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St Dunstan : A spectacle of the past

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London is a beautiful city with so much to offer. It is a city that welcomes you and makes you one of its own. As a student, it is one of the best cities to live in.  But being a student in a city like London, with its fast-paced lifestyle can also be overwhelming and intimidating. One needs to escape every now and then to some peace and quiet. Nestled in the heart of London, St Dunstan-in-the-east is the perfect spot to forget about your deadlines for some time.  A friend posing at the entrance. Clicked by Smega Sony   There is a St Dunstan-in-the-west as well, which I hope to go to soon enough. St. Dunstan-in-the-east is one of the many monuments dedicated to St Dunstan.  It is situated in between London Bridge and the Tower of London and despite its location, it is not frequented by a lot of visitors. In fact, it is one of the hidden gems of London that does not make it to most tourist lists or even that of locals. St Dunstan used to be a church, of which remains only the ruins that
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Citadel of Qai't Bay : From the lighthouse times till today

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The Citadel of Qai't Bay During December 2019, I made my first international trip outside of Asia, to Egypt (something my dad humorously disagrees with). This is going to be my third post about the trip. During my 12 days long stay in Egypt, we made a one day round trip from Cairo to Alexandria. The name of the city should sound familiar. That is because this ancient city was founded by Alexander the Great when he was on a mission to expand his kingdom beyond Macedonian borders. He wanted to be the ruler of the entire Earth, or at least what was known of Earth to the Greeks. Eventually, the city became the capital for the Ptolemaic dynasty and remained a capital city even under Roman and Byzantine Empires.  The crescent leading to the fort. Source - google images Now that we are somewhat familiar with the city of Alexandria, let's move a little forward in time and jump to the medieval times. In 1477 AD, Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qai't Bay established the C
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The Giza Pyramids : An experience

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The Giza Pyramids in one frame “In one sense it was the Pyramids that built Egypt—rather than the other way around.” (National Geographic) The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are one of the most coveted monuments around the world. Naturally, my half-day trip to Giza was one of my most anticipated moments from the entire Egypt trip. But before I talk about it further, let me tell you that the kind of things one would expect to experience there are not portrayed accurately by pop culture. The picture painted with excessive orientalist or ‘Arabian night tales’ imagery is overshadowed by modernization and urbanization. Instead of a never-ending desert, with only camels and no civilization in sight, what one does get to see is the skyline view of the cemented jungle, proper roads going around the pyramid and the sphinx complex and camels that are waiting for tourists to give a 30-45 minute paid ride. Not that I am complaining too much, but I did miss the imaginary feeling of being
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Alabaster Mosque : The final touch of Salah Al-din's Citadel

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View of the Alabaster mosque inside the citadel Egypt’s history is as much the history of the great Pharaohs and the pyramids, the Greek and Roman civilization as it is of the crusades and the Ottoman Empire. While the first image of India to the outside world culturally is probably that of the Taj Mahal, Egypt goes way back to the Pyramids. I had the opportunity to go to Egypt this December, during my winter break. Everyone who knows me could probably imagine how excited I was in the land of the pyramids, the land that was ruled by Cleopatra and Tutankhamun and the land where the Coptic Christians and the Muslims (of varying sects) live far more harmoniously. Visiting a new country, a new continent is probably a good excuse to write a blog post. Since a lot of people have asked me one burning question ever since my return, I would like to state that this post is my answer to “what was the most amazing place that you visited in Egypt?” The answer to that question is the Ala
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The tomb of I’timād-Ud-Daulah : A queen's tale

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The image of India is synonymous with the image of the Taj Mahal. So much so, that you are bound to witness tens of hundreds of people line up in front of the ticket counter even before the opening hours are initiated. The crowds of people that come from across the globe at the dawn of sunrise hope to catch the sun rays falling perfectly on the Taj which creates the illusion of a halo. I have witnessed first hand, the early risers all ready with their cameras and tripods in order to catch the first look of Taj. My dad being one of the sun catchers, tried and hoped to do the same. It so happened that he was accompanied by me and mom.  But this post is not commemorating the grandeur of the Taj Mahal. This post is about the tomb of I’timād-Ud-Daulah, also called the “Little Taj” and is the underdog in the list of grand Mughal monuments to be ever built. Its fame is dwarfed by the member of the seven wonders coexisting in Agra. Its beauty and architecture remain sadly under apprecia
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Gwalior Fort : Exploring the city of Scindia

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Gwalior is an ancient city located in Madhya Pradesh. According to legend, the city is named after a saint named Gwalipa. The story goes that a Prince by the name of Suraj Sen had lost his way in a forest and came across this old sage. This sage took the Prince to a lake and the water from that lake not only quenched his thirst but also cured him of leprosy. The Prince was so grateful that he built a wall around the lake which came to be known as the Gwalior fort. Eventually the city that grew around it also adopted the name Gwalior. This city is a beautiful amalgamation of various cultures. It brings together Indo-Islamic and Maratha culture because of the presence and influence of Muslim and Maratha rulers in the past.  The fort of Gwalior is one of the major attractions of the city that exists in the valleys of huge rocky hills that surround it. The fort has had a long history with different dynasties and rulers coming in and settling here. The date for the construction of
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Humayun's Tomb : A glimpse

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Nasiruddin Humayun was the successor of Zahirrudin Babur, founder of the Mughal empire in India.He ruled in territories of North India from 1531–1540 and again from 1555–1556. In 1540 he lost the kingdom to Sher Shah Suri. Humayun which means ‘the fortunate one’ proved to be ironical. He was at the receiving end of bad luck. He died at the age of 47. He was descending the staircase of his library at Purana Qila (literally meaning old fort) when his foot was caught in his robe and he tumbled down several steps and hit his temple on a rugged stone edge.  Humayun’s tomb was commissioned by his wife Haji Begum and was paid by from her own money. It is believed to be designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, a Persian architect especially brought in for this purpose. The date of its construction cannot be ascertained. It is believed that the tomb was built after 9 – 15  years after of Humayun’s death. The thing to note here is that this place wasn’t even the original resting place of the Mughal
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