Would you rather Visit Moon or Mars?

The Blogchatter prompt for the week invites us to choose between visiting the satellite, moon and the planet Mars. Being a satellite of our planet Earth, it is the moon that has been closer to us humans in many ways. It has fascinated lovers, poets and writers since time immemorial. Lovers have often compared their beloved to the lovely full moon as in the popular Hindi song "Chaudvin ka chand ho". The moon has also been a big hit with children. He is often referred to as 'uncle'.  Mothers feed fuzzy children showing them the fascinating moon in the sky. In fact, we even had a popular childrens' magazine titled "Chandamama". At this time of our discussion, Man has managed to set foot on the moon. There has also been expeditions to Mars including India's own Mars orbiter mission(MOM) inserted into Martian orbit on September 24, 2014. The NASA is under presidential orders to land humans on Mars by 2033. 

Today, the world is witness to private space travel. In July 2021, Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder boarded along with other humans, the first private travel operated by the manufacturing and spaceflight company Blue Origin. Such travels into space is likely to increase in the days to come. Therefore the significance of the weekly prompt of Blogchatter. Yet, even as I was contemplating on the topic, a thought came to me, "Hey,  I am yet to explore the vast areas and beauty of our own blue planet." There are so many countries and geographies that I have never set foot on. Then another thought followed in quick succession. "Why, I have not even visited the length and breadth of my own beautiful country!" After all, there is so much of diverse terrains in India be it the planes, mountains , valleys and in terms of climate from the very cold icy Himalayas to the hot and sultry climate across the country. 

I have not visited many places in my own home state of Kerala referred to as "God's own country". I am  yet to visit the forests of Thekkady, watch the spectacular 'Trissur pooram' , tea gardens of Munnar or the boat races of Alapuzha.  

From Tamilnadu, the grand temples in Trichy, Chidambaram, Madurai, Rameshwaram and many more beckon,  inviting me to explore the great culture of ancient times as also the exciting hill stations like Kodaikanal, Conoor and Kuttalam  (Have mentioned here only  places not yet visited).  

Altough Karnataka is the place of my residence for a long time, there are many beautiful places I am yet to explore like the lovely Coorg tea estates, Chickmagalur (called coffee land of the state), pristine beaches in Karwar North Karnataka,  wild life at Nagarhole and Bandipur National parks . 

In the state of Andhra Pradesh,  I am yet to visit SriKalahasti temple, Talakona water falls, the cultural capital Rajhmundry, heritage sites of  Lepakshi & Gandikota, port city of Vizag and many more lovely places. 

The many unexplored places for me in the state of Maharashtra include the historically enticing Ajanta and Ellora caves, exciting hill stations like Mahabhaleshwar, Lonavala, Panchgani, Lavasa and Khandala,  adventerous wildlife in the form of National parks in Tadoba, Chandoli Gugamal, Sanjay Gandhi  National park (between Mumbai & Thane), Agha Khan palace & Shaniwar Wada in Pune, Raigad fort, Jaigad fort, Elephanta caves and many more. 

From Gujarat, the magnificiant Jain temples atop the Shatrunjaya hills beckon. Similarly, Champaner Pavagadh Archelogical park, Sun temple Modhera, Rani ki Vav (step well of queen) in Patan, architecture brilliance of the colourful Sidhpur, Idar hill fort, Polo forest, Gir National park, Indo-Islamic architecture of Junagadh, Somnath temple, the ancient city of Dwarka and modern attractions like Statue of unity, all look invitingly and seem to say  "come and explore me..."

Further up, in Rajastan, there are the grand palaces that I have never visited in the pink city of Jaipur. I haven't been to  the  city of lakes, Udaipur,  or the Golden city of Jaisalmer with its golden dunes, ornate temples & havelis. The blue city of Jodhpur, Bikaner, the cultural paradise of magnificient architecture, Ranthambore tiger reserve, Puskar temple and Mount Abu, the only hill station of the state are all places that I am yet to visit in my beautiful, diverse country.

 In Madhya Pradesh, I am yet to visit the UNESCO World heritage site of Khajuraho with its stunning carvings on temple walls, the hill top fort of Gwalior, grand palaces and intricately carved temples of Orchha, the National parks like Kanha, Pench & Bandhavgarh, the holy city Omkareshwar & Ujjain, the Buddhist monuments of Sanchi and many more. 

In the state of Uttar Pradesh, I have visited the iconic monument,Taj Mahal. But there are so many other wonderful places that I have not visited like the world's oldest living city Varanasi, ancient cities of Mathura and Vrindavan on the banks of river Yamuna, the triveni sangam at Alahabad (now, Prayagraj), city of Fathepur Sikhri (predominantly made of red sand stone), other sacred cities/places like Ayodhya, Chitrakoot and Vindhyachal. I have not seen the National Chambal wild life sanctuary, Bara Imambara, Dashashwamedh ghat, Buddhist pilgrimage site of Kushinagar and many more attractive places in the state. 

Similarly, I have never been to the state of Punjab meaning I have not visited the first planned city of the country Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab and Haryana, with its wide roads and clean environment, the golden temple in Amritsar, or other major cities like Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bhatinda, Pathankot, Kapurtala etc. with a lot of cultural heritage These cities are well known for their forts, Gurudwaras, temples, lakes, Zoos and parks. 

In Haryana, the historical cities of Kurukshetra, Panipet, Ambala and Hisar are yet to be visited by me. The Pinjore gardens, Morni hills (only hill station in the state), monuements in Sonipat, the lakes and Raja Nahar Singh palace of Faridabad are all major attractions of the state.  

There are many places in the East that I am yet to see. In Bihar, I am yet to vist the capital, the ancient city of Pataliputra (Patna) with its glorious past or the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Bodh Gaya, Nalanda the place of academic excellence in ancient times or Vaishali,the revered Hindu, Buddhist and Jain worshiping site. I have not visted Madhubani the art & cultural center famous for the renowned Madhubani paintings, Navlakha palace, Tomb of Sher Shah Suri, Jal Mandir, Mundeshwari temple and many more exciting places in Bihar. 

Although I have visited the capital city of Kolkotta in Bengal, I am yet to visit many lovely and exciting places like the hill station Darjeeling, Sundarbans National Park (boasts of biggest mangrove forest in the world, home of royal Bengal tigers), Rabindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan, Terrkota temples in Bishnipur, natural beauty of Purulia/ Malda/Kurseong and many more enchanting places and pilgrimage spots.    

I have never been to the state of Odisha meaning I haven't visited the capital city of Bhubaneswar, known for its architechture and grand temples. The other important places I would love to visit are the Jaggannath temple in the beach city of Puri, the sun temple at Konark (a UNESCO world heritage site), Cuttack (the cultural capital of state), the coastlines like Chandipur & Gopalpur, lush green forests & rich wild life of Sambalpur, silk city Berhampur, Tikarpada wild life sanctuary, Chilika lake and many more exotic places.

There is so much to be seen in the  the north eastern states like the Kaziranga National Park & other national parks, Kamakya temple, Panimoor falls etc. in Assam, Tsomgo lake in Gangtok, Sikkim, Naga heritage village & Kohima war cemetry in Nagaland, Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh, Nohkalikal falls in Meghalaya, Lokhatak lake in Manipur, Tripura Sundari Temple and Ujjayanta palace in Tripura, Vantawng water falls & Phawngpui National park in Mizoram, the lovely waterfalls and elegant Jain temples in Jharkhand. 

The hill states lure us with exotic destinations like Kullu and Simla in Himachal pradesh and Nainital & Mussorie in Utharakhand.  Finally I would like to mention the place often refered to as "Paradise on Earth" that I have never visited- Jammu and the Kasmir valley. In the movies of the sixties, we have seen the striking beauty of Kashmir with beautiful lakes, gardens and Shikaras (Life boats). Dal lake, Tulip garden, Shalimar Bhag, Nigeen lake, Chashma Shahi garden are some of the many attractions of the state, amply blessed by nature.     

Now to come back to our Blogchatter prompt- "Would you rather Visit Moon or Mars?".  It is indeed exciting and adventerous to engage in space travel to unknown, mysterious places. However, I would first savour the beauty in my own backyard firstly my exotic and beautiful country and then our own blue planet before undertaking journey elsewhere. Would I ever go on a visit to the moon? Yes, perhaps in another lifetime. But for now, I have plenty on my plate! 

• NB: This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop www.theblogchatter.com