Kushinagar

Kushinagar is the place where Buddha breathed his last and attained parinirvana on the full moon day of the Vaishakha month.

                                                               Mahaparinirvana temple
The Mahaparinirvana temple is most famous in Kushinagar as it has a 6 meters long reclining statue of Buddha lying on his right side facing the west representing the image of Buddha leaving his soul or attaining Nirvana. 

                                              Statue of Buddha inside Mahaparinirvana temple

Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial 

Constructed in 6.5 Acre of land (27,440 Sq.M.) the Memorial has 4 opening gates. Visitors enter the Memorial through a large gate in north side. The Memorial looks like a grand Stupa. Walls are made of pink marble.  The central hall consists of attractive bronze Murals based on the life of Dr. Ambedkar. In the main hall of the Memorial, a large  bronze statue of Dr. Ambedkar, seated in chair and facing the two domes,  is the main attraction of the hall. At the  bottom of the statue a message in Hindi language reads: मेरा जीवन संघर्ष ही मेरा संदेश है (My Struggle of life is My only message).

                                 Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Samaik Parivartan Sgrahanalay

 

Constructed in an area of about 2.5 acre (11,008 sq.m.) The building with two domes on its top, looks impressive and grand.  You can see inside large statues of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, Shri Narayan Guru, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, Manyawar Shri Kanshiram Ji.  Another building consists of  18' tall marble statues of Tathagat Gautam Buddha, Sant Kabir das, Sant Ravidas, Guru Ghasidas and Shri Birsa Munda.

                                             Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Gomti Buddha Vihar

A 18 feet high four-faceted marble statue of Gautam Buddha installed here is worth seeing.

                                                           Fountain with elephants

                                Fountain illuminated at night

Imambara Shah Najaf

This Imambara was built by Ghazi-ud-in Haider at a place called Paltan ghat on the banks of river Gomti, as a token of his devotion to Caliph Hazrat Ali, the husband of Fatima, the favourite daughter of Prophet Mohammed.

Chandeliers,glass artilces

Shah Najaf Imambara is also called Karbala, because within its main hall lie the mortal remains of its builder, Ghazi-ud-Din Haider, who wished to be buried here. It also contains the graves of his wives, Mubarak Mahal (died 1849), Sarfaraz Mahal (died 1878) and Mumtaz Mahal (died 1896).

Safed Baradari

Baradari of Qaiser Bagh is known as Safed Baradari because of its colour. It is a place of celebration where the elite of the city hold marriages and receptions. It was built by last Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah as an Imambara for observing mourning.

Inside hall

                                                     Closer view of chandelier

La Martiniere college

La Martiniere College is an educational institution in Lucknow. It has two schools on different campuses for boys and girls, established in 1845(boys) and 1869(girls).
The Boys' school has been awarded Royal battle honours(only school in the world to have been awarded) for its role in the defence of Lucknow during the first war of Indian Independence,1857.

La Martiniere Boys College was founded by Major-General Claude Martin, an officer in the French and later in the British East India Company. For the first time in history schoolboys were called to assist in the military conflict, for the defence of Lucknow Residency in 1857. The names of six staff members, sixty seven boys and one ensign are inscribed on the 'Roll of Honour, defence of Residency  1857' at La Martiniere Lucknow

Tombs of Saadat Ali Khan And Mushir Zadi

The tombs of Nawab Saadat Ali Khan and his wife Khurshid Zadi has a refined Indo-Islamic architecture. It's symmetrical domes and elegant kiosks make the structure more attractive.
These twin tombs situated in Qaiser Bagh near Begum Hazrat Mahal Park are one of the beautiful sites in Lucknow.
                  

Saadat Ali Khan's tomb

Side view of Saadat Ali Khan's tomb

Begum Mushir Zadi's tomb

Sarnath

Buddha and his teachings have always fascinated me. This being my first ever visit to a place related to Buddha, i was pretty excited. I was lost in myself for quite sometime staring at his images, the ruins of Sarnath and the stupas. That was really an unforgettable experience.

Sarnath Archeological Museum is one of the well maintained museums of India and the oldest site museum of ASI. It is located near Varanasi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

                                         Entrance of Museum

The main attraction of the museum is the Lion Capital of the Mauryan Pillar which has become the National Emblem of India. One can find a number of images of Buddha in different postures, various deities of the time, many secular objects.

                                                                  The Lion Capital

 As we all know Buddha after enlightenment came to Sarnath and its here in the deer park he delivered his first sermon. Sarnath is one of the sacred places to the followers of Buddhism, Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar being the other three.

                                                             Original Asoka Pillar
 Chaukhandi Stupa:

                                                               Chaukhandi Stupa

Dhamek Stupa:

                                                                 Dhamek Stupa

                                                        Beautifully carved stones

Varanasi

Varanasi/Kashi is one of the oldest surviving cities of the world estimated to be around 3500 years old.Kashi is known for the famous Vishwanath temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. This Jyotirlinga has a very unique significance in the spiritual history of India. Tradition has it that the merits earned by the darshan of other jyotirlingas scattered in various parts of India accrue to devotee by a single visit to Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

I feel blessed to have visited this historic city and to have darshana of Jyotirlinga and the spectacular Ganga arati. As no electronic gadget is allowed inside the temple, i could not capture any photos of the temple.

One would not like to miss Ganga arati after Vishwanath darshan. We reached the spot well in advance to reserve our seats. It is really spectacular to watch arati performed by students of Vedas and Upanishads for about 45 minutes and also of boats filled with eager foreigners to catch a glimpse of this worship of Ganga.

Vindhyavasini temple

Vindhyavasini temple is  located at Vindhyachal, about 8 km away from Mirzapur on the banks of river Ganga. This is one among fifty one Shakti peethas. Vindhyavasini Devi is most popularly known as Kajala Devi.

There is a temple of Mahasaraswati named Ashtbhuja temple about 3km away and a temple of Goddess Kali in a cave named Kali khoh. These three together form a part of the rite called Trilokan Parikrama. 

Allahabad University

The fourth oldest university of India, Allahabad University is one of the esteemed universities of India. Established in 1887, it attracts with its architectural marvel. Visiting its campus itself is a great feeling. I even have noticed a sense of pride on the faces of students who are a part of it. No wonder!

                                                           See the corridors

                                                Part of Science faculty of Allahabad University
I loved the structure a lot. Though the dome is damaged, still it has the charm.

Proud graduates of the university