Your Offbeat Travel Guide

Varanasi (Banaras) is India’s oldest city, located along the banks of the famous River Ganges in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in North East India, rich in history and spirituality. Varanasi is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) of Hinduism and Jainism and saw the development of Buddhism and Ravidassia later. Varanasi also known as Kashi, is the pilgrimage place of many people specially devotees of Lord Shiva. Every year it sees several thousands of pilgrims taking dips in holy Ganga which is believed to bring salvation after death. Varanasi city is the amalgamation of both Mughal and Maratha culture. In 16th century, Mughal emperor Akbar have majorly patronized the city and built several temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu whereas modern Varanasi was developed by Maratha and Brahmin kings.  Five friends planned for this spiritual journey to the holy city. As a traveler we want to explore the city and have a feel of the spiritual vibe of this holy place. It was a q

   Ghost towns, with its mysteries and stories, are always fascinating to visit. One such town which had been beckoning me for a while was Dhanushkodi, now an abandoned small town at the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.     Dhanushkodi literally means “end of a bow”. Following a natural disaster in the 1960’s it has been declared as a ghost town as it was found to be unfit for in habitation. With Mannar port of Sri Lanka just 30 Km away, this definitely was the best spot to build a bridge that would take the “Vanara” army across the ocean. In fact, on a clear night, you can see the twinkling lights of Sri Lanka from this side of the coast and many a times we can notice the Sri Lankan telecom carrier signals in our mobile.     It is located on the picturesque island of Pamban where one can see the gorgeous blue waters of the Bay of Bengal mixing with the Indian Ocean. Once a small bustling town with its own railway s