Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Corbett Falls

In an area surrounded by mountains and inter-crossing rivers, a waterfall comes as no surprise. However, when you enter a gate just off the highway, drive along a lane leading into a dense forest of teak, and then alight to walk through a narrow path cut amidst the dense undergrowth, you know that this is something special! I was at Jim Corbett National Park as part of the Club Mahindra Bloggers Trip, and we were visiting the Corbett Falls, situated 25 Km from Ramnagar and 4 Km from Kaladhungi, on the Kaladhungi – Ramnagar Highway. The falls were an unexpected treat, giving each one of us something to remember it by… For some it was the waterfall itself, the sound of gushing water drawing them from a distance, for some of us, the inviting sound was drowned by other sights and sounds along the way, and we tarried here and there, to revel in the glory of nature or take a pic of an insect basking in the morning sun. No matter what our interests, when we finally did get to the waterfall, each one of us sat in silence, lost in the beauty of the moment. Come along with me as I take you to Corbett falls through my photos……



The innocuous looking arch welcomed us to the Corbett Falls…



And this board captured our attention at once! It proclaims the various advantages of planting different trees…. Guess this is a more “Indian’ way to convince people to plant trees? Take a look at some of the ‘fruits of planting trees’… For instance, apparently, planting a pomegranate tree assures you of finding a wife!   Wonder what tree a girl needs to plant to find a husband! 



And this companion board is another typically Indian attitude to plants and trees – relating them to the nine planets in this case!



And anywhere in India, can a temple be far away? Here is one, right at the entrance….


We walked along a well laid path towards the waterfall...





As we walked along the path, we were greeted by a signature spider…..



And then this red silk cotton bug, much bigger than the ones I have seen in Mumbai captured all our attention for quite a while!



As I finally dragged myself away from the bug to head towards the waterfall which I could hear at a distance, my attention was once again captured by dragonflies, butterflies and fungi!













Akshat finally came to remind us that we had come here to see the waterfall and that there was a bird waiting for us there. The second was surely what made us hurry to the fall, for most of us captured the bird before the fall itself! It turned out to be a pond heron, happily feasting on the fish in the pool formed by the waterfall…



As for the waterfall itself, wow! What a sight that was!





The sound of the water falling from over 20 feet was the only thing we could hear, since thankfully, the place was devoid of tourists (except us, of course!), and for a long while, we simply sat there, taking random shots of the waterfall or just gazing at it.



Finally, our solitude at the waterfall was shattered by a group of enthusiastic guys who started clambering up the rocks to climb up to the top of the fall, and I decided to head back to the relative solitude of the woods around the falls. A pair of butterflies seemed to be enjoying a repast of bird shit, and they were unperturbed by tourists like me intruding on their lunch!


Take a look at this short video of these butterflies having lunch!



There was also a tiny snail hidden by the ferns and moss growing on the hillside… there is so much to see, if only we look!



And finally, as we all headed back to the car, karthik pointed out a tiny spider on a leaf. It looked tiny and insignificant, but a closer look showed us what we had failed to notice, but the naturalist’s keen eyes had spotted……



What a beautiful spider! I never thought I would ever add that particular adjective to the arachnid, but there it is! Here is a closer look….



And then it was time to leave, and as we drove out, a couple of monkeys bid goodbye to us at the gate, while the drone of vehicles on the highway greeted us.

The world inside the gates seemed like a different one, a world untouched by time, and I wondered if the next time I visited Corbett this place would still remain the same, or whether it too would succumb to the demands of tourism. There was so much activity within, every creature busy at work, the water too not still, but instead flowing fast and furious, but it was still calm and tranquil, and it is this peace that I carried back with me, with a hope and a prayer that the place always remains the same!

Related Posts:


Comments

  1. beautifully narrated!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very interesting indeed. The insect life thereat has been captured beautifully. Apparently you have the DSLR now. As regards your doubts about the virtues of planting trees, obviously Jamun will come in handy for getting a suitable (?) hubby. But that needs to be planted by the parents (Indian tradition).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks so much! But no, i dont have a DSLR yet. Just the digicam ----------
    Sent from my Nokia phone

    ------Original message------

    ReplyDelete
  4. nice, nothing escapes the master's eye :) the spider surely looks interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely images , what wonderful place it is !!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely pictures and thoughts Anu. I am now heading out for a few days wit Chhavi and my husband. :D To Manali. Have a great Diwali.

    ReplyDelete
  7. what a lovely place
    Like that one on Anar = Patni prapt.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amazing pics , what a wonderful experience, love to see this through your eyes

    ReplyDelete
  9. The pics are too good. The tiny insects in all their colourful glory made my day. No living thing is ugly or horrid, if only we looked at it with wonder and compassion. I mean the spider :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi, Came in through Mridula. Glad I stumbled in to your post on Corbett Water Falls. Magnificent pictures and nice narrative. Looks like a fabulous trip.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey Anu....That's what I love about travelogues.....the minute observation........enjoyed looking at the insects and birds..........and ofcourse the peace and serenity midst nature is always an enriching experience.

    namita

    ReplyDelete
  12. Welcome here! glad to hear that you liked it! our trip was indeed fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  13. well said! nothing escapes the master's eye indeed!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks Joe! that was one that caught all our eyes!

    ReplyDelete
  15. thanks a lot, Zephyr! and so true... each one is so beautiful, we just need the eyes to see their beauty!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very nice - both the narration and photos! I love the last pic :)

    ReplyDelete
  17.  Awesome pics............

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi,
    lovely description of a beautiful place. unfortunately, when we visited the place this May, it was choc-a-bloc with tourists and we hardly spent any time at the falls. instead we walked down the river and sat in a relatively quieter spot. were able to spot a number of birds including a black-crestes bulbul (my first)and a white-throated kingfisher trying her luck with the fish. lovely place despite the crowds!

    ReplyDelete
  19. very vivid description of a lovely place. unfortunately, when we visited the place this May, it was choc-a-bloc with and we hardly spent any time at the falls. instead we moved down the river to a relatively quieter area and spent a wonderful hour there. were able to spot a number of birds including a black-crested bulbul (my lifer) and a white-throated kingfisher trying her luck with the fish. a really beautiful place despite the crowds!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie