Mysuru City Palace

Mysuru is a beautiful, calm and peaceful city in the state of Karnataka.  The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Mysore and has a beautiful Palace that showcases the splendor and magnificence of the Wadiyar dynasty. 

It takes approximately 2 to 2.5 hours on train from Bangalore.  Can even take the car and travel by road.   I took a Shatabdi from Bangalore which reaches Mysuru station at 1 in the afternoon.   I found the city to be very clean and neat starting from the Railway Station itself.

Mysore City Palace is in the centre of the city.   We had a lunch at a small cafe near the railway station and then set off to see the much talked about Mysuru Palace.

It was definitely a sight to see.

The palace was maintained well.  The land on which the palace now stands was originally known as puragiri, and is now known as the Old Fort. Yaduraya built the first palace inside the Old Fort in the 14th century, which was demolished and constructed multiple times. The current structure was constructed between 1897 and 1912.

It is also called Amba Vilas Palace. . The architectural style is Indo-sarcenic. The Interiors of the palace was completely a sight to behold.

Keeping in line with diverse times

I've been writing about travel a lot..  it is time to shift gears a little as i have been busy exploring multiple other things over the last couple of months.

Artificial Jewelry is one of them!

It is quite in vogue these days.

Most of my acquaintances and the young girls i see in church and metros wear these cute colourful accessories to match.

Some have huge dangling little antique metal earrings with colorful beads at the end or colourful beaded long chains to go with their costumes.

I think it brings in huge sense of variety.  My generation used to feel satisfied and happy with a simple gold chain around the neck or a matching gold and diamond studded earring.

But fashion has taken on a different meaning.  Color, size and diversity rules.

Different kind of material like artifcial metals, antique silver, brass, wood, paper and other stuff can be made to look enchanting on your persona.

I have created some handmade jewellery and put it up on a website - do checkout the link www.ehsaazfashions.com.

I have included pieces made from simple beads to semi-precious stones.   Articles made with artificial metals and antique metals are also available.

I think my hobby is turning into a serious business model now!  

In case there is anyone out there who feels interested in knowing more about these or ordering for their personal use, do send me an email at mary@gmail.com.  :)

The Onset of Spring in Delhi

 

February is a beautiful month to be in Delhi when winter starts retreating and the spring season is set to emerge in full splendor.  

The indications of a full bloom is everywhere - parks, gardens, busy traffic roundabouts, homes, etc..
Small bushes with budding flowers are waiting to bloom forth in full glory!

It is definitely a season to be out in the open enjoying and experiencing these new beginnings.   It is a sight to behold as the buds are impatient to gush out of their cocoon and show off their beautiful shapes, shades and colors that God has beautifully conferred upon them.

Basant Panchami which initiates the spring festive cycle was celebrated on 1st February.  It literally means fifth day of spring (Basant – spring, Panchami – fifth).   The other festival that people await very eagerly in Delhi to celebrate the spring season is Holi.  It falls right in the middle of the spring season in the first week of March (March 13 this year!) and people eagerly await this festival to play out the different colours to match the natural background.

Some worship Goddess Saraswati on this day.  In ancient Indian literature, this festival is associated with Shringara Rasam which is associated with love, beauty and attraction.   People honor Kamadeva with his wife Rati and his friend Vasant on this day in some parts of the country.

People wear yellow dresses and display or wear yellow flowers to mark this spring festival.  Yellow mustard flowers bloom across the Punjab belt of North India and is a beautiful sight.

The Earth Connection

 

Man is made of dust and to dust he returns.  We, human beings are so intimately connected to everything that is about this earth, the soil and the dust but in our utopia of cleanliness and neatness, we make all efforts to keep our pretension of removing them from our life day in an day out without realizing that they are woven into our very fabric of life.  Whether it is the food we eat or the vessels in which we eat!!

Earthern vessels were a part of our daily life till some years ago.  It has taken a backseat with all the wispy, feathery plastic and glass vessels taking its place in our kitchens and the showcases.   But the taste, the aroma and the healthy aspects of earthern pot is still intact.    It is rare to see people making and selling these pots now.

It was only a couple of decades ago, we used to store water in these earthern vessels called `Ghada’ in Hindi.   In the golden days that were when people used to care about their fellow human beings,  big Ghadas filled with water used to be kept outside big buildings and roadsides for quenching the thirst of passersby and the pedestrians.   Commercialization has taken over this simple act of charity and converted this tradition to selling bottled water in its place.

There were earthern pots to suit different needs.   There were pots in which we could cook vegetables and rice.    These were used to set our curd and there was no need to hang the curd as all the water would ooze out automatically through the pores of these vessels and one could have a tasty, pure and healthy curd, thick in texture. These pots would also be used to churn out butter using wooden ladles.

Even tea was served in small glasses made from clay called “kulhad” in Hindi.   These were made compulsory in Railway Stations some years ago to reduce the usage of plastic disposable glasses.  However, it has become a rare sight.

There were other items too, like the little money pots, flower pots, clay diyas widely used around Diwali festival, craft items like elephants, idols of god and other little animals. 

The Morning Trail

It is very foggy and very cold early in the morning in Delhi these early February days.   One would like to cuddle and go back to sleep deep within the folds of the warm and cozy blanket to the mindless oblivion and dream about another surreal world far away.  But if you put aside all those temptations and step out into the dawn of a beautiful day daring the cold wind hitting your face, you can be witness to some beautiful and real sights that you might just miss otherwise apart from all the health benefits that comes along with a morning walk.

So, with this determination of watching the sunrays falling like golden beams on the earth piercing through the folds of the leaves in the trees like some burning bush, watching the birds welcome the new day with cheery chirrups and pigeons and parrots coming to feast on the grains spread by some morning walkers that I put on my warm and cozy jacket to bare the cold winter outside.

The sights are beautiful to behold and promises a great day ahead.  It also brings a sense of  hope and peace that surpasses all the knots and the tussles of the mind.  It is a wonderful way to prepare ourselves for the rest of the day, thinking and reminiscing about the wonderful way in which God created the earth and sustains it every day!

The enigma called Jantar Mantar

Misra Yantra

Surrounded by huge and towering buildings, this set of architectural structures stand for some long forgotten magical spell as the name suggests!!

Jantar Mantar is the oldest of a set of  unique observatories built by Jai Singh II around 1724.  There are mantras and yantras that Jai Singh created amidst these structures that give accurate tables for study of time and space to give astronomical insights.  

The Misra Yantra is believed to be constructed by Maharaj Madho Singh designed to be accurately measuring the longitude of celestial objects like moon and can measure close to the minute of an arc.

One of the main structures is the Samrat Yantra  which is also called as 'King of Instruments' that measures solar time or local time of a place and the sun's declination.

  

The Jaiprakash Yantra (means Light of Jai) is named after the Maharaja Jai Singh who invented and constructed this hemispherical sundial system used both in day and night observations.  The position of the sun was indicated by the shadow of the cross wires inside this hemisphere.    

It has always been an enigma to me.  I have tried to understand the way these things work, but haven't got a clue looking at the structures though!!

A video on how the sun moves across different time spheres is given at  http://www.jantarmantar.org/





For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on Zafar Mahal,  Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple

Connaught Place - The shopping paradise for the rich and wealthy

With all the big brands showrooms occupying the prime space in connaught place, the market is designed for those who are looking for premium products and ambience.   Set in the old buildings built during the British era, refurbished and renovated to suit modern tastes and choices, this place is busy as well as quiet with an old world charm around it.

This place is still called by its old name inspite of being renamed as Rajiv Chowk and Indira Chowk.  It has been one of my favourite haunts and I could roam around alone along the corridors and collonades of this beautiful shopping paradise for hours without getting bored.   There is always a passive humdrum of people around.   When I don't want to buy anything, it gives me the simple pleasure of looking around and do a bit of window shopping.   There are a variety of things that one could buy outisde of these showrooms too.  Small shops with Indian handicraft items, books, posters with beautiful quotes, little trinkets are all sold along the paths.

Most of these buildings have been built by the Britishers but there are some little buildings from the Mughal and the Indian Rajas also around.   The big roundabout of the Connaught Place covers a circle of multiple layers of buildings.  There is an outer circle, middle circle and inner circle of buildings.  Apart from the showrooms, these buildings houses offices and corporate houses of different organizations.  There are banks, restaurants, panwalla's, coffee shops, travel agents, etc.

The offices and business houses around this place ensures a regular flow of people into this area from all around Delhi.

It is also the central part of Delhi and all roads from every direction in Delhi come and converge at this point.  In the centre of these circles is a huge round park which has recently undergone a huge makeshift from the park I knew of some 10-15 years ago.   The Rajiv Chowk Metro Station and Palika Bazaar lie below this park.

This park now has a huge big Indian Flag with a small amphitheatre built-in the centre.  People from all around come to take a little break and relax in the sun during winter days.

On Sundays too, when the market is closed there are people in huge numbers occupying this place.

This has turned out to be more than a shopping place - a tourist attraction, picnic spot and a place where one can just spend sometime with the loved ones!!

For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on Zafar Mahal,  Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple