Listen to Your Soul amidst a Divine Ambiance on Ladakh Monastery Tour

Dotted with countless historic monasteries, Ladakh is a destination that fascinates me a lot. It is my dream destination. The beautiful hills, scenic locations, high mountains and above all ancient 'Gompas' or monasteries have always allured me.

Thiksey Gompa

Working with an organization where employee satisfaction is an important goal, I got an opportunity to visit Ladakh with my co-workers. We, a team of five members were given the privilege to collect the information about Ladakh Monasteries. Feeling ourselves delighted, we jumped at it and started our Ladakh Monastery Tour.

I am very fond of visiting religious places as the tranquility of these holy spots energizes my inner self. Ladakh tour was already like making my dream come true and monastery tour was just like a feather in the cap. With high hopes, we left from Delhi and reached Ladakh by flight. For that very day, we were left free to enjoy the mesmerizing charm of the place.

Next day, we all were very excited to experience the tranquil ambiance of Gompas. Situated on a hillock, Shey Gompa was the first monastery, we visited. Lying at a distance of around 15 km to the south of Leh town, the monastery houses a beautiful image of Buddha Shalyamuni. While we were looking at the image, I found some of my team members were so stunned that they were not even blinking their eyes. Perhaps, it was the magic of this hug image of the seated Buddha and the way it has been constructed beautifully with the metal. Glided with gold, the Buddha statue simply looks outstanding. We bow our head in front of Buddha statue where a large bowl of wax with a central flame was kept.

After paying our regards, we left for Thiskey Gompa. Situated around 18 km from Leh town, Thiksey Gompa is a beautiful monastery. We were surprised to see a temple-Lakhang Nyerma, which was inside the monastery. Dedicated to Goddess Dorje Chenmo, the temple was standing mostly in ruins but it was worth spending time. There were many other holy shrines that attracted us and left us mesmerized. We were amazed to know that it also houses a rich collection of artifacts and ancient relics. On visiting the monastery, we got to know that sacred dance organized annually in the monastery, an important part of Gustor ritual.

Hemis Monastery was the next attraction of our exploration. Based on my experience, I would not hesitate to say that it is the biggest monastery of Ladakh. Standing gracefully on the Western bank of Indus river, the monastery also has a rich collection of old relics. The famous Hemis festival is also celebrated here, which is an annual affair.

Likir Gompa

Later we visited Stok Palace, which is the royal residence of the king of Stok. It also houses a museum, showcasing the royal artifacts, prayer instruments and precious stones. Some of my colleagues found it the best way to come across Buddhist life style and culture. We came back to the booked hotel and took rest overnight amidst all the comforts.

Next morning, after breakfast, we left for Likir Gompa. Lying atop a windy cliff, the beautiful village of Likir just took away our heart. Still, I am not ready to believe that a village can be so fascinating. Famed for its outdoor, tall and seated Buddha, the Likir monastery was the next part of our visit. After that, we were all set to cross the river Indus and we did it joyfully. Zanskar also unites into Indus at a point.

We moved towards the Spituk Gompa, which is located on the hill-top near the river. The monastery is famous for its annual event-The Spituk Festival. The curiosity to the most heard Lamayuru monastery simply could not stop us. This monastery is the oldest gompa of the region. I found it so outstanding that I could not help insisting my team mates to spend some more time there and they agreed. Sankar Gompa, Phugtal Gompa and Alchi Gompa were the other monasteries, we visited during our Ladakh Monastery tour.

With a heavy heart, we bid goodbye to Ladakh but with a promise to come again!

Solving Mystery of History with Royal Rajasthan on Wheels - Part II

During this tour we also covered Sawai Madhopur and Jodhpur, the two other important destinations of India. Each of the destinations offered a different experience. We explored Mehrangarh Fort, Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal, Sileh Khana and Daulat Khana. We also visited Umaid Bhawan. We have read enough about these places and even we had been there earlier also but visiting these places by Royal Rajasthan on Wheels was a fairy-tale experience. We were feeling like princesses who were travelling from our one palace to another and Royal Rajasthan on Wheels was our royal caravan.

Moti Mahal

After Rajasthan, the train moved towards Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India. Located in almost middle of the country, Madhya Pradesh was new for us. We had never been to this beautiful state. After spending another night in that moving palace, we were in Khajuraho temples. Fine architecture of these temples made us wonder that without any technology and tools how did they carve such amazing sculptures? Although we were exploring the amazing temples of Kahjuraho yet I was missing the luxury on board. I was not able to understand what was the magic that was dragging me towards train. I guess it was luxury and the decoration. Exclusive Bar, Spa Facilities, Personalized Services, Splendid Saloons, Royal Decoration and Personalized Attendant, all these facilities were not allowing me to concentrate on the world outside the train.

As we boarded the train, I got that princely feel again. I could not realize that I was even behaving in a royal manner. Suddenly Heena made me realize that we were on the train just for a week. I was a bit low after realizing the fact that five days of the tour were over. I did not notice when I fell asleep in the cozy beds of the train. I woke up in the morning. Heena told me that she could not sleep due to the luxurious environment as she was living there as a dream.

Agra Fort

The moment we got down in Varanasi, we felt that no combination can be better than travelling in luxury to the Varanasi. Calm ambience and enchantment of mantras took my heart away. I did not know why but Varanasi was always on my list of must visit places. After stepping in the holy region I could realize that there lies a heaven on the earth. We visited different Ghats and temples there and all of them were amazing. A whole day in spiritual aura was not allowing us to leave the place but finally luxury of the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels won and we were back on the train.

Next destination was Agra, the land that houses the symbol of love. A full day in the city made me realize that the love of these emperors was also royal like them. Gloriously standing Taj Mahal is the evidence of the fact. We explored Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort as well. Finally, we left for Delhi. The tour was about to over and we were not in a mood to step out of this world class luxury.

On Sunday, we de-boarded the train early morning. It was really hard for us to come out of that luxury experience but we had to. There was no choice. Soon, we would be planning another luxury train tour.

Solving Mystery of History with Royal Rajasthan on Wheels - Part1

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels

I often travel in train even I would say travelling in train is a part of my life. Whenever I get a chance, I explore a new place. I always had a dream to experience the royalty in the journey as well. I asked my best buddy Heena to join me on this excursion. As it was going to be a planned trip, so we gathered all the information and finalized Royal Rajasthan on Wheels. The train remains in operation between November and March and offers a week long journey that starts from Sunday.

We booked the tour after understanding different aspects of the tour including itinerary, destinations, meals and everything else. Be it food, services or sightseeing, everything was covered in the tour package. The only thing we were told to be careful about reaching Safdarjung station, Delhi on time.

The day approached. I and Heena were extremely excited. We reached Safdarjung around 4:30 pm, an hour before departure time of the train, which is 5:30 pm. As it was Sunday, there was no traffic on the roads of Delhi. We were ready to experience the luxury travel.

The moment we boarded the train, our eyes were pleased with the surprise. The decoration made us felt as if we had entered a palace. I was so lost in the decoration of the train that Heena alone settled the baggage in our booked coach. It was a Deluxe Saloon. The train also has Super Deluxe Saloons. I came back to my senses when I found that a traditionally dressed person came in front of me. He asked me to take a seat so as to avoid the hindrance for other passengers.

The journey began, I was still lost in the imperial décor of the train that was dipped in royalty of bygone era. That night I could not sleep as it was hard to believe that I am on a luxury train not in any palace.

Next morning, we were in Jaipur, the 'City of Palaces'. It was not first time that we were in Jaipur. We had been to this royal city earlier also but with a luxury tour on Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, it was completely different. We explored Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort and Amber Fort. After a day's excursion, we were back in the train. Heena and me both are very fond of traditional items. Be it clothing, decoration or anything else, we never miss a chance to hit the market and to shop a lot. How it was possible that we were in Jaipur and did not shop? We were back with some heavy baggages as we did not realize that we bought numerous traditional items from Jaipur.

While I was packing all that stuff, Heena was occupied in arranging the pictures that we clicked during Jaipur visit. After that, we took rest for a while. As we did not have snacks in the evening we were feeling hungry so we headed towards the lavishly decorated restaurant of the train. Sheesh Mahal and Swarn Mahal are the two restaurants on board. We chose Sheesh Mahal. It is an amazing place, which is decorated with splendid floor lamps along with crystal pelmets. Fine work of wood and crystal left us speechless. That day I did not know what we had in dinner as we both were soaked in that royal ambience. Excellent service and fairy-tale aura was treating us as the princess.

Excellent Service

Our next day was dedicated to Udaipur and Chittorgarh. We visited Lake Pichola, City Palace and Saheliyon ki Bari in Udaipur. While in Chittorgarh, we marked our presence at Rana Kumbha Palace, Chittorgarh Fort and Padmini's Palace. Palaces were amazing. There we came to know that why people visit these wonderful destinations. All these are jewels of time that are carrying the golden charm of vintage era.

We had dinner on the train as we wanted to live every moment on the train. It was such an amazing feeling that could not be expressed in words. It is mandatory to board the train for this royal feel. Night was telling us to snuggle in the cozy beds of the coach but our heart was still stuck in the luxurious aura of the train and the attractions, we visited.

                                                                                             To be continued...