Indian Travel

Here’s your chance to watch a really amazing festival. This is a unique festival where gender norms and equations are altered temporarily for a cause. If you are yet to witness such a festival occasion, then come to Kottangkulangara Devi temple to partake in the Kottangkulangara Chamayavilakku. As soon as you step in to the premises of the temple you will be welcomed by a group of beautiful young ladies. Do not get allured by their looks. Have a close watch and you will be surprised to know that these beautiful ladies are actually men dressed up in women's attire as part of a special temple ritual during the festival. images.mathrubhumi.com During the festival night, these 'women' holding traditional lamps, walk in procession to the temple to the accompaniment of traditional orchestra. Location: Kollam Kottangkulangara Devi Temple in Kollam District more info

Chembra peak   Trekking to the Chembra peak is one of the risky tourist endeavours. Chembra peak is the highest peak in Wayanad at 2100m. above mean sea level. It is14 kms. west of Kalpetta. Trekking to the top of this peak takes almost a day. Tourists can also stay one or two days at the top of the peak in temporary camps. District Tourism Promotion Council provides guides, sleeping bags, canvass huts trekking implements on hire charges to the tourists. The scenic beauty of Wayanad which is visible from the top of Chembra is very challenging and thrilling. The blue eyed water in the lake at the top of the hill never dries up even in the peak of summer. All along the steep and slippery way to the top of the hill, the whispering of the flowing spring which sprouts from the top of the hill accompanies the tourist. If he is fortunate enough, on his way he may come across a passing wild beast, may be a leopard who may instantly hide behind the bushes. Camping in...

Ingredients: To make puri: 1 cup Semolina (Rava / Suji) 3 tblsp Fine Wheat Flour (Maida) 1/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Salt Oil to deep fry To make pani: 1/2 cup Tamarind (Imli) Pulp 2 cups Water 2 tblsp roasted Cumin Seed (Jeera) Powder 2 tblsp un-roasted Cumin Seed (Jeera) 1/2 cup Coriander Leaves 3 Green Chilly (Hari Mirch) 1 cup Mint Leaves (Pudina Leaves) 1 tblsp Black Salt (kala namak ) 1 tblsp Boondi 2 tblsp crushed Jaggary (Gur) To make stuffing: 2 medium boiled potatoes 1/2 cup boiled dried yellow peas/ small chickpeas salt to taste Green chutney Red Tamarind Chutney How to make pani puri: To Make Puri: Mix sooji, maida, baking soda and salt in a wide mouth vessel. Now add warm water little by ...

The Kozhikode Beach is situated near the town of Kozhikode and is known for its old world charm and natural beauty. The beach has two crumbling piers that stand toward the middle of the sea and each of them is more than a hundred years old. The beach also houses a lighthouse, Marine Water Aquarium and Lions Park. The beach is a perfect setting for tourists wanting to enjoy the sunrise or sunset. The beach witnesses huge number of tourists everyday. A large area of the beach was renovated and various statues made by eminent artists are placed here. The coastal area is about 1.2 m above sea level, whereas the eastern part of the city is at about 15 m above sea level. The city has a long seashore of 15 kilometres (9.3 mi). Small hills dot the city terrain in the eastern and central portions. In the city nearly 5500 Hectares of land is used for cultivation and nearly 321 Hectares are waterlogged area Culture In the field of Malayalam language and literature, Kozhik...

Ramanathaswamy Temple - History The temple and the island of Rameswaram have acquired this name because, Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, the God of Gods here on return from Sri Lanka. According to legend, after killing Ravana Lord Rama returned with his consort Goddess Seetha to India first stepping on the shores of Rameswaram. To expiate the "dosha" of killing a brahmin, Lord Rama wanted to offer worship to Lord Shiva. Since there was no shrine in the island had despatched Sri Hauman to Kailash to bring an idol of Lord Shiva. Between 1897 and 1904, the ALAR family of Devakottai completed the imposing eastern tower of nine tiers 126 feet in height from Thiruppani funds. Between 1907 and 1925 they renovated the Sanctum Sanctorum and the prakaram(inner most corridor) by replacing the lime stones by black granite with adequate provision for light and ventilation and also arranged for the performance of Ashtabandana Kumbabishekam in 1925; then on 22-2-1947 an...

Kerala mural paintings are the frescos depicting mythology and legends, which are drawn on the walls of temples and churches in South India, principally in Kerala. Ancient temples, churches and palaces in Kerala, South India, display an abounding tradition of mural paintings mostly dating back between the 9th to 12th centuries CE when this form of art enjoyed Royal patronage. The murals of Thirunadhikkara Cave Temple (now ceded to Tamil Nadu ) and Tiruvanchikulam are considered the oldest relics of Kerala’s own style of murals. Fine mural paintings are depicted in temples at Trikodithanam, Ettumanur , Vaikom, Pundarikapuram, Udayanapuram, Triprangode, Guruvayoor , Kumaranalloor , Aymanam , the Vadakkunathan temple in Trichur, the Thodeekalam temple in Kannur and the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram . Other mural sites are in the churches at Ollur , Chalakkudy , Angamaly , Akapparambu , Kanjoor , Paliekkara, Edappally , Vechur , Cheppad and Mulanthuruthy , [...

Kerala sari is regarded as the cultural costume of women of the Malayali community. The grace and appeal of the golden borders contrasting with the otherwise plain white mundum neryathum of Keralite women has come to symbolize Malayali women. Both the traditional and modern styles of the mundum neryathum are depicted in the paintings of the Indian painter Raja Ravi Verma. The mundum neriyathum was modified in several paintings depicting shakuntala from the mahabharatha to a style of draping now popularly known as the 'nivi saree' or 'national drape'. In one of his paintings, the Indian subcontinent was shown as a mother wearing a flowing nivi saree. K asavu mundu and blouse