Edinburgh's most famous landmark is its castle. Perched upon an ancient volcanic crag, it looks over the city silently. I first saw the castle from Princes street while changing buses en route my Airbnb. The rock on which it is built looks insurmountable and yet Edinburgh's castle is the most besieged in the history of…
My weekend in Edinburgh started on the right note when I ditched my meticulously planned itinerary as soon as I stepped out of my Airbnb. I flew in to Edinburgh via Brussels from Denmark and then took the bus to the city centre. I had to change buses at Princes street but missed the next…
Ranganatha conjures to the mind an image of Lord Vishnu reclining in yoganidra (yogic sleep) on the five headed serpent Adisesha but the Ranganatha of Tirumale is contrary to expectation. The garbhagriha (sanctum) houses an idol of Ranganatha depicted in standing position holding Shankha (conch), Chakra (discus), Gada (mace) in three hands and the fourth hand in abhaya mudra (blessing gesture).
Navigation is so easy today because of GPS. I was unaware that determning the longitude at sea was one of the greatest scientific problems of the 18th century. Dava Sobel's book is about that and the man who solved it. Read the blog post for a complete review.
A'via'l 