Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho

The Lakshmana Temple is one of the oldest temple in Khajuraho (State: Madhya Pradesh). Belonging to Western Group of Temples it is the largest and beautifully carved temple at Khajuraho. It is built by King Yaovarman of Chandela dynasty between 930 and 950 A.D. (Click on the image for bigger view)

The main shrine of the temple has four subsidiary shrines at the corners of the temple platform. The temple has columned halls with balconies, an entrance porch, and the inner sanctum.

In the inner sanctum is the sacred image of Vaikuntha-Vishnu brought from Tibet.

Decorating the sides of the temple are numerous statues. It is exquisitely decorated, almost completely with images of over 600 gods in the Hindu Pantheon. Most of the sculptures have economy of drapery but are effusively patterned with ornaments and flower motifs.

The various carvings and sculptures at this temple.

On the base of the platform are beautifully carved carvings. One such band of carving is King sitting on the throne in the Royal Hall with his ministers. In front of the King dance and music is played.

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Mandwa Paintings

Shekhawati region in western India, is famous for its mural paintings. It is like a huge open air gallery of painted walls, havelis and palaces in the vast expanse of the desert of Rajasthan in India. Mandwa is one such place, where every nooks and corner of the town, street, home has been painted with frescoes. We had been to one such ancient home where the interiors are beautifully painted. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

Here the theme is based on royal army of Rajasthan Kings. The paintings show royal assembly.

Even the ceiling is painted with floral designs.

Lalbagh Flower Show August 2010, Bangalore

Every year in the month of January and August, the Lalbagh Gardens at Bangalore hosts Flower Show. If in Bangalore around this time one should not miss the event. (Click on the image for bigger picture)

In the month of August, it is usually organized for 10 days from August 6th to 15th. The theme for this year is to show respect to all the martyrs and freedom fighters of our country.

This year the main attraction is the monument India Gate, beautifully made from more than 250,000 roses, a fitting tribute to the Indian soldiers.

On display were around 260 varieties of Anthuriam, Orchids, Celosia and Dianthus among others.

Every day thousands people enjoy the beauty of these flowers on display. It is mostly crowded in the evening on the weekdays. Best time to be in this place is the early afternoon. I had been here on the weekend afternoon. Even though it was crowded I had enough space to take some snaps.

Very minimal entrance fee is charged for the show. No charges for camera.

Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, Khajuraho

The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in Khajuraho (State: Madhya Pradesh) is the finest example of architecture of the medieval period in India. Belonging to Western Group of Temples it is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple at Khajuraho. It is built by King Vidyadhara of Chandela dynasty in 1050 A.D. (Click on the image for bigger view)

The main spire rises to a height of 31 m and is surrounded by 84 miniature spires. Other features of the temple are columned halls with balconies, an entrance porch, and the inner sanctum. Inside the sanctum is a marble linga representing Shiva.

Decorating the sides of the temple are numerous statues and the inner sanctum also has large number of ornate statues. Many of the side panels depict Shiva in the presence of apsaras, consorts, and other divinities. Most of the sculptures have economy of drapery but are effusively patterned with ornaments and flower motifs.

Its ornate gateway is very attractive with carvings on it.

Above is the front view of the temple when Sun rays fall on it. The people around it give us the sheer size of the temple.

Review of Cathay Pacific First Class Service (YYZ to DPS)

We're back from a fantastic trip to Bali, Indonesia and Hong Kong and we have a new favorite airline for long-haul trips to Asia: Cathay Pacific. I loved the excellent service, from super-fast check-in to comfortable airport lounges to caring stewardesses in the air—I'd rank the experience a solid A.

We weren't able to get first class award seats on the JFK to Hong Kong flight on the day we wanted, so we flew out of Toronto instead. Since we had a layover of a few hours, we booked a day room at the Sheraton Gateway Toronto that's attached to Terminal 3 of Pearson International Airport. It was so nice to be on-site, get a few hours sleep, grab drinks in the Club Lounge, and then check-in for our Cathay flight, which was taking off at 1:30am.

Cathay doesn't have its own lounge at the Toronto airport, but first class passengers do have access to the KLM lounge. The lounge is fine; nothing special. The staff seemed quite tired. When I asked for the wi-fi password, the receptionist handed me the tiniest slip of paper with a code on one side. She didn't say a word; just slid the paper (blank side up) across the desk to me. Odd.



Upon boarding Cathay's 777, we were pleasantly surprised by the six spacious first class suites. It was just us and one other passenger. We knew we'd be comfortable for the 15-hour flight. We also decided to try transition to Hong Kong time, so we stayed up and enjoyed a lovely meal.

The list of complimentary beverages was extensive:

Champagne
Krug Grand Cuvee Champagne

White Wines
Hardy's Heritage Reserve Bin Chardonnay 2008
Bouchard Pere & Fils Meusault Les Clous 2006

Red Wines
D'Arenberg The Galvo Garage Cabernet Blend 2008
Sebastiani Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Chateau Lynch Bages 2003

Port
Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 10-Year-Old Tawny Port

Aperitifs and Cocktails
Campari • Martini Rosso • Martini Extra Dry • Tio Pepe Sherry • Harveys Bristol Cream Sweet Sherry • Gordons Dry Gin • Bacardi Rum • Absolut Vodka • Bloody Mary • Screwdriver

Whiskies
Chivas Regal 12 Years Old • Johnnie Walker Blue Label • Canadian Club • Gentleman Jack Bourbon • Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve Single Malt Whisky

Cognac
Tesseron Lot 76 XO Tradition

Liqueurs
Cointreau • Drambuie • Kahlua • Bailey's Irish Cream

Beer
International selection

CX Signature Drinks
Oriental Breeze—A sour-plum tea and cranberry juice based non-alcoholic drink with honey and fresh lemon juice and a hint of rose water.

Cloud Nine—A refreshing combination of vodka, Cointreau, and Sprite with a refreshing touch of lemon flavor.

Dinner itself was very good as well.

A couple can comfortably dine together in Cathay Pacific's 777 first class suites.

We skipped the first course of caviar and Balik salmon and the soup course (roasted red pepper) and instead began with a smoked duck breast over salad and...

...grilled prawns over salad.

The main entree, pan-fried U.S. beef tenderloin, was quite tasty.

The in-flight cheese course was surprisingly good...

...but dessert could have been better. The ice cream was rock solid and the chocolate lava cake was also colder than I would have wished. Perhaps Cathay should stick with something that's a bit easier to prepare at 30,000 feet?

Once dinner was over, I got comfortable in the lie-flat bed and watched a few DVDs on my laptop before drifting off to sleep.


We arrived in Hong Kong at about 5 o'clock in the morning and were still groggy. We went directly to The Wing, Cathay's first class lounge, and headed for the showers. Once we felt a bit more human, we checked e-mail, made a few calls, had a traditional Chinese breakfast, and then boarded our next flight to Bali.

I was dead tired at this point and pretty much slept through the entire five-hour flight. When the flight attendants roused me for landing, I was feeling pretty punk. We had flown from New York to Toronto to Hong Kong and were finally nearing our destination of Jimbaran Bay, Bali. I don't know how anyone could make this trip in economy. I loved having the additional space to stretch out in first class and the priority access to the lounges and aircraft itself made a huge difference.

I had heard horror stories about DPS, but we sailed right through the airport...first getting our visitor's visa and then going through passport control.

Upon exiting the airport, our driver from the InterContinental Bali Resort was waiting for us with cold drinks and a nicely appointed—and air-conditioned—Mercedes. The transfer to the hotel took less than 20 minutes. As we drove up to the InterContinental Bali and past a gorgeous lily pond holding court in front of the hotel, we knew we had made the right decision about which accommodations to book. We were ushered to the Club Lounge, where we checked in and enjoyed a refreshing drink or two.

We were in our room, a Club Duplex, within minutes. Our plan had been to stay up late in order to get our bodies on Bali time. We threw that plan right out the window since we were both so tired. We enjoyed a few more cocktails in the Club Lounge, along with some snacks and then headed back to our room where we fell into a wonderful night's sleep.

Stay tuned for the next blog post about our stay at the InterContinental Bali Resort on Jimbaran Bay.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos © Leonard Hospidor

Orion Expedition Cruises Assists Cruise West Passengers

The media recently reported that Cruise West has suspended its Spirit of Oceanus world cruise and that the cruise line has been sold and restructured.

In an effort to help travelers who were booked on suspended or terminated Cruise West voyages, Orion Expeditions is offering 20 to 50% discounts on a range of its 2010 and 2011 itineraries.

You must have Cruise West documentation in order to take advantage of the following reduced rates:

• 50% reduction on any Orion sailing between now and March 7, 2011 (not including Antarctica)
• 25% reduction on Papua New Guinea 2010 and 2011 sailings
• 25% reduction on Antarctica sailings December 2010/January 2011
• 20% reduction on Kimberley sailings 2011
• 20% reduction on any Orion II destination in 2011

“As the founder and managing director of a small-ship expedition cruise line, I completely understand how difficult these times are for Cruise West passengers, the travel industry, and all associated with Cruise West during their current challenges,” said Sarina Bratton, founder and managing director of Orion Expedition Cruises.

“There will be a significant amount of stress for passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted, which can have an effect across the whole small-ship expedition sector. Therefore, if Orion can provide a viable alternative in lieu of their original voyage, at the very least, passengers will see that the industry hasn’t deserted them.”

All transfer bookings must be made by October 31, 2010. Reduced fares are not combinable with any other offer. Travelers who wish to discuss their plans can contact their travel agent or Orion Expeditions at 1-(877) 674-6687 for further information.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photo courtesy of Orion Expedition Cruises

Aircraft at Minsk Square, Bangalore

The aircraft, Ajeet, is a single-seater interceptor with a secondary ground-attack role. It was used by Air Force from 1975 to 1991. Ajeet was later shifted to Minsk Square, where it was stationed for nearly 20 years. (Click on the image for bigger image)

But owing to the construction of Metro train route this has been shifted out of this place to HAL Heritage Museum. The image above no longer is the common sight at this place.

Javeri Temple, Khajuraho

The Javeri Temple built between 950 - 1150 A.D belongs to the Eastern Group of Khajuraho Temples (State: Madhya Pradesh). This is one of the three Hindu Temples built by rulers of Chandel Dynasty in this group. (Click on the image for bigger view)

This temple is a architectural gem. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Its ornate gateway, the makara torana, and slender shikhara are especially noteworthy.

Like every other temple in Khajuraho, even this temple is also famous for the band of sculptures around the temple.

This is rear view of the temple.

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Ibrahim Roza, Bijapur

This is located on the western outskirts of the Bijapur (State: Karnataka) city. Built sometime in 16th century, it is one of the most brilliant designs of Islamic architecture. (Click on the images for bigger picture)

Here there are two buildings on a common platform, surrounded by beautiful gardens on three sides. These buildings have perfect domes at the top with crescent moons, with symmetrical minarets at the four corners as can be seen from the images above. The huge doorways leads one into cool high-ceiling chambers. Between the two buildings is the place for water pool with fountains.

The building on the left is the tomb of ruler of Bijapur, Ibrahim Adil Shah II and his family. One can see inside this the tombs of he king, his queen, his daughter, two sons and his mother. It has minarets that rise to a height of 24 meters and are considered the inspiration for the minarets of the Taj Mahal.

The other building on the platform is the mosque.

Cruise West World Cruise Cancelled Mid-Cruise

Bad news for Cruise West passengers aboard its world cruise dubbed the Voyage of the Great Explorers. The company is evidently restructuring. Here's the official news release:

Cruise West Continues Restructuring Efforts

SEATTLE, WA (September 8, 2010) – Cruise West, a global leader in small-ship explorations, today announced that they continue to work towards a restructuring of the company and its operations. The first move in this restructuring is the termination of the Spirit of Oceanus’ Voyage of the Great Explorers. Additional assets may be sold and other steps are being pursued towards a restructure. As part of this process, Cruise West has suspended accepting any new bookings.

The Spirit of Oceanus voyage ended at its scheduled port of disembarkation so as to minimize any negative impact to our guests. Cruise West plans to continue to operate its US flag ships and itineraries through October, 2010; Spirit of Endeavour will sail from Seattle on the British Columbia Cruise and the Spirit of ’98 from Portland, OR along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Cruise West will also complete cruises or land tours already underway in Alaska.

For those booked Spirit of Oceanus guests who may be affected by this news and who have not yet travelled, we recommend that you take the following steps:

1. If third-party travel insurance was obtained, a claim should be placed immediately with the insurer.
   
   
2. If payment was made by credit card, a claim should be placed immediately with the card issuer.
   
   
3. If the payment was made by cash or check, and you have no travel insurance, please send an email to info@cruisewest.com.

Cruise West executives will not respond to media inquiries or accept interviews at this time.

About Cruise West: Cruise West believes that small is beautiful. Small-ship explorations allow up-close and personal experiences unmatched by the traditional larger cruise lines. For nearly 64 years, Cruise West has provided authentic travel experiences.

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—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Vishwanatha Temple, Khajuraho

After visiting the other group of temples in the morning session, we visited the Western Group of Khajuraho Temples (State: Madhya Pradesh) after lunch. Most of the temples of this group are enclosed by a compound wall known as Western Group Khajurho temple complex. (Click on the image for bigger view)

One such temple is Vishwanatha Temple built in 1000 A.D located towards the northeastern corner of the complex. This magnificent temple is built by the rulers of Chandel Dynasty, is one of the largest temple in Khajuraho.

The external wall of temple has more than 3000 exquisite sculptures. The band of sculptures on the walls represent musicians, dancers and deities. Inside the garbha graha there is marble Shiv linga.

There are images of deities set into the outside walls. On one of the walls there is a four-armed dancing Lord Ganesh, holding an axe and broken tusk in his proper right hands, and with his proper left hands holding a laddu (sweet) and extended in a boon-granting gesture.

The above image is rear view of the temple.

Hampi World Heritage Site

Hampi, the Forgotten Empire (for more) once was the flourishing capital city of the Vijaynagar Empire in the 14th Century. The city spread across the rocky terrain of 26 sq.km had plenty of palaces, temples which exhibited its rich culture and wealth in its hay days.

For the same reason it was ransacked by Muslim Sultans. Today it is a site of splendid ruins of palaces, temples and gateways of the broken city, that silently narrate the story of once glorious past and the final senseless destruction. (Click on the image for bigger view)

In the above image rocky nature of the place and various temples can be seen.

Above is the carvings on the pillars of one of the many temples in the place.

On 5th December 1986, Hampi was inscribed on the World Heritage List for it represents a unique artistic creation. One can spend 2 to 3 days to cover each corners of this place.

For more visit My World Tuesday

and ABC Wednesday

Vamana Temple, Khajuraho

The Vamana Temple built between 950 - 1150 A.D belongs to the Eastern Group of Khajuraho Temples (State: Madhya Pradesh). This is one of the three Hindu Temples built by rulers of Chandel Dynasty in this group. (Click on the image for bigger view)

It measures 19.1 meters in length and 13.9 meters in breath. This is a medium size temple. It consists of a mandap and garbha graha.

Around the temple are two band of sculptures with almost 3000 sculptures. This is less than half when compared to larger temples in Western Group of temples. The sculptures layout is a blend of gods, their consorts, female figures and mythical creatures.

In the garbha graha there is a dwarf image of Vamana, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.