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...
Char Dham, meaning ‘four abodes’, is the pilgrimage circuit around the four most revered pilgrimage sites in all India. These are in Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameshwaram. Over time, another Char Dham pilgrimage circuit has developed, in Uttarakhand state in North India. It is known as Chota Char Dham, ‘the four small abodes’ or ‘Himalayan Char Dham’.
Who could fail to fall for Srinagar, summer capital of Kashmir? The meandering, lotus-dotted lakes and the houseboats with their surprising air of Old England will immerse you in an irresistibly romantic mood while the Mughal gardens, fragrant with rose and magnolia, induce a more contemplative frame of mind. While you sip a delicious cardamom and cinnamon tea and watch like on the lake, you’re likely to be thinking that next summer the place will tug at your heartstrings and pull you back again.
Designed according to Vedic concepts, Jaipur, the buzzing capital of Rajasthan is one of the most visited cities in India. Well, the pink city knows how to charm the traveler: colourful festivals, majestic historic buildings and rich craftsmanship. From the “palace of winds” to the “water palace”, the pink city has no close rival except neighbouring Amber, the Jaipur Maharajas’ previous capital.
Former capital of the princely state of the Bastar region, Jagdalpur is a simple but unmissable city in Chhattisgarh. Due to its proximity to many archaeological sites, nature reserves and typical villages, this stopover town has become over time a destination in its own right. But it is especially during Dussehra that this city stands out, when the indigenous people of the whole region come together for totally unusual festivities, combining animist rites and Hindu ceremonies.
Vrindavan, on the Yamuna river, is an important pilgrimage centre. Over 500,000 Hindu worshippers come to Vrindavan each year. They come to bathe in the atmosphere of the place and dance to the rhythm of the dark-faced Lord Krishna. It is said he spent part of his childhood here.
Barsana is a peaceful small town and an important pilgrimage centre for Hindus. It seems still to resonate with the divine love between Radha and Lord Krishna. The “temple of the beloved”, built like a Rajput palace, stands majestically on Bhanugarh hill. Absolutely not to be missed if you visit Mathura and Vrindavan.
The annual “Maargazhi Music and Dance festival” or “December Season” in Chennai (the former Madras), which overlaps between December and early January, is said to be one of the world’s largest cultural events. More than a thousand performances are given, with almost as many artists. For anyone who enjoys Indian classical music, this is indisputably the place to be.
