This is the story of the land where Odisha meets Andhra and where the Machkund River has been rippling away for millions of years. Four thousand feet above sea levels, the Konda – Kamberu range, an arm of the Eastern Ghats surrounds this land. Locked on either side by mountains and interspersed valleys, here has … Continue reading Bondas – The Lonely Survivors amongst Earliest Indians
Langudi – Odisha’s Miraculous Buddhist Hill
Year 1995! I had just registered my PhD programme on Buddhist Archaeology at Pune’s Deccan College. I had come to Odisha for my initial fieldwork. On a fine late afternoon, I had stumbled upon Langudi Hill with my other companions Dr Pradip Mohanty and Dr Harish Prusty, both experts in Buddhist Archaeology. Remains of Rock-Cut … Continue reading Langudi – Odisha’s Miraculous Buddhist Hill
Captivating Kanha – A Journey through Two Worlds
It was the peak of summer and the peak of the day around 12 noon. During my epic drive from Ahmedabad to Bhubaneswar for about 2400 km (including several detours), I arrived at Seoni, a dusty small town at the middle of Nagpur and Jabalpur Highway in south-eastern Madhya Pradesh. This was where the Jungle … Continue reading Captivating Kanha – A Journey through Two Worlds
Sahi Jatra – Puri’s Holy Carnival
12th – 13th Centuries India! While on one end India was witnessing a renaissance through emerging traditions of classical art and culture on the other end there used to be constant threats from invading iconoclast sultans of Delhi in pursuit of their political ambitions. We all know how Devagiri, the wealthiest capital of Yadavas became … Continue reading Sahi Jatra – Puri’s Holy Carnival
Five forgotten forts of Telangana – A Travel Shot
Many travellers from the far-flung lands visit Telangana mostly for Hyderabad, a city full of historic sites like Golkonda Fort, Charminar, Qutb Sahi tombs etc. But if you are a history buff then Telangana has more to offer you and some places get hardly any mention in the guidebooks or history books. Also, Read Here: … Continue reading Five forgotten forts of Telangana – A Travel Shot
Celebrating Seasons in Patachitra – a Tribute to an Artist’s Dream and Passion
‘Once upon a time...an exiled Yakha in a distant land Pinning for his beloved...urges to carry a message to her’ A yaksha could change its form at will, take to the sky and fly where his fancy takes him, become invisible and indulge in a variety of supernatural capers. But the yaksha of Kalidasa’s Meghadootam … Continue reading Celebrating Seasons in Patachitra – a Tribute to an Artist’s Dream and Passion
Dhokra – The Living Bronze Age Craft of Odisha
‘There is little Baluchi-style face with pouting lips and insolent look in the eye. She’s about 15 years old I should think, not mere, but she stand there with bangles all the way up her arm and nothing else on. A girl perfectly, for the moment, perfectly confident of herself and the world. There is … Continue reading Dhokra – The Living Bronze Age Craft of Odisha
The Meluha
It was mesmerizing. The beige white ground spread in front of our eyes, small mounds rising on the horizon and millions of brick red pottery shards strewn across till horizon ! The shards were more than precious. Priceless actually because this was the earthen connection to our past, of not a few centuries but a millennia … Continue reading The Meluha
Kulpak Ji – An Ancient Derasar in Telangana
The ramparts sketching a thick line in the distance told us that we were somewhere in the vicinity of Bhongir Fort on the outskirts of Hyderabad in Telangana. Sheer steps hewn out of basalt on one among the innumerable boulders scattered along the timeless landscape of Deccan Plateau seemed both difficult yet alluring. But our … Continue reading Kulpak Ji – An Ancient Derasar in Telangana
Bikaner – Town Of A Thousand Splendid Mansions
Way back in 1990s, when I first heard about the magnificence of Havelis or traditional Indian mansions of Bikaner I nourished a subtle desire to visit in person and appreciate the impressive architecture of the Havelis. The newspaper feature articles that used to appear in the intervening period until my first visit to Bikaner circa 2000 … Continue reading Bikaner – Town Of A Thousand Splendid Mansions
