Usha's Odyssey

Kumbharia Jain Temples During one of my visits to see some of the important places in Gujarat, I went with another cousin to Kumbharia, near Ambaji. I remember being particularly impressed by the beautiful Jain temples there. They were not as famous as the Dilwara temples of Mount Abu, but they had a beauty and character of their own. Kumbharia is home to a remarkable group of five medieval Jain temples, built over several centuries between the 11th and 13th centuries. They b

I visited The Darbar Gopaldas Haveli with my cousin from Ahmedabad. The Darbar Gopaldas Haveli is a magnificent 250-year-old mansion located in the heritage village of Vaso (Kheda district, near Nadiad), Gujarat. It stands out as one of the most prominent examples of traditional Gujarati vernacular architecture, widely celebrated for its incredibly intricate, multi-tiered wood carvings. Architectural Elements Captured in Photographs Intricate Woodwork: The haveli features mas

Shoja My another trip in Himachal Pradesh was from Shoja to Kalpa and further downwards to Sangla. Shoja was not too far from Banjar. Shoja’s beauty was filled with rich valleys and fascinating view of snow covered peaks to see and enjoy. We stayed in Shoja at a hotel where we had to walk down the steps. The hotel office was right at the top. We were seven of us - we were allotted rooms the same way. Each family was allotted rooms - one below the other at three levels. Every

MANALI - 1 Our first visit to Manali was with my father and mother. He was to attend a conference at Lake Nainital. As I have mentioned earlier that he was very fond of travelling. I remember I had already finished my first year at Medical college. He planned to go to Manali before going to conference in Naintal. Manali is one of the most beautiful towns in the Kullu Valley of the State of Himachal Pradesh. The town is located at a height of 6,398 ft. It is situated near the

In our many visits to north India, one more visit we made was to Munsiyari. From Almora we went to Chakori, a govt. managed holiday spot. Chakori has individual cottages and separate building for meals. We all used to pull out our chairs to sit to gather and enjoy surrounding in the evening. After breakfast we left for Munsiyari. Munsiyari is a scenic hill station and gateway to the Johar Valley located at an elevation of roughly 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) in the Pithoragarh d

Simla 1st Visit. When my daughter was in first year of college, her friend whose family had moved to Chandigarh from Singapore invited Sonali to visit. We decided to make this family trip to Simla suggesting that she should also join us. We stayed at their home for two nights. Very friendly people. Her mother made sure to cook vegetarian food. This was my first visit to Chandigarh, designed by famous Swiss-French architect, La Corbusier. Our friend took us around to see the

Our first visit to Kabini was many years ago, when the establishment was small and life was simple. The rooms were built in a rectangular arrangement, and each morning a cup of tea or coffee would be placed outside our room. There was a peaceful atmosphere that made the stay particularly enjoyable. My memory is during very first stay it was a person who had retired from wildlife place close to Nepal His name was Colonel John Felix Wakefield, affectionately known as “Papa Joh

Our journey When my daughter left for USA for further studies, we first went to Nainital. We flew from Mumbai to Delhi by Plane. An Interesting Episode - On reaching Delhi we decided to travel by bus from Delhi to Nainital. There we met two German ladies travelling by the same bus. We tried to help them but they were familiar with where they were going, Ranikhet was the place where they had come to work at Hindu temple. So when we were travelling by car we stopped to meet the

Me and my husband went to Mussoorie along with my sister and two more of her friends. We all stayed at a bungalow owned by a lady from Mumbai. The present owner of Hotel Padmini Nivas is from Worah family (managed by Mrs. Harshada Worah), who purchased the heritage property in 1964 from Maharani Padmini Kuverba. Originally it was purchased as a summer family getaway, the property was converted into a family-run heritage hotel in 1979. The family-run hotel has not changed the