Through the centuries, Malwa region in Central India changed hands several times. It was ruled over by the Parmars, the Sultans of Delhi, the Mughals, the Marathas before ending up as a princely state controlled by the British. It was Dilawar Khan Ghuri who formally established the Sultanate of Malwa in the 12th century with … Continue reading Malwa, Mandu and the Romance of Roopmati and Baz
Garh means fort and Padhavali is site of this temple-cum-fort, located about an hour's drive from Gwalior. Bateshwar, Mitawali and Padhavali are all within easy reach of one another, so a visit to one would be incomplete without visiting the others. And here, in a nutshell, is what Padhavali is all about. A 10th century … Continue reading The Beauty of Garhi Padhavali
There's a lovely story in the Puranas about why the Vindhya mountains are mostly flat in nature. The Vindhyas were jealous of the Himalayas and tried to grow in height to outdo them. The local people feared that these mountains would obstruct the sun. So they prayed to Rishi Agastya for help. Rishi Agastya was … Continue reading Sunrise over Mandu
It is impossible to drive through the rocky, dusty and largely barren landscape of this region without thinking of the bands of dacoits that once roamed freely here. We pass signboards bearing names like Bhind, Morena and Chambal- all famous (or notorious!) because they were home to the dreaded dakus; some of whom have been … Continue reading A Dacoit, An Archeologist and the Temple Ruins of Bateshwar
CONTEXT: Chausath or 64 is an important number in tantric rituals. The number 8 is regarded as having great power and it is the square root of 64. Which means that 64 has even greater power and is more auspicious. In tantric literature it is considered sacred, mystical and is used in rituals to acquire … Continue reading Chausath (64) Yogini Temple of Mitawali
Comparing Wordle scores with friends at the start of the day is like comparing marks when the answer papers are given out. Once one's own marks are seen, the next questions is "How much did he/she get?" We may have left our school days far behind but some things stay with us. Here are some … Continue reading The Lighter Side of Wordle
The trip for this year is done and dusted. I've said it once and I'll say it again- trips with friends are like a tonic for the soul. The memories remain, as do the pictures. We saw some beautiful spots, marveled at several monuments, soaked up the ambience of a few out-of-the way places, laughed, … Continue reading The Lighter Side of Train Journeys
Q1: What do the Battle of Seringapatam, the Second Anglo-Maratha War and the Battle of Waterloo have in common? A1: They were commanded by Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington. Q2: What does Arthur Wellesley have to do with the White Mughals? A2: This book is set in the period (1798-1805) when his brother … Continue reading White Mughals by William Dalrymple- A Review
Every month, there's a collection drive that takes place in my neighbourhood. A notice is sent around on WhatsApp informing the date, time and venue so that people can come by and drop off stuff they don't need. This stuff is then taken away to be reused, recycled or upcycled. I'm a pretty regular (and … Continue reading Stuff It!
The hangover of a trip lasts much, Much longer than the trip itself. It takes a while to settle back into the grind of daily routine, to cook, clean and worse; get back to work. Ughhh. At such times, it's very tempting to just sit back and relive memories of the trip and plan more … Continue reading Notes From My Travel Diaries
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