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Delhi

Jantar Mantar – Delhi

The Jantar Mantar was built in 1724 by Sawai Jai Singh, on land owned by his great grandfather Mizra Raja Jai Singh of Amer. It…

Goa

Viceroy’s Arch

Close to the Mandovi river and Church of St.Cajetan in Old Goa is Viceroy’s Arch. The arch was originally erected in 1599 by Viceroy Francisco da…

Loliem Vetal – Goa

One of my many reasons for visiting Goa was to seek out the Loliem Vetal, which proved to be quite difficult as my driver had…

Gujarat

Ahmedabad Old City Heritage Walk

During my stay in Ahmedabad I signed up for a morning heritage walk around the old city. Having done a similar walk in Pune, I’ve…

Jammu & Kashmir

Ladakh – An Introduction

In the far north of India set within the Himalayas lies Ladakh. Known as “Little Tibet”, it is a land of dramatic landscapes and mystical Buddhist…

Leh Heritage Walk

As an amateur archaeologist, it should come as no surprise that I am passionate about the heritage of any country I visit, and in particular any…

Hemis Festival 2015 – Day 2

Having attended Day 1 of the Hemis Festival I was a little unsure what to expect from the second day. I arrived early again, and it…

Hemis Festival 2015 – Day 1

According to the Tibetan calendar, the great annual festivals held in the villages of Ladakh takes place in winter, with the exception of thseshu held…

Pangong Tso – Ladakh

Pangong Tso in the eastern highlands of Changthang bordering Tibet is one of Ladakh’s most spectacular and popular destinations. When I visited Ladakh last year…

Turtuk

Turtuk lies 85km beyond Hundar in the Shyok Valley, and was the highlight of my stay in the region. The journey to get there is nothing…

Khardung La Pass

At an elevation of 18,379 ft, the Khardung La is the world’s highest motorable road and serves as gateway to the Nubra Valley. Khardung La…

Leh

“Leh, Ladakh – you must go to Leh, Ladakh !”. I’ve lost count how many times I was told this during my work visits to…

Karnataka

Srirangapatna

Srirangapatna (also spelled Shrirangapattana; anglicized to Seringapatam during the British Raj) is a town in Mandya district of the Indian state of Karnataka. This is…

Badami Town

Having done the obligatory tour of the monuments of Badami, I decided to break away from all of that and immerse myself into the daily…

Kerala

Periyar National Park

Periyar National Park is the oldest national park in the state of Kerala, created in 1934 by the Travancore government. This vast reserve of some…

Kathakali Dance

During my short stay in Kochi I was fortunate enough to attend a Kathakali dance performance. The venue for this was the Kerala Kathakali Centre.…

Madhya Pradesh

Datia – Karan Sagar Chhatris

The chhatris are located just 10 minutes drive north-east from the center of Datia, by the shores of Karan Sagar lake. Here the royal families…

The Chhatris of Orchha

In total there are 15 chhatris of Bundela kings and their families, located on the banks of the river Betwa just 800m south of the…

Maharashtra

Alandi – Home to a Marathi Saint

Situated on the banks of the sacred Indrayani river 22km north of Pune, Alandi is a famous pilgrimage site that attracts hundreds of thousands of…

Bhigwan

Located on the Pune-Solapur Highway 120 km from Pune, Bhigwan is best known for its wildlife around the backwaters of Ujjani Dam. This is the…

Illuminated Mumbai

Prior to my long overdue visit to Mumbai I did quite a bit of research on locations for photography in the city, and discovered that…

Pashan Lake – Pune

Although I would consider Pune a relatively green city compared to many urbanised areas of the country, I still find myself occasionally longing for a…

The Zero Stone – Pune

Located outside the General Post Office on Sadhu Vaswani Mission Road in Pune, the Zero Stone is probably one of the city’s smallest and least noticed…

Naneghat

Naneghat is an ancient mountain pass in the Western Ghats range near Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra. During the reign of the Satavahana (200…

Mahabaleshwar Viewpoints

Mahabaleshwar is a hill station located in the Sahyadri mountain range of Maharastra. With one of the few evergreen forests of India, it served as…

Pune Old City Heritage Walk

Having visited Pune over fifteen times, I’ve often wanted to go on one of the guided heritage walks around the old city. For some reason…

Odisha

Raghurajpur Artist Village

Located 15 km north of Puri in Odisha, Raghurajpur is a heritage crafts village, the first to be established in the State in the year…

Rajasthan

Jodhpur Street Photography

Below are some shots taken during my time roaming about the city of Jodhpur. They are essentially left over shots having already done ten blog…

Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park

Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park on the outskirts of Jodhpur was created in 2006 to try and restore the natural ecology of a large, rocky…

How to protect your camera for Holi

If you’re planning to be in India for Holi then you’re probably quite keen to ensure you protect your camera and yourself during the big…

Holi – Day 1 – Holika Dahan

It’s staggering to think that my previous 18 visits to India had never coincided with the Holi festival. So this year I decided that had…

Patwon Ki Haveli

Located just 400m to the north of Jaisalmer fort and palace, Patwon Ki Haveli is a complex of five separate havelis owned by five brothers,…

Bada Bagh

Bada Bagh (also known as Bara Bagh or Barabagh) is a garden complex 6km north of Jaisalmer. If you’ve already visited Jaisalmer Fort and Palace…

Gadisar Lake

Originally a conservation lake to collect rain water, Gadisar Lake (also called Gadsisar Lake) was built in 1367 by Maharawal Gadsi Singh to meet the…

Mandore Gardens

Mandore is best known for the chattris memorialising the rulers of Marwar up until the late 1890s, but until the mid 15th century it was…

Ghantaghar Clock Tower

Built by Maharaja Sardar Singh (1880-1911) from whom the market takes it name, the clock tower is in the very heart of Sardar Market, slap…

Jaswant Thada

Built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in 1899 in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II (the 33rd ruler of Jodhpur), Jaswant Thada is a…

Ghanerao

Ghanerao is just 19km north of Ranakpur, and makes for a useful place to stop if you end up arriving at the Ranakpur Jain Temple…

Jaipur Street Photography

This will be a blog post with even less verbiage than normal 🙂  Below are some random shots I took whilst exploring the streets of…

Gangaur Ghat – Udaipur

Gangaur Ghat is located at the heart of the city of Udaipur and is very easy to find. Upon leaving the City Palace via the north…

Udaipur Street Photography

Below are some shots taken during my time roaming the old city of Udaipur. They don’t fit into any of the other categories really, but…

Gaitore

Gaitore is a royal cremation ground for the Kachhwaha Rajput kings and the members of the royal family. It’s located right on the edge of…

Mandawa

This is a longer excursion from Jaipur than Abhaneri, the 168km journey will take you at least 3 hours. Whilst it can be easily achieved…

Jantar Mahal

The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments (or observatory), built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh. In total he constructed five…

Tamil Nadu

Mahabalipuram Beach

Mahabalipuram is of course most famous for the Shore Temple, Pancha Rathas, Central Monuments and Tiger Cave – all built during the period of the Pallava Kings.…

Mudumalai National Park

The Mudumalai National Park lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mountains) about 150 km north-west of Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu. Sharing its boundaries with the states of Karnataka and Kerala, the…

The Toda Tribe

Whilst planning my trip to South India in 2016 I spent a good many hours scouring what information Google maps can provide, in particular looking…

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

Vedanthangal is the oldest water bird sanctuary in the country, established in 1858 by the order of the Collector of Chengalpattu who identified the ornithological…

Uttar Pradesh

The 85 Ghats of Banaras

Indian Heritage Podcast The ghats on the great Ganga riverfront at Banaras are unquestionably the city’s most iconic and celebrated image. For thousands of years…

Rajghat – The Origins Of Kashi

Right up at the very northern end of present day Varanasi (Baranas) is Malviya Bridge, spanning the Ganga where for over three thousand years boats…

The Art of Ganga Aarti

Long before I travelled to Varanasi I knew that one of the things I absolutely had to do was witness the daily Aarti ceremony that…

Gurudwara Guru Ka Taal – Agra

Guru Ka Tal is a historical Sikh pilgrimage site located in the Sikandra district of Agra in Uttar Pradesh. It is dedicated to Guru Tegh…