Why Chandrabhaga beach is better than Puri beach?

When one gets completely bogged down with the frustrations of monotonous mundane life and desperately craves for escape from reality , nothing can be a better option than spending a few moments with Nature. Added to that if you stay nearer to sea you are definitely at an advantage. The saline ambience coupled with the cozy bed of sand at the beach is the perfect gateway recipe. And if you happen to be in Odhisa the obvious choice would be a day off at Puri beach. But if you could travel 30 kms from Puri northward you will come across Chandrabhaga beach which will offer you better and memorable moments.
               
Avoiding the crowd : If serenity and tranquility is what you seek the most then Chandrabhaga beach has exactly those ingredients to offer you. Puri beach always remains overcrowded being a pilgrim site. Hence a quiet interaction with Nature soaking the saline atmosphere and feeling the grainy sand between your legs with only approaching-retreating turquoise waves in front of you - is rare in Puri.
     
Cleaner Beach : As the crowd is much thinner at Chandrabhaga the beach is cleaner and so the water seems less polluted. Even at waist height water you could see through your apparent feet which is highly unlikely in Puri. The absence of fleeting crowd keeps the beach less contaminated from wastes.
     
Nature all around : Puri beach stands just beside the busy marine drive and with it comes all the hustle and bustle. If your sole wish is to experience only Nature around , Chandrabhaga is ideal. The beach is withstood with a line of tall trees. Thus the view of greenery at your back and blue waters in front is nothing short of picturesque graphic.
   
Pristine waters : When you land at the beach the first difference with Puri beach that ignites your instincts is the pristine waters. Not only does it provide a captivating view but also cater a refreshing and rejuvenating bathing experience. The waves might seem a tad less violent but definitely more soothing and no less adventurous.
      
Let your body afloat : This is one of the most unique feature that I noticed. The retreating waves often create a mini lagoon which is only ankle depth but here you can just set your body free and the salinity will take care of the density to let your body afloat. This is the most soulful experience I ever had. The warmth of the water adds cushions to this unique experience. The formation of this mini oxbow lake is not guaranteed but it happens often. This is like experiencing Caspian Sea at Chandrabhaga.
      
In a nutshell , Chandrabhaga beach has all the bounties to be experienced in close connection with Nature - a day wrapped in Nature's refreshing outfits , a day worth spending off the crowd and off the necessary corporate boredom.
      

     

      

Rajarani Temple - a hidden beauty.

Bhubaneswar is the city of old temples and having acquired this newfound fondness of visiting places of historical interest it is very tempting not to have a walk in to the rather interestingly named temple , Rajarani Temple.Why such a catchy name? Well thats a mystery. Situated in the old city just a couple of kilometres away from the Lingaraj temple the temple has been fenced amidst well maintained garden that has a straight footpath leading to the temple. To see a temple with city buildings around gives you the feeling of an ordinary shrine in your colony or neighborhood and given its smaller structure compared to the majestic Lingaraj acts as a alibi to the first-glimpse-analysis.
    
As you walk closer to let the image formed in your brain through your optic nerve gain enhancement in terms of definition and clarity , it takes no time to shred off your initially formed notions. The picture of 'the temple' in our childhood scrapbook is  given the extra dimension ; hence to conceive a lively real-life monument out of the gallery. The plain strokes of brown on paper has given to yellowish and dull red complexion and so has the adhering particles of crayons to chiseled sandstones. The casually depicted designs has made the finest transformation to acute and crafty artwork of varying subjects which undoubtedly makes this rather common architectural monument special.
     
Built on a raised platform the temple has distinctly two parts - the frontal squared shaped jagmohana, as they call it, and at the rear end the long pyramidal vinama reflecting typical Kalinga architecture. As the historians say the temple dates back to mid 11th century AD believed to have been built by the Somavamsi kings. Many believe that central Indian temples owes their seeds of architecture to this piece of art. Talking of architecture , this very aspect arrested my eyes instantly - the 'wow' factor of the love-at-first-sight. The vivid depiction of the life of Shiva , his marriage to Parvati in the form of inexplicably brilliant sculptures coupled with several slender feminist characters in various roles and moods are well preserved and worth capturing. Internet will help you to get the background details of all the prominent mythological characters but unless you witness by yourself you cannot apprehend the amaze.

The most striking thing about this temple is being a shrine without any idol - something thats unusual in Hindu history of temples. The sanctum is empty , bereft of any platform that might had indicated the existence of some past idols presently removed . Even google could not give me the definite story behind this. The popular theory is that it is not related to any particular sect of Hinduism hence might hold its roots to Saivite origins. Unlike the exterior the interior lacks  designs or artworks . Another obvious peculiarity lies in the name. How come it got such unique name? Neither it is in vicinity of any palace nor its structure is large enough to bear the weight-age of such a name. The local argurment transpires from the fact that the entrance is sculpted with naga(king) and nagina (queen) on both sides. But historians counters the derivation might have come from the foundation stones which were locally known as raja-rani- quite an intriguing fact indeed , definitely a research matter.

Regardless of its uncertain history and extent of historical significance compared to the Lingaraja or the famous Jaganath Temple of Puri , the mere visuals are enough to make this significant in the memory lane. The lack of idols or worship schedules , the absence of any extended courtyards , the small-scale structure, the sprouting congested urbanization in the immediate surroundings might prevent the full-fledged expression of the 'marvel' mental orgasm. But in no way it fails to be a treat to the eyes. If you come to visit Lingaraja an extra hour afforded to this place will definitely be an added bonus , a worthy inclusion to your repository.

    

       

The Grand Mysore Palace

Throughout their mighty reign the Mughals and other Muslim rulers have built marvelous palaces across the country and have showcased their rich architectural and artistic skills that have been bewitching visitors for years, but when it comes to this particular monument , the center of attraction of the cleanest city of the country , I can say that in no way it is less grand or less charismatic than its counterparts. It was the residence of the Wodeyars - the Maharajas of Mysore. Located at the heart of the city, this awesome piece of majestic art is surrounded by lush gardens and overlooked by Chamundi hills , eastwards. There are three entrances on each ends and the main approach , a gigantic arch of acute architectural craftsmanship , faces the palace at the east end.
             

As I entered , the initial glimpse left me short of adjectives - the kind of feel one delicately archives much like witnessing Taj Mahal. A bright day, perfect cobalt afternoon sky ; just the tailor-made canvas ready to be glorified with the subject - the expansive three storied mansion fortified by  high towers with red colored domes . Shot. Camera ought not miss such a naturally conducive frame of perfect light and shade thus avoiding further edits. Built of fine gray granite that dazzled  atop the series of great arches supported by tall pillars. How the sculptors accomplished such finesse without any modern machinery always remains a mystery to me.
                       

It was time to explore the interior. A rich exhibition of the articles that belonged to the royal family. The physical archives ranged from eye-catching metallic weapons , silver throne to crafty furniture and daily household items of sophisticated designs. Coupled with the tabled antics what left me amazed was the interior designs - checkered marble floors and pristine pink and amber colored marble pillars flaunting the acute artworks and carvings. It wonders me how the taste of styles changes with generations - how the buildings and mansions are going to be few centuries hence!
                            

The big hall at the ground floor has a multi-colored glass ceiling enabling the sunlight to peep through creating a prism-like effect. Scintillating. I took a moment to teleport myself back in time of the kings and queens in my mind ; imagining the fellow visitors dressed in royal customs , the exhibited antics restoring their places in accordance with my assumption , the shine of the marble enhanced and the paintings looking more lively. Goosebumps! I wish I could practically revisit history when this history was the present.


Having done over sightseeing the royal embellishments , I strolled round the palace through the gardens and capturing shots from every angles possible. Sunset was round the corner and twilight was steadily creeping in. I decided to come in front of the main entrance to get a full frontal view of the palace against a camouflaging sky. And the sight was simply breathtaking. With every pixel of the sky changing its complexion among variety of shades of orange and red and yellow within minutes , the palace reflected the hazy glitter thus adding different flare to my shots. Eventually the fading light disappeared and the artificial lights came into prominence. And as the best is often saved for the last - the view of the dazzling palace illuminated collectively by every lamps defining every curves and arches as acutely as possible. Lovely decorations. Mind blown.       


The rich architecture of the palace not only speaks volumes of the culture and artistic acumen of the people of that time but also exemplifies our history proudly in the book of world heritage. And It is as important a duty for the government to preserve its sanctity as to ours , the visitors , to maintain the place clean and safe without causing any damages out of some crazy activities.


It was time to leave and relive the stunning visuals in my memory which has definitely coveted a place for this marvel besides other famous palaces of our country. Mysore palace is indeed grand!