A Visit to Ratnagiri Odisha

While sipping on the hot cup of tea on a Sunday morning , I asked my husband if there were any good  location to visit nearby Paradip. I was bored and exhausted and needed a mini few hours of change. Instantly he jumped with an option of visiting Ratnagiri  a heritage site. Though I am not a fan of such places but I do not have much option.

We checked on google map for direction and decided to explore it on the same day in the noon time. 

Ratnagiri is about 60 km from Paradip .Located  in the Jajpur district of Odisha, it  is known for  the excavation of Stupas, Monasteries and Votive Stupas. Historian says that these stupas might have been erected by the Guptas. The  site was discovered in 1905 and excavations was carried out in 1958 to 1961.

The village roads were extremely narrow and full of potholes. The cattle's were carelessly crossing roads . Google direction was working fine until we lost the signal.  Like a Pro desi we asked for direction and ended up late to the site.

Mini Hiking

Because of the monsoon the surroundings were green. 

After collecting our tickets from the ticket counter we headed   The road leads to  stairways and off to the site.  I was  upset seeing the stairs as I thought I would use the stroller for my baby. 

Towards the sight

The beautiful blue entrance to the monastery. 

Excavated Buddha's head of different sizes

Sanctum with a colossal Buddha figure

Votive Stupas

Sculpture  excavated in the 11th century.

The area was open and the heat of the sun was unbearable. By 4pm we started our journey towards home. There were other sites too Udayagiri and Lalitagiri but we didn't have time to visit the place.

Did you visit Paradip in Odisha? Do share what other places I can explore from their. Jungle might not be an option for me yet with a small baby.

Jaipur Tour Sightseeing Part2

Part1: Jaipur Trip/Chowki Dhani Rajasthan.

Rajasthan have always been in craze among foreigners all over the world. I must say everyone whether in India or Abroad must visit Rajasthan once in their lifetime. You will get to experience the life of Maharajas only here.

At 9 in the morning RTDC bus  was waiting right outside our hotel for Jaipur sightseeing . The guide introduced himself and gave few information about the entire day tour. Our bus was packed with  excited foreigners who were eager to see palace forts and of course a  an elephant ride. The bus started its journey right on time and the first heritage we crossed was the Hawa Mahal.

Hawa Mahal -The wind Palace
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                                       Hawa Mahal also known as the Palace of Wind:

It was a brief stop here. The place looks beautiful at night. If you plan to do some shopping from Jaipur's famous Shopping area, you will come across Hawa Mahal.  There is nothing to see from inside so after taking few snaps we were off to Birla Mandir

Birla Temple
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Birla Mandir: This Lakshmi Narayan temple is made up of marble.Photography is not allowed inside the temple.There is a lush green walk which has been well maintained. You won't get much crowd here and therefore it takes hardly 30 min to visit  this place. There are few souvenir shops located outside the temple but the price is extremely high.

CityPalace
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City Palace: The main attraction of Jaipur is the beautiful City Palace.The palace is beautifully painted 

Diwan E khas Hall -  A special hall for private visitor of Mughal Emperor. The artwork and stunning architecture has been maintained well.  The museum  contains some excellent historical artifacts like clothes jewellery weapons and a huge water jar called Gangajali used. The portion of city palace is also a five star hotel.

Jantar Mantar Jaipur ,was built in 1734 and considered UNESCO world heritage site  . It has various astronomical devices which works perfectly even today. This  place I must say proves how  advance technology was in India even it that time period. It has a huge sundial,one of the largest in the world.

Jal Mahal
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Jal Mahal - Unfortunately the bus stop here for few minutes only for photographs.The palace is in the middle of Lake Mansarovar and visiting the palace is not allowed. Some parts of the Mahal is submerged in the water.  

Amer Fort: 

Sheesh Mahal or the hall of Mirrors is a part of Amer Fort. It requires a little hiking. You can also get a ride on elephant to reach the fort. You can hire local guide  who charge around 200-250  INR (bargain) or get yourself  an audio guide. The audio guide is available in various language and makes it easy for people traveling  from different parts of the world. The mirrors in the sheesh mahal is etched on the wall  some 300 years ago and a little light from certain corner makes it lit up like stars. 

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Jaigarh Fort: This place has a huge cannon on wheels. The fort is in the top while the Amer fort is in the bottom.The Surang /canals ( hidden roads )shows the unique defence system of the rajput. The entire city can be seen from the fort. 

Nahargarh Fort: Built in yellow sandstone and located on the  edge of aravali range we had to walk up the steef cliff to get the spectacular view of the entire pink city. The archietecture here is mixture of Indian and European style.By the time we reached the fort it was afternoon and so we had our lunch at Durg Cafe inside the fort.

By 7 pm our tour ended and we reached Hotel Gangaur.

Helpful Points

• A full day  Jaipur tour by RTDC cost 300 Rs per person.-14 seater Non Ac Bus.
• Buy Composite ticket  for Amber Palace Nahargarh fort Hawa Mahal  @  Rs 70
• Free entry at Jantar Mantar
• City Palace -75 Rs per head Plus 75 for Camera.
• Jaigarh Fort - 35 rs per head plus 20 rs for Camera.
• Lunch at Durg Cafe -Nahargarh fort at 1.30 pm. Thali Nonveg -250 and Veg 150.
• The best time to visit Rajasthan is from October till March. 

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Beautiful Prem Mandir , Vrindavan

Fill your mind with me, Love me, Serve me, Worship me always. Seeking me in your heart, you will at last be united with me - Lord Krishna

Prem Mandir 

If you are in Delhi and planning for a trip to Agra and its surrounding areas, keep some time in your hand and make sure you visit the Prem Mandir in Vrindavan. This beautiful temple will make you forget Taj Mahal. Trust me, I am not exaggerating !  This Incredible temple is known as the Temple of Love.It is located in Vrindavan. As I was living in the holy city of Mathura (near Janmabhoomi)  weekend visit to the temple was a must for me! I was so much in love with Prem Mandir. It was about 12 km from Mathura and my  " Dhanno" (scooty ) was always ready for such road trips.

Lord Krishna and Radha with Gopiya

 Who says that fine artists were only found during the Mughal era?This temple will prove you wrong.Made up of Italian Marble, Prem Mandir was built by 1000 of artisans working for 10 long years. The whole temple depicts the story of Lord Krishna engraved beautifully on the marble walls.

Beautiful Chandelier inside the temple

 The chandeliers will make you awestruck with enchantment and the idols of Lord Krishna,  and Lord Ram will make you experience the love of Lord- in the true form of devotion. They are beautifully dressed and heavily ornamented. 

Lord Krishna and Radha

Siya Ram

I usually stay back till 7 in the evening  just to see the aarti.  The temple has been maintained very well. You need to keep your shoes in the shoe counter before entering the temple premises. By dusk the temple gets brightly lit with different colors of light. They are no "Pandas"  to bug your life out. No one will bother you for donations. A soothing breeze and a quiet  humming of Hare Krishna Hare rama from the temple will bring inner peace to your mind.

Evening time-when the temple looks colourful

Beside Prem Mandir you can also visits places like Banke Bihari Temple, Vaishno Mata Temple,and  Iskon Temple.They are all lined up one after the another.

Mandir Timing :  Morning : 8.30 -12 noon
                             Evening: 4.30-8.30pm