India at rice harvest time, and it was a perfect time to get great pictures, enjoy a freshly cooked bowl of scented rice and feel the essence of rural Indian life.
Kaziranga National Park
With full stomachs and light hearts, we proceeded to our destination- the Kaziranga National Park. I love safaris, and India offers many locals to view the country’ s spectacular and unique flora and fauna. Well maintained and organized, the roads are open from November to mid-May, and visitors who want to can drive through the park in their own vehicles or go on guided tours. A special treat is that travel within the park can be done by riding elephants!
Regardless of mode, the tours inevitably offer a glimpse into the wild side of India. There are three tourist routes under the jurisdiction of three Ranges— Kohora, Bagori and Agaratoli – each offering a magnificent cross-section of the native vegetation and the many favourite hunting and foraging spots of the animals who call the park home.
As no visitor is allowed to enter the park without an accompanying representative, our group was entertained and informed by a great guide who woke us up the morning at 5am for a wonderful elephant trek. It was still dark as we left, but the sun quickly rose on the horizon. This was my second elephant ride in the wild and it was a real treat. Along the route we got to see some of the big mammals starting their day, including wild elephants, buffalo and one horned Rhinos … but my dream to see an ever-elusive tiger was not meant to be. Even during the second outing, this time in Jeeps, the tigers were not interested in human encounters. The park is also a wonderful location for bird watching, as it is home to vast array of exotic birds,
including storks, multi-hued parrots and many others.
British influence, part 1
They may not be India’ s rulers anymore, but the British left many traditions and features that India has adopted. One such item is Tea, and India has become masters of the art! A visit to a tea plantation started by the British more than a century ago was a lesson in history and agriculture, as this region is very well known for its tea production and produces some of the world’ s finest leaves. We were also shown the vital peppercorn plant, growing in vines on the plantation trees, something that I had never known before! The visit also afforded us the opportunity to stock up on our gifts for back home and we bought loads of fresh and flavourful tea. Sadly we were denied the local pepper, as they were sold out of last year’ s harvest – very disappointing!
Further in the day we were blessed with a visit to a small farming village that has been living the same way since antiquity. The farm-folk lived in unison with the land and were very welcoming to strangers. Gentle and open people, life moves very slowly here, and really makes you wonder about the rat race.
Guwahati, state of Assam
I will always envision Guwahati as a city of temples, as we visited 3 beautiful Hindu temples while there and could have easily visited many more.
Basistha Temple
The first one we visited, Basistha Temple, is nestled by a river and is well known, and is considered as one of the most powerful temples for most Hindus. Considered blessed by Lord Rama himself, the
Basistha Temple’ s ashram is like a gem in the picturesque hills. Within the temple grounds is the Garbhanga forest and butterfly reserve with an exotic blend rich flora and fauna and a very rare butterfly reserve. There is also a lovely sacred cave and waterfall where it is said that rishi Basistha used to meditate by this splendidly serene area.
The temple’ s popularity was evident, as there were two different marriages on the day we were visiting, and we were invited to celebrate their special day. The weddings are wonderfully colourful, and although the brides looked a little tense, they did smile once it was over!
Kamakhya Temple
There are many ways to worship in Hinduism, 100s of gods and goddesses and most of them might be a little obscure, but one well known is Tantric worship. Although the Kamakhya Temple is a notable pilgrimage destination for all Hindus, it is especially important for for Tantric worshipers as it is dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya. As it is considered the centre for Tantra worship, it attracts many devotees for several annual festivals, including the Ambubachi Mela( celebration of the yearly menstruation of goddess Kamakhya) and the Durga Puja( a five-day festival that attracts several thousand visitors). Our visit here was a real treat, as it is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Pithas( place of worship consecrated to the goddess Shakti) but be warned, you must take of your shoes. I left my socks on and, needless to say, they were destroyed at the end of the tour.
Umananda temple
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Almost the complete opposite is the Umananda temple. Dedicated to Shiva, it is located on the“ smallest inhabited river-
American World Traveler / Fall 2016