Gods and Goddesses of Nainital

A View of the little Naini Mata Temple on the banks of the Naini Lake   O ne thing that has surprised International spiritual philosophers about Hindu practices and beliefs is that while on the one hand it has one of the most ancient and evolved systems of philosophy, on the other hand, it also displays very many poor practices. The answer lies in the fact that Hinduism has never been as organized as some of the other major religions of the world. It permits much freedom of belief and practices. It has a vast landscape of varied cultures into which many immigrants of the old world came and settled with varied customs and beliefs. What is seen as Hinduism now is a collections of beliefs and practices since ancient times, some highly evolved and some not so. Individual Hindus choose the portion of these beliefs that is in agreement with their own faith and inclinations, no doubt influenced by the beliefs and practices of the families and regions to which they belong.

Boating in a boat with or without sails is an exhilrating experience in the Nainital Lake. The image here is an edited version of an image shared on facebook by https://www.facebook.com/Nainital

The Babaji Affair A new revised edition of my book the - The Babaji Affair -  has been released recently. The book is available in both print and electronic versions at various Amazon outlets around the world. it is also available with most other online retailers. Just search on nearest you on Google. If you are interested in the Nainital District, Babaji, and the spirituality of the region interpreted form a modern global viewpoint and have not read the book yet, do acquire a copy soon. The message of the book is bound to improve your life dramatically towards greater, peace, joy and beauty. The image above is an unfolded designers proof image of the cover. The design of the Neeltal Hotel in the book- The Babaji Affair - was based on the Neuschwanstein Castle

Naini Mata the Mother Goddess A fresh revised edition of the book - Naini Mata Goddess of Nainital has been released recently. it describes not just about the Mother Goddess as worshipped and loved in Nainital but elsewhere around the world too. The book is available at Amazon.com at : http://www.amazon.com/Naini-Mata-Nainital-Ashok-Malhotra/dp/1461159229 The book also is available at Amazon and other outlets all around the world including India in both print and electronic versions. Just search for it on google if you are interested. The new revised edition is much better presented than the earlier one. It describes the history of worship of the Mother Goddess since ancient times as well as explains it from a modern scientific point of view. Naini Mata is how she is addressed as in Naintal town. Higher up in the mountains, she is known with her sister as the goddesses Nanda and Sunanda. Those from Haidakhan call her Haidkandeshwari, others in Tibet as Tara.. She is Ma Du

Countryside around Nainital Lake The Nainital Lake is so captivating that most photos end up taking pictures of the lake from close and miss to photograph the countryside around it that is just as pretty. here is one picture.

Samosas I t is quite a tradition in India to have a deep fried snack of Samoasa or Pakoras on a rainy day in India and round the year in Nainital. You would find many samosa stalls in the foothill town of Khatgodam/Haldwani and several roadside pakora shops on the journey to Nainital. Do not miss the treat whenever you visit Nainital. Once in Nainital you may wish to try roasted corn on the cob or mo-mos by the lakeside that are widely available in tourist season. The monsoon rains had been interrupted for a few days here in the plains but they came back with force today and as luck would have it a neighborhood shop was just frying some nice hot samosas that I procured. Samosas are found all over India. They usually contain a stuffing of spicy potatoes and peas in crisp deep fried pastry shell. Each shop keeper or snack stall has its own recipe and with experience one finds the seller that suits one’s taste. For those who like meat or chicken, the stuffing can be precook

Jai Maa Saraswati T he Himalayan Mountains are regarded as sacred in South Asia. The Infinite reality cannot be visualised by a finite mind but aspects of him can be viewed symbolically in the sun, stars, majestic mountains, rivers or as personified in divine beings in the universe, and it is in this light that some mountain peaks and ranges are regarded as sacred throughout Asia from India to Japan. The earth itself and its components are regarded as akin to a divine mother since life is born in its bosom whereas heavenly objects such as the sun in a fatherly manner since it is his rays that give life. The male and female are two aspects of the one and only reality Who is neither. However, in recent centuries bold western explorers have scaled and surveyed lofty Himalayan peaks. Names have been given to some of the peaks by just numbering them or as mere geological features missing the point that these are majestic manifestations of the divine on earth. Saraswati Mo

The Coat of Arms of His Majesty, the King Emperor of Kingdom of Piland A n image of the roof of the Naini Mata temple of Nainital has been incorporated in the design of a coat of arms of a newly defined Kingdom of Piland.  The design uses the image of a lion too often shown as a companion of the Mother Goddess. Jai Mata Ki. The motto used in the Coat of Arms is the principle one of Baba Haidkhan of Nainital District - Love, Truth and Simplicity. The design has penguins too because this is a Kingdom in the Antarctica. To find out more about this Kingdom on facebook check https://www.facebook.com/PilandKingdom However His Majesty of Piland believes in Freedom of belief. His Majesty has strong spiritual beliefs but none that belong exclusively to any one religion or philosophical system. They arise from both the east and the west, from ancient beliefs as well as modern ones. However he believes strongly that every human has a right to his or her own belief or none at a

Lokhamtal N ainital being a lake district has several lakes. Some are well known but others unknown, especially those that do not have a motorable road to it. Two such are Harishtal and Lokhamtal, both close to each other. Lokhamtal is a very small lake of the size of Khurpatal but Harishtal is bigger and has a village around it. Villagers have terraced farms on the hill beside the lake. One has to trek to reach these villages. Not having roads helps to maintain the pristine and pollution free nature of these lakes. However villagers have been demanding a road for the last sixty years. They have refused to vote in elections unless a road is built. They hope for a road connecting Harishtal to Bhimtal. Other possible roads are from Hairakhan and Chorgalia, both well connected already. A road can also be built connecting Harishtal to Okhalkhand nearby. The road would help take the tourist pressure off Nainital, by dividing it in two directions from the Nainital highway

Truffle - Black  Diamond of Gourmet Kitchens T ruffles along with saffron are two of the most expensive and exotic food products in the world. They are also similarly priced with a price of around a couple of thousand dollars a kilogram or so but more or less depending upon quality. Both are used as flavoring spicing agents in the most expensive food recipes of the world. While cultivation and use of Truffles is common in Europe, unlike saffron, its use is not common in Asia except in some places in China and Bhutan and few even know about it. Not long ago even the Chinese did not know about its value and fed it to pigs who just loved it and got sexually excited on eating it. It is not known if this tuber has a similar effect on humans but it certainly gives many foods an exotic and delicious flavor. However, with globalization and travel more and more persons are learning about this diamond of the kitchen. Methods for its cultivation have been developed in France and it is w

Reproduced from : https://www.facebook.com/notes/nainital-the-city-of-lakes/pil-alleging-rampant-encroachment-in-nainital/10152965623448219 PIL Alleging Rampant Encroachment In Nainital. July 4, 2014 at 11:18pm The Uttarakhand high court has banned the use of polythene bags in Nainital district and ordered that Rs 500 fine be imposed on anyone found using it from July 15. It also ordered the DM to file an affidavit on the details of construction within 30 metres of all lakes in the district. As per building bylaws, no construction, permanent or temporary, is allowed within 30 metres of the lakes. A bench of Justice Servesh Kumar Gupta and Justice Alok Singh passed the order on Thursday after hearing a PIL alleging rampant encroachment in Nainital. The petitioner, Ajay Rawat, an environmental activist, had also raised the issues of pollution due to polythene bags in his PIL. The ban will cover hilly areas like Bhimtal and Mukteshwar and also low lying areas like t

The lakeside road of Nainital H ello friends, this is just to announce that a fascinating new website has been launched on Nainital.It is an ideal place to start for those who wish to know about the most beautiful and fascinating city in the Himalayas, perhaps even on earth. http://nainital.info/ Not a fairy tale building but court house of Nainital

Cannabis While Cannabis has been declared as an illegal substance in many countries of the world, recent studies suggest that there may be a need to review the associated laws.   R ecently, I got involved in a discussion and a friendly disagreement with a medical practitioner regarding the treatment of a patient who has been on certain psychiatric drugs for several years now and as one would expect, is not leading a full life as a result of it. The drug prescription had started when the patient in question suffered a traumatic experience in her life at an age of around twenty. The difficulty with the drug regime recommended for this patient is that if the drug is given up (at least suddenly) it may lead to serious and severe consequences such as seizures and if continued, it builds up into side effects like liver disease, Parkinson’s and far worse after prolonged use, and while in use it dulls a person so that they cannot function in a normal and alert manner while t