The Serene Sirpur Lake Indore

From the amazing Lal Bagh Palace we headed towards the Sirpur Lake Indore, which was at a few kilometres distance from the Indore city. The place was really beautiful and the lake was spread over a vast area of land. But according to locals the condition of the lake had deteriorated in the past few years. The place was very famous because of different migratory birds, which came and stayed there. There were various such species of birds and they used to come from Europe. However, with the deterioration in its condition, the lovers of nature were quite concerned about the lake. According to reports it was revealed that the place discovered nearly 110 species of birds, which included both local as well as migrant species in the area. The area was surrounded by greenery and because of the calmness and peace we could see many tourists visiting the place and enjoying the beauty of nature at its fullest.

Sirpur Lake Indore | Image Resource : blogspot.in

We too were mesmerized by the beauty of that place and accordingly captured a few pictures of that place. We could take photos of some birds, which were extremely rare. Due to dumping of the wastes in the lake the environment was getting polluted and there was a local camp organized and they focussed on cleaning. The preservation of the water was important because the water body was getting polluted due to some wastes that were dumped in that lake.

However, the place surrounding the Sirpur Lake Indore was completely calm and good for enjoying the beauty of nature with greenery all around. There were different species of birds chirping and they made the place much more delightful. We could see that many local people came to this place and the place was considered as one of the hot picnic destinations. After enjoying our stay in the place it was time to move on to the next destination, which was the central museum. There were quite a few places in Indore and those were really special and attractive places for tourists like me. On our way to the Indore museum, we stopped at a roadside restaurant and had some foods as we were feeling bit hungry.

The Tasty Dahi Vadas at the Indore Street

We started our sightseeing first walking around the streets of Indore and the weather was perfect for visiting different places. Normally the weather of Indore was very soothing, comfortable and normal. There were many famous places in Indore and just for that day we thought of covering the local places and other shopping malls within the city. We found many local food places offering dahi vadas. We had dahi vadas at Indore Street and it was really tasty; the taste and flavor were quite unique and these were the specialties of that place. I had dahi vadas before that as well, but the ones that I tasted at Indore were really special. Moreover, it was on the streets with an old man preparing it on a small food stall. I love foods and every time I visited new places it was the unique food items that attracted me. I loved to choose different kinds of dishes every time.

Dahi Vadas at the Indore Street I Image Resource : blogspot.com

The streets were filled with different stalls, where we could see different ornaments, idols of various Gods and Goddesses, and more. Every time I used to visit different places, I tried to buy something special that helped me to remember the particular place. We were just moving around the town and with my camera, we captured a few moments of that place. There were many food stalls available in the town and the people there loved different spicy and flavoured food items. We tried various delicacies such as bhelpuri, chaat and others. Each of them had different specialties and was much different from the food items found in other places.

The experience of dahi vadas at Indore Street was really amazing and it remained in my memory all along. I miss those dahi vadas and their taste lingers in my tongue even today. Our trip in Indore had started very well. I was simply amazed at the speed in which the people prepared different kinds of food items. After spending a few hours in and around the city, we decided to visit the Annapurna temple as per our plan. It was very famous amongst the locals. We took an auto and reached the temple within a few minutes as it was situated within the city itself.

Destination of the week : Bada Ganpati Indore

Bada Ganpati Indore | Image Resource : wikimapia.org

Description : When in Madhya Pradesh, I got my fix of spirituality and gather peace by paying special visit to the Bada Ganpati Indore. Oldest temple in the city, it is unique and has distinct features, one of which is the huge-sized idol of Lord Ganesha. It is immense yet eye-pleasing and although the temple is bit crowded, I made the most of my ‘me-time’ here.

Our Thrilling Experience at the Waterfalls in Patalpani Indore

Our next destination was the Patalpani Indore and we knew that it was situated on the outskirts of the city. The place was amongst the best excursion spots of the city. On reaching there we could see that we were accompanied by tourists from different parts of the globe. We had to travel nearly 36 kilometres to watch the sizzling Patalpani waterfalls. The waterfalls were amongst the most exotic places of the city. The height of the falls was around 150 feet and the complete place was attractive. The water accumulated in the Kund, which was quite sacred according to the local people. However, the depth of the Kund was still unknown and we could see that it was very deep. The area was surrounded by greenery and we learnt that during rainy season, the waterfalls swell up.

Patalpani Indore I Image Resource : panoramio.com

There were lots of myths and beliefs amongst the locals regarding the waterfalls. It was due to this reason that the name of the falls was given as Patal Pani. According to some people, the water falls from a height which was equivalent to that of Patal in Hindi. There were also different food stalls installed around the place and it was quite understandable because of the tourist destination. We knew that there were a number of buses and other local transports available from the Indore station to the Patal Pani stoppage. The local people informed me that one could easily reach the waterfalls.

Patalpani Indore was easily one of the best waterfalls that I had seen till that date after travelling to different places in the country. However, the place had some connections and there was a myth amongst the locals regarding the origin and the main purpose of the great depth of the waterfalls. We were very excited after listening to the different kinds of stories from a few local people. While one of my friends was scared of death, the remaining three of us had wished to enjoy swimming in the water. But we had to refrain ourselves from doing so as we were warned of the depth by the local people.

The Neo-Classical Palace – Lal Bagh Palace Indore

After visiting the famous Annapurna Devi temple, we headed towards the Lal Bagh palace Indore, which was known as the best neo-classical palace in the entire country. The palace was built in the year 1886 and major renovations took around the year 1921, which helped in covering the palace with gardens on all sides. It was amongst the best tourist destinations in the city and as it was centrally located that many locals could visit the place easily on holidays. The palace was designed by the famous Triggs of Calcutta and the entrance gates were just replicas of the world famous Buckingham Palace. According to the famous historian K. K. Chakraborty, the palace was a statement of Italian design, French style along with all the traditional patterns of the modern world. It belonged to a completely different class. It was ruled by a king who supported the British and had lots of history related to the palace.

Lal Bagh Palace Indore | Image Resource : blogspot.com

I loved visiting historical places and especially such palaces enchant you about the architecture and rich designs that persisted during those times. I started feeling about those periods when there were no such facilities but still they could design such massive structures. The palace was built under Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holhar and was situated on the river Khan. The palace was used for hosting and organizing different parties and other ceremonies during those periods. It was spread over an area of 113311.98 square meters and there were many facts about the place.

There were lots of things on display such as the coins, which dated back to the period of the Mughals. There were many ancient paintings that were especially from Indian and Italian painters. They belonged to the period of construction of the Lal Bagh palace Indore. The palace was really amazing with Italian marbles fitted on its interiors and chandeliers around. The structure was quite similar to the Versailles Palace. The feeling was quite unique and we loved every bit of our stay in the campus. After capturing a few moments within the campus, we headed towards our next destination, which was a lake in Indore.

Destination of the week : Mahatma Gandhi Hall Indore

Mahatma Gandhi Hall Indore | Image Resource : travelindore.com

Description : As far as my History is right, the Mahatma Gandhi Hall Indore was previously known as King Edward Hall. But as they say, ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’, the structure is truly eye-pleasing and possesses a distinguished quality of attracting one and all. Its splendour is beyond words and all I could do is click a few self-portraits with this one in the backdrop!

Our Travel from Agra Cantt to Indore Junction by Malwa Express

I always look forward to winter breaks as I get to spend some extremely memorable moments with my friends. In the meantime, we plan out trips to different parts of the country, those located in the northern region. Last time we planned our trip to Indore and accordingly booked our travel from Agra Cantt (AGC) to Indore Junction (INDB) by Malwa Express. We always travelled in groups and that gave us the best feeling of enjoying some of the best historical places and other beauties associated with various destinations. As per the schedule, we went to the Agra station around 10 pm and the train was scheduled to come around 10.40 pm. The train was late by 15 minutes and we boarded the train around 11 pm. Meanwhile, I bought a few magazines and books, which helped me to pass time easily on the train. The train started on time and we made ourselves comfortable on our berths.

Malwa Express I Image Resource : panoramio.com

After having some discussions with my friends, I went to sleep and woke up around 7 am in the morning. As the train was nearing Bhopal, I was planning out our trip with my friend. Earlier before travel, we listed out the special locations that we would cover. Based on the locations, we sorted the places, the places to be visited and other famous destinations in the nearby areas. In the meantime, the train reached Bhopal Junction and we had some breakfast. The train halted there for 20 minutes and it was sufficient for us to complete our breakfast. It took another 5 hours to reach the Indore junction and though the train was running late initially, it reached the destination on time.

My watch showed that it was already 1 pm when we left the Indore station. We enjoyed every bit of our travel from Agra Cantt (AGC) to Indore junction (INDB) by Malwa Express. The journey was quite comfortable, but still we decided to check in at the hotel that was pre-booked and accordingly took an auto. The city was known for its culture and heritage. Before beginning our travel, we decided to get fresh and start our tour in Indore. It took some 30 to 40 minutes to reach the hotel.

Get ready for Ski biking on Ganga River

Ganga River Patna I Image Resource : panoramio.com

I live in Uttar Pradesh and for us Ganga is not just a river. It is something that bonds us with our culture. The river has inspired many not only spiritually but also in many different ways. Everyday thousands of people visit this holy river, to redeem their faith, wash their sins, and get in touch with the almighty.

This beautiful river is not just the favourite amongst pilgrims. Each year thousands of adventurous tourist visit Ganga. A large section of this tourist population are foreigners. Hence, keeping tourism in mind our government has introduced various activities to attract the visitors.

Boat Ride In Ganga River Patna I Image Resource : bih.nic.in

Recently, fun water activities were introduced in the Ghats of Ganga. The Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) announced this amazing news on 2 October and made Gandhi Jayanti more special for the people of Patna.

According to the initiative, the visitors can indulge in exciting activities such as speed boating and ski biking. Within a rate of Rs 200, you can enjoy twenty minute of bike skiing ride these rides are available 3 to 5 PM. Whereas at Rs 150 you will get to an exhilarating 30-minute ride of speedboat riding at 40 km/hour.

All these rides are complete safe, professional safety personnel’s are appointed for this purpose. Every Visitor willing to participate in these rides are provided with Life jackets free. All measure are taken by the BSTDC to ensure fun and safe experience. This new scheme has turned lot of places into tourist/hang out spots. One of the most popular destination is the Gandhi Ghat, it is specially known for its cruises and aartis.

The Tourism minister, Mr. Sunil Kumar Pinto has announced about the state’s intention of introducing similar activities around Mahendru Ghat, Gaighat, and Kalighat. He also stated that strategies are being executed to make the entire experience less crowded and more interesting with less waiting. Of Course, this service will be closed during the monsoon season.

Other than Fun and adventure rides, there are lot of other facilities being initiated near the banks of Ganga including the most awaited river cruise and of course the Ganga Vihar floating restaurant. These activities will be functional within two months.

So now, a trip to Ganga is not all religious, it is also getting more fun and exciting.

Destination of the week : National Institute of Technology Patna

National Institute of Technology Patna I Image Resource : blogspot.com

Description : National institute of technology Patna old dreams, revived feeling nostalgic. The place where I once will to be, promote my Mother’s dream. Today I feel happy that pursuing my own dreams as it is all about following your passion that is what Dad always says and supports me. Thankyou daddy and Mom sorry yet I love you and will be an environmental engineer soon.

Sri Krishna Science Centre Patna Showing the Marvels of Science

Sri Krishna Science Centre, Patna was the last on my list of places that I had chalked out to visit in Patna but I was sure by no means was it going to be less rewarding. I instructed my taxi to take me to the West Gandhi Maidan.

Sri Krishna Science Centre Patna I Image Resource : touristlink.com

As we reached the Maidan I saw school buses parked. The centre was sure to be packed with school children who most likely had their vacations going on and it is surely very rewarding to have such trips planned for them. At the entrance was a very colorful hoarding, which had a graphical and visual representation of all that the centre is about. I entered and picked up an information pamphlet, which had all the necessary information about the galleries at the centre. At the ground floor is the Fun Science Gallery. I saw a lot of exhibits inside solving the critical problems of physics and mathematics. In the first floor, there are interactive fun and interesting science projects solved and this gallery is named Mirrors and images Gallery. Then, I came across what I loved the most – the science park and near it are the rooms, which have information on the oceans and evolution. It was amazing that I, being an environment student still did not know some of the mystifying secrets embedded in the heart of our oceans.

Sri Krishna Science Centre Patna I Image Resource : hoparoundindia.com

Sri Krishna Science Centre Patna I Image Resource : hoparoundindia.com

There is also the 3D show section, which has these movies using state-of-the-art technology, which now though is a little common but was once quite a rage, but at 10 rupees the prices here are very minimal allowing the lay man to enjoy these shows. Next, I saw the laser show, which is equally impressive. After this I had a tryst with my childhood friend, the dinosaur with all its information written here. I also came across a section where there is a tribute given to all the eminent Indian scientists. Thus, with it my trip to Sri Krishna Science Centre, Patna came to an end and also ended my trip to Patna. I carried a tank of memories and information with me back and would surely visit the city again if given a chance.