Speaking Archaeologically™

The view from Daandi The temple at Daandi is placed inside the dense forests of Kotkhai and Balsan tehsils of district Shimla . It can easily be reached by vehicle from Shimla and is approximately  60 k.m. from the main city. The forest belt of Daandi with adjoining villages of Kotkhai This temple has been constructed amidst the deep forests and can be reached by vehicle. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is built in a ground. The main temple is made up of stone and cement as it was reconstructed in late 1970’s. Earlier it was made up of stone and wood. According to the locals the temple has its origin since early 1900’s. On festivals like Nag Panchami , Shivratri , Dusshera and beginning on the Monsoon season which according to Hindu religion is dedicated to Lord Shiva the temple is lit up with diyas and lights . The Daandi Temple of Lord Shiva About 50 meters from   Daandi  in the adjoining forest is a shrine built ...

You'd think one won't be covering a Temple when one's first cousin is  getting   married !  Wrong! In the heart of my heart, I always knew that I took an off from supervising SAV India for this wedding, only because it was being held 10 minutes away from the Ancient Temple of Baijnath. You'd think a ten hour long drive on a topsy-turvy road, that included meandering our way through many village roads would be enough to exhaust anyone! The Baijnath Temple, Kangra,Himachal Pradesh, North India Oh, so wrong, again! There we were, in a hotel overlooking Binwa River, appropriately named Hotel Binwa View, and while my family was busy reuniting for the wedding, congratulating the groom, trying dresses on and discussing the events, but more importantly, resting, yours truly spent the better half of the night, talking to the man at the concierge, to the devout Aunt, to the encyclopaediac Uncle, gathering information on the site, which I was determined to visit t...

There's always a picture, no matter how tired we are! Or as I like to call it — Our first official road trip. We started bright and early at noon. Or maybe we were supposed to reach at noon. Much of the details evade me. What I do distinctly remember is that we got lost. Three of us were driving down together, we were consulting Google Maps, and we got lost. Insert sexist joke about women, directions and maps. But before you do, know this, we found our way and made it to the site in one piece. All that can truly be demanded, if you ask me. That's not actually true, but I digress. We reached, and the first thing we did was stock up on supplies (re: junk food). Then we found a lovely tree under which we sat and spent some quality time with Ishan, Sharad, Shiv and Varun. It was, after all, Valentine's Day. That Plan drawing. Before you reach the conclusion that Speaking Archaeologically is actually an organisation devoted to setting you up on date...

The Main Temple Premise The week following the Diwali break was all about books, delicacies, long drives and visiting sites! Being a Doonite, I had very enthusiastically offered to cover one of the most auspicious sites in the town: The temple of Tapkeshwar Mahadev. The temple holds significance as one of the oldest Shiva ling is in the cave nearby where the river enters and water drops drip down on the Shiva ling (there by its name "Tap-keshwar"). The water that drops down vanishes underground and can be seen only few yards away in the form of a stream. The temple premises hold many cool sulphur-water springs where devoted pilgrims take bath before entering the temple. The small cave with this splendid scenery is said to be once resided by Dronacharya- the teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas in Hindu holy epic Mahabharata written by Ved Vyas. The cave is named Drona Cave after him. Drona Cave There is a saying that "If the stars and deities wish it, you are l...