The Timber Trawler

The Diamond Triangle of Odisha: Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri & Udaygiri

Just in time for Christmas, the family set off on another ‘hidden gem’ heritage trail inside Odisha. This time we explored the Diamond triangle comprising three hill-based Buddhist hot-spots which flourished between 7th and 13th Century AD, namely Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Udayagiri. The three locations set in low but sparsely populated hillsides or hilltops prove…
Read more: The Diamond Triangle of Odisha: Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri & Udaygiri
A Peek into Prachi Valley in Odisha

Despite spending the first half of my life in Odisha, it was only last weekend that I finally got the chance to trace the pearls of heritage hidden along an innocuous but highly-fabled river, reduced now to a rivulet, called Prachi. Centuries ago, the Prachi river along with its valley, was host to a flourishing…
Read more: A Peek into Prachi Valley in Odisha
Jodhpur and Jaisalmer: A Family Expedition into the Thar

Ruminating over fond memories of my previous excursions to the Thar, I realized that it was time my family members also got a taste of the desert, and so materialized my family’s first tryst with the Thar – and my third – in the end of November 2019. We took the Mandore Express from Gurgaon…
Read more: Jodhpur and Jaisalmer: A Family Expedition into the Thar
Diwali in Mewar: Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh

Inspired by the experience of spending Diwali in the hills the previous year, I decided to spend the Diwali this year too at an interesting place. The place was not very hard to choose, as I had been planning to take my parents to Udaipur soon, and thought it would be wonderful to see Diwali…
Read more: Diwali in Mewar: Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh
Hopscotch through Hadauti: Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar

In end-August, we planned a weekend excursion to the erstwhile Hadauti region, centred around present-day Kota. Taking the 3.35 PM Garib Rath from Delhi, we reached Kota by 8 PM, and promptly checked-in to a hotel. The next day, we booked an outstation Ola taxi, and headed off to first see the Kota Garh Palace…
Read more: Hopscotch through Hadauti: Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar
In Search of the Treasures of Bundelkhand: Chanderi, Deogarh and Morena

In February 2019, my friend Abhijit & I picked up our backpacks and forayed into the Betwa and Chambal Valleys in search of some less-heralded archaeological treasures. Planned to be a quick weekend trip, we took an overnight train from Delhi, got down at Lalitpur and checked in into a hotel early in the morning.…
Read more: In Search of the Treasures of Bundelkhand: Chanderi, Deogarh and Morena