एक बार एमस्टर्डम ज़रूर जाएँ

एमस्टर्डम सही माइनों में एक अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय शहर है, यह यूरोप मे स्थित देश नीदरलैंड की राजधानी है, जिसका एक वैभवशाली इतिहास रहा है। एमस्टर्डम  आधुनिक और प्राचीन धरोहर का संगम है, जहाँ एक ओर उँची-उँची इमारतें हैं वहीं युनेसको की विश्व धरोहर-कैनाल रिंग भी यहाँ मौजूद हैं। सन् 2010 में युनेसको ने इसे विश्व धरोहर की सूची(UNESCO World Heritage List) मे शामिल किया Seventeenth-Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam। एमस्टर्डम  को यह खिताब मिला अपनी प्राचीनतम कैनाल रिंग के लिए। जिसके लिए एमस्टर्डम को उत्तरी यूरोप का वेनिस भी माना जाता है। यह कैनाल रिंग अपने मे बहुत अद्भुत हैं। यह 100 किलोमीटर मे फैली हुईं हैं।

एमस्टर्डम 12वी शताब्दी मे विश्व मानचित्र पर एक प्रमुख व्यापारिक केंद्र था। यहाँ समुद्र मार्ग से बड़े निर्यात किए जाते थे। यहाँ अन्य व्यापारों के साथ-साथ हीरों का व्यापार भी किया जाता था। यह एक पोर्ट सिटी रहा है इसलिए व्यापार का केंद बना और व्यापार को और बेहतर बनाना में कैनाल रिंग ने मुख्य भूमिका निभाई। इस शहर ने पूरी दुनियां के लोगों को अपनी और आकर्षित किया है। आज यहाँ कई आकर्षण के केंद्र हैं जैसे इस जगह को संग्रहालयों का शहर भी कहा जाता है। मैडम तुसाद संग्रहालय भी यहीं स्थित है। यह जगह मशहूर है, वैभव कालीन एतिहासिक इमारतों, संग्रहालयों, जुएखानों, रेड लाईट एरिया और कैफे के लिए। यही कारण है की एमस्टर्डम खुले दिल से दुनियाँ के किसी भी कोने से आए लोगों का गर्मजोशी से स्वागत करता है।

कैनाल रिंग है खास:

कैनाल रिंग का निर्माण सत्रहवीं शताब्दी में हुआ। इसमें लगभग 90 आईलैंड हैं और 1500 ब्रिज। यह शहर अर्बन प्लॅनिंग का शाहकार है। इसे डच साम्राज्य के गोलडन ईरा में बनाया गया था। यह उस समय की बहुत बड़ी और महत्वाकांक्षी परियोजना थी। यहाँ मुख्य रूप से तीन कैनाल हैं। (Herengracht, Prinsengracht, और Keizersgracht) इन मुख्य कैनालों में एक राजा की कैनाल Keizersgracht है, दूसरी कैनाल (Prinsengracht) राजकुमार की है और तीसरी कैनाल (Herengracht) अभिजात वर्ग से सम्बंधित लोगों जैसे मुख्य दरबारी और बड़े व्यापारी। इन कैनालों के किनारे-किनारे खूबसूरत घर बनाए गए जोकि आज भी क़ायम हैं और एमस्टरडम की पहचान के रूप में जाने जाते हैं।

एमस्टर्डम का नाम कैसे पड़ा?

क्या कोई सोच सकता है कि एक बेहतरीन शहर आम्सटरडॅम के बसने की वजह एक बाढ़ रही होगी, जी हाँ सन् 1170 मे अमएस्टेल नदी मे एक भीषण बाद आई और अपने साथ बहुत कुछ बहा कर ले गई तब यहाँ के लोगों ने उस बाढ़ से सबक़ लिया और सन् 1173 मे अमएस्टेल नदी पर एक बाँध बनाया। इस तरहां अमएस्टेल नदी पर बना एक डैम और इस जगह को नाम मिला अमएस्टर+डैम। "अमस्टर्डम" कभी यह नाम मछवारों के एक छोटे से गाँव का हुआ करता था। आज यह एक खूबसूरत शहर है। इस शहर की खूबसूरती के बारे में लिखने से ज़्यादा देखना दिलचस्प होगा। तो आइए और मेरे साथ चलिए यूरोप की यात्रा पर..

इस शहर में कुछ बात है, यह बहुत अपना-सा जान पड़ता है। यहाँ के लोग मिलनसार हैं। आप किसी से भी पता पूछिए वह आपकी पूरी सहायता करेगा और अगर उसे नहीं मालूम होगा तो बड़ी विनम्रता से माफ़ी मांग लेगा।

टिप्स

• इस शहर को देखने के लिए सबसे अच्छा साधन है ट्राम, अगर आप एम्स्टर्डम घूमने जाना चाहते हैं तो यहाँ पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट बहुत अच्छा है। ट्राम में कहीं भी जाने के लिए आपको 2.90 यूरो खरचने होते हैं। यह एक टिकट की क़ीमत है, मेरी सलाह है कि आप पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट का पास पहले से ही ले लें. तो काफी बचत की जा सकती है। अगर आप इसके लिए अमस्टर्डम की अधिकारिक वेबसाइट http://www.iamsterdam.com/

 से जाकर पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट का पास “आई एमस्टरडम सिटी कार्ड” ले लें। वैसे इसे काउंटर से भी ख़रीदा जा सकता है। iamsterdam के काउंटर एयरपोर्ट और सिटी सेंटर रेलवे स्टेशन पर बने हुए हैं। यह आपकी ज़रूरत के हिसाब से 24 घण्टे या 48 या 72 घण्टे की वेलिडिटी के साथ मिलते हैं। इस पास द्वारा आप ट्राम, बस और बोट का अनलिमिटेड प्रयोग कर सकते हैं।

• आई एमस्टरडम सिटी कार्ड से आप लोकल ट्रांसपोर्ट का तो अनलिमिटेड प्रयोग कर पाएंगे साथ ही एम्स्टर्डम के बेस्ट म्यूज़ियमस में भी फ्री एंट्री मिल पाएगी। इस कार्ड द्वारा आप एक घंटे की फ्री कैनाल क्रूज़ राइड भी ले सकते हैं।


• और हाँ एक और ज़रूरी बात अगर आपको साईकिल चलाना नहीं आती तो एम्स्टर्डम जाने से पहले ज़रूर सिख लें, क्योंकि यह शहर साईकिल से सबसे अच्छी तरह घूमा जा सकता है। यहाँ साईकिल के लिए अलग से पथ बने हुए हैं जिनकी लम्बाई लगभग 400 किलोमीटर की है। कैनाल के सहारे सहारे मून लाइट में साइकिलिंग करने का अपना अलग आनन्द है।

यूरोप डायरी के पन्नों से कुछ और क़िस्से आपके साथ साझा करुँगी अगली पोस्ट में।

तब तक खुश रहिये और घूमते रहिये

आपकी हमसफ़र आपकी दोस्त

डा० कायनात क़ाज़ी

Property Review: A day in Himachal heritage village Palampur Himachal Pradesh

 Himachal heritage village Palampur Himachal Pradesh

Himalayas are my eternal love and whenever I feel the need to enjoy my own company I take refuge in the hills. It is difficult to say if there is one particular facet of the Himalayas that attract me. The cool breeze, the clear blue sky, forests teeming with hues of green, brown, mustard, snow-capped peaks, long stretch of roads, blind curves lined with colorful flags signaling the protective hymns and chants of the Buddhist monks, cattle on the dirt lanes under the watchful eyes of the herder and dogs, chirping of birds, sun breaking the dawn, morning tea,  moon lit night, aroma of pine, sound of the gushing river water, bright sunny days, flamboyant roof tops, beautiful cottages, colorful roses adorning the bushes, waterfalls and streams, monasteries and their serene ambience, farmers busy in lush green fields, chubby kids, wise old people, beautiful women….Let me put a full stop to my list here and start the journey towards a new destination.

My calling this time is from Dhauladhar range which is situated in Kangra region of Himachal. Last time I had taken you on a journey of the Beas circuit and this time I am heading to Dhauladhar. Palampur is an exquisite location in the Dhauladhar circuit. Situated in the Kangra Valley, Palampur has numerous tourist attractions like Baijnath Temple, world famous paragliding spot of Bir-Billing, tea gardens, toy train and many more. You can enjoy an action packed long weekend in Palampur.

The distance of Palampur from Delhi is 530 kilometers. A minimum of two to three days are required to fully enjoy the various attractions here. One can travel to Palampur through the route provided below:

Delhi- Sonepat-Panipat- Karnal – Kurukshetra – Ambala – Roopnagar -  Kiratpur Sahib -  Anandpur Sahib – Nangal – Una - Ranital - Kangra – Palampur.

It would take 12-13 hours to travel by road. For a more convenient journey, boarding luxury Volvo buses run by the Himachal Transport Corporation is a good option. You can take the night service buses from Kashmere Gate in Delhi and reach Palampur in the morning.

I booked into Heritage Village away from the main city of Palampur as I wanted to experience closely the way of living in a typical Himachali village. With each road trip I took, the attraction towards the Himachali cottages, the desire to savor the culture, traditions, lifestyle etc. would grow. The traveler in me would postpone it for next trip, and the dreamer kept the hopes alive.

I came to know about Heritage Village through a friend. Himalayas as a destination is always on my priority list. So, when I came to know about this resort, I decided to go visit it. My friend also told me that I could experience the different regions of Himachal at one time in the Heritage Village. Though I could not believe it, but all my aspirations came true when I reached the resort.

Heritage Village has been established with the sole aim to create awareness about the rich and vivid culture of Himachal. The cottages here are named after the different places of Himachal i.e. Barot, Una, Kangra, Dhaliyara, Khaniyara. And the USP is that they have also been designed the way the cottages are built in the villages of these regions. The only difference is that unlike the cottages in the villages, the cottages of these resorts are quiet luxurious.

Himalayan Village is a luxury resort packed with all the necessities of a comfortable stay. The location is a high point of this resort. Nestled among the Dhauladhar range, surrounded by Pine forests and set besides a river with the continuous flowing streams add life to the resort. The serene place relaxes and rejuvenates both body and soul.

It would not be an exaggeration to say, that one can spend one’s entire life in this place. The days are bright and sunny and nights colder. Although it is a bit far from Delhi, but the long journey is worth it. Once you reach the resort, you become fresh as a flower. The owners of the resort Mr. Dogra and Mr. Gagan Sharma are wonderful hosts and take good care of their guests. The food was exceptionally well including the traditional Dham of Kangra. We all enjoyed the traditional food in the traditional style i.e. sitting on the floor and in traditional plates made out of leaves called pattals. In a moment I was lost in my childhood memories. The bonfire added to the entire ambiance.

The first day was spent relaxing and enjoying food and bonfire beneath the clear blue sky and twinkling stars. The cozy bed was even more refreshing. The chirping of birds greeted a good morning. With the sun breaking the dawn and the sweet tweets of cuckoos I started my day on a bright note. Soon the sunlight spread in the entire pine forests.

With a cup of hot tea, I made up an itinerary for the day in my mind. I wanted to visit the Baijnath Temple, experience paragliding at Bir-Billing, tea gardens, toy train…So much to see and there was no time to waste. I leave my bed and start to get ready for the days outing.

This was the account of my first day. Do watch out this page for more updates from my Palampur diary.

Till then, be happy and keep exploring.

Your travel partner and friend

Dr. Kaynat Kazi

 

Property review: Patanjali Yoga Gram, Haridwar, Uttarakhand

My visit to Patanjali Yoga gram was much awaited. I had heard a lot about this place but never got a chance to visit it. I have seen many places in India that are promoting yoga and Ayurveda, and marketing it well too. But the authenticity in the practices is a question that I ponder about. The desire of finding the thousand year old legacy of yoga, holistic healing and Ayurveda took me to many places but my questions were still unanswered. Wherever I visited the spas providing healing therapies, I was relaxed but my mind was perturbed as no one was able to satiate my queries regarding the science behind this art of healing. The glittering advertisements in glossy magazines do entice you to try these modern spas offering cure through ancient healing practices yet how effective it would be in the long run is thought provoking.

We all are aware that our ancestors knew and practiced the art of holistic healing - from body to soul. This is also evident in the ancient literature like Vedas. The ancient practices believed in curing the root cause of the problem. With time the ancient practices were somehow forlorn and overshadowed by the modern treatments that provide instant relief. Even then there were some people that were treating and curing people with the age old practices. People who are trained to use the art of holistic healing are silently curing thousands of people in the foot hills of Himalayas. Let us embark on an incredible journey of Holistic healing to Patanjali Yogpith.

Patanjali yogpeeth is in a very large complex and has a Hospital, with inpatient and outpatient departments, research institute, a teaching college and a manufacturing unit producing Ayurvedic herbal medicines. It has a dedicated campus for naturopathy named Yog Gram.  Yog Gram is 23 kms away from the campus of Patanjali Yogpeeth-I.

When I visited Patanjali Yogpeeth, I was lucky enough to meet Acharya Balkrishnan. He answered all my queries and also shared amazing facts related to the practices of Ayurveda. Maharishi Charak, the ancient scholar who contributed to the ancient art and science of Ayurveda, defined that human life is the combination of mind, body, senses and soul and Ayurveda works on all these four aspects. Ayurveda considered human beings as an internal part of nature and tried to maintain the wellness of the human body through a healthy balance between life and nature. As an intrinsic part of the nature, our wellness is also guaranteed when we to live in harmony with nature. Whenever the balance between self and nature is disturbed, humans tend to fall sick. Whenever we fall sick or diseases attack our body, we tend to find instant cure through allopathy and immediately rush to a doctor. This no doubt gives us an instant relief but does not cure the problem from its roots. Allopathic medicines indeed suppress the disease causing issue. Ayurveda focuses on prevention, rather than treatment. It tries to align our body with the course of nature and four seasons and provides holistic healing.

Let me put across very clearly that it is not a holiday destination. It’s a place for holistic healing. For that you have to consult a doctor who recommends a suitable treatment. It usually requires a stay of a week or ten days at Yog Gram depending on the treatment recommended. Yog Gram literally means yoga village. As the name suggests it indeed is a village but with modern amenities. You can get an overhauling of your body, mind and soul done here through naturopathy. The natural, austere and ascetic routine starts with positive thinking at 4.30 am, and concludes at 10.00 pm in a state of complete peace and relaxation. Your stay at Patanjali Yog Gram will change your lifestyle. You will learn an art of prevention of diseases and good health through the unique and judicious use of the five great elements constituting the human body.

The system of five elements, the pancha mahabhuta, or "five great elements" are found in Vedas, especially Ayurveda. The five elements are bhūmi (earth), jal (water), tejas or agni (fire), marut or pavan (air or wind), vyom; or shunya(zero) or akash (aether or void).

There are a number of treatments available here based on "five great elements" like:

Hydrotherapy Therapy

Mud therapy

Sun therapy

Air therapy

Magnet Therapy

Yoga Therapy

Acupuncture & Acupressure

Reiki Therapy

Pyramid Therapy

Hydrotherapy Therapy for instance consists of following treatments: Hip Bath, Spray Spinal Bath, Motorized Jet Spinal Bath, Steam Bath, Sauna Bath, Hi-tech Colon Hydrotherapy, Ozone Sauna and Steam Bath, Water-waves Massage Bath, Whirlpool Bath, Sprinkler Bath, Ozone Bubbles Bath, Circular Jet Hydro Massage Bath, Immersion Bath, Hot & Cold Alternative Jet Spray, Hydro Jet Spray Massage or Douche Bath, Foot-bath and Arm-bath, Sitting Bath, Full sheet Pack, various types or wraps, etc. This therapy is very effective to boost the immune system, rehabilitates injured muscles, de-stresses and helps in detoxification also.

The section for Mud therapy also provides treatment for Cosmetic Mud Bath Pool, Mudspray Roller Massage, Mud Pack Compress, Wraps of different types of mud, Cosmetic Facial Mudplaster, Sand Walking Track, Sand Bath, Vapour Sand Bath, Massage with Multani Clay, Barefoot Walking in a Vast Lawn, and dozens of such experiments in therapy have been made here.

In the have section for Sun Therapy, one can get treated through the rays of Sun. The treatments available are:

Sun Bath and Colored Rays Therapy, Chromatic Hydro and Oil Therapy (by charging water and oil in colored bottles with solar rays), coloured Thermolium, Green House Thermolium, etc.

As far as the diet is concerned, the meals that are provided are as per the prescription given by the doctor according to the treatment.

[caption id="attachment_7416" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Acharya Balkrishnan in Patanjali Yog Peeth[/caption]

My visit to Yoga Gram was incredible. It changed my views on alternative medications like naturopathy. Yog Gram offers Naturopathic Yoga Therapy for patients who want to reduce their stress and tension and thereby keep their body healthy. This place is away from the hustle bustle of the city and pollution. Visitors experience the serenity and calmness of the nature. The doctors are very efficient and the staff punctual and empathetic.

I would recommend that one visit at Yog Gram in your lifetime is a must for a holistic experience.

Be happy and keep travelling.

Your friend and companion

Dr. Kaynat Kazi