ADHVAGATI

As descriptive words go, where does "Opulence " end and "Flashy" begin ? Understandably, a pretty wide margin needs to be given when possessions  of Royalty are involved. Still, there are some palace museums that can overwhelm and suffocate a viewer with rich clutter. Even eyes that appreciate  fine things  need to blink and shakeout excess in places like ...... ROSENBORG SLOT ( or Rosenborg Castle) ! Situated within  the well laid , 12 hectare Kongenshave ( King's Garden) in central Copenhagen , is a this beautiful building in Dutch Renaissance Style . It was reportedly under construction for 28 years and finished in 1633 to be the Royal Residence of King Christian IV. It is now a museum exhibiting the collections , mostly of that monarch , with subsequent additions by his successors. It was opened for the public in 1838. Visitors can tour all the floors with an audioguide that gives very detailed commentary about the objects and the period . Kongern...

It was not the intended destination . But we were destined to land there   !  On a journey to Seebi , a minor error in map-reading put us on the two lane highway , where we were stuck   with a never ending median , making it tough to reverse the direction. A signboard for Sira showed up before the   median relented with any   gap for U Turn. But the name Sira rang a bell , a big clanging bell .  Sira ! We were in the vicinity of a historical place that gave the prototypes for all the grand edifices we Bengalureans take pride in : The Bangalore Fort , Lalbagh and Tipu's Palace ! The prototypes are all gone with history. Sira is a small town now, with just the ghost of a Fort  left . But the  name beckoned as with a Siren Song ! Seebi   was unceremoniously put on the backburner and the destination reassigned . Onward to   Sira Fort then ! SIRA ( originally called Siria ) has a long and checkered history of bei...