All posts tagged: Religious

Polonnaruwa & Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka Itinerary Day 3 On day 3, we had a big day ahead since we planned to visit the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya rock fortress. After having a big English breakfast of bread-butter-jam, eggs and some fruits in the morning we met Manju. Manju owns a tourist car and he was our car driver cum guide for the next few days. When I first saw Manju, I was quite surprised by his look. He was so neat and clean. Manju was a big fan of Hindi movies and he told us once upon a time he was addicted of Hindi movies and he stopped watching TV to get rid of his addiction. He knew some Hindi movie dialogues as well. We decided to go Polonnaruwa first since it was a bit far and it needs more time explore. Polonnaruwa is an ancient archeological city and one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. On the way on our journey, at one point we saw few monitor lizards roaming on the road and that …

Visiting Sri Lanka For The First Time

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Sri Lanka, “The land of Lanka” is my first international travel destination. 🙂 I was extremely excited about my Sri Lanka trip since the first time ever my passport was getting stamped.  I was about to cross the boundaries of my country and travel into another county. The feeling and excitement was just like a dream come true.  I was along with my two friends all set for our backpacking trip. Everything was unplanned except our first day accommodation in Colombo. We had a rough plan of the places we had to visit in 9 days. Just a few days ago, I came back from my backpacking trip and I have almost traveled most of the Sri Lanka. And no doubt, I am in love with this country. I have captured Sri Lanka in my camera in my own ways. Now, I have 2000+ photos and I desperately want all it to share with you guys. I did city tours, village walks, climbed rocks , swam in the ocean, hiked through tea farms, stayed and experienced  local …

St. John’s Baptist Church – 500 Years Old Church

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Instead of working, I was searching for the “Haunted Places in Mumbai”. Then, I came across a very interesting article from site mumbaigloss.in,  “20 most haunted places in Mumbai “. I was shocked and surprised; when I saw Seepz, my office location on the list. So, I started reading the full article. Here is the story, I was reading from an article posted on site http://mumbaigloss.in/ “St. John’s Baptist Church, a centuries old Portuguese church was once an abode to the spirit of a young bride who used to torment people coming in the vicinity of the church. Just one prayer meet (mass) is held in a year. The exorcism in 1977 to get rid of the ghost was reportedly a terrifying experience for all those present that moonless night. “As the priest read lines from the Bible, we first heard manic laughter, and then loud wailing. The sobbing of the unknown voice finally stopped, and suddenly there was a loud splashing sound from the pond next to the church. Everything then fell silent. The …

Haji Ali Dargah – A Mosque of Faith

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It was a mix of experience, I felt good and I felt bad. Walking down on the road leading toward Haji Ali Dargah; I realized how important to have a faith and a hope in our life. My little sister wanted us to visit Haji Ali Dargah and pray for our good health and happiness. People have a belief and faith that if we pray and ask for something at the Dargah, the very soon that wish will get fulfilled. I am not sure how true it is, but this time I decided to visit this place. Haji Ali is the one of the places on my list of Mumbai Mission. The Dargah was built around 800 years ago. It is actually tomb of the Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. As I stay in the central part of Mumbai. I took train till Byculla station and then taxi till Dargah Road. The sight of Haji Ali can be seen from the main road. Haji Ali is located in one of the expensive areas of …

Global Vipassana Pagoda

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After exploring CST and Hornimam Circle area, the next destination in my list was the Global Vipassana Pagoda.I was so excited about this trip since I had heard good reviews about this place. It was fun to travel in each possible mode of transportation in Mumbai to reach pagoda; first in the bus then auto rickshaw and lastly in ferry (total 2 hours journey) but it was totally worth experience. When I reached to Essel world, there were two ways; one way to Essel world and another way lead to the pagoda.The Global Vipassana pagoda is one of the seven wonders of Maharashtra and world’s largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars. The pagoda is the Buddhist temple or Vihara mostly used for religious purpose, mediation or worship. The main purpose of building pagoda was to show gratitude toward Lord Buddha for his contributions. The trust mainly runs on the donations,learning Vipassana techniques and meditation camps are free of the cost. The main entrance was decorated with authentic gold painted designs and it was surrounded …

Ganesh Chaturthi Festival

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Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival in which entire nation celebrates and welcomes Lord Ganesh.I always love the festival celebration because I get a day off from work and I get a chance to visit my home.India is one of the most religious countries. Indian celebrates many festivals throughout the year which bring them closer to each other. Lord Ganesh is considered as the god of beginning and obstacle remover. Ganesh Chaturthi is a major Hindu festival celebrated across the India, especially in the Maharashtra. The Entire nation celebrates and welcomes Lord Ganesh. The festival lasts for around 1 to 12 days, wherein devotees bring Ganesh idol at home and chants mantras, after prayers devotees share a prasad (sweets) among the people. Modak considered as Ganesh favorite food item. At the end, Ganesh Visarjan (immersion of Ganesh Idol) into water or river or sea is the part of the rituals. Each festival has it’s own mythological stories and purpose. Here is the story of how Lord Ganesh was born and how he acquired elephant head, which I heard from elders. Lord Ganesh was …