The ancient Seat of Learning- Nalanda

The icon of Nalanda Temple-3

The private mini bus was jam-packed to the last step. I could only see through the window, the outside world looked big and green. The sights of rural Bihar were not much different from that of Uttar Pradesh. I was heading south from Patna towards Nalanda to visit the ruins of Mahavihara of ancient Kingdom Magadha. 90KM south of the capital city Patna, this place of importance is much visited by tourists as well as Buddhist and Jain pilgrims. From the minibus I was the only one to get off. I was surprised to see the ruins crowded with tourists, probably because it was a Sunday. In comparison, ruins at Vaishali were deserted and devoid of tourists!

The relic stupa at Vaishali and the Asoka pilar at Kolhua

Canopy over Relic Stupa

To move in and around Patna city you will have to catch private buses and there is a separate stand for private buses- Mitapur. I got off from the shared autorikshaw and was nervous to see the dusty place with hundreds of old battered buses parked. It is insanely crowded place with bus drivers screaming to get passengers into their buses. I got into one of those numerous buses which would drop me near Vaishali. The bus driver and front seat passengers were kind enough to ask me the purpose of my visit so that they can drop me at the nearest cross road to my destination. After passing some green pastures of rice fields, banana groves I reached the outskirts of Vaishali. The bus stopped on the highway and I had to walk about a KM and half to reach the places of interest. There were no autorikshaws or cycle-rikshaws near the bus stop. One of the very few people sitting in the small tea stall there asked me what was I doing there. I told him about my interest. He stopped a passing motorcyclist and ordered him to drop me at the Relic Stupa! I was hesitant but the person insisted on taking a ride instead of walking all the way.

Kumrahar ruins of Patna- an insight to ancient Pataliputra

Kali Ghat

I started from Varanasi railway station in an express train in the morning hoping to reach Patna by afternoon. Well, I was happy traveling in the 'almost empty' second AC compartment. My co-passenger was an eighty+ years old man. The train was an hour late at the starting point itself but still it would reach before dark I thought. I was traveling to the state of Bihar for the first time. Knowing the history and reputation for safety of Bihar I was wondering whether to tell my Mother about my trip or not. I didn't tell.

Rome- The eternal city!

Roman Colosseum

The capital city of Italy today and the capital city of Roman empire then ... Rome was considered an empire without end! It is one of the largest cities then known to the world. With the package tour schedule and anxiety I did scratch a bit of the surface of the destination- Rome! I was amazed to see that ancient city buried underground, partly exposed and another part waiting to be excavated! The still standing monuments are the symbols of wealth and power of Imperial Rome!

Petroglyphs- V-Bar-V Ranch Heritage Site

Petroglyphs are rock engravings created by the pre-historic people by abrading or carving the rock face. V-Bar-V Ranch petroglyphs is the largest known petroglyph site in Verde Valley left by the Sinagua Indians for us to interpret. More than 1000 symbols are on display on this rock. The symbols- mostly classified as zoomorphs and anthromorphs are clearly preserved.

Heritage- Montezuma's Castle and Well, back in the time of ancient cliff dwellers!

The 5-storey, 20-room castle with apartment style dwellings around, so called Montezuma's Castle National Monument has reputation of best preserved Sinaguan cliff dwelling of North America. It is not a castle where Montezuma lived. Early settlers believed that this neat structure belonged to the 16th century Aztec Emperor Montezuma. In reality, the castle was built by the Sinagua Indians in 12th century and they had abandoned the place a century earlier than Montezuma was even born!

National Parks- Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona

Listed on the National Historic Places Register Tuzigoot is a National Monument near Clarkdale, Arizona. It is a pueblo of 110 rooms built on an outcrop above the Verde river floodplain. The stone masonry rooms do not have doors instead they used ladders to enter the rooms from the opening in the roofs. Tuzigoot in Apache means "crooked water"- named after a small meandering river nearby. 

National Parks- Mesa Verde, a tour back in time!

Well, I had mentioned about Anasazi Civilization earlier with little info I have about these ancient people. But, then there is much more they left for us to dig deep as far back in history as we can possibly go! I visited Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and was awestruck by the well preserved cliff dwellings. Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is one place where these ancient dwellings are best preserved. The park is designated as a World Heritage Site because of its archaeological relevance.

National Monument- Utah's Natural Bridges

The Utah landscape is so rugged that its hard to imagine what lies in those mysterious canyons. Where do these canyons lead you?! When do the dry river floods in a flash? At the elevation of 6,500ft above sea level intermittent rivers have carved canyons and three massive bridges. Natural Bridges National Monument protects this area, plants animals and the native indian ruins. 

National Monuments- Wupatki Ruins and Sunset Crater Volcano

Wupatki National Monument has scattered settlement sites of ancient Pueblo tribes. Wupatki means Tall House in Hopi (a Native American tribe) language, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It seems the first  inhabitants migrated to this place after the nearby Sunset Crater volcano erupted. The volcanic ash made this place fertile for agriculture and the volcanic rocks helped in the soil's ability to retain water. The settlements were abandoned completely within 100 years. The ruins in the monument belong to different tribes. The Lomaki and Nalahiku ruins seem to be little smaller and the ruins are reduced to only mud mounds and debris. Only the Wupatki Pueblo is the largest and whatever remains are well preserved. Wupatki ruins have entrance fee of $5.