Rediscovering the heritage of India--Part II

PADMANABHAPURAM PALACE, KERALA
Everything about this understated erstwhile home of the Travancore kings makes it a quiet morning well spent&mdashwhitewashing, terracotta tiles, ageing yet masterfully lattice-worked wood, minimal embellishment, a tidily preserved armoury. Observe the coloured mica windows of the serene mantrasala (the king&rsquos council chamber), and the intricately carved pillar in the ekantha mandapam (a space for solitude). The Padmanabhapuram palace is situated in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, 20km from the seaside town of Nagercoil, but the complex and the granite fort that surrounds it, belong entirely to the state of Kerala, and are only 50km from Thiruvananthapuram. (www.keralatourism.org)

THE GREAT LIVING CHOLA TEMPLES, TAMIL NADU
Worship continues at the magnificent Unesco-protected temples to Shiva at Thanjavur, Darasuram and Gangaikondacholapuram, more than a millennium after they were built. The temples are a study in the rise of Chola art and architecture from the 10th to the 13th centuries. The Brihadeeswarar temple built by Rajaraja is the oldest and most representative of the three all of them are within driving distance of one another. Unusually, their vimana (tower over the sanctum) looms taller than the gopurams (towers over entrances facing the cardinal directions). The granite stones had to be hauled to the alluvial delta from far. (www.ttdconline.com)

MINI KHAJURAHOS, RAJASTHAN
Step off the highway roughly midway on the 160km road that connects Chittorgarh with Bundi to reach the unbelievably lush Menal, its lavishly sculptured ruins of palaces and temples (pictured at right) scattered about the waters of a rain-fed gorge fringing the Uparmal plateau. Chittorgarh, 60km away, has good places to stay. The erotic maithuna statuary of Bhand Devra, 40km from Baran in the neighbouring district, also attracts the encomium of &lsquomini&rsquo Khajuraho. Kota, 70km away, could be your base to visit here. These rural outposts are revered by locals and offer glimpses of a less-known India.(www.rtdc.in)

CHITTORGARH FORT, RAJASTHAN
One of the largest forts in India is also arguably the grandest in the state of Rajasthan. The Chittorgarh Fort, or simply Chittor, erstwhile capital of brave Mewar, which chose death over the dishonour of defeat in each of the three sieges it lost, is one among the five hill forts of Rajasthan notified as a Unesco site. Its monumental ruins spread over nearly 700 acres and encompass four expansive palaces, 19 important temples, seven gates or pols, and 20 (out of the original 84) functioning water bodies. (www.rtdc.in)

SIVASAGAR, ASSAM
The beautifully maintained remnants of the Ahom reign in eastern Assam are situated only 82km from Dibrugarh. Here stands the magnificent seven-storey Rangpur Palace with four residential storeys above (called the Talatal Ghar) and three storeys of army barracks beneath the ground (the Kareng Ghar, now sealed off). Nearby is the silent Rang Ghar pavilion, where the royals entertained themselves with bull and elephant fights. The views from the upper floors are splendid (and photogenic). Ten minutes away are temples to Shiva, Vishnu and the Devi, and a natural spring, which feeds the lake that gives the location its name. (www.assamtourismonline.com)

VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH
Harvard historian Diana L. Eck wrote that Varanasi, comparable in age to other ancient world cities such as Beijing and Rome, remains unchanged in its character (unlike its peers) and life goes about the ghats and town as it has for millennia. Tragically, however, hygiene standards along the Ganga and the ghats

appear not to have improved over the millennia. Winds of change may finally be blowing and they appear set to clean up the river and her ghats. Reports are mixed about the degree of success so far, but the Assi and Prabhu ghats have had significant makeovers, and silt and grime are giving way to reveal clean fa&ccedilades everywhere. (www.up-tourism.com)

MARBLE PALACE, KOLKATA
One of the finest examples of 19th-century European architecture in Kolkata features lovely marble flooring and rich wall panels, 76 rare works of art (including a Rubens and original Raja Ravi Varmas), and five grand halls (a reception area, a painting room, another for sculptures, one for billiards, and a place of worship). The descendants of Raja Rajendra Mullick, the wealthy businessman who had the aptly named Marble Palace built, maintain it privately and quietly, allowing entry for visitors with permission from the state tourism department. (Mukhtaram Babu Street, M.G. Road, Kolkata 10am&ndash4pm closed on Mondays and Thursdays www.wbtourism.gov.in)

FAIRY QUEEN
She is a legend, and what a legend she is Built in England in 1855 as an Indian gauge locomotive with a 130-horsepower steam engine that can speed up to 40kmph, she transported troops in Bengal during the mutiny of 1857, was withdrawn from service in 1909, displayed variously and proudly, and then, in what can only be called a miraculous second life, restored fully and returned to commercial service in 1997, after a gap of 88 years The oldest working locomotive (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) now plies a luxury rake on the Delhi-Alwar route. Some of her original parts were stolen some years ago, but after a refurbishment, she gamely chugs on to this day. (www.royalindiantrains.com)

OLD GOA
It&rsquos less visible than the other Goa we know so well, but no less precious for it. The formal Portuguese colonial capital, now a Unesco World Heritage Site just 9km from Panjim, is rich with churches and other old buildings maintained meticulously by ASI. There&rsquos the famous Basilica of Bom Jesu the Sé Cathedral the churches to St Francis of Assisi, St Augustine and the Lady of Rosary chapels to St Catherine and St Cajetan, and three museums (ASI, Seminary, the Sound and Light Gallery). Walk, please, in comfortable footwear, to truly experience this atmospheric quarter of beloved Goa. (www.goa-tourism.com)

NABAKALEBARA, PURI RATH YATRA
The revered idols of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra at the legendary temple in Puri are to be replaced with new ones this year, a rare occurrence in a 12- to-19-year cycle when there is an &lsquoextra&rsquo Hindu month of Ashadha in the lunar calendar. The ancient tradition is shrouded in mysticism and rituals that commence four months ahead of the annual rath yatra in July, with the selection of a special neem tree, identified via sacred symbolism by the bana jaga jatra procession. Naturally, the Jagannath Yatra is grander and more visited than ever in the year of Nabakalebara.(www.nabakalebara.gov.in)