Offbeat Travel In India

[Sramana]

I am from Tamil Nadu, and I have done some solo travelling within India. I like exploring hills, caves and old temples. I am passionate about visiting and maintaining heritage sites. However, many such places (cave/rock cut temples for example) are remote and not known very well. They may have immense historical importance, but sometimes, even locals living in an area do know know about them. For example, in Lonar near Aurangabad, I came across a beautiful lake that was supposedly created by crater impact and the fantastic Daitya Sudan temple. There was no one else at the temple, we only saw a group of boys playing cricket at the temple using on of the ornately carved pillars as a wicket! While I enjoyed the experience, I found myself wishing that we could be more historically minded and learn about such hidden treasures. So friends, do you know about any such places in your local area? Have you visited such places during your travels?

 

[BadBoy]

I have been to many such places which are in a very bad shape today... the govt. should take initiatives, and must take care of them..
these days what i see is that most of the re-construction of temples is done by business class etc..

Recently I went to *PuraMahdev*
a famous Shiv temple near Bagpat(UP).. it was in good shape from outside but from inside it was totally opposite.. Broken walls, leaking ceilings etc..


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[Selvie]

You are making your life very interesting and exciting by all the exploring you are doing. It is very seldom that people explore their own country. Most of us are under the false impression that only visiting overseas is interesting or exciting and we only hear from visitors to our country about all the amazing places in our own back yard. Lol.

But your example will hopefully inspire others to follow and do the same exploring. I think that when more people become aware of a heritage site, the more likely it is to be saved and restored by interested parties. Happy exploring. Wishing you all the best.

I am from Tamil Nadu, and I have done some solo travelling within India. I like exploring hills, caves and old temples. I am passionate about visiting and maintaining heritage sites. However, many such places (cave/rock cut temples for example) are remote and not known very well. They may have immense historical importance, but sometimes, even locals living in an area do know know about them. For example, in Lonar near Aurangabad, I came across a beautiful lake that was supposedly created by crater impact and the fantastic Daitya Sudan temple. There was no one else at the temple, we only saw a group of boys playing cricket at the temple using on of the ornately carved pillars as a wicket! While I enjoyed the experience, I found myself wishing that we could be more historically minded and learn about such hidden treasures. So friends, do you know about any such places in your local area? Have you visited such places during your travels?

 

[Sramana]

@Selvi

You are making your life very interesting and exciting by all the exploring you are doing. It is very seldom that people explore their own country. Most of us are under the false impression that only visiting overseas is interesting or exciting and we only hear from visitors to our country about all the amazing places in our own back yard. Lol.

But your example will hopefully inspire others to follow and do the same exploring. I think that when more people become aware of a heritage site, the more likely it is to be saved and restored by interested parties. Happy exploring. Wishing you all the best.

Thanks so much for your kind words, @Selvie. the more I travel abroad, the more I regret not having all the time in the world to explore my own country fully. Yes, I do hope that by raising awareness about heritage structures we can save them and share them with the rest of the world.

 

[Alexandoy]

I didn't have the inkling to travel offbeat like what you are doing. I am a conservative person but I would also like to experience not so common activities. However, whenever we go abroad, I want our itineraries on paper, meaning there should be a concrete plan and not just go to a place on impulse. Aside from tourist spots, what I want to know is the culture of the people. Getting inside the house of a local and seeing their lifestyle is a treasure to me.

 

[Sramana]

I think it is easier/more rewarding to travel to offbeat spots in one's own country than in a new place, especially when one does not know the language. I agree that spending time with the local people is awesome - some of my best experiences have involved interactions with locals.

 

[pwarbi]

Travelling to the lesser known parts, can often lead to experiencing the true lifestyle of a country. A lot of the time if all your doing is visiting the tourist resorts and landmarks, all your doing is experiencing what you think a country is like, and that country is only showing you what you want to see.

When we go travelling, I like to mix it up and aswell as see the main attractions, I also like to go to the lesser known parts of a country, just to try and experience what that country is really like.

 

[innaf93]

To tell the truth I don't like main attractions at all, it may sound a little bit odd but If you are not the posting-on-facebook kind of traveler you should totally get yourself a native speaker friend and experience the place in a whole. But of course guided tours can be nice too, if you are into that kind of a thing...

 

[sillyllucy]

Offbeat is the way to go when you are trying to learn a new city. Always take the road less traveled. You'll meet the authentic citizens and you won't get sucked into tourist traps. I love the food you find too. Eat what the locals eat to get a true taste of India!

 

[innaf93]

Yes! eat what the locals eat and do what the locals do with their time. Never go to places like restaurants and such when there are not any native people inside. There is a reason for that.

 

[Rishi Sab]

At the core of any place (you visit), you would find a lot of similarities with your own city. That's because the normal life goes on, more or less, the same in every city.... unless you go to some remote areas...

So, one should travel offbeat.. It helps to change your perspective about the place