Vishakhapatnam | Beach and the Hills
Witnessing a beach from a height is always an exhilarating experience, offering a panoramic vista that captures both nature’s grandeur and historical significance. This is particularly true at Thotlakonda Beach Park, situated along the scenic coastline of Andhra Pradesh, India. The park is located just opposite the renowned Buddhist site of Thotlakonda, an ancient monastic complex dating back to the 2nd century BCE. This site was once a flourishing center of Buddhist learning and maritime trade, with monks and traders navigating the waters of the Bay of Bengal to connect with distant lands.While the beach itself is celebrated for its striking natural arch, a geological marvel sculpted by relentless waves over millennia, it also serves as a picturesque spot for photography enthusiasts seeking to capture the interplay of sea, sky, and stone. The view of the beach from the elevated position of Thotlakonda Beach Park is nothing short of serene. From this vantage point, the azure expanse of the Bay of Bengal stretches out before you, framed by the undulating hills that have silently witnessed centuries of historical transitions—from ancient Buddhist pilgrimages to modern coastal development. The gentle sea breeze carries whispers of the past, blending with the present, making it a place where natural beauty and historical depth coexist harmoniously. |
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| 🚆 | Vishakapatnam (VSKP) 25kms | Simhachalam (SCM) 33kms |
| ✈️ | Visakhapatnam International Airport (VTZ) 33kms |
Nearby CitiesKhordha528 kms Raipur 634 kms Visakhapatnam 21 kms Vijayawada 496 kms |
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| Taken on 2024-11-03 16:35:27 using a Canon EOS 200D II. | |
Darbhanga Ghat, Varanasi
In a series of mesmerising ghats on the bank of Ganga in the holy town of Varanasi, the one that stands tall amongst others is the Darbhanga Ghat. Located next to the Dashashwamedh Ghat, it was renovated and brought to its current grand structure by the royal family of Darbhanga, Bihar. |
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| 🚆 | Varanasi City (BCY) 4kms | Kashi (KEI) 4kms |
| ✈️ | Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS) 32kms |
Nearby CitiesPatna325 kms Lucknow 401 kms Sultanpur 212 kms Gaya 316 kms |
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| Taken on 2025-02-15 17:30:38 using an Apple iPhone 16 Pro. | |
Durga Temple, Aihole
Aihole is a historic site consisting of a series of archaeological structures, most of them dating back to 7th to 10th centuries. It is a prominent site for Buddhist, Hindu and Jain structures. It’s located in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka. |
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| 🚆 | Hospet (HPT) 146kms | Hubli Junction (UBL) 162kms |
| ✈️ | Hubballi Airport (HBX) 169kms |
Nearby CitiesHyderabad470 kms Bengaluru 577 kms Dharwad 168 kms Pune 526 kms |
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| Taken on 2024-12-20 14:06:08 using a Canon EOS 200D II. | |
Neer Mahal – The Palace on Waters
One of the rather unexplored Palaces in India, the Neer Mahal Palace is indeed a masterpiece in terms of architecture and it’s location in the midst of a magnificent lake. Built in the early parts of the 20th century by the rulers of Tripura, the palace is built in the middle of a lake in a locality of Melaghar in Tripura which is roughly 20kms from the town of Udaipur. Udaipur itself is about 40 Kms from the state capital of Agartala and is directly connected to Agartala by train. Hence, the nearest train station to reach Neer Mahal is Udaipur, from where one can hire an auto. One could also reach Melaghar directly from Agartala by road, a journey takes about 1.5 hours, and cabs charge around ₹2,000. From the edge of the lake, one has to wait for motor boats which ferry the visitors to the Palace and back. While the boat ride itself is just about 10 minutes, one often has to wait for long, since the boats depart only when they have a sufficient number if travellers to cover the full capacity.Coming to the palace itself, it’s quite a quaint experience with mild breezes blowing from all sides. It’s a two storeyed structure with an open courtyard which has water from three sides. The place is very well maintained and has plenty of picturesque photo points. |
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| 🚆 | Burhanpur (BAU) 243kms | Kamakhya (KYQ) 445kms |
| ✈️ | Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport (IXA) 64kms |
Nearby CitiesAgartala55 kms Aizawl 217 kms Silchar 314 kms Howrah 483 kms |
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| Taken on 2024-08-16 14:13:09 using a Canon EOS 200D II. | |
The Water Transport
Everyday lots of big trucks carry big loads from one place to another. Carrying that big lot of bamboo sticks by road would have resulted in loss of time as well as fuel.Apart from being environment friendly, the journey through the river is of course much more pleasant for those carrying it. View On Black |
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| 🚆 | Howrah Junction (HWH) 10kms | Sealdah (SDAH) 12kms |
| ✈️ | Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) 14kms |
Nearby CitiesKolkata11 kms Ranchi 478 kms Howrah 11 kms Jamshedpur 335 kms |
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| Taken on 2009-05-24 10:41:50 using a Sony DSC-H7. | |
Nishat Bagh
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| 🚆 | Jammu Tawi (JAT) 236kms | Samba (SMBX) 268kms |
| ✈️ | Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport (SXR) 26kms |
Nearby CitiesSrinagar11 kms Leh 320 kms Jammu 232 kms Kullu 476 kms |
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| Taken on 2012-08-10 18:06:59 using a Canon EOS 500D. | |
Marching Ahead!
On a pleasant morning, a cavalcade of ducks moves in a perfect sync in thisbeautiful lake. |
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| 🚆 | Sultanpur (SLN) 10kms | H Nizamuddin (NZM) 10kms |
| ✈️ | Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) 15kms |
Nearby CitiesNew Delhi10 kms Dehradun 318 kms Faridabad 28 kms Ghaziabad 42 kms |
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| Taken on 2009-08-16 10:43:54 using a Sony DSC-H7. | |
Sunrise at the Tip of India
https://www.flickr.com/photos/incarnate/54021841887 |
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| 🚆 | Nagercoil Junction (NCJ) 23kms | Tirunelveli (TEN) 111kms |
| ✈️ | Trivandrum International Airport (TRV) 123kms |
Nearby CitiesThiruvananthapuram119 kms Pondicherry 743 kms Madurai 320 kms Kakkanad 379 kms |
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| Taken on 2024-09-22 06:10:34 using an Apple iPhone 15. | |
Bharatmata Sadanam Kanyakumari
Just 2km from the southernmost point of India in Kanyakumari, there is the township of Vivekanandapuram, also referred to as the Vivekananda Kendra. The town of Kanyakumari has its links firmly established with Swami Vivekananda, through the most famous landmark in the town (or rather a little “away” from it into the sea) in the form the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
The Rock Memorial itself was constructed to commemorate the fact that Swami Vivekananda swam to that very rock in 1892 and meditated there for 3 days, before attaining enlightenment there. It’s said that it was here that he gained the resolve which led to the foundation for his long impacting actions taken in the future, including the famous speech at the World Parliament of Religions in the very next year. The Vivekananda Rock Memorial was opened in 1971, the initial idea of its construction having been conceived in 1962 itself as part of the birth centenary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda.
The campus of Vivekanandapuram was also set up as part of the efforts, along with the setting up of the organization called Vivekananda Kendra, which is headquartered here. The campus contains several buildings which act as guesthouses for people who wish to visit the place and spend some time there. And it also contains a few temples, including this one which also houses the Ramayana Darshanam on its ground floor and the Bharat Mata Sadanam on its first floor. Both the floors are out of bounds for photography (which is a pity really!). The ground floor showcases a series of giant ornate paintings, about 100 of them, each about 4ft x 3ft, depicting the entire story of the Ramayana in a serial manner. Walking through the floor is quite an experience, which is beyond just the divinity that associates with this. The first floor has a giant statue of the Bharat Mata, a figurative representation of the country of India as a goddess. The floor also includes several other statues including those of Kumari, the sitting deity of Kanyakumari and of Swami Vivekananda.
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More on Wikipedia. |
| 🚆 | Nagercoil Junction (NCJ) 22kms | Tirunelveli (TEN) 109kms |
| ✈️ | Trivandrum International Airport (TRV) 122kms |
Nearby CitiesThiruvananthapuram118 kms Pondicherry 741 kms Madurai 318 kms Kakkanad 377 kms |
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| Taken on 2024-09-22 16:50:09 using an Apple iPhone 15. | |
Meenakshi Amman Temple Madurai
This is the West Gate of the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai. Gates, or Gopurams like these, in the exact shape and form are constructed on all four directions to mark the entry to the temple campus. While most South Indian temple and particularly those in Tamil Nadu have a similar structure and design for the Gopuram, what stands out for the ones at the Meenakshi Temple are their astounding heights. |
More on Wikipedia. |
| 🚆 | Madurai Junction (MDU) 1kms | Kodaikanal Road (KQN) 55kms |
| ✈️ | Madurai Airport (IXM) 14kms |
Nearby CitiesThiruvananthapuram306 kms Pondicherry 436 kms Madurai 0 kms Tiruchirappalli 178 kms |
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| Taken on 2024-09-21 10:16:05 using an Apple iPhone 15. | |