Rajiv Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 I have seen many small documentaries about India, temples, culture etc but I am following BBC Version of 'Story of India'. I am embarrassed as well as the same time excited to follow this, my knowledge about Indian history was so limited. There are so many facts I wasn't aware of, the first iron tower, the freedom of sex expression during the kamasutra times, the various kings and etc..I have downloaded all 6 versions and looking forward it After seeing the tid-bits, my next holiday adventure has to be India - All I have been to is Chennai, Bangalore, Goa, Mysore, Lonavla, Mahableshwar, Delhi - yes, it was always the "abroad" culture back then but now I wanna know more and more, seems like there is a trance to it I am not much of a book reader so its television for me, thus the excitement Can you share your experiences, places you have been in India
Desi Cartman Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 i lived in North India ... I have been places like Agra , jaipur , Shimla etc and Diu & bhopal .... that's it ... I have ever been to even bombay
fineleg Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 I have seen many small documentaries about India' date=' temples, culture etc but I am following BBC Version of 'Story of India'. I am embarrassed as well as the same time excited to follow this, my knowledge about Indian history was so limited. There are so many facts I wasn't aware of, the first iron tower, the freedom of sex expression during the kamasutra times, the various kings and etc..I have downloaded all 6 versions and looking forward it After seeing the tid-bits, my next holiday adventure has to be India - All I have been to is Chennai, Bangalore, Goa, Mysore, Lonavla, Mahableshwar, Delhi - yes, it was always the "abroad" culture back then but now I wanna know more and more, seems like there is a trance to it I am not much of a book reader so its television for me, thus the excitement Can you share your experiences, places you have been in India prolly, its the british who curtailed and changed this in india where is the episode avail for download?
graphic23 Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Tirumala. By looking at the crowd that it generates, its probably only second to the Vatican with regards to how many people come there. The TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) have made Tirumala (the place on the 7 hills) so peaceful, it is an amazing experience. You have some areas to go trekking and it just gives so much tranquility to the mind - its unbelievable. Golkonda fort in Hyderabad is also being maintained really well. Its pretty awesome. Charminar in Hyderabad. On my most recent trip to India, went to places like Agumbe Ghat (one of the highest points in Southern India - its on the Western Ghats), and its SO scenic. You can literally feel the clouds on you and also see the clouds getting stuck in trees. The green in the leaves is also an unbelievable experience (yes, the color is so amazing). Its on the way to Shringeri from Haasan (when you pass the Subramanya temple as well - which is amazing for the AWESOME scenery). Coming back to Agumbe, the sunset there is also extremely amazing. Its one of the few places in South India where everything is so quiet and its being maintained amazingly well. There's a road route on which you can see several waterfalls and they're all just beautiful. Nature at its finest, probably - it was during the rainy season that I visited and everything smelled excellent. Anyone from Karnataka who's traveled will also tell you that the Shimoga district is one of the most amazing places around [for its beauty, history, etc.] If I'm not mistaken, all this falls under the Vijayanagara kingdom of Sri Krishnadevaraya. In terms of visiting cities a vacation and a new experience, visiting Hubli is pretty awesome. Its close to the Kolhapur - and its very different - its a mix of the Kannada and Maharashtrian culture. It was very nice. BTW, Awesome thread Rajeev. I'd be interested to know if anyone has been to Northeastern India like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, etc. I feel like thats a portion of India thats very disconnected with the rest of the mainland.
Rajiv Posted January 16, 2009 Author Posted January 16, 2009 What do guys have to say about that Bridge between Lanka and India, it was mentioned in the ramayan
vroomfondel Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 I had the same experience as you Rajeev. Didn't care about what India had to offer until I left, and now I want to spend all my vacation there -- all this europe shurope doesn't mean much anymore... The most memorable places I have been to have been -- Rishikesh area (Deoprayag, ukhimath, chandrashila) and Banaras. I have been to Banaras twice, and both times it has threatened to change my life. Also went to the tourist trap areas of Rajasthan -- Udaipur and Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer at sunset is a truly amazing sight. Now I am planning on spending a month in Ladakh this summer. I would also love to go to the old temples in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, but I'm not sure when I'll have the chance. Also would love to go to the Konarka temple in Orissa. Also Kanchipuram and Hampi in the south. Somehow they are all temple towns. Not sure what it is about them that attracts. Outside of India too, I want to go to Borobodur, Angkor Wat, and Bali...all temple towns. Weird for someone who is not a 'believer'.
vroomfondel Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 I'd be interested to know if anyone has been to Northeastern India like Arunachal Pradesh' date=' Meghalaya, Nagaland, etc. I feel like thats a portion of India thats very disconnected with the rest of the mainland.[/quote'] Yeah, also very interested in going there. Sikkim and Darjeeling especially, and Bhutan someday hopefully. I wonder if Dhonds has been around there, since he was near Calcutta for a while? Or am I hallucinating. Or is this just a diabolical attempt to get Dhonds posting again...only time will tell :)
graphic23 Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Also has anyone here been to Badrinath or Kedarnath ? Its not too far from Hrisikesh. Right?
punjabi_khota Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Yeah' date=' also very interested in going there. Sikkim and Darjeeling especially, and Bhutan someday hopefully. I wonder if Dhonds has been around there, since he was near Calcutta for a while? Or am I hallucinating. Or is this just a diabolical attempt to get Dhonds posting again...only time will tell :)[/quote'] I studied for 4 years in Guwahati, so I visited some places in NE. I went to Shillong multiple times, but the best was saved for the last year, when we hired about 6-7 sumos, and left for Tawang. I think in terms of pure scenic beauty, it is second only to Leh/Ladakh probably. But it is a placed steeped in wartime history, we came accross a roadsign listing names of all people who died BUILDING that fricking road. Lots of stuff related to Indo-China conflict, you can see hills belonging to China. Fricking fantastic but we had hard time finding food and places to stay. Nothing has been done tourism wise there.
Rajiv Posted January 16, 2009 Author Posted January 16, 2009 Where is wild life in India? Where can you find the rishis, no matter how godly they sound, I wanna see the scriptures and what not - not even sure what I am asking
varun Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Hmm, from what I can remember, I've been to the following regions in India: Places in Rajasthan (Ajmer, Jaipur, Pilani, etc) Places in Haryana (Kurukshetra, Ambala, Sonipat, etc) Places in Punjab (Amritsar, Jullundhar, Patiala, etc) Places in J&K (Jammu, Srinagar, Baramulla, etc) Delhi and its suburbs Places in UP (Lucknow, Meerut, etc) Calcutta and its suburbs Places in Orissa (Cuttack, Bhuwaneshwar, etc) Few places in the south( Vishakapatnam, Pondicherry, Bangalore and its suburbs, Kodaikanal) Sikkim and surrounding areas Dad was a big history buff, so I've seen a lot of old monuments in many of the above areas during weekend history picnic trips.
suraj Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Man all this talk is making me anxious to go and explore India I always wanted to do it but family just didn't let me
Gambit Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 I've lived in Manipur for a while. It's breathtakingly beautiful. Google Loktak Lake. It's got floating islands. Over the past year, I've been to the following places - Benaras - The oldest inhabited city in the world(along with Damascus I believe). So much to see, so much history. The Sankat Mochan temple was great as was the BHU campus. All talk about Benaras being dirty was BS. The path leading to Vishwanath temple is amazing. Extremely narrow cobbled lanes leading upto the historic temple. The temple itself is very mesmeric. The pujaris however are SOBs who are looking to extort money. Most memorable experience was sitting in a boat in Ganga near the ghat and watching the evening aarti, which was very very well done. Went to Sarnath as well. Gautam Buddha, after attaining enlightening in Gaya, gave his first sermon here. Saw Stupas and temples. Bandhavgarh - A tiger sanctuary in MP. It's got about 65 tigers. Safaris are available on open top Gypsies and Elephant. I saw a 10 foot long Cobra which left me momentarily paralysed. But coming face to face with a tiger in the wild is an experience that you will never ever forget. Just to gaze at the magnificent beast within 3 feet of you leaves you in awe. I came close to the tiger whilst on an Elephant. The tiger even growled at us. Unforgettable experience. Mahabalipuram/Chennai - I love the seaside which is why I loved Chennai. I went to Marina Beach(2nd longest beach in the world) and Elliot's Beach. Nice sandy beaches with lots of people hanging around having fun. Then, on the way to Mahabalipuram, I stopped at Kovalam beach(it's more famous namesake is in Kerela) which was stunning. One of my friends took off his pants and waded into the sea in his boxers. When he got back, he found that the sea had taken his trousers away. Watching him drape his shirt around his crucial areas and walk 2 km to a clothes store with onlookers gazing in amusement had me in stiches. Mahabalipuram is a world heritage site which has temples built by the Pallava dynasty around 700 A.D. It was also said to have 7 pagodas which get submerged in the sea over time a part of which was uncovered by the Tsunami in 2004. I saw Arjun's Penance(carving on rock face), 5 rathas and the stunning Shore temple.
Rajiv Posted January 16, 2009 Author Posted January 16, 2009 Guys, any pics to share - I am feeling like dumb *** when I am hearing about these places - Imagination will suffice but need to see all these places
fineleg Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Alas' date=' I havent been to India. :(([/quote'] huh? u have never been there? (i dont mean it condescending, just surprised)
cowboysfan Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 i took a month and a half trip alone just before coming to the US.i knew i would never see some of the places again after i started my job here.i started in mumbai(stayed in the salvation army(next to the taj hotel).went to rajastan(mt abu,udaipur,jaipur,pushkar,jodhpur) .i then made it to himachal pradesh(shimla,kulu,manali,dharamsala)-took the bus to leh in ladakh and finally flew into delhi.i stayed in delhi for just 3 days.i got sick and had lost a lot of weight.the best thing i have done so far was that trip.
Holysmoke Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 huh? u have never been there? (i dont mean it condescending' date=' just surprised)[/quote'] No. Can you sponsor my ticket?
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