Distance from the Eastern shores of south India to Seam Reap in Cambodia is about 1600 miles across the Indian Ocean. In the past, while most of mainland Indians were prevented from sea crossings by strong religious taboos, the South Indian seafarers did not share this superstition. So from around 200BC, they had been regularly…

The Apsara legend Mera, queen of the Apsaras (heavenly Nymphs) looked down pensively upon the green land of Kamboj on earth below. She felt jaded and a little desperate, unable to find a deserving husband amongst the Gandharvas (heavenly musicians) who the Apsaras traditionally wed! Down below, she spotted the Sage-King Kambu, whose valour and…

With all the buzz surrounding last night’s Super Blood Wolf Moon (that would be “super” because it’s at its closest approach to Earth right now, “blood” because lunar eclipses make the moon’s disk look red due to the fact that it is reflecting a “ring of sunsets” around the Earth’s edge, “wolf” because it’s in…

A Tale of Dragons In the days of yore when the Jade Emperor ruled the heavens, Vietnam was struggling to form a nation and survive amongst powerful, hostile neighbors. The Chinese Empire was expanding, and Vietnam seemed an easy target. Their fleet of war junks attacked from the sea and threatened to overwhelm the small…

Why visit only two mosques when Istanbul is home to over 3500? Well, it is unlikely that on a tourist’s schedule you will get to visit all of them! So why not choose two that are the most spectacular and famous? Make your way to the Sultan Ahmed square in the old part of Istanbul.…

Think of the state of Rajasthan in India and your mind is filled with images of sand dunes, huge deserts, and occasional water bodies. Above all, you will think of massive forts and palaces of kings who were once rich as Croesus! But a tale of love, revenge and witchcraft in a demolished city in…