Indian Columbus

Amidst the nationwide anticipation for the grand consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, I find myself reminiscing about my visit to this sacred city back in 2004. Having been a resident of Delhi for two years, my exploration of the surrounding areas had been extensive, yet Ayodhya remained untouched. It was my mother's fervent desire to visit the holy site of Ram Janma Bhoomi that led to the booking of train tickets from Delhi to the then Faizabad railway station (now Ayodhya Cant). The train journey from Delhi to Faizabad turned out to be quite an adventure. Despite being in a reserved compartment, chaos reigned, with passengers occupying every available space. In this crowded setting, my mother and I seemed like the only outsiders. To add to the peculiarity, some village women were smoking inside the train, turning our journey into a unique cultural experience. Upon reaching Ayodhya, we found accommodation at the Birla Dharmasala, seemingly the only option at that time. The v...

Site Name:   Sarnath Site Type:  Buddhist religious town; sacred site for Buddhists Location:   Uttar Pradesh state, India Highlights:   Buddha taught dharma for the first time in this site; the national emblem of India is kept Nearest Railway Station:   Varanasi, 13  kms from Sarnath Nearest Airport:  Lucknow How to reach:  Well connected by road from Varanasi Hotel:  A lot of options including low cost hotels/ashrams and free accommodations in Varanasi; very few options in Sarnath Restaurants:  Varieties of options in Varanasi but very limited options in Sarnath Sarnath is a small village located near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is the site where Buddha started preaching dharma for the first time. It is the site where the national emblem of India is kept. It is considered as one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimages. The village is dotted with Buddhist shrines of various countries. Let us e...

Ayodhya is one of the seven most sacred sites for Hindus. It is located near Faizabad in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is famous as Ram Janma Bhoomi. Many temples and places in this small town are associated with the birth and other events in the life of Lord Rama.  Let us briefly explore various places in this town. Swarg Dwar: Ayodhya town, which was much more prominent once and the capital city of Raghu dynasty kings, is situated on the banks of the river Sarayu. The Naya Ghat and the surrounding areas are known as Swarg Dwar. It is the place where Lord Rama and his three brothers left this world and reached Vaikuntha. Taking a dip in this place is considered sacred for the Hindus. Sarayu Temple: All the holy rivers are worshipped as the deities by the Hindus. The legend associated with the most sacred river Ganga is viral. There are so many temples found for Ganga across the country. Like the Ganga temple, there are temples dedicated to other rivers that are not very co...

Site Name:   Varanasi aka Banaras aka Kashi Site Type:  Ancient city Location:   Uttar Pradesh state, India Highlights:   One of the most sacred and the oldest cities in India Nearest Railway Station:   Varanasi Nearest Airport:  Allahabad How to reach:  Well connected by road and rail Hotel:  A lot of options including low cost and free accommodation such as ashrams Restaurants:  Varieties of options  Varanasi is one of the oldest cities of India. It is called in various names such as Kasi, Kashi and Banaras. The city which is located on the banks of the river Ganga is considered as one of the sacred cities for Hindus. From the time immemorial, Kasi has been the center of education, religion, art, culture and heritage. A lot of historical events have been taken place in this city. This city has been widely and repeatedly referred in Indian mythology. Even today the city attracts thousands of pilgrims and equal numb...

Site Name:   Triveni Sangam Site Type:  River Location:   Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh state, India Highlights:   An important holy site for Hindus Nearest Railway Station:   Allahabad Nearest Airport:  Allahabad How to reach:  Well connected by road and rail Hotel:  A lot of options including low cost and free accommodation such as ashrams Restaurants:  Varieties of options  Allahabad is an ancient city located in Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is also called as Prayag. As per the Hindu tradition, the point of river confluence is considered as a sacred place. In Allahabad, three rivers merge with each other and that site is called as 'Triveni Sangam'. It is very sacred and important tourist site in India. Two physical rivers Ganga and Yamuna and the mythological invisible river of Saraswati merge with each other in Prayag. Once in every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela even is celebrated here where millions of people gather....