Browse Month

April 2015

Oman: Day 3 (Part 1) – Sultan Qaboos mosque (Muscat’s Grand Mosque)

By Mithun Divakaran
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Apr 18, 2015
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Oman, Travel

Date: 27th October, 2014

Today we were going to drive out of Muscat and head off into the desert mountains. But before leaving Muscat, our guide (a new one) took us to see the Sultan Qaboos mosque, a.k.a the Grand Mosque.

Driving to Grand Mosque Muscat — The Grand Mosque was a short drive from the Radisson Blu

Gardens Grand Mosque Muscat — There is no entry fee, but the mosque is only open to public from Saturday to Thursday

Ladies robes Grand Mosque Muscat — If you are a lady, you can only enter if you are covered from head to toe

Visitor guidelines Grand Mosque Muscat — The rules

Lawn Sultan Qaboos mosque Muscat — The lawn was really nice

Inside Sultan Qaboos mosque Muscat — We walked around a bit before going inside the main prayer hall

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Amrut Distilleries factory tour (with Vir Sanghvi)

By Mithun Divakaran
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Apr 12, 2015
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Bangalore

Date: February 12, 2014

I was invited to visit the Amrut Distilleries factory on Mysore Road, just outside of Bangalore city. I was going to get to see the manufacturing process for making the famed Amrut whisky — with a special guest in tow. Noted journalist, writer and TV personality Vir Sanghvi was going to drop by the factory for a tour.

Amrut whisky display Bangalore — The award-winning Amrut whisky range

Barley peat for whisky — Barley to the left, peat to the right

Amrut distillery office awards display — We were waiting for Vir Sanghvi to arrive

Amrut awards Jagdale old photo — Gave me enough time to check out the awards and the history of the company Shri Radhakrishna Jagdale founded

Amrut distillery test lab Bangalore — This is the lab where they sample and test whiskies — Amrut’s own production batches and the competition

Jagdale gifting flowers to Vir Sanghvi — Vir Sanghvi had arrived, and so had the present chairman of Amrut Distilleries, Mr. Neelakanta Rao Jagdale. After a formal greeting, the Amrut team led us all to the factory.

Amrut factory tour with Vir Sanghvi — Senior VP Surrinder Kumar led the factory tour

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