The Hidimba Devi, or Hadmiba temple, also known as the Dhungiri temple, is one of the most popular temples in Manali. The temple is a four-storied structure located amidst a forest known as Dhungri Van Vihar. The locals gave the temple the name of the surrounding forest area.  The temple, built in 1553, is dedicated to Goddess Hadimbi, wife of Bheem, one of the five Pandavas in the Mahabharata. The top conical construction is made of metal, whilst the other three square-shaped floors sport timber tile roofing. You can also find a high tower that is 24m tall.

Popular Hindu legend has it that Hadmiba did tapasya (medidation) in the region of Dhungri near Manali and attained supernatural powers after meditation. Her kindness towards the Dhungri locals made her immensely popular and thus a ‘pagoda’ style temple was erected to worship her. About 70 m from this temple, you will find another shrine dedicated to the warrior-ruler Ghatotkachh, who was born to Bheem and Hadimba.

The Hidimba Devi temple houses a wooden doorway and mud walls adorned with stonework. The door contains intricate miniature paintings of the Goddess and other animate objects. The beam of the doorway features the Navgrahas and female dancers from the mythical tales of Lord Krishna. The temple does not house any idol of the Goddess, but a large stone sporting her footprint is placed inside it.

The temple hosts an annual festival with great favour and zest, during the Hindi month of Shravan, in the memory of Raja Bahadur Singh, who constructed this temple. This fair is called as ‘Bahadur Singh Re Jatar’ by the locals.  There is another fair that is held annually on the 14th of every May falling on the birthday of Hadimba Devi. This festival is marked by musical celebration and dance performed by the local womenfolk who visit the Dungri forest area. 

This temple that is about five centuries old organizes a fair on the day the temple was originally raised known as the ‘Sarrohni Mela’ in the first Shravan month. This fair coincides with the completion of paddy grafted into the land.

Mumbai’s most iconic destination, a cinematic location par excellence without which no Mumbai-based Bollywood movie is ever complete, the Marine Drive, also known as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road is a 3-km long, six lane road in southern Mumbai. Because it stretches north all along the coastline, it forms a nice natural bay. This C-shaped road connects the famous Nariman Point to Babulnath, and is located at the foot of the famous Malabar Hill. The locales, or Mumbaikars, take great pride in calling the Marine Drive as Sonapur. Mumbaikars hangout in large numbers just to stride along the gorgeous walkway, and witness the dazzling beauty of the sun set in the evening. The Marine Drive is also known as the ‘Queen’s necklace’ as the bright street lights, constructed like a string of pearls, throw an illusion of a necklace from an aerial view along the pathway of the road, when the moon shines alone at night. 

Chowpatty Beach, which is popular for its meals and bazaars, is one of the oldest seafronts located on the northern end of the Marine Drive. You can find a mouth-watery range of snacks and fast-foods from Bhel Puri, Paav Bhaji to Vada Paav, etc from hundreds of stalls set up here daily. Walkeshwar, an affluent society of Mumbai, is located nearby the Marine Drive. The Marine Drive is the best pathway in the city for a casual evening stride. 

The Nana-Nani Park is frequented mostly by senior citizens from the neighbourhood areas, who spend time contemplating the past. The Marine Drive forms a part of the famous skyline of the city as it houses important corporate offices and entertainment centres, while most Bollywood stars reside here. The mega five-star hotel Oberoi and other numerous restaurants dot this walkway. The Marine Drive is also the biggest viewing gallery of the world, hosting several events over the years including IAF Airshow, French Festival, Bombay Marathon, International Fleet Review, among others. There are also several open air galleries and make-shift promenade at the Nariman Point. The most recommended time to visit the place is during Ganesh Chathurthi, celebrated fervently by all Hindus.

If you’re in Ooty, there are a few things that instantaneously pop up in one’s mind: chai (tea) and chocolates top the list of must-buy in this lovely hill station of Tamilnadu, dubbed as the queen of the hills.  Ooty was once the summer capital of the British, and it continued to remain so until independence in 1947. It has a delightfully salubrious weather that the English camp enjoyed to escape from the torrid heat of Chennai (formerly Madras or the Madras presidency).  The lush green grassy pines dotted with the medicinally valuable eucalyptus trees and the heritage of the British Raj made Ooty a highly popular tourist destination since the days of the colonial empire.

The strikingly scenic beauty of the place apart, Ooty remains a shopper’s destination for tea leaves and dust and chocolates. Surprised, or not yet? Ooty lies at a height of 2214m above sea level and its climate is always warm and temperate, with an annual temperature of around 14°C. The rainfall is much less in winter than summer which makes it highly conducive for growing tea and making hand-crafted chocolates. 

In fact, there are a lot of shops in Ooty and other nearby hill stations like Coonor and Cuddalore that sell both tea and home-made chocolates all at one place. The English camp is believed to be the first tea growers and produced the finest tea including green, black and white in the region.  To get a first-hand feel of sprawling tea estates, Ooty is where you should head; thanks to our erstwhile colonial imperialists. The Doddabetta Tea Museum and Factory is a must-visit place if you’re a tea lover.  And finally, gifting a few boxes of Ooty handmade chocolates will definitely bring a smile to your partner or spouse’s face.  Check out all the chocolate varieties available as every confectionery in Ooty has more than 40 delicious flavours (including free samples to make an informed buying decision).

• Baga is a popular beach destination in North India that pulls in a lot of tourists and watersports freaks from all over.  The beach shares its coastline from Sinquerim, Candolim, and Baga, with the later being more alluring and lively for fun, frolic and festivities.

• Dubbed as the “The Hometown of Nightlife”, Baga never sleeps at night, and is famous for its scintillating musical nights, delectable local cuisines, gripping water sports and must-visit designer shops.
• It is to be noted that Tourism in Goa got a facelift in the 1960’s when the hippies from San Francisco started gathering in the beaches during the summers. Baga gradually turned out to be a preferred destination amongst foreigners with the introduction of night clubs, discos, fishing paddleboarding and tattoo shops established in the mainland.
• The name ‘Baga’ is derived from Baga Creek, the tidal residuary channel that empties into the Arabian Sea in Goa. Baga has well-maintained parking facilities under the control of the local governing authorities, in addition to a number of clubs in and around this electrifying beach.
• The Baga River flows into the town, and meets the sea at a point which is truly a delight to the eyes.  Dolphins and other aquatic marines can be spotted deeper in the blue waters.
• There are local ship owners that organize spotting trips to watch these playful sea creatures in action.
• You can also involve in a range of water sports at the Baga Beach including Parasailing or parakiting, Jet Ski, Banana riding, Bumper ride, Bodyboarding, Kayaking, Paddleboarding, Kneeboarding, Speed boat rides and Wakeboarding. The nightlife at Baga Beach too is as exciting as it could get.
• There are several destinations near the Baga Beach which you shouldn’t afford to miss such as Casa de Retiros hills, Our Lady of Piety, Chapora Fort and the famous Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary.

• New Delhi, the capital of India, is full of tombs and standalone monuments belonging to various dynasties, especially of the Medieval period, scattered all over the place. This is because many rulers and saints chose to build their own monuments.

• The Qutub complex houses relics that date all the way back to the Gupta Dynasty, cohabiting with monuments of the rulers and saints of the early Delhi Sultanate period as well as the Mughal Empire. Thus, the complex represents different epochs of the bygone era separated in time by no less than 12,000 years!
• Standing alongside the Qutub Minar and the Iron Pillar, the Tomb of Imam Zamin, though a lesser-known monument, hasn’t whittled away with time. The resting place of Imam Zamin, a Muslim saint of repute and a direct descendant of Islamic Prophet Mohammed, it is located on a slightly elevated platform adjoining the Alai Darwaza.
• This small structure, built in the early Mughal period, mostly of sandstone, has an octagonal-shaped base, so typical of the Islamic architectural style, and supports a small dome that is erected over the grave of the pious Islamic cleric.
• The tomb’s interior features an elaborate white plastic finish. Generally, Islamic tombs are enclosed within perforated marble screens or jalis that are intricately carved, forming the walls of the entire structure, through which one can view the inside of it, and so is the tomb of Imam Zamin.
• Imam Zamin, as recorded by many early historians, is said to have arrived in India around 1500 AD, during the reign of Sikandar Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans. He travelled all the way from Turkestan, the regions of Central Asia, to Delhi where he spent his last days as a Sufi saint.
• Zamin was also believed to have lived during the early days of Babur, who became the first Mughal Emperor of India in 1526, and breathed his last during the reign of Emperor Humayun, the successor of Babur.
• Zamin, the Sufi mystic of the Chisti order, himself commissioned the construction of his tomb, and was laid to eternal rest in the small, but aureate shrine.