Nagpur: The city of Bhonsles, Gonds, Oranges, and more! (In this article I describe the GI tagged Nagpur Oranges, the Zero Milestone, The Civil Lines buildings, the Chitnavis Wada and Rukmini Temple in the old Mahal area) Located in the eastern part of Maharashtra, the Vidarbha region is also known as Berar and it shares … Continue reading Vistas of Vidarbha: Nagpur and Beyond (Part1) ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
World Toilet Day 2022 Special – Highway Sanitation ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Regular readers of my blog will know that much of our travels are done on the road. While the destination is important, the journey needs to be seamless and comfortable too. The availability of good toilets heads the list for me – especially as a woman. As a traveler, one comes across varied levels of … Continue reading World Toilet Day 2022 Special – Highway Sanitation ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Temples around Thrissur, Kerala (Gurvayurappan temple, Mammiyur Mahadeva Temple, Vadakkunnathan temple) ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
In the five decades (plus!) of my life, I have had the good fortune of getting the darshan of Guruvayurappan many times. As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to write about this wonderful, and powerful temple on this website, as we had the good fortune of travelling earlier this year in … Continue reading Temples around Thrissur, Kerala (Gurvayurappan temple, Mammiyur Mahadeva Temple, Vadakkunnathan temple) ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
The beauty of Navalgund Durries / Carpets ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Since we are in the Karnataka Rajyotsava month, I thought I should write about the Navalgund Durries or carpets. These are functional carpets that are woven with geometric designs, and other motifs. Yes, the type I am sitting on in the picture. I had recently acquired it and decided to inaugurate it for a special … Continue reading The beauty of Navalgund Durries / Carpets ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Temples of Mavinkere and the Hoysala Temples in Malnad Region, Karnataka ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
A 5 am departure from Bangalore and we were on our way to the Hassan District of Karnataka on the National Highway 75. It was seat of the Hoysala Empire which at its peak ruled large parts of south India from Belur as its early capital and Halebidu as its later capital during the period 1000 - 1334 CE. It has … Continue reading Temples of Mavinkere and the Hoysala Temples in Malnad Region, Karnataka ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Happy Deepawali, 2022 to all! ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Wishing all the readers and subscribers of http://www.sojournwithsan.com a very Happy Deepawali! Wishing you all good health and peace of mind. For my family, Naraka Chaturdashi is the day that we observe Deepawali, starting the day with the mandatory oil bath. The significance of Naraka Chaturdashi can be found in my book " Celebrating the … Continue reading Happy Deepawali, 2022 to all! ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Temples of Bangalore- The Kalika Durga Parmeswari temple, Vidyaranyapura ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Navaratri- the festival to celebrate the feminine energy or Shakti has just gotten over, but we need the grace of the Mother Goddesses at all time. The term Shakti refers to multiple ideas. Its general definition is dynamic energy that is responsible for creation, maintenance, and destruction of the universe. It is identified as female … Continue reading Temples of Bangalore- The Kalika Durga Parmeswari temple, Vidyaranyapura ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Temples of Bangalore- Kote Venkataramana Swamy Temple ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
The Kote Venkataramana Swamy Temple, near the K R Market, Bangalore, brings back a lot of childhood memories of when I would accompany my grandmother during many Vaishnava festivals, especially Vaikuntha Ekadasi. One of the oldest temples of Bangalore, it has a lot of history associated with it. In 1686, the Mughals under Aurangzeb won … Continue reading Temples of Bangalore- Kote Venkataramana Swamy Temple ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Pearls Across Penna- Day 2 (part 4) Tallapaka – the birth & seat of bhakti ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
From Attirala, our next stop was to Tallapakka, which is the birth place of the great saint and composer Annamacharya, who has written more than 32 thousand kirtanas / hymns on Sri Thirumala Venkateshwara. 6 kilometres, 12 minutes The place was earlier known as Tatipaka, which translates as people who live in huts made from … Continue reading Pearls Across Penna- Day 2 (part 4) Tallapaka – the birth & seat of bhakti ©Sangeeta Venkatesh
Pearls Across Penna- Day 2 (part 3) Bhuvanagirigutta Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Attirala
Chitvel to Rajampet - 26 kilometres and time taken 40 minutes Bhuvanagari Gutta: Taking off from the last blog, after the visit to Chitvel Varadaraja Temple, we drove towards Rajampet. Just eight kilometres outside the town is the hilltop Bhuvanagiri Gutta, where a Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is situated. It is believed that 300 years ago, … Continue reading Pearls Across Penna- Day 2 (part 3) Bhuvanagirigutta Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Attirala
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