Raj was formally introduced to the English strawberries in the 1920s. This delectable red fruit called the Australian strawberry grown by the British in their gardens was looked upon by locals with great curiosity who were clueless about their taste and just intrigued... Continue Reading →
Bablimas or chakota or chakotara is probably coming from this word called pampa limāsu or from pamplemousse (in French) which means big citrus. The origin however of the more commonly used term of pomelo is unknown. As such, pomelo is loosely associated with grapefruit and though the Devanahalli pomello shares a deep historic ancestry with the grapefruit, it succeeds in creating its own unique... Continue Reading →
Locals say that Bhalia wheat that is largely cultivated in Bhal region of Gujarat derives its name from the Sanskrit word bhalah meaning forehead suggestive of the flatness of this region like one's forehead. As bizarre as that may sound, the land is indeed extremely flat with barely any change in landscape or any sort of... Continue Reading →
Hastinapur (City of elephants) in the state of Uttar Pradesh is one of the most significant places of history, culture, heritage, spirituality, knowledge and wisdom in the world. This ancient city was the capital of the Kuru kingdom of the Kauravas and it was here that the seeds were sown for the unimaginable carnage witnessed... Continue Reading →
Pachmarhi, also known as Satpura ki Rani (Queen of Satpura ranges) is the only hill station in Madhya Pradesh situated at an elevation of 2500 feet. This colonial hill station was discovered by a General Forsyth who stumbled upon this beautiful place while heading back to the Bengal Lancers in 1857. Soon, Pachmarhi was developed into a... Continue Reading →
India is the world's leading producer and exporter of turmeric with a staggering average of 46,500 tons of turmeric exported each year valued at approximately Rs 4,689 million! Besides, the established varieties grown in different parts of the country, there are at least seventeen known variants that have an impressive curcumin content ranging from 2.8... Continue Reading →
A truly exotic organic crop from the hilly state of Nagaland renders a fiery experience of massive proportion! Nagaland’s interesting folklore mentions Chüdi (Angami language, “King of Hotness”) and Chaibe (Zeliangrong language, “Leader/Chieftain”) – the regional titles conferred on the famed Naga mircha holding it in great esteem. The traditional Naga chilli is considered to be a variant of the... Continue Reading →
The famous Malihabad in the Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh is synonymous with mangoes. Popularly known as the mango capital of India, it is home to over 700 varieties of mangoes which on an average fetch about 150 crore every season! There is an eternal bond between mangoes and Awadh. The mangoes were not... Continue Reading →
The spectacular Borra Caves located in the lush green Ananthagiri Hills at an elevation of 2310 feet is considered to be one of the largest caves of the country. This natural wonder nested in breathtaking terrain holds great ecological, geological, religious, anthropological and archaeological significance. These caves were discovered by a British geologist, William... Continue Reading →
Generally, there are stories weaved into every temple about its heritage and history. Some are references in the Hindu scriptures, some are based on travellers descriptions, some are based on research on inscriptions and well, some others range from an emotional thermometer of jaw-dropping to shivers down your spine! The Kakanmath temple is tucked... Continue Reading →
There are many stories swirling around the origin of the legendary Dharwad pedha. One story suggests that the jahagirdars (zamindars) of Hebballi, a village near Dharwad brought Ayodhya Prasad Mishra from Varanasi back in 1895. The jahagirdar used to visit Uttar Pradesh frequently to buy horses and thus, along with Ayodhya Prasad, started the migration of the Thakurs to Dharwad.... Continue Reading →
Himachali Kala Zeera or black cumin is one of the most economically important medicinal plant and spice that grows largely in Himachal Pradesh. Generally known to be found as a wild plant in the forests and grassy slopes of the North-Western Himalayas, kala zeera thrives in the high mountainous regions of Kinnaur, Kullu, Chamba, Shimla,... Continue Reading →
Kalanamak (‘Kala’ means black derived from the husk and the suffix ‘namak’ means salt) is one of the finest quality aromatic rice grown in India. This scented variety has been cultivated since 600 BC i.e., since and probably before the Buddhist era. It is also known as ‘Buddha rice’ as it is believed that Mahatma... Continue Reading →
The ancient Sangameshwar temple of Swayambhu Mahadev at the confluence of two rivers namely Karha and Chambali (Bhogwati) is situated in the historically significant city of Saswad in the state of Maharashtra. Saswad is known to be deeply entrenched in history, spirituality, religion, culture and architecture from time immemorial. It is believed that the... Continue Reading →
Scientific research has shown that of the fourteen years in exile, Lord Rama spent twelve of them in the state of Chhattisgarh. Historians have painstakingly identified the journey from Ayodhya to Rameshwaram and then to Sri Lanka during which Lord Rama received education from many saints, ascetics and performed penance and this has been supported... Continue Reading →
Gulbarga or Kalaburagi as it is known now is often called the ‘red gram bowl’ of Karnataka. Coined as the ‘land of tur dal’, Gulbarga accounts for the highest red gram production in Karnataka and roughly about a tenth of India’s total production. The tur dal or pigeon pea grown here is of superior quality... Continue Reading →
Kandhamal in the southern-central part of the state of Odisha is famous for its aromatic turmeric called as Kandhamal turmeric after the region where it is cultivated. Haladi as turmeric is known in Odia has been grown in this region for centuries by the tribals. About 60 - 70 percent of the area is hilly with... Continue Reading →
Ratlam, now a small town in the Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh was actually a princely state with great culture and heritage. Formerly known as Ratnapuri, Ratlam now is an important junction in Madhya Pradesh and most of the long-distance trains from West and South of India pass through this junction while travelling northwards. The... Continue Reading →
The Ariyalur district located on the busy highway between Chennai and Trichy unknown to many is a geologist's treasure trove. In 1843, 'strange stone objects' were collected by the British in the Ariyalur region. Soon, geologists from all over the world descended upon this small town to discover much to their amazement a rich fossil... Continue Reading →
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