Namaskaram !
Welcome, Padharo ! I'm Mathini, a French woman who has been living in Rajasthan for 10 years. Despite being imbued with Indian culture from a young age it wasn't until 2014 that my Indian adventure really began. I left everything behind in France and set off on a 6-year journey through the land of Gandhi. These adventures are gathered in this blog which aspires, in an intentionally positive spirit, to bear witness to India's remarkably diverse and multifaceted cultural heritage. If this website sparks a desire to pack your bags and set off for an Indian adventure, it will have achieved its purpose. Subh Yatra on Magik India and beautiful explorations in the sacred land of Bharat...
Once a year, at Kartik Purnima, the full moon in the October-November lunar month, there are festivities in honour of the god Brahma. Thousands of pilgrims come to make offerings at the sacred lake in Pushkar and to pray at Jagatpita temple. This is also the occasion for one of the biggest livestock fairs in India: the famous Pushkar Camel Fair or Pushkar Mela, which attracts flocks of tourists and photographers from all over the world.
Originally from the state of Bihar, in north-east India, the festival Chhath Puja celebrates and thanks Surya and Usha, the sun-god and the goddess of dawn, sources of life and primordial energy. This tribute to the sun comes just after the festival of lights (Diwali) in October-November and is the occasion of elaborate rituals dating back to ancient India.
Navaratri, along with Mahashivaratri, is one of the leading Hindu festivals, celebrated with great fervour throughout India. In Sanskrit, Nava means ‘nine’ and ratri means ‘nights’; the Navaratri festival lasts for nine nights and ten days. Its purpose is to celebrate the Universal Mother, or Shakti: the primordial and creative force.
In Thrissur, the Onam celebrations end in high style with hordes of portly human tigers thronging the streets, dancing to the hectic rhythm of the percussion. The Pulikali or “tiger dance”, deeply rooted in Kerala culture, is a unique event and a good-humoured, convivial moment of entertainment.
Saputara ‘the abode of snakes’ in the local language is a charming hill resort of Gujarat perched at 1000m altitude on the Sahyadri hills bordering the state of Maharashtra. It is surrounded by lush forests dotted with typical villages inhabited by the Dangs, a tribal community known for its impressive acrobatic dances. The best time to visit Saputara is during the monsoon, when it is covered with an intense green carpet and when the mist gives the landscape a mysterious atmosphere.
Meghalaya, literally ‘the abobe of clouds’, is one of the seven states of Northeast India also known as the ‘seven sisters’. This state, the wettest in India, is slowly opening up to tourism and an increasing number of nature lovers get mesmerised by its unspoiled landscapes. Whether during the monsoon, when the mist hangs over the highlands, or during the dry season, Meghalaya offers the traveler a wonderbox filled with natural treasures: lushy ancient forests, stunning waterfalls rolling down the mountains and surprising living root bridges ingeniously weaved by the tribal communities.
An island surrounded by crystal waters and edged with delightful fishing villages, and a temple with endless pillars that houses one of India’s most holy shrines: Rameshwaram is a mandatory stop for anyone visiting Tamil Nadu.
Sixth largest city of India by population, Hyderabad nevertheless is still not very touristy and we must insist a little so that it reveals its beautiful face. A face with oriental features, reflecting its past as “city of pearls”, when it was a hub of the Indo-Persian culture under the reigns of the Golkonda and Nizams Muslim rulers.
