Photo Blog Of Lonar & Its Temples

The Lonar crater lake is not the only thing that makes this town worth visiting. The temples in the town and around the lake are an unforgettable sight. The ruins, the architecture, the trek and the mystery around their existence all make Lonar a memorable destination.

Daitya Sudan Temple

Intricate Carvings at Daitya Sudan

Inner Sanctum Beautifully Carved

Crater Lake

Ruins hidden deep in the forest

Erotic Sculptures

Ocean Of Milk, Scenes From The Puranas

On Top Of The World - Gurudongmar Lake!

North Sikkim, the uncharted territory, has one of most beautiful views of the Himalayas and is home to the third highest mountain peak in the world- Mt. Kanchenjunga.

Almost all of North Sikkim is under the Restricted Area and requires Inner Line Permit to visit which can be easily obtained at the Tourism office in Gangtok. Since this part of Sikkim is highly inaccessible, we decided to go for a Travel Package and chose a two day-one night package to Gurudongmar lake. Though the journey is perilous, Mother Nature makes it enthralling with the views of the surrounding valleys. The magnificent Teesta river graciously making her way down crisscrossing the mountains is breathtaking from all angles and is by far the most beautiful white water river that we have seen. While visiting the lake as a thumb rule you are required to stay overnight at Lachen to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

There are way too many options to explore en-route Lachen such as Phodong Monastery, Enchey Monastery, Seven sister waterfalls. Some lesser known but equally enchanting falls such as Naga falls surpass even the most famous Seven Sister Waterfalls. The Teesta is not just a sight to behold but the music she composes when she kisses the rocks touches your soul.

The dense forests, steep mountains and valleys, waterfalls, wooden bridges connecting the hills make the journey a very scenic one. Lachen is a beautiful town and most of the villagers have converted their homes into home stays. This village is striving hard to protect the environment and has banned the usage of plastic bottles to make their village a plastic free one. They ensure that they provide boiling hot water to their guests to beat the cold in an eco-friendly manner.

Our home stay in Lachen was beautiful. We were treated like a part of their family, having conversations at their table while having lunch and were treated to a huge variety of home made pickles. We also learnt how important and sacred the Gurdongmar Lake is for them. The lake does not freeze completely even in extreme cold temperatures as it was touched and blessed by Guru Padmasambhava and this part of the lake never freezes during peak winter.

Like the saying goes "No Pain No Gain," the following day we started our journey to Gurudongmar lake even before dawn could break and the biting cold hits you as soon as you leave Lachen. The journey was adventurous as it was pitch dark and we could not see the roads apart from catching a glimpse of tail lights at a far distance. Our car's headlight gave us a good understanding of how steep, narrow and dangerous the roads were. The roads were pretty damaged to say the least. It would take the experience of a highly skilled driver to be able to reach the lake in one piece.

On the way you will come across a couple of villages and you are left with awe and admiration at their ability to withstand and survive such extreme climatic conditions. At that hour in the night, the chill breeze and winds freeze the flowing river and there comes a point where you can see the complete river frozen with water flowing only at the ends of the bank. The water on the road also seems to be frozen and the driver had to maneuver with extreme caution.

Once you approach closer to the lake, you can catch glimpses of the snowy mountains that looked like a distant dream earlier and now they are so close to you that it is unimaginable. This is a sight to behold. Once, you enter the Army zone, you need to show your permit papers to the Army personnel and then continue your journey to the lake.

As the sun rose, we reached  Gurudongmar lake to see the suns rays kissing the icy blue water. It is a beautiful lake surrounded by icy mountains. The lake also serves as a pilgrimage site for the locals and is believed to be holy and grants all our wishes. It is tough to spend more than 10 minutes here as the cold breeze makes your body shiver and teeth chatter. The climate here is inhospitable to say the least.

Like all our other journeys this too would have been incomplete without any drama unfolding. The car that we had hired to take us all the way up to 17000 feet broke down a couple of km from the lake. It was just the two of us and the driver on that deserted road contemplating on how to reach the lake. Our only hope was another tourist vehicle that had room to accommodate us. After waiting for some fifteen minutes at near zero temperature another car pulled over and they were kind enough to allow us to hitch a ride. Luckily by the time we got back from the lake our car was fixed and thus began the journey back to Gangtok.

We got back into the comforts of our car and our eyes were moist with tears and hearts filled with even more respect for the awesome Men and Women of the Indian Army. Imagine them guarding our Borders, far away from their families at unimaginable altitudes and hostile conditions, keeping our enemies off our Mother Land. We were also lucky enough to see ten of Indian Army's Tanks. We were told that the Army was on a routine exercise and we could feel the vibration as the tanks rolled by. However tempting it might be please refrain from clicking pictures of the Army installations or camps as it is considered as a serious offence.

A good breakfast of piping hot maggi and chai was the best way to end this trip at one of the villages on our way back. The frozen ice on the engine and tyres gave us a chilling idea of how extreme the climate was.

We were thanking our stars that we did not do this trip on our motorcycle. Any Bullet lover would not want to put their bike through this treacherous route. It would be best to go with a skilled driver who is well versed with these roads as they are subject to constant landslides, potholes and broken bridges. Please note that when you hire a vehicle you choose a comfortable SUV. The Mahindra Maxx which is very commonly used is not a comfortable option. 

Things to consider before doing this trip:

• Terrible roads.
• Extreme cold weather.
• High altitude/ AMS.
• Distance from Gangtok.
• Steep slopes.
• No bike workshops.
• Layers of good Woolen clothes.
• In case you are particular about bottled water, it is a good idea to stock up from Gangtok.

All this put together makes it advisable to go with a packaged tour rather than doing this particular trip on your bike. However, if one can battle their way thru all of the hardships it is one hell of a place to visit. 

Next stop Namchi. 

Pokhara Magical City Of Lakes.

We back tracked to the beautiful and winding Prithivi Highway heading to Pokhara. As we descended down from Gorkha to the highway, little did we know that we would be riding through thick clouds with near zero visibility in super cold conditions. Thanks to our riding gear that kept us warm and cozy. It was only when we reached the highway that we realized our helmet visor had taken a beating and was covered in mist making us aware of how extreme the climate can get.

From here on, the snow clad high altitude Annapurna range joined hands with Trishuli to be our companion all along. Every click on the odometer got us closer to the mighty Himalayan ranges. We were so engrossed in admiring the beauty around us that we did not realize we had reached Pokhara.

Pokhara is where the mighty mountain peaks play hide and seek with you, one minute you view them and the next minute they are hidden behind the clouds. Though the city is one of the most important ones in the tourist radar, it is not as chaotic and crowded as Kathmandu. Phewa lake dominates Pokhara, around which the entire city is built. There are truck loads of options to stay at the lake side in Pokhara. However, we headed to the dam side which is more calm and peaceful.

Star attractions of Pokhara are World Peace Pagoda, Davis falls, Gupteshwor Mahadev Caves, Phewa Lake, Begnas and Rupa tal.

Like every off road of Nepal, a steep partly paved and unpaved road leads you to World Peace Pagoda. From the bike park, it is only a couple of minutes hike and you reach the Stupa. This is the first World Peace Pagoda in Nepal. One can catch stunning views of Phewa lake & the City from here. The complex houses a Japanese Buddhist Temple as well, which is worth a visit.

En-route Peace Pagoda is Davis falls and Gupteshwor Mahadev Caves. Davis falls has a tragic story behind it- in 1961 a Swiss tourist lost his life here and the falls were named after him. The stunning fact about this place is the water disappears into a tunnel after reaching the ground. It is even more flabbergasting to hear the water gushing but not being able to view the path that it takes to reach the tunnel. No wonder it is called as Patale Chango (underground falls) by the locals. The source of the water is Phewa lake and it channels down into a naturally formed cavern- Gupteshwor Mahadev Caves.

Crossover to the other side of the road and diagonally opposite to Davis falls, you will find the entrance of Gupteshwor Mahadev Caves. Head down a fleet of spiral staircase and you enter a cave that is believed to be 500 years old and the largest in South Asia. Mid way you can spot a naturally formed Swayambhu Shivling. As you approach the other end of the cave, you can hear water rumbling inside the caves. We were very excited and curious to see the Davis falls. When it seemed like one mystery was solved, an even more perplexing one popped up. Ideally there should be a huge water body at the end of the falls, but surprisingly we saw very little water at the end of the cave. We stood there admiring the mysteries of nature.

Phewa Lake: This massive water body attracts hordes of tourists and the charming little boats lined up were too inviting that we hopped onto one and headed to another attraction on the lake - The Varahi temple. This two storied Pagoda styled temple can be reached only by boat. From here, you have a beautiful view of the World Peace Pagoda. This serene lake is so soothing to the heart and soul that one invariably sits there and soaks in the beauty around. You can even rent a boat for the entire day and row around as far as you wish.

Begnas & Rupa Tal: Only 11 km from Pokhara in the town of Lekhnath are these two magnificent lakes. These lakes receive only a handful of tourist footfall when compared to Phewa. Hence, a calm and serene atmosphere is guaranteed. The reflection of the icy peaks on the still lake add more magic. One can sit here for hours together and travel into the oblivion. We preferred this place over Phewa lake for boating as there are way lesser boats in the lake at any given time. However, the restaurants around the place serve substandard food and should be avoided.

It surely is blissful to wake up early in the morning and walk around the lake covered with misty clouds and get a chance to see locals fishing in the lake. We saw a father teach his son the techniques of fishing and at the same time teaching him one valuable lesson of life- patience. The one who waits patiently gets rewarded in the end. You can also cycle around the lake if you wish to. Also, with many paddy fields around the lake you may treated to a lot of egrets flying around and pretty much settling around those fields.

If you are looking for adventure or an adrenaline rush, Pokhara will definitely not disappoint you. You can head to Sarangkot for Paragliding. This is the launching spot for para gliders and offers spectacular views of the Annapurna Range. You have lot of other activities as well such as hiking, trekking. The sunrise and the sunset views from Sarangkot are picturesque.

The best place to treat yourself will be the 'German Bakery.' This place is a food lovers paradise- the pastries are sinful, the Swiss apple pie and hash brown potatoes are to die for. The ginger black tea compliments their food really well. It would be a great idea to head to this place for breakfast and evening bites. The one place in Pokhara that you should definitely not miss.

We checked into Hotel New Nature Land at dam side, this budget hotel offers good rooms, satellite TV, 24 hr running hot water, WiFi, exclusive parking. Their service is good and location is excellent. The hotel is just a kilometer away from the lake but miles away from the chaos and hardly any distance from other attractions. The views from the corner rooms and the balcony are scintillating.

In Lekhnath town, we checked into Grand Hotel Begnas, a budget hotel that offers spacious rooms, WiFi, clean sheets and views of Begnas lake and mountain peaks. Their service is decent but the food is terrible. With the same amount of cleanliness and space but with lot a better views at an even lesser price check out the 'Day break Lodge and Restaurant.'

Next stop Lumbini.