There are several blogs and sites. Some have come up excitedly and ceased to have more updates, some that continued to be active have diversified content. There are a few, with very focused content related to our interest. In fact it is the common interest that seems to be the core of these explorations and travels, that ties all these explorers together. And they don't explore on the web, they explore for real - out there!
Here I try to connect them by bringing their links, classifying and tagging them. Some of them, not surprisingly, follow each other on the web!
So, so far, there are some who are exploring specifically Indian historic content within their reach. These are normal ordinary people like you and me, not scholars or historians as such, but driven with keen interest to seek more, dig a bit more and share their findings and discoveries with the world. They seem to have made it their parallel life, exploring and sharing regularly on their blogs. They are all, in their own way, devoted to the same cause: to discover and admire the cultural heritage of India, and share it with the world.
If I could give medals, I would gave medals to these explorers, who I find active in their regions:
Blogs: http://karnatakatravel.blogspot.com/
Focus area: Most frequent traveler and explorer of ruins - forts, caves, temples and mosques. Based in Dharwad, his weekend and other trips sometimes with few of his friends are especially to explore some remote, less known or even unknown hidden places. Very good photos and brief accounts of the trips.
Karnataka2b
Blogs: http://templesofkarnataka.com/
Focus area: Very extensive and ambitious project of a single person. He estimates that his effort to record all temples will take him some 8 years to cover 1500 of 35000 temples of Karnataka. Temples are classified as regions and dynasties, including info on how to reach, amenities, history and Google maps. Route planners are newly added. Important temples like the of the Hoysalas and the temple of Amritapura have detailed descriptions of sculptural panels.
Karnataka4
Person: Unknown
Blogs: http://wildtrekker.blogspot.com
Focus area: same as above, plus the world beyond India. Older posts cover several good places in Karnataka, e.g. Madaksira
Blogs: http://msg4saurabh.blogspot.com/
Focus area: Travels mostly in Tamil Nadu, but some recent posts also from north India. Detailed and authentic writer citing all references of the places visited, including interpretations of inscriptions, historical accounts from published books. Has a detailed (in making) blogs for Hindu iconography and Indian history and art. Has detail account of Guptas and Pallavas in the latter blog. Recently Saurabh has moved his posts to a more serious website that continues to expand http://puratattva.in/ The map below of Saurabh connects the blog posts conveniently.
View Monuments of Tamilnadu in a larger map
Blogs:
http://travelogueunlimited.blogspot.com/
http://travelzunlimited.blogspot.com/
Focus area: Travel blogs mainly forts and temples (and cave temples) in Maharashtra, both are active blogs - I still have to figure out why some posts to one and not the other! Also has detailed information and topics in Maratha Chronicles and Indian History blogs.
Blogs: http://www.aishee.org/comments.html
Focus area: Detailed study of the terracotta temples of Bengal, including classification of temples types listed as sites, locations and styles. Temples can be explored based on these lists. Accompanied by short essays and detailed tables this site is worth regular visit for the interested and surely if you plan to travel to Bengal.
Person: Sujit Debnath in Bengal
Blogs: http://bengal-terracotta.blogspot.com
Focus area: Primarily Bengal terracotta temples. Several pictures to bring the detail and extend of terracotta work of Bengal temples. This is unique to Bengal temples.
Orissa
Person: Unknown at New Delhi
Blogs: http://kalingacalling.blogspot.com/
Focus area: History of Orissa (ancient Kalinga). Places and newly discovered sites, mainly Buddhist from Orissa.
Blogs: http://indiatemple.blogspot.com/
Focus area: Temples and iconography.Explore the blog using the long labels list in her blog.
Here I try to connect them by bringing their links, classifying and tagging them. Some of them, not surprisingly, follow each other on the web!
So, so far, there are some who are exploring specifically Indian historic content within their reach. These are normal ordinary people like you and me, not scholars or historians as such, but driven with keen interest to seek more, dig a bit more and share their findings and discoveries with the world. They seem to have made it their parallel life, exploring and sharing regularly on their blogs. They are all, in their own way, devoted to the same cause: to discover and admire the cultural heritage of India, and share it with the world.
If I could give medals, I would gave medals to these explorers, who I find active in their regions:
Karnataka1
Person: Siddeshwar at DharwadBlogs: http://karnatakatravel.blogspot.com/
Focus area: Most frequent traveler and explorer of ruins - forts, caves, temples and mosques. Based in Dharwad, his weekend and other trips sometimes with few of his friends are especially to explore some remote, less known or even unknown hidden places. Very good photos and brief accounts of the trips.
Karnataka2a
Person: Rakesh Holla
Person: Rakesh Holla
Focus area: Frequent traveler and explorer of temples and forts. Based in Udupi, his weekend and other trips explore the less or not heard of places. Good photos and brief accounts of the trips.
Person: Unknown
Blogs: http://teamgsquare.blogspot.com/
Focus area: same as above
Karnataka3
Person: Vijayanand Gurudev at MysoreBlogs: http://templesofkarnataka.com/
Focus area: Very extensive and ambitious project of a single person. He estimates that his effort to record all temples will take him some 8 years to cover 1500 of 35000 temples of Karnataka. Temples are classified as regions and dynasties, including info on how to reach, amenities, history and Google maps. Route planners are newly added. Important temples like the of the Hoysalas and the temple of Amritapura have detailed descriptions of sculptural panels.
Karnataka4
Blogs: http://wildtrekker.blogspot.com
Focus area: same as above, plus the world beyond India. Older posts cover several good places in Karnataka, e.g. Madaksira
Tamil Nadu
Person: Saurabh Saxena at BangaloreBlogs: http://msg4saurabh.blogspot.com/
Focus area: Travels mostly in Tamil Nadu, but some recent posts also from north India. Detailed and authentic writer citing all references of the places visited, including interpretations of inscriptions, historical accounts from published books. Has a detailed (in making) blogs for Hindu iconography and Indian history and art. Has detail account of Guptas and Pallavas in the latter blog. Recently Saurabh has moved his posts to a more serious website that continues to expand http://puratattva.in/ The map below of Saurabh connects the blog posts conveniently.
View Monuments of Tamilnadu in a larger map
Maharashtra
Person: Abhijit Rajadhyaksha in MaharashtraBlogs:
http://travelogueunlimited.blogspot.com/
http://travelzunlimited.blogspot.com/
Focus area: Travel blogs mainly forts and temples (and cave temples) in Maharashtra, both are active blogs - I still have to figure out why some posts to one and not the other! Also has detailed information and topics in Maratha Chronicles and Indian History blogs.
Bengal
Person: Amit GuhaBlogs: http://www.aishee.org/comments.html
Focus area: Detailed study of the terracotta temples of Bengal, including classification of temples types listed as sites, locations and styles. Temples can be explored based on these lists. Accompanied by short essays and detailed tables this site is worth regular visit for the interested and surely if you plan to travel to Bengal.
Person: Sujit Debnath in Bengal
Blogs: http://bengal-terracotta.blogspot.com
Focus area: Primarily Bengal terracotta temples. Several pictures to bring the detail and extend of terracotta work of Bengal temples. This is unique to Bengal temples.
Orissa
Person: Unknown at New Delhi
Blogs: http://kalingacalling.blogspot.com/
Focus area: History of Orissa (ancient Kalinga). Places and newly discovered sites, mainly Buddhist from Orissa.
Special mention | Iconography
Person: Kavitha in Tamil NaduBlogs: http://indiatemple.blogspot.com/
Focus area: Temples and iconography.Explore the blog using the long labels list in her blog.
