Dede Sophie

Domestic and international travelers to India usually know the popular tourist destinations that our beautiful country has to offer. But, there are so many hidden gems out there that are as beautiful and offer a rich experience to its visitor. Shouldn’t we visit such lesser known places? Let’s take the state of Madhya Pradesh as a case in point. It’s popular tourist destinations are its tiger reserves of Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Pench, Khajuraho and Sanchi Stupa. While these destinations are fabulous, there is more to the state of Madhya Pradesh. And not only are they as special, they span the full spectrum of diversity ranging from culture, heritage, nature, adventure and more rich wildlife avenues. Below are four such lesser known destinations that need to be a part of every Madhya Pradesh holiday itinerary. 1. Bhimbetka – is an archaeological treasure and these rock shelters encompass over 500 caves. They exhibit the earliest traces of human life and gives us a sneak peek into the ev

Papua New Guinea PRIME Minister James Marape has given details of his weekend trip to Singapore. In his first official trip following his re-election as PM, he took the trip to pursue the frontier breaking clean green energy deals he has been championing over the last two years. Papua New Guinea PRIME Minister James Marape  Prime Minister Marape met with leaders of Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) in Singapore on Sunday to progress the talks further. PM Marape continued these important trade and investment conversations, including those on Papua LNG, Pasca LNG, P’nyang LNG and also to get Porgera and Wafi-Golpu sanctioned. PM Marape said from Singapore that FFI had voiced its intention to partner PNG in a big way to harvest clean green energy from both hydro and geothermal sources as well as move later down the line into solar and wind energy production. Currently, FFI has identified and set up project sites in Gulf Province for hydro and West New Britain Province for geothermal work

The temples built during the reign of the Hoysala kings of Karnataka happen to be some of the most intricately designed temples in all of India. Their lathe turned pillars, beautifully carved sculptures, ceiling work, reliefs, friezes, iconography, inscriptions and history are some of the best in the business. Out of the 1500 temples that were built during their reign, the 12th century Chenna Keshava temple at Belur happens to be the grandest of them all. Dedicated to the handsome lord Keshava, this 12th century temple marvel and an important pilgrimage site in Vaishnavism was built over three generations and took 103 years to finish. It was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 CE on the banks of the Yagachi river in Belur, also called Velapura, an early Hoysala empire capital. It was attacked and plundered many times by Muslim invaders and was always rebuilt. The Vijayanagara kings took over the mantle of temple management and restoration upon the end of the Hoysala era. The l