Trip to Ujjain Omkareshwar and Mandu

Mandu

Mandu  or Mandavgad is a ruined city in the Dhar district in the Malwa region of western Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The distance between Dhar & Mandu is about 35 km. The fortress town on a rocky hill is about 100 km from Indore is well known for its fine architecture. Mandu was originally the fort-capital of Rajput Parmara rulers of Malwa. Towards the end of the 11th century, it came under the rule of the Taranga kingdom.

Places of interest

Jahaz Mahal/Ship Palace Situated between two artificial lakes, this two storied architectural marvel is so named as it appears as a ship floating in water. Built by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Khilji, it served as a harem for the sultan. It is a major tourist attraction.

Hindola Mahal - meaning Swing palace is so named due to its sloping side walls it is one of a set buildings making up the royal palace complex at Mandu, which consists of the Jahaz Mahal, the Hindola Mahal, the Tawili Mahal, and the Nahar Jharokha. There are a number of other, undated structures surrounding the palace - an evidence of the rich and glorious past.

Rewa kund - A reservoir constructed by Baz Bahadur for the purpose of supplying water to Rani Roopmati's Pavilion. The reservoir is situated below the pavilion and hence is considered an architectural marvel.

Roopmati's Pavilion Rani Roopmati - the love interest of Baaz Bahadur lived here and is said to have gazed at the Baz Bahadur's Palace - situated below and also at Narmada River, flowing through the Nimar plains far below. The Pavilion is a major tourist attraction.

Baz Bahadur's Palace-Built by Baz Bahadur, this 16th-century structure is famous for its large courtyards encompassed by large halls and high terraces. It is situated below Roopmati's Pavilion and can be seen from the pavilion.

KANIPAKKAM

KANIPAKKAM

Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple is a temple of Ganesha. It is located in Kanipakam in Chitoor, Andhra Pradesh, India. This historic temple is in Kanipaakam in Chitoor District. It is about 11 km from Chitoor town. Strange feature of the idol is that it is still growing in size. At present, we can see the knees and the abdomen of the idol. An ardent devotee had offered a 'Kavacham' (Armour) to the Lord, fifty years ago but today it is out of size and doesn't fit the idol. The holy water from the well is offered to the devotees as theertham. The swayambhu idol of Kanipakam known as the supporter of truth. Disputes are solved between people is resolved by taking a 'special oath'. The people in the dispute take a holy dip in the temple tank and swear before the lord. Villagers say that there are instances when the person who committed that sin voluntarily agrees as soon as he had the dip and much before entering the temple itself. It seems the Lord lawns invisibly on the sinner and makes him repent and feel guilty for his sinful deeds.

HOLE ANJANEYA TEMPLE MADDUR

Hole Anjaneya temple is situated on the banks of river Shimsha in Maddur of Mandya district. Distance from Bangalore to Maddur is approximately 81 kms and from Mysore it is around 63 kms. It is said that Hanumantharaya as called by people there was installed by sri vyasarajaru and sripadarajaru.
this temple is said to be around 550 years old of vijaynagara empire. Two fingers of this idol is very long and he is holding sougandhika flower,his tail has bells and he has sun and moon on his head.
It is sais that this idol has been growing 1/2 inch from past 6 to 7 years.
As per purohit of this temple different sounds of conch and bells are heard during lunar eclipse in closed doors of the temple.

Another important fact about this temple is that if one holds 1 rupee and 25 paise coin in hand and pray to lord of one's wishes, the keep the coin near lord's feet his wishes are fulfilled.
Mantra of this Anjaneya to be recited daily108 times
Anjani garbha samboota
sugriva sachivothamma
ramapriya namasthubhyam
hanuman pahimam sadaa.
Devotees visit this temple on Tuesdays with 5 bananas and do 5 pradikshanas for their well being.

Jammu

Raghunath mandir

After enchanting srinagar we proceeded to Jammu, reached by midnight 12 retired in hotel room . morning visited Raghunath mandir, ranbireshwar mandir, Lakshminarayan mandir. raghunah mandir complex houses a number of temples in it's vicinity. the  temple was built by maharaja Gulab Singh.The presiding deity is Lord Rama. the crystal shivalinga in Raghunath mandir complex is said to be one for kal sarpa yoga rituals. when milk is poured on the lingam half moon can be seen inside the linga.
after breakfast we left to Amritsar by 10 in the morning, on the way we visited wagah border.
this is the only road border between India and Pakistan, lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Lahore and Amritsar. every evening there is a retreat ceremony called lowering of flags being held from the year 1959. At that time there is a parade by B.S.F. (Border Security Force),men of India and Pakistani soldiers. troops of each country in their uniform with colourful turban put on a show. the procession is marked with loud shouts of Patriotism full of energy. As the soldiers of both sides reach the gate, it is open. Flags of both countries flying high will be lowered with full respect and brought back. they salute eachother and start the flag lowering. the flags are carefully folded and the gates are closed . A loud trumpet sound marks the end of ceremony and soldiers are back with respective flags.

Durgiana temple

Golden temple

Sita mandir

we with high spirits of patriotism hindi movie songs left to Amritsar, reached by 8.30 pm. hurriedly after refreshing ourselves visited Durgiana temple complex which also houses temples of Sita mata and Hanuman.
the temple is beautiful and located near the Lohgarh gate.. later we visited Golden temple, surrounded by large lake or temple lake known as sarovar which consists of amrit (nectar). there are four enterances to the temple. inside there are many shrines of Sikh gurus and saints. after the tiresome journey returned to hotel for overnight stay. next day morning by 7.00 am we left to Kurukshetra reached there by 3.00pm.

Bhishma kund

Bhishma in bed of arrows

Jyotisar

Kurukshetra is a land of religious and historical importance. it is also known as Dharmakshetra. the imporatance of this place is attributed to the great Kurukshetra war of mahabharatha period. Bhagavadgita upadesham or Gitopadesham as called was preached to Arjuna by Lord Krishna on this land during might war in the dwapara yuga.

Brahma Sarovar

Krishna museum campus

Sannihit Sarovar

the Staneshwar Mahadev temple whose presiding deity is Lord Shiva is believed to be the oldest temple in the vicinity. a few kilometres from Kurukshetra is a village known as Amin, where the remnants of Abhimanyu fort are seen. the land is also known as Uttarvedi, Brahmavedi, Dharmakshetra and Kurukhetra during different periods. places of interest are brahma sarovar, sannihit sarovar, jyotisar (famoussite where Gitopadesham was preached to Arjuna by Lord Krishna), Krishna museum, Bhishma kund, (place where Arjuna shot arrow to the ground to get water to quench Bhishma's thirst)
after recalling mahabharata memories we forwarded our journey to New Delhi which was the last destination of this Pilgrimage.

Birla mandir

Qutbminar

India Gate

redfort

redfort ent

Lotus temple

Places of interest in New Delhi are many. To name few are Rashtrapathi bhavan, Mughal gardens, Parliament house, India Gate, Rajpath, Teen murti bavan, Lodhi gardens, Jantar Mantar.
we leisurely visited Birla mandir, RajGhat, Redfort, QutbMinar, Lotus temple

srinagar

our group

floating market

Left to Srinagar by 7 am from Katra, had breakfast at Om Bhojanalaya, vaishnoo dhaba means vegetarian dhaba. Parota was awesome. We had a small break to view the first valley of Kashmir named as TITANIC view point. 

Passed through Jawahar tunnel. Length of the tunnel is about 2.5 kms situated between Banihal and Qazigund which facilitates road connectivity to Kashmir throughout the year.  The tunnel was renovated by the Border Roads Organization under the project BEACON in 1960. It was first meant for 150 vehicles per day; the number is now 7000. After renovations, the tunnel now has a two-way ventilation system, pollution & temperature sensors, and a world-class lighting system.

It is guarded by military round the clock, photography or videography inside or nearby the tunnel is strictly prohibited. Once the vehicle enters the tunnel, it has to maintain the same speed throughout the tunnel. CCTVs are installed in the tunnel for continuous monitoring. Reached Srinagar by 5.30pm checked into houseboat named ATHENS, after refreshing tea we left for Shikara ride in Dal Lake. Shopping was awesome in the floating markets at Dal lake, purchased dry fruits, saffron, Kehwa powder etc.

Srinagar

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu Kashmir sprawls on both sides of river Jhelum. Srinagar was the summer resorts of mughal rulers, who built marvelous gardens with fountains, waterways, mosques etc.

Places of interesting are Dal lake, the largest lake of the city is indeed focal point of Srinagar. It is divided into four parts namely Gagribal, Lokutdal, Boddal and Nagin. Both Lokutdal and Boddal have island in the center called charchinar and sonalank. Naginlake is at the foot of zabarwan mountain, is the smallest and most beautiful part of Dal lake. One can also enjoy Shikara rides, houseboat stay, swimming skiing at dal.

 A shikara can seat about six people and have heavily cushioned seats and backrests to provide comfort in Mughul style. All houseboat owners provide shikara transport to their house guests free of charge. The shikara is also used to provide for other sightseeing locations in the valley, notably a cruise along the Jhelum River, offering scenic views of the Pir Panjal Mountains and passing through the famous seven bridges and the backwaters enroute.

Hazratbal Shrine

The white marble mosque on north-west side of Dal Lake has hazratbal mosque, enshrines a holy hair of Prophet Mohammed and is regarded as holiest mosque of Kashmir.

Chashma shahi gardens

Chashma Shahi ("Royal Spring") one of the smaller Kashmiri gardens around Dal Lake, is found on the southeastern side of the lake. 

Pari Mahal

Once the royal observatory, Pari Mahal has a charmingly laid out garden and is a five-minute drive from Cheshmashahi. Situated on the spur of a mountain overlooking the Dal, the ancient monument, with a well-laid spacious garden in front, is connected to Cheshmashahi by road. It is illuminated at night.

Nishat bagh

Also called the 'Garden of Pleasure', located on the bank of the Dal Lake, with the Zabarwan Mountains as its backdrop, Nishat Bagh is a garden of bliss that commands a magnificent view of the lake beneath the snow capped Pir Panjal mountain range that stands far away to the west of the valley. The Bagh was designed and built by Asif Khan, elder brother of Noor Jehan.

Shankara charya temple

shikara ride

sunset in Dal lake

Athens house boat

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nishat bagh

first valley of kashmir

shankaracharya temple

The Shankracharya Mandir is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is thought to be the oldest shrine in the Kashmir valley. The Shankara temple was originally built by King Sandhiman of the Gonanda dynasty of Kashmir. Photography and videography is not allowed.