Why foreign lands look very tempting? 

  

 In India, travelling abroad is no longer a problem and also not as expensive as it seems to be.

 The fact is even a low income people can also think of flying to foreign lands. This is due to cheaper air fares and also increase in per capita income of Indians.

      Now ,Indians are looking for better options not only in India but also abroad. If we look at the trends that suggest that travel to foreign countries has been growing constantly for past few years.

 The interesting part is that  even people from smaller cities are also taking part in this race. For them touching to foreign shores is just like a dream come true.

 In the year 2017 it is estimated that around 17 million Indians were leaving abroad.

 No doubt overseas, Indians find better opportunities,  handsome salary and quality life.

 They travel as tourists, as vacationers, as job seekers and as students. Several universities there provide top quality higher education and provide opportunity for research. 

The list of cheaper countries where Indians like to go are Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Maldives and so on. The most favourite destinations for Indians are Malaysia,Thailand,U.S and U.K.  

An interesting and inspiring story .

Today I am not writing anything about travel. Not because of reason but simply to add a new flavour to my writings. Hope  all enjoy .

 Actually while reading a book, in the morning a word 'Moksha' , new to me caught my attention. I don't know about its origin whether it has come from Hindi or sanskrit but one thing is very clear and is also a fact that in Hindu religion this term has much significance.

 It is a known fact that Hindus visit pilgrimage sites, sakti pitha, Jyotirlingas and different temples.But why? What's the motive and purpose behind their visit? By doing so what they really achieve, The answer is hidden in the story of a little boy named 'Nachiketa.'

His father at the end of yajna donated weak and old cows who were incapable of bearing calves  . 

To see his father doing so ,Nachiketa interrupted him but to no purpose .His father lost the temper and said him to go to the Lord of Deaths ,Yama . Nachiketa left and stayed at the doorstep of Yama's abode for three days without any food, water and sleep.

 

When Yama returned He greeted him and asked for boons.To that Nachiketa asked him the mystery after death .

 

Yama refused to answer his question but later he unearthed the mystery by saying that after death soul  remains ,it never dies .And at the same time.

 

How to plan Tirupati.

Tirupati, a place of pilgrimage has always been my favorite destination and is also on top of my priority list.Never think that this destination is favorite to me only but is also a point of attractions for many travel enthusiasts.Over 50,000 pilgrims come to this holy site everyday and the figure reaches to lakhs on special occasions .Seventh hill, yes, the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is present on the seventh hill.To arrange food and accommodations for such a huge number is not an easy task.There is a board called TTD that looks after the temple and manages everything there. There job is really excellent.
      The board provides accommodations free of cost to the pilgrims who cannot afford to pay .Lockers and halls are there for the pilgrims.Several lodging options like dormitories, rooms, cottages are also available there.Not only the board has provided stay options at the temple area but also at the base of the hill close to  Tirupati railway station. But all these  options require proper identity card like Aadhar card.
  As far as transportation is concerned bus services, private vehicles etc are present in plenty to cater the need of the pilgrims and tourists.
Before you plan to visit this site the most important thing that is needed to be done is to make darshanam pass in advance .TTD online darshanam booking centre is one such option.www.tirumala.org

A visit to Tirupati temple -2

In the morning I checked in the room allotted to me .The accommodation was provided for a single day at a very low price ,just at rupees 50 for twenty four hours.The room was pleasant and comfortable.The most important thing that attracted me a lot there was  the surroundings all around very natural and positivity everywhere.All those elements of nature really rejuvenated my body and soul and I enjoyed each second there.
After a short stay I left the room and went straight down the temple premises for darshanam.And, in order to see the time slot I turned the pass in that 6pm was printed in bold letters. Still ,the time left for darshanam was more than six hours .So, I decided to use the time by joining the general queue.
       The queue was very long and moving at a very slow pace.But keeping aside all my negative views and thoughts I joined the queue.After hours the line entered a hall where passes for darshanam were being made.One such pass was also issued to me.Gradually the serpentine human chain moved into a waiting hall which was big enough to accommodate more than hundred people at a time.Taking advantage of the space I stretched my legs to relax.Others were also doing the same thing.During that period fresh food was served to us and I enjoyed each morsel of tasty food.When the clock struck 3 (afternoon) a gentleman sitting beside me asked" Sir, May I know your time slot ?" Then, I took out the pass that I had and read the time ,it was 8 pm the next day. To see the time I lost my patience and left the hall in no time.Now the other option that I had left with was the quick darshanam pass  which I had booked in the morning,the same day. I rushed to the quick darshan am queue which was not far away from me.There also the same procedure was followed like making a pass, sitting in a waiting hall etc.The line moving from one hall to another hall , going upstairs and downstairs ,turning curves reached the sanctum sancturm of Lord Venkateswara. Really after having the darshanam of Lord Balaji I forgot about my pains and exhaustion.The darshanam gave me immense pleasure and filled me with joy and divine peace.

      A visit to Tirupati temple -1

How did the idea of visiting 'Tirupati ' temple came, I didn't remember.It might be because of my travelling passion or the tag of the richest temple in the world that it has since ages.No doubt huge donations, countless pilgrims all together have made this lord's place one of the richest pilgrimage sites.Here, every year pilgrims come in millions .Why so many pilgrims ge† attracted to this particular divine place? Why the devotees in large come to this place? The fact is deep faith and belief in Him has  made this  pilgrimage site a popular and  richest one in the world .Pilgrims from different corners of the world come every year to get the blessings of Lord Balaji.
My trip to Balaji was very interesting .Earlier ,only once I had been to  that temple.I had also no much idea about that sacred place .I was also new to that divine place.Late arrival of my train delayed my journey to Tirumala. My short trip began at 11.30 pm after getting down the train.Out, there was a government bus I rushed and talked to driver .The gentleman promised and assured me that he would go to Tirumala but after getting atleast 20 passengers .I agreed to his proposals.Thanks God ,he easily got the required passengers and left for 'Tirupati'.A short drive of less than an hour, uphills and downhills brought me to the site .Even at late night I found many pilgrims standing in a queue for getting a room to stay .I too joined them with a Xerox copy of identification proof mainly Aadhar card. Without proper id card it is very difficult to get a room and also have a darshanam of the Lord Balaji.Now the next challenging job that I had was to arrange a pass for darshanam.Close  the lodge booking counter there was a counter issuing a pass for quick darshanam but to have that Aadhar card was mandatory.And I managed a pass for the darshanam.

How does travelling benefit us?

Hardly do we find one who has no love for nature. Everyone be a rich or poor all has a space and deep love for the same.Many of us have the passion  for travelling. Exploring a new destination, sightseeing, mouth watering food all together attract a tourist to a particular destination. Moving along a beach side or wandering aimlessly in a megacity all have a unique taste .But do we really ever tried to analyse the benefits associated with travelling. True ,travelling has lots of benefits.
     Travelling is directly linked to our physical, mental and emotional health.It improves our ability to handle stress which is said to be the mother of all diseases. It is said that travelling lowers the cortisol level and make us feel more calm and content. It brings happiness and cools down the mind at the time of stress.Touring a new destination does not simply mean moving to a new place or a destination but it teaches us many things about life which many of us don't know. It imparts knowledge about an unknown or a foreign land ,its culture ,tradition etc. It also teaches about ourselves .Also self motivates and reduces the risk of depression.
   Travel and tourism also benefit us financially. If we look at the facts we find that in terms of total contribution to GDP India was ranked seventh among 184 countries in 2017 related to travel and tourism. Not only that by 2025 the travel industry hopes to create 46 million job opportunities.

           Sabrimala temple.

In India the list of temples is very long.Needless to say ,devotees are also uncountable .Unending queues, large crowd are the part of temples and  could  be seen easily near any popular temple.In some devotees wait for hours to visit the same.

      Every year  pilgrims in millions visit the prominent and famous temple Sabrimala ,a beautiful temple located in Sabari Hills in Kerala which is also a popular site of pilgrimage.
    The temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. There are many stories related to the Lord.
It is a belief that Sabrimala is that sacred place where Lord Ayyappa meditated after killing a powerful buffaloe-faced demoness Mahisi who was the sister of Mahishasura.
Another belief is also there.It is said that when Goddess Durga killed Mahishasura, Mahisi tried to take revenge from Goddess Durga but she failed in her efforts and was killed by Lord Ayyappa. It is said that Lord Ayyappa had the powers of both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.
The unique thing about this temple is that it is not biased to any particular religion. It allows everyone belonging to any caste or creed. All devotees and pilgrims are welcomed here.
 The two crowd pulling events of this temple are Mandala pooja and Makaravilakku.Here, the pilgrim season begins in the month of November and ends in the month of January.During pilgrimage some rules has to follow by the pilgrims. At the time of Mandala pooja the pilgrims undertake a rigorous 41 day vratam during which they don't eat any non-vegetarian food and they also stay away from carnal pleasures.
   This holy place is also connected to a Muslim saint, called Vavar.There is a mosque in the vicinity of the temple. During visit the devotees move around this mosque ,chanting the names of both Lord Ayyappa and Vavar.
  Lord Ayyappa bless His devotees in the form of divine light also called Makaravilakku or Makar Jyothi that appears on the hillside on a particular day .

How to go to Sabrimala temple?

Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram are the nearest airports .Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thiruvalla or Chenganur are the nearest railway stations.The bus stop close to the temple is Pampa.Kochin is around 104 kms far away.Mountainous path is also there to visit the temple.From Erumely it is 61 Kms and it is 12.8 KMS from vandiperyar.
The prasadam at the temple is Aravana payasam and Appam.