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A visit to Ramoji Film City

Hawa mahal I had a wonderful trip to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.  I had to meet an old friend of mine after a lapse of 5 years.  She had come on leave from Malaysia and she requested me to spend a holiday with her.

Chottanikkara Temple, Ernakulam

Chottanikkara Bhagavathi Temple is one of the most famous temples of Kerala. Located in Chottanikkara, 17 kms from Ernakulam, and 8 km away from Tripunithura, in a hilly region surrounded on all sides by undulating beauty, with rich greenery, Sri Bhagavati  provides a deep spritiual solace to the large number of devotees who throng here every day. A visit to the temple brings relief to them from the overburdening anguish and agonies they face in their life and return with a peaceful mind.  The 'Devi' in the temple is known for the healing powers, particularly relating to mental illness and disorders. In the main temple, the golden hued idol of Bhagavathy 4 to 5 ft. high, with four hands, is bedecked with flowers,  garlands, jewels and bathed in myriad of lights splendidly.  The Divine Mother known as Rajarajeswari

Happy Diwali Greetings!

Wish you all a very Happy Diwali.

Happy Dasara!

Wish you all a Happy Dasara. If you would like to read an article on Dasara, please click here. This year, Mysore Dasara is celebrating its 400th year. In the year, 1610, Raja Wadiyar ascended the historic golden throne of Vijayanagar Kingdom and started the ten-day festival at Srirangapatna. Vijayadasami, the 10th day of Dasara, is celebrated on the 17th October 2010.

Onam Festival of Kerala

Kerala is getting ready to celebrate and rejoice the State Festival Onam in the month of Chingam (Bhadrapada), which falls usually at the end of August or beginning of September.This year Onam is celebrated on the 23rd of August 2010. The ten-day harvest festival Onam is starting with “Atham” and it is the greatest festival of Kerala. After a bounteous harvest, Onam is the time for the farmers to celebrate the bounties of nature and make merry. A unique feature of this festival is that it is celebrated unitedly by all Keralites without caste or religious differences. Every Malayali wherever he or she may be in the world celebrates Onam. Legend According to legends, Lord Mahavishnu visited King Mahabali, the benevolent ruler of Kerala, in disguise as Vamana, a dwarf Brahmin, requesting for three feet of space to live. Without realising his intention, the king agreed to his request. Suddenly Vamana began to grow and he covered the whole earth by one foot and covered the sky with o

Caernarfon Castle of North Wales

During my stay in London, I had the opportunity to visit many places in and around. One of the most interesting places was Wales. North Wales is a highly beautiful place which is blessed with abundant natural beauty. Apart from this, North Wales is also famous for the beautiful castles scattered all over. Most of these castles were built by Edward I following his conquest of Gwynedd in 1283. Caernarfon Castle is highly magnificent and is located on the banks of the River Seiont at the southern end of the Menai Strait between north Wales and Anglesey, 8 miles south west of Bangor. It was built not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and a royal palace. The majestic walls and battlements of the Castle tower above the walled town, also built by Edward I.  The walls are said to have been modelled on those of Constantinople.   His son, the first English Prince of Wales, (later King Edward II of England). was born here in 1284.                         

Day out for the family in London

Last week we had many guests at home and we wanted to take them out to have a glimpse of London. The guests were not actually guests, they belonged to our family, and had come from different parts -(from Boston USA), Manchester and Southport (UK). It was great fun for the entire family. We headed towards the tube station and soon we were at Piccadily Circus in the central London. Though I had been there earlier on an evening, now it was looking better in the day time. After having our lunch at Pizza Hut we walked down to Trafalgar Square. As planned earlier one more family joined there. The kids enjoyed there thoroughly and then clicking some photographs we moved forward. We passed through Buckingham Palace, Changing guards, Parliament house, Big Ben, London Eye, Victoria Tower, Westminster, Waterloo station and River Thames.

Visit to Hampton Court Palace

On a Sunday forenoon we decided to drive to the famous historical Hampton Court Palace, located at Richmond upon Thames, a quaint little British river village. The Palace was very impressive with the incredible architecture throughout. Also known for Tudor King Henry VIII, who had married six times, and dispensed his wives. Hampton Court was the home of King Henry VIII and other British monarchs until the 18th century. People dressed in period costumes posed with the tourists, providing them the feeling of the King's period. The gardens are also very beautiful. Please read this for more information. Hampton Court Palace .

Spring in London

I was always fascinated by London, one of the most historical and cultural cities in the world, and looked forward for a visit. Finally when I reached here in winter I was not that fascinated because of the weather. It was bitter cold outside, and on some days snowing heavily, which took about 4-5 days to clear off. When I looked through the window I used to see the whole landscape carpeted with snow. I always stayed indoors, and seldom went out. But still I enjoyed watching the snow flakes falling down through the window. After the bitter winter days in London, the beautiful spring has arrived like a blessing. Some empty trees are becoming greener and other trees are turning into beautiful colors filled with new flowers. If you take a stroll or travel on the road you can see the colorful flowers staring out enthusiastically from every garden, as if they are greeting you with a warm smile. We started visiting interesting places on weekends. The city is bursting with rich herit

More London photos

Located near the Trafalgar Square, National Art Gallery in the heart of London, houses one of the world's richest collections of paintings. We spent sometime here admiring the great paintings. Children's amusement Heading towards China Town.

London visit

My visit to London. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. Filled with palaces, historic sites, museums, art galleries, parks, aquarium, zoo etc, London has a lot to offer in sightseeing to the visitors. Some pictures. Some more info