Tag Archives: tourist destinations

Kovalam Beach, Kerala

Kovalam Beach

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Kovalam is one of the famous beaches of Kerala and almost everyone in the country has heard or know about this famous beach. A lot of people hold it as a cherished dream to atleast once visit this famous spot. Even though we reside in Delhi for the most part of the year, because we are keralites, we get to travel to Kerala couple of times in a year and have been able to make it possible to visit this beach more than once.

We have visited many beaches in Kerala but this beach is different. It is a small and compact one and one of the most important things that stand out in my mind is that it has black sand.

Kovalam is a beach town in Trivandrum. It is a crescent like beach lined with coconut palm trees.

Kovalam Beach, Kerala

Beaches are always fun. Looking at the waves coming with such force and might gives a little thrill going down the spine. The foam and the froth that hits us as we stand on the beach waiting for these waves is exhilarating.

The sands from beneath our foot gets washed away and we feel like floating without actually floating. It is scary and yet very exciting. Children have fun but the gaurds at this beach are very strict and vigilant and don’t let people go far away from the beach. There is a red and white striped lighthouse to the left of the beach that keeps a watch over the sea .

 

 

 

Zafar Mahal, Delhi

Zafar Mahal

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I had never heard of Zafar Mahal till some days ago when my husband brought it up as one of the places we should be visiting.  And to know that it was in Mehrauli which is about 15 minutes from where we live was even more astounding.

When we finally made the visit today we realized that people living right next to the Palace were also quite unaware of its existence and significance.   We asked some people for directions in Mehrauli and they were quite clueless.

It could be probably because the area around Zafar Mahal has been encroached and people have built all kinds of buildings in and around that it is not seen properly and even the front façade does not give out the impression of the vastness that lay beyond.

The frontage is very simple.  The Mahal looked deserted.  The gates called the “Hathi Gate / Elephant Gate” were massive but closed and only a small enclosure which was part of the gate was open for people to pass through.  We got in not knowing whether we should or not but once inside, saw some men old and young in groups sitting on the inside lanes playing cards.  I was a bit scared, but since I was with my husband, we went on with our discovery mission.

 

I should confess, it was a revelation!  The more we went in, it opened up more and more surprises.   Even though the building was in a ruined condition, it was delightful to see the gorgeous formations and composition of the pillars, walls and its structure.   Made in Red Sandstone with some marbles thrown in, there was hardly any roof left apart from the main building and the domes.

To think that this is a place where the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar wished to be buried was quite shocking.   He used to spend the summers in this place and was called his Summer Palace.

The Palace was originally built by Akbar II and named after his son Bahadur Shah Zafar.   The entrance was then modified by Bahadur Shah Zafar himself.   The tombs of Akbar II, Shah Alam and Mirza Jahangir lie within this Palace.   Akbar II’s tomb is inside a marble enclosure.

There is a royal mosque also built in marble adjacent to where the tombs lay.

The halls in the upper parts of the buildings are vast with columns of arched pillars.  The carved pillars and arcades are beautiful to behold.