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Madhya Pradesh Trip-3: Visit to Chitrakoot

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Watch the full video here Overview: I first heard about Chitrakoot while watching the TV series Ramayan in the 1980s. Then later read several books and heard from different people how important Chitrakoot is in Indian history. I reached Chitrakoot from Gwalior at around 4am in the morning, and I had booked the Retiring room at Chitrakoot Railway station for my accomodation. But unfortunately after reaching ChitrakootDham railway station, I found the Retiring room in a shabby conditon and in complete darkness. People were sleeping on the platform and there was nobody to guide me on the retiring room. So finally I decided to move out of the station and look for accomodation. I managed to get a single room just opposite the Railway station for Rs 800. There are several options for stay near the railway station, and since I had my next train past midnight, I preferred some place quite close so that I can just walk to the train station. I got freshened up and at around 7:30am, I ventured ou
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Madhya Pradesh trip -2: Visit to Mitavali, Padavali and Bateshwar Group of temples

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Watch the detailed video here Overview: I was always sceptical of travelling towards Morena side because I had heard some negative reviews about the safety in that region. But the moment I got some guidance from Shri Mohan from Indore that his friend Dinesh will accompany me, I was more confident because it helps if one travels with a local. I took the morning train from Jhansi to Gwalior and it took around 1.5 hours for me to reach there. I reached Gwalior at around 9:20am and Mr Dinesh was waiting for me at the railway station. We set off on our journey and on the way we had our breakfast of Paranthas and tea. Mitavali Our first destination for the day was Mithavali, also popular as the Chausath Yogini temple or Ekkatarso Mahadev temple; which is around 40kms from Gwalior. The temple can be reached by climbing a series of around 100 steps, which are a bit steep and can be a challenge for those who have fitness issues. The architecture of the temple is unique, and similar temple can
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Madhya Pradesh trip - 1: Visit to Orchcha & Jhansi

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Video Link:  Watch the full video here Overview: Orchha State was a kingdom situated in the Bundelkhand region and later a princely state in British India. The state was ruled by Bundela clan of Rajputs. We started our day with a boat ride across the river Betwa overlooking the medieval chattris. This is a great feeling, somewhat similar to Varanasi. Raja Ram temple - Guards don't salute even the high ranking officials and politicians. In India this is the only temple where Lord Rama is worshiped as a king and that too in a palace. A Guard of Honour is held every day, police personnel have been designated as Guards at the temple, much in the manner of a king. Its actually the Queen's palace, now a place of worship for Shri Rama as a King. The Queen of Orchcha, Kamala Devi, once went to Ayodhya and prayed for Ram Lalla and took a vow to jump into the river Sarayu if Rama didnt appear. Finally Child Rama appeared on the queen's lap and wanted to be taken to Orchcha as a king
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Exploring Bengaluru Airport's New Terminal 2

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Click here to watch the Video Overview:  Recently, I had the opportunity to experience Bangalore Airport's new Terminal 2, located around 1.5 km away from Terminal 1. I was impressed by the airport's garden city theme, with beautiful trees and vertical gardens adorning the space. The walls were decorated with sketches of Bygone Bangalore by artist Paul Fernandez, adding to the aesthetic appeal of the airport. I was particularly impressed by the lounge, although I didn't get a chance to experience it during my visit. With 32+ gates, the terminal is equipped to accommodate international airlines in the future. Currently, only Air Asia and Star Air domestic flights are in operation.  Despite this, I found flying out of Terminal 2 to be a great experience. The airport's design and layout are both impressive, with plenty of natural light and open spaces making it feel less crowded than other airports. The garden city theme is particularly well-executed, creating a calming an
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Museums of Bangalore: Indian Musical Experience

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Watch the video here:  https://youtu.be/xuSdTK4XeoI Overview: I thought Bangalore just had 2-3 museums which are well known until a few years ago, but a little research opened up my thoughts as I discovered several museums within the city. I have decided to visit all the museums in the city and document those.  The first one on the list is the Indian Musical Experience in JP Nagar 7th phase. This beautiful museum is dedicated to the evolution and science behind different forms of music from traditional to contemporary.  As we enter the museum, in the inner courtyard, we can see a sound garden, where we can learn about the sounds created from natural things like wood, stones, and metals. We can try our hand in generating music as well. This area is well enjoyed by both adults and children. We then get inside the museum and the experience starts from the 3rd floor, where we are shown a small animated movie with different types of sound created by nature. From there we enter an interacti
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Bangalore-Shimoga trip-1

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Video Link:  https://youtu.be/Xcb6OKKA2e4 Overview: We had to attend a wedding in Hosahalli (Shimoga) in March 2021 so we thought of visiting a few places around Shimoga which we hadn't seen before. We started from Bangalore on Saturday early morning at around 6:15am and stopped for breakfast near Dabaspet. We had light breakfast and headed towards our first destination, Baggavalli, which was still around 200kms away. The drive via Hiriyur - Ajjampur was very scenic with good roads and we were surprised to see greenery even during the summer months. We reached Baggavalli at around 11:30am and were happy to see a Hoysala temple after a long time. This is a 13th century temple and dedicated to Sri Narasimhaswamy. Unfortunately, the temple was closed when we went there and the priest had gone to a nearby village. We were impressed to see most of the carvings still intact on the outer walls of the temple, and being a Vaishnava temple, we could see Dashavatara carved at multiple places
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