My TripAdvisor Review No.242: Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Mega Temple Complex.

The Meenakshi Temple is one of the biggest temple complexes in India, and is the most iconic temple of Madurai. Madurai itself is known as the holy city of temples, and is a 2500 year old ancient city of Tamil Nadu, in South India. The temple is also quite ancient but had to be rebuilt in the 17th century after being destroyed and plundered by Muslim invaders from Delhi.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva (in the form of Sundareshwar, or Beautiful Lord) and his consort, Goddess Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi). Two of the ‘gopurams’ are gold plated. These are the sanctums of the two main deities. Only Hindus are allowed to enter these two sanctums.

The temple has 14 ‘gopurams’, built in the Dravidian style. These are tall towers, covered with thousands of figurines of gods, demons and animals painted in bright colours. There are four main gopurams in the North, South, East and West directions which serve as entry points to the temple complex. You have to remember which side you enter from because you have to leave your footwear and valuables (cameras, bags) outside and collect them when you exit.

We visited the temple on a Sunday and there were very long queues for darshan. Even though we paid for special darshan donation ticket, we still had to wait about an hour to have a darshan of Meenaskhi Amman and Lord Sundershwara. After that we bought some prasadam of laddus, wadas, chaklis and pongal and sat down on the steps of the temple tank and savoured our holy experience.

Ask EkMusafir about Sri Meenakshi Temple

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.241: Blossoms at the Destination, Kandaghat, Himachal.

“Best Buffet Dining Restaurant on the way to Shimla.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

This restaurant should now be called ‘Blossoms at Club Mahindra Kandaghat’. The management has actually changed hands after ‘The Destination’ was taken over by Club Mahindra. It is located on the Chandigarh Shimla Highway and is about 30 km before you reach Shimla. The restaurant is open to all travellers, but the resident members of Club Mahindra get a discount on the list prices.

Since we were staying here we had the occasion to dine here quite often. We selected the ala-carte option because the buffet meals were priced on the higher side, though the spread looked quite good, with many dishes for vegetarians as well as non-veg, and a good variety of desserts too.

We tried their Chinese dishes, starting with Thukpa soup, Sweet Corn Soup, veg fried rice, veg hakka noodles, American Chop Suey, and a ‘Mumbai veg masala sandwich. There was a limited variety of local Himachali cuisine but we did order their ‘Gourmet Express’ where the meal is delivered to your room in a box.

The ambience of the restaurant is very good with open air seating overlooking the valley, with an excellent view. Service is courteous, though a tad slow for the ala-carte dishes.

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• Visited June 2017
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.240: Apple Cart Inn Restaurant, Kiarighat, Himachal.

“Motel with a Great View.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

Kiarighat is just about 5 km ahead of Kandaghat, and 20 km short of Shimla, on the Kalka Shimla Highway. We were staying at Kandaghat so we hopped on to a local bus and got off at Apple Cart Inn for lunch.

The property is managed by the state run HPTDC. There is ample parking space near the property.It is located at the edge of the Kiarighat hill and overlooks a beautiful valley. It is a quaint old resort with a fast food restaurant facing the highway, and the regular restaurant attached to the main block, which also houses the guest rooms. The view of the mountains around was just fantastic. We sat for a while outside on the benches in the children’s playground just admiring the beautiful scenery.

The indoor restaurant was also well furnished. We ordered a local dish called ‘Gobi Palada’ with green salad, curd, and phulkas (fluffed out chapattis). The food was hot and tasty, and the service was courteous. Prices were reasonable.

We would definitely stop and spend a night or two at the hotel to enjoy a serene stay, rather than in overcrowded Shimla, if we had a choice.

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• Visited June 2017
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.239: Cafe Mantra, Kasauli, Himachal.

“Nice Cafe in the Heritage Market.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

Mantra Cafe is located in the center of the Heritage Market in Kasauli. It is better furnished and decorated than most of the other tiny restaurants in the market, and is quite neat and colourful too. They have some extra tables on the mezzanine floor too.

They have a good range of Continental, Italian and Chinese food on their menu. We tried out their Veg Cheese and Tomato Pizza and a plate of Veg Spring Rolls. Both were quite nice. Service was friendly and quick and the background music was not too loud. There was a small balcony to relax with a cup of tea or coffee. Prices were reasonable.

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• Visited July 2017
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.238: Rudra Cafe, Kasauli.

“A Cafe with a Difference.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

Rudra Cafe is located towards the lower end of the Heritage Market in Kasauli. It is in a small shop with only 4 tables and can barely seat 20 people. It serves mainly Chinese, Tibetan, Pizzas and some Continental dishes and sandwiches.

The walls of this restaurant are decorated with the scribblings of the customers who have appreciated their food, ambience and rock music. We too enjoyed the food and the music.

We tried their ‘Stir Fried Vegetables with Salt and Pepper’ and ‘Veg Hakka Noodles’ on one occasion, and came back to sample the ‘Chicken Salt and Pepper’ and ‘Double Cheese Veg Sandwich’ the next day. On the third day we did not get an empty table and sadly had to dine elsewhere.

We will definitely dine at Rudra Cafe if we happen to visit Kasauli again.

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• Visited July 2017
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.237: Narinder Sweet House, Kasauli, Himachal.

“Fast Food, Indian Style.”

Reviewed 2 days ago

NEW

Narinder Sweet House is a very popular eatery in the Kasauli Heritage Market. A few wooden chairs and tables are squeezed into the little shop so that some patrons can sit inside and have their popular fast food items and a cup of tea. Most of the customers prefer to sit on the benches outside in the narrow street, and enjoy the cool climate of Kasauli with the piping hot snacks.

Their most popular items which we tried out were ‘bun-tikki’, ‘bun-samosa’, 'bun-gulab jamun', and simply ‘gulab jamun’. They heat up the items on their tava (griddle) and serve it to you in a paper plate. You can also have it packed and carry away, but there is no zing in the taste after it has cooled down. Its best to have it there and then. Most of the items are quite cheap and filling.

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• Visited July 2017
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.236: Gilbert Trail, Kasauli, Himachal.

“Paradise for Nature Lovers.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

Gilbert Trail is a unique nature trail and trekking path in Kasauli. It is meant only for walking or riding and enjoying the raw beauty of nature. It is a bird watcher’s paradise too.

The trail starts about 2 km from Kasauli market, and is located just after the Kasauli Club and Sunset Point. There is a green board indicating the start of the trail. The path is a bit stony and gravelly but quite well defined and you won’t get lost if you don’t stray off the trail, and remember your general direction.

It can get a bit slushy and misty during the rains, but the clouds enhance the beauty of the surroundings. You get to hear a lot of bird calls in the mornings and evenings. On a clear day the views of the hills and cottages around is very enchanting.

The trail is about 1.5 km long and one can see Manki Point and the Hanuman Temple at the other end.

This trek was one of the highlights of my trip to Kasauli. It was the best way to enjoy nature and the mountain scenery, for which we all like to visit a hill station.

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Visited July 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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My TripAdvisor Review No.235: Manki Point - Hanuman Temple, Kasauli.

“Dedicated to the Monkey God - Lord Hanuman.”

Reviewed yesterday

NEW

Even the direction boards have named this place as ‘Manki’ Point, when it should really have been called ‘Monkey’ Point. This hilltop point is about 6 km from Kasauli market and is located inside the Air Force Station. Hence the entry is allowed only from 9.30 am to 5 pm and you have to show your ID proof to the authorities at the AFS gate. No cameras, cell phones, or electronic item of any kind is allowed to be taken inside. You may leave them in your vehicle, or deposit them in a locker on payment of a nominal fee. Hence you cannot take any snaps after you enter.

However, Manki Point is still worth a visit because of the beautiful views from the hilltop, as well as darshan of Lord Hanuman inside the temple dedicated to him. We spent some time in the temple listening to the bhajans and devotional songs sung by the devotees. The hilltop is in the shape of a giant footprint of Lord Hanuman, who is said to have used the hilltop as a stepping stone on the way to Lanka carrying the ‘Sanjeevani Booti’. There is now a helipad here.

After entering the AFS gate one has to climb a steep flight of stairs which can take from 20 to 30 minutes depending on your level of fitness. The staircase is covered by shades and trees, and there are benches to sit on, so that you can rest and gather your breath. Beware of the monkeys, most of them are friendly, but an aggressive one may attack your goody bag, if you are alone or try to retaliate.

There is very little parking space available near the AFS gate. This place gets so many visitors during the weekends that maneuvering becomes difficult near the parking area. We actually witnessed a traffic jam for half an hour. On the next day, which was a Sunday, the authorities closed the road from the market to the AFS for the tourists, and all of them had to walk the 12 km to the Point and back!

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Visited July 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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