Hoysaleshwara Temple Halebidu – The Acme Of Temple Architecture
Hoysaleshwara Temple is a 12th-century Shaivite temple and the largest monument in Halebidu, the former capital of the Hoysala Empire. It is unique for the richness, finesse and beauty of the carved friezes that adorn its exterior walls. There is no other equivalent of such an artistic achievement across the country and probably in the world.
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Shef’s Dharmic Trail. Nako Diaries.
‘This cat is one of my Gurus’, he said laughingly, ‘always lives in the present moment, is self reliant and completely in control of its mind’.
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Shef’s Dharmic Trail. Lonely Road To Nako
There are almost no human settlements between Peo and Nako, just a lonely road that snakes through barren, jagged, craggy mountains.
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The Amrutheshwara Temple of Amruthapura
An interesting feature of the temple is that the lamp inside the temple has been burning for the past 200 years! It consumes almost a litre of oil daily.
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Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Javagal – A Forgotten Wonder
This temple is one of many such lesser known temples built during the Hoysala era. It is a “live” temple and daily puja is offered here. However, because of its relative obscurity most people visiting this temple are devotees and one is unlikely to see an art or culture lover.
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Shef’s Dharmic Trail. The Road To Tabo
Tabo Monastery is considered to be the oldest continuously operating Buddhist monastery in India. It is often referred to as the Ajanta of the Himalayas, due to its wonderful wall frescos painted using vegetable and mineral colours.
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Shef’s Dharmic Trail. Upon Karma
This was the Karmayoga of the Geeta seen in action. Something I have never forgotten!
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Lakshmi Devi Temple, Doddagaddavalli – the Hidden Gem
The beautiful Lakshmi Devi Temple, Doddagaddavalli is one of the oldest surviving Hoysala temples. It is another hidden gem about which not much is known.
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Shef’s Dharmic Trail. Flames of Faith.
In this first part of her travelogue series, Shefali Vaidya narrates her experiences as she travels through Rishikesh.
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Bagan: The Land of a Thousand Pagodas
Myanmar is a hidden beauty. It is one of the most important Buddhist cultures in the world, preserving the Thervada Buddhist tradition like no other country has. Accompanying its robust culture of monks and meditation, it also has some of the greatest cultural monuments in the world, most prominently displayed at Bagan, the ancient capital of Burma. In this travelogue, Ami Ganatra tells us not only about the art, culture and architecture of Burma, but also its unique tradition of widespread monkhood for a few years in life. Read on to know more about this great cultural cousin of India.
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