Badrinath

Badrinath

Badrinath is a Hindu holy town and a nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Badrinath is the most important of the four sites in India’s Char Dham pilgrimage. Badrinath is in the Garhwal hills, on the banks of the Alaknanda River, at an elevation of 3133 m.

Get in

The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun, about 317 km from Badrinath. The nearest railway stations to Badrinath are at Rishikesh and Kotdwar, which are at a distance of 297 km and 327 km respectively. There are regular buses operating to Badrinath from Delhi, Haridwar and Rishikesh.

Get around

Located only a few kilometers from the Indo-China (Tibet) border, Badrinath is generally a two-day-long journey from either Kedarnath, the site that precedes it in the Char Dham circuit, or one of the main disembarkation points on the plains. Hemkund Sahib, an important Sikh pilgrimage site, is on the way to Badrinath, so the road is especially crowded during the summer pilgrimage season. The temple and its substantial surrounding village are accessible by road.Many people prefer to reach Badrinath shrine starting early morning from Joshimath have darshan of Lord Vishnu and return to Joshimath by evening.

See

• Nar Narad Temple.

Do

• Vasudhara Waterfall, 8 km from Badrinath. The first 3 km can be travelled by a car or a bus. This stop is called “Mana”. First point after the village Mana, the last habitat in the indian side, is Bhim Pool. This is said to have been built by Bhim for his wife Draupadi who could not cross the ridge. From here there is a 4 km trek for the falls and no special gear for the trek is needed, only some good shoes.

• Hot Geyser. There is a hot spring near the temple, and many saints live in the surrounding mountains all year round despite the harsh winter at such high elevations.

Origin of Saraswati River, near mana village. this is said be origin of Saraswati river coming out and going underground again as this river is not visible anywhere from source upto Allahabad Sangam in UP where it is said to merge into Ganga river along with Yamuna river.Very close to visible river Saraswati there is very small water stream said to be water from Mansarover Lake in China.

Buy

Ancient coins, Wool, Ayurvedic medicine, Holy books, Counterfeit Electronic goods from China,sacred threads, sea shells, temple requirements, aarti booklets, colourful beads and braceletes.

Rome

 Roma

Italy Rome Eternal City-( Photos Jurgen and Eva Lechner) Rome capital of Italy is a beautiful art center that can be considered as a vast museum. Its artistic and historical heritage is of universal value. During the centuries of its world domination, Rome was able to create and also assimilate all the trends that ran in all countries. The political and cultural history of this city has left a unique mark in all our modern Western civilization. Rome, a city that has long dominated the "civilized world", contains a thousand and one stories of its rich past. The 400 churches, 300 fountains and many remains are the marks of each period from that of the Etruscans. But Rome could not be locked into this image of site "museum". Rome is a city alive and vibrant. The Romans are here to remind us. Their lifestyle Dolce Vita Mediterranean temperament, their looks neat and slicked to perfection, their culinary specialties are some of the wealth.

Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is a giant amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome. Originally capable of seating 50,000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. It was built on a site just east of the Roman Forum, with construction starting between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian. The amphitheatre, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire, was completed in 80 under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign.

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The Colosseum remained in use for nearly 500 years with the last recorded games being held there as late as the 6th century — well after the traditional date of the fall of Rome in 476. As well as the traditional gladiatorial games, many other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building eventually ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such varied purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry and a Christian shrine.

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Although it is now in a severely ruined condition due to damage caused by earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum has long been seen as an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and is one of the finest surviving examples of Roman architecture. It is one of modern Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Catholic Church, whose Pope leads a torchlit procession to the amphitheatre each Good Friday.

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