Sema Ceremony

The Mevlevi or the whirling dervishes are a Sufi order founded in Konya,Turkey by the followers of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, Islamic jurist, and theologian. They are also known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remembrance of God). The Mevlewi believe in performing their dhikr in the form of a “dance” and musical ceremony known as the Sema, which involves the whirling. The participants are called semazen.

The Green Masouleum of Rumi, Konya

The Sema ceremony represents a mystical journey of man’s spiritual ascent through mind and love to perfection. The dance indicates turning towards truth, growing through the channel of love, deserting ego, finding truth and then arriving at Perfection. The dervishes are extremely graceful. While whirling, their arms are open, right hand faces the sky which indicates the ready to receive God’s beneficence. The left hand is directed towards the earth. This ceremony is divided into 7 stages, the eulogy to the Prophet, the drum sounds, followed by instrumental music, the greeting of dervishes and lastly the whirling. The 6th part is reading versus from the Quran and ends with a peace prayer.

Close-up of a Whirling Dervish

The Music & Dance - Sema

The description of these Mevlevis is almost impossible. They are not only graceful but immersed in their dance. What astounded me was they spin for so long in one place, at the same pace without going off balance or even bumping into another mevlevi near by. Some members of the audience had travelled across the world to see the ceremony, whilst others may have stumbled across the performance.I have attached a video from Youtube to understand it better!

Fairyland

The terrain in Cappadocia is very unique, a place where nature and history have created one of the most spectacular panorama of the world. Due to volcanic eruptions in the region a large tableland of tufa rock was formed. Together with the erosion from the Kizilirmak river and wind over ten thousands of years there appeared the chimney rocks or the fairy chimneys. These chimneys were marked by signs of thousand-years-old civilizations by carving houses and churches within these earth pillars and decorating them with frescoes.

Terrain of Cappadocia

The Dark Church of the Geröme Caves

The first time we actually saw them was on a dark dawn of a Tuesday morning. A bunch of us were all geared up in a hot air balloon for a tour in to the clouds overlooking these beautiful rock formations. We had no idea about its exquisiteness until we floated in to the sky, the sun rose, and we witnessed the vast landscape!

Gearing up to fly

The Fairy Chimneys

The pilot of hot air balloon said that the traditional Cappadocian houses, churches, monasteries, mosques and dovecotes were carved into the stone. The soft quarried rock, which is the only construction material of the region, was easily processed and would harden after contact with air resulting in to this natural fairy land.

Orthisar Castle of Cappadocia

Vivid colours of the Rocks & its strange formations

While flying high and also ducking low in to the crevices of these rocks, we noticed a large number of dovecotes. We were told that these pigeon is a symbol of peace and devotion to family in Islam whereas regarded as a symbol of the “Holy Spirit” in Christianity. The reason behind hollowing out dove-cotes was not to catch and eat pigeons but to use their excrement as fertilizer. Some dovecotes are decorated with rich inscriptions and adornments by regional artists.

In the Fairy Chimneys

Dovecotes and Frescoes

We sailed on in the air for about an hour and a half. It seemed like a dream or something much beyond that because I don’t remember ever visiting a wonderland in my dream as well. It was so awe-inspiring and so colourful to be true that the biting cold didn’t bother us even one bit. We just went up to 800 metres, almost felt like I would touch the rising sun and then ducked as low as a few feet from the earth to see if I could peep into the window of the chimney!

Fairyland part II

Touching the rising Sun

Land of the fairy chimneys, unforgettable, unbelievable and so vivid, tops high on my list. Its a place to experience what a true fairyland might be!

Karde in the monsoons

Monsoons makes Maharashtra heaven on Earth! The pleasing velvet tones of greens, the clear streams, the rush of the tides in the Arabian Sea, the sprinkle of the rains and the wholesome waterfalls…..the list can go on…

View from the rolling green hills

A few weeks back, we set off to this little hamlet called Karde. A place with black sand, rolling hills, partially rocky beaches, and above all, not commercial. The sea was just a minute away from our cottages, hence off we strolled to the beach and into the raging sea. While we walked on beaches and hiked the hills, I came across such beautiful things, made and built by nature. Those things we fail to see in our mundane lives, those things which bring ideas to your mind and things which makes you feel so rich within. So this post is going to be all about those little things I enjoyed being around profoundly.

Collection of beautiful sea shells with spiral patterns & colours

My walk through the fringes of the sea made me notice these beautiful sea shells. The rich colours and patterns on them was so stunning that it I wanted to have with me, in my home, in my memory…always!

Eroded rocks

What nature does and how intricately it carves even the toughest rocks, makes you think about the force and yet the daintiness of the natural world.

The Button Nose Flower

I don’t know what sort of tree this is, it was just a plain beautiful one with the lush colours contrasting each other!

The patterned black Sand

The patterned black sand of Karde garnished the extensive beach. Again, how intricate yet bold!

The splashing sea

From the sandy beach, we hopped on to the rocky raging sea. The energy and vigour of the ocean made my blood rush faster through my veins. I kept thinking, how can such rage carve rocks so delicately, how can the green have so many shades and each pleasing to the eye, how can the silky grain of sand make such long beaches…. Salute to the mother nature is all I concluded…

A perfect clear water pothole

Heaven...it was

Scribble on the black sand

Summit of Haleakala 10 023 ft

Haleakalᾱ volcano rises 10023 ft above the Pacific Ocean and occupies almost half of the Maui Island of Hawaii. The geologic history of Haleakalᾱ is estimated to have begun a million years ago, around the time of woolly mammoth and saber tooth tigers! It comprises of colourful cinder cones scattered throughout the valley floor. The most recent eruption took place in 1802. This volcano is considered to be an active but currently non-erupting volcano.

The Spectacular View of Haleakala

I got a chance to see this place a few years back. It is a matchless heaven weathered and coloured over time. The rains have oxidized the earth and the winds have emphasized the cinder cones! When I actually got to the summit, I wondered what was so good about this volcano. I hardly saw the cinder cones and the lush bright colors of the soil! We were told to hike up a trail to experience it for ourselves. Therefore, we started trudging towards what we really hadn’t anticipated.

Bushy species of Silversword

The tall species of Silversword

For the first half hour, the landscape did not change much. The only thing we noticed was black and brown rubble and some mysterious spiky silver plants. They were strangely eerie and a bit scattered. This species of plant is called Silversword which had leaves covered with silver hairs. Apparently, the skin and hair are strong enough to resist the wind and freezing temperature of this altitude and protect the plant from dehydration and the sun. So basically, this is what got me excited, just observing these silver loners against the mysterious shades of browns.

The first sight of the Cinder Cone

View of 4 Cinder Cones and its extravagant colours

Feeling the cool winds, studying the landscape and walking on rubble suddenly led us to this spectacular sight, another world, with its view of a cinder cone perched in the middle of nowhere with gleaming reds, browns, yellows and blacks!! That was some feeling, a feeling so mystifying that I wanted to salute the mother Earth to hold such beauty! Now our pace progressed enormously. We were told that there are many such cinder cones, and as of now, we only saw one! We couldn’t wait to see the rest. Slowly, one by one, the others started treading in. And then, it was an ocean of big and small cinder cones stretched across the valley. We were bolted from the blue to see the colour and contrast of the changing landscape! We climbed the first one and just sat admiring the mystical view for I don’t know how much time. The clouds came and went, I think it also drizzled a bit, the sun changed the colours once again but each time it looked as magnificent as ever!

Top View of the Cinder Cone

What I am going to quote is often said my the people of Maui that clouds in and around the summit of Haleakalᾱ carry whispers of another time. It is said that the demigod of Maui fished Haleakalᾱ and all the Hawaiin volcanoes from the sea, pulling them up and flinging his fishhook to the heavens. On clear nights, the fishhook of Maui, now the Scorpio, can still be seen in the sky from the summit of Haleakalᾱ.

Panoramic View of the Volcano

A small Slides Show to see the rest of the Haleakala World of Volcanoes

In the 12th century, Devgiri was its name. Founded, constructed and ruled by the Yadav dynasty. Later, Sultan Muhammad-bin-Tughluq of Delhi conquered it and made it his capital to be able to establish his reign in the south. And hence the name changed from Devgiri to Daulatabad! Now, what makes this fort so unique and impregnable? This fort had a very unique defense mechanism….which actually made me wonder what was it that they tried to protect. Lets go step by step to know more…

Tablet inscribed with the History of Daulatabad

Fortification

Alley through the Amberkot & Mahakot

The fort has 3 walls. Amberkot an outer wall which covers the Daulatabad town, the Mahakot wall encloses the Daulatabad fort. This wall had spear-like structures slotted into them which could even leave hoards of charging elephant useless. Lastly the Kalakot, the final fortification resembles the shape of a beer bottle and is built around the huge rock hill. Kalakot is surrounded by a deep moat which is said to have been filled with crocodiles and poisonous snakes.

The Mahakot Gate with Spear-like Structures

Underground Tunnel

This fort has many underground tunnels, some as long as 70 kms. They were designed and drilled that helped the Sultans escape. They were said to be connected to the Rajur town and many other places still unknown to us.

The Kalakot Entrance with the Underground Tunnels

Rock-cut Moats

The dangerous Moats

Crocodile and poisonous snake infested moats were made with several drawbridges. As soon as the enemy stepped on these bridges, they were unhooked throwing the rival into the moat.

40ft Deep-cut Moats infested with poisonous snakes & crocodiles

The Dark & Deadly Maze

Entry into the Labyrinth

This maze is a piece of exceptional strategic architecture. Archers would hide themselves in deep cut caves in the ceiling, so if torches were lit by enemies, they would be targeted. The tunnels are so deceptive that if the parties split in two and met head-on to fight amongst themselves due to the darkness. After all the trickery, if they got out alive, boiling oil was poured from above, killing them instantly.

The Eerie Maze

The everlasting trap the fort has crafted is stunning! The labyrinth, moats, bastions and scheme of the whole fortification is splendid! One of the best-preserved medieval forts in the world, it has a saga of numerous tales of splendor, betrayal, blood-shed.

Chand Minar

View of the Chand Minar from the Fort

Sikkim - Land of Simplicity & Colour

Our country India is known for its diverse culture, topography, food, people, overall an existence of its own. Sometimes it makes me wonder, how one nation can accommodate so many virtues at the same time. I think we are very fortunate to be in a land which has so much to offer.

Hanuman Tok - Gangtok

In April 2009, I got a chance to visit this beautiful state of Sikkim surrounded by Tibet, now China, Bhutan and Nepal. Amidst the Himalayas, the state is no more than 7110 sq kms with winding hilly roads and beautiful people originating from Nepal & Tibet. I will not go much into the geographical details of the state because that is something we all can find on the internet. I would love to talk more about its people and the experience I had through those few days.

To-be Lamas

Sikkim is heavily influenced by Tibet and its culture. Most of the people in Sikkim have direct origins from Tibet and have migrated to India in the last 100 years and more. The place is so surreal, untouched, spiritual and colourful that I couldn’t help but write about it. What touched me most here, in this little lost paradise is the simplicity, discipline, honestly and modestly of people. On our first day in Gangtok, we realised that people here are very shy and self-conscious. I wanted to know more about them, about their lifestyle and eating habits and everything that I could gather. Even though they seemed withdrawn, I did not stop asking my list of questions. Hence slowly and patiently, I realised and comprehended the life and living of the people of Sikkim.

Traffic regulations due to landslides

It all started with a small incident while we were on our way to Lachen, a little town up north of Sikkim. Since the state is still building up its infrastructure, the road conditions are unpleasant. To add to it, there are frequent landslides which hinder the transport to some extent. Coming back to our journey, we came across a huge landslide due to which there was traffic congestion on both sides and delay in our travel was unavoidable. After a while, the debris was cleared just to allow one car to pass at one time. According to the mountain traffic rules, the cars going uphill get the preference due to steep slopes and hardships of the windy roads. And hence the uphill going cars started their ascend slowly. Since we were descending we were waiting in queue for our turn. What astounded me here was the patience, and respect that was given to all the cars coming up. Not a single car blocked their way, instead made sure they get ample space to drive carefully. We waited till all the uphill cars passed giving them ease and time to clear the damaged section of the road. What kind of a scene would you see in Pune for that matter? People honking, pushing their way, clogging and creating so much nuisance to make the situation shoddier. Dodgy road conditions, delays and inconvenience did not one bit upset its people, they continued to respect what had to be respected in order to support the situation, not worsen it. That got me thinking, isn’t there so much to learn and comprehend?

The home-made Tibetan Dinner

The warm locals who fed us the wonderful homemade Tibetan meal.

One more incident took place which really touched my heart. Throughout our trip, we ate roti and vegetables and the usual food. I really wanted to eat the traditional Sikkimese food which is very hard to find unless it is cooked by the locals. To our surprise, our travel agent invited us to have Tibetan dinner at his place. Now when I say Tibetan, I should make clear that most of the Sikkimese people are Tibetans and share similar culture and food habits. He took us home, a simple home traditionally decorated with local artefacts. On our arrival, we started with a local beer-like drink called Chhang. Barley, Mustard and rice are semi-fermented and stuffed in a bamboo called Dhungro. Then boiling water is poured and sipped through a narrow bore bamboo pipe called the Pipsing. It’s one of the most delicious drinks I have ever had. It is said to be the best remedy to ward off the severe cold of the mountains and reputedly has many healing properties. Followed by the drink, we were served shisnu or nettle soup, Churpi – Yak cheese cooked in red chillies, phing or glass noodles with mushrooms, hot steamed momos, Phagshapha, a pork dish made with radish and dried chilies, dhal and rice which is a staple food and lastly, fish fry and chicken curry of which I do not remember the names. The best surprise was, for desert, they cut open a water melon imported from Maharashtra which seemed like an exotic fruit for the locals. After this huge meal, we were not only over-whelmed with their hospitability but very touched with the effort they put behind making us taste the best of their cuisine. It just showed how lovely and welcoming the people of the eastern Himalayas are, they just need time but when we give that to them, they give us a lot more in return.

Chhang - beer-like drink made with barley, mustard and rice stuffed in Dhungro or bamboo

Hence through my trip, I learnt more and more about their art and culture and lifestyles of the people. As I mentioned earlier, that our country is so fascinating and versatile yet we all are termed under one – Indians!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,700 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 9 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 24 posts. There were 123 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 25mb. That’s about 2 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was September 8th with 109 views. The most popular post that day was Bail Pola – Festival of the Bullocks.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, indiblogger.in, lively-wood.com, lively-wood.blogspot.com, and en.wordpress.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for pawankhind, bail pola, pola festival, bail pola festival, and amsterdam cafe menu.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Bail Pola – Festival of the Bullocks September 2009
4 comments

Secrets of Amsterdam! September 2010
6 comments

Lush Greens of the Monsoons – Pawankhind – India August 2009

10 Incredible Facts about Wild Wild Africa…. July 2010
9 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

The Isles of Zanzibar August 2010
7 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

View of the Pan Amerixan Highway through the Nazca Lines

From the 12 days I spent in Peru, the most intriguing sector visited was the rubble like desert. Since these deserts are known for its mysterious Nazca lines, we decided to really see it for ourselves. This dry terrain holds one of the most mystifying monuments of the known world. Etched in the surface are 300 hundred figures made of straight lines, geometric shapes and pictures of animals and bird. The biggest pattern being 200mtrs. In the area of 500 sq/km, these patterns are clearly visible from air.

A Watch Tower overlooking the Nazca Lines

The geometric and animal-like patterns have been discovered criss-crossing the pampas is a big puzzle. I really couldn’t believe my eyes! While on the ground, these lines are not visible and it was difficult to understand the complexity and beauty of these different animals and stylized human-like forms. After we took a small chartered plane over the arid land, I was shocked to see how huge and accurate these patterns were! Instantly, I had so many questions flashing my mind! Who built them and what was their purpose? They looked like landing strips, race tracks, astronomical calendar!

Figure of an Alien on a dune

I thought I’ll make a list of some theories, yet none proven accurate -

Theory I
These lines age back to 400 – 650AD. What makes it mysterious is how these precise works could’ve been completed long before the documented invention of human flight? Are the lines signs left by an alien race? Landing strips for UFOs?

Theory II
Since these geoglyphs can only be seen from higher altitudes or from the air some theorize that the Nazca had an early form of flight skills before anyone else in the form of hot air balloons. Maybe the Nazca tribe intended to communicate something to the world with flying arial machines.

Theory III
Locals believe that these lines are a magical form of spell casted by a early cult of the area. Some claim the lines form complex and sacred geometry only known to them.

Theory IV
Some also contend that the lines follow the local underground water lines in the region. But then why do they have such intricate figures and patterns?

Theory V
Maria Reiche a mathematician from Germany studied the Nazca lines for over 20 years and has come up with a most reasonable theory about them. She concluded that the Nazca Lines in Peru were used to track the sun and astronomical calendar cycles. It then instantly became the largest solar observatory in the world.

Theory VI
Some locals also believe that the lines that have formed when the spirits of those long departed enter into the other world and they are showing us a new way with spiritual energy through these patterns.

One of the biggest animal figure - The Condor

The Dog Figure

After all the theories and none being actually proved, this place fascinated me to a great extent. What also worried me was that these lines are superficial and are only 10 to 30 cm deep and could be washed away. This region does not receive rainfall but due to changing climatic conditions, the lines may not resist heavy rain without being damaged.

Geolyph of the Monkey - Maria Reiche

Wheat Field - A fantastic shot taken by my friend Ashutosh

As kids, activities like climbing trees, soaking in little streams that ran through lanes, walking through uncut grass, collecting insects, butterflies, tadpoles seem so unreal anymore! We have no time, no space and all these little elements of nature, just do not exist around us! Very often, I get this urge to explore some hidden waterfalls, or a cave or simply walk through a road which doesn’t exist. When such a feeling arises, off we go to our farmhouse in the outskirts of Pune around a small shabby town of Varasgaon.

Farmhouse at Varasgaon

Like any other farm, we have a farmhouse maintained by my family members with so much love and care. It is a sloping land full of mango, banana, papaya, chikoo trees and many small crops like the potato, ginger, rice, beans, etc! It is a lush piece of land with another beautiful feature, it has a vivacious stream flowing through it with a tiny 7 feet waterfall with a canopy of ancient trees which look mysterious, eerie and yet magnificient!

View of the Farmhouse with the Banana Plantation

Some fun with family

So now lets see what makes Varasgaon farmhouse so much fun! My favourite activity is going down to the well and then walking through the unleashed grass to the stream. The up and down walk through the weeds and over the rocks, along the wheat fields while collecting crystals, dried tree barks and flowers unshackles a feeling so different and satisfying. We walk by sometimes collecting some vegetables to take back home, or sometimes pick a fruit and start eating it on our way or just walk through the rumbling stream slipping, falling, bruising, yet doing the same thing over and over again!

How would it look if I climbed a tree in the hustle bustle of my city? The idea seems so funny ain’t it? Over to the farm, who cares?! Just climb one, swing over or simply enjoy the view from top….there isn’t a thing to bother!

A family picture in the tree

Forever meowing cat

Bipin with Nyanoba & Tukai

With a lot of love and care are bred a few animals on our farm. I really look forward to go there in order to connect to that part of nature that I enjoy over everything. A mommy cow Kapila and her youngun, a dog named Nyanoba and his mother Dolly, a forever meowing cat and a bunch of chickens are running all over the farm and rest in their meadow cum barn under a cool shade of a tree. The whole time we are there, we have Nyanoba chasing us from the farmhouse to the stream and when its time for us to leave, he sighs to show how much he wants us to stay. We adore them and so do they…..

Kapila the cow and her Youngun

Mama Dolly demanding attention

The day ends very soon! But the darkness brings in two very exciting activities……just listening to the crickets and enjoying the stillness and dark and it also ‘barbeque’ time. This activity is the most popular activity at the farmhouse. The mess and flavour of charcoal, the smell of roasting chicken, fish and veggies with some bhakri and gavran rassa. The pleasure of this feast is so much more satisfying than that of a restaurant! The day and stay ends with so much fun, relaxation and a calm which doesn’t come very often!

Time for Barbeque!

A great union of friends!

I consider myself very lucky to have got a chance to explore the real depths of the Alps. As a student, backpacking and rock climbing has become a mandatory custom among a bunch of us. Grenoble also being a ski capital of France made me hop around a few destinations. Infact, this time, my post is all about these interioirs and not so none places in the Alps.

City of Grenoble

A beatuiful city in the arms of the Alps…(read more about Grenoble in my former post My Wonderful Stay in Grenoble )

My School - ESC-Grenoble Business School of Commerce

My Residence in Grenoble

Belledone

The Belledonne mountain range forms the eastern wall of the mountains that surround the city of Grenoble.
The range has spectacular scenery it provides the inhabitants of Grenoble, numerous ski areas, interesting geology, and a diverse range of alpine land.

Olympic venue at Chamrousse, with Mont Blanc in the distance

Castle of Bayard is one the remote and isolated castles of France. It is surrounded by lush green hills and the small town of Pontcharra.

Castle of Pontcharra - Castle House Museum

Les 7 Laux - Ski Resort

Vercors

The Vercors is a range of plateaux and mountains in the Pre-Alps. Cliffs at its eastern edge of the Vercors face the city of Grenoble. The Vercors comprises several resorts for cross-country skiing and for down-hill skiing. Villard-de-Lans is the biggest down-hill ski resort. It is also home to the cave, Gouffre Berger.

Glimpse of Vercors

From Grand Veymont to Duex Soeur, the eastern rampants of Vercors

Some more pictures & memories of the Alps…

Speleology in the Alps

A picnic & hike in the Alps

My First Ski Experience- Les Deux Alps