| Eight destinations for passionate travelers Romance is all pervasive. As the poets would claim, it is all about "beauty and truth". Love, as they say, is always in the air. You do not need a place and time to fall in love. Yet it is that time of the year when we choose the destinations that will stoke passions.  Enchanting Seasides: Tranquebar Standing by the sea, all alone in the morning, I watched the sun make its date with dawn. I reconnected with myself on the shores of Tranquebar. There is something that is soothing in the constant flow and ebb of waves. Tranquebar is all about the sound of waves, going by its local name, Tharangambadi. You may travel solo or as a couple, but the little town with a single street is where a long-lasting affair with life begins.  Enchanting Seasides: Sindhudurg A fort in the distance, a temple on its shores, a fisherman flinging his net casually into the water. A guide in a smart T-shirt and shorts offering you kokum juice. The beaches of Sindhudurg have an intoxicating effect on me. The entire coastline is waiting for you to discover it, as you can find a beach in almost every fishing hamlet concealing a little bit of history.  High on the Hills: Kanatal White misty peaks do a peek-a-boo with the clouds. Sun-kissed mountains. Flowers at my feet and birds in the air. Kanatal is not just another town nestled somewhere in Uttarakhand. Its charm lies in the fact that it is delightfully non-existent to the tourist. If silence is your way of celebrating romance, then this town near Dehradun should be on your itinerary. One more thing – go for long walks with the deodars for company.  High on Hills: Kudrevatti Confession: I had not heard of Kudrevatti until a year ago. And this despite it being part of the landscape of the Western Ghats and barely an hour from my native village in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. I discovered it while I was on a long journey up the hills that took me through evergreen forests along the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. I fell in love with it instantly. Low-hanging clouds, grasslands, a canopy of forests, and a viewpoint which shows you three beautiful dams. Kudrevatti defines romance.  Passion in stone: Khajuraho Even the legends of Khajuraho speak of the moon god who fell for the beauty of a local princess and seduced her while she was taking her bath. Khajuraho was ruled by scions born of this romance. No wonder the sculptures breathe passion. On a crisp winter morning, I soaked in the sensuous atmosphere of the town. Couples in stone are locked in a tight embrace, blissfully oblivious to the crowds staring at them. And it was one of the cleanest Indian towns that I had ever seen.  Passion in stone: Belur It is a love affair that began five years ago. My tryst with the Hoysalas began with the ancient town of Velapuri, the ancient capital of the dynasty built on the banks of the river Yagachi. Today we know it as Belur, the home of the beautiful Chennakesava temple. The temple is sheer poetry in stone. Look at the curved damsels carved as bracket figures. These apsaras or Madanikas are perfect in every way. They are believed to have been inspired by the Hoysala queen Shantala.  Seductive Wilderness: Panna There are many adjectives to describe a forest – the clichés being dense, lush, verdant. To me Panna has been simply one of the most beautiful landscapes. The River Ken flows through this wildlife sanctuary. In the golden light, the forests are draped in stunning colours. I missed a tiger sighting by minutes but I got a high listening to the call of a leopard and spotting it later on the banks of the river. But the moment of the day was the sighting of the rare red-headed vulture.  Seductive Wilderness: Billigiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary The Idle Schoolboy whistles the moment I enter the forest, almost a sign of appreciation for the carpet of green spread out before me. My tryst with BRT, as it is known among nature-lovers, started almost a decade ago when I spotted my first sloth bear in the wild. But in this tiger reserve, it is the Schoolboy or the Malabar Whistling Thrush that has always made me feel special. I would recommend BRT as the destination if your calling is to go and get wild! |
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