My favorite part of any Indian meal is gulab jamun. I was relieved to find out the dessert I’ve devoured all these years outside of India is pretty much the same as it is in India. With food, there’s nothing more annoying than knowing exactly what you’re missing. What is gulab jamun? It is delicious […]
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Roadside Refreshment: Sugarcane Juice
This popular summer drink is as delicious as it sounds. The vendor selects a few sugarcane stalks, feeds them through the press, and mixes the juice with additives such as ginger and lime.
Bull Temple
Bull Temple indeed! This efficient temple contains a huge granite monolith of Nandi and was built by Kempegowda in the 16th-century in Dravidian style, which is unique to South India. Main features of the Dravidian architectural style are koils, or pyramid-shaped temples, and intricate carved stone showing deities, warrior, kings and dancers in a step […]
Tipu Sultan’s Palace, Bangalore
An abode of happiness and an envy of heaven. Aaaah. Or so says a stone pillar inside this palace, constructed in 1791 by the infamous violent ruler. Tipu Sultan (1750-1799), a Muslim in a kingdom of Hindus, was known as the Tiger of Mysore. He ruled Mysore after his father, Hyder Ali, died. Tipu had […]
Venkataramana Swamy Temple, Bangalore
Fire! Music! Chanting! I’m not sure what was going on here, but it was pretty extravagant. This temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, a form of the god Vishnu. Mysore ruler Chikka Devaraya Wodiyar constructed this in the 16th century in the Dravidian style, which is unique to South India. Main features of the Dravidian […]
Bengaluru Palace
Bizarro Windsor Castle? No, it’s Bengalaru Palace. These Wodeyars really knew how to live! This was yet another private residence of the dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399-1947. If this structure looks familiar in a can’t-put-your-finger-on-it sort of way, that’s because it was designed to look like Windsor Castle. The now-aged but […]
On Driving in India
Indian drivers are among the most proactive I’ve ever seen. That’s the only way I can put it. Oh wait, here’s another: Indian drivers maximize the amount of time they are in motion. You might think this is not so unlike Western drivers, but read on… Middle of the Road: In India, it is typical […]
