Just About Everything

Hotel Majli Ka Kamra Churu in North-eastern (Shekhawati  historical region) Rajasthan, is perhaps not one of the most popular destinations in Rajasthan, I wonder why....when you see these beautiful & mesmerizing havelis (Mansions) of Churu, you will most likely have Churu in your wish list. Churu, houses some really grand Mansions (havelis). These havelis were built by the merchants of Churu during the 17th to early 20th century. Located around 200 km from Jaipur (4 hours by road), you will need 3-4 hours to see the havelis. The names of all the havelis could not be found given the time constraint (spending more time talking to locals may have helped in getting the names perhaps..). All of these havelis are located around the mama-bhanja haveli, except Majli ka Kamra which is a hotel now. The interesting thing in all these havelis is the murals. While there are typical Indian themes like elephants, soldiers, etc, the havelis in Churu have some very different themes ...

Kailasanatha temple Kanchipuram Located in Tamil Nadu, India, Kanchipuram town is around 72 km from Chennai. It used to be the imperial capital of the Pallavas for over five hundred years from the 4th to 9th centuries. Thereafter, the city came under the rule of Cholas from the 10th to 13th century; and of the Vijayanagar kings from 14th to 17th century.The temples in Kanchipuram are divided into sections called Siva-Kanchi, Vishnu-Kanchi, and the third-Jaina-Kanchi. Because of its glorious history one can easily trace the evolution of temple construction in south India through these five beautiful temples that depict the time periods and sects.These pictures are courtesy Soma Jha:  1) Kailasanatha temple Kanchipuram - This oldest temple Pallava Temple was built between 690-720 AD by Pallava king Rajasimha. Shiva is portrayed in different moods and forms and shown as a family man with his wife Uma and their children. Kailasanatha Shiva-Parvati Remnant of...