One of the oldest surviving temples of Varanasi that holds the rare distinction of escaping the ruthless desecration by Muslim invaders especially the Mughals is the Kardameshwar Mahadev Mandir located near Kandwa Pokhra. This ancient Shiva Temple that forms a part of the sacrosanct Panchkroshi Yatra is one of the best preserved temples of Varanasi.... Continue Reading →
One of the most unusual temples of Varanasi is the Pita Maheshwar Mandir located in Sheetla Gali. As the name suggests, this temple is dedicated to Parama Pita Maheshwar Mahadev, the Father of Lord Shiva! As astounding as it sounds, this temple has been described in detail in the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana as... Continue Reading →
One of the most ancient and lesser-known temples of Varanasi located in Vishwanath Gali is the Sri Tripura Bhairavi Mandir. As the name suggests, this form of Divine Mother is the fifth manifestation in the Dasha Mahavidya. This unique form of Divine Mother is written about in detail in the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana as... Continue Reading →
Mata Annapurneshwari Temple, located near Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Vishwanath Gali area is one of the oldest temples of Kashi. This sacred temple is dedicated to Annapurna Devi also known as Bhavani Devi by the locals and is revered as the Goddess who bestows annam (food) or alms which in reality represents knowledge and dispassion.... Continue Reading →
The Kaal Bhairav Mandir located in Bharonath is one of the most mysterious and interesting temples of Varanasi. Popularly known as Kashi ke Kotwal (Kōtavāla) that translates to the guardian or officer of Kashi, this temple is said to have existed since the ancient times. Legend has it that one time Lord Vishnu and... Continue Reading →
Situated on the western bank of the sacrosanct Ganga River in Varanasi is the grand temple of Kashi Vishwanath. As the name suggests, this ancient temple is dedicated to Vishwanatha or Vishweshwara meaning 'Ruler of the Universe' and is the first and only Jyotirlinga located on the banks of the Ganges. Varanasi also known... Continue Reading →
Three temples that have existed since the ancient times in Varanasi are Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Maa Annapurna Devi Mandir and Durga Kund Mandir. A visit to Varanasi is deemed complete only after one offers prayers at the Durga Kund Mandir, better known as the Monkey Temple (because of the number of monkeys that reside here).... Continue Reading →
One of the most interesting and lesser-known temples of Varanasi is the centuries-old Karkotak Nageshwar Mahadev Temple located in Nag Kuan Mohalla in Jaitpura. Also known locally as Nag Kund or Nag Koopa or Nag Kuam, this ancient temple literally means well of serpents. Interestingly, the Karkotak Nageshwar Mahadev Linga remains submerged under water... Continue Reading →
One of the most interesting temples of Varanasi that is rarely frequented by any because of the legends associated with it is the Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple at Scindia Ghat. Scindia Ghat was built by the Scindia (Shinde) dynasty who played an important role in the Maratha ascendency. This temple is located north of the Manikarnika... Continue Reading →
Two groups of brick temples, Kalpa Devi and Astika Baba located close to each other in Nasirabad village in the historical district of Sitapur bearing striking similarities to the brick temples built during the Gupta period have captured the interest of architects, archaeologists and historians for decades. There are remains of as many as six... Continue Reading →
Akhanda Bharat saw several invasions from the fearsome Huns whose tentacles of power had spread across South Asia and Europe at a frightening speed in the final years of Kumaragupta's reign. By the end of the 5th century, Attila the Hun had plundered the rich provinces of Europe with alarming ease while the Huns under... Continue Reading →
हालांकि भागलपुर के जर्दालू आम का उल्लेख भारत की उच्च कोटि की आम की श्रेणियों जैसे: दशहरी, लंगड़ा, हापुज में कहीं नहीं पाया जाता, परंतु इस सौंधी खुशबू वाले आम को अब धीरे धीरे वह पहचान मिल रही है, जिसका यह अधिकारी है। असल में, जर्दालू आम का अपना रोचक इतिहास है, कहा जाता है... Continue Reading →
The capture of the hill forts of Purandar, Kalyan and Bhiwandi and the death, ruin and defection of feudatories like the Mores of Javli and the Sawants of Wadi respectively effected by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his able aides brought the crippling Bijapur kingdom to its knees. The construction of the new hill fort of... Continue Reading →
An interesting fort complex built during the glory days of Bengal relegated to obscurity is the Kurumbera Fort which is at a little distance from Kharagpur. Kurumbera Fort which derives its name from kurum which means stone and bera which means fence and collectively means an area fenced by stone in the local language is located in the historically... Continue Reading →
One of the most exquisite weaves in cotton and silk is found in the Bengal heartland of Shantipur - Phulia. Called as Shantipuri, this centuries-old tant (traditional Bengali saree) derives its name from Shantipur in Nadia district. The ancient handloom industry in Shantipur has been mentioned in manuscripts glorifying the life of Advaita Acharya as... Continue Reading →
A rare type of tall coconut variety with immense historical, religious and commercial importance known locally as Eathamozhy or Eathamozhi tall coconut thrives in Kanyakumari district. The unique morphological traits found in this variety are of a superior genetic constitution and it is unsurprising that there is great demand for the seedlings of Eathamozhy tall... Continue Reading →
नाशिक जिले के निफाड तालुक में स्थित लासलगाव न केवल भारत अपितु समस्त एशिया में प्याज का सबसे बड़ा बाज़ार है। कई लोगों को इस बात का पता ही नहीं होगा कि महाराष्ट्र देश में प्याज का सबसे बड़ा उत्पादक है। प्रसिध्द लासलगाव प्याज़ जिसे लाल निफाड या नाशिक प्याज के नाम से भी जाना... Continue Reading →
Along with the wily Chanakya, Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya dynasty built one of the largest empires in Akanda Bharat. He abdicated the throne in favour of his son Bindusara who was equal to the task. Bindusara not only consolidated the control over the empire but also extended it further south. Travellers' documentation and... Continue Reading →
One of the best-preserved brick temple complexes of the 9th - 10th century is found in the sleepy village of Nibiya Khera in Bhadwara. Though no inscription has been found, it is likely that the Gurjara - Pratihara dynasty who ruled over a large part of Northern India built this temple. This temple complex... Continue Reading →
The historically important village of Karnagarh in Medinipur district which was once the seat of the Midnapore royal family is most famous for its Chuar Bidroha, a rebellion led by Rani Shiromani, who is called as the Rani Laxmibai of Medinipur against the highly exploitative land revenue policy of the British in 1798. The British were... Continue Reading →
One of the most beloved traditional handloom sarees of West Bengal is Dhaniakhali saree deriving its name from the place Dhaniakhali in Chinsurah subdivision in Hooghly district. Hooghly district is home to some of the oldest cottage industries like silk and cotton handloom weaving, brass and bell metal manufacturing, oil pressing, village tanning and others.... Continue Reading →
Erode, popularly called as the 'Turmeric City' is the third largest turmeric market in India after Nizamabad in Telangana and Sangli in Maharashtra. There are approximately 30,000 farmers in Erode alone and around 55,000 farmers in Tamil Nadu engaged in the cultivation of turmeric. According to historical records, turmeric was grown by peasants in... Continue Reading →
The resounding victories of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Pratapgarh and Panhala was very difficult for Ali Adil Shah II of Bijapur to stomach since he had been at the receiving end of many humiliating routs. He decided to join forces with the Mughals to either capture young Shivaji or if possible, even kill him in... Continue Reading →
The temple town of Ranipur Jharial in Balangir or Bolangir district is renowned for its prowess in Tantra Vidya. This historical town of inestimable importance was part of Dakshin Kosala where Lord Rama spent a great deal of his time. Ranipur Jharial is mentioned as Soma Tirtha in the scriptures and deemed to have many... Continue Reading →
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