Dronagiri, Where Lord Hanumana Is Not Worshipped , Himalayas Best Kept Secrets

DRONAGIRI...AYURVEDIC EXCURSION TO AN UNCHARTED LAND FROM RAMAYANA

The name "Dronagiri" is of great significance in Indian culture. The Ramayana makes strong mention of it as the mountain lifted by Lord Hanuman and transported it to Lanka to procure the mystical Sanjeevani herb to revive Sri Laxmana. The mountain contained many miraculous herbs and Lord Hanumana was short of time to select the one required as instructed by the vaidya sage Sushena. This chain of events has been rooted in the traditions of locals of Dronagiri village who do not worship Lord Hanumana here as he uprooted their life giving mountain. Located at 3750 m (abmsl), Dronagiri is the highest inhabited village in the pristine Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR). The village becomes desolate in winter and people leave for lower habitations.They leave their houses empty and food stocked (interestingly potatoes which do not get rancid even after 6-8 moths). They return in late May and only enter the houses after a ritual to ward off spirits. Being located at such inhospitable terrain and being cut for most parts with civilisation they have immense knowledge of herbs and harsh survival techniques. I hope going this journey opens up new perspective to less known land...

Language : English / Hindi
Subtitles : English Subtitles for Hindi audio

NEW ZEALAND ON A TRIKE, VLOG TRAVEL DOCUMENTARY

Feb March 2019 Me and my friend Shishir took a trip to New Zealand. After biking and triking in North Island we did a road trip by car of the south island and indulged in adventure sports like catapult, bungy, skydiving, zip lining and also did nature trails in Mount cook. Sharing all 4parts in a playlist.

Language : English / Hindi
Subtitles : NA

NEW ZEALAND ON A TRIKE, VLOG TRAVEL DOCUMENTARY

Feb-March 2016 Me and my friend Shishir tooka a bike and Trike road trip through coromandel lop of Norths Island New-Zealand. While posting my pics on Instagram I was asked multiple questions about the trike. There are very less vlogs on triking and hence I decided to make this 4 part series. Sharing all 4parts in a playlist.

Language : English / Hindi
Subtitles : NA

AMAZING ARUNACHAL , VLOG TRAVEL DOCUMENTARY

A 7 part documentary traversing through uncharted villages of central Arunachal Pradesh. Many insights in culture local medicine eco tourism along with adventure and thrill.Sharing all 7 parts in a playlist.

Language : Hindi
Subtitles : English

SLOVENIA , VLOG TRAVEL DOCUMENTARY

SLOVENIA , VLOG TRAVEL DOCUMENTARY

With fast paced lives & so much to catch up with, I decided to take a different cataloguing approach towards my travels through videos than write ups.  To cater to people from India who wish to travel but have difficulties in accessing simplified information, I have based my vlog accordingly. So here is a playlist of my travels to Slovenia in a 3 part documentary.

Language : Hindi
Subtitles : English

PRAGUE, AN ARCHITECTURAL, HISTORICAL AND CULINARY EXPERIENCE.....

In May 2015 I visited the beautiful city of Prague. I was lucky to be hosted by one of my dear friend Mr.Jan(Honza) Vancura and stayed with him and his lovely family in the city. Due to his expertise I could catch the city in a different way , understand its bit history, culture and get insights into what makes this place a magnet of art, romance and culture.

At Prague airport arriving from Amsterdam

With Mr Govind Rajpoot, who is propagating authentic Ayurved education in Czech, great efforts

Traditional Czech Lunch with Mr Vancura and his lovely family

Knedlo Vepřo Zelo

SWITZERLAND, 6 DAYS OF EXOTIC TRANCE, 2015

क्षणे क्षणे यन्नवतामुपैति तदेव रूपं रमणीयतायाः।। माघ कवी-शीशुपालवधम

Kshane Kshane yannavataamupaiti tadeva roopam ramaneeyataayaah।। Shishupaalavadham  (Maagha kavi)

"That which takes new form with passing of each fraction of time is termed as Beauty (so to the one who is aware of this never gets bored or tired)"

I had the opportunity to explore this amazing country in May 2015. Vast green lands, snow clad mountains, top of the notch infrastructure, beautiful chocolates and some very helpful people is all I can say about this country. From standards of an average traveller, this country is expensive and hence one must preplan if one needs to explore this country on their own.  First thing one must buy is a swiss travel pass. This pass comes in 2 main varieties

• A complete hop on hop off pass which ensures free travel on all swiss operated trains except some mountain and luxury trains where there is discount) , cable cars (except few) and many buses and boats. This pass comes in validity of 3, 4 or 8 days. This also allows a family card pass where you can avail much discounts if travelling with a kid.
• A half card pass which gives the traveller half rate on all point to point journey. 

AMSTERDAM, A CITY OF UNPARALLED ENERGY, ART AND VIBRANCE, MAY 2015

Amsterdam is the capital city and most populous city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its status as the Dutch capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands though it is not the seat of the Dutch government, which is The Hague. Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin as a dam of the river Amstel. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.The city is also the cultural capital of the Netherlands. Known for its liberal attitude towards prostitution industry, cannabis and amazing night life, it is a place to visit to absorb its culture. Amsterdam also has some beautiful museums and natural sites like a zoo and botanical garden. the beer and food culture is amazing. I was lucky to spend 3days in this wonderful city in month of May 2015 and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I know I have missed many attractions this city has to offer but one can do only that much in a short trip. I advice travelers to absorb their itinerary and not rush too much. I present my journey through my pictures.

DAY 1

View of Amsterdam from Esay Jet

At the bar of Greenhouse Effect, amazing hotel where i stayed.
This guy is just awesome

HUNGARY, AN AMAZING ETHNIC AND CULINARY EXPERIENCE

I was fortunate to visit this amazing country in April 2015. I was invited by my dear student Gabriella F.Toth , an Yoga teacher and her partner Mr Kovács Pál (Mr. Palko as I do address him), two sweet people who offered utmost hospitality and showed me around their country allowing myself to feast on some local cuisines and get acquainted with the culture. I spent almost 21 days in Hungary and it would be difficult to account here for each day. I have tried to put forth my journey through pictures segregating them into various sections.

Leaving Mumbai Airport

My home for next 20 days at Kismaros

An continental meal

Early morning panorama

SAPTARISHI KUND TREK, TO THE SOURCE OF HOLY YAMUNA

Yamnotri (10600 ft) is one of the Chardhams ( 4 holy pilgrimage) of Sanatan Dharma. Located in the Uttarkashi district in northern indian state of Uttaranchal it lies near the Bandarpoonch Mountains (6315m). The Yamnotri temple marks the location of Yamuna river Goddess though its actual source lies 15kms above at Saptrishi Kund (18000 ft / 15000ft). During month of September 2014, I had the immense pleasure of visiting the Saptrishi Kund which is an very hard and arduous trek involving non existent paths, glaciers and streams. The ultimate gift was to be able to camp at Saptrishi Kund overnight (a feat only few have managed in history of treks accounted here). The trek path is least explored and has some amazing rare fauna and flora of medicinal values which was the main purpose of this trek. 

PANCHA-KEDAR TREK, THE 5 HIGHEST TEMPLES OF SHIVA, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA2011

Panch-Kedar refers to five holy places of the Shaivite sect dedicated to god Shiva. They are located in the Garhwal Himalayan region in Uttarakhand, India. The five temples designated in the strict pecking order to be followed for pilgrimage for worship are the Kedarnath at an altitude of 3,583 m (11,755 ft), the Tungnath (3,680 m/12,070 ft), Rudranath (2,286 m/7,500 ft), Madhyamaheshwar or Madmaheshwar (3,490 m/11,450 ft) and Kalpeshwar (2,200 m/7,200 ft). According to the legend, the Pandavas sought the blessings of Lord Shiva to atone their sins after the battle of Mahabharata. Lord Shiva eluded them repeatedly and while fleeing took refuge at Kedarnath in the form of a Bull. On being followed, he dived into the ground, leaving behind his hump on the surface. This conical protrusion is worshipped as the idol in the Kedarnath shrine. Other parts of Shiva appeared throughout the Garwahl region as follows.

• Hump at Kedarnath
• Arms (Bahu) at Tunganath,
• Face (mukh) at Rudranath,
• Navel (nabhi) at Madamaheshwar
• Hair (jata) at Kalpeshwar

Once the visit is complete one has to pay homage to Badrinath to Lord Vishnu as a witness to complete the circuit which ranges from the Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary covering around 150kms by foot and 150kms by road through some amazing landscapes, wildlife and some blissful places. The trip starts from Rishikesh. We hired a Tavera for most part of our journey

TRAVEL DIARY, MIZORAM BURMA MYSTIQUE LANDS, 2008

As our plane started approaching Mizoram, I glanced out of the window to search for familiar sights of airport runway but all I could sight was a conglomeration of tall green trees so close together that nothing beneath them seemed apparent. The plane gradually started descending and to my amazement it had found its way through theses tall green structures to finally land at one of the most picturesque Lengpui airport. On alighting I could just gape in awe at the surroundings which gave me a sense of good feeling about what to expect in the next 7 days of my stay at Mizoram.

TRAVEL DIARY, LADAKH; MYSTICALLY ENCHANTING. INDIA, 2008

It seemed like ages since my last trip to the fascinating lands of Uttarakhand last August (2007). I and my group friends we were itching on to head someplace even more exiting. After lots of discussions and brain-storming sessions we finally agreed to visit Ladakh during the month of August 2008. 

Brief Information about Ladakh

Ladakh is sandwiched between two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Karakoram in the north and the Great Himalaya in the south. Ladakh valley is further traversed by two parallel chains of the Ladakh Range and the Zanskar Range. Geological data suggest Ladakh to be formed a few million years ago with its unique landscape sculpted into the present form due to tectonic upheavals in its structure which have been modified over the millennia by the process of erosion due to wind and water. The present high-altitude desert located in the rain shadow region of the Himalayas was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south-east plateaus of Rupshu and Chushul, in the drainage basins or lakes of Tso-Moriri, Tso-Kar and Pangong-Tso. However main source of water is derived from snowfall in winter. Leh, the capital city of Ladakh covers an area of 45110 Sq Km making it the largest district in the country in terms of area.

The trip to Ladakh requires serious pre-planning in terns of clothes, medications, transport and of course available holidays if you are from the service industry. Our initial plan was to reach Srinagar and drive on from there to Leh covering places which would give us ample time to acclimatize towards the scaling landscapes of Ladakh and avoid the sorry effects of altitude sickness. The plan however had to be discarded last moment due to non resolving political situation in Kashmir valley and we were forced to take a last moment direct flight to Leh from Mumbai via Delhi

TRAVEL DIARY: ASHTAVINAYAK YATRA, LEGENDARY CIRCUIT, MARCH 2014

Among the numerous abodes of Lord Ganesha, 8 places are considered the holiest and testament to fulfilling all desires. These temples are called as “Ashta Vinayaka” and are located around Pune in Maharashtra . Just as Lord Shiva’s 12 Jyotirling and 52 Peetha’s of Devi these 8 abodes of Ganesha are considered very ancient and SWAYAMBHU (self emanated). The 8 shrines are enumerated in the following Mangalashtaka Shloka



The Shloka is always recited in religious ceremony and through it Lord Ganesha is given invitation for the ceremony. Though Ashtavinayak temples are all very ancient and find mention in Ganesha and Mudgala Purana, most of the temples have modern architecture as they were rebuilt am renovated during the periods of Peshwas who were ardent devotees along with a special person named Sri Moraya Goswami 

TRAVEL DIARY: VALLEY OF FLOWERS , HEMKUND SAHIB, UTTARAKHAND , INDIA, AUGUST 2006

The elusive Brahma Kamal that marks these lands

It was about 11:30 am when our train (Dehradun Shatabadi) reached Haridwar station. I along with my friends Amit and Sudhir set foot on Haridwar with expectations of a great journey ahead. We had to report to our Youth hostel base camp at Rishikesh. We moved out of the station to get hold of some transport. The options were a private comfy and cozy auto rickshaw which charges 250 INR and share a ride 8 seated vehicle which charges around 20 INR till Rishikesh but is crammed up till every inch. Anyways we took the 8- seated option and reached Rishikesh by 2:00 pm.

Day 1 - Rishikesh.
After doing the reporting formalities we decided to explore Rishikesh. Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula and Triveni Ghat were on our list. Since Triveni Ghat was nearby we decided to start from farthest (Laxman Jhula) and then steadily approach the nearest. We took a share rickshaw (5-10 INR per head) for Laxman Jhula.