Thekua or khajur as it is known in Uttar Pradesh is a traditional deep - fried sweet offered as prasad during Chhath Puja, Saraswati Puja and Navaratri. Though the dish originated in Bihar, it is now hugely popular in Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Thekua is made from wheat, jaggery or sugar, desi ghee, spices and nuts. It has a... Continue Reading →
A delicious milk sweet of Kashi that has been served as prasad in most of the temples for centuries is the humble doodh peda. Made from full fat milk that is in abundance in Varanasi and Ghazipur districts and areas around the Ganga River, this simple milk innovation is hugely popular among locals and visitors and makes... Continue Reading →
Kashi's most iconic milk sweet is the centuries-old Lal Peda that has been praised to the hilt by travellers, food connoisseurs and historians. This traditional dairy product of Kashi is offered as prasad in the Kaal Bhairav Temple, Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple. In the olden days, the abundance of milk in the... Continue Reading →
One of the most iconic and celebrated sweets of Kashi is Tirangi Barfi. Also known as Rashtriya Barfi, this unique creation is the handiwork of Shri Raghunath Das Gupta of Shree Ram Bhandar in Thatheri Bazar. The British from the late 1700s right up to the mid - 1940s had managed to successfully loot the ancient... Continue Reading →
One of the best chaats of Varanasi is its very own stuffed aloo tikki served at Kashi Chat Bhandar. This delicious chaat is unbelievably flavoursome with a bit of everything - crunch, spice and wholesomeness. Potatoes are first boiled and divided into two portions. One portion is grated when hot and mixed together with... Continue Reading →
The traditional breakfast of the ancient city of Kashi is the piping hot puri sabzi, kachori and droolworthy jalebi! Interestingly, the lightly spiced raswale aloo sabzi with greasy puris followed by kachori served with chana, meethi chutney and hari chutney and topped off with sinfully sweet jalebis (normal serving is four in a plate) really hits the spot! The batter is made by... Continue Reading →
Locals from Kanpur, Lucknow and Varanasi eagerly wait for Diwali, when the famed makhan malai, the quintessential winter delicacy makes its appearance. Also known as malaiyo in Banaras, daulat ki chaat in Delhi, nimish or malai makhan, this fascinating sweet is truly a head scratcher. The best makhan malai in Kanpur can be sampled at Shukla Makhan Bhandar on Birhana Road... Continue Reading →
The narrow lanes in Old Banaras prides itself on having the best mouth-watering traditional dishes that are truly in a class of its own. A gastronomical quest for the best street food in Banaras is deemed complete only if one samples the delicious kachori sabzi, the quintessential breakfast of Banaras and pretty much the whole... Continue Reading →
A visit to the narrow lanes of Old Banaras is complete only after sampling their irresistible street food, deemed to be the best in North India. The lip-smacking tamatar chaat, kachori sabzi, chooda matar, golgappe, malai toast, baati chokha, lassi, jalebi, rabdi and malaiyo will make you drool and send you to a heavenly place where no one can reach you! Malaiyo... Continue Reading →
One of the lesser-known architectural masterpieces of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty is the Maladevi Temple located on the eastern edge of a steep slope overlooking the Manosarovar Talab in Gyaraspur. As this late 9th century temple is hardly a kilometre away from Hindola Torana, one can question if these two temples though built at different times... Continue Reading →
Since the ancient times, Vidisha has been written about as a city of unparalleled art, architecture, literature, culture, opulence, riches and knowledge. The influence of the earliest dynasties that ruled over north and central India is seen in the remnants of sculptures, temples, halls and other structures across Vidisha. One of the lesser-known dynasties... Continue Reading →
Pagadi or turban has historically been a sign of culture, wisdom, virility and often used identify the different sections of community. Puneri pagadi is an inseparable part of Pune which is the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Puneri pagadi is conceptualized from the Peshwe turban worn by the Peshwas which itself was inspired by the traditional Chakribandh... Continue Reading →
One of the most famous cash crops of Western Maharashtra is Waghya ghevada. Grown extensively in North Koregaon taluka of Satara district, this rajma was first cultivated in 1950 by the late Kashinath Mahajan who bought seeds of this variety from a trader in Pune. This variety soon became popular with the locals and was... Continue Reading →
One of the finest brick temples of India is the Bhitargaon Temple at Bhitargaon village in Ghatampur tehsil in Kanpur Nagar district. Considered to be the earliest surviving temple built by the Guptas, this architectural masterpiece is constantly in the news for its innovative construction as well as its mysterious background. Though the plan of... Continue Reading →
One of the most interesting and lesser-known rock temples of Maharashtra is the Anandeshwar Temple at Lasur village in Daryapur taluka in Amravati district. Built on the bank of the Purna River on raised ground, this temple built in black stone looks very much like a fort from a distance. Historical records state that this... Continue Reading →
One of the oldest forts in Gujarat which at its zenith would have been an outstanding example of the grandeur and architecture typical of the Kutch region is the Roha Fort located at a little distance from Bhuj. Standing tall at 800 feet on the Roha hill overlooking the vast town of Roha, this centuries-old... Continue Reading →
Kokum (Garcinia indica) called as the ‘The Kool King’ of Indian fruits flourishes in the dense forests of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. Konkan kokum is a perennial fruit of commercial value that thrives in the scenic Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. According to the locals, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts have about 43,000 centuries-old kokum... Continue Reading →
Located at the bank of the sacred Wainganga River in Markanda village in Gadchiroli district, the ancient temple complex of Markandeshwar is popularly called as the 'Khajuraho of Vidarbha'. Titled by historians and architects as the 'Most Picturesque Temple Complex', the iconic Markanda Mahadev Temple is steeped in spirituality, heritage and culture. This temple... Continue Reading →
One of the finest examples of the Hemadpanthi style of architecture is the Gondeshwar Temple at Sinnar. Considered to be the largest, most complete and best preserved medieval temple of the Deccan, Gondeshwar Temple bathed in the golden hue effulgence of the sun at sunrise and sunset is a spectacle to behold! According to... Continue Reading →
Shilpa Shastra, broadly classified as the ‘Science of Arts and Crafts’ is the supreme authority on the Chatushashti Kalas (Sixty-four arts) of the universe. The subject of Shilpa Shastra is dealt with at length in the Vedas, Puranas, Agamas and others scriptures and has been assiduously adopted by kings, craftsmen and patrons of art since time immemorial. This highly... Continue Reading →
The quaint village of Mahisbathan in Kushmandi district in the heritage belt of Dakshin Dinajpur is famous for its unique wooden masks. The origin of this craft of mask making is unknown but the stylization, designs and motifs of the masks suggests a deep connection to their religious beliefs. These masks are an intrinsic part... Continue Reading →
Dinajpur district in West Bengal is renowned for its indigenous rice diversity finding mention in many important scriptural texts dating back to 1100 CE One of the oldest native varieties found here is Tulaipanji or Tulai that has been cultivated for centuries with traditional methods. Folk songs glorifying this scented rice, its cultivation practices and... Continue Reading →
One of the finest terracotta temples that has stood the test of time is the Lakshmi Janardhana temple in Debipur village in Burdwan district in West Bengal built around 1844 CE by Narottam Singha, a Zamindar of Debipur. A gigantic arched ornate doorway frames the impressive shikhara and the spectacular terracotta relief work that is... Continue Reading →
The ancient city of Joynagar-Majilpur derives its name from the local goddess and presiding deity, Ma Joychandi and over time, came to be called Joychandinagar and then Joynagar. Joyangar is popularly known as 'the cradle of moa', a unique winter sweet that is placed in high esteem by Bengalis. It is said that the... Continue Reading →
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