Divine Serenity !!!

Having visited many temples in South India , I did not expect such intricate styles of architecture in

" Akshardham " - Shri Swaminarayan Mandir   at  Robinsville, New Jersey 

We visited the temple during the thanksgiving week and hence it was crowded. The temple's construction is still in progress. 

This temple is a masterpiece of Indian architecture and workmanship.This temple is planned to be constructed to spread over 162 acres and hence would become the World's largest Hindu Temple after Srirangam, TamilNadu.

We can see a mixture of South Indian Temple and North Indian Temple architecture. Many idols and scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata are depicted here.

Photography is strictly prohibited inside the temple. I remember seeing such intricate carvings in Srirangapatna, Karnataka and Konark Temple, Odisha. 

You can just marvel at the beautiful, intricate sculptures and carvings for hours and hours

I could see many peacock style arches, elephant sculptures and decorative ceilings and pillars.After darshan, the nice aroma from the cafe nearby tempted us to pick up some lip-smacking traditional Indian dishes .It was a pleasant experience.

 Planning to visit?

1. Do not use the GPS to show directions. Google Maps helps you to navigate better.
2. In case of public transportation , you may need to hire a cab from Princeton, Hamilton or Hightstown stations
3. The timings are usually from 9 AM to 6 PM but they do close darshan for a few hours.Please check website before planning a visit.
4.  Check website for dress code
5. Cell phones must be in silent or switch off mode
6. Pets are not allowed in the temple
7. Smoking is prohibited in the premises.

Traveling to the United States

Having worked in IT industry, I know how many people dream and struggle to get selected for onsite jobs

Well ,my journey was unexpected and too fast.Got a H4 visa after marriage which allowed me to travel to US

My parents told about my mischief's in a flight when I was a child.I could never recollect those.

I am travelling to a different country and this is my first flight experience.

Having watched actor Madhavan's flight experiences in the tamil film "Nala damayanthi", I made a note on my mind as to not make any of those mistakes :)

1. Coffee - the air hostess served something which was just like "black coffee".She added milk and still it looked black. OMG!! Half a glass of this and I ended up feeling nauseous.
2. Safety Guide -  Little did anyone care about the safety guide which was given. I am very sure that I was the only person to have read the guide line by line.(Having said that, please don't ask me anything about the safety tips, cant remember!!!  :P )
3. Food -   Lip-smacking,delicious food was served. I had already stuffed my tummy very well in my previous flight and still could stuff more. Butter croissants were too yummy.
4.  Entertainment - Watched movies in different indian languages (Subtitles helped !!)
5. Co-passengers -   Enjoyed the short talk with a student who resided in NYC and also met few Chennaites from the IT industry

Many passengers were taking selfies with the air- hostess and posting it in FB. Few of them were reading books and there were few more who were sleeping or just siting erect with eyes open:P

Though I was excited about my first flight experience, I was equally afraid.Previous night, I had googled about long duration flights and most of the results were scary.From blood clots,leg pain to jet lag and economy class syndrome, Google showed me all .

Lesson for life: Never research too much on Google, rather experience it !! :)

Refreshing Breeze

Have you ever thought how nice it would be to sit amidst rocks and enjoy the cool breeze??

Take a stroll at New Jersey's hidden jewel, "Hacklebarney State Park" for free!!!

When we took the exit from the highway road, we wondered if we lost our way.Roads became narrow and whatever we saw was green in color.We realized we were moving in the right direction after we saw a few cars following us.The bridge was too narrow and we waited for the car in the opposite direction to cross. We saw a farm very close to the state park.

Cool breeze welcomed us as soon as we reached the parking lot. We went on the Labor Day weekend and hence felt there were more cars than usual.

After a fleet of steps,the path divided into two.We chose the path which was less narrow.

 It was so nice to see the green tall trees trying to hide the clouds. I am not a person who can walk around without taking rest but at this place, I wanted to walk along the shady trees.We could hear the gushy 'shhh' sound of water.We descended a few steps along the inclined plane to see the "Black River".We walked along the path where we saw the river flowing along with us.

A view of the black river along with the rocks

We saw a mini waterfall too. The rocks near this part was too slippery.

Wow!! It was a delightful noon well spent in one of the State parks of NJ.