Travelogue - Ancient Temples & Monuments of India

[sapr333]

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<B>TRAVELOGUE</B> - Heritage Temples & Monuments of India

I was an avid backpack traveller ten years ago. 'Pink Floyd & Deep Purple' were the only accompanians during those strainful journeys towards my quest for exploring our heritage. Amidst, Oh my! I have to use sign languages, cos I'm virtually zero in Hindi.

And ,even now, I carry that instinct in my blood. My destinations were strictly not neon lit streets (or) hill stations....

As a true traveller, I really miss out 'Babri Majid & Bahmyan", in my heart. I could not see Babri any more, cos I was a only student confined to 4 walls. I missed out Bahmyan,cos by the time I jotted the travel plan, grounding clips were live on TV..Can Einstein/warren buffet bring them back??

I cordially request forum members to write their travelogues (travel experience),in such a way,that, it will pump the adrenaline of fellow participants (esp NRIs) to rush to the nearest travel agent, and pack their bags.

A small request.. Lets use a good format, preferably like an article (no chit chat pls!), with a structured format and para, like, sharing address, travel mode,timings,budget,recommended hotels,experience, local guides info,tips,local delicacy,cuisine etc. You may also attach a photo of that place (by U.R.L) in the post.

This is not a chit chat forum. Keep in mind, we are going to tempt someone here in this forum, to experience our 'Great Indian Heritage Monuments & Temples".

Pls have a look at this link to know more about UNESCO Heritage sites in India.. I have visited all of them. For forum sake, lets add all the temples above 700Yrs old.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_India

PS: I personally request all the readers, to stir up their memory, and write/share here your travel experience.. Thanks in advance.

 

[sapr333]

Sanchi Stupa - Bhopal - Built on 200BC

Last Friday in Delhi......

Mercury touching 42Deg C,God, I'm not used to it. The time you are done with the meeting, the next second rush in to the Cab, and quickly get couched inside the hotel. Reason,terribly hot outside. Spend half a day around my favourite Cannaught place..Walk past 20 shops, then rush to one of the KFC/McDonalds/Louis Phillipe/Nike/coffeeday stores, in the pretext of buying something,spend few minutes pretending as a potential buyer,gaze around, then keep a pocker face and waddle towards the exit door, by saying loud 'Thaeink Youuuu' to the poor sales man. A trick quench the heat for few minutes,free of cost. Stumbled upon a good book store which had lot of collections to my taste, ie about my quest for philosophy and religions was, 'Modern Book store' or New Book store.. didnt remeber the exact name.. A good collection of 'Penguin publication' all with black covers,wish I could buy all of them. Finally, I picked one, Rs.320 . Gave the book to the billing clerk (possibly the owner),and he pointed me to a handwritten board "No Cards accepted below Rs.500"..Silly though!.. Had some heated arguments with him, and he looked at me, as if, Im a first-time villager to Nei-Dilli..Got annoyed, and exited the place without buying the book.. My egoes!! Anyways, next time I visit delhi, I need to pick that up..

Work in Delhi over!!..Weekend..What next.. thought of taking a break.. As usual... to explore the Indian heritage.'The incredible India'. This time, its Sanchi Stupa.. All I remember about this place was,my 4th std History book, a bleak B/w picture of a doom, possibly printed with a poor quality hand engraved printing block,which looks more like a line sketch and a bit of scripts about King Ashoka..

Sanchi Stupa is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage site and a protected monument..Did some google soon, and worked out a quick plan in half an hours time.

Its appx 700Kms from Delhi and well connected by Rail/Air.Nearest city is Bhopal (Remeber Bhopal Gas tragedy) 50 kms from Sanchi. As a cost cutting measure,thought of going by Shatabdi Train(fast luxurious trains fare appx Rs.700~900 I guess),but it reaches only at 2:00PM and would loose the good morning hours of visit.Sachi also has a railway station close by,which, many an express trians have no stoppage.I dont know if any bus service are available from Delhi. So thought of taking a low cost air carrier, alas,they dont operate in this route. . Airfare 4.5K+, but then its worth spending that, to see such a great place on earth (before it gets demolished by some fa/lu'natics).

Reached by 10.00 in the morning. Taxi for 8Hrs 80Kms airconditioned sedan cost Rs.900/- and for 200Kms cost Rs. 2000 for 12 Hrs.Did some mental arithmentics, and settled with the later one. Straight away checked in to M.P Tourism Govt Run hotel 'Gateway Retreat'.Booking over phone is acceptable, but better get it booked online through www.mptourism.com .Dont under estimate it as Govt hotel.. Too good and worth the money and comparatively chep too. Rs.1600/ per day 12:00Noon check out.. They gave of 2 Hrs freebee succumbing to my jewish bargain in lieu to discount on tariff. Small clean lobby,colonial design with plastic/artificial decors,good spanish bar, campus,clean toilet, fairly O.K linen,neatly painted walls, with sprawlinglawn campus.. Worth it...

Couldnt wait to see sanchi, so skipped the shower,break-fast (one served in flight was enough for lunch also), and rushed there.. The drive on the way is pretty good..Country side, neat road (an extn. highway),villagers making their fire-wood by drying cow-dung on the wall). Why just drying cow-dungs,with that arid hot climate,one can even attempt to cook a masal-dosa on the floor!!.Lots of Bamboo bushes, all dried up, looking like a cloud of twigs in this summer..

Ahh! The driver showed me the hillock top..Yes, a small dome like a lemon from a distance.. Yes, thats the place we are heading too.

Reached the down hill. Tourism office.. Board says, 'Monument open from Sunrise to Sunset". Wondering if they are still living in 200BC, to rely on sun clock!! Entry Ticket Rs.10/Head, children free.. Foreigners its Rs.250 (Hmm,once british taxed us, now history repeats)

The cab took 3 circles to reach the top. The first sight!! Amazing.. any one would scream with joy!!..It took me back again to my nostalgic 4th std days.. Nostalgia!!.. What that old lady, history ma'me Josephine, narrated to us with all her exclamation and expressions,seems to be tallying here,and its right here alive,infront of me!!!(im sure she wouldnt have seen it in her life time)

Just cant believe, they did all this massive,artistic work 2300 Yrs ago!! Lime mortar still remains strong! The geometric curve of dome is perfect.. I tried to find some flaws in curvature by focussing my eyes lining up with the structure.in vain...Perfect engineering.. Its all built by 'Sand Stones' of mild violet in colour. Four gates adore the 4 sites, and a good carving, and even after 2 millenia,we can figure out the expressions alive in the small carvings (6inch tall). All of them depict the life of Buddha,and the art form is though closer to the one found in ancient temples, it has its unique style. And climax is, our National Emblem, the 4 lions adoring one gate.. I admit, I've gone bit emotional, seeing that!.

Excited, I called Mom over phone and said, "Mom, Do you know Sanchi stupa, the buddhas monumument, our national emblem,Im right here on top!!..She quickly exclaimed "Are you going to become a Sanyasi (hermit)!! Didnt expect that from a retired Chemistry professor!! May be because, she has just crossed her 60. I was about to retaliate!!, Was that the reason, you visited Egypt's Pyramid with dad four years ago.. .Voluntarily silenced my gun, cos she always admired me as an obedient son,and wanted to maintain it for ever.

Its surrounded by few monstic buildings,and the foundations are only existing now. Many a be-headed (sorry, a crude language to use) buddha statues are there. The guide furiously blamed it on Indian Muslims and kept on bad mouthing them in his broken English.Poor fellow,He doesnt know that foreign Moguls did it!!. I kept silent, cos I cannot communicate with him,because of my poor hindi. I have no reason to get furious like him,cos, I know its the part and parcel of History and we are bound to accept it. We should thank God, for they havent completely demolished and grounded this structure.. Atleast, we and our children were left with something.

And there is a Buddhist temple nearby.The guide showed me the 'Oil Lamp' at the entrance of the temple, infering,that at that time, Buddhist also followed the rituals of Brahmins (Oil lamp).. Even the 'A.S.I Board mentions that point"..

Too hot .. feeling thirsty..Yes, a small kiosk, with all American brand aerated drinks/chips adoring the rack.

Coming down the hill, there is a good museum.. A must see.. 5 Rs entrance ticket.. Free guide (govt staff), unfortunately, only hindi.. So took an excuse, and started reading the tablets..Good collection of artifacts and statues starting from 200BC to 800AD..

If you wanna buy home a momento, visit the next door Tibetian Gallery..Any one would love to drain their wallet.

The job is done.. It takes atleast 5Hrs to fully enjoy this place. I wish I could have spend the whole day, but summer heat has drained me. I asked the cabby to take me to try some local cuisine.. He got me something interesting..Couldnt recollect the name of the food, but trust me, Its so so so good and delicious.. Rs.3/Plate served in a 6" sq piece of newsprint paper. Bit yellow in colour like Lemon rice, good amount of spice added, aromatic, bit of green chillies and dhal fry sprinkled..It looked like its made out of 'Rice Flakes (Aval), boiled/soaked in water and lightely oil fried.. But i pressed a grain, it was too fluffy than rice flake..bit of boiled potato/corn taste.. I hogged 2 plates,mildly poisoned with print-ink lead.. Still worth it.. So curious to ask the ingrediants and recipe.. Hmm, cursed myself for not knowing the national language.First time, I cursed my elite school for not having Hindi as first/third language and blamed myself for opting Francais.

Its 4.00 PM.. No perfect break fast/lunch. Rushed back to the hotel, and straight to the 'Spanish Bar'. Quenched the thirst and summer heat with a bottle of 'ale' (b**r). Reasonably priced.. Found some time to Check the mails..

Contd....

 

[sapr333]

contd from previous post..

Then asked the Rajah (cabby), if any other good places to visit .. He mentioned 'Taj Masjid', Indias largest Masjid built by Pataudis nawabs..Cricketer MAK Pataudi's ancestors. .Its in the heart of city, and need to drive back 50Km..Worth visiting right now.. What if it was demolished by another 10 years.. Then I may miss out a life time chance, like Bahmyan Buddha.. ''Never miss an opportunity!!'' Prompted in me the spice telecom TV Commercial.

While on the way, the cabby showed me the a K.M long shops,all of them pay monthly rent to Cricketer Pataudi,it seems.. Huge money!!

Approaching...Waw... A magnificiant edifice with a good foyer.. I can sense it from a distance.. All made out of red sand stone..Huge structure. Very tall minars.. Unclean floors. Huge crowd of men were sitting in the centre donning skull caps, surrounding an young boy, with 'Silk Golden Turban'.. Was wondering if its a shariah court , trying a sikh boy??. Felt bit scary.. Finally found a fair chap, hoping he will speak some English.. Yes, he said its a nikkah-marriage.... Instantly my eyes scanned the enitre arena, on the look out for the blessed one in beehive dress... No one.... So asked him back, Where is the bride then? When she is expected here? He gave a quick stare..., hmm!!, In no seconds, I realised my great mistake.. Hmm!! Need some women liberation activists here!! I only talk big on forums about 'Women Liberation', but I have no guts to act on it.. I admit!!

Was walking out.. A boy with a basket was distributing some sweet packets. Heavy rush, push and pull, like a somalian reaching for U.N food packets. Its fun.. Me too joined the crowd.. Finally got one on my hand..Oh. Its wrong if I eat it alone,I need one for my cabby Rajah..Asked for one more. Got a scream from him,possibly he must have said "Get out, you greedy man".. Still pleaded.. Lord have mercy!!.. He yielded or felt pity on me, and gave me one more. Reached out with a sign of victory,and gave the sweet to the cabbie happily, (as if I have brought him the gift after winning a war with pakistan).. But,I can sense his face becoming small.. He accepted it with a bit of haste in his fact.. Got in to the car, asked him to switch on the A/c and park the car for a while, till i try this new Bhopal sweet dish. Yes, it was yummy with a nectar taste.. I told cabby to try that sweet right now. His face has still become smaller. I asked him if he has diabetics! He said, 'No' in a louder tone.. Then why!! He said in a husky voice "Cow meat may be mixed".'Incredible Indiaaaaaaaaaa"... Thats what our tourism slogan..

Yes, my travel to Sanchi was indeed incredible and worth remembering, and you also should make it a point to visit this place,before you die..

 

[sapr333]

NEPAL - Pashupathinath Temple

Twelve years ago (1996) - Calcutta - during the month of Kali Puja celebration -

Took a days break from work, and visited all the possible kali Puja pandals.The whole city is lit with both electric and oil lamps. Free distribution of sweets and prasadams every where.. Each pandal expressed goddess Kali in their best possible creativity and imagination out of plaster of paris. The most impressive one is the Godess Kali created out of the images of Mother Theresa/Indian solidier, truly reflected the broad accomodative, harmonious,patriotic nature of this festival.

All of a sudden,a jerk in me prompted a visit Nepal,that too by land route. With meagre budget on hand,took a bold decision to try it out like "Lonely Plant's" Ian Wright.This time by Indian Railways.Reservations closed due to festival season.(I like reservations in Trains, but not on Jobs!!) Boarded the Raxaul train's unreserved compartment.No place even to stand, and homosapiens are so tightly stuffed like animals.Like a train heading to one of Nuremberg's gas chamber.Neither take a free breath nor move an inch and all are standing and sweating.Cant stand so long,so got in to one toilet, locked the door,put the backpack down,sat on it and tied my nose with the hanky to subsidize the stench smell emnating from the usually unclean heavily soiled Indian-railway-closet.

Next day 11:00AM,the train reached the border town Raxaul. A small stream of river seperates the two countries, and we have to cross the bridge by a Tonga(horse driven cart) for a fee of Rs.5 Per head. A thrill pops up in.. Crossing an international border in a Tonga!! Next, Emmigration check.. No passport required for Indians, but any valid GOI id is required.

Once you enter inside Nepal, any one will find a sudden change in every thing. Full of Chinese kind shops,non-veg foods,noodles.. A must try street food for break-fast is freshly served steamed Momo stuffed with vegetables. A plate of 5Pc costs IRs.3 (in 1996AD) and 2 plates are more than enough for a heavy break-fast. Indian currency is widely acceptable here,and commands the equal status like USD.

Few kms away is a small air-strip and an 8 seater plane (possibly built during WW-II) shuttles between Kathmandu for a fare of Rs.700. At that phase of my life, I felt it to be expensive, so took the bus for Rs125 fare. An eleven hours of hilly ride through the serene tranquil forests on the foothill of himalayas, will take you to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The bus driver suggested me to get down at Thammel for cheap accomodations. A good fairly well furnished,carpet floored,T.V,Hot water,glass windowded (Non A/C) costs Rs.200.. Not a crowded place, and seems to be a good locality,with close proximity to bus stand,shopping places,Kings Palace, hang outs etc.

Booked a packaged city tour for Rs90/Day in an air conditioned Volvo bus (first time I saw a Volvo). The city is clean, neat roads, and all types of Imported cars could be spotted..I have gone crazy by seeing those variety of foreign cars running as taxis ( Imagine our Ambasaddor/PAL). Once out of the city, its full of paddy fields. Though a Hindu kingdom, most of the architecture of the house and temples are of Buddhist style Pagodas. Rice meal seems to be quite expensive that time,costing around Rs.50.

Finally reached "Lord PashupathiNath temple' (Shiva),4th century AD, the most popular destination and a must see for any tourist. A good pagoda arch, and has to go through a tight security check up. No leather items allowed inside the temple esp, watch,belt,shoes,leather hand bag etc..If you are a lonely traveller, keep them at the lodge (or) rely on the temple lockers,which is quite safe too. Its built on the river bank which flows from himalayas, and its a good view to watch river gushing through the small stone-lingams erected inside the river. An ideal location for photo-shoot out. Do'nt remeber if they allowed camera's inside.

Moving around the Sanctorum, i was quite surprised to see two priests talking amongst in Tamil. It didnt take fraction of a second to strike a conversation with them..I was told,that there is a millenia old tradition that only South Indian Brahmin priests(Rather T.B;s) are permitted to don the sanctum sanctorum by an old king's edict. Off late I read, Maoists have changed this,and pushed in Nepali Brahmins also.. One priest was so excited to talk with me in Tamil, and offered me spend a full hour in explaining me about the whole temple. Good that I turned down a tour-guide at the entrance,because of my shoe-string budget.. And the help from this priest was more or less like a God-sent one to me..



Evening dropped to a place where there are lot of small pagoda type temples. Its a place where even the locals hang out in the week ends. If you are a collector of Antique-Arts/sculpture/utensils, this is the best place on earth and its so cheap.I did a good shopping here.. Wish I had lot more money!! A must buy here is the 'Nepali Knife".. Its very unique, with a leather case.. They say, keeping thats Knife in the house would keep away the evils and bring in good luck.. But,since then no such Genie visited my house!!

The last point is a Casino and Freak Street... Freak street is more or less like America in 60's. Punk-Smoke-marijuana-Beatles-Coffee-Disco-.... Glanced through the place. In the middle, tried a local soup with a street vendor.. Its made of the mix of all leafy vegetables blended with all known spices of Nepal. They say it has good medicinal value, but I couldnt finish it, cos it failed to tickle my taste buds. Gave a bit of puking sensation.

Sunset..., so thought to finish my last and most important destination in my wish list.. A Casino.. First time in my life.. Cheked in to Annapoorna, the capitals best 5 star hotel. Strictly no entry for Nepalis. I have budgeted Rs.300 for trying my luck in the casino. No entry fee. At the entrance, they asked to turn a giant 12ft tall 'fortune wheel'..Its absolutely free for all.. Oh My! It slowed, moved back and forth and the pointer settled at Rs.500.. I was thrilled.. In a minute a Rs. 500 coupon was thrusted on my hand by a smiling lady receptionist.. Armed with that currency, I started my casino venture. First time I was seeing gambling machines,coin mint,roulette etc.. Asked if there is any place I can play Rummy(im too good at it).. They said, that the minimum bet money outhere is Rs.1000 .. so left.. Tried my hands in all possible events.. To my surprise,I kept on winning where ever I placed my bet... Excited high. My kitty touched Rs.1500 made out of nothing.Hmm! Its time to be wise (not greedy).. Not to play any more and loose this good earning ..Tempting though to become a millionaire overnight..Took control of myself and exited the place contently with Rs.1500 extra on my pocket.

Next day is a State Festival day, related to Kali Puja. Remeber, this was a 'Hindu Kingdom', and majority are hindus. Beef is strictly banned, but Nepali's being lovers of red-meat,they got tuned to bufallo meat,which is very commonly available. Early morning when I walked to the streets, its was full of gory scenes..No where in the world, bovine slaughtering happens this public that too in an in-human way.. It looks like every street folks join together, collect money, and slaughter a bufallo on the street.. Streets are all scattered with blood (my shoes and trousers were full of blood stains).. Intresting thing I noticed is, they dont skin the carcass, rather shave the hair/smoke it, possibly be cooking it along with the skin..They have the custom of sharing the meat with their folks packed in leaves. In this context, I couldnt believe it as a 'Hindu country'..

Wandered and waddled across the streets . Liquor is quite cheap, and is avilable in majority of the local grocery shops (like Petti Kadai) mostly run by women. Tried a local country made stuff, just to get a feel of it.Indian brand liquors/cigarettes were quite expensive here, and are in good demand with rich Nepalis.

Now wanna blow out that Rs.1500 earned in Casino..Bought a world radio receiver(chinese make).Believe me, it used to receive signals of Airport ATS conversation, weather broadcast of airport/Nearest Police stations walkie conversation , T.V audio etc.. Worth Rs.300. A travel agent suggested me a trip to Himalayas Annapoorna mountain range.. For Rs.800/ they 'll take you on an hour long flight hovering around the snow clad mountains of himalayas.Luckily I got the window seat, and it was simply superb!!..
They'll stop you for 15 minutes, in a snow clad air stip in the hill..You are allowed to play for 15 minutes on the snow(without boots and gloves).First time in life seeing /feeling snow flakes and ice. Out of thrill drank/ate/chewed the himalayan snow.If I had a bottle of sugar, I would have sprinkled it on the snow, and licked that 'ice-cream floor'.

Back to hotel, tired, muscle aching, still dwelling in the nice aromas of himalayan down hill & sweet memories of Kathmandu,painfully called up the travel desk to book my return tickets to Bangalore

PS:Things might have drastically changed now(Saffron to Red), in this current Maoist regime. May be , A China Version-II. Sad,but true..Christianity has fought a similar sociological,diplomatic, labour oriented,emotional war against communists of Poland and dethrowned them(strategies worked out by Pope John Paul II), where as,sadly, I can only content myself to say,Hinduism of Nepal has accomodated Commie Maoists in.in in...
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[sapr333]

post deleted

 

[sapr333]

I dedicate this particular travelogue to one of our forum member Shri.Kunjuppu, who refered here about this place, in one of his posts.

A days stop over in Delhi!!! Yet, 5 long hours left to make the boarding pass,I was wondering how to kill the time.Went to Lavazza,ordered a coffee,and as usaual, the addiction prompted me to boot the machine and log in to TB.com.Hmm! There was a first post by Shri.Kujuppu getting displayed on top, which triggered my memory in to something else..Yes,a post from him,talkin' about an important place of visit in delhi.. which he visited in circa 1970 AD.Yes,its,'Shankar's International Doll Museum'.A brief intro about this place is.. It was started by an eminent cartoonist Late.Shankar,which holds some 15,000 private collections of dolls from across the world,and is also said to be Asia's largest one.

Folded the machine in seconds,packed,cancelled the coffee,digested the incensed poker face of the waiter(last minute order cancellation), and embarassingly(shamelessly) asked the same waiter, to guide me to 'Shankar's Doll museum.He just said one word, go to 'ITO'!A Single word address, to locate a place, in such a big city!! I know, how much I struggled once to reach 'Parliament & 10 Janpath', though every Indian knows it.Anyways, cabby quickly recognised it, with just 2 words, ITO-Doll.


If you are in Cannaught place, its 5-10 Mins drive. 45Mins from Airport. And I was told there is a local metro station nearby.Ask any one 'ITO', they will guide you (I still donno what ITO means). All I can sense is, its closer to 'Times Of India' corporate office.


Entry ticket Rs.15. Then an intense security check through a metal detector door, followed by a handheld metal detector check, which tickles you,when he scans for bombs under armpit/hip. If you are carrying a machine, you need to boot it,and wait until the microsoft logo comes..Its seems Talibans have found an innovative way to plant RDX hidden laptops. Crazy,to see innocent children are also getting scanned in the same vigorous way.Looking at the flock of children,Parents,GrandParents,uniformed school kids on excursion etc , I can sense,that, it must be a very popular destination for kids.Dont know, if its listed in 'Lonely Planet'.


Roughly a 20,000 sft building,fully airconditioned.. Dolls are arranged country wise, inside the glass chambers in an orderly manner.Wish they had kept a brief description-tag next to each doll.Those who are bored with the monotonmous face of Barbie, this would be definitely an interesting site for adults.Nice to see, that the culture of a country getting expressed through Dolls.Many of the dolls are gifted to Shankar, it seems. The entire Thailand gallery is gifted by the queen.I very much liked the Dolls of poland,Vietnam & mexico.. A 17th century doll lying in wooden cot (in original drape & linen), from Europe is the centre of attraction.


Indian dolls section, start with life-size figures. Was bit confused myself to distinguish between Dolls & statues here!!. Rajastan/Sikkim dolls were creative/craftive in nature. Kerala section is too boring, all filled with the same KathaKali dolls.


Tamilnadu dools are dull in finish,with matt texture and definitely lacked vibrancy. But for sure its the only section,which even made even a hurry-burry visiter to pause for a while.Guess what, it's the famous 'Thanjavoor Thalayatti Bommai'.. Dancing doll. Its very enjoyable to see, the nodding heads, and the only kind in the entire international collections.A hidden USHA fan on top, is the 'Choreographer' for this dance show.

Downstairs, in the adjacent block, there is also a book stall,which displays all Childrens book published by them.Seems to be very reasonably priced, and worth buying some.


Photography strictly prohibited,and there are 3 un-uniformed sleuths closely keep a tab on this.Myself, being a true Indian, who are prone to break the law,clicked few bleak mobile pictures, in paparazzi style,pretending, as if Im busy talking over phone.


I scheduled to finish it in 1 Hr, but actually, I never knew, how I spent 3 long hours inside. Worth recommending this place to any one.


PS: Apologize, for taking the liberty to break my own rule here.. ie, to deviate from the Travelogue's objective,'Temples & Monuments'

 

[kunjuppu]

good stuff sapr.

i think it is high time i visited this place again, during my next stopover in delhi.

ito probably stands for something mundane as 'income tax office'

 

[sapr333]

Thank you Shri.Kunjuppu.. I mean,thanks for referring this wonderful place..

 

[tbs]

good stuff sapr.

i think it is high time i visited this place again, during my next stopover in delhi.

ito probably stands for something mundane as 'income tax office'

kunjuppu sir,
yes ..its called INCOME TAX OFFICE BUILDING is closest vicinity..
its very famous spot in delhi...very close to CP means connaught
place...near to old historic delhi...on the bank of Yamuna bridge
is called ITO bridge...close to east delhi...many news paper
publication buildings including Times of India...navabharat times etc
very close to famous AKshar dham temple and sri guruvayurappan
temple in mayur vihar...onthe way to NOIDA...its landmark
in DELHI..is called ITO..

regards

 

[kunjuppu]

thanks tbs.

i was only guessing.

i used to hear my dad refer to ito when i was a kid, and have not heard that acronymn for a long time. so, it is the same all over india for ito!

considering the disdain that we have for income taxes, i am not surprised that this is a landmark. just like lubyanka in moscow. a place to be dreaded!

btw what is life without abbr? we then won't have krs, tbs, gnb, kgb, ms and ofcourse ito!

thank you.

 

[tbs]

thanks tbs.

i was only guessing.

i used to hear my dad refer to ito when i was a kid, and have not heard that acronymn for a long time. so, it is the same all over india for ito!

considering the disdain that we have for income taxes, i am not surprised that this is a landmark. just like lubyanka in moscow. a place to be dreaded!

btw what is life without abbr? we then won't have krs, tbs, gnb, kgb, ms and ofcourse ito!

thank you.

kunjuppu sir,
thank u very much....in fact my in laws settled in Delhi about a
50 yrs ago...i got married in Delhi...even now my mother
(porantha veedu) in Chennai..my mother in law (puguntha veedu)
in Delhi...even though im delhi mappilai...now pudhiya veedu
in USA..becoz naturalised citizen here...so i know each
and every part of ITO...i used to be enjoy delhi chole/
battura in dhaba closed to sankar doll museum...my
bus stand is opposite to sankar doll museum...i enjoy nook and
croner of delhi by my beloved bajaj scooter...now a lot of changes..
its inevitable...thanks to delhi metro...

regards