Famous Vegetarian Street Food in Lucknow

Lucknow is known for its non-vegetarian food, you don’t hear much about its under-rated vegetarian food joints. We travelled early last year when we went to witness ardh kumbh in Prayagraj and adjoined by a trip to Banaras.

Our travel style is usually shoestring, and we try to use lots of cheap public transport and try street food wherever we venture out to explore a new city. This time it was Lucknow. Through some research, we had a grand food plan. The idea was to munch our way while immersing in the beauty of Lucknow. We had two full days for sightseeing and food tasting before heading to Banaras.

We have compiled a list of must-visit vegetarian joints in Lucknow area wise:

Vegetarian Street Food Joints in Hazratganj, Lucknow:

1. Bajpai ki Kachori

Bajpai ki Kachori

We started with breakfast at Bajpai ki kachori, this is an old joint which serves kachori with special spicy chole (Chickpea). So, the very first dish we tasted was Bajpai ki Kachori at Hazratganj.

It’s a very simple shop with a basic setup but this simplicity in making his pooris, kachoris served with aloo sabzi with choley, onion slices and pickle will turn into a mouth-watering delight. It is the spiciness of the sabzi, which we loved. We tried all the dishes; pooris, kachori and samosa, each dish was so perfect in the taste that you would like to have it again and again. This happened to us and we stopped by this joint twice or thrice during our travel. People queue up in front of his shop in great numbers every morning when the shop opens at 8 and you will find the crowd remains till it is closed in the evening.

Timings: 8 am to 5 pm

2. Shukla Chaat House

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  Aloo Tikki Chaat

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  Aloo Tikki

Shukla ji ki chaat is the best joint for the Indian Chaats, it is one of the jewels of our food trial in Lucknow. They serve mouthwatering Golgappe (known as Pani batashe), Dahi batashe, Aloo tikki and Matar ki tikki. It is a tiny roadside stall, no seating facility but the taste will remain in your mind for a long time. Although at first glance it will not attract you if you are a street food lover you must stop here and try all the items. The footfall is quite high so don’t be late 😊

Timings: 6 pm to 10 pm

3. Shukla Tea stall

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  Gol Samosa

It’s a pretty small shop just opposite to Shukla chat house, but it was crowded which drew me to the place. When we entered the shop it looks like a utensils store lots of kettles, mugs, vessels which shows how much tea he sells every day.

So very first famous “Gol Samosa”, I had it at Shukla tea stall and trust me I would say one of the best Gol samosas of Lucknow I have tasted here. Tea quantity is too much and within 10 Rs. I thought it would be too milky, but he boils the tea leaves in a separate container so if you want less milk you can ask for that too.

Timings: 8 am to 9 pm

4. Royal Café

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This place is famous for the Basket Chaat, although they served all variety of chat. Basket chaat they served in edible basket shaped made of potato thin flakes. If you are too hygiene cautious then this is the place for you. You can try gol gappas and other snacks too. But we found this place quite fancy and not so pocket friendly.

Timings: 11:30 am to 08:30 pm

Vegetarian Street Food Joints in Lalbagh, Lucknow:

1. Sharma Tea center/ Sharma ji ki chai

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  Gol Samosa and Chai at Sharma ji ki chai

A very famous place in Lucknow for chai and the kind of set up they have, says everything. Tea is good and to enjoy it more you can add bun-maska and gol samosa. They use homemade white butter to spread on the bun with raisins. You will find this place every time packed up, although I found gol samosa taste better at Shukla tea stall.

Timings: 7:00 am to 07:30 pm

2. Sardar Ke Choley Bhature

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  Sardar Choley Bhature

We were roaming in this area and suddenly we saw another crowded place – Sardar ke chole bhature. As the name says, this place is famous for Punjabi style chole bhature and you can try kulcha as well to have a full packed brunch. You can also try “Sooji ka Halwa” made in pure ghee.

Timings: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm

3. GPO Dahi Bada

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The next place in Lalbagh area is GPO dahi Bada. Enjoy the super tasty dahi Bada here which was so soft that it melts instantaneously.

Timings: 11:30 am to 10:00 pm

Famous Desserts to Try in Lucknow:

1. Makhan malai at Chowk

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  Malai Makhan

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  One Serving of Malai Makhan

Malai makhan is a special dish in Lucknow and Banaras which you will get during winters. A cream-coloured ethereal sweet-dish that melts in the mouth. The key to makhan malai preparation lies in exposing the milk to dew.

The process begins in the evening with boiling milk in a huge saucepan over a stove. Thereafter, fresh milk cream is added to the boiled milk and it is boiled again. Once the mixture cools down completely, it is filled in buckets and hung under the evening sky for six to eight hours and in the morning sprinkles sugar, and cardamom powder over the portion to mix the layers. That’s the reason you will get this dish during winters only.

Timings: -8:30 am to 11:00 am (Best time to have it)

2. Malai Gilori at Ram Asrey Sweets, Chowk

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  Malai Gilori

Ram Asrey sweets shop is famous for its sweets and the most famous one is Malai gilori or Malai pan. Ram Asrey have another outlet in Hazratganj as well but at chowk it’s the original one from where they have started this shop. This is where I have tasted their most famous Malai gilori. This sweet shop apparently invented the Malai Gilori in 1805. It is located in a quaint little lane very reminiscent of a Ban wali gali. Malai gilori is known with the name of Malai pan as well because of its shape of pan. As it goes in your mouth it melts instantaneously but I found it too sweet, so 1 piece is enough to taste. They sell this sweet on per piece basis and it costs around 25 -30 rs per piece. Although they have a variety of sweets available, I have tasted just Malai gilori which is their speciality.

Timings: – 9:00am to 10:00pm

3. Prakash kulfi, Amenabad

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  Prakash Kulfi Amenabad

Prakash Kulfi is quite a well-known place in Aminabaad. Although Aminabaad is famous for clothing shops, one of the oldest Kulfi shops of Lucknow is Prakash ki mashoor kulfi. It’s a faluda Kulfi and Many flavours are available to taste but if you want the true refreshing classic taste of Prakash Kulfi then you must try ‘Kesar Badam Pista Kulfi’. Space is a bit small, so if it is crowded you must wait for your turn.

Timings: – 10:00 am to 11:00 pm

After so much food tasting, we agreed to say Lucknow food is one of the best and delicious tastes that you can get in India. It is a myth that vegetarians can’t enjoy food in Lucknow since it is primarily known for Awadhi cuisine. But we would say that If you are a lover of local vegetarian food, Lucknow can be nothing less than a treat for you.

 

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Famous Temples to Visit in Banaras

Varanasi/Banaras has more than thousands of big and small temples and that’s the reason this city is also known as “City of temples”. The city is located on the banks of two tributaries of Ganges, Varuna, and Assi, which merge here. 

We have already shared 9 things to do in Banaras

Varanasi is the city of Lord Shiva, as Lord Shiva is considered the ruler of the city from the beginning of the time. That’s the reason you will find there are a lot of Shiva temples in every corner of Varanasi.

Round up in a video

Here is the list of must-visit temples in Varanasi 

1. Kashi Vishwanath Temple:  

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Kashi Vishwanath temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped here in the form of linga and is built 250 years ago. It is one of the most prominent Hindu temples and one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India. Lord Shiva is represented as a fiery column of light in Jyotirlinga temples and hence no idol is worshipped. Kashi Vishwanath temple is believed to be here since ancient time and has been mentioned in Puranas too. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times. Aurangzeb last destroyed it in 1669 and constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque at its place, later the temple was constructed adjacent to the mosque. Over the years different structures were built around the temple. The most prominent of them are low-roofed colonnade with over 40 pillars in the Gyan Vapi precinct and a 7 feet tall statue of Nandi bull gifted by the king of Nepal. 

The 3 domes of the temple are covered with gold and that’s why people call it Golden temple of Kashi. Later on, many other temples were built around Kashi Vishwanath temple in the Lane, which leads to the Ghat.

Kashi Vishwanath temple opens at 03.00 AM in the morning remain open till 11.00 PM but it is closed in between for special aartis and rituals. These aartis and rituals can be booked online.

Best time to visit this temple is early morning like 4:00am or 5:00 am; otherwise, you will have to wait in a queue for the darshan for approx. 2-3 hours.

Kashi Vishwanath temple darshan tickets and aarti timing:

Mangala Aarti – 03.00 – 04.00 AM Booking cost: 350 INR

Bhog Aarti -11.15 AM to 12.20 PM Booking cost: 180 INR

Sandhya Aarti – 07.00 PM to 08.15 PM Booking cost: 180 INR

Shringar Aarti – 09.00 to 10.15 PM Booking cost: 180 INR 

Shayan Aarti – 10.30 to 11.00 PM

Note: Due to tight security mobile phones, camera, belts with metal buckle, leather belts & bags, cigarettes, lighters are not allowed inside the temple. 

You are allowed to carry offerings like water, milk, flowers, leaves, fruits or sweets inside the temple but a security check is done on these and only small portions are allowed. 

Other must-visit temples are situated in and around BHU campus. 

To visit BHU temple and others you can hire an auto. You will find autos with a package of 4 hours with the cost of 400 rs to 500 rs on the way from Dashashmedh ghat to Assi ghat. That auto driver will take you around all the temples including BHU – Vishwanath Mandir and at the end of the drive he can also take you to the factory outlet for Banaras saree in case you are interested.

2. New Vishwanath Mandir

New Vishwanath Temple

This temple is located inside the BHU campus. It’s huge and surrounded by clean gardens. It is also known as Birla temple. 

There are nine temples in the BHU campus of Shiva Lingam, Nataraj ji, Mata Parvati ji, Ganesh ji, Panchmukhi Mahadev, Hanuman ji, Mata Saraswati ji, and Nandi ji.

Birla Temple/New Vishwanath temple is devoted to Lord Shiva and it is the exact copy of the original Vishwanath temple. The centre of the temple has a Siva lingam and the walls of the temple have Hindu scriptures written. Birla Temple is made up of the marble and it opens all days a week from 4 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 9 pm.

Aarti timings are 4 am, 4.45 am, 10.30 am, 11.45 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, 6.45 pm, 7.30 pm, 8 pm and 8.45 pm. Every Monday, Rudrabhishek is performed from 7 am to 8 am.
It’s peaceful and clean and not too crowded. Also unlike other temples here, one can carry their mobiles and bags here.

Note: – Do not miss to have cold coffee at “Om cafe”, it’s a cafe just outside of the temple.

Cold Coffee

Om Cafe, BHU Campus

3. Baba Kaal Bhairav Mandir:

Kaal Bhairav Mandir

Baba Kaal Bhairav temple is 1.5 Km from famous Kashi Vishwanath temple. It is situated in a narrow lane. This temple is dedicated to the fierce form of Lord Shiva. It is believed that a visit to Varanasi is incomplete without visiting this temple. Kaal bhairav believed to remove the sins of his disciples and protect them from all problems. Bags with camera and mobiles are allowed inside the temple here.

4. Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple: 

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

Tulsidas Ji, the author of Ramcharitmanas established the temple of Hanuman Ji in the 14th century at this place and named it Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple.

The statue of Hanuman Ji is placed in a small open shaped sanctum. The idol of Hanuman Ji is covered with Kesari Sindoor and it is facing the idol of Lord Rama.

Beware from monkeys, although they don’t snatch the food packets from devotees there. The temple remains crowded on Tuesday and Saturday. Camera and mobile phones are not allowed inside the temple due to security, after the terrorist attack.

5. Tridev Temple

Tridev Temple

Tridev Temple

Tridev Temple

This is at 450 meters distance from Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple. As the name sounded this temple is dedicated to three gods Tridev (Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh). This temple does not have any historical records but Temple is beautiful and very interesting in design.

6. Shri Durga Temple:

Shri Durga Temple

Shri Durga Temple

Shri Durga temple is at a 750-meter distance from Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple. This is another very famous temple in Varanasi. It is believed that the idol of goddess Durga appeared itself here. It is also known that there was a temple at this place, which was demolished during Aurangzeb’s attack. A Bengali queen built the current temple in the 18th century. Temple is situated adjacent to a pond, which is known as Durga kund and painted in vibrant red color.

7. Shri Satya Narayan Tulsi Manas Mandir

Shri Satya Narayan Tulsi Manas Temple

This place is believed to be where Tulsidas has composed and sang Sri Ramacharita manas. Which is one of the holiest scripture in Hinduism. The temple is very beautifully made with marble and couplets of Ramacharitmanas are engraved on the walls of the temple.

8. Bharat Mata Mandir

Bharat Mata Temple

Bharat Mata Temple

Completed in 1936, it was created when we were undivided. Instead of idols, there is a huge map carved out of marble with very precise details of elevation of all the lands of what now we know as Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. This map depicts rivers, mountains, and oceans up to the scale.

Although it is in bad shape with almost no maintenance and fewer visitors, we found this place very interesting from the historical perspective. It is less than 2 km from Railway station and worth visiting.

9. Nepali Temple

Nepali Temple

This temple is located on Lalita Ghat of Ganga river. The temple is made of terracotta, stone, and wood. King of Nepal had constructed it at the beginning of 19th Century. The temple architecture is similar to temple structures found in Bhaktapur and Patan in Nepal. The temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva and also known as Pashupatinath Mahadev Mandir Varanasi. Local Varanasi people also call this temple Kanthwala temple because wood is one of the main material used in the temple. 

10. Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple:

Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple

This temple is situated at Manikarnika Ghat. The Inner sanctum of this temple remains submerged in water throughout the year except for few summer months. It is situated in the bank of Ganga and there are several interesting stories associated with the submersion of this temple.

9 Best Things To Do in Varanasi

Sunrise at the Ghat, Varanasi

Till now, we have travelled to many historical cities in Maharashtra and Karnataka, this year’s goal was to visit some old cities in India. The very first list we came up with was Lucknow, Varanasi/Banaras and Prayagraj/Allahabad.

All three cities are not very far from each other, so we made a travel plan in the month of Feb which is the best time to visit northern India. In this blog, I am going to cover Banaras/Varanasi. This city is known to be the oldest living city in the world, believe me, this city has some magical vibes. We had heard a lot of things for Banaras and we were so excited to experience the life of this city.

There are many hostels and hotels available in Banaras. There are quite nice hostels available in 2-3 km radius of Dashashwamedh ghat or between Dashashwamedh to Assi ghat so finding a place is not an issue until you are going on some auspicious day. So without any further adieu, let’s get on to the best things to do and see in Varanasi.

1. Go on a boat ride:

The very first thing we did after reaching ghat is to get on a boat ride. In my opinion, do not take the motorboat, take the manually driven boat. Because as the boat sails slowly, you will be able to observe different ghats and appreciate the beauty of the place. If you are lucky, your boatman will also tell you the history and other details about the famous ghats. The mornings and evenings are the best times for boating and to enjoy the scenic beauty of Banaras.

You should be doing good bargaining for boating, we paid 600 rs for our ride.

Do an Hour-Long Boat Ride

2. Know the History Behind Ghats:

All the ghats are different, built by different people in different years; sometime eras! All of them are named after some important person or carry some unique significance. A boat gives you a great view of how architecture is. The famous ones are Assi ghat where river Assi meets Ganga river, Dashashwamedh ghat is famous for evening aarti and it is said that Lord Brahma created it to welcome Lord Shiva. Manikarnika ghat is one of the most famous, sacred and oldest ghat in the Varanasi. It is said that if you get cremated here, you will achieve Nirvana.

Manikarnika Ghat

Panchayati Akhada

3. Watch Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat and Assi Ghat:

In the evening, do not miss the evening Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. It is one of the best memorable experience in Varanasi. You can either see the live aarti by sitting in a boat or reach early by 5:45 and get a place in the open area. According to me, reaching early and getting a place is better than seeing it from the boats. Evenings are very beautiful at Dashashwamedh ghat, you will find a lot of sadhus there, lots of people come here to be the part of live Aarti. Once the Aarti is over, do not miss to take a boat ride. It is beautiful to see all the ghats lit up to its glory. Sight cannot be missed.

Evening Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat

Dashashwamedh Ghat

For morning aarti, goto Assi ghat; there is early morning yoga as well at Assi ghat. You will get a different experience at both the Ghats. Although, the aarti process is the same but the beauty of both the Ghats makes it different. Assi ghat is also famous for the different events happen here every day during morning and evening.

Morning Aarti at Assi Ghat

4. Take a Dip in the Ganges:

It’s been said that once you take a dip in the Ganga at Banaras, your soul and body gets pure.  I think anyone visiting Varanasi will not miss taking a dip in the holy river. The actual ritual is to take a dip in the morning and then goto Kashi Vishwanath temple. The situation is water is almost good but at some ghats, it might not be that clean. A lot of people go to the other side of the river too via boat to take a holy dip.

Vijayanagar Ghat

Life on Varanasi Ghats

5. Take a Long Walk Across the Ghats:

After the boat ride, we walked from Dashashwamedh ghat to Assi ghat via different ghats. During the walk, we met many sadhus; few were making breakfast/tea, few were bathing, few were meditating, and few were busy with their daily rituals. It’s a long stretch from Dashashwamedh to Assi but the landscape and beauty of each ghat will keep you fascinated.

6. Eat Your Heart Out:

In our three days stay in Varanasi, we just survived and thrived on the street food. I have a whole list of food and the places here to explore, I need to do a separate post only on food, will update the link here. For breakfast near Godowlia chowk, go to Kachauri (or Khoya) galli or Thateri bazar and find “Shri Ram Bhandar” shop for an early breakfast of kachori served with aloo sabzi. Kachori Sabzi is the most popular breakfast in Varanasi. And, how can you forgot dahi jalebi, yum!

Gulab Jamun

Malaiyo

There is another famous shop for breakfast who serves toast butter with white butter and Amul butter with Tea. Stop for mithai at Shree Rajbandhu, one of the oldest sweet shops in Varanasi. Have the strawberry pomegranate lassi at the Blue Lassi Shop. I will do a detailed post for all the must eating places in Varanasi.

Aloo Kachauri

Dahi Puri

7. Go on a Temple Visiting Trail:

There a lot of temples in Varanasi and it will be difficult to cover all of them if you there just for a few days. The most famous one is, Kashi Vishwanath temple! The best trick to experience this great temple is to reach as early as you can. That’s the time when you will find this place to be less crowded compared to the day time. So we reach at the entrance by 5 am and within 30 minutes we completed the darshan. We have done a complete round-up all famous temples of Varanasi in a separate post all famous temples of Varanasi in a separate post here. But to name the famous ones: BHU Vishwanath temple, Shri Durga temple, Bharat Mata temple, Satya Narayan temple, Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple.

BHU Vishwanath Temple

Shri Durga Mandir

8. Shop for Banarasi Saree:

When you are in Banaras, you ought to buy a banarasi silk saree. That is traditionally the most famous clothing that you can buy from here. Alternatively, you can buy banarasi silk dress material or a scarf too.

Beautiful Silk Banarasi Saree

9. Learn Yoga:

Learn Yoga from the most spiritual city of India. If you are planning to spend a few weeks in Varanasi, opting for a Yoga class is a great idea. There are a lot of Yoga centres in Varanasi for morning or evening classes. There are Yoga classes conducted at Assi ghat too. There are all classical Indian music classes too if you are interested.

Early Morning Yoga at Ghat

Overall, as expected; I found Varanasi to be a very magical place. With all the chaos of residents and tourists and others who are here to see knowledge and truth; we found peace and tranquillity which is enough to lead us back to it someday very soon.

Necklace Point – A Day Trip near Pune

This was a long-awaited day trip for us after installing a dog box on our bike and we were very excited to take our dog “Jenny” on the bike. Since it was the very first ride for Jenny to ride in a dog box, we decided to go for a short ride to gain some confidence and her comfort for the longer rides later. For this destination, one side distance was 45 – 50 km.

This time the place we decided to go to was Necklace point. Necklace point is near Bhatgar dam in Bhor area, it’s a location where Nira river and Gunjawani river embrace each other at a prominent place and create a Necklace shaped meander. That’s how this scenic viewpoint got its name as the Necklace point. It’s a maximum 2 hours drive from Pune that can be reached via two ways – one through Saswad road and another is via Pune – Satara road.

This time we went there along with my biking club “Avenger Motorcycle Club – Pune” and all my biking friends were also very excited to see the dog box and meet Jenny over the ride. We started early morning at 6:30 am and reached the place by 9:00 am. We got a little late due to the big biking group but distance can be easily covered in 1:30 hours by bike or car. Roads are not bad and there is no off-roading, it’s a complete road till the scenic view.

There are many Bollywood and Marathi films which have been shot at this location. This is a place where you can go for nice photography, can also get a chance to see peacocks and different birds. If you are travelling with family, carry plenty of water and food as you will be tempted to spend an entire day in the lap of nature. You can also park your vehicle closeby and go for hiking as well.

The Avenger Motorcycle Club Squad

You can also go to Bhoreshwar temple, which is near to necklace point. It’s a very old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which is carved out of stone with a huge Nandi Idol. Other areas of interest are in Bhor area – Kalubai Mandir Jogwadi, Bhatghar Dam, and Ketkawale Balaji temple. If you are coming from Saswad road then you can cover Narayanpur temple as well. The temples attract many tourists throughout the year and are also very popular among the locals. The Kalbubai Mandir is said to be especially auspicious and people go there to seek blessings, making it an interesting tourist places near Pune.

2 Days Itinerary for Munnar

Beautiful Munnar! A destination for Nature lovers

This was our first travel as a couple and we covered all touristic places Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom, Alappuzha, and Cochin.

We started our travel from Pune via train to Ernakulam. Although, it was a long journey of 30 hours on the train since no fast train was available. But we got down on a lot of station and tried their local food which we never had and believe us it was a wonderful way to travel long journey via train in India.

We reached Ernakulum at 5:00 am via Kanyakumari express train. We already hired a cab for 5 days through a local travel agency. Munnar was our first destination. Our entire trip plan was Pune-Ernakulum- Munnar-Thekkady-Kumarakom-Alappuzha-Cochin-Pune

It was a scenic journey and on the way to Munnar, we stopped to enjoy beautiful streams, Valara waterfalls, and Cheeyappara waterfalls, rubber, pepper, cardamom, tea plantations and thick forests. It took us around 4 hours to reach Munnar.

On the way from Kochi to Munnar

We decided to stay in a hotel Archana Residency which is located just near to the blossom park it was a budgeted and very decent place to stay.

DAY 1:

Rajamalai Eravikulam National Park

God has blessed this state with incomparable beauty and we were very excited about our list of places to visit in Munnar. We started with “Rajamalai Eravikulam National Park” and the entry fee was 100 rs per person plus 50 rs for point and shoot camera, 100 rs for DSLR and price varies for other high-end cameras. You can also book the entry tickets online through their website to avoid standing in the queue. Only 3500 people are allowed to visit this park every day. February to March this park is closed for visitor due to calving season of Nilgiri Tahr.

They have special CNG buses which pick you from entrance gate and drop at the hill. The short bus ride is very scenic with curved roads. As you get down the surrounding panoramic view is memorizable. There is around 2 km of the road where you can walk and gather mesmerizing memories with you. There are different species of mammals, birds, butterflies, amphibians exist. You may get the chance to see some of them. Apart from that this place is famous for the habitat of Neelakurinji flowers, which blooms once in 12 years. This park has a small museum which is just next to where the bus drops you. During daytime, the weather was pretty hot while it was January 2nd week. Although at night temperature goes down to 5 degrees.

 Note: – Outside eatables and beverages are not allowed to carry inside the park.

An amazing view at Rajamalai Eravikulam National Park

Munnar Tea gardens

On entry of Munnar, you will see miles of endless tea plantations. TATA Tea, consisting of estates mainly in Munnar, is a dominant player of Tea. The other important tea estates of Kerala are Harrison Malayalam, Michael’s Tea, Brooke Bond, AVT tea.

We visited one tea garden which was just on the side of a road. The people working in the garden shared how the plant grows and how do they do tea leaves plucking, it was an interesting thing to know.

Tea garden in Munnar

Tea garden

Day 2:

As on Day 1, we were a little tired so could not explore many places, the next day we got up early and started with Spice garden and Munnar elephant ride.

Munnar Spice Garden and Elephant Ride

There are so many spice gardens to visit where you can get a chance to explore the garden with Elephant ride. Few of the famous ones are Hindustan spice garden and green field but there are many other spice gardens which are not as famous as like as Hindustan spice garden but equivalent to them and worth visiting.

We did not go to explore the famously named one as the charges were quite high. We went to a spice garden which was close to our hotel and took an elephant ride to explore the garden. Later we bought black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and a few other spices which were so fresh that you can never get that quality in the market. Later in the evening, we had visited the Hindustan store as well to check the products and collection in their store.

Spice garden, Munnar

Munnar Tea Museum & Tea Factory

After covering the spice garden we visited ‘Tata Tea Museum’ which is located at the distance of around 2 km on the Nallathany road, from Munnar. You can see pieces of the colonial era and old bits collection there. Videography and Photography are strictly prohibited here. This museum remains open from 10 AM till 4 PM every day and closed on Monday. There is the fee of 75/- INR ticket fee per head for the entrance.

Kundala Lake & Kundala Dam

Our third stop for the day was Kundala lake is 23 km from Munnar, The Lake is very beautiful and amidst lush jungles. You can hire a pedal boat, explore the lake and its surroundings. This lake it is surrounded by scenic jungles and hills. Each boat trip lasts around 30 min and closed at 4:30 PM. We spent a couple of hours by just enjoying the surrounding nature, peace. It’s a very nice place to visit.

Kundala Dam

Kundala Lake

Blossom Park

This park was just a km away from our hotel and it stretches about 15 acres. Blossom park has beautiful gardens with rare varieties of plants and flowers, shady trees. A perfect place for anyone who wants to spend some leisure time in the lap of nature.

Other Touristic places in Munnar are Mattupetty lake, Mattupetty dam and Echo point which we did not get time to visit. Mattupetti is an ideal location for trekking and at Echo point, every loud call made from a spot on the lake embankment is returned manifold as an echo from the surrounding hills.

Blossom park

Blossom park Munnar

KFDC Floriculture Centre Munnar

Kalaripayattu

Kalaripayattu is an ancient Indian martial art and fighting system that originated in Kerala. It is considered to be the oldest martial art in existence, with its origin dating back to the 3rd century BCE. We have seen this show in Punarjani traditional fight show in Munnar and it was such a thrilling show.

Punarjani traditional fight show in Munnar

Food Options in Munnar:

Munnar is a heaven for non-vegetarian food lovers. Fish is widely eaten here. But as a vegetarian, you will not be disappointed. For breakfast, you can try varieties of dosa and idlis. You can give a try to iddiumppam with vegetable stew which is a unique rice-based Keralean delicacy available at most breakfast joints in Munnar only in the mornings before 10 am. We went to the Saravana Bhavan to taste their famous vegetarian thali during lunch time. It’s a very basic look restaurant and Thali was served on a banana leaf comprising salad, mixed vegetable stir fry, chapatti, rice with sambhar, rasam and tender coconut kheer or payasam with some other items. All these dishes were cooked using coconut oil.

Shopping in Munnar

Near the Sarvana Bhavan restaurant, there are lots of shops to buy famous Kerala saree located on MG road and you will get the saree at a decent rate. You can also buy dry fruits and handicraft from this area. You may try your bargaining skills which can help you to buy things cheaper here.