In this slide show you will get a look at some of the wonderful places to visit when you are in srirangapatna, starting at ; Masjid-i-Ala (also called Jama Masjid)
Colonel Bailey’s Dungeon
Ragantha Swamy Temple
Dariya Daulat Bagh-Summer Palace
Srirangapatna was the scene of the last and decisive battle fought between Tipu Sultan and a combined force of 50,000 men provided equally by the Nizam of Hyderabad and the East India Company under the overall command of General George Harris. This battle was the last engagement of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The Battle of Seringapatam, 1799, was truly momentous in its historic effects.
At the battle’s climax, Tipu Sultan was killed within the fort of Seringapatam, betrayed by one of his own confidants; the spot where he ultimately fell is marked by a memorial. For the last time in history, Seringapatam had been the scene of political change in the Sultanate of Mysore. The joint forces of the victorious army proceeded to plunder Seringapatam and ransack Tipu’s palace. Apart from the usual gold and cash, innumerable valuables and objects d’art, not excepting even the personal effects of Tipu Sultan, his rich clothes and shoes, sword and firearms, were shipped to England.
n 2013 whilst driving around the Ma Hong Son Loop we stopped off at Pong Dueat Geyser and hot springs. The geysers were not blowing very high but the hot springs were lovely and i would definatley go again!
This place also offers you the hot springs with great facilities situate amid the picturesque views of the mountain forest. There are tents and bungalows offers for visitors who want to stay overnight.
If you’re looking to learn a bit more about the local history, check out Itthi Military Base. It tells the story of the times when the mountain was at the centre of violent clashes between Communist insurgent and the Thai Army. You can see vehicles, guns, and other weapons that were used during the fighting, as well as maps, reconstructions of bunkers, and other exhibits and displays. The nearby Khao Koh Sacrificial Monument, made from marble, honours police officers, members of the military, and local people who tried to protect the area during time of trouble
Ayadar Malikmadove is the leader of the village of Yamg near Langar in Tajikistan. During my tour through the Wakhan Valley we stopped in Yamg and were treated to Ayadar’s famous hand crafted Guitars used for traditional folkk music of this area.
I was very honoured to be allowed to video him performing, and to have been a part of this moment. He also is curator for a small and personal museum of the history of the area and it’s people. If you are planning a trip through the Wakhan Valley Ayadar’s place is a must stop point.
During 2013 I was travelling at the later end of a Year across Central Asia and SEA. Whilst in Laos which I covered extensively up in the North near Sam Nuea I visited these Menhirs. I hope you enjoy seeing them too?
Shah Jahan was a member of the Mughal dynasty that ruled most of northern India from the early 16th to the mid 18th-century. After the death of his father, King Jahangir, in 1627, Shah Jahan emerged the victor of a bitter power struggle with his brothers, and crowned himself emperor at Agra in 1628. At his side was Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal (“Chosen One of the Palace”), whom he married in 1612 and cherished as the favorite of his three queens.
Did You Know? According to one gruesome (and most likely sensational) story, Shah Jahan had his minions cut off the hands of the Taj Mahal’s architect and his workers after the structure was completed, ensuring they would never build another of its kind.
In 1631, Mumtaz Mahal died after giving birth to the couple’s 14th child. The grieving Shah Jahan, known for commissioning a number of impressive structures throughout his reign, ordered the building of a magnificent mausoleum across the Yamuna River from his own royal palace at Agra. Construction began around 1632 and would continue for the next two decades. The chief architect was probably Ustad Ahmad Lahouri, an Indian of Persian descent who would later be credited with designing the Red Fort at Delhi. In all, more than 20,000 workers from India, Persia, Europe and the Ottoman Empire, along with some 1,000 elephants, were brought in to build the mausoleum complex. Design and Construction of the Taj Mahal Named the Taj Mahal in honor of Mumtaz Mahal, the mausoleum was constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones (including jade, crystal, lapis lazuli, amethyst and turquoise) forming intricate designs in a technique known as pietra dura. Its central dome reached a height of 240 feet (73 meters) and was surrounded by four smaller domes; four slender towers, or minarets, stood at the corners. In accordance with Islamic tradition, verses from the Quran were inscribed in calligraphy on the arched entrances to the mausoleum, in addition to numerous other sections of the complex. Inside the mausoleum, an octagonal marble chamber adorned with carvings and semi-precious stones housed the cenotaph, or false tomb, of Mumtaz Mahal. The real sarcophagus containing her actual remains lay below, at garden level.
The rest of the Taj Mahal complex included a main gateway of red sandstone and a square garden divided into quarters by long pools of water, as well as a red sandstone mosque and an identical building called a jawab (or “mirror”) directly across from the mosque. Traditional Mughal building practice would allow no future alterations to be made to the complex. As the story goes, Shah Jahan intended to build a second grand mausoleum across the Yamuna River from the Taj Mahal, where his own remains would be buried when he died; the two structures were to have been connected by a bridge. In fact, Aurangzeb (Shah Jahan’s third son with Mumtaz Mahal) deposed his ailing father in 1658 and took power himself. Shah Jahan lived out the last years of his life under house arrest in a tower of the Red Fort at Agra, with a view of the majestic resting place he had constructed for his wife; when he died in 1666, he was buried next to her. The Taj Mahal Over the Years
Under Aurangzeb’s long rule (1658-1707), the Mughal empire reached the height of its strength. However, his militant Muslim policies, including the destruction of many Hindu temples and shrines, undermined the enduring strength of the empire and led to its demise by the mid-18th century. Even as Mughal power crumbled, the Taj Mahal suffered from neglect and disrepair in the two centuries after Shah Jahan’s death. Near the turn of the 19th century, Lord Curzon, then British viceroy of India, ordered a major restoration of the mausoleum complex as part of a colonial effort to preserve India’s artistic and cultural heritage.
Today, some 3 million people a year (or around 45,000 a day during peak tourist season) visit the Taj Mahal. Air pollution from nearby factories and automobiles poses a continual threat to the mausoleum’s gleaming white marble facade, and in 1998, India’s Supreme Court ordered a number of anti-pollution measures to protect the building from deterioration. Some factories were closed, while vehicular traffic was banned from the immediate vicinity of the complex.
In 2015 I spent 5months travelling around Southern India. One of the things that struck me the most was there were so many Temples! This one in Mysore is the second in my video collection.
Chamundi Hill is about 13 kms from Mysore, which is a prominent city in Karnataka State of India. Chamundi Hills is famous not only in India but also abroad. ‘Chamundi’ or ‘Durga’ at atop of the hil, the famous Sri Chamundeswari Temple is the fierce form of ‘Shakti’. She is the slayer of demons, ‘Chanda’ and ‘Munda’ and also ‘Mahishasura’, the buffalow-headed monster.
She is the tutelary deity of the Mysore Maharajas and the presiding deity of Mysore. For several centuries they have held the Goddess, Chamundeswari, in great reverence.
In ‘Skanda Purana’ and other ancient texts, it is mention a sacred place called ‘Trimuta Kshetra’ surrounded by eight hills. lying along side of west is the Chamundi Hills, it is one among the eight hills. In the earlier days, the hill was identified as ‘Mahabaladri’ in honour of God Shiva who resides in the ‘Mahabaleswara Temple’; this is the oldest temple on the hills.
Jantar Mantar of Jaipur is one of the five observatories constructed by Jai Singh II. Ujjain, Delhi and Varanasi are the other cities that house the remaining Jantar Mantars but there remain no traces of the one at Mathura.
Among the many instruments that are part of this observatory is the world’s biggest sundial. Jantar Mantar is located just a stone’s throw from City Palace and Hawa Mahal and features instruments made of stone and brass that were built using instrument design principles from ancient texts.
In all there are 19 instruments that help observe astronomical positions with the naked eye. Jantar Mantar is a fine example of Ptolemaic positional astronomy and has instruments that operate in each of the three main classical celestial coordinate systems: the ecliptic system, the horizon-zenith local system and the equatorial system.
When it suffered some damage in the 19th century, Major Arthur Garrett, an amateur astronomer who was posted as the Assistant State Engineer in Jaipur, undertook the first major restoration work on Jantar Mantar. As of 2010, Jantar Mantar has been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites and remains a gem of Jaipur that cannot be missed.
When an opportunity to see a major cultural event came my way in Bagan, Myanmar, I jumped at the chance. I was at the right place at the right time, to witness an important rite of passage, the Buddhist Novitiation Ceremony in Myanmar.
The Shinbyu, or Novitiation ceremony, is a coming of age ceremony as in other religions, for boys under 20 years old. The Novitiate ceremony is when boys do their service to Buddhism and are entered into the order of the monks for a week or longer.
This incredible event turned out to be one the highlights of my entire trip to this incredible country. The Novitiate Programme for the day
1)Blessings in the homes The festivities of the day started with visiting some of the young boys’ family homes. We paid respect and offered blessings and donations to the father and mother of the household. Novitiation is the obligation of every parent and the most important gift to their sons. It is believed that this deed will prevent the parents from having an evil afterlife in Buddhist tradition. The boys started getting dressed for the occasion. Earlier in the day their heads are shaven. Then elaborate green, yellow, blue and pink satin costumes with colourful make up of the same colors filled the village. These intricate costumes are symbolic of the look of a royal prince.
2) The Procession Early on in the day, a procession of the over 20year old monks begins, a ceremony that enters these boys into full monkhood. It starts with a short alms offering of money to the men. These men have now become fully ordained monks, to fulfill more years in the monastery if they so desire. Next, the procession started toward the monastery. It was a spirited, happy spectacle. As far across the fields as we could see, colourful families paraded to the village joining the long colourful train. The decorated Pandal or bamboo chairs, were hoisted over the shoulders of the men of the family while the boys were ceremoniously carried above their heads, shaded with gold umbrellas. In larger cities, and depending on stature, boys may be riding horses, oxes or elephants. Here the Pandal was painted to resemble a horse. To pay respect to the Buddha, the parade circles clockwise around the monastery. Following the boys are the fathers, mothers and sisters are given the duties of carrying the Alms bowl, the monk robes and ceremonial lotus flowers. We saw a beautiful array of the traditional tribes and the finest colourful formal wear, particularly from the Danu and the Pa-O tribe communities. An enthusiastic group of musicians on chimes, drums and bamboo sticks followed the procession as many joined in with dancing and singing. Wow! What a spectacular event!
3) The Feast No celebration is complete without a satisfying feast. Hundreds of low round tables set on fine bamboo mats and rugs set the stage for the welcoming traditional feast of soup, curried salted fish, vegetables, rice, fermented green mango and bean sprouts. 4) The Monastery Ceremony Once the procession was over, the families were brought into the monastery. Boys were stripped down of their colourful costumes and left in their white undergarments. After the senior monks perform alms and prayers, they are transformed, by receiving their maroon robes. The residing monks help them into the robes showing them how they are to be worn.
It was one of the most amazing spectacles I have ever seen and I feel extremely honoured not only to have seen it but to have photographed such an auspicious event.
In 2015 I journeyed round the southern part of the Indian Continent. Starting in Goa and working my way round the peninsula to Chennai. In the beautiful state of Kerala I stopped in Varkala and after my amazing experience with the Theyyam traditional worship of the Gods in Malabar, I was keen to see the Kathakali.
When i was in Cochin in 2015 I saw these wonderfully coloured Rickshaws in the grounds of a Hotel waiting for their start of the now famous Rickshaw challenge India.
1st January 2015, they start the rally in Cochin, Kerala on the southern part of India, and driving up India’s west coast to reach Jaisalmer, Rajasthan in northern India two weeks later (hopefully). Along the way, they pass through the beautiful beaches of Goa, the mountains of Nasik, the chaos of Mumbai, and many other parts of India.
The Rickshaw Run is the brainchild of a UK company called The Adventurists. They are most famous for the Mongol Rally, a race that brings participants from London all the way to Mongolia. Every adventure they run raises money for some charities. So far teams on their adventures have raised a total of 5 million GBP!
To quote them, “Here at The Adventurists we don’t want sunsets and ‘finding oneself’ we want danger and adventure, the clue is in our name. Our adventures are all hard-core and pose great risk to individuals health, however that’s the way we like to live.
The Rickshaw Run is no exception.” Their motto in life: fighting to make the world less boring.
Journeys From A Small Room 