Category: India
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An Agroforester’s Story & Zeal To Change Government Policy
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On my travels, social media interactions and volunteering with various organizations like Isha’s Rally for Rivers project, I came in touch with Ganesan anna. A farmer from Tamil Nadu who was (surprisingly) already active on Twitter. Intrigued, I decided to find out his story. :) On the banks of the Ponnaiyar river, lies one of…
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How to Visit Auroville for an Immersive Experience?
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Understanding how to shape an immersive experience when we visit Auroville. Video chats with someone who has been staying there for over 3 months now…
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Gujarati Winter Sweets, What a Scrumptious Way To Warm Up! [Indian Foods Series]
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We are past the festival of Uttaran or Makar Sankranti – the time when locals here near Ahmedabad, Gujarat say the cold will start to diminish. The past winter months, I have had a gala time here in this Trimandir ashram gorging on amazing Gujarati food delicacies. And considering that it has been quite cold…
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Dumas Beach Town Photo Story | Surat, Gujarat
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Dumas is a laidback, quaint coastal town, very close to Surat. It’s a popular day visit for its beach and street food. However, there is much more to explore. Here are some photos from my visit.
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Quaint Snake Shrine: Naag Devta in Adalaj, Gujarat
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There is an Orissa style Jagannath Mandir near this Trimandir ashram complex, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. We went there on a stroll once, enroute we came to a small shrine at the side of the road. Curious, I checked which deity it was – the Naag Devta. A quaint, small shrine with…
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Sadhguru Sri Brahma Pilgrimage Spots
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Most of us Isha Yoga meditators are always eager to visit Sadhguru SriBrahma spots and usually find them to be palpably powerful. Not surprising given SadhguruJV‘s connection with him. “Sadhguru Sri Brahma is a reminder for me because I am also full of fire, but we always keep it in a controlled flame. We never…
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11 Pilgrimage Trails Around India
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Want to go on a pilgrimage? Here are some popular and some offbeat ideas
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WFH Being Norm, Should You Travel Digital Nomad Style to a Remote location?
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With the lockdown relaxed in most parts of India, should we folks consider traveling digital nomad style? Move to a scenic Himchali village or to the beaches of Goa? Here I evaluate the pros and cons.
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Dhyanalingam Temple: A Live Guru
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Dhyanalingam temple, one of my most profoundest relationships in life. Written on the 21st year consecration anniversary. This is a silent meditation space located at the isha yoga center on the outskirts of Coimbatore.
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Girnar Pilgrimage Routes: The New & Old Stairways
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In my earlier post, I wrote about going in search of Aghoris at Girnar base. The next day morning was an eclipse, the 2020 solar eclipse that was seen in India. Since my niece and nephew were with us, we couldn’t take them outside during the solar eclipse as they might end up looking at…
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The Aghori Jhuggi On Girnar Mountain
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I visited the Girnar mountains of Gujarat in early Jan 2020. It was a family trip to the sacred Jain spots located on these mountains. Girnar taleti (base) is a smaller pilgrim town at the base of these mountains. The taleti has only temples, dharamshalas, small market shops and few eateries. All our Jain dharamshalas…
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My Tryst With Kartigai Deepam: The Story So Far…..
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In 2016, I went on a crazy solo cycle ride from Chennai to Kanchipuram and the next day to Tiruvannamalai. When I reached Tiruvannamalai, my adventure with Ramana Ashram and Arunachalam began – at least in this physical life. This place resonated deeply within me, so maybe I had past life connections, dunno. Anyway, it…
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Isha Mahashivratri Accommodations: Can I stay in the Coimbatore Isha ashram?
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This blog post has been updated in October 2022 to help people planning early for the 2023 Mahashivratri event. For ticket prices and other such details you can refer to this blog: https://maproute.in/isha-mahashivratri-2023-what-we-know-so-far/ COVID seems to be gone and dusted as of now. Assuming that won’t change. We have a burst of accommodation options near…
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A Truly Scenic Flag Hoisting | Adiyogi, Coimbatore
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This blog post is part of my Republic Day 2020 series where I list down different flag hoisting experiences. Independence day, 2019, I found myself at Isha Yoga Center. I was keen to participate in the flag hoisting ceremony at the Malai Vasaal (Hill Gate). This was the outside gate to the Adiyogi. About 2…
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Harsiddhi Mata, Krishna’s kuldevi temple in Gujarat
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On our way to Dwarka, we were told by our driver about Krishna’s kuldevi mandir of Harsiddhi Mata. (see map location) Not sure what a kuldevi is? Here’s a video from Sadhguru on kula deities This temple is at Gandhvi, a small seaside town on the route between Porbandar and Dwarka. The main shrine is…
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7 Temples of Somnath To Experience on your Saurashtra Visit
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Somnath is famous for its Jyotirlinga temple. Experiencing this Shiva temple is important for all pilgrims. But there are also many other lesser known temples to visit like the old Somnath mandir, Bhalka Teerth, Chandrabhaga Maata shaktipeeth and ancient Jain temples of Prabhas Patan.
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![Surat Ponk Vadas [Video] | Garvi Gujarat](https://maproute.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/045b0-img_20191215_194701-01.webp?w=800)
Surat Ponk Vadas [Video] | Garvi Gujarat
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Spending a few days at grandmother’s place in Surat. Mom took me to a ponk shop she had bought from earlier. It was at ghod dod road (map location). And we enjoyed a plate of Jain Ponk vadas.
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Mahalaya Amavasya @ Devi Temple | Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore
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One Amavasya night, at the Isha Yoga Center, I found out there was a special event taking place. This was the “Mahalaya” Amavasya of which I had never heard before. In general, on all full moon and new moon nights, they have some lovely celebrations. But this one was something different and interesting.
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Here’s Why I Have Been Keen To Move Out Of Mumbai (& Now I Have)
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I have been keen to setup a different home base from Mumbai for quite some time. There are actually a lot of reasons for this. But since people have been asking me, I would boil it down to 3 major points. If I got down to writing a full blown post I guess it would…
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A Beautiful Devi Shrine Amidst Chaos, Coimbatore
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As my friend and fellow travel blogger Shrinidhi Hande once said, not all blog posts need to be long. :D Taking this cue, here is a little piece on a beautiful Devi aka Amman shrine situated in the middle of a tri-junction of very chaotic roads near the Town Hall area of Coimbatore. By the…
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Where are you from? Me, Mumbaikar?
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“Where are you from?” Typically in any social interaction, there is a query about where I am from. The other person wants to build my story in their mind, they want to place me, better understand my cultural context and so on. Fair enough. Where am I from? For those of us who have travelled…
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8 Spiritual Getaways & Ashrams Near Bangalore
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When you are looking for a spiritual break from the mega city Bengaluru :)
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The GSB Kashi Math of Banganga, Mumbai
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The moon was in its 5th waxing phase, in the Indian month of Shravan. The date as per the gregorian calendar was 1st August, 1775. The 7th head of the Kashi Math of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin or GSB community – Shrimath Madhavendra Tirth- sat in meditation and asked his sangha to create a samadhi…
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Vegetarians and the Indian Vegetarian
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In Thailand, too often I found myself explaining to people that I was an Indian vegetarian, meaning that I was highly particular and strict about my food. People would nod their head and the Thai locals were quite possibly co-relating this with the Muslims who are strict about Halal. Though they also know that many…
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![A Full Moon Night With the Adiyogi [& Pondering on Bharat’s Lunar Culture]](https://maproute.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/a9d86-img_20181024_052438-01-e1557465954858.webp?w=750)
A Full Moon Night With the Adiyogi [& Pondering on Bharat’s Lunar Culture]
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I had earlier written a post about ways to make your Adiyogi visit really memorable. I love that place. So, you can imagine how excited I would be to spend the entire night out at the Adiyogi! Last year, I was staying at the adjoining Isha Yoga Center during a full moon night, the Sharad…
