A journey of smiles ...

The way back from the mountain temple I was back into the Doppelmayr run cable car and the journey down was as interesting with views of the valley as it was during my journey uphill. The journey revealed more breathtaking views of the valley and its beauty. The walk and the excitement of the trip had brought hunger to my mind. Till now I had only tried Indian food at the hotel, a few jelebi's from a sweet shop near the temple and the like.  I saw a nice restaurant at the foothill along with a souvenir shop which sold different varieties of kukhri (Gorkha knife) and magnets with images of the different attractions of the valley, one of which had two long eyes with a spiral in between and a question mark in place of the nose. Anyone would easily identify it as Buddha's eyes and my next destination was the Swambhunath Chaithya a monastery where you can see those eyes which remain a mark of Nepal. With a want to put of the hunger for a while I walked into the restaurant and ...

 On top of Chandragiri, where once people used come by walk, trekking the daunting mountains, from 2016, people find it easier to reach the temple and get a glimpse of the Shivaloka too. The Bhaleswar Mahadev temple resembles the typical pagoda style of architecture but retains the sanctity and austerity of the Hindu traditions in a temple. The experience in all was different as I saw neatly kept footwear on a stand, no rush, but tourists walking unaware of the greatness or holiness of the temple. Until I read more about the temple, I too was one of them. The simplicity and cleanliness of the temple premises attracted me a lot. As I walked in I could smell the fragrance of incense in the air and could hear the bells ringing, which plucked a few strings of faith in my heart. The sanctum sanctorum was simple roofed by the pagoda styled structure with the Gajur (the golden pinnacle) on top of it. The tall standing Trishul (Trident) with the damru stood tall and spoke a lot about ...

With peace in my mind and faith in my heart, I walked out of the temple towards where I had dropped my precious belonging, lending no ear to the adviser who offered to give me the "phool prasad". And Presto....! My sandals are gone... so much for not listening to the shopkeeper soothsayer... who already knew that I would loose my sandals.  Knowing that I cannot get a replacement anywhere near as I know, that like they say along with cuss words..."My foot" is a foot long and I don't get my size even in Andhra, Telangana or Punjab, where people are supposed to have big feet. I resumed my walk sandal-less... till I found a nearby shop selling footwear made of hay. With a still gleaming smile I asked "Do you have huge ones... the biggest possible" and I got myself a pair which fairly fit my feet. A new experience... which did not take me haywire but with "hay-footed" My next destination was Chandragiri, after my breakfast. Before I got in...