MeriYatrra.com Destination Guide

Mandleshwar

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:53:29 PST

Overview: This town is situtedampnbsp on this banks of riverampnbsp Narmadaampnbsp the townampnbsp was fountedampnbsp byampnbsp Mandanaampnbsp Mishraampnbsp and hasampnbsp a stone fortampnbsp consteuctedampnbspampnbsp byampnbspampnbsp Mahammedan Rulersampnbsp It alsoampnbsp has aampnbsp fine flishh ofampnbsp 123ampnbsp stepsampnbsp leadingampnbsp downampnbspampnbsp to theampnbsp river andampnbsp expandingampnbspampnbsp belowampnbsp into a wideampnbsp Ghat Tukojiampnbsp Rawampnbsp Holkarampnbsp Ibuilt a place here inampnbsp 18441880 AD If youampnbsp wasampnbsp alsoampnbsp the head Quart es of the Nimarampnbsp Agency andampnbsp Cantomeentampnbsp underampnbsp the British fromampnbsp 1819 toampnbsp 1864 ADampnbsp The town is an importentampnbsp retairampnbsp market and trade centre Travel warnig: This town is situtedampnbsp on this banks of riverampnbsp Narmadaampnbsp the townampnbsp was fountedampnbsp byampnbsp Mandanaampnbsp Mishraampnbsp and hasampnbsp a stone fortampnbsp consteuctedampnbspampnbsp byampnbspampnbsp Mahammedan Rulersampnbsp It alsoampnbsp has aampnbsp fine flishh ofampnbsp 123ampnbsp stepsampnbsp leadingampnbsp downampnbspampnbsp to theampnbsp river andampnbsp expandingampnbspampnbsp belowampnbsp into a wideampnbsp Ghat Tukojiampnbsp Rawampnbsp Holkarampnbsp Ibuilt a place here inampnbsp 18441880 AD If youampnbsp wasampnbsp alsoampnbsp the head Quart es of the Nimarampnbsp Agency andampnbsp Cantomeentampnbsp underampnbsp the British fromampnbsp 1819 toampnbsp 1864 ADampnbsp The town is an importentampnbsp retairampnbsp market and trade centre

Mahabalipuram

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:25:25 PDT

Overview: ampnbspMahabalipuram that was formerly known as Mamallapuram is one of the most frequented tourism destinations in Tamilnadu a province in India The place is just 55 Kilometers off Chennai the capital city of Tamilnadu and forms a major excursion destination around it In fact Mahabalipuram along with Chennai and Kanchipuram forms the famous Golden Tourism Triangle ashore Coromandel CoastampnbspMahabalipuram is a 7th century port city of the Pallavas a Dravidic dynasty that once ruled over the major portion of peninsular India Typical of Orientals there are lots of theories behind its naming Some say that it has been named after the demon king Mahabali who was renowned for his generosity Some maintain that it has been named after the Pallava king Mamalla Mahabalipuram has various historic monuments built mostly between the 7th and the 9th century The majority of these temples and monuments have been built by one or another Pallava kings Kings of later dynasties too have done some additions and restoration worksampnbspThe most famous and magnificent monument here is the Shore Temple This temple looks absolutely mesmerizing when lit by moonlight Although the religious activities in this temple have been discontinued way back in the late 19th century the temple attracts a lot of tourists everyday Due to the architectural and heritage value attached to it The UNESCO has crowned this historical city as a World Heritage SiteampnbspMost of the monuments here are rockcut and monolithic These temples are very different from the laterDravidian era temples that were built in the reign of the famous Chola kings Raj Raja and Rajendra Chola The temples of Mahabalipuram will thus offer a contrast amidst the high raised Gopurams that are so typical in the south Indian temples The temples of Mahabalipuram represent the early phases of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design can be clearly seenampnbspCave temples monolithic rathas chariots sculpted relief and structural temples are something that is found in the ruins of Mahabalipuram The pillars are of the early Dravidian order where as the sculptures are predominantly Pallava in their architecture The majestic Mahabalipuram invokes a certain kind of mystery with its sculptural extravaganza depicting strong artistic temperament of the Pallava rulers who are considered by many as the conceivers and the driving force behind the Dravidian art movement Travel warnig: ampnbspMahabalipuram that was formerly known as Mamallapuram is one of the most frequented tourism destinations in Tamilnadu a province in India The place is just 55 Kilometers off Chennai the capital city of Tamilnadu and forms a major excursion destination around it In fact Mahabalipuram along with Chennai and Kanchipuram forms the famous Golden Tourism Triangle ashore Coromandel CoastampnbspMahabalipuram is a 7th century port city of the Pallavas a Dravidic dynasty that once ruled over the major portion of peninsular India Typical of Orientals there are lots of theories behind its naming Some say that it has been named after the demon king Mahabali who was renowned for his generosity Some maintain that it has been named after the Pallava king Mamalla Mahabalipuram has various historic monuments built mostly between the 7th and the 9th century The majority of these temples and monuments have been built by one or another Pallava kings Kings of later dynasties too have done some additions and restoration worksampnbspThe most famous and magnificent monument here is the Shore Temple This temple looks absolutely mesmerizing when lit by moonlight Although the religious activities in this temple have been discontinued way back in the late 19th century the temple attracts a lot of tourists everyday Due to the architectural and heritage value attached to it The UNESCO has crowned this historical city as a World Heritage SiteampnbspMost of the monuments here are rockcut and monolithic These temples are very different from the laterDravidian era temples that were built in the reign of the famous Chola kings Raj Raja and Rajendra Chola The temples of Mahabalipuram will thus offer a contrast amidst the high raised Gopurams that are so typical in the south Indian temples The temples of Mahabalipuram represent the early phases of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design can be clearly seenampnbspCave temples monolithic rathas chariots sculpted relief and structural temples are something that is found in the ruins of Mahabalipuram The pillars are of the early Dravidian order where as the sculptures are predominantly Pallava in their architecture The majestic Mahabalipuram invokes a certain kind of mystery with its sculptural extravaganza depicting strong artistic temperament of the Pallava rulers who are considered by many as the conceivers and the driving force behind the Dravidian art movement

Visakhapatnam

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:55:31 PDT

Overview: Visakhapatnam is a jewal on the East coast of India with a natural harbour and a beach matchless into beauty and landscapeVisakhapatnam is said to have derived its name from a temple deity Visakha God of Valour The monument was built by Hindu king in the 11th century on his way to Banaras The edifica has long since been washed away but the name and the town remains Visakhapatnam become popularly known as Vizag and from a small fishing village has beargeoned into a bustling port industrial and commercial city It is the site of the countrys largest ship building yard The most famous land mark at VisakhapatnamImagine golden beaches that stretch as far as your imagination green hills rising high on the other side a city thriving on modern industry and commerce in the midst Add to the scenario a generous mix of ancient Buddhist heritage geological wonders famous temples inviting culture and mesmerizing arts ampamp crafts Visakhapatnam will better your imagination with all of these and more It is a city keeping pace with the times even while preserving its rich past It is a city painted with industrial revolution even as it retains its colours of nature Welcome to one of the most beautiful imprints of civilization on the Indian soil Visakhapatnam popularly known as VizagThe second largest city of Andhra Pradesh and one of the fastest growing cities in Asia Once a small fishing village the city today is a busy port endowed with a natural harbor A number of major industries ship building yard a mega oil refinery a massive steel and power plant make Vizag one of the modern faces of India However all the industrial progress of Vizag has taken place in the midst of the aweinspiring Eastern Ghats on one side and the blue waters of Bay of Bengal on the other giving the city a magical touch The city is said to have derived its name Visakhapatnam from the deity Visakha the God of Valour Patnam is the Telugu word for City 1Visakhapatnam or the place of Visakha is named after the deity of valor the second son of Lord Shiva The other story is the beauty of the place was compared to the beauty of Sakhi Visakha The legend is that Radha and Visakha were born on the same day and equally beautiful The city people believe that an Andhra King impressed by the beauty built a temple to pay obeisance to his family deity Visakha The stories be numerous but the fact remains the unparalleled natural splendor of VisakhapatnamThe Epic City The city has been mentioned in the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata The forests of the Eastern Ghats where the two brothers Rama and Laxman wandered in search of Sita wife of Lord Rama Rama formed his army of monkey men in the region with the help of Hanuman and Jambavan The monkey army of Rama later defeated the demon King Ravana to claim back his wife Sita An episode of Mahabharata when Bheema killed the demon Bakasura was believed to have happened in the village Uppalam just 25 miles from the cityBuddhist Influence The religious Hindu texts mention that the region of Visakhapatnam in the 5th century BC was part of the vast Kalinga territory which extended up to River Godavari The relics found in the area also prove the existence of a Buddhist empire in the region Kalinga later lost the territory to King Ashoka in the bloodiest battle of the time which prompted him to embrace BuddhismScenic beauty of Visakha beachThe territory of Viskahapatnam then came under the Andhra Rulers of Vengi Then Chalukyas Pallavas the Reddy Kings ruled over the placid land The Chola Kings built the temples in the city in 1112 century AD as established by Archeological findings The Mughals ruled this area under the Hyderabad Nizam in the late 15th and early 16th century The merchants from Europe the French the Dutch and the East India Company used this natural port to export tobacco ivory muslin and other textile productsLocal legend states that an Andhra king while on his way to Benares rested there and was so enchanted with the sheer beauty of the place that he ordered a temple to be built in honor of his family deity Visakha Archaeological sources however reveal that the temple was possibly built between the 11th and 12th centuries by the Cholas A shipping merchant Sankarayya Chetty built one of the mandapams pillared halls of the temple Although it no longer exists it may have been washed away about a hundred years ago by a cyclonic storm elderly residents of Vizag talk of visits to the ancient shrine by their grandparents Noted author Ganapatiraju Atchuta Rama Raju contradicted this 1In the 18th century Visakhapatnam was part of the Northern Circars a region comprising Coastal Andhra and southern costal Orissa that was initially under French control and later the British Visakhapatnam became a district in the Madras Presidency of British India After Indias independence it was the biggest district in the country and was subsequently divided into the three districts of Srikakulam Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam Travel warnig: Visakhapatnam is a jewal on the East coast of India with a natural harbour and a beach matchless into beauty and landscapeVisakhapatnam is said to have derived its name from a temple deity Visakha God of Valour The monument was built by Hindu king in the 11th century on his way to Banaras The edifica has long since been washed away but the name and the town remains Visakhapatnam become popularly known as Vizag and from a small fishing village has beargeoned into a bustling port industrial and commercial city It is the site of the countrys largest ship building yard The most famous land mark at VisakhapatnamImagine golden beaches that stretch as far as your imagination green hills rising high on the other side a city thriving on modern industry and commerce in the midst Add to the scenario a generous mix of ancient Buddhist heritage geological wonders famous temples inviting culture and mesmerizing arts ampamp crafts Visakhapatnam will better your imagination with all of these and more It is a city keeping pace with the times even while preserving its rich past It is a city painted with industrial revolution even as it retains its colours of nature Welcome to one of the most beautiful imprints of civilization on the Indian soil Visakhapatnam popularly known as VizagThe second largest city of Andhra Pradesh and one of the fastest growing cities in Asia Once a small fishing village the city today is a busy port endowed with a natural harbor A number of major industries ship building yard a mega oil refinery a massive steel and power plant make Vizag one of the modern faces of India However all the industrial progress of Vizag has taken place in the midst of the aweinspiring Eastern Ghats on one side and the blue waters of Bay of Bengal on the other giving the city a magical touch The city is said to have derived its name Visakhapatnam from the deity Visakha the God of Valour Patnam is the Telugu word for City 1Visakhapatnam or the place of Visakha is named after the deity of valor the second son of Lord Shiva The other story is the beauty of the place was compared to the beauty of Sakhi Visakha The legend is that Radha and Visakha were born on the same day and equally beautiful The city people believe that an Andhra King impressed by the beauty built a temple to pay obeisance to his family deity Visakha The stories be numerous but the fact remains the unparalleled natural splendor of VisakhapatnamThe Epic City The city has been mentioned in the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata The forests of the Eastern Ghats where the two brothers Rama and Laxman wandered in search of Sita wife of Lord Rama Rama formed his army of monkey men in the region with the help of Hanuman and Jambavan The monkey army of Rama later defeated the demon King Ravana to claim back his wife Sita An episode of Mahabharata when Bheema killed the demon Bakasura was believed to have happened in the village Uppalam just 25 miles from the cityBuddhist Influence The religious Hindu texts mention that the region of Visakhapatnam in the 5th century BC was part of the vast Kalinga territory which extended up to River Godavari The relics found in the area also prove the existence of a Buddhist empire in the region Kalinga later lost the territory to King Ashoka in the bloodiest battle of the time which prompted him to embrace BuddhismScenic beauty of Visakha beachThe territory of Viskahapatnam then came under the Andhra Rulers of Vengi Then Chalukyas Pallavas the Reddy Kings ruled over the placid land The Chola Kings built the temples in the city in 1112 century AD as established by Archeological findings The Mughals ruled this area under the Hyderabad Nizam in the late 15th and early 16th century The merchants from Europe the French the Dutch and the East India Company used this natural port to export tobacco ivory muslin and other textile productsLocal legend states that an Andhra king while on his way to Benares rested there and was so enchanted with the sheer beauty of the place that he ordered a temple to be built in honor of his family deity Visakha Archaeological sources however reveal that the temple was possibly built between the 11th and 12th centuries by the Cholas A shipping merchant Sankarayya Chetty built one of the mandapams pillared halls of the temple Although it no longer exists it may have been washed away about a hundred years ago by a cyclonic storm elderly residents of Vizag talk of visits to the ancient shrine by their grandparents Noted author Ganapatiraju Atchuta Rama Raju contradicted this 1In the 18th century Visakhapatnam was part of the Northern Circars a region comprising Coastal Andhra and southern costal Orissa that was initially under French control and later the British Visakhapatnam became a district in the Madras Presidency of British India After Indias independence it was the biggest district in the country and was subsequently divided into the three districts of Srikakulam Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam

India

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:50:26 PDT

Overview: Travel warnig:

Puri

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:08:24 PST

Overview: The present Jagannath temple construction was begin in the end of century AD by Ananta Varma Chodaganga Deva 10781191 AD of the Ganga Dynasty is credited with having ruled over the region extending from the Ganga to Godavari The temple at Puri we completed by Ananga Bhim Deva in the 13th centuryampnbsp who ruled Orissa between 11981223 AD The present main temple has four sections Two sections were built in the 12th century and other viz Natamandira and Bhogmandap were added during the region of Raja Purusottam Deva 14611495 AD and Raja Pratapudra Deva 14951532 AD respectively Long before construction of the present temple King Yayati had built another temple in the same place in the 9th centurt ADThe temple flourished under patronage of the Independent Kings of Orissa till the death of Mukundadeva the last Independent Hindu king of Orissa in 1568 AD He was killed in a battle with the inrading Afghan king of Bengal Sultan Sulaiman After Afghan conquest of Cuttack his general Kalaphad or Illahabadcaptured Puri and plundered the temple treasure and demaged to some extent the temple structure It is said thatthe temple priests saved Jagannath from the ravages of Kalapahad civil removed the images to a place called Parikud It is stated by Mr Kulike that during the following 180 years more than a dozen times the priests of Puri had to hide the image of Jagannath in the inaccessible mountains of southOrissa or some islands in the Chilka lake for more than thirty years the lord was either absent from the templaor during the regin of Aurangzeb was forcibly under took and key in the temple The lord Jagannath temple destroyed forur times by Afghans and Mushals between 1568 AD To 1698 ADInampnbspampnbspampnbsp 1623ampnbspampnbspampnbsp ADampnbspampnbspampnbsp princeampnbsp Sahajahan passed through Orissa Narasingha Deva paid homage tohim and with the help of a RajpIll officer Bhima Singha in the troop of Sahajahan Seinstalled the image in the Puri temple in the 1624 AD The Jagannath temple was lime plastered for the first time to proteof it form saline effect In 1692 AD Subedar nawad aaaikram Khan of Orissa was orderd by the Emperor Aurangazeb to destroy the Jagan nath temple This is a third attack on the temple Ramachandra Deva secretly carried the images of Jagannath was kept secretly at Banapuram the chilka court for 18 years till death of AurangzedIn 1713 AD ShujaUdDin became the depute subedar of Orissa He permitted reinstallation of the image of Jagannath in Puri The ritceals and festivala were revived in 1715 AD New NeelacHakera made of ampquotAsthadhatuampquot was installed at the top of the temple In 1698 AD The deities were restorde to the temple The fourth and the final assault on the Jagannath temple In 1734 AD Murshid QuliII became the deputy subedar or Orissa He ordered the temple to prevent loss of imperial revenue of rupees nine lakhs towards Pilgrim tax caused due to absence of the Deities to the templeRamachandra Deva converced to islam and after conversion was renamed as Hafiz Qudiri After his conversion to islam or association with a muslim princess became an out caste and as such was prohibited to entry into the templeThere are a few main areas where there are hotels along the beach The northeast part near the fishing village on or just off Chakra Tirtha Road is where most of the budget hotels are located and is a popular area for western tourists Another area is the main Indian tourist area which is by the Puri Hotel near Beach Sea Road Most of the people staying in this area are Indians There are also a few hotels in the southwest part of town It is quiet there and the seawater is clean too Travel warnig: The present Jagannath temple construction was begin in the end of century AD by Ananta Varma Chodaganga Deva 10781191 AD of the Ganga Dynasty is credited with having ruled over the region extending from the Ganga to Godavari The temple at Puri we completed by Ananga Bhim Deva in the 13th centuryampnbsp who ruled Orissa between 11981223 AD The present main temple has four sections Two sections were built in the 12th century and other viz Natamandira and Bhogmandap were added during the region of Raja Purusottam Deva 14611495 AD and Raja Pratapudra Deva 14951532 AD respectively Long before construction of the present temple King Yayati had built another temple in the same place in the 9th centurt ADThe temple flourished under patronage of the Independent Kings of Orissa till the death of Mukundadeva the last Independent Hindu king of Orissa in 1568 AD He was killed in a battle with the inrading Afghan king of Bengal Sultan Sulaiman After Afghan conquest of Cuttack his general Kalaphad or Illahabadcaptured Puri and plundered the temple treasure and demaged to some extent the temple structure It is said thatthe temple priests saved Jagannath from the ravages of Kalapahad civil removed the images to a place called Parikud It is stated by Mr Kulike that during the following 180 years more than a dozen times the priests of Puri had to hide the image of Jagannath in the inaccessible mountains of southOrissa or some islands in the Chilka lake for more than thirty years the lord was either absent from the templaor during the regin of Aurangzeb was forcibly under took and key in the temple The lord Jagannath temple destroyed forur times by Afghans and Mushals between 1568 AD To 1698 ADInampnbspampnbspampnbsp 1623ampnbspampnbspampnbsp ADampnbspampnbspampnbsp princeampnbsp Sahajahan passed through Orissa Narasingha Deva paid homage tohim and with the help of a RajpIll officer Bhima Singha in the troop of Sahajahan Seinstalled the image in the Puri temple in the 1624 AD The Jagannath temple was lime plastered for the first time to proteof it form saline effect In 1692 AD Subedar nawad aaaikram Khan of Orissa was orderd by the Emperor Aurangazeb to destroy the Jagan nath temple This is a third attack on the temple Ramachandra Deva secretly carried the images of Jagannath was kept secretly at Banapuram the chilka court for 18 years till death of AurangzedIn 1713 AD ShujaUdDin became the depute subedar of Orissa He permitted reinstallation of the image of Jagannath in Puri The ritceals and festivala were revived in 1715 AD New NeelacHakera made of ampquotAsthadhatuampquot was installed at the top of the temple In 1698 AD The deities were restorde to the temple The fourth and the final assault on the Jagannath temple In 1734 AD Murshid QuliII became the deputy subedar or Orissa He ordered the temple to prevent loss of imperial revenue of rupees nine lakhs towards Pilgrim tax caused due to absence of the Deities to the templeRamachandra Deva converced to islam and after conversion was renamed as Hafiz Qudiri After his conversion to islam or association with a muslim princess became an out caste and as such was prohibited to entry into the templeThere are a few main areas where there are hotels along the beach The northeast part near the fishing village on or just off Chakra Tirtha Road is where most of the budget hotels are located and is a popular area for western tourists Another area is the main Indian tourist area which is by the Puri Hotel near Beach Sea Road Most of the people staying in this area are Indians There are also a few hotels in the southwest part of town It is quiet there and the seawater is clean too

Kanyakumari

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:25:27 PDT

Overview: ampnbspKanyakumari is located at the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent With an area of 1672 sqkm Kanyakumari occupies 129 of the total extent of Tamil Nadu The district name is spelled as Kanniyakumari in official records which are in tune with the spoken name of the district in Tamil language The District is bound by Tirunelveli District on the North and the east The South Eastern boundary is the Gulf of Mannar On the South and the South West the boundaries are the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea On the West and North West it is bound by KeralaampnbspThe small temple dedicated to Kanyakumari or the youthful form of the primeval energy Shakti Mother Goddess is located on the seashore in the town known by the same name Kanyakumari was referred to by the British as Cape Commorin Kanyakumari represents the site where the spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda spent days in meditation upon a rock off of the coast A memorial built in his honor is accessible via ferry There is also a recently built memorial to Tiruvalluvar the author of the philosophical work Tirukkural a treatise on the Indian way of lifeampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp Travel warnig: ampnbspKanyakumari is located at the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent With an area of 1672 sqkm Kanyakumari occupies 129 of the total extent of Tamil Nadu The district name is spelled as Kanniyakumari in official records which are in tune with the spoken name of the district in Tamil language The District is bound by Tirunelveli District on the North and the east The South Eastern boundary is the Gulf of Mannar On the South and the South West the boundaries are the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea On the West and North West it is bound by KeralaampnbspThe small temple dedicated to Kanyakumari or the youthful form of the primeval energy Shakti Mother Goddess is located on the seashore in the town known by the same name Kanyakumari was referred to by the British as Cape Commorin Kanyakumari represents the site where the spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda spent days in meditation upon a rock off of the coast A memorial built in his honor is accessible via ferry There is also a recently built memorial to Tiruvalluvar the author of the philosophical work Tirukkural a treatise on the Indian way of lifeampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp

Bijapur

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:31:57 PDT

Overview: ampnbspBijapur ampnbspis a district headquarters of the Bijapur District in the state of Karnataka Bijapur city is well known for the great architectures of histrorical importance built during the Adil Shahi dynasty Bijapur City is the head quarters of the district and is located 530 km northwest of Bangalore The city is about 550 km from Mumbai Bijapur is an important historical town that is famous for its monumental heritage Take tours of Bijapur to see the famous mosques and shrines made by king Adil ShahGol Gumbaz is the most famous attraction in Bijapur This is the second largest dome in the world and houses the tomb of king Adil Shah Ibrahim Roza which is beautiful tomb built by Adil Shah for his wife is another important heritage monumentSee the citadel in the main centre of the city a small fortified area with a moat It has palaces pleasure gardens and public halls belonging to the Adil Shahi rulers Though it is in ruins but you must see the Gagan MahalOn the city walls do not miss seeing the MalikeMaidan monarch of the plains cannon which is one of the largest surviving bellmetal cannons in the worldTake up excursions from Bijapur and go to the temple city of Alihole 10 kms away This temple town is famous for richly carved temples belonging to the Chalukya rulers 6th centuryampnbspampnbspampnbsp Travel warnig: ampnbspBijapur ampnbspis a district headquarters of the Bijapur District in the state of Karnataka Bijapur city is well known for the great architectures of histrorical importance built during the Adil Shahi dynasty Bijapur City is the head quarters of the district and is located 530 km northwest of Bangalore The city is about 550 km from Mumbai Bijapur is an important historical town that is famous for its monumental heritage Take tours of Bijapur to see the famous mosques and shrines made by king Adil ShahGol Gumbaz is the most famous attraction in Bijapur This is the second largest dome in the world and houses the tomb of king Adil Shah Ibrahim Roza which is beautiful tomb built by Adil Shah for his wife is another important heritage monumentSee the citadel in the main centre of the city a small fortified area with a moat It has palaces pleasure gardens and public halls belonging to the Adil Shahi rulers Though it is in ruins but you must see the Gagan MahalOn the city walls do not miss seeing the MalikeMaidan monarch of the plains cannon which is one of the largest surviving bellmetal cannons in the worldTake up excursions from Bijapur and go to the temple city of Alihole 10 kms away This temple town is famous for richly carved temples belonging to the Chalukya rulers 6th centuryampnbspampnbspampnbsp

Murshidabad

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:12:02 PDT

Overview: The Nawab Murshid Quli Khan the Dewan of Bengal Bihar and Orissa under Emperor Aurangzeb gave the name Murshidabad who shifted the capital of Bengal to Murshidabad in 1705 The historic town of Murshidabad has witnessed trickery and palace politics which played a key role to the transfer of power from the hands of the Nawabs into the hands of the East India Company and after that the capital was shifted to Calcutta in 1773 The travelogue describes that the place called Karnasubarna situated near Murshidabad was the first capital of ancient BengalThe last capital city of independent Bengal Murshidabad is located on the banks of the Ganges River During the days of the Nawabs the splendor of Murshidabad was comparable with London At present Murshidabad is a small district town which is well known with shoperholic for its silksampnbsp Travel warnig: The Nawab Murshid Quli Khan the Dewan of Bengal Bihar and Orissa under Emperor Aurangzeb gave the name Murshidabad who shifted the capital of Bengal to Murshidabad in 1705 The historic town of Murshidabad has witnessed trickery and palace politics which played a key role to the transfer of power from the hands of the Nawabs into the hands of the East India Company and after that the capital was shifted to Calcutta in 1773 The travelogue describes that the place called Karnasubarna situated near Murshidabad was the first capital of ancient BengalThe last capital city of independent Bengal Murshidabad is located on the banks of the Ganges River During the days of the Nawabs the splendor of Murshidabad was comparable with London At present Murshidabad is a small district town which is well known with shoperholic for its silksampnbsp

Chittaurgarh

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:16:32 PDT

Overview: ampnbspChittaurgarh the land of romance and valour is an old city extending the tradition of Rajasthan It is not just another ruined citadel it is a symbol of bravery in Rajasthan Chittaurgarh was invaded three times and on each occasion the ritual of Jauhar which involved throwing oneself into raging fire or a well as the case may be to be spared humiliation at the hands of the enemy was performed The first instance was in 1303 when Allauddin Khilji Sultan of Delhi coveted the famous Rajput beauty Rani Padmini Padmini led the Jauhar rather than submit to dishonour The second instance was in 1533 when the Sultan of Gujarat attacked Bikramjeet of Chittaur Rani Karnavati led the Jauhar in which many women and children were killed Then Chittaur was attacked 33 years later in 1568 when the Mughal emperor Akbar took the town Once again the fort was defended heroically but once again the odds were overwhelming and the women performed jauhar the fort gates were flung open and 8000 orange clad warriors rode out to their deaths On this occasion Maharana Udai Singh fled to Udaipur where he reestablished his capital In 1616 Jehangir returned Chittaur to the Rajputs but there was no attempt of resettlementampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp Travel warnig: ampnbspChittaurgarh the land of romance and valour is an old city extending the tradition of Rajasthan It is not just another ruined citadel it is a symbol of bravery in Rajasthan Chittaurgarh was invaded three times and on each occasion the ritual of Jauhar which involved throwing oneself into raging fire or a well as the case may be to be spared humiliation at the hands of the enemy was performed The first instance was in 1303 when Allauddin Khilji Sultan of Delhi coveted the famous Rajput beauty Rani Padmini Padmini led the Jauhar rather than submit to dishonour The second instance was in 1533 when the Sultan of Gujarat attacked Bikramjeet of Chittaur Rani Karnavati led the Jauhar in which many women and children were killed Then Chittaur was attacked 33 years later in 1568 when the Mughal emperor Akbar took the town Once again the fort was defended heroically but once again the odds were overwhelming and the women performed jauhar the fort gates were flung open and 8000 orange clad warriors rode out to their deaths On this occasion Maharana Udai Singh fled to Udaipur where he reestablished his capital In 1616 Jehangir returned Chittaur to the Rajputs but there was no attempt of resettlementampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp

Cuttack

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:58:26 PST

Overview: One of the oldest towns of Orissa Cuttack was the capital of the state from medieval ages upto the end of British rule The town is almost an Island surrounded by rivers except for a narrow strip of land The ancient stone Embankment on the Kathajuri river is an engineering marvel built in the 11th century AD by a king of the Kesari Dynasty to protect the from floods It has with stood the ravages of the torrid kathajuri for centuries The mahandi river on the other side also has a similar embankment for milesampnbsp One of Orissas oldest cities better known as the Business Capital of Orissa It offers gold and silver filigree works horn and brass work silk and cotton textiles and leather worksThis city has river Mahanadi in the north and river Kathajodi in the south Those who are fascinated by history are drawnampnbsp to the ruins of the Barabati Fort Nearby is the shrine of Kataka Chandi the presiding deity of the cityTheampnbsp Ravenshaw College High Court SCB Medical All India Radio Centre Central Rice Research Institute Stone Revetment Temple of Goddess Chandi and Barabati Durga are the main visiting places Cuttack is also recognized for its Paper mills Sugar factory Tile factory glass and china clay factory jute mill and spinning millsAnsupa Banki Bhattarika Choudwar Dhabaleswar Kukudiapada Kukudanga Lalitgiri Naraj Nemala Niali Madhab Satakosia Simhanath and Paramhansa are some of the places of tourist interest Festivals Orissa has several festivals All those festivals are celebrated in a grand way at Cuttack But the Unique festivals of Cuttack are Dusshera and Baliyatra Dusshera is the festival of goddess Durga It is celebrated with much fanfare throughout the city Cuttack is famous for its chandi medha which are basically silver filigree works Huge amount of gold and silver is used in the construction of these medhas Baliyatra is the festival of remembering the ancient tradition of trade between Orissa and Java Bali and Sumatra It is held every year in the month of November Among other celebrations the Kite flying festival is very much attractive It is held in the month of JanuaryEducation Schools in Cuttack are either ampquotmunicipal schoolsampquot run by the CMC or private schools run by trusts or individuals which in some cases receive financial aid from the government The schools are affiliated either with the Board of Secondary Education Orissa BSE the allIndia Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations CISCE and the Central Board for Secondary Education CBSE boards Oriya or English is the usual language of instruction The government run public schools lack many facilities but are the only option for poorer residents who cannot afford the more expensive private schools Today more students and parents prefer private schools because of better infrastructureUnder the 10234 plan students complete ten years of schooling and then enroll for two years in Junior College where they select one of three streams arts commerce or science This is followed by either a general degree course in a chosen field of study or a professional degree course such as law engineering medicine etc Travel warnig: One of the oldest towns of Orissa Cuttack was the capital of the state from medieval ages upto the end of British rule The town is almost an Island surrounded by rivers except for a narrow strip of land The ancient stone Embankment on the Kathajuri river is an engineering marvel built in the 11th century AD by a king of the Kesari Dynasty to protect the from floods It has with stood the ravages of the torrid kathajuri for centuries The mahandi river on the other side also has a similar embankment for milesampnbsp One of Orissas oldest cities better known as the Business Capital of Orissa It offers gold and silver filigree works horn and brass work silk and cotton textiles and leather worksThis city has river Mahanadi in the north and river Kathajodi in the south Those who are fascinated by history are drawnampnbsp to the ruins of the Barabati Fort Nearby is the shrine of Kataka Chandi the presiding deity of the cityTheampnbsp Ravenshaw College High Court SCB Medical All India Radio Centre Central Rice Research Institute Stone Revetment Temple of Goddess Chandi and Barabati Durga are the main visiting places Cuttack is also recognized for its Paper mills Sugar factory Tile factory glass and china clay factory jute mill and spinning millsAnsupa Banki Bhattarika Choudwar Dhabaleswar Kukudiapada Kukudanga Lalitgiri Naraj Nemala Niali Madhab Satakosia Simhanath and Paramhansa are some of the places of tourist interest Festivals Orissa has several festivals All those festivals are celebrated in a grand way at Cuttack But the Unique festivals of Cuttack are Dusshera and Baliyatra Dusshera is the festival of goddess Durga It is celebrated with much fanfare throughout the city Cuttack is famous for its chandi medha which are basically silver filigree works Huge amount of gold and silver is used in the construction of these medhas Baliyatra is the festival of remembering the ancient tradition of trade between Orissa and Java Bali and Sumatra It is held every year in the month of November Among other celebrations the Kite flying festival is very much attractive It is held in the month of JanuaryEducation Schools in Cuttack are either ampquotmunicipal schoolsampquot run by the CMC or private schools run by trusts or individuals which in some cases receive financial aid from the government The schools are affiliated either with the Board of Secondary Education Orissa BSE the allIndia Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations CISCE and the Central Board for Secondary Education CBSE boards Oriya or English is the usual language of instruction The government run public schools lack many facilities but are the only option for poorer residents who cannot afford the more expensive private schools Today more students and parents prefer private schools because of better infrastructureUnder the 10234 plan students complete ten years of schooling and then enroll for two years in Junior College where they select one of three streams arts commerce or science This is followed by either a general degree course in a chosen field of study or a professional degree course such as law engineering medicine etc

Sirpur

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:25:17 PDT

Overview: ampnbspSirpur is a city located in the state of Chhattisgarh in India Chhattisgarh was formerly a part of Madhya Pradesh before it came to be recognized as a separate state in Indian subcontinent There are a number of tourist locations in the state Chhattisgarh tourism includes siteseeing in and around the cities of the stateampnbspThe tourists on Chhattisgarh city tours must visit the city of Sirpur This city was once known by the name of Shirpur The distance of Sirpur from the state capital Raipur is only 50 km Sirpur city lies on the KawardhaKanker road Sirpur has long historical lineage Sirpur is an ancient city of India and mention of this city is found in the ancient records of 5th and 8th century This city of Chhattisgarh is an important tourist spot as it was a Buddhist center in the ancient times In ancient India Sirpur happened to be the capital city of the rulers of the South of Somvanshi and Sarbhapuriya dynasties During 635 AD the Chinese scholar and traveler Hiuen Tsang visited this city of Chhattisgarh Other than a city of historical importance there are a number of Hindu temples that are visited by the tourists on a Chhattisgarh city toursampnbspAmong the Indian temples that are situated in this city of Sirpur the Laxman Temple is mostly visited by the tourists and devotees of Lord Vishnu It is the most famous tourist attraction in Sirpur Sirpur can be reached by rail road and air National Highway no 6 passes through this city and thus it links Sirpur with other parts of the stateampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp Travel warnig: ampnbspSirpur is a city located in the state of Chhattisgarh in India Chhattisgarh was formerly a part of Madhya Pradesh before it came to be recognized as a separate state in Indian subcontinent There are a number of tourist locations in the state Chhattisgarh tourism includes siteseeing in and around the cities of the stateampnbspThe tourists on Chhattisgarh city tours must visit the city of Sirpur This city was once known by the name of Shirpur The distance of Sirpur from the state capital Raipur is only 50 km Sirpur city lies on the KawardhaKanker road Sirpur has long historical lineage Sirpur is an ancient city of India and mention of this city is found in the ancient records of 5th and 8th century This city of Chhattisgarh is an important tourist spot as it was a Buddhist center in the ancient times In ancient India Sirpur happened to be the capital city of the rulers of the South of Somvanshi and Sarbhapuriya dynasties During 635 AD the Chinese scholar and traveler Hiuen Tsang visited this city of Chhattisgarh Other than a city of historical importance there are a number of Hindu temples that are visited by the tourists on a Chhattisgarh city toursampnbspAmong the Indian temples that are situated in this city of Sirpur the Laxman Temple is mostly visited by the tourists and devotees of Lord Vishnu It is the most famous tourist attraction in Sirpur Sirpur can be reached by rail road and air National Highway no 6 passes through this city and thus it links Sirpur with other parts of the stateampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp

Raipur

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:28:41 PDT

Overview: ampnbspThe city of Raipur is located near the centre of a large plain sometimes referred as the ampldquorice bowl of Indiaamprdquo where hundreds of varieties of rice are grown It is the capital of Chhattisgarh The city believed to be founded in the 14th century AD by the Kalchuri King Ram Chandra is centrally located in Chhattisgarh Raipur is the biggest city of the region and a fast developing important industrial centre The city lying on the Mumbai Nagpur Howrah mainline is well connected by air and rail and is a good base to visit the tourist centers of the regionRaipur is situated in the fertile plains of Chhattisgarh Region It is situated between 22o 33 N to 21o14N Latitude and 82o 6 to 81o38E Longtitude It occupies the south eastern part of the upper Mahanadi valley and the bordering hills in the south and the east Mahanadi is the principal river of this district Its tributaries being Sendur Pairy Sondur Joan Kharun and Shivnath The fertility of lands of Raipur can be attributed to the presence of these rivers Travel warnig: ampnbspThe city of Raipur is located near the centre of a large plain sometimes referred as the ampldquorice bowl of Indiaamprdquo where hundreds of varieties of rice are grown It is the capital of Chhattisgarh The city believed to be founded in the 14th century AD by the Kalchuri King Ram Chandra is centrally located in Chhattisgarh Raipur is the biggest city of the region and a fast developing important industrial centre The city lying on the Mumbai Nagpur Howrah mainline is well connected by air and rail and is a good base to visit the tourist centers of the regionRaipur is situated in the fertile plains of Chhattisgarh Region It is situated between 22o 33 N to 21o14N Latitude and 82o 6 to 81o38E Longtitude It occupies the south eastern part of the upper Mahanadi valley and the bordering hills in the south and the east Mahanadi is the principal river of this district Its tributaries being Sendur Pairy Sondur Joan Kharun and Shivnath The fertility of lands of Raipur can be attributed to the presence of these rivers

Akhnoor

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:37:05 PDT

Overview: ampnbspIt is 32 km away from Jammu and religiously important becouse it has the kameshwar shiva temple and the Tomb of Baba Faiz Bux Strategically it assumed importance in the past becouse during the medieval period the route to srinagar passed through this town ampnbspThe Chenab river meets the plain in Akhnoor just northwest of Jammu the summer capital of Jammu ampamp Kashmir This was originally the route to Srinagar in the Moghul era of Jehangir who died on the way to Kashmir and was temporarily buried at ChingasampnbspAkhnoor is also related with the legend of SohniMahiwal the eternal love story This is a historic town where one can visit the ruins of the great Indusvalley civilization spread along the river Chenab The whole area commands a panoramic view of Akhnoor to enthrall your life Travel warnig: ampnbspIt is 32 km away from Jammu and religiously important becouse it has the kameshwar shiva temple and the Tomb of Baba Faiz Bux Strategically it assumed importance in the past becouse during the medieval period the route to srinagar passed through this town ampnbspThe Chenab river meets the plain in Akhnoor just northwest of Jammu the summer capital of Jammu ampamp Kashmir This was originally the route to Srinagar in the Moghul era of Jehangir who died on the way to Kashmir and was temporarily buried at ChingasampnbspAkhnoor is also related with the legend of SohniMahiwal the eternal love story This is a historic town where one can visit the ruins of the great Indusvalley civilization spread along the river Chenab The whole area commands a panoramic view of Akhnoor to enthrall your life

Nainital

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:21:50 PST

Overview: Nainital the famous hill resort of India has been the centre of attraction for thousand of devotye lovers of natue Situated around a beautiful lake an attitide of 1938 metres above sea level The name ampquotNainiampquot is derived from a temple to the goddess Naini Devi built on the upper adge of the lake and destroyed ny the landslip in 1880 AD It was subsequently replaced by a modern structure The word Naini means Eyes and Tal new lake Travel warnig: Nainital the famous hill resort of India has been the centre of attraction for thousand of devotye lovers of natue Situated around a beautiful lake an attitide of 1938 metres above sea level The name ampquotNainiampquot is derived from a temple to the goddess Naini Devi built on the upper adge of the lake and destroyed ny the landslip in 1880 AD It was subsequently replaced by a modern structure The word Naini means Eyes and Tal new lake

Bellur

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:53:48 PDT

Overview: Away from the pollution and the traffic of the city of Bangalore on the road to Mysore is an endless mosaic of lush green paddy fields stretching towards the horizon Beyond the town of Channapatnaampnbsp is a semimetalled road which deviaFly into freedomtes to the left bordered with rustic teashops where villagers recline on wooden benches and watch visitors curiously There is not a single clue to what lies aheadMoving along this path the eye is caught by the unusual number of birds flying in a Vformation overhead A few kilometers further down the road is an uncommon sight Every tree seems to be taken over by migratory birds of various sizes and shapes They have built nests and are nursing hungry chicks You watch amazed These shy birds that normally keep away from human habitat seem to be at ease right in the middle of a bustling village But all too soon your unvoiced questions have answers A chick suddenly falls down from a tree close by and the parent bird hovers above calling for help Surprisingly help seems close at handBuild houses besides nestsA village boy comes running picks up the bird and places it back in its nest We were taken aback at the concern shown by an illiterate village lad in protecting the birds And it is quite natural that the birds have built nests on trees just outside their houses This is the famed bird sanctuary village ampquotKokre Bellurampquot where people have taken care of migratory birds over centuries Birds like the Painted Stork Grey Pelican Black Ibis Cormorant Pond Heron Little Egret and others flock to this safe haven before the onset of every monsoon They come in around DecemberJanuary and stay on till the monsoon peaks in JuneJulyShading the chicks from the hot sunThe Painted Stork breeds around 4 to 5 chicks and waits until the young ones develop their wings and learn to fly Then they return to the Himalayas for the rest of the year Grey Pelicans have pouchlike beaks to help them catch fish in local ponds and marshes Parent birds swallow the food and then regurgitate the semi digested food for very young birds to eat Local birds like the Cattle Egret can be seen riding on the backs of buffaloes lazily grazing in the fieldsInstances of people huntingPelicans paradise birds are rare because of the severe punishment meted out by the villagers The villages also have realized the benefits of having these birds nesting in their backyard The droppings of the birds enrich the soil and Kokre Bellur is economically better off than surrounding villages The forest department is all praise for the commendable job done by the community in protecting these endangered birds But it is unable to declare Kokre Bellur a bird sanctuary officially because of legal constraints which forbid human habitat from coexisting with wildlife Anyway the regular inflow of visitors to the village to see this unusual symbiotic existence between humans and birds has given it a lot of publicity An environmental organization Mysore Amateur Naturalists is working with the villagers in preserving this safe haven for coming generations The birds are leaving now for their northern abode so rush to Kokre Bellur to see them offamphellip Travel warnig: Away from the pollution and the traffic of the city of Bangalore on the road to Mysore is an endless mosaic of lush green paddy fields stretching towards the horizon Beyond the town of Channapatnaampnbsp is a semimetalled road which deviaFly into freedomtes to the left bordered with rustic teashops where villagers recline on wooden benches and watch visitors curiously There is not a single clue to what lies aheadMoving along this path the eye is caught by the unusual number of birds flying in a Vformation overhead A few kilometers further down the road is an uncommon sight Every tree seems to be taken over by migratory birds of various sizes and shapes They have built nests and are nursing hungry chicks You watch amazed These shy birds that normally keep away from human habitat seem to be at ease right in the middle of a bustling village But all too soon your unvoiced questions have answers A chick suddenly falls down from a tree close by and the parent bird hovers above calling for help Surprisingly help seems close at handBuild houses besides nestsA village boy comes running picks up the bird and places it back in its nest We were taken aback at the concern shown by an illiterate village lad in protecting the birds And it is quite natural that the birds have built nests on trees just outside their houses This is the famed bird sanctuary village ampquotKokre Bellurampquot where people have taken care of migratory birds over centuries Birds like the Painted Stork Grey Pelican Black Ibis Cormorant Pond Heron Little Egret and others flock to this safe haven before the onset of every monsoon They come in around DecemberJanuary and stay on till the monsoon peaks in JuneJulyShading the chicks from the hot sunThe Painted Stork breeds around 4 to 5 chicks and waits until the young ones develop their wings and learn to fly Then they return to the Himalayas for the rest of the year Grey Pelicans have pouchlike beaks to help them catch fish in local ponds and marshes Parent birds swallow the food and then regurgitate the semi digested food for very young birds to eat Local birds like the Cattle Egret can be seen riding on the backs of buffaloes lazily grazing in the fieldsInstances of people huntingPelicans paradise birds are rare because of the severe punishment meted out by the villagers The villages also have realized the benefits of having these birds nesting in their backyard The droppings of the birds enrich the soil and Kokre Bellur is economically better off than surrounding villages The forest department is all praise for the commendable job done by the community in protecting these endangered birds But it is unable to declare Kokre Bellur a bird sanctuary officially because of legal constraints which forbid human habitat from coexisting with wildlife Anyway the regular inflow of visitors to the village to see this unusual symbiotic existence between humans and birds has given it a lot of publicity An environmental organization Mysore Amateur Naturalists is working with the villagers in preserving this safe haven for coming generations The birds are leaving now for their northern abode so rush to Kokre Bellur to see them offamphellip

Nainital

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:38:56 PDT

Overview: Nainital Hindi agravecurrenumlagraveyenagravecurrenumlagraveyenagravecurrencurrenagravecurrenfrac34agravecurrensup2 is a town in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and headquarters of Nainital district in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalayas Situated at an altitude of 1938 metres 6358 feet above sea level Nainital is set in a valley containing a pearshaped lake approximately two miles in circumference and surrounded by mountains of which the highest are Naina 2615 m 8579 ft on the north Deopatha 2438 m 7999 ft on the west and Ayarpatha 2278 m 7474 ft on the south From the tops of the higher peaks ampquotmagnificent views can be obtained of the vast plain to the south or of the mass of tangled ridges lying north bounded by the great snowy range which forms the central axis of the HimalayasClimateNainital has temperate summers maximum temperature 27 ampdegC 81 ampdegF minimum temperature 10 ampdegC 50 ampdegF during which its population increases more than fivefold with an annual influx of tourists predominantly from the plains of Northern India In the winter Nainital receives snowfall between December and February with the temperatures varying between a maximum of 15 ampdegC 59 ampdegF and a minimum of ampminus3 ampdegC 27 ampdegFNainital TodayThe Naina Devi Temple was destroyed by the landslip of 1880 and later rebuilt It is located on the northern shore of Naini Lake The presiding deity of the temple is Maa Naina Devi represented by two Netras or eyes Flanking Naina Devi are the deities of Mata Kali and Lord GaneshaThe church of St John in the Wilderness was established in 1844 and is located on the north end of town Mallital about half a mile northwest of the Naina Devi temple The church was so named by Daniel Wilson the Bishop of Calcutta who after falling ill during a visit to Nainital in 1844 to lay the foundation of the church was obliged to sleep in an unfinished house on the edge of the forest See excerpt from Josiah Bateman on the Literary references to Nainital page A brass plaque on the altar is inscribed with names of the victims of the Landslip of 1880Governoramprsquos House also known Raj Bhavan and formerly Government House was built in 1899 and designed in the Victorian Gothic domestic style also called ampquotdomestic Gothicampquot by the architect FW Stevens Originally built as the summer residence of the governor of the North West Province it later became the summer residence for the Lieutenant Governor of the United Provinces Currently Raj Bhavan is the official guest house for the governor of Uttarakhand and for visiting state guests The complex consists of a twostoried mansion with 113 rooms a large garden a swimming pool and golf links Obtaining prior permission is must for visitingSnow View is situated at an altitude of 2270 m 7448 ft and located atop the Sherkadanda Ridge north by northeast of the town centre is easily reachable by cable carCharges for cable car is Rs 100 per person Rs 60 for child Charges are for stay for one hour at the point Timings are 1000am to 500pm On a clear day it offers spectacular views of the snowbound high Himalaya including Nanda Devi Trisul and Nanda Kot The best time of the year for viewing the mountains is late October and November See excerpts from Joseph Fayrer on the Literary references to Nainital pageNaina Peak also known as China or Cheena Peak Naina peak is the highest peak in the town with an altitude of 2615 m 8579 ft and at a walking distance of 6 km 4 mi from the north end of the town Mallital From atop the peak one can not only see a broad swath of the snow clad high Himalaya but also obtain a panoramic view of Nainital town itself The summit is an invigorating hike from Nainital town in addition for the less energetic visitors ponies can be hired in Mallital or on Snow ViewTiffin Top also known as Dorothys Seat Tiffin light meal eaten during the day This terraced hill top 2292 m 7520 ft on Ayarpatta hill is a 4 km 2 mi hike from the town centre and commands a nice view of the neighbouring country side Dorothys Seat is a stonework picnic perch on Tiffin Top built as a memorial to an English artist Dorothy Kellet by her husband and admirers after her death in a plane crashThe High Court of Uttarakhand formerly known as The Old SecretariatGurney House is the former residence of Jim Corbett is located on Ayarpatta Hill The house is now a museum of Corbett memorabilia The surrounding hillside is rich with deodar oak pine and rhododendron Travel warnig: Nainital Hindi agravecurrenumlagraveyenagravecurrenumlagraveyenagravecurrencurrenagravecurrenfrac34agravecurrensup2 is a town in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and headquarters of Nainital district in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalayas Situated at an altitude of 1938 metres 6358 feet above sea level Nainital is set in a valley containing a pearshaped lake approximately two miles in circumference and surrounded by mountains of which the highest are Naina 2615 m 8579 ft on the north Deopatha 2438 m 7999 ft on the west and Ayarpatha 2278 m 7474 ft on the south From the tops of the higher peaks ampquotmagnificent views can be obtained of the vast plain to the south or of the mass of tangled ridges lying north bounded by the great snowy range which forms the central axis of the HimalayasClimateNainital has temperate summers maximum temperature 27 ampdegC 81 ampdegF minimum temperature 10 ampdegC 50 ampdegF during which its population increases more than fivefold with an annual influx of tourists predominantly from the plains of Northern India In the winter Nainital receives snowfall between December and February with the temperatures varying between a maximum of 15 ampdegC 59 ampdegF and a minimum of ampminus3 ampdegC 27 ampdegFNainital TodayThe Naina Devi Temple was destroyed by the landslip of 1880 and later rebuilt It is located on the northern shore of Naini Lake The presiding deity of the temple is Maa Naina Devi represented by two Netras or eyes Flanking Naina Devi are the deities of Mata Kali and Lord GaneshaThe church of St John in the Wilderness was established in 1844 and is located on the north end of town Mallital about half a mile northwest of the Naina Devi temple The church was so named by Daniel Wilson the Bishop of Calcutta who after falling ill during a visit to Nainital in 1844 to lay the foundation of the church was obliged to sleep in an unfinished house on the edge of the forest See excerpt from Josiah Bateman on the Literary references to Nainital page A brass plaque on the altar is inscribed with names of the victims of the Landslip of 1880Governoramprsquos House also known Raj Bhavan and formerly Government House was built in 1899 and designed in the Victorian Gothic domestic style also called ampquotdomestic Gothicampquot by the architect FW Stevens Originally built as the summer residence of the governor of the North West Province it later became the summer residence for the Lieutenant Governor of the United Provinces Currently Raj Bhavan is the official guest house for the governor of Uttarakhand and for visiting state guests The complex consists of a twostoried mansion with 113 rooms a large garden a swimming pool and golf links Obtaining prior permission is must for visitingSnow View is situated at an altitude of 2270 m 7448 ft and located atop the Sherkadanda Ridge north by northeast of the town centre is easily reachable by cable carCharges for cable car is Rs 100 per person Rs 60 for child Charges are for stay for one hour at the point Timings are 1000am to 500pm On a clear day it offers spectacular views of the snowbound high Himalaya including Nanda Devi Trisul and Nanda Kot The best time of the year for viewing the mountains is late October and November See excerpts from Joseph Fayrer on the Literary references to Nainital pageNaina Peak also known as China or Cheena Peak Naina peak is the highest peak in the town with an altitude of 2615 m 8579 ft and at a walking distance of 6 km 4 mi from the north end of the town Mallital From atop the peak one can not only see a broad swath of the snow clad high Himalaya but also obtain a panoramic view of Nainital town itself The summit is an invigorating hike from Nainital town in addition for the less energetic visitors ponies can be hired in Mallital or on Snow ViewTiffin Top also known as Dorothys Seat Tiffin light meal eaten during the day This terraced hill top 2292 m 7520 ft on Ayarpatta hill is a 4 km 2 mi hike from the town centre and commands a nice view of the neighbouring country side Dorothys Seat is a stonework picnic perch on Tiffin Top built as a memorial to an English artist Dorothy Kellet by her husband and admirers after her death in a plane crashThe High Court of Uttarakhand formerly known as The Old SecretariatGurney House is the former residence of Jim Corbett is located on Ayarpatta Hill The house is now a museum of Corbett memorabilia The surrounding hillside is rich with deodar oak pine and rhododendron

Durgapur

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:32:01 PDT

Overview: Durgapur a steel town and Industrial complex on the Banks of the Damodar River set among sal forests Durgapur projects an image of an Industrialised India If is the third integrated steel plant of Hinduslan steel Limited and occupies an area of 647 SQ kms Founded under the colombo plan Mission which visited India in April 1955 The plant has been instrunmental in changing the Rural lace of Durgapur in to a vast industrial complex comprising public and private sectorsDurgapur is well connected via roads and rails to other parts of Barddhaman district and to Kolkata Express and mail trains and couple of intercity express trains do ply between Kolkata and Durgapur on a regular basis Durgapur is 159 km from Howrah station Buses from West Bengal state transport corporation run till Durgapur from the Dharmatala busstand and Karunamoyee busstand at Salt Lake There are also some private authorities why ply regular bus service from Dharmatala A person can avail nonac ac or volvo bus to travel from Kolkata to Durgapur and vice versaWithin the city of Durgapur busautorickshaws and cyclerickshaws are the most common modes of transport Nearest airport is at Dumdum Netaji Subhash International airport a smaller private airport at Panagarh is rarely usedDurgapur is located at 23ampdeg29ampprimeN 87ampdeg19ampprimeEiumlraquoiquest iumlraquoiquest2348ampdegN 8732ampdegEiumlraquoiquest 2348 87322 It has an average elevation of 65 metres 213 ftDurgapur is situated on the bank of river Damodar just before it enters the alluvial plains of Bengal The topography is undulating The coalbearing area of the Ranigunj coalfields lies just beyond Durgapur although some parts intrude in to the area The area was deeply forested till recent times and some forests are still there standing witness to its wild pastTwo mighty rivers border it on the north and south The Ajay River flows past unhindered in the north but the Damodar River on the south has two obstacles in its path ampndash an earlier anicut at Rondia and a more recent barrage at Durgapur Two rivulets Singaran and Tamla flow through the area and join the Damodar Two other rivulets in the area Kunur and Tumuni join the AjayDurgapur subdivision is surrounded by Asansol subdivision on the west Bardhaman sadar subdivision on the east Bankura district across the Damodar in the south and Birbhum district across the Ajay to the northThe Grand Trunk Road NH2 virtually bifurcates the area It has now been widened as part of the Golden Quadrilateral project Another wide road takes off from Darjeeling Morh near Panagarh for North Bengal It also links Santiniketan to the Grand Trunk Road The Durgapur Expressway linking Dankuni with Memari on Grand Trunk Road now allows fast communication between Kolkata and Durgapur A road over the Durgapur barrage links Durgapur with Bankura and beyond in South BengalThe KolkataDelhi railway track passes through Durgapur Andal has a link with Sainthia on the Sahibgunj loop lineThere are airstrips at Panagarh and Durgapur the former with the Indian Air Force and latter with SAIL A full fledged domestic airport is coming up near Durgapur The airport is expected to be operational by 2010 Travel warnig: Durgapur a steel town and Industrial complex on the Banks of the Damodar River set among sal forests Durgapur projects an image of an Industrialised India If is the third integrated steel plant of Hinduslan steel Limited and occupies an area of 647 SQ kms Founded under the colombo plan Mission which visited India in April 1955 The plant has been instrunmental in changing the Rural lace of Durgapur in to a vast industrial complex comprising public and private sectorsDurgapur is well connected via roads and rails to other parts of Barddhaman district and to Kolkata Express and mail trains and couple of intercity express trains do ply between Kolkata and Durgapur on a regular basis Durgapur is 159 km from Howrah station Buses from West Bengal state transport corporation run till Durgapur from the Dharmatala busstand and Karunamoyee busstand at Salt Lake There are also some private authorities why ply regular bus service from Dharmatala A person can avail nonac ac or volvo bus to travel from Kolkata to Durgapur and vice versaWithin the city of Durgapur busautorickshaws and cyclerickshaws are the most common modes of transport Nearest airport is at Dumdum Netaji Subhash International airport a smaller private airport at Panagarh is rarely usedDurgapur is located at 23ampdeg29ampprimeN 87ampdeg19ampprimeEiumlraquoiquest iumlraquoiquest2348ampdegN 8732ampdegEiumlraquoiquest 2348 87322 It has an average elevation of 65 metres 213 ftDurgapur is situated on the bank of river Damodar just before it enters the alluvial plains of Bengal The topography is undulating The coalbearing area of the Ranigunj coalfields lies just beyond Durgapur although some parts intrude in to the area The area was deeply forested till recent times and some forests are still there standing witness to its wild pastTwo mighty rivers border it on the north and south The Ajay River flows past unhindered in the north but the Damodar River on the south has two obstacles in its path ampndash an earlier anicut at Rondia and a more recent barrage at Durgapur Two rivulets Singaran and Tamla flow through the area and join the Damodar Two other rivulets in the area Kunur and Tumuni join the AjayDurgapur subdivision is surrounded by Asansol subdivision on the west Bardhaman sadar subdivision on the east Bankura district across the Damodar in the south and Birbhum district across the Ajay to the northThe Grand Trunk Road NH2 virtually bifurcates the area It has now been widened as part of the Golden Quadrilateral project Another wide road takes off from Darjeeling Morh near Panagarh for North Bengal It also links Santiniketan to the Grand Trunk Road The Durgapur Expressway linking Dankuni with Memari on Grand Trunk Road now allows fast communication between Kolkata and Durgapur A road over the Durgapur barrage links Durgapur with Bankura and beyond in South BengalThe KolkataDelhi railway track passes through Durgapur Andal has a link with Sainthia on the Sahibgunj loop lineThere are airstrips at Panagarh and Durgapur the former with the Indian Air Force and latter with SAIL A full fledged domestic airport is coming up near Durgapur The airport is expected to be operational by 2010

Goa

Sun, 10 May 2009 21:34:29 PDT

Overview: Four hundred and fifty one years of Portuguese rule over the dominion and its isolation from the events of the main land has given Goa a district identity In 1497 the Vasco Da Gama set sail from Lisban no one could have imagined the implications of his voyage His fleet landed at Calicut and he presented himself to the Zamorin with gifts from his king He then set sail for the journey back without setting foot on Goa but he had opened up the route to IndiaIt was 13 years later in 1510 that Afonso de Albuquerque sailed from Portugal at the head of the fleet consisting of 23 ships and 1200 men History was in the making and later that year Albuquerque had won GoaampnbspGoa a tiny emerald land on the west coast of India the 25th State in the Union of States of India wasampnbspampnbsp liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961 It was part of Union territoryampnbsp of Goa Daman ampamp Diu till 30 May 1987 when it was carved out to form a separate Stateampnbspampnbsp Goa covers an area of 3702 square kilometers and comprises two Revenue district viz North Goa and Southampnbsp Goa Boundaries of Goa State are defined in the North Terekhol river which separates it from Maharashtra in the East and South by Karnataka State and West by Arabian Sea Goa lies in Western Coast of India and is 594 Kms by road away from Mumbai cityampnbspampnbsp Goa for the purpose of revenue administration is divided into district viz North and South Goa with headquarters at Panaji and Margao respectively The entire State comprises 11 talukas For the purpose of implementation ofampnbsp development programmes the State is divided into 12 community development blocks As per 2001 census the population of the State is 1342998ampnbspampnbsp Administratively the State is organised into two districts North Goa comprising six talukas with a total area of 1736 sq kms andampnbsp South Goa comprising five talukas with an area of 1966 sq kilometers In all there are 383 villages of which 233 are in North Goa district and 150 in South Goa district As per the 2001 census there are 44 towns of which 14 are Municipalities and remaining are census townsampnbspampnbsp A very striking feature of Goa is the harmonious relationship among various religious communities who have lived together peacefully for generations Though a late entrant to the planning process Goa has emerged as one of the most developed States in India and even achieved the ranking of one of the best states in India with regards to investment environment and infrastructure Travel warnig: Four hundred and fifty one years of Portuguese rule over the dominion and its isolation from the events of the main land has given Goa a district identity In 1497 the Vasco Da Gama set sail from Lisban no one could have imagined the implications of his voyage His fleet landed at Calicut and he presented himself to the Zamorin with gifts from his king He then set sail for the journey back without setting foot on Goa but he had opened up the route to IndiaIt was 13 years later in 1510 that Afonso de Albuquerque sailed from Portugal at the head of the fleet consisting of 23 ships and 1200 men History was in the making and later that year Albuquerque had won GoaampnbspGoa a tiny emerald land on the west coast of India the 25th State in the Union of States of India wasampnbspampnbsp liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961 It was part of Union territoryampnbsp of Goa Daman ampamp Diu till 30 May 1987 when it was carved out to form a separate Stateampnbspampnbsp Goa covers an area of 3702 square kilometers and comprises two Revenue district viz North Goa and Southampnbsp Goa Boundaries of Goa State are defined in the North Terekhol river which separates it from Maharashtra in the East and South by Karnataka State and West by Arabian Sea Goa lies in Western Coast of India and is 594 Kms by road away from Mumbai cityampnbspampnbsp Goa for the purpose of revenue administration is divided into district viz North and South Goa with headquarters at Panaji and Margao respectively The entire State comprises 11 talukas For the purpose of implementation ofampnbsp development programmes the State is divided into 12 community development blocks As per 2001 census the population of the State is 1342998ampnbspampnbsp Administratively the State is organised into two districts North Goa comprising six talukas with a total area of 1736 sq kms andampnbsp South Goa comprising five talukas with an area of 1966 sq kilometers In all there are 383 villages of which 233 are in North Goa district and 150 in South Goa district As per the 2001 census there are 44 towns of which 14 are Municipalities and remaining are census townsampnbspampnbsp A very striking feature of Goa is the harmonious relationship among various religious communities who have lived together peacefully for generations Though a late entrant to the planning process Goa has emerged as one of the most developed States in India and even achieved the ranking of one of the best states in India with regards to investment environment and infrastructure

Mysore

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:26:25 PDT

Overview: Mysore city is at 770m above sea level and 140 kms from Bangaloreampnbsp Also known as the City of Palaces Mysore retains a quaint charm that never fails to enchantampnbsp Situated in the southern part of the Deccan Plateau Mysore District is an undulating tableland covered in parts by granite outcrops andampnbsp fringed by verdant forestsampnbsp From ancient times this district has played a significant role in the history of South Indiaampnbsp Mysore District is a popular tourist destination offering several attractions ranging from the royal splendour of Mysore City and its fabulous Dasara Festival to exquisite temples pilgrimage centres and scenic spotsgrandeur and glory Mysorethe capital city of the Wodeyars has always enchanted its admirers with its quaint charmrich heritage magnificent palacesbeautifully laidout gardens imposing buildingsbroad shady avenues and sacred temples Theres an old world charm about the city that reaches out and leaves no one untouchedMysoreor Mahishur as it was called then traces its history back to the mythical past when Goddess Chamundeshwari of Chamundi Hills killed the wicked buffaloheaded demon Mahishasuraasara ampnbspampnbspampnbsp Mysore Dasara is the celebration of this victory of good over evil Mysore also has associations with the Mahabharata and King Ashoka of the 3rd century BC During the Wodeyar rule Mysore reached the Zenith of its glory as a fabled centre of oriental splendourMysore is the second largest city of Karnataka Today Mysore is a vibrant city teeming with tourists and visitors It is known the world over for its exotic sandalwood and rich silksIts grand and imposing palaces majestic temples gardens leave an everlasting impression on the visitorThe word Mysore is derived from Mahishuru or Mahishasurana Ooru meaning the town of Mahishasura the demon king who is believed to have lived here The history of Mysore can be traced back to the time of Mahabharata It was ruled by the Ganga Dynasty from the 2nd century to approximately 10th century Later it was ruled by the Cholas for a century which was followed by the Chalukyas Hoysalas the Vijayanagar Empire and finally the Mysore Yadu rules in the 13th centuryDuring the reign of Chamaraja Wadiyar the city is said to have gained prominence For a brief period the Wadiyars got dethroned but finally returned to power under the British command at the end of the 17th centurySituated 770m above sea level Mysore has a warm and cool climate throughout the yearThe Maharajas Palace is one of the important sights in Mysore Built in IndoSaracenic style with domes turrets arches and colonnadesthe Palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world Intricately carved doors open on to luxuriously furnished rooms The majestic Durbar Hall has an ornate ceiling and many sculpted pillars The magnificent jewel studded golden throne of the Wodeyars is displayed here during the Dasera festival Illuminated on Sundays and public holidays the palace presents a spectacle of breathtaking beauty Travel warnig: Mysore city is at 770m above sea level and 140 kms from Bangaloreampnbsp Also known as the City of Palaces Mysore retains a quaint charm that never fails to enchantampnbsp Situated in the southern part of the Deccan Plateau Mysore District is an undulating tableland covered in parts by granite outcrops andampnbsp fringed by verdant forestsampnbsp From ancient times this district has played a significant role in the history of South Indiaampnbsp Mysore District is a popular tourist destination offering several attractions ranging from the royal splendour of Mysore City and its fabulous Dasara Festival to exquisite temples pilgrimage centres and scenic spotsgrandeur and glory Mysorethe capital city of the Wodeyars has always enchanted its admirers with its quaint charmrich heritage magnificent palacesbeautifully laidout gardens imposing buildingsbroad shady avenues and sacred temples Theres an old world charm about the city that reaches out and leaves no one untouchedMysoreor Mahishur as it was called then traces its history back to the mythical past when Goddess Chamundeshwari of Chamundi Hills killed the wicked buffaloheaded demon Mahishasuraasara ampnbspampnbspampnbsp Mysore Dasara is the celebration of this victory of good over evil Mysore also has associations with the Mahabharata and King Ashoka of the 3rd century BC During the Wodeyar rule Mysore reached the Zenith of its glory as a fabled centre of oriental splendourMysore is the second largest city of Karnataka Today Mysore is a vibrant city teeming with tourists and visitors It is known the world over for its exotic sandalwood and rich silksIts grand and imposing palaces majestic temples gardens leave an everlasting impression on the visitorThe word Mysore is derived from Mahishuru or Mahishasurana Ooru meaning the town of Mahishasura the demon king who is believed to have lived here The history of Mysore can be traced back to the time of Mahabharata It was ruled by the Ganga Dynasty from the 2nd century to approximately 10th century Later it was ruled by the Cholas for a century which was followed by the Chalukyas Hoysalas the Vijayanagar Empire and finally the Mysore Yadu rules in the 13th centuryDuring the reign of Chamaraja Wadiyar the city is said to have gained prominence For a brief period the Wadiyars got dethroned but finally returned to power under the British command at the end of the 17th centurySituated 770m above sea level Mysore has a warm and cool climate throughout the yearThe Maharajas Palace is one of the important sights in Mysore Built in IndoSaracenic style with domes turrets arches and colonnadesthe Palace is a treasure house of exquisite carvings and works of art from all over the world Intricately carved doors open on to luxuriously furnished rooms The majestic Durbar Hall has an ornate ceiling and many sculpted pillars The magnificent jewel studded golden throne of the Wodeyars is displayed here during the Dasera festival Illuminated on Sundays and public holidays the palace presents a spectacle of breathtaking beauty

Bangalore

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:02:18 PDT

Overview: Legend goes that King Veeraballa of Vijayanagara once lost his way in forest Hungry and tired he came upon a lone hut in the thick forest where he met an old womanWhen he asked for food she gave him baked beans Benda Kalu in KarnatakaThe King found this humble meal taste better than the richest fareTo commemorate this incident he called the place ampquotBenda Kalu Ooruampquot place of baked beans Bangalore today is getting popular though for a different variety of BeansJavaBeansCapital of the Southern state of Karnataka Bangalore today is Asias fastest growing cosmopolitan city It is home to some of the most high tech industries in India The IT industry views Bangalore as the bytebasket of India Bangalore is also home to some of Indias premier scientific establishments Blessed with a salubrious climate gardens ampamp parks natural lakes architectural landmarks shopping malls the best restaurants and pubs in this part of the globe business opportunities Bangalore is the ideal gateway to India and beyond Bangalore offers something for everyonemusic and dance concerts Western and Indian dramas exhibitions carnivals conferences and moreGo discohopping or pubcrawling shop till your feet give awayrelax in the swankiest restaurants or with your favourite movie starsin the movie hall or simply tee off to glory Welcome to BangaloreThe earliest records of a place named Bengaluru were found in a 9th century temple in an area that is now known as Old Bangalore Once the feudal lord Kempe Gowda was hunting in this area a rabbit turned and attacked his dog This made a great impression on the lord and he gave the place a title of gandu bhoomi the place of heroes and in 1537 with the assistance of the local king he constructed three districts protected by a walled fort on the siteDuring the next three centuries Bangalore existed very much in the shadow of its neighboring city Mysore and control of the town changed hands many times The year 1831 marked a major turning point for the city Claiming misrule by the king Krishna Raja Wodeyar III the British took control of the Mysore Kingdom and possibly influenced by the citys mild climate moved the administrative capital to Bangalore New telecommunication systems were laid rail connections built fine government buildings constructed and the citys famous parks and gardens established After independence Bangalore maintained its position as the Karnataka state capital and continues to flourishFor many years Bangalore was known throughout India as the most green liberal and forwardthinking city In recent years these attributes have propelled Bangalore to the forefront of the hightech industry boom in India and it currently ranks as Indias most developed city and one of the worlds fastest growing urban areasThe name Bangalore appears to come from an Anglicization of the native name ampquotBengaluruampquot an adaptation of the earlier name in Kannada Benda Kaale Uru The Town of Boiled Beans Apparently this rather humble name was bequeathed to the city by king Vira Ballala Once while lost in the area he was offered boiled beans by an old woman and it was out of gratitude that he named the area after this simple offeringFew Cities in the World have the power to attract and motivate a casual visitor to move there permanently Bangalore is one of those rare cities which makes people who are new to the City to call themselves proud Bangaloreans Bangalore a real cool place on Planet Earth is the capital of Karnataka a major state in the southern part of India It is indeed cool the people the place and of course the weather This website is dedicated to Bangalore and its cool people Travel warnig: Legend goes that King Veeraballa of Vijayanagara once lost his way in forest Hungry and tired he came upon a lone hut in the thick forest where he met an old womanWhen he asked for food she gave him baked beans Benda Kalu in KarnatakaThe King found this humble meal taste better than the richest fareTo commemorate this incident he called the place ampquotBenda Kalu Ooruampquot place of baked beans Bangalore today is getting popular though for a different variety of BeansJavaBeansCapital of the Southern state of Karnataka Bangalore today is Asias fastest growing cosmopolitan city It is home to some of the most high tech industries in India The IT industry views Bangalore as the bytebasket of India Bangalore is also home to some of Indias premier scientific establishments Blessed with a salubrious climate gardens ampamp parks natural lakes architectural landmarks shopping malls the best restaurants and pubs in this part of the globe business opportunities Bangalore is the ideal gateway to India and beyond Bangalore offers something for everyonemusic and dance concerts Western and Indian dramas exhibitions carnivals conferences and moreGo discohopping or pubcrawling shop till your feet give awayrelax in the swankiest restaurants or with your favourite movie starsin the movie hall or simply tee off to glory Welcome to BangaloreThe earliest records of a place named Bengaluru were found in a 9th century temple in an area that is now known as Old Bangalore Once the feudal lord Kempe Gowda was hunting in this area a rabbit turned and attacked his dog This made a great impression on the lord and he gave the place a title of gandu bhoomi the place of heroes and in 1537 with the assistance of the local king he constructed three districts protected by a walled fort on the siteDuring the next three centuries Bangalore existed very much in the shadow of its neighboring city Mysore and control of the town changed hands many times The year 1831 marked a major turning point for the city Claiming misrule by the king Krishna Raja Wodeyar III the British took control of the Mysore Kingdom and possibly influenced by the citys mild climate moved the administrative capital to Bangalore New telecommunication systems were laid rail connections built fine government buildings constructed and the citys famous parks and gardens established After independence Bangalore maintained its position as the Karnataka state capital and continues to flourishFor many years Bangalore was known throughout India as the most green liberal and forwardthinking city In recent years these attributes have propelled Bangalore to the forefront of the hightech industry boom in India and it currently ranks as Indias most developed city and one of the worlds fastest growing urban areasThe name Bangalore appears to come from an Anglicization of the native name ampquotBengaluruampquot an adaptation of the earlier name in Kannada Benda Kaale Uru The Town of Boiled Beans Apparently this rather humble name was bequeathed to the city by king Vira Ballala Once while lost in the area he was offered boiled beans by an old woman and it was out of gratitude that he named the area after this simple offeringFew Cities in the World have the power to attract and motivate a casual visitor to move there permanently Bangalore is one of those rare cities which makes people who are new to the City to call themselves proud Bangaloreans Bangalore a real cool place on Planet Earth is the capital of Karnataka a major state in the southern part of India It is indeed cool the people the place and of course the weather This website is dedicated to Bangalore and its cool people

Hampi

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:30:06 PDT

Overview: Listed as a World Heritage Site Hampi the city of ruins is one of the most captivating historical sites of South India It houses as many as 500 monuments each with a story behind it reflecting a fascinating history reaching the pinnacle of glory and then stumbling to a decline of utter neglect The name Hampi originated from the word Pampa the ancient name for the River Tungabhadra that flows through the city There are many other names that it goes by Vijayanagara named after the ruling kingdom and capital city and Virupakshapura named after the revered deity Shiva Hampi is also a sacred place for the Hindus as it is believed that Pampa was Lord Brahmas daughter who married Lord Shiva and thus the place was called Pampakshetra Around it grew the biggest ever empire of South India the Vijayanagar Empire in 1336 AD tillThe Vijaynagar city ruins near the village of Hampi 353 kilometers from Bangalore are one of the most fascinating historical sites in South India Hampi holds many delightful surprises The most famous is the Kings Balance where kings were weighed against gold or money which was then distributed to the poor Also worth a visit are the Queens Bath with its arched corridors projecting balconies and lotus shaped fountains the two storeyed Lotus Mahal the huge Elephant Stables the splendid Vitthal Temple with its musical pillars and the Stone Chariot the Virupaksha Temple Ugra Narasimha the 67 meters tall monolith the Pushkarini Tank the Mahanavami Dibba etc Temples of this city are noted for their large dimensions florid ornamentation bold and delicate carvings stately pillars magnificent pavilions and a great wealth of iconographic and traditional depictions which include subjects from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata The Pampapati temple is one of the largest temples at Hampi The Vitthal temple is an excellent example of Vijayanagar style Also present are some monolithic statues of Lakshmi Narasimha and Ganesha which are noted for their massiveness and grace Other temples in the surroundings are the Krishna temple Pattabhirama temple Hazara Ramachandra Chandrasekhara temple and the Jaina Temple as it is popularly known today was the medieval capital of the Hindu empire Vijayanagara the City of Victory Hampi in the Karnataka state of India is listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage SitesHampi is charismatic even in its ruined state It attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year Vast stretches ofampnbsp erstrewn hills make the backdrop of Hampi uniqueHampi in brief Hampi in brief A quick over view of Hampi Dotted around the hills and valleys are 500 plus monuments Among them are beautiful temples basement of palaces remains of aquatic structures ancient market streets royal pavilions bastions royal platforms treasury buildings the list is practically endless Hampi is a backpackers paradise the same way the pilgrims delightIn Hampi at every turn there is a surprise Every monument hides more than what they reveal As an open museum Hampi has numerous popular 100 plus locations visitors throngwwwHampiin is cobbled with a range of information on Hampi For example descriptions ampamp photo album of various monuments Hampi ruin maps that you can print travel details tips for your Hampi trip hotel locations itinerary plan and so on Travel warnig: Listed as a World Heritage Site Hampi the city of ruins is one of the most captivating historical sites of South India It houses as many as 500 monuments each with a story behind it reflecting a fascinating history reaching the pinnacle of glory and then stumbling to a decline of utter neglect The name Hampi originated from the word Pampa the ancient name for the River Tungabhadra that flows through the city There are many other names that it goes by Vijayanagara named after the ruling kingdom and capital city and Virupakshapura named after the revered deity Shiva Hampi is also a sacred place for the Hindus as it is believed that Pampa was Lord Brahmas daughter who married Lord Shiva and thus the place was called Pampakshetra Around it grew the biggest ever empire of South India the Vijayanagar Empire in 1336 AD tillThe Vijaynagar city ruins near the village of Hampi 353 kilometers from Bangalore are one of the most fascinating historical sites in South India Hampi holds many delightful surprises The most famous is the Kings Balance where kings were weighed against gold or money which was then distributed to the poor Also worth a visit are the Queens Bath with its arched corridors projecting balconies and lotus shaped fountains the two storeyed Lotus Mahal the huge Elephant Stables the splendid Vitthal Temple with its musical pillars and the Stone Chariot the Virupaksha Temple Ugra Narasimha the 67 meters tall monolith the Pushkarini Tank the Mahanavami Dibba etc Temples of this city are noted for their large dimensions florid ornamentation bold and delicate carvings stately pillars magnificent pavilions and a great wealth of iconographic and traditional depictions which include subjects from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata The Pampapati temple is one of the largest temples at Hampi The Vitthal temple is an excellent example of Vijayanagar style Also present are some monolithic statues of Lakshmi Narasimha and Ganesha which are noted for their massiveness and grace Other temples in the surroundings are the Krishna temple Pattabhirama temple Hazara Ramachandra Chandrasekhara temple and the Jaina Temple as it is popularly known today was the medieval capital of the Hindu empire Vijayanagara the City of Victory Hampi in the Karnataka state of India is listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage SitesHampi is charismatic even in its ruined state It attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year Vast stretches ofampnbsp erstrewn hills make the backdrop of Hampi uniqueHampi in brief Hampi in brief A quick over view of Hampi Dotted around the hills and valleys are 500 plus monuments Among them are beautiful temples basement of palaces remains of aquatic structures ancient market streets royal pavilions bastions royal platforms treasury buildings the list is practically endless Hampi is a backpackers paradise the same way the pilgrims delightIn Hampi at every turn there is a surprise Every monument hides more than what they reveal As an open museum Hampi has numerous popular 100 plus locations visitors throngwwwHampiin is cobbled with a range of information on Hampi For example descriptions ampamp photo album of various monuments Hampi ruin maps that you can print travel details tips for your Hampi trip hotel locations itinerary plan and so on

Paithan

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:53:14 PST

Overview: This ancienty 56 kms south of Aurangabad and is situated on the bank of the river Godavari Once known as ampquotPratishanampquot was the seat of the satvahana dynasty who ruled from 2nd century B0 to 2nd century AD In ancient times if has trade contacts with the Roman empire The city gained more prominence during the 16th century AD Marathi poet and sait Eknath lived here There are several temples dicorated with fine wood carvings I he little town is famous for its shrine of saint Eknath which lands it special spiritutal ambience Every yoar on Nath shastri which usually is ills in the month of march a big fair 1ampbull held called paithan yatraPaithan is also famous for is gold and silver embrridered arees called paithani The famous ilya wadi project is near by paith an 6 kms from Aurangabad Travel warnig: This ancienty 56 kms south of Aurangabad and is situated on the bank of the river Godavari Once known as ampquotPratishanampquot was the seat of the satvahana dynasty who ruled from 2nd century B0 to 2nd century AD In ancient times if has trade contacts with the Roman empire The city gained more prominence during the 16th century AD Marathi poet and sait Eknath lived here There are several temples dicorated with fine wood carvings I he little town is famous for its shrine of saint Eknath which lands it special spiritutal ambience Every yoar on Nath shastri which usually is ills in the month of march a big fair 1ampbull held called paithan yatraPaithan is also famous for is gold and silver embrridered arees called paithani The famous ilya wadi project is near by paith an 6 kms from Aurangabad

Anantapur

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 05:04:21 PDT

Overview: Anantapur is the largest district of Andhra Pradesh and the second largest district in India first being the Ladakh valley of Kashmir Known throughout the country for its silk trade industry Anantpur also shares its name with the headquarters of the district It is said that Anantapur derived its name from Anaatasagaram meaning Endless Ocean a huge tank in the vicinity Hande Anantapuram is the other name for the placeIn the past few years tourism has been growing in the region owing to the presence of several tourist attractions Located in the westernmost part of the Andhra Pradesh Ananthapur city makes the headquarters as well as the financial centre of the district Reminiscent of other parts of the state the city too has abundance of foliage and agrarian blessing Though it has imbibed modern beliefs it has not compromised its primeval charmAnantapur district has many tourist places worthvisiting The district infact appears drenched in a celestial aura with its ancient temples There are imposing forts in its periphery that conjure up the reminiscences of the royalty Celebration of fairs and festivals keep its dwellers in cheerful spirits Anantapur district also forms part of the Rayalaseema region Just travel to Ananthapur and be a witness to the cache of asceticism along with the glorious past ampnbspProtests against the process of according the semiautonomous status to the Government Medical College GMC and the attached teaching general hospital here continued on Tuesday with the activists of CPI and its frontal organisations staging a protest in front of the hospital The doctors and other staff associations of the college and hospital are however yet to chalk out their strategy in opposing the Government moveThe activists of CPI and its frontal organisations AITUC AISF AIYF and Mahila Samakhya protested in front of the entrance of the general hospital by sitting on their knees and exhibiting placards and banners written with slogans against GO 118 and privatisation of the college and hospital They raised slogans against the Government and demanded immediate withdrawal of the GO aimed at phase privatisationLed by C Jaffer P Narayanaswamy D Rushyendrababu D Shakuntala A Sreeramulu D Raja Reddy A Lingamaiah and G Nagabhushanam they also met incharge Superintendent of the hospital M Jagannath and submitted a memorandum On the other hand district secretary of CPI M G Obulakonda Reddy condemned the government move aimed at phased privatisations of the medical college and hospital Travel warnig: Anantapur is the largest district of Andhra Pradesh and the second largest district in India first being the Ladakh valley of Kashmir Known throughout the country for its silk trade industry Anantpur also shares its name with the headquarters of the district It is said that Anantapur derived its name from Anaatasagaram meaning Endless Ocean a huge tank in the vicinity Hande Anantapuram is the other name for the placeIn the past few years tourism has been growing in the region owing to the presence of several tourist attractions Located in the westernmost part of the Andhra Pradesh Ananthapur city makes the headquarters as well as the financial centre of the district Reminiscent of other parts of the state the city too has abundance of foliage and agrarian blessing Though it has imbibed modern beliefs it has not compromised its primeval charmAnantapur district has many tourist places worthvisiting The district infact appears drenched in a celestial aura with its ancient temples There are imposing forts in its periphery that conjure up the reminiscences of the royalty Celebration of fairs and festivals keep its dwellers in cheerful spirits Anantapur district also forms part of the Rayalaseema region Just travel to Ananthapur and be a witness to the cache of asceticism along with the glorious past ampnbspProtests against the process of according the semiautonomous status to the Government Medical College GMC and the attached teaching general hospital here continued on Tuesday with the activists of CPI and its frontal organisations staging a protest in front of the hospital The doctors and other staff associations of the college and hospital are however yet to chalk out their strategy in opposing the Government moveThe activists of CPI and its frontal organisations AITUC AISF AIYF and Mahila Samakhya protested in front of the entrance of the general hospital by sitting on their knees and exhibiting placards and banners written with slogans against GO 118 and privatisation of the college and hospital They raised slogans against the Government and demanded immediate withdrawal of the GO aimed at phase privatisationLed by C Jaffer P Narayanaswamy D Rushyendrababu D Shakuntala A Sreeramulu D Raja Reddy A Lingamaiah and G Nagabhushanam they also met incharge Superintendent of the hospital M Jagannath and submitted a memorandum On the other hand district secretary of CPI M G Obulakonda Reddy condemned the government move aimed at phased privatisations of the medical college and hospital

Tirupati

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:31:54 PDT

Overview: Tirupathi is believed to be the richest temple in the country with picturesque surroundings The temple is also a fine example of Dravidian Art ampamp Style It is also a famous center for wood carving In this service we arrange to offer an easy darshan ampamp accommodation for the devotees of any far off places ampndash both out of state and out of country devotees Right from the Train Ticket Reservations of your choice including return tickets to the accommodation cottage booking and darshan of the Lord we can arrange things done precisely If you wish so a fourwheeler will also be at your service As the need arises we may also arrange a guide to make the devotees quite acquainted with the place Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanam or the abode of the Lord Tirupati is probably Hindu Indiaamprsquos most visited holy place Situated amidst lush greenery atop a hill surrounded by outcroppings of red rock the temple which attracts the devout in thousands everyday is dedicated to Sri Venkateswara one of the incarnations of Vishnu The temple is the reason that this town gets visitors usually pilgrims whoamprsquove travelled hundreds of kilometres to ask a wish of the LordThe town of Tirupathi lies a little way away from the sacred hill and has most of the areaamprsquos dining and accommodation facilities The few kilometres between Tirupathi and Tirumala are easily traversed by bus auto rickshaw or taxi But the most astounding leg of the journey begins at the bottom of the hill Hours in line will give you tremendous insight into the emotion of the guy that coined amplsquoso near yet so faramprsquo A regular amplsquodarshanamprsquo takes longer to come by than a amplsquospecialamprsquo oneampnbsp But everybody has to line up and wait as the queue winds its way up through a series of enclosuresTirumala is one of the few temples to allow nonHindus into the sanctum sanctorum Remember you have to leave your footwear behind at the stall outside the temple compound And do not succumb to the highpressure tactics of ticket toting touts get yours from the templeamprsquos official counterThe temple houses a heavily garlanded idol of Sri Venkateswara before whom one is allowed only a few moments before the next enclosure load of visitors is to be ushered in In that time youamprsquoll see the stupendously opulent vimana covered in gold and finely sculpted columns The amplsquodarshanamprsquo is followed by a round of amplsquoprasadamprsquo food that has been blessed by the deity and must be received with both hands cupped right palm above the left oneTirupathi receives a record number of pilgrims everyday more than any other holy city in the world These record crowds topple bigger records during the festivals and on weekends According to whether chaos is your cup of tea or not you can choose highseason weekends or offseason weekdays Travel warnig: Tirupathi is believed to be the richest temple in the country with picturesque surroundings The temple is also a fine example of Dravidian Art ampamp Style It is also a famous center for wood carving In this service we arrange to offer an easy darshan ampamp accommodation for the devotees of any far off places ampndash both out of state and out of country devotees Right from the Train Ticket Reservations of your choice including return tickets to the accommodation cottage booking and darshan of the Lord we can arrange things done precisely If you wish so a fourwheeler will also be at your service As the need arises we may also arrange a guide to make the devotees quite acquainted with the place Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanam or the abode of the Lord Tirupati is probably Hindu Indiaamprsquos most visited holy place Situated amidst lush greenery atop a hill surrounded by outcroppings of red rock the temple which attracts the devout in thousands everyday is dedicated to Sri Venkateswara one of the incarnations of Vishnu The temple is the reason that this town gets visitors usually pilgrims whoamprsquove travelled hundreds of kilometres to ask a wish of the LordThe town of Tirupathi lies a little way away from the sacred hill and has most of the areaamprsquos dining and accommodation facilities The few kilometres between Tirupathi and Tirumala are easily traversed by bus auto rickshaw or taxi But the most astounding leg of the journey begins at the bottom of the hill Hours in line will give you tremendous insight into the emotion of the guy that coined amplsquoso near yet so faramprsquo A regular amplsquodarshanamprsquo takes longer to come by than a amplsquospecialamprsquo oneampnbsp But everybody has to line up and wait as the queue winds its way up through a series of enclosuresTirumala is one of the few temples to allow nonHindus into the sanctum sanctorum Remember you have to leave your footwear behind at the stall outside the temple compound And do not succumb to the highpressure tactics of ticket toting touts get yours from the templeamprsquos official counterThe temple houses a heavily garlanded idol of Sri Venkateswara before whom one is allowed only a few moments before the next enclosure load of visitors is to be ushered in In that time youamprsquoll see the stupendously opulent vimana covered in gold and finely sculpted columns The amplsquodarshanamprsquo is followed by a round of amplsquoprasadamprsquo food that has been blessed by the deity and must be received with both hands cupped right palm above the left oneTirupathi receives a record number of pilgrims everyday more than any other holy city in the world These record crowds topple bigger records during the festivals and on weekends According to whether chaos is your cup of tea or not you can choose highseason weekends or offseason weekdays

Guntur

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:10:11 PDT

Overview: Guntur is one of the districts of Andhra Pradesh bounded by Krishna district and Bay of Bengal in the East while on its south lies Prakasam district in the west Mahabubnagar district and Krishna and Nalgonda districts in the North The rivers Krishna Chandravanka Naagileru and Gundla Kamma flow through the district The major places of the district are Guntur Bapatla Tenali Narasaraopeta and Ponnur It is spread over an area of 11391 Sqkms According to 2001 Census the population of the district is 440552 comprising of 222030 males and 218521 femalesAgriculture is one of the main occupation of the people of Guntur Paddy is among the major crops which is cultivated twice a year Other crops that are grown are Jowar Cotton Turmeric Maize Arhar Chillies Sugarcane and Sesame The district is also involved in the mining of Limestone The industries that contribute to the revenue of the state are Tobacco Handloom Silk Sangam Dairy Cement Factories at Thadepalli and Macherla Andhra Fertilizers and Jute mill at Guntur Durgistone craft is a popular handicraft of the region Water is supplied to the farming lands of Guntur from the Nagarjuna Sagar Right bank Buckingham Canal of the Krishna Barrage dam constructed across Naguleru river at Dachepalli The district receives electricity through Nagarjuna Sagar Project and Machkand Project Guntur is well connected by road and railIt is an important railway junction of the Southern India Guntur is a centre of learning and the administrative capital of Guntur district which is home of historically significant Amaravati Bhattiprolu and Sitanagaram monuments The city is also a centre for business industry and agriculture The region is identified as a major transportation and textile hub in India Additionally the Guntur area economy has an agricultural component that is internationally known for its exports of chillies cotton and tobaccoThe Kingdom of Pratipalapura of 500 BCE Bhattiprolu in Guntur district appears to be the earliest known kingdom in south India The earliest recorded reference of Guntur comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I 922929 CE the Vengi Chalukyan king Guntur also appears in two other inscriptions dated 1147 CE and 1158 CE The original Sanskrit ancient Vedic culturetradition name for Guntur was Garthapuri a place surrounded by water pondsgartaguntaThe Agasthyeswara Sivalayam in the old city is an ancient temple for Lord Siva It has inscriptions on two stones in Naga Lipi an ancient script dating back to about 1100 CE The backyard of the temple hosts a very historic tree It is said that Agastya built the temple in the last TretaYuga around the Swayambhu Linga and hence it has this name The Nagals were said to have ruled the region at that time More recently the region was under the Nizams rule known as jagir of Nawab Salabat Jung till 1788 prior to the colonial period During colonial rule Guntur was under the control of the French and then the British until Indias independence The region has been historically known for Buddhism and the first Kalachakra ceremony performed by Buddha himself The place of Sitanagaram and the Guthikonda Caves 3 can be traced through Vedic Puranas back to the last TretaYuga and DwaparaYuga Traditional Time scale 17 to 05 million years ago RefGuntur is one of the premier districts of Andhra Pradesh covering an area of 11391 SqKms Guntur region shares with the rest of Deccan the honour of being the home of the first man in India Paleolithic man roamed about the region as evidenced by the discovery of Paleolithic old stone implements The Kingdom of Prati palaputra 5th century BC identified with Bhattiprolu appears to be the earliest known kingdom in Guntur District We also have an inscriptional evidence to show that king Kubera was ruling over Bhattiprolu around 230 BC followed by Sala Kings Guntur region was successively ruled over by famous dynasties like Satavahanas Ikshavakus Pallavas Anandagothrins Vishnu Kundins Chalukyas Cholas Kakatiyas Reddies Vijayanagara and Kutub Shahis during ancient and medieval times Later several subordinate kingdoms ruled the region These subordinate dynasties also in indulged in mutual warfares one of which culminated into a famous battle of Palnadu which is enshrined in legend and literate as ampquotAndhra Kurukshetraampquot in 1180 ADDuring the period of Nizam rule French occupied Guntur in 1750 Guntur was brought under control of English East India Company by 1788 ADThe Region played a very remarkable role in the freedom struggle and also in the formation of Andhra PradeshThere are several opinions with regard to the meaning and origin of the word Guntur The word Guntur owes its origin to words like Gundu a rock Gunta a pond and Kunta 13 of an acre We are well aware that in Sanskrit Guntur is being called as Garthapuri GuntlapuriThe earliest reference to Guntur a variant of Guntur comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I 922929 AD the Vengichalakyan King Guntur also makes its appearance in another two inscriptions dated 1147 AD and 1158 ADSince the beginning of Buddhist epoch Guntur was standing foremost in matters of education Buddhists established universities in ancient times at DhanyakatakaAmaravathi and Nagarjunakonda At present with many educational institutions Guntur leads other Andhra Districts in matters of educationSome places of historical importance in Guntur District are Amaravathi Nagarjunakonda Bhattiprolu Undavalli caves and Archeological museum in GunturAgricultural products like Paddy Tobacco Cotton and Chillies are the main agricultural products cultivated in the district Travel warnig: Guntur is one of the districts of Andhra Pradesh bounded by Krishna district and Bay of Bengal in the East while on its south lies Prakasam district in the west Mahabubnagar district and Krishna and Nalgonda districts in the North The rivers Krishna Chandravanka Naagileru and Gundla Kamma flow through the district The major places of the district are Guntur Bapatla Tenali Narasaraopeta and Ponnur It is spread over an area of 11391 Sqkms According to 2001 Census the population of the district is 440552 comprising of 222030 males and 218521 femalesAgriculture is one of the main occupation of the people of Guntur Paddy is among the major crops which is cultivated twice a year Other crops that are grown are Jowar Cotton Turmeric Maize Arhar Chillies Sugarcane and Sesame The district is also involved in the mining of Limestone The industries that contribute to the revenue of the state are Tobacco Handloom Silk Sangam Dairy Cement Factories at Thadepalli and Macherla Andhra Fertilizers and Jute mill at Guntur Durgistone craft is a popular handicraft of the region Water is supplied to the farming lands of Guntur from the Nagarjuna Sagar Right bank Buckingham Canal of the Krishna Barrage dam constructed across Naguleru river at Dachepalli The district receives electricity through Nagarjuna Sagar Project and Machkand Project Guntur is well connected by road and railIt is an important railway junction of the Southern India Guntur is a centre of learning and the administrative capital of Guntur district which is home of historically significant Amaravati Bhattiprolu and Sitanagaram monuments The city is also a centre for business industry and agriculture The region is identified as a major transportation and textile hub in India Additionally the Guntur area economy has an agricultural component that is internationally known for its exports of chillies cotton and tobaccoThe Kingdom of Pratipalapura of 500 BCE Bhattiprolu in Guntur district appears to be the earliest known kingdom in south India The earliest recorded reference of Guntur comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I 922929 CE the Vengi Chalukyan king Guntur also appears in two other inscriptions dated 1147 CE and 1158 CE The original Sanskrit ancient Vedic culturetradition name for Guntur was Garthapuri a place surrounded by water pondsgartaguntaThe Agasthyeswara Sivalayam in the old city is an ancient temple for Lord Siva It has inscriptions on two stones in Naga Lipi an ancient script dating back to about 1100 CE The backyard of the temple hosts a very historic tree It is said that Agastya built the temple in the last TretaYuga around the Swayambhu Linga and hence it has this name The Nagals were said to have ruled the region at that time More recently the region was under the Nizams rule known as jagir of Nawab Salabat Jung till 1788 prior to the colonial period During colonial rule Guntur was under the control of the French and then the British until Indias independence The region has been historically known for Buddhism and the first Kalachakra ceremony performed by Buddha himself The place of Sitanagaram and the Guthikonda Caves 3 can be traced through Vedic Puranas back to the last TretaYuga and DwaparaYuga Traditional Time scale 17 to 05 million years ago RefGuntur is one of the premier districts of Andhra Pradesh covering an area of 11391 SqKms Guntur region shares with the rest of Deccan the honour of being the home of the first man in India Paleolithic man roamed about the region as evidenced by the discovery of Paleolithic old stone implements The Kingdom of Prati palaputra 5th century BC identified with Bhattiprolu appears to be the earliest known kingdom in Guntur District We also have an inscriptional evidence to show that king Kubera was ruling over Bhattiprolu around 230 BC followed by Sala Kings Guntur region was successively ruled over by famous dynasties like Satavahanas Ikshavakus Pallavas Anandagothrins Vishnu Kundins Chalukyas Cholas Kakatiyas Reddies Vijayanagara and Kutub Shahis during ancient and medieval times Later several subordinate kingdoms ruled the region These subordinate dynasties also in indulged in mutual warfares one of which culminated into a famous battle of Palnadu which is enshrined in legend and literate as ampquotAndhra Kurukshetraampquot in 1180 ADDuring the period of Nizam rule French occupied Guntur in 1750 Guntur was brought under control of English East India Company by 1788 ADThe Region played a very remarkable role in the freedom struggle and also in the formation of Andhra PradeshThere are several opinions with regard to the meaning and origin of the word Guntur The word Guntur owes its origin to words like Gundu a rock Gunta a pond and Kunta 13 of an acre We are well aware that in Sanskrit Guntur is being called as Garthapuri GuntlapuriThe earliest reference to Guntur a variant of Guntur comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I 922929 AD the Vengichalakyan King Guntur also makes its appearance in another two inscriptions dated 1147 AD and 1158 ADSince the beginning of Buddhist epoch Guntur was standing foremost in matters of education Buddhists established universities in ancient times at DhanyakatakaAmaravathi and Nagarjunakonda At present with many educational institutions Guntur leads other Andhra Districts in matters of educationSome places of historical importance in Guntur District are Amaravathi Nagarjunakonda Bhattiprolu Undavalli caves and Archeological museum in GunturAgricultural products like Paddy Tobacco Cotton and Chillies are the main agricultural products cultivated in the district

Godavari

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:27:59 PDT

Overview: ampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp The District is a residuary portion of the old Godavari District after West Godavari District was separated in 1925 As the name of the district conveys East Godavari District is closely associated with the river Godavari occupying a major portion of the delta areaampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp The Headquarters of the District is located at Kakinada East Godavari District lies North East Coast of Andhra Pradesh and bounded on the North by Visakhapatnam District and the State of Orissa on the East and the South by the Bay of Bengal and on the West by Khammam and West Godavari Districtsampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp Area of the District is 10807 SqKms The District is located between Northern latitudes of 16o 30 and 18o 20 and between the Eastern longitudes of 81o 30 and 82o 30 It has a population of 4873 lakhs as per 2001 Census The District consisting of 5 Revenue Divisions viz Kakinada Rajahmundry Peddapuram Rampachodavaram and AmalapuramThe East Godavari District is located in the North Coastal part of the state of Andhra Pradesh The District boundaries are Visakhapatnam West Godavari Khammam Districts and Bay of Bengalampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp The District is known as rice bowl of Andhra Pradesh with lush paddy fields and coconut groves It is also known as another Kerala East Godavari it is the Rice Granary of Andhra Pradesh beckons tourists to have a glimpse of its rich cultural heritage Where the lush paddy fields swaying in the breeze appear to dance in a celebration to lifeampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp It is where soulful bhajans and holy shlokas herald the dawn Where the chirping birds and gurgling streams invite you to the beautiful lakes and wild life sanctuaries The East Godavari district is having the area of 10807 Sq Kms with 5 Revenue divisions 60 Revenue mandals and 1011 Grama panchayats with a population of 4872622 as per 2001 provisional census figures The District Head Quarters Kakinada is famous for a sweet called Kotaiahamprsquos KAJA Travel warnig: ampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp The District is a residuary portion of the old Godavari District after West Godavari District was separated in 1925 As the name of the district conveys East Godavari District is closely associated with the river Godavari occupying a major portion of the delta areaampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp The Headquarters of the District is located at Kakinada East Godavari District lies North East Coast of Andhra Pradesh and bounded on the North by Visakhapatnam District and the State of Orissa on the East and the South by the Bay of Bengal and on the West by Khammam and West Godavari Districtsampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp Area of the District is 10807 SqKms The District is located between Northern latitudes of 16o 30 and 18o 20 and between the Eastern longitudes of 81o 30 and 82o 30 It has a population of 4873 lakhs as per 2001 Census The District consisting of 5 Revenue Divisions viz Kakinada Rajahmundry Peddapuram Rampachodavaram and AmalapuramThe East Godavari District is located in the North Coastal part of the state of Andhra Pradesh The District boundaries are Visakhapatnam West Godavari Khammam Districts and Bay of Bengalampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp The District is known as rice bowl of Andhra Pradesh with lush paddy fields and coconut groves It is also known as another Kerala East Godavari it is the Rice Granary of Andhra Pradesh beckons tourists to have a glimpse of its rich cultural heritage Where the lush paddy fields swaying in the breeze appear to dance in a celebration to lifeampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp It is where soulful bhajans and holy shlokas herald the dawn Where the chirping birds and gurgling streams invite you to the beautiful lakes and wild life sanctuaries The East Godavari district is having the area of 10807 Sq Kms with 5 Revenue divisions 60 Revenue mandals and 1011 Grama panchayats with a population of 4872622 as per 2001 provisional census figures The District Head Quarters Kakinada is famous for a sweet called Kotaiahamprsquos KAJA

Agra

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:41:36 PST

Overview: Agra is one of the most important historicakl and ancient cities of Inampnotdia This handsome town is situated in the holy region of Brij Bhoomi on the right bank of river Yamuna In ancient days the city was fortified having sixampnotteen gates and it was the frontier defence of the AryansThe earliest mention of Agra is the epic Mahabharata 3rd century be It was then called Agrabana or paradise in Sanskrit In the 2nd century adPtolemy the geographer of Alexander the great Showed it on his map of the world as AgaraFive thousend ago during the days of Mahabarata the city was know as Agraban Some historians are of the opinion that it was founded by Mahaampnotraja Ugersen and was named after his own name After that the name was spoilt and lastly it was known as Agra Any how is in fact an ancient cityIn the year 1475 AD Badal Singh a kshatrya hero had built a fort for defence againest Mohammendan invasion and called it as Baddgarh Emampnotperor Akbar after demolighing the badalgarh acquired the same place for construction of his grand fort However the 12th centuryAD persian prot salaman too speaks of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra then held by one King Jaipal by Sultan Mahud of GhazniAfter wards in 1492 AD Sikandar lodi of theLodi dynasty in habited a city known as Sikandar which is as a distance of five miles of the present city In 1526 ADBabar the great Mughal defated the last king of lody dynastyOn the banks of the river Yamuna It took 22 years and over 20000 workers The design and consruction is attributed to the persian architect ustad Ahamad Lahori Legend has it that once construction was completed Shah jahan had Lahoris hands cut off and blinded So he would never be able to amphlicate the structure The Taj Mahal viewed from the Agra fort Where Shah Jahan spent last eight year of his life as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb in the midday heat of the torrid summamers of northern India Taj Mahal floats like a mirage A similar feeling pervades as one enters the main gate and beholds for the first time the elegant mausoleum which rests on a high plat form of white marbleA part from its architectural design Taj Mahal is also one of the best examles of in lay work on its screens walls grches the main arched gates verses from the Holy koran which a dom the main arched gated each letter seeminy to be same size When viewed from any position or some of the flowers in laid in the walls each made up of as many as 64 pieces of intricately cut semi precious stones are but a few examples of the elegant crafts man shipThe must elegant done of the Taj with a diameter of 60 ft rises 80 ft over the building and directly under the done is the tomb of Memtaz Mahal Shah Jahans tomb was erected next to herss by son Auranzeb The monuampnotment is best viewed on a full moon might when the whole structure glows in a subdeed uminenceIn Mughal emperor Shah Jahans name Shall ever romain associated with the most beautiful and charming structure of the world known as ampquotTaj Mahalampquot one of the seven wonders of the world erected as token of his love for his beloved queen Mumtaj Mahal as a memorial to his sweet memoryThe lady of the Taj be loved consort of the world renowned emperorShah Jahan Arjumand Bano Begum better known by her title mumtaz Mahalwas born in 1592 AD A persian by descent She was the daughter of AsafKhan the Prime Minister of Emperor Jahangirs court Mumtaj was ShahJahans second wife Queen mumtaz Mohd closed her eyes on the day of 171631 AD She before death on it she requested him to take goodpis childern and not marry again after her death She further im pressed upon with a humble request to commemorate by constructing unique tomb The Emperor in deep sarrow agreed to what was requested t his dear wife They lived 14 years happy life Mumtaz Mahal died age of years Very shortage Travel warnig: Agra is one of the most important historicakl and ancient cities of Inampnotdia This handsome town is situated in the holy region of Brij Bhoomi on the right bank of river Yamuna In ancient days the city was fortified having sixampnotteen gates and it was the frontier defence of the AryansThe earliest mention of Agra is the epic Mahabharata 3rd century be It was then called Agrabana or paradise in Sanskrit In the 2nd century adPtolemy the geographer of Alexander the great Showed it on his map of the world as AgaraFive thousend ago during the days of Mahabarata the city was know as Agraban Some historians are of the opinion that it was founded by Mahaampnotraja Ugersen and was named after his own name After that the name was spoilt and lastly it was known as Agra Any how is in fact an ancient cityIn the year 1475 AD Badal Singh a kshatrya hero had built a fort for defence againest Mohammendan invasion and called it as Baddgarh Emampnotperor Akbar after demolighing the badalgarh acquired the same place for construction of his grand fort However the 12th centuryAD persian prot salaman too speaks of a desperate assault on the fortress of Agra then held by one King Jaipal by Sultan Mahud of GhazniAfter wards in 1492 AD Sikandar lodi of theLodi dynasty in habited a city known as Sikandar which is as a distance of five miles of the present city In 1526 ADBabar the great Mughal defated the last king of lody dynastyOn the banks of the river Yamuna It took 22 years and over 20000 workers The design and consruction is attributed to the persian architect ustad Ahamad Lahori Legend has it that once construction was completed Shah jahan had Lahoris hands cut off and blinded So he would never be able to amphlicate the structure The Taj Mahal viewed from the Agra fort Where Shah Jahan spent last eight year of his life as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb in the midday heat of the torrid summamers of northern India Taj Mahal floats like a mirage A similar feeling pervades as one enters the main gate and beholds for the first time the elegant mausoleum which rests on a high plat form of white marbleA part from its architectural design Taj Mahal is also one of the best examles of in lay work on its screens walls grches the main arched gates verses from the Holy koran which a dom the main arched gated each letter seeminy to be same size When viewed from any position or some of the flowers in laid in the walls each made up of as many as 64 pieces of intricately cut semi precious stones are but a few examples of the elegant crafts man shipThe must elegant done of the Taj with a diameter of 60 ft rises 80 ft over the building and directly under the done is the tomb of Memtaz Mahal Shah Jahans tomb was erected next to herss by son Auranzeb The monuampnotment is best viewed on a full moon might when the whole structure glows in a subdeed uminenceIn Mughal emperor Shah Jahans name Shall ever romain associated with the most beautiful and charming structure of the world known as ampquotTaj Mahalampquot one of the seven wonders of the world erected as token of his love for his beloved queen Mumtaj Mahal as a memorial to his sweet memoryThe lady of the Taj be loved consort of the world renowned emperorShah Jahan Arjumand Bano Begum better known by her title mumtaz Mahalwas born in 1592 AD A persian by descent She was the daughter of AsafKhan the Prime Minister of Emperor Jahangirs court Mumtaj was ShahJahans second wife Queen mumtaz Mohd closed her eyes on the day of 171631 AD She before death on it she requested him to take goodpis childern and not marry again after her death She further im pressed upon with a humble request to commemorate by constructing unique tomb The Emperor in deep sarrow agreed to what was requested t his dear wife They lived 14 years happy life Mumtaz Mahal died age of years Very shortage

Vijayawada

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 06:29:47 PDT

Overview: ampnbspVijayawada is located about 275 km from Hyderabad between the Krishna river and its tributory Budameru This is the heart of Andhra PradeshLegand has it that Arjunas penance for a boon from Lord Shiva was answered a top near by Indrakiladri hill Hence the town came to be called Vijayawada Vijayawada has occupied an important place in history and has plenty to offer a visitor to the town todayLocated as it was at the hub of what is perhaps the largest railway junction in Andhra Pradesh Vijayawada is often referred to as the gate way to the South from the North and East of India A network of rail and air routes radiate to all parts of India from Vijayawada The town boasts of good telecommunication facilitiesHere is a guide to the sight seeing spots in and around Vijayawada The history of Vijayawada can be traced back to the mythological times The history of Vijayawada or Vijayavata as it is termed in a few inscriptions reveals the religious importance of the place The remains of the prehistoric man and society of the Stone Age is found all along the River Krishna which dominates the landscape of VijayawadaThe history of Vijayawada as a cultural and religious center marks an important episode in the history of India Vijayawada history reveals the power of the prolonged reigns of the Chalukyas of Kalyan and the great king Krishna Deva Raya on the society and culture of Vijayawada Vijayawada was even visited by foreign travelers like HuyanTsangThe religious history of Vijayawada is manifested in the temple of Lord Shiva on the banks of River Krishna There are also some other important temples in Vijayawada which includes the Kanaka Durga Devi Temple at VijayawadaThe history of Vijayawada is largely shaped by the changes that were brought about in the city by the British rule The British period was marked by significant growth in the basic infrastructure and facilities in the city A major project the Prakasam Barrage was completed and a railway bridge over the River Krishna that connected Guntur City and its district was also constructed Travel warnig: ampnbspVijayawada is located about 275 km from Hyderabad between the Krishna river and its tributory Budameru This is the heart of Andhra PradeshLegand has it that Arjunas penance for a boon from Lord Shiva was answered a top near by Indrakiladri hill Hence the town came to be called Vijayawada Vijayawada has occupied an important place in history and has plenty to offer a visitor to the town todayLocated as it was at the hub of what is perhaps the largest railway junction in Andhra Pradesh Vijayawada is often referred to as the gate way to the South from the North and East of India A network of rail and air routes radiate to all parts of India from Vijayawada The town boasts of good telecommunication facilitiesHere is a guide to the sight seeing spots in and around Vijayawada The history of Vijayawada can be traced back to the mythological times The history of Vijayawada or Vijayavata as it is termed in a few inscriptions reveals the religious importance of the place The remains of the prehistoric man and society of the Stone Age is found all along the River Krishna which dominates the landscape of VijayawadaThe history of Vijayawada as a cultural and religious center marks an important episode in the history of India Vijayawada history reveals the power of the prolonged reigns of the Chalukyas of Kalyan and the great king Krishna Deva Raya on the society and culture of Vijayawada Vijayawada was even visited by foreign travelers like HuyanTsangThe religious history of Vijayawada is manifested in the temple of Lord Shiva on the banks of River Krishna There are also some other important temples in Vijayawada which includes the Kanaka Durga Devi Temple at VijayawadaThe history of Vijayawada is largely shaped by the changes that were brought about in the city by the British rule The British period was marked by significant growth in the basic infrastructure and facilities in the city A major project the Prakasam Barrage was completed and a railway bridge over the River Krishna that connected Guntur City and its district was also constructed

Khammam

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:53:20 PDT

Overview: is a district in Andhra Pradesh India It had a population of 25654121 of which 1981 were urban as of 2001 census Khammam town is the district headquarters The present name of Khammam is said to have been derived from the name of the temple Narsimhadri later Stamba Sikhari and then it was termed as Stambhadricitation needed The name of the town Khammam seems to have been derived from the name of this hill of Kamba and the town was named as Khammam Mettu which was later renamed as KhammamThe most highly populated state in southern India and the land simultaneously of the Telugu and the Charminar Andhra Pradesh on the Bay of Bengal offers a plethora of the most diverse tourist experiences From dilapidated fortresses to untamed wilderness magnificent monuments to rustic tribal villages Andhra Pradesh has it all Home also to a bipolar communal environment Tourism of Andhra Pradesh has always been a flourishing industry and still has not lost any of the attention due to it The name of the town Khammam derives from the name of the hill of Stambhadrinamed after an old temple called Narasimha Swamy Temple on a small hill top in Khammam town believed to have existed since Treta Yuga Later Stambhadri became kambadri to kamba to khammam mettu and lastly when it became the district headquarters it came to be known as Khammam A tour to Khammam is a trip down the lanes of ancient Indian culture and tradition and history The forest area covers more than the fifty percent of the total area of the district which yield rich timber in the form of Teak Coal is the chief mineral found in these lands especially at Kottegudam and Illendu Travel warnig: is a district in Andhra Pradesh India It had a population of 25654121 of which 1981 were urban as of 2001 census Khammam town is the district headquarters The present name of Khammam is said to have been derived from the name of the temple Narsimhadri later Stamba Sikhari and then it was termed as Stambhadricitation needed The name of the town Khammam seems to have been derived from the name of this hill of Kamba and the town was named as Khammam Mettu which was later renamed as KhammamThe most highly populated state in southern India and the land simultaneously of the Telugu and the Charminar Andhra Pradesh on the Bay of Bengal offers a plethora of the most diverse tourist experiences From dilapidated fortresses to untamed wilderness magnificent monuments to rustic tribal villages Andhra Pradesh has it all Home also to a bipolar communal environment Tourism of Andhra Pradesh has always been a flourishing industry and still has not lost any of the attention due to it The name of the town Khammam derives from the name of the hill of Stambhadrinamed after an old temple called Narasimha Swamy Temple on a small hill top in Khammam town believed to have existed since Treta Yuga Later Stambhadri became kambadri to kamba to khammam mettu and lastly when it became the district headquarters it came to be known as Khammam A tour to Khammam is a trip down the lanes of ancient Indian culture and tradition and history The forest area covers more than the fifty percent of the total area of the district which yield rich timber in the form of Teak Coal is the chief mineral found in these lands especially at Kottegudam and Illendu

Hyderabad

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:45:46 PDT

Overview: Hyderabad the capital of Andhra Pradesh is the meeting place of the orloal and the accident and the influence of the Hindu and the Muslim cultures It is tholilth most populous city in India and attracts people from different parts of the country this to the fact that it still retains an oriental character and glamour which is the outcome a long historical process based on respect regard and love for each others languito customs and mode of livingHyderabad was founded in the late 16th century by the Qutubshahi dynasty a line of kings known apparently for their beautiful ampquot Monuments Mosques and Mir tressesampquotSituated as it was city soon acquired considerable military importance IN fabulous Diamond markets too were wellknown With the Mughal empire seeklau expansion in the South the days of the Qutub Shahis were numberedIn 1687 the Emperor Aurangzeb swooped down from Delhi and captured the cityAfter his death in 1707 the Mughal empire crumbled his viceroy in Hyderabad the young Asafjah declared himself independent calling himself ampquotNizanulMulkampquotorampquotRnija Iator of the Landampquot he founded his own dynasty A dynasty that would far seven qua tions rule a kingdom larger than France a dynasty whose scions would be includtul among ampquotThe Richest Men In The WorldampquotThe Nizams held sway over Hyderabad until 1948 when the state was merciful with the Indian UnionEvery tourist visiting India must make a trip to Hyderabad city in India where you can see an astonishing blend of ancestral heritage with the modern IT sector Hyderabad also known as City of Nizams is a city that was named after a queen Hyder Mahal Hyderabad literally means the city of Hyder The city of Hyderabad has its own individual character which is evident in the beautiful ancient palaces and the equally modern and stateoftheart offices and buildings The IT sector has made such a deep impact on the ancestral Hyderabad city that the city is often called as Cyberabad The city of Hyderabad has a cosister city which is called as Secunderabad A manmade lake called the Hussain Sagar Lake divides both the citiesThe city of Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh which is spread over the Deccan Plateau and is the fifth largest metropolitan city in India If shopping is your passion you can pick up some distinctive items such as the famous Hyderabadi pearls and other handicrafts which are unique to the city of Hyderabad and flaunt it with prideHyderabad provides scrumptious delicacies to tease your taste buds It is high on the spicy content so watch out Keep some water ready on your side in case you accidentally chew on red hot chilies The food is authentic and is a culmination of the Mughlai cuisine and the traditional Hyderabadi style Though the cuisine is predominantly vegetarian the people on the coast do eat fish and prawns cooked in sesame or coconut Rice toddy is the locally brewed alcoholic drink Travel warnig: Hyderabad the capital of Andhra Pradesh is the meeting place of the orloal and the accident and the influence of the Hindu and the Muslim cultures It is tholilth most populous city in India and attracts people from different parts of the country this to the fact that it still retains an oriental character and glamour which is the outcome a long historical process based on respect regard and love for each others languito customs and mode of livingHyderabad was founded in the late 16th century by the Qutubshahi dynasty a line of kings known apparently for their beautiful ampquot Monuments Mosques and Mir tressesampquotSituated as it was city soon acquired considerable military importance IN fabulous Diamond markets too were wellknown With the Mughal empire seeklau expansion in the South the days of the Qutub Shahis were numberedIn 1687 the Emperor Aurangzeb swooped down from Delhi and captured the cityAfter his death in 1707 the Mughal empire crumbled his viceroy in Hyderabad the young Asafjah declared himself independent calling himself ampquotNizanulMulkampquotorampquotRnija Iator of the Landampquot he founded his own dynasty A dynasty that would far seven qua tions rule a kingdom larger than France a dynasty whose scions would be includtul among ampquotThe Richest Men In The WorldampquotThe Nizams held sway over Hyderabad until 1948 when the state was merciful with the Indian UnionEvery tourist visiting India must make a trip to Hyderabad city in India where you can see an astonishing blend of ancestral heritage with the modern IT sector Hyderabad also known as City of Nizams is a city that was named after a queen Hyder Mahal Hyderabad literally means the city of Hyder The city of Hyderabad has its own individual character which is evident in the beautiful ancient palaces and the equally modern and stateoftheart offices and buildings The IT sector has made such a deep impact on the ancestral Hyderabad city that the city is often called as Cyberabad The city of Hyderabad has a cosister city which is called as Secunderabad A manmade lake called the Hussain Sagar Lake divides both the citiesThe city of Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh which is spread over the Deccan Plateau and is the fifth largest metropolitan city in India If shopping is your passion you can pick up some distinctive items such as the famous Hyderabadi pearls and other handicrafts which are unique to the city of Hyderabad and flaunt it with prideHyderabad provides scrumptious delicacies to tease your taste buds It is high on the spicy content so watch out Keep some water ready on your side in case you accidentally chew on red hot chilies The food is authentic and is a culmination of the Mughlai cuisine and the traditional Hyderabadi style Though the cuisine is predominantly vegetarian the people on the coast do eat fish and prawns cooked in sesame or coconut Rice toddy is the locally brewed alcoholic drink

Warangal

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:25:25 PDT

Overview: Warangal once the capital of the Kakatiya Kingdom is the fifth largest city of Andhra Pradesh IT is also an important culturalampnbsp centre of the Telengana region Warangalsampnbsp history beautiful lakes fine temples and rich faura and fiora have contributed to its importance as a tourist centreThe historic city of Warangal in the state of Andhra Pradesh 175 kms from Hyderabad is known for its beautiful turquoise lakes spectacular temples and rich flora and fauna The Capital of erstwhile Kakatiya Kingdom Warrangal is a place for those interested in Hindu temple architecture Here in specimen of Kakatiya architecturethe starshaped thousand pillars temple This triple shrined temple dedicated to Shiva Vishnu and Surya is noteworthy for its delicately carved pillars screens and exquisite icons The rock cut elephants and the Nandi bull 18mts are very impressive The Bhadrakali temple atop a hill near Warrangal which is noted for the eight armed stone image of the Goddess and the Warangal Fort are the places worth a visitLooking for an interesting historical interlude from Hyderabad Then visit Warangal a city of stone temples and forts wildlife and scenic beauty The legendary city was once the capital of the Kakatiyas in the 12th to 14th centuries Its impressive fort was a medieval bastion admired by intrepid travellers of Marco Polos vintage Some of the most striking relics of the south lie scattered here in the midst of grassy hills and forestsThe once glorious Warangal Fort near Hanamkonda erected by Ganapati Deva and his daughter Rudramma now lies in ruins Four huge stone gateways leading to the fort stand here as mute testimony to the Kakatiyas architectural prowess Perhaps a willing suspension of disbelief is all you need as you wander through the palace portals Close your eyes and enter the stone gateway and offer flowers at the crumbling Swayambhu temple a shrine dedicated to ShivaThen visit the three concentric shrines to Vishnu Shiva and Surya in the Thousand Pillared Temple another striking example of ornate Kakatiya architecture King Rudradeva built this edifice at the base of Hanamkonda Hill The entrance is guarded by Shivas sacred bull Nandi in black stone and each pillar is intricately sculpted The Bhadrakali Temple at the summit of Hanamkonda is a shrine to Goddess Kali in her battle glory brandishing weapons in each of her eight armsWhile in Warangal visit the Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary in the forests around Pakhal Lake 50 km from Warangal a reserve for tigers panthers sambhars and other wildlife Palampet 60 km out of Warangal is the site of the magnificent Ramappa Temple and the Ramappa Cheruvu lake amidst forested hills And finally cool off in front of the fountains at Warangals sprawling Musical Gardens Or spend a lazy afternoon at the Vana Vignan Kendra a park on Hunter RoadAccommodation Warangal has plenty of budget accommodation especially in the area near the station You can stay at guesthouses lodges and motels where the tariffs range from Rs100 for a basic room to Rs 500 for a deluxe room Accommodation is also available at the Vanavihar Forest Guest House on the banks of the lake Ramappa Cheruvu at Palampet 68 km from Warangal by arrangement with the tourist bureau at KazhipetFor more information contact APTTDCs Regional Tourist Information Bureau Tourist Rest House Kazhipet Warangal Tel 08712576201 For country information see IndiaFor state and visitor information see Andhra Pradesh Travel warnig: Warangal once the capital of the Kakatiya Kingdom is the fifth largest city of Andhra Pradesh IT is also an important culturalampnbsp centre of the Telengana region Warangalsampnbsp history beautiful lakes fine temples and rich faura and fiora have contributed to its importance as a tourist centreThe historic city of Warangal in the state of Andhra Pradesh 175 kms from Hyderabad is known for its beautiful turquoise lakes spectacular temples and rich flora and fauna The Capital of erstwhile Kakatiya Kingdom Warrangal is a place for those interested in Hindu temple architecture Here in specimen of Kakatiya architecturethe starshaped thousand pillars temple This triple shrined temple dedicated to Shiva Vishnu and Surya is noteworthy for its delicately carved pillars screens and exquisite icons The rock cut elephants and the Nandi bull 18mts are very impressive The Bhadrakali temple atop a hill near Warrangal which is noted for the eight armed stone image of the Goddess and the Warangal Fort are the places worth a visitLooking for an interesting historical interlude from Hyderabad Then visit Warangal a city of stone temples and forts wildlife and scenic beauty The legendary city was once the capital of the Kakatiyas in the 12th to 14th centuries Its impressive fort was a medieval bastion admired by intrepid travellers of Marco Polos vintage Some of the most striking relics of the south lie scattered here in the midst of grassy hills and forestsThe once glorious Warangal Fort near Hanamkonda erected by Ganapati Deva and his daughter Rudramma now lies in ruins Four huge stone gateways leading to the fort stand here as mute testimony to the Kakatiyas architectural prowess Perhaps a willing suspension of disbelief is all you need as you wander through the palace portals Close your eyes and enter the stone gateway and offer flowers at the crumbling Swayambhu temple a shrine dedicated to ShivaThen visit the three concentric shrines to Vishnu Shiva and Surya in the Thousand Pillared Temple another striking example of ornate Kakatiya architecture King Rudradeva built this edifice at the base of Hanamkonda Hill The entrance is guarded by Shivas sacred bull Nandi in black stone and each pillar is intricately sculpted The Bhadrakali Temple at the summit of Hanamkonda is a shrine to Goddess Kali in her battle glory brandishing weapons in each of her eight armsWhile in Warangal visit the Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary in the forests around Pakhal Lake 50 km from Warangal a reserve for tigers panthers sambhars and other wildlife Palampet 60 km out of Warangal is the site of the magnificent Ramappa Temple and the Ramappa Cheruvu lake amidst forested hills And finally cool off in front of the fountains at Warangals sprawling Musical Gardens Or spend a lazy afternoon at the Vana Vignan Kendra a park on Hunter RoadAccommodation Warangal has plenty of budget accommodation especially in the area near the station You can stay at guesthouses lodges and motels where the tariffs range from Rs100 for a basic room to Rs 500 for a deluxe room Accommodation is also available at the Vanavihar Forest Guest House on the banks of the lake Ramappa Cheruvu at Palampet 68 km from Warangal by arrangement with the tourist bureau at KazhipetFor more information contact APTTDCs Regional Tourist Information Bureau Tourist Rest House Kazhipet Warangal Tel 08712576201 For country information see IndiaFor state and visitor information see Andhra Pradesh

Gangtok

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:42:13 PDT

Overview: Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim State The boatike mountain girdled State is bordered Eastern Himalayas on the West by Nepal on the North by Tibert and on the East by Bhutan and on the South by the Dajeeling District Dheesh Bangal Gangtok the capital is about 5500 ftampnbsp above the sea leavel The important rivers of Sikkin are the Rangeet Teestaampnbsp Mangyal as the temporal and spiritualampnbsp leaders of Sikkim whose ancestry theyampnbsp traced from a legendry prince who founded the kingdom of Minyag in Eastern Tibetampnbsp in the 9th century AD This dynasty ruled in the Chumbi and Teesta valleysampnbspampnbsp The Lepeahs are the oldest inhabitants of Sikkim There is anampnbsp old helperampnbsp legend that long ago inampnbsp the 15th and 16thampnbsp centuries theampnbspampnbsp two main religions The tourist attractions in Gangtok include museums monasteries and quaint surroundings The Deer Park is a mustsee tourist spot commanding a breathtaking view of the valleys neighboring the city of Gangtok against the backdrop of the elegant Mt Kanchenjunga The park is home the rare red panda and the Himalayan BearDul Dul Chortena also features among the popular tourist attractions in Gangtok that was built under the direction of the late most respected Rimpoche and is a place of worship for the Tibetan BuddhistsOther places of interest in Gangtok are the monasteries like the Pemayangtse Monastery dating from the 17th century and the Labrang Monastery about a century old both belonging to the Nyingmapa division The Royal chapel Tasuklakhang within the palace grounds has a large anthology of Buddhist scripturesThe Tsomgo Lake is a tranquil lake considered by the Buddhists to be a holy lake Another gorgeous lake is Kechopari with crystal clear water amidst dense forests Like the rest of Sikkim not much is known about the early history of Gangtok3 The earliest records date from the construction of the hermitic Gangtok monastery in 17164 Gangtok remained a small hamlet until the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840 made it a pilgrimage center After the defeat of the Tibetans by the British Gangtok became a major stopover in the trade between Tibet and British India at the end of the 19th century5 Most of the roads and the telegraph in the area were built during this timeIn 1894 Thutob Namgyal the Sikkimese monarch under British rule shifted the capital from Tumlong to Gangtok increasing its importance A new grand palace along with other state buildings was built in the new capital Following Indias independence in 1947 Sikkim became a nationstate with Gangtok as its capital Sikkim became a suzerain of India with the condition that it would retain its independence by the treaty signed between the Chogyal and the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru6 Trade between India and Tibet continued to flourish through the Nathula and Jelepla passes offshoots of the ancient Silk Road near Gangtok These border passes were sealed after the SinoIndian War in 1962 which deprived Gangtok of its trading business7 In 1975 the monarchy was abrogated and Sikkim became Indias twentysecond state with Gangtok as its capital Gangtok has witnessed annual landslides resulting in damage to life and properties The largest disaster occurred in June 1997 when 38 were killed and hundreds of buildings were destroyed Travel warnig: Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim State The boatike mountain girdled State is bordered Eastern Himalayas on the West by Nepal on the North by Tibert and on the East by Bhutan and on the South by the Dajeeling District Dheesh Bangal Gangtok the capital is about 5500 ftampnbsp above the sea leavel The important rivers of Sikkin are the Rangeet Teestaampnbsp Mangyal as the temporal and spiritualampnbsp leaders of Sikkim whose ancestry theyampnbsp traced from a legendry prince who founded the kingdom of Minyag in Eastern Tibetampnbsp in the 9th century AD This dynasty ruled in the Chumbi and Teesta valleysampnbspampnbsp The Lepeahs are the oldest inhabitants of Sikkim There is anampnbsp old helperampnbsp legend that long ago inampnbsp the 15th and 16thampnbsp centuries theampnbspampnbsp two main religions The tourist attractions in Gangtok include museums monasteries and quaint surroundings The Deer Park is a mustsee tourist spot commanding a breathtaking view of the valleys neighboring the city of Gangtok against the backdrop of the elegant Mt Kanchenjunga The park is home the rare red panda and the Himalayan BearDul Dul Chortena also features among the popular tourist attractions in Gangtok that was built under the direction of the late most respected Rimpoche and is a place of worship for the Tibetan BuddhistsOther places of interest in Gangtok are the monasteries like the Pemayangtse Monastery dating from the 17th century and the Labrang Monastery about a century old both belonging to the Nyingmapa division The Royal chapel Tasuklakhang within the palace grounds has a large anthology of Buddhist scripturesThe Tsomgo Lake is a tranquil lake considered by the Buddhists to be a holy lake Another gorgeous lake is Kechopari with crystal clear water amidst dense forests Like the rest of Sikkim not much is known about the early history of Gangtok3 The earliest records date from the construction of the hermitic Gangtok monastery in 17164 Gangtok remained a small hamlet until the construction of the Enchey Monastery in 1840 made it a pilgrimage center After the defeat of the Tibetans by the British Gangtok became a major stopover in the trade between Tibet and British India at the end of the 19th century5 Most of the roads and the telegraph in the area were built during this timeIn 1894 Thutob Namgyal the Sikkimese monarch under British rule shifted the capital from Tumlong to Gangtok increasing its importance A new grand palace along with other state buildings was built in the new capital Following Indias independence in 1947 Sikkim became a nationstate with Gangtok as its capital Sikkim became a suzerain of India with the condition that it would retain its independence by the treaty signed between the Chogyal and the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru6 Trade between India and Tibet continued to flourish through the Nathula and Jelepla passes offshoots of the ancient Silk Road near Gangtok These border passes were sealed after the SinoIndian War in 1962 which deprived Gangtok of its trading business7 In 1975 the monarchy was abrogated and Sikkim became Indias twentysecond state with Gangtok as its capital Gangtok has witnessed annual landslides resulting in damage to life and properties The largest disaster occurred in June 1997 when 38 were killed and hundreds of buildings were destroyed

Itanagar

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:52:54 PDT

Overview: Arunachal Pradesh capital is Itanagar This capital alsoampnbsp includes Naharlangun Naharllagun old capitall Arunachal Pradeshampnbsp bordering Bhutan on the West China on the North and Bjurma on the East and theampnbsp Stateampnbsp of Assam on the Southampnbsp In Arunachal Pradeshampnbsp there are 25 tribes82 Languages As an ancient land Arunachal Pradesh find place in teh earlier literature like Kalika Purana Maha Bharataampnbsp Ramayana etc Here in Arunachal Pradesh Parasurama washed awayampnbsp his sins Vysya meditated Bhishmaka founded his Kingdom Lord Krishnaampnbsp married his consort Rukminim daughterampnbsp of King Bhismaka who ruled over the area around sadiya and Roing areaampnbsp The sixty Dalailama were born in the soilampnbsp of Arunachal Pradeshampnbsp and the 13thampnbsp Dalailama found his safety The Arunachal Pradesh dating back to the 10th centuryampnbsp add an interesting chapter of theampnbsp territorys history This is theampnbsp first Indian soil to great hrs in Bombayampnbsp he capital of Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar is situated at the foot hills of Himalayas The Nishi also known as the Nishing is the major tribe of the region This city is scattered with light earthquakeproof with astonishing woodenframed buildings rising up the slopes of green hills Traditional huts are strewn amongst the more recent constructions The residence of the Governor is situated at one peak while a new Buddhist Temple is located at the other peak Between them lie administrative officers shops daily bazaars and thatched housesampnbsp Travel warnig: Arunachal Pradesh capital is Itanagar This capital alsoampnbsp includes Naharlangun Naharllagun old capitall Arunachal Pradeshampnbsp bordering Bhutan on the West China on the North and Bjurma on the East and theampnbsp Stateampnbsp of Assam on the Southampnbsp In Arunachal Pradeshampnbsp there are 25 tribes82 Languages As an ancient land Arunachal Pradesh find place in teh earlier literature like Kalika Purana Maha Bharataampnbsp Ramayana etc Here in Arunachal Pradesh Parasurama washed awayampnbsp his sins Vysya meditated Bhishmaka founded his Kingdom Lord Krishnaampnbsp married his consort Rukminim daughterampnbsp of King Bhismaka who ruled over the area around sadiya and Roing areaampnbsp The sixty Dalailama were born in the soilampnbsp of Arunachal Pradeshampnbsp and the 13thampnbsp Dalailama found his safety The Arunachal Pradesh dating back to the 10th centuryampnbsp add an interesting chapter of theampnbsp territorys history This is theampnbsp first Indian soil to great hrs in Bombayampnbsp he capital of Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar is situated at the foot hills of Himalayas The Nishi also known as the Nishing is the major tribe of the region This city is scattered with light earthquakeproof with astonishing woodenframed buildings rising up the slopes of green hills Traditional huts are strewn amongst the more recent constructions The residence of the Governor is situated at one peak while a new Buddhist Temple is located at the other peak Between them lie administrative officers shops daily bazaars and thatched housesampnbsp

Nagaland

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:22:07 PDT

Overview: The east of Assam in the Naga Hills is the small fascinating state of Nagaland The stateampnbsp consists of seven districts with 16tribes Speak English Ao Konyak Angamiampnbsp SemaLotha Kohima Capital of Nagaland Bounded by Arunachal Pradeshampnbsp Assamampnbsp and Manipur on tree sides and by Burmaampnbsp in the east Nagaland is one of the smallest in India The land is mainly hills with altitudes ranging betweenampnbsp 194 meters and 3840ampnbsp Nagaland Kohima attracted worls attention during the second world war IT was hereampnbsp that the Indian forces halted the invasion of India by the japanese forcesampnbsp The northeastern state of Nagaland came into existence as a state in 1963 before that the area was part of Assam Nagaland shares its borders with Myanmar and the Indian states of Assam Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur Most of the region of the state is mountainous The highest peak is Saramati at 3840m in Twensand district The main rivers are Barak Doyang Dhiku and Chinwin Nagaland is inhabited by 16 major tribes which have their distinct festivals language and dress Primary among these are the Angamis Sernas Aos Konyaks and Rengmas Though animist by tradition almost 96 of the population has embraced Christianity due to the presence of missionaries since British colonial times Nagaland is known for its festivals most of which are based on the agricultural cycle Moatsu festival of the Aos marks the end of sowing and is celebrated early in May Sankarni Puja of the Zemis is also Nagaland lies Approximatelyampnbsp between 25ampdeg 6 and 27ampdeg 4 latitude North of Equator and between the Longitudinal line 93 deg 20ampdeg E and 95ampdeg 15amprsquoE It covers and area of 16527 Sq Km with a population of around 2 million 2002 census Nagaland was inaugurated as the 16th state of India in December 1 1963 It is bounded by Assam in the West Myanmar on the East Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam on the North and Manipur in the South Nagaland is blessed with a salubrious climate throughout the year with rainfall varying from 2000 mm to 2500 mm The main rivers are Dhansiri Doyang Dikhu Milak Zungki and Tizu The highest peak is Saramati 3841 meters above sealevelThe state consists of eleven Administrative Districts Kohima Dimapur Mokokchung Mon Phek Tuensang Wokha Zunheboto Peren Longleng and Kiphire Inhabited by 35 major different tribes along with their sub tribes Each tribe has its own customs language and dress It has a rich tradition which has been handed down the generations It is a land of song and music where you can hear the folk songs praising the brave deeds of ancient warriors and folk heroes love songs immortalizing tragic love stories and modern tunes Each of the tribes and sub tribes that dwell in the exotic hill state can be easily distinguished by the colorful and intricately designed costumes jewelry and beads that they wear The State is a rich fashion centre of the North East reproducing fabrics that represent the ancestral motifs blended with modern appeal It is a beautiful mix of past with the present a paradise for those who are into fashioning designing The traditional ceremony attire of each is an interesting sight to seThe multi colored spears and daos decorated with dyed goatamprsquos hair the headgear made of finely woven bamboo interlaced with orchids stem adorned with boaramprsquos teeth and hornbills feathers ivory armlets in olden days warriors had to prove their valor to wear each of these items Nature could not have been kinder to Nagaland the exquisitely picturesque landscape the vibrantly colorful sunrise and sunset lush and verdant flora this is a land that represents unimaginable beauty molded perfectly for a breathtaking experienceThe inhabitants belong to the indo Mongoloid stock whose ancestors lived off natureamprsquos abundant gifts blessed with friendly dispositions There is no common language but rather 60 different dialects in some areas dialects vary from village to village Inter tribal communication is carried out in Nagamese Many Nagas also speak Hindi and English English is the official language of the state About two thirds of the populations are Christians one tenth animists and the rest of other faithsampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp Dimapur is the only airport in Nagaland is connected by air to Delhi and Calcutta and the rest of the country The States main railhead is also at Dimapur and is connected by the Northeast Frontier Railway to the other parts of the country All important towns and village in the state are connected by the Nagaland State Transport Services and other private transport servicesampnbsp Travel warnig: The east of Assam in the Naga Hills is the small fascinating state of Nagaland The stateampnbsp consists of seven districts with 16tribes Speak English Ao Konyak Angamiampnbsp SemaLotha Kohima Capital of Nagaland Bounded by Arunachal Pradeshampnbsp Assamampnbsp and Manipur on tree sides and by Burmaampnbsp in the east Nagaland is one of the smallest in India The land is mainly hills with altitudes ranging betweenampnbsp 194 meters and 3840ampnbsp Nagaland Kohima attracted worls attention during the second world war IT was hereampnbsp that the Indian forces halted the invasion of India by the japanese forcesampnbsp The northeastern state of Nagaland came into existence as a state in 1963 before that the area was part of Assam Nagaland shares its borders with Myanmar and the Indian states of Assam Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur Most of the region of the state is mountainous The highest peak is Saramati at 3840m in Twensand district The main rivers are Barak Doyang Dhiku and Chinwin Nagaland is inhabited by 16 major tribes which have their distinct festivals language and dress Primary among these are the Angamis Sernas Aos Konyaks and Rengmas Though animist by tradition almost 96 of the population has embraced Christianity due to the presence of missionaries since British colonial times Nagaland is known for its festivals most of which are based on the agricultural cycle Moatsu festival of the Aos marks the end of sowing and is celebrated early in May Sankarni Puja of the Zemis is also Nagaland lies Approximatelyampnbsp between 25ampdeg 6 and 27ampdeg 4 latitude North of Equator and between the Longitudinal line 93 deg 20ampdeg E and 95ampdeg 15amprsquoE It covers and area of 16527 Sq Km with a population of around 2 million 2002 census Nagaland was inaugurated as the 16th state of India in December 1 1963 It is bounded by Assam in the West Myanmar on the East Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam on the North and Manipur in the South Nagaland is blessed with a salubrious climate throughout the year with rainfall varying from 2000 mm to 2500 mm The main rivers are Dhansiri Doyang Dikhu Milak Zungki and Tizu The highest peak is Saramati 3841 meters above sealevelThe state consists of eleven Administrative Districts Kohima Dimapur Mokokchung Mon Phek Tuensang Wokha Zunheboto Peren Longleng and Kiphire Inhabited by 35 major different tribes along with their sub tribes Each tribe has its own customs language and dress It has a rich tradition which has been handed down the generations It is a land of song and music where you can hear the folk songs praising the brave deeds of ancient warriors and folk heroes love songs immortalizing tragic love stories and modern tunes Each of the tribes and sub tribes that dwell in the exotic hill state can be easily distinguished by the colorful and intricately designed costumes jewelry and beads that they wear The State is a rich fashion centre of the North East reproducing fabrics that represent the ancestral motifs blended with modern appeal It is a beautiful mix of past with the present a paradise for those who are into fashioning designing The traditional ceremony attire of each is an interesting sight to seThe multi colored spears and daos decorated with dyed goatamprsquos hair the headgear made of finely woven bamboo interlaced with orchids stem adorned with boaramprsquos teeth and hornbills feathers ivory armlets in olden days warriors had to prove their valor to wear each of these items Nature could not have been kinder to Nagaland the exquisitely picturesque landscape the vibrantly colorful sunrise and sunset lush and verdant flora this is a land that represents unimaginable beauty molded perfectly for a breathtaking experienceThe inhabitants belong to the indo Mongoloid stock whose ancestors lived off natureamprsquos abundant gifts blessed with friendly dispositions There is no common language but rather 60 different dialects in some areas dialects vary from village to village Inter tribal communication is carried out in Nagamese Many Nagas also speak Hindi and English English is the official language of the state About two thirds of the populations are Christians one tenth animists and the rest of other faithsampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbspampnbsp Dimapur is the only airport in Nagaland is connected by air to Delhi and Calcutta and the rest of the country The States main railhead is also at Dimapur and is connected by the Northeast Frontier Railway to the other parts of the country All important towns and village in the state are connected by the Nagaland State Transport Services and other private transport servicesampnbsp

Agartala

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:47:54 PDT

Overview: Tripura was consolidated by a Tribal King named Chhenthunafa Mahamanikya This probably covered a period ranging from the end of the 14th Century AD to the beginning of the 15th and the dynasty had established itself It is a mountains land alaft by the valleys of the rivers Gomati Haora Hugli Jurideo Manu Dhali Khowai Mhuhuri and Feni altitude 20 to 1000 metres high Agartala the capital town of Tripura Agartala was chosen by Maharaj Krishna Kishore Menikya Bahadurampnbspampnbspampnbsp Agartala the capital of Tripura is arguably one of the most diversely populated cities of India Tripura has always been a home to various mix of tribes and all these tribal amalgamation has led to an influx of people representing their own clan Agartala with its verdant forest cover near perfect green backdrop great tourist sites and laid back attitude presents a sight of an ideal tourist destination The rich and varied tribal culture thriving on the high mountains and vast and alluring green valleys adds its own charm to the attraction of the statePropelled into limelight after Maharaja Krishna Manikya shifted the state capital here in the 19th century Agartala is not only forests hills lakes and wildlife sanctuaries This city presents life in a totally distinctive way very unlike the life we in our so called big cities endure Replete with religious and historical monuments directly involving great personalities like Gurudev Ravindranath Tagore Agartala presents a newfangled aspect of tourism to the visitors for explorationAgartala city though the most developed in the state is still a far distance away from the other metros in the country thus one can be assured of a pleasant and clean atmosphere fresh air and unpolluted minds throughout the year The city is central market for various commercial goods tea rice jute and oilseed for the surrounding region A stroll down the market is a must for the ardent shoppers for the sheer variety of handicraft and woolen articles for display and sale Watch out for the tribal ladies with their special wares roaming the market and clinch a steal you will remember for your life Agartala the capital city of Tripura is tucked in the north eastern part of India Set close to the neighbouring state of Bangladesh Agartala is rich in flora ampamp fauna the legendary state of Tripura is a beautiful world in itself Agartala in Tripura is a laid back administrative centre gained prominence when Maharaja Krishna Manikya shifted his capital here in the 19th century This market town for rice tea jute and oilseed is the commercial center of the region surrounding it Agartala in Tripura also owns an airport with connections to Kolkata Travel warnig: Tripura was consolidated by a Tribal King named Chhenthunafa Mahamanikya This probably covered a period ranging from the end of the 14th Century AD to the beginning of the 15th and the dynasty had established itself It is a mountains land alaft by the valleys of the rivers Gomati Haora Hugli Jurideo Manu Dhali Khowai Mhuhuri and Feni altitude 20 to 1000 metres high Agartala the capital town of Tripura Agartala was chosen by Maharaj Krishna Kishore Menikya Bahadurampnbspampnbspampnbsp Agartala the capital of Tripura is arguably one of the most diversely populated cities of India Tripura has always been a home to various mix of tribes and all these tribal amalgamation has led to an influx of people representing their own clan Agartala with its verdant forest cover near perfect green backdrop great tourist sites and laid back attitude presents a sight of an ideal tourist destination The rich and varied tribal culture thriving on the high mountains and vast and alluring green valleys adds its own charm to the attraction of the statePropelled into limelight after Maharaja Krishna Manikya shifted the state capital here in the 19th century Agartala is not only forests hills lakes and wildlife sanctuaries This city presents life in a totally distinctive way very unlike the life we in our so called big cities endure Replete with religious and historical monuments directly involving great personalities like Gurudev Ravindranath Tagore Agartala presents a newfangled aspect of tourism to the visitors for explorationAgartala city though the most developed in the state is still a far distance away from the other metros in the country thus one can be assured of a pleasant and clean atmosphere fresh air and unpolluted minds throughout the year The city is central market for various commercial goods tea rice jute and oilseed for the surrounding region A stroll down the market is a must for the ardent shoppers for the sheer variety of handicraft and woolen articles for display and sale Watch out for the tribal ladies with their special wares roaming the market and clinch a steal you will remember for your life Agartala the capital city of Tripura is tucked in the north eastern part of India Set close to the neighbouring state of Bangladesh Agartala is rich in flora ampamp fauna the legendary state of Tripura is a beautiful world in itself Agartala in Tripura is a laid back administrative centre gained prominence when Maharaja Krishna Manikya shifted his capital here in the 19th century This market town for rice tea jute and oilseed is the commercial center of the region surrounding it Agartala in Tripura also owns an airport with connections to Kolkata

Manipur

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:12:00 PDT

Overview: Manipur is a small hillystate Imphal is the capital of the State Boundary with Burma lying South Nagaland north Mizoram and East Assam It was in existance in 100 BC The City of Kangala from which the Kabha dynasty ruled Manipur in the preampnot hristian times There are various meanings given to the name Imphal But the origiampnotnal name Imphal Yumphal Yum House Phal Collection was changed by the I iritish The road is heroic with memories of the second world war it was not so in 1944 Then every metre of this road was paid for in blood and there are many highway markers which identify the sites of battle between the British forces and the JapaneseManipur is a state in northeast India sharing common borders with Myanmar in the east and the Indian states of Nagaland in the north Mizoram in the south and Assam in the west It forms a cupshaped valley surrounded by hills of the subHimalayan ranges Chinganguba or Surameti peak is the highest at 12557ft The main ethnic group of Manipur is called Meitei Their language Meitei is also known as Manipuri and is the main language of the state Naga and Kuki groups also inhabit the land Migrants from Bengal and Bangladesh form a significant proportion of the population LaiHaraoba is the most important Manipuri festival The weeklong celebrations represent the beginning of the universe and is observed in the Manipuri month of Kalen AprilMay Manipuris are also known for their classical and folk dance traditions Manipuri classical dance is one of the six classical dances of India Agriculture is the main Manipur meaning land of jewels is indeed precious with extreme natural beauty and unique culture The tiny state finds Assam in the West Mizoram in the South Nagaland in the North and Myanmar in the East as its neighboursThe mother nature picked up the painting brush selected the various shades of green and blue and then sat to paint the landscape of Manipur in leisure Every corner of the state bears signature of the alluring beauty of nature as if mother nature is still resting in the green meadows serene valleys and deep gorges But Manipur is not about nature only The heritage of this tiny state dates back to the ages of Mahabharata As legend goes Arjuna one of the Pandavas once came here and married Chitrangada the beautiful princess of Manipur The divine story of love is still alive in the gestures and postures of the Manipuri Dance one of the famed classical dances of IndiaThe state and central government has come up with a number of tour package tourism measures to improve the tourism in this virgin land of beautyManipur has a varied and proud history from the earliest times It came under the British rule after the First Anglo Manipuri war of 1891 In this war many great heroes of Manipur laid down their lives Major General Paona Brajabashi died fighting the British Army in the battle of Khongjom The British then captured Imphal and had General Thangal and YuvrajPrince Tekendrajit hangedAfter India became independent on August 15 1947 the Manipur Constitution Act 1947 established a democratic form of Government with the Maharaja as the Executive Head and a legislature constituted by election on adult franchise This legislative assembly functioned till it was dissolved on the integration of the state with the Dominion of India in October 1949 Manipur achieved full statehood on January 21 1972 Travel warnig: Manipur is a small hillystate Imphal is the capital of the State Boundary with Burma lying South Nagaland north Mizoram and East Assam It was in existance in 100 BC The City of Kangala from which the Kabha dynasty ruled Manipur in the preampnot hristian times There are various meanings given to the name Imphal But the origiampnotnal name Imphal Yumphal Yum House Phal Collection was changed by the I iritish The road is heroic with memories of the second world war it was not so in 1944 Then every metre of this road was paid for in blood and there are many highway markers which identify the sites of battle between the British forces and the JapaneseManipur is a state in northeast India sharing common borders with Myanmar in the east and the Indian states of Nagaland in the north Mizoram in the south and Assam in the west It forms a cupshaped valley surrounded by hills of the subHimalayan ranges Chinganguba or Surameti peak is the highest at 12557ft The main ethnic group of Manipur is called Meitei Their language Meitei is also known as Manipuri and is the main language of the state Naga and Kuki groups also inhabit the land Migrants from Bengal and Bangladesh form a significant proportion of the population LaiHaraoba is the most important Manipuri festival The weeklong celebrations represent the beginning of the universe and is observed in the Manipuri month of Kalen AprilMay Manipuris are also known for their classical and folk dance traditions Manipuri classical dance is one of the six classical dances of India Agriculture is the main Manipur meaning land of jewels is indeed precious with extreme natural beauty and unique culture The tiny state finds Assam in the West Mizoram in the South Nagaland in the North and Myanmar in the East as its neighboursThe mother nature picked up the painting brush selected the various shades of green and blue and then sat to paint the landscape of Manipur in leisure Every corner of the state bears signature of the alluring beauty of nature as if mother nature is still resting in the green meadows serene valleys and deep gorges But Manipur is not about nature only The heritage of this tiny state dates back to the ages of Mahabharata As legend goes Arjuna one of the Pandavas once came here and married Chitrangada the beautiful princess of Manipur The divine story of love is still alive in the gestures and postures of the Manipuri Dance one of the famed classical dances of IndiaThe state and central government has come up with a number of tour package tourism measures to improve the tourism in this virgin land of beautyManipur has a varied and proud history from the earliest times It came under the British rule after the First Anglo Manipuri war of 1891 In this war many great heroes of Manipur laid down their lives Major General Paona Brajabashi died fighting the British Army in the battle of Khongjom The British then captured Imphal and had General Thangal and YuvrajPrince Tekendrajit hangedAfter India became independent on August 15 1947 the Manipur Constitution Act 1947 established a democratic form of Government with the Maharaja as the Executive Head and a legislature constituted by election on adult franchise This legislative assembly functioned till it was dissolved on the integration of the state with the Dominion of India in October 1949 Manipur achieved full statehood on January 21 1972

Aizawal

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:41:22 PDT

Overview: One of the youngest states of Indian Union Mizoram perching on the hight hills of the North eastern corner isampnbsp flanked by Bangladesh on the West and Burma on the east and South Mixorams Blue mountainsampnbsp deep narrow velleys the gentle gurgle of streams caseading waterfalls in lushropical forest Time standsampnbsp still in the Lushaiampnbsp Hills of Mixoram Aizwalampnbsp is the capital cityampnbsp of Mixoramampnbsp Christianity is their main religion 90 Their netire socialampnbsp lifeampnbspampnbsp has by nowampnbsp been transformed into theampnbsp new christstians culture and 90 or more are Christians The leteracy rate is very high 8123 scrond among Indian States surpassed only by karalaampnbsp Situated onampnbsp the central ridge of the heart of Mizoram the capital town of Aizaql stands out like a huge citadel This charming hill station dominatesampnbsp the valleys of the rivers Tiawang and Turial Aizawl is the capital of this tiny state perched like a lone sentinel on the tip of the north eastern border of India Situated on the central ridge in the middle part of the state Aizwal stands out like a huge citadel It enjoys a pleasant climate throughout the year It is full of scenic backgrounds and picturesque landscapes A centre of the political and cultural movement of the state Aizawl offers a wide arena of tourism for the nature lover and the enthusiast The State museum of Mizoram situated in the centre of the city offers a treasure of great value Many relics and artifacts of historical importance are displayed here The Bara Bazar or the big market is the place where one can buy everything The local people in their traditional costumes sell everything from food to clothes and from handicrafts to cassettes A must visit place to see the local culture prevalent in the city The Luangmual Handicrafts centre which is situated on seven kms from the capital gives a glimpse of the handicrafts that are produced by the local people of MizoramThe Vantawng waterfall is the highest waterfall of the state and is surrounded by lush green forests The great white gush of water falling from the top of the mountains with beautiful verdant surroundings is a site not to be missed Other than these places of tourist interest Aizawl is natures paradise and one can go out on a natural trail by self Travel warnig: One of the youngest states of Indian Union Mizoram perching on the hight hills of the North eastern corner isampnbsp flanked by Bangladesh on the West and Burma on the east and South Mixorams Blue mountainsampnbsp deep narrow velleys the gentle gurgle of streams caseading waterfalls in lushropical forest Time standsampnbsp still in the Lushaiampnbsp Hills of Mixoram Aizwalampnbsp is the capital cityampnbsp of Mixoramampnbsp Christianity is their main religion 90 Their netire socialampnbsp lifeampnbspampnbsp has by nowampnbsp been transformed into theampnbsp new christstians culture and 90 or more are Christians The leteracy rate is very high 8123 scrond among Indian States surpassed only by karalaampnbsp Situated onampnbsp the central ridge of the heart of Mizoram the capital town of Aizaql stands out like a huge citadel This charming hill station dominatesampnbsp the valleys of the rivers Tiawang and Turial Aizawl is the capital of this tiny state perched like a lone sentinel on the tip of the north eastern border of India Situated on the central ridge in the middle part of the state Aizwal stands out like a huge citadel It enjoys a pleasant climate throughout the year It is full of scenic backgrounds and picturesque landscapes A centre of the political and cultural movement of the state Aizawl offers a wide arena of tourism for the nature lover and the enthusiast The State museum of Mizoram situated in the centre of the city offers a treasure of great value Many relics and artifacts of historical importance are displayed here The Bara Bazar or the big market is the place where one can buy everything The local people in their traditional costumes sell everything from food to clothes and from handicrafts to cassettes A must visit place to see the local culture prevalent in the city The Luangmual Handicrafts centre which is situated on seven kms from the capital gives a glimpse of the handicrafts that are produced by the local people of MizoramThe Vantawng waterfall is the highest waterfall of the state and is surrounded by lush green forests The great white gush of water falling from the top of the mountains with beautiful verdant surroundings is a site not to be missed Other than these places of tourist interest Aizawl is natures paradise and one can go out on a natural trail by self

Shillong

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:09:55 PDT

Overview: SHILLONG is the capital of Meghalaya in the Khasi Hills at an altitude of 1500 metres above sea level It is the one of the best known hill resorts of India Shillong is only 100 kms from GUWHATI The British favoured this resort and their influence can lie seen in the names of the water falls which abound Hence Shillongs pride is its labulour 18hole golf course which attracts serious golfers from all over the world for tournaments and matches Shillong is the home of several tribes The main resident tribes are the Khasis Jaintial or Garos through the Nagarampnbspampnbspampnbsp With rolling hills and ellegant pines Shillong was known to the British as ampquotScotland of the Eastampquot an impression first thought out by Barapani the stunning lochlike reservoir on its fringes Shillong has always been the meeting point of traditional cultures and cosmopolitan styles It is the capital of Meghalaya Located at an altitude of 1496 mts above sea level this beautiful hill station has been one of Indias best known hill resorts for many decades A fresh balmy air and a bracing climate makes Shillong a place for all seasons The capital takes its name from that of a tribal deity Shulong who is believed to reside on the Shillong Peak The tribes of Khyrim Mylliem Maharam Mallaisohmat Bhowal and Langrim trace their descent from Shillong Shillong is also a proud possessor of one of the best 18 hole golf courses in the worldYou can never know why exactly Shillong is called the Scotland of the East unless you actually come here and live its natural splendor The town is indeed mystifying with its tall pines verdant hills and pretty cottages and it has a strange charm which comes from it bring relatively unexplored Shillong gets its name from its guardian god amplsquoLeishyllongamprsquo who is believed to be residing in the peaks One of the best things one can do here is nothing The town is an ideal place to get relaxed and feel rejuvenated Shillong has much to enchant you so be here for a mesmerizing experience Travel warnig: SHILLONG is the capital of Meghalaya in the Khasi Hills at an altitude of 1500 metres above sea level It is the one of the best known hill resorts of India Shillong is only 100 kms from GUWHATI The British favoured this resort and their influence can lie seen in the names of the water falls which abound Hence Shillongs pride is its labulour 18hole golf course which attracts serious golfers from all over the world for tournaments and matches Shillong is the home of several tribes The main resident tribes are the Khasis Jaintial or Garos through the Nagarampnbspampnbspampnbsp With rolling hills and ellegant pines Shillong was known to the British as ampquotScotland of the Eastampquot an impression first thought out by Barapani the stunning lochlike reservoir on its fringes Shillong has always been the meeting point of traditional cultures and cosmopolitan styles It is the capital of Meghalaya Located at an altitude of 1496 mts above sea level this beautiful hill station has been one of Indias best known hill resorts for many decades A fresh balmy air and a bracing climate makes Shillong a place for all seasons The capital takes its name from that of a tribal deity Shulong who is believed to reside on the Shillong Peak The tribes of Khyrim Mylliem Maharam Mallaisohmat Bhowal and Langrim trace their descent from Shillong Shillong is also a proud possessor of one of the best 18 hole golf courses in the worldYou can never know why exactly Shillong is called the Scotland of the East unless you actually come here and live its natural splendor The town is indeed mystifying with its tall pines verdant hills and pretty cottages and it has a strange charm which comes from it bring relatively unexplored Shillong gets its name from its guardian god amplsquoLeishyllongamprsquo who is believed to be residing in the peaks One of the best things one can do here is nothing The town is an ideal place to get relaxed and feel rejuvenated Shillong has much to enchant you so be here for a mesmerizing experience

Guwahati (Dispur)

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:28:44 PDT

Overview: Dispur Gawahati is the capital of Assam state The ancient city of pragjyotishpur or the light of the East is the site of modern Gawahati the gate way to NorthEast India Legendary king Narakasura is believed to have built the city that produced heroes like Bhagadatta the famous commanders of Elephants in the Mahabharatha war The Ahoms ruled the country from 13th century and successfully caught the Afghans and the Mughals The uncommon Charam of the mountains and forests made the 7th century Chinese Buddhist Monk given Tsang write of its wonder its luxurious vegetation is teaming with wildlife situated on the southern bank of the River Brahmaputra Guwati is an important business and communication centre It is also a centre of learning culture and a major place of Hindu piligrimateThe folklore about the city dates back to the Mahabharat which is an epic in Hindu Mythology Legend has it that the city was established by Narkasura a demon and was named Pragjyotishpur meaning the ampldquoEastern City of Lightamprdquo Archeological evidence suggests early human settlements dating back to 2000 BC The Varman kings from 400 AD to the 13th century were the first clan to establish dominance over the area Then the people of the Ahom race established their dominance over the region from 1228 to 1826 during which the Tai Ahom kingdom flourished One of their biggest accomplishments was to stop the Mughal expansion that was taking over India The Ahom kingdom slowly abated over a period of time and by the middle of the 19th century the Burmese had gained control of the city and surrounding area The Burmese were in turn defeated by the British who controlled the area until Indian IndependenceToday the largest teaauction market of the nation lies in the city It also houses one of the campuses of IIT Indian Institute of Technology the premier engineering institute of the world The city is also famous for its celebration of BihusGuwahati has many old temples that have great religious importance The temple Kamakhya is a dedication to shakti or strength and was once the centre of tantric or black magic activities You can still see the sacrificial alter inside the temple Another temple worth a mention is the Navagrah temple Dedicated to Lord Shiva this temple has astronomical and astrological significance The view from the temple is absolutely breath taking The Umananda temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva and has the most interesting journey of all the three as a boat is required to reach the temple There is small beach that offers an opportunity to relax right next to the temple Another Guwahati thing to do is to visit the renowned Assam State Museum This edifice houses some of the most valued antiques of the country The Saraighat Bridge in Guwahati is another Guwahati attraction thatamprsquos worth mentioning for the dolphins and natural beauty of the river below You can also wade through the large tea plantations in the city and sip on the finest of teasampnbsp Travel warnig: Dispur Gawahati is the capital of Assam state The ancient city of pragjyotishpur or the light of the East is the site of modern Gawahati the gate way to NorthEast India Legendary king Narakasura is believed to have built the city that produced heroes like Bhagadatta the famous commanders of Elephants in the Mahabharatha war The Ahoms ruled the country from 13th century and successfully caught the Afghans and the Mughals The uncommon Charam of the mountains and forests made the 7th century Chinese Buddhist Monk given Tsang write of its wonder its luxurious vegetation is teaming with wildlife situated on the southern bank of the River Brahmaputra Guwati is an important business and communication centre It is also a centre of learning culture and a major place of Hindu piligrimateThe folklore about the city dates back to the Mahabharat which is an epic in Hindu Mythology Legend has it that the city was established by Narkasura a demon and was named Pragjyotishpur meaning the ampldquoEastern City of Lightamprdquo Archeological evidence suggests early human settlements dating back to 2000 BC The Varman kings from 400 AD to the 13th century were the first clan to establish dominance over the area Then the people of the Ahom race established their dominance over the region from 1228 to 1826 during which the Tai Ahom kingdom flourished One of their biggest accomplishments was to stop the Mughal expansion that was taking over India The Ahom kingdom slowly abated over a period of time and by the middle of the 19th century the Burmese had gained control of the city and surrounding area The Burmese were in turn defeated by the British who controlled the area until Indian IndependenceToday the largest teaauction market of the nation lies in the city It also houses one of the campuses of IIT Indian Institute of Technology the premier engineering institute of the world The city is also famous for its celebration of BihusGuwahati has many old temples that have great religious importance The temple Kamakhya is a dedication to shakti or strength and was once the centre of tantric or black magic activities You can still see the sacrificial alter inside the temple Another temple worth a mention is the Navagrah temple Dedicated to Lord Shiva this temple has astronomical and astrological significance The view from the temple is absolutely breath taking The Umananda temple is also dedicated to Lord Shiva and has the most interesting journey of all the three as a boat is required to reach the temple There is small beach that offers an opportunity to relax right next to the temple Another Guwahati thing to do is to visit the renowned Assam State Museum This edifice houses some of the most valued antiques of the country The Saraighat Bridge in Guwahati is another Guwahati attraction thatamprsquos worth mentioning for the dolphins and natural beauty of the river below You can also wade through the large tea plantations in the city and sip on the finest of teasampnbsp

Darjeeling

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:21:00 PDT

Overview: The old Goorkha Station of Darjeeling enchanted Lloyd and Grant British officers in 1829 by 1835 it had become a British sanatorium after the majaraj of sikkim had gifted it to governorgeneral lord William Bentick out of friendship now a mellow century and a half year old Darjeeling as the QUEEN OF HILL STATIONS The Darjeeling is one of the most magnificient hill resorts in the world A land of breath taking beauty crowned by the majestic himalayasThe name of the town has been derived from the tibetan word dorje which mans the precious stone or ecelesiastical sceptre which is emblematic of the thunder bolt of lndra and ling a place hence the land of the thunder bolt The sceptre of Indra is believad to have fallen at a place were now stands the Obervatory Hill The town it self land out by lord Napier of royal engineers is at an altitude of 2134 meters moving up the Hills one is greeted by simling tea govdens changing to firs pines fast moving torrents while around abound 4000 types of flowering plants and 300 varieties of ferns in duding the rare tree fermThe British civil sorvant Dr Campbell built the district and laid foundation of the noor multimillion dollor tea industry in 1841 AD Twenty five years later there were already 40 gardens in 10000 acres with an outturn of halt a millon pounds gen loud and Dr Campbell built 70 British bunga lows was BuilIt a Bazar and hospital The first hotel was Buiklt in Kurseong the second in dar jeeling not forgotten was the jail for the time cultivation of tea and coffe was introclucedToy train on serepentine loop at batasia train Maintrain huffs and puffs its way up the steep in cline without the aid cogweels that some other hill railways use The train completed in 1881 AD by franklin prestage the lillipution locomotines and cabins haul thorn selves through perhaps the most io mantic railroad in the world lontIgni ereapers and dark green foliobanboor with feathey crestsgoldengreen a pine shrubs and sweeping scenes of the extensive plains way down bellow can be seen The train exerts its way up to Ghoom The highest point on the railline at 7407 feet and then glides down to darjeeling the toy train mini ride from new Jalpaiguri to Darjeelingampnbsp Travel warnig: The old Goorkha Station of Darjeeling enchanted Lloyd and Grant British officers in 1829 by 1835 it had become a British sanatorium after the majaraj of sikkim had gifted it to governorgeneral lord William Bentick out of friendship now a mellow century and a half year old Darjeeling as the QUEEN OF HILL STATIONS The Darjeeling is one of the most magnificient hill resorts in the world A land of breath taking beauty crowned by the majestic himalayasThe name of the town has been derived from the tibetan word dorje which mans the precious stone or ecelesiastical sceptre which is emblematic of the thunder bolt of lndra and ling a place hence the land of the thunder bolt The sceptre of Indra is believad to have fallen at a place were now stands the Obervatory Hill The town it self land out by lord Napier of royal engineers is at an altitude of 2134 meters moving up the Hills one is greeted by simling tea govdens changing to firs pines fast moving torrents while around abound 4000 types of flowering plants and 300 varieties of ferns in duding the rare tree fermThe British civil sorvant Dr Campbell built the district and laid foundation of the noor multimillion dollor tea industry in 1841 AD Twenty five years later there were already 40 gardens in 10000 acres with an outturn of halt a millon pounds gen loud and Dr Campbell built 70 British bunga lows was BuilIt a Bazar and hospital The first hotel was Buiklt in Kurseong the second in dar jeeling not forgotten was the jail for the time cultivation of tea and coffe was introclucedToy train on serepentine loop at batasia train Maintrain huffs and puffs its way up the steep in cline without the aid cogweels that some other hill railways use The train completed in 1881 AD by franklin prestage the lillipution locomotines and cabins haul thorn selves through perhaps the most io mantic railroad in the world lontIgni ereapers and dark green foliobanboor with feathey crestsgoldengreen a pine shrubs and sweeping scenes of the extensive plains way down bellow can be seen The train exerts its way up to Ghoom The highest point on the railline at 7407 feet and then glides down to darjeeling the toy train mini ride from new Jalpaiguri to Darjeelingampnbsp

Kalimpong

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:53:33 PDT

Overview: Once the local point for febetan trade kalimpong has been the thereshold of the then forbidden lands of the Bhutan sikkim and nepal farmer head quarters of the Bhutanese Governor the world kalim means kings minister pong is the strong hold It is also called kalibong or the ampquotBlack Spurampquot by the hill people This victorian hilltown is situated 51 kms east of Darjeeling at an altitude of 1250 metres between the Deolo and Durbindra hills kalimpoong is an ideal place for a quiet holiday amidst gently rolling hills and deep valleys at the foot of the mighty Himalayas The drive from Darjeeling to kalimpong provides a refreshing experience as it passes through Rich forests gigantic trees and rolling peshok and repehu tea estatesEnroute to kalimpong lies view point which offers a fascinating view of the valley the confluence of the Rangeet and teesta rivers and the majestic mountains of the Himaampnbsp layan Range The kalimpong bears author name of historic significanceA kaleon was a high of the Bhutanese Rajah and pong meantarea or strong hold This descriptive name has come down as kalimpong 4 The main attraction for the people in kalimpong is the shopping centres at Rishi Road market Square and the 10th mile The port and telegraphs office is near the police station There is also a heliped in kalimpong There is one Government Hospital and one hospital for leprosy there are two protestant churches the scottish mission church is near government hospital and there is another in Grahms Homes There are catholic churches at St Josephs and St Augustines There is a Believers worship Hall of 16 Relli Road there are mosques Hindu Temples and monasteries in the townSet in the foothills of the giant Himalayas amidst lush green environment Kalimpong offers amazing views of snow capped mountain peaks Situated at an altitude of about 1250 metres and cradled between Durpin and Deolo Hill Kalimpong has a moderate climate Kalimpong means the fort of the Kings minister The name was established when this place was under control of Bhutan In 1865 under the treaty of Sinchula Kalimpong Kalimpong was handed to British The Britishers developed this place as a centre for wool trade with Tibet A healthy mix of Buddhism along with Hinduism and Christianity can be seen here Gumpas Churches temples monks and missionaries coexist here peacefully The markets here are full of Buddhist Thankas hand beaten silver Bhutanese weaves Chinese lamps Lepcha daggers masks local cheddartype cheese and lollypopsampnbsp Travel warnig: Once the local point for febetan trade kalimpong has been the thereshold of the then forbidden lands of the Bhutan sikkim and nepal farmer head quarters of the Bhutanese Governor the world kalim means kings minister pong is the strong hold It is also called kalibong or the ampquotBlack Spurampquot by the hill people This victorian hilltown is situated 51 kms east of Darjeeling at an altitude of 1250 metres between the Deolo and Durbindra hills kalimpoong is an ideal place for a quiet holiday amidst gently rolling hills and deep valleys at the foot of the mighty Himalayas The drive from Darjeeling to kalimpong provides a refreshing experience as it passes through Rich forests gigantic trees and rolling peshok and repehu tea estatesEnroute to kalimpong lies view point which offers a fascinating view of the valley the confluence of the Rangeet and teesta rivers and the majestic mountains of the Himaampnbsp layan Range The kalimpong bears author name of historic significanceA kaleon was a high of the Bhutanese Rajah and pong meantarea or strong hold This descriptive name has come down as kalimpong 4 The main attraction for the people in kalimpong is the shopping centres at Rishi Road market Square and the 10th mile The port and telegraphs office is near the police station There is also a heliped in kalimpong There is one Government Hospital and one hospital for leprosy there are two protestant churches the scottish mission church is near government hospital and there is another in Grahms Homes There are catholic churches at St Josephs and St Augustines There is a Believers worship Hall of 16 Relli Road there are mosques Hindu Temples and monasteries in the townSet in the foothills of the giant Himalayas amidst lush green environment Kalimpong offers amazing views of snow capped mountain peaks Situated at an altitude of about 1250 metres and cradled between Durpin and Deolo Hill Kalimpong has a moderate climate Kalimpong means the fort of the Kings minister The name was established when this place was under control of Bhutan In 1865 under the treaty of Sinchula Kalimpong Kalimpong was handed to British The Britishers developed this place as a centre for wool trade with Tibet A healthy mix of Buddhism along with Hinduism and Christianity can be seen here Gumpas Churches temples monks and missionaries coexist here peacefully The markets here are full of Buddhist Thankas hand beaten silver Bhutanese weaves Chinese lamps Lepcha daggers masks local cheddartype cheese and lollypopsampnbsp

Siliguri

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:32:44 PDT

Overview: Siliguri is Rightly called the dateway to NorthEastern Indias many splendoured delights A small drid bustling commercial settlementitself is unpropossesing its beauty being best highlighted by a hive in the neighbourhood through iia plantations manicured a pristine dbeenSiliguri is the principal tranit point for going to the Darjeeling hills Dooars Kurseong KalimgongAand to the states of Sikkim and Assam It is also the gateway to eastern Nepal and Bhutan Siliguri is the biggest town in North Bengal and is fast developing in to a modern town shipSiliguri is one of the most important junctions of the NorthEast Frontier Railway on metre gange Railway grid New Jalpaiguri station the junction for broad gauge lines is 3kms from Siliguri Direct Railway connections with Calcutta Delhi and Assam are available from hereBadogra the major airport of the Region is only 11 kms from Siliguri Bagdogra is connected with calcutta and Delhi by daily flights Siliguri 607 kms from Calcutta 80 kms from Dargeeling 114 kms from Gangtok 475 kms from Guwahati 470 kms from Patna 564 kms from Kathmandu NepalMirik Mirik is an excellent Seenic spot at an altitude of about 5800 feet The mighty kanchenjunga is clearly visiable from this newly built hill resort The newest hill station in West Bengal Ahoneymonners At 25 kms long lake is its main attraction it boasts of a beautiful natural lake formation fed as perennial springs and Rain water The Western bank being hillslopes covered by a rich forest of about ten thousand cry to mariajapanicaampquot treesGeography Siliguri is situated at the base of the Himalaya mountains in the plains It is the largest city in the area North Bengal and second largest city in West Bengal and connects the hill station towns of Gangtok Rangpo Kalimpong Kurseong Mirik and Darjeeling with the rest of India The Mahananda Riveralso known as Mahanadi flows past Siliguri Siliguri has three main seasons summer winter and monsoon Summer temperatures rarely exceed 38ampdegCIt is considerably cooler than the southern and central regions of West Bengal During this season tourists from all over India and from around the world stop in Siliguri en route to the cooler climes of the northern hill stations Winters are relatively cool and temperatures range from a high of 15ampdegC to a low of about 3ampdegC Light rain and dense fog are seen during this season During the monsoon season between June and September the town is lashed by heavy rains often cutting access to the hill stations and Sikkim The climate is suitable for growing tea and the surrounding region has many tea gardens The ancient Baikunthapur Forest is nearby The region is also a huge producer of Tea Siliguri is one of the fastest growing cities of India Travel warnig: Siliguri is Rightly called the dateway to NorthEastern Indias many splendoured delights A small drid bustling commercial settlementitself is unpropossesing its beauty being best highlighted by a hive in the neighbourhood through iia plantations manicured a pristine dbeenSiliguri is the principal tranit point for going to the Darjeeling hills Dooars Kurseong KalimgongAand to the states of Sikkim and Assam It is also the gateway to eastern Nepal and Bhutan Siliguri is the biggest town in North Bengal and is fast developing in to a modern town shipSiliguri is one of the most important junctions of the NorthEast Frontier Railway on metre gange Railway grid New Jalpaiguri station the junction for broad gauge lines is 3kms from Siliguri Direct Railway connections with Calcutta Delhi and Assam are available from hereBadogra the major airport of the Region is only 11 kms from Siliguri Bagdogra is connected with calcutta and Delhi by daily flights Siliguri 607 kms from Calcutta 80 kms from Dargeeling 114 kms from Gangtok 475 kms from Guwahati 470 kms from Patna 564 kms from Kathmandu NepalMirik Mirik is an excellent Seenic spot at an altitude of about 5800 feet The mighty kanchenjunga is clearly visiable from this newly built hill resort The newest hill station in West Bengal Ahoneymonners At 25 kms long lake is its main attraction it boasts of a beautiful natural lake formation fed as perennial springs and Rain water The Western bank being hillslopes covered by a rich forest of about ten thousand cry to mariajapanicaampquot treesGeography Siliguri is situated at the base of the Himalaya mountains in the plains It is the largest city in the area North Bengal and second largest city in West Bengal and connects the hill station towns of Gangtok Rangpo Kalimpong Kurseong Mirik and Darjeeling with the rest of India The Mahananda Riveralso known as Mahanadi flows past Siliguri Siliguri has three main seasons summer winter and monsoon Summer temperatures rarely exceed 38ampdegCIt is considerably cooler than the southern and central regions of West Bengal During this season tourists from all over India and from around the world stop in Siliguri en route to the cooler climes of the northern hill stations Winters are relatively cool and temperatures range from a high of 15ampdegC to a low of about 3ampdegC Light rain and dense fog are seen during this season During the monsoon season between June and September the town is lashed by heavy rains often cutting access to the hill stations and Sikkim The climate is suitable for growing tea and the surrounding region has many tea gardens The ancient Baikunthapur Forest is nearby The region is also a huge producer of Tea Siliguri is one of the fastest growing cities of India

Colkata

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:30:19 PDT

Overview: ampnbspCalcutta the gate way to the mystie east The city which no one indifferent fascinating effevescent teeming with life peoples Cultures In the winter fine weather and gaiety in the summer a haze of heat diffused through tropical green and in the monsoon a rush of rainCalcutta is the capital of the eastern state of west Bengal today Calcutta a creation of British rule in India is today a teeming crowded City combining the old and the new On one side you have buildings reminiscent of British Rule but the bastion of the British Raj till Delhi took over in 1912 Centres of literature and the arts architectural heir to colonial British styles with modern Indians own touch to give it continuing relevance a great bustle of commerce and Industry A port city on the river Hooghly as it flows generously under soaring Howrah Bridge A vast hinterland of Industry jute coal and steel A crowded city around triple lungs of the Maidan on one side the Rabindra sarovar on the other and river as it sweeps on to the sea Home of Bengal Volatile in polities sports lover intellectual poetic and sensitiveDuring the British rule Calcutta was known as the jewel of the east and was the capital of the country till 1911 AD Today it is still the most important city in the east The nerve centre of trade a city dustling with a population of around 10 millionCalcutta would soon overtake Madras and Bombay to become the HO of British power in India Robert olives and Admiral watson from Madras ictory over the Nawab of Bengal SirajudDaylah in 1757 AD at plassey vis to mark the beginning of the full flowering of the Raj The end of the vliighal power was in sight and the gradual take over by the British in hiswry In 1773 ADthe capital was transfered from Madras to Calcutta and it ilow into the second city of the EmpireIn 1911 at a cornation Durbar for George V held in Delhi the deciion was taken to shift the capital back to Delhi of was the end of an era Hilt Calcutta remained Vast alive a provinicial Capital but cosmopolitan and ver growingampnbsp Travel warnig: ampnbspCalcutta the gate way to the mystie east The city which no one indifferent fascinating effevescent teeming with life peoples Cultures In the winter fine weather and gaiety in the summer a haze of heat diffused through tropical green and in the monsoon a rush of rainCalcutta is the capital of the eastern state of west Bengal today Calcutta a creation of British rule in India is today a teeming crowded City combining the old and the new On one side you have buildings reminiscent of British Rule but the bastion of the British Raj till Delhi took over in 1912 Centres of literature and the arts architectural heir to colonial British styles with modern Indians own touch to give it continuing relevance a great bustle of commerce and Industry A port city on the river Hooghly as it flows generously under soaring Howrah Bridge A vast hinterland of Industry jute coal and steel A crowded city around triple lungs of the Maidan on one side the Rabindra sarovar on the other and river as it sweeps on to the sea Home of Bengal Volatile in polities sports lover intellectual poetic and sensitiveDuring the British rule Calcutta was known as the jewel of the east and was the capital of the country till 1911 AD Today it is still the most important city in the east The nerve centre of trade a city dustling with a population of around 10 millionCalcutta would soon overtake Madras and Bombay to become the HO of British power in India Robert olives and Admiral watson from Madras ictory over the Nawab of Bengal SirajudDaylah in 1757 AD at plassey vis to mark the beginning of the full flowering of the Raj The end of the vliighal power was in sight and the gradual take over by the British in hiswry In 1773 ADthe capital was transfered from Madras to Calcutta and it ilow into the second city of the EmpireIn 1911 at a cornation Durbar for George V held in Delhi the deciion was taken to shift the capital back to Delhi of was the end of an era Hilt Calcutta remained Vast alive a provinicial Capital but cosmopolitan and ver growingampnbsp

Bishnupur

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:29:54 PDT

Overview: ampnbspVishnupur A sub divisional heed quarters of Bankura distsict in West Bengal is celebrated for a large number of beautifulampnbsptemples Vishnupur was the capital of a large territory know as MallabhumampnbspThe town of Vishnupur flourished during the reign of the Mallakings who ruled for more than 200years from the late 16th century to the beginning of the 19th centuryThen known as Mallabhum the kingdom embraced the whole of BanknraMidnapore and Burdwan districs and beyondIn the early 19th century when this estate was of its zenith if was during the time of Chaitanya Singh that much tribulations were suffered by the Mallafamily and the estate wassold out in 1805AD by the East India company for arrears of land Revenue and the zamindars of Bardhaman Ocquired the estate through purchase to the Maharaja of Burdwan Thus ended the history of a famous dynasty and an independent kingdom in West BengalAmong the later Hindu kings of Bengal the Mallas of Vishnupur undoubtedly occupied a place of disampnottinction not only for their militaty powersbut because of their patronampnotage to the development of a dignitir style of art architecture sculpture and music During the reigan of Brihambir and his successors raja Raghunath sing and Brisingh Vishnupur became one of the prinampnotciple centres of culture of BengalThough Vishnupur has lost its reknown as the seat of power ful family of Rulers The great extent in the monumental temples which are magnificent in their architectural style and the terracotta decorations found upon the walls of most of these temples preserlled in an excellent stateampnbsp Travel warnig: ampnbspVishnupur A sub divisional heed quarters of Bankura distsict in West Bengal is celebrated for a large number of beautifulampnbsptemples Vishnupur was the capital of a large territory know as MallabhumampnbspThe town of Vishnupur flourished during the reign of the Mallakings who ruled for more than 200years from the late 16th century to the beginning of the 19th centuryThen known as Mallabhum the kingdom embraced the whole of BanknraMidnapore and Burdwan districs and beyondIn the early 19th century when this estate was of its zenith if was during the time of Chaitanya Singh that much tribulations were suffered by the Mallafamily and the estate wassold out in 1805AD by the East India company for arrears of land Revenue and the zamindars of Bardhaman Ocquired the estate through purchase to the Maharaja of Burdwan Thus ended the history of a famous dynasty and an independent kingdom in West BengalAmong the later Hindu kings of Bengal the Mallas of Vishnupur undoubtedly occupied a place of disampnottinction not only for their militaty powersbut because of their patronampnotage to the development of a dignitir style of art architecture sculpture and music During the reigan of Brihambir and his successors raja Raghunath sing and Brisingh Vishnupur became one of the prinampnotciple centres of culture of BengalThough Vishnupur has lost its reknown as the seat of power ful family of Rulers The great extent in the monumental temples which are magnificent in their architectural style and the terracotta decorations found upon the walls of most of these temples preserlled in an excellent stateampnbsp

Malda

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:56:46 PDT

Overview: The old capital of Bengal was Gaur near Malda Town340kms from Calcutta It starts from about 7th century when Bengal was under the reign under the names of Ramavati and Halesh Manavati when Bengal was under the Reign of king asanka After him came the Pales and the senar During the Reigont of Lakshman sen Gour up to 1202AD Lakshan sen is said to have been aking of considerable power in the earlier part of his Reign His territories were captured it in the year 1202AD by MohammadiBakhtiyar Khalji when he was 80 years of age He had three sons Madhab keshao sen and Biswarup sen by two wives named Basudevi and Mallava Devi Halayudha Misra was his MinisterOn the route to Darjeeling 349 km north of Kolkata Malda is the base for visiting the ruined cities of Gaur and Pandua although its probably more famous now for its large Fajli mangoes One reader wrote You could probably kill yourself through overeating mangoes in this place Gaur is delightful one of the nicest places we visited in India incredibly peaceful and beautiful Maldas not very interesting but it has a small museum English Bazaar also transliterated as Ingrah Bazar is now a suburb of Malda An English factory was established here in 1771 Old Malda is nearby at the junction of the Kalindi and Mahananda rivers It was once an important port for the former Muslim capital of Pandua Travel warnig: The old capital of Bengal was Gaur near Malda Town340kms from Calcutta It starts from about 7th century when Bengal was under the reign under the names of Ramavati and Halesh Manavati when Bengal was under the Reign of king asanka After him came the Pales and the senar During the Reigont of Lakshman sen Gour up to 1202AD Lakshan sen is said to have been aking of considerable power in the earlier part of his Reign His territories were captured it in the year 1202AD by MohammadiBakhtiyar Khalji when he was 80 years of age He had three sons Madhab keshao sen and Biswarup sen by two wives named Basudevi and Mallava Devi Halayudha Misra was his MinisterOn the route to Darjeeling 349 km north of Kolkata Malda is the base for visiting the ruined cities of Gaur and Pandua although its probably more famous now for its large Fajli mangoes One reader wrote You could probably kill yourself through overeating mangoes in this place Gaur is delightful one of the nicest places we visited in India incredibly peaceful and beautiful Maldas not very interesting but it has a small museum English Bazaar also transliterated as Ingrah Bazar is now a suburb of Malda An English factory was established here in 1771 Old Malda is nearby at the junction of the Kalindi and Mahananda rivers It was once an important port for the former Muslim capital of Pandua

Jalpaiguri

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:58:24 PDT

Overview: Situated in the foothills of the lower Himalayas in the northern part of West Bengal Jalpaiguri is mostly untouched by popular tourism The small town still retains its colonial character quite evident in the stately bungalows lined along the beautiful River Teesta Jalpaiguri is surrounded by dense forests crisscrossed by fastflowing rivers and rolling acres of tea plantations adding to its charm The town and its neighbouring areas offer ample scope for wildlife and adventure tourism Jalpaiguri derives its name from jalpai which means olives in local parlance and guri which means place thus a place where olives are found abundantly The name is also believed to be borrowed from a Bhutanese term jelepegori which means a place where warm clothes are bought and sold Besides having a great potential for ecotourism and adventure activities the town is also the gateway to Bangladesh Bhutan and northeastern states of IndiaJalpaiguri derives its name from the olive fruit which is locally known as amplsquojalpaiamprsquo ampndash it literally means a place where olives are found abundantly Its name is also associated with Lord Shiva who is also known as Jalpesh the presiding deity of the region Jalpaiguri shares the northern part of West Bengal and is close to international borders with Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh in the south It is bounded by the state of Assam and Darjeeling district in the East and West Jalpaiguri comprises chiefly of a rural population which is more than 80 per cent of its total population The topography of the land is cut across by rivers rivulets and hills and covered with tea gardens and forests It is a virtual cauldron of different ethnic races and tribes like the Rajbanshi Rabha Toto Metch Santhals Madasia and OraonsJalpaiguri has great tourism potential which still lies untapped the wild currents of Teesta Torsa and Sankosh asserting its way through the gorges vast stretches of wilderness with the backdrop of the Himalayas rolling acres of tea estates and colorful tribal peoples makes it an ideal place for holiday makers and adventure loversThe little town of Jalpaiguri has more or less survived being bitten by the commercialization bug unlike some cities and towns of North Bengal Its beauty lies in its serenity green parks and the relaxed way in which people go about their daytoday life The look and feel of the town belies the fact that it is a great seat of learning and education in North Bengal It boasts of a reputed Law College establishment and Pharmacy Institute large numbers of people are well educated Recently Jalpaiguri Court won the prestigious privilege of hosting the High Court Circuit Bench beating Siliguri Court in the run for the sameIf Siliguri is known for its commercialization and economic development Jalpaiguri has a unique identity of its own in the cultural educational and social Jalpesh Siva Temple ampndash Located 3 km from Mainaguri and 15 km from Jalpaiguri A famous shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva the presiding deity of North Bengal Every year in the Hindu calendar month of sawan 15 July15 August thousands of devotees throng the Jalpesh Temple and a large fair is organised for a month Devotees collect water in vessels from the river Teesta after offering puja and walk barefoot towards the temple which is 15 km from the river Travel warnig: Situated in the foothills of the lower Himalayas in the northern part of West Bengal Jalpaiguri is mostly untouched by popular tourism The small town still retains its colonial character quite evident in the stately bungalows lined along the beautiful River Teesta Jalpaiguri is surrounded by dense forests crisscrossed by fastflowing rivers and rolling acres of tea plantations adding to its charm The town and its neighbouring areas offer ample scope for wildlife and adventure tourism Jalpaiguri derives its name from jalpai which means olives in local parlance and guri which means place thus a place where olives are found abundantly The name is also believed to be borrowed from a Bhutanese term jelepegori which means a place where warm clothes are bought and sold Besides having a great potential for ecotourism and adventure activities the town is also the gateway to Bangladesh Bhutan and northeastern states of IndiaJalpaiguri derives its name from the olive fruit which is locally known as amplsquojalpaiamprsquo ampndash it literally means a place where olives are found abundantly Its name is also associated with Lord Shiva who is also known as Jalpesh the presiding deity of the region Jalpaiguri shares the northern part of West Bengal and is close to international borders with Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh in the south It is bounded by the state of Assam and Darjeeling district in the East and West Jalpaiguri comprises chiefly of a rural population which is more than 80 per cent of its total population The topography of the land is cut across by rivers rivulets and hills and covered with tea gardens and forests It is a virtual cauldron of different ethnic races and tribes like the Rajbanshi Rabha Toto Metch Santhals Madasia and OraonsJalpaiguri has great tourism potential which still lies untapped the wild currents of Teesta Torsa and Sankosh asserting its way through the gorges vast stretches of wilderness with the backdrop of the Himalayas rolling acres of tea estates and colorful tribal peoples makes it an ideal place for holiday makers and adventure loversThe little town of Jalpaiguri has more or less survived being bitten by the commercialization bug unlike some cities and towns of North Bengal Its beauty lies in its serenity green parks and the relaxed way in which people go about their daytoday life The look and feel of the town belies the fact that it is a great seat of learning and education in North Bengal It boasts of a reputed Law College establishment and Pharmacy Institute large numbers of people are well educated Recently Jalpaiguri Court won the prestigious privilege of hosting the High Court Circuit Bench beating Siliguri Court in the run for the sameIf Siliguri is known for its commercialization and economic development Jalpaiguri has a unique identity of its own in the cultural educational and social Jalpesh Siva Temple ampndash Located 3 km from Mainaguri and 15 km from Jalpaiguri A famous shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva the presiding deity of North Bengal Every year in the Hindu calendar month of sawan 15 July15 August thousands of devotees throng the Jalpesh Temple and a large fair is organised for a month Devotees collect water in vessels from the river Teesta after offering puja and walk barefoot towards the temple which is 15 km from the river

Konark

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:16:32 PST

Overview: The name of ampquotKonarkampquot is evidently derived from the name of its presiding deity Konari which means Kona corner Arka sun Now the name Konark distinguished both the place and the temple According to these puranas Samba son of Krishna and his wife Jambavativery proud of his handsome apperarance and once ridiculed the divide sage Narada who mischief maker that he even ordinarily was took recourse to an unsaintly scheme to arrange himself by a curing device held samba to the bathing place of his step motherwho was struck with his per Sonal Charm slipping quietly the sage led Krishnaa to this spot Incensed at his sons apperent lock of oronrietvKishna cursed him to be smitten with leprsy which would naturally affect his beauty He was however directed to repair to Mitravana near the Chandrabhaga where he was to propitiate Surya the leader of all skin diseases Samba acted upon the advice After 12 years of severe penance he succeeded in pleasing the god and was cured of his illness Once while bathing in the ChandraBhaga the following day he discovered an image of the god which had been fashioned out of Suryas body by Vaswakarma and placed it in a temple from the time of Samba ie from about 1900 BC The place became famous and worship of sun was prevalent at KonarkIn the 9th century AD Purandar Keshari the 13th king of Keshari Dynasty had built a temple for the sun god on the bank of the river Chandrabhaga and establised 8 brahmin sasans Villages granted to the brahmins by the king for the sun GodAfter some centuries The reasons for selecting the site of Konark for the construction of such a huge structure probably comes from a story of Mayadevi The king Narasimha Dev had love with Mayadevi the beautiful princess of the chieftain of Sisupalgarh Once while the king was in war field Mayadevi died suddenly and her dead body was immersed in the nearby river in a closed box Raja Narasimha dev on return from the war searched for the said box and hound it floating in the mouth of the ver Chandrabaga near Konark In Hrpetuation of his sweat love for Itryadevi the king Narasimha Dev hlilt the suntemple at Konark beside ilich a small temple of Mayadevi HI stands in commemoration of Hwir loveAnother story tells that the itieen of raja Anangavim Dev was idessed with son Narasimha Dev my due to her worship of sun godkonark While Narasimha Dev in is young age won the battle in outhern border and brought some Ilooty His mother the queen of Angavim Dev advised him to built a Digger temple for the sun God at konark The temple was built most probably the middle of 13th century between 1240 and 1270 AD by Me king Narasimha Dev of Ganga rynastyIn 1568 AD the Afghan king of Bengal Sultan Sulaiman After Afghan conquest of cuttack his genral or Illahabad captured Konark in 1568 AD The sun temple has been destroyed and has collapsed in course of timeIn 1623 AD Prince ShahMan passed through Orissa Issued order Reinstalled the images in the Puri temple in the year 1624 AD In 628 AD when Bakhar Khan was cling Orissa on behalf ShahjaHan irsued order reinstall the images in 1628 AD Raja Narasimha Dev 11 had ordered for taking measurement of all the temples at Konark and made an account of the risuals of all gods and goddesses At the time of measurement the sun temple was in existance upto Muslims who probably violated the sanctity of the temple either by their entry to it It is obvious from the account of AbdulFazal that the Temple succeeded in arousing the curiosity of even the Mulims of by the Removal of the Gold and Copper Thus for saken by the presiding deity the deserted temple fell naturally into Utter neglectIn 1815 AD the British artist of Colin Mackenzie came to Konark and prepared a drawing of the Sun temple northern face of a part of the eastern stair and the adjoining terrace which shows two wheels and a pair of horessIn 1837 AD James Fergusson who visited the temple and prepared a drawing of it estimated the height of the fragment an angle of the sanctuary Sir Ashelly Eden lieutenant Governor of Bengal visited to Konark suggested some repairs at a small outlay Accordingly in 1881 AD the public works department done some repairs in 188283 ADIn 1982 AD The question of repairs cropped up once more when the leftenent Governor Sir Charles AElloit following his visit to the temple felt the necessity of its inspection by a competent person to suggest suitable measures for its conservationThe visit of Sir John woodbur the lieftnent Governor to Konark in December 1900 AD put an end to this statemate and aurgured bright prospects for the temple In February 1901 AD TBlochArchacological Surveyour of the Ben gal circle submitted Suggestion fo the temple The Government of Ben gal accepted the suggestions andampnbsp estimate was prerared at most im mediately for clearing the sanc aruond the porch and the compounc wall and excavating rubbish an stones from the basement of the E porch As early as April 1901 AD was exposed a wheel by excavating a trench at the base of the porch The year 1901 AD was thus a mem orable year in the life of the temple as it witnessed for the first time the firm launching of a well planned campaign to save the temple at any cost by adopting suitable measures with keen archacological conscienceThe loose stones were reset in their original position the essential works for conserving the porch was completed in 1905 AD In 19061907 AD The damaged work completed in 1915 AD Lightningconductors were also fixed while a sculptureshed was constructored and the house at the images and important carved pieces In 1922 AD all the major structural repairs like the rebuilding of the walltops of the sanctuary of temples Travel warnig: The name of ampquotKonarkampquot is evidently derived from the name of its presiding deity Konari which means Kona corner Arka sun Now the name Konark distinguished both the place and the temple According to these puranas Samba son of Krishna and his wife Jambavativery proud of his handsome apperarance and once ridiculed the divide sage Narada who mischief maker that he even ordinarily was took recourse to an unsaintly scheme to arrange himself by a curing device held samba to the bathing place of his step motherwho was struck with his per Sonal Charm slipping quietly the sage led Krishnaa to this spot Incensed at his sons apperent lock of oronrietvKishna cursed him to be smitten with leprsy which would naturally affect his beauty He was however directed to repair to Mitravana near the Chandrabhaga where he was to propitiate Surya the leader of all skin diseases Samba acted upon the advice After 12 years of severe penance he succeeded in pleasing the god and was cured of his illness Once while bathing in the ChandraBhaga the following day he discovered an image of the god which had been fashioned out of Suryas body by Vaswakarma and placed it in a temple from the time of Samba ie from about 1900 BC The place became famous and worship of sun was prevalent at KonarkIn the 9th century AD Purandar Keshari the 13th king of Keshari Dynasty had built a temple for the sun god on the bank of the river Chandrabhaga and establised 8 brahmin sasans Villages granted to the brahmins by the king for the sun GodAfter some centuries The reasons for selecting the site of Konark for the construction of such a huge structure probably comes from a story of Mayadevi The king Narasimha Dev had love with Mayadevi the beautiful princess of the chieftain of Sisupalgarh Once while the king was in war field Mayadevi died suddenly and her dead body was immersed in the nearby river in a closed box Raja Narasimha dev on return from the war searched for the said box and hound it floating in the mouth of the ver Chandrabaga near Konark In Hrpetuation of his sweat love for Itryadevi the king Narasimha Dev hlilt the suntemple at Konark beside ilich a small temple of Mayadevi HI stands in commemoration of Hwir loveAnother story tells that the itieen of raja Anangavim Dev was idessed with son Narasimha Dev my due to her worship of sun godkonark While Narasimha Dev in is young age won the battle in outhern border and brought some Ilooty His mother the queen of Angavim Dev advised him to built a Digger temple for the sun God at konark The temple was built most probably the middle of 13th century between 1240 and 1270 AD by Me king Narasimha Dev of Ganga rynastyIn 1568 AD the Afghan king of Bengal Sultan Sulaiman After Afghan conquest of cuttack his genral or Illahabad captured Konark in 1568 AD The sun temple has been destroyed and has collapsed in course of timeIn 1623 AD Prince ShahMan passed through Orissa Issued order Reinstalled the images in the Puri temple in the year 1624 AD In 628 AD when Bakhar Khan was cling Orissa on behalf ShahjaHan irsued order reinstall the images in 1628 AD Raja Narasimha Dev 11 had ordered for taking measurement of all the temples at Konark and made an account of the risuals of all gods and goddesses At the time of measurement the sun temple was in existance upto Muslims who probably violated the sanctity of the temple either by their entry to it It is obvious from the account of AbdulFazal that the Temple succeeded in arousing the curiosity of even the Mulims of by the Removal of the Gold and Copper Thus for saken by the presiding deity the deserted temple fell naturally into Utter neglectIn 1815 AD the British artist of Colin Mackenzie came to Konark and prepared a drawing of the Sun temple northern face of a part of the eastern stair and the adjoining terrace which shows two wheels and a pair of horessIn 1837 AD James Fergusson who visited the temple and prepared a drawing of it estimated the height of the fragment an angle of the sanctuary Sir Ashelly Eden lieutenant Governor of Bengal visited to Konark suggested some repairs at a small outlay Accordingly in 1881 AD the public works department done some repairs in 188283 ADIn 1982 AD The question of repairs cropped up once more when the leftenent Governor Sir Charles AElloit following his visit to the temple felt the necessity of its inspection by a competent person to suggest suitable measures for its conservationThe visit of Sir John woodbur the lieftnent Governor to Konark in December 1900 AD put an end to this statemate and aurgured bright prospects for the temple In February 1901 AD TBlochArchacological Surveyour of the Ben gal circle submitted Suggestion fo the temple The Government of Ben gal accepted the suggestions andampnbsp estimate was prerared at most im mediately for clearing the sanc aruond the porch and the compounc wall and excavating rubbish an stones from the basement of the E porch As early as April 1901 AD was exposed a wheel by excavating a trench at the base of the porch The year 1901 AD was thus a mem orable year in the life of the temple as it witnessed for the first time the firm launching of a well planned campaign to save the temple at any cost by adopting suitable measures with keen archacological conscienceThe loose stones were reset in their original position the essential works for conserving the porch was completed in 1905 AD In 19061907 AD The damaged work completed in 1915 AD Lightningconductors were also fixed while a sculptureshed was constructored and the house at the images and important carved pieces In 1922 AD all the major structural repairs like the rebuilding of the walltops of the sanctuary of temples

Sambalpur

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:25:14 PST

Overview: The town of Sambapur the district head quarters can beampnbsp concenienty made the base forampnbsp visitingampnbsp various places of Hindiampnbsp temples Muslim Mosques and Christain churches of tourist interestampnbsp in theampnbsp districtampnbsp asampnbsp well as other district of Western Orissa Sambalpur is famousampnbsp forampnbsp its had look textile work which hasampnbspampnbsp earned internationalampnbsp fame in recent times Theampnbsp textiles for thirampnbsp unique pattern name of sambalpur Sambalpur is a city municipality in the western region of Orissa It is the headquarters of Sambalpur District Sambalpur derives its name from that of the Goddess Samaleswari an incarnation of Shakti who is regarded as the reigning deity of the region Sambalpur lies at a distance of 321 km from the capital city of Bhubaneswar In history it has been variously known as Sambalak Hirakhanda Dakhina Kosal RecentlyFactdateJanuary 2009 a lowintensity separatist movement to carve out a state Koshal has gained momentumThe place is famous for its globally renowned textile bounded patterns and fabrics locally known as Baandha In the past Sambalpur has been a great centre of diamond trade Apart from textiles Samabalpur has a rich tribal heritage and fabulous forestlands The prevalent communicative Language used in and around Sambalpur region is called Sambalpuri a dialect with a great amount of variations across the wide regions of Western Orissa Sambalpuri is a dialect of the Oriya language with influences of Chattisgarhi Tribal and Hindi language Presently there is a cultural movement which claims Sambalpuri to be an independent language as opposed to a dialect spoken by the people of the 10 districts of the Western Orissa region viz Kalahandi Sundargarh Nuapada Balangir Sonepur Sambalpur Boudh Deogarh Jharsuguda Bargarh ampamp Athmalik SubDivision of Angul district ampamp adjacent areas of ChhatisgarhSambalpur is an ancient town mentioned in the book of Ptolemy 2nd Century CE as the city of Sambalaka situated on the left bank of river ampquotManadaampquot now known as Mahanadi From the records of Xuanzang and in the writings of the celebrated King Indrabhuti oldest known king of Sambalpur the founder of Vajrayana Buddhism and the Lama CultSambalpur had also been known as Hirakhand meaning Land of Diamond In the past Sambalpur was famous for diamond mining and trade Even now the adjoining areas yield a large volume and value of semiprecious stones if not diamondsFrench merchant Jean Baptiste Tavernier 1605 ampndash 1689 in his travel account ampldquoSix Voyages en Turquie en Perse et aux Indes 1676ampndash77amprdquo translated into English by Valentine Ball as ampldquoTravels in Indiaamprdquo 2d ed 2 vol 1925 wrote about the numerous famous diamonds mines of Sumelpur Semelpur the present day Sambalpur He states that 8000 people were at work in these mines at the time of his visit in the dry season at the beginning of FebruarySambalpur serves as the gateway to the beautiful Western part of Orissa It is the divisional head quarters of the Northern administrative division of the State also a very important commercial and Educational center There are direct train connections to Kolkata 565 km 12 h by train New Delhi 1460 km 26 hours by train Chennai 1010 km 32 hours by train Bhubaneswar the capital city of the State is connected through NH 42 325 km 8 hours by bus or train Ahmadabad and Mumbai are linked through Jharsuguda Junction 48 km The nearby Airports are at Bhubaneswar 325 km and Raipur 300 kmPresently Sambalpur is the breakbulk city between the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa In periods prior to 1000 AD it used to be known once as an important diamond trading centre There is a wild life sanctuary known as Badrama sanctuary near the city of SambalpurPlaces like the Hirakud Dam and its lake with the winter migrant bird visitors from Siberia leaning Temple of Huma and the wildlife Sanctuary at Badrama Ushakuthi Khalasuni and Debrigadh wildlife sanctuary in the Barapahad mountain range Chourasimal Budharaja Temple Gudguda waterfall Ghanteswari Temple attract tourists Nearby places like the Narsinghnath and Harishankar Bolangir Padhanpat Deogarh Hanuman Batika Mandira Dam and Khandadhar Rourkela attracts tourists to its serene surroundingsThe artwork of the Sambalpuri tie and dye weavers fascinating fabrics with enchanting designs and motifs is cherished for the uniqueness by the connoisseur of handloom the world over Sambalpuri songs and dance has earned a unique place in the cultural arena of the wouldPlaces like Vikramkhol Manikmoda Phuldungri Ushakuthi Bhimamandli Ulapgadha Sargikhol preserve and exhibit prehistoric remains of Paleolithic and Chalcolithic periods The caves embody many paintings and indicate the rich historic significance of the Sambalpur region Travel warnig: The town of Sambapur the district head quarters can beampnbsp concenienty made the base forampnbsp visitingampnbsp various places of Hindiampnbsp temples Muslim Mosques and Christain churches of tourist interestampnbsp in theampnbsp districtampnbsp asampnbsp well as other district of Western Orissa Sambalpur is famousampnbsp forampnbsp its had look textile work which hasampnbspampnbsp earned internationalampnbsp fame in recent times Theampnbsp textiles for thirampnbsp unique pattern name of sambalpur Sambalpur is a city municipality in the western region of Orissa It is the headquarters of Sambalpur District Sambalpur derives its name from that of the Goddess Samaleswari an incarnation of Shakti who is regarded as the reigning deity of the region Sambalpur lies at a distance of 321 km from the capital city of Bhubaneswar In history it has been variously known as Sambalak Hirakhanda Dakhina Kosal RecentlyFactdateJanuary 2009 a lowintensity separatist movement to carve out a state Koshal has gained momentumThe place is famous for its globally renowned textile bounded patterns and fabrics locally known as Baandha In the past Sambalpur has been a great centre of diamond trade Apart from textiles Samabalpur has a rich tribal heritage and fabulous forestlands The prevalent communicative Language used in and around Sambalpur region is called Sambalpuri a dialect with a great amount of variations across the wide regions of Western Orissa Sambalpuri is a dialect of the Oriya language with influences of Chattisgarhi Tribal and Hindi language Presently there is a cultural movement which claims Sambalpuri to be an independent language as opposed to a dialect spoken by the people of the 10 districts of the Western Orissa region viz Kalahandi Sundargarh Nuapada Balangir Sonepur Sambalpur Boudh Deogarh Jharsuguda Bargarh ampamp Athmalik SubDivision of Angul district ampamp adjacent areas of ChhatisgarhSambalpur is an ancient town mentioned in the book of Ptolemy 2nd Century CE as the city of Sambalaka situated on the left bank of river ampquotManadaampquot now known as Mahanadi From the records of Xuanzang and in the writings of the celebrated King Indrabhuti oldest known king of Sambalpur the founder of Vajrayana Buddhism and the Lama CultSambalpur had also been known as Hirakhand meaning Land of Diamond In the past Sambalpur was famous for diamond mining and trade Even now the adjoining areas yield a large volume and value of semiprecious stones if not diamondsFrench merchant Jean Baptiste Tavernier 1605 ampndash 1689 in his travel account ampldquoSix Voyages en Turquie en Perse et aux Indes 1676ampndash77amprdquo translated into English by Valentine Ball as ampldquoTravels in Indiaamprdquo 2d ed 2 vol 1925 wrote about the numerous famous diamonds mines of Sumelpur Semelpur the present day Sambalpur He states that 8000 people were at work in these mines at the time of his visit in the dry season at the beginning of FebruarySambalpur serves as the gateway to the beautiful Western part of Orissa It is the divisional head quarters of the Northern administrative division of the State also a very important commercial and Educational center There are direct train connections to Kolkata 565 km 12 h by train New Delhi 1460 km 26 hours by train Chennai 1010 km 32 hours by train Bhubaneswar the capital city of the State is connected through NH 42 325 km 8 hours by bus or train Ahmadabad and Mumbai are linked through Jharsuguda Junction 48 km The nearby Airports are at Bhubaneswar 325 km and Raipur 300 kmPresently Sambalpur is the breakbulk city between the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa In periods prior to 1000 AD it used to be known once as an important diamond trading centre There is a wild life sanctuary known as Badrama sanctuary near the city of SambalpurPlaces like the Hirakud Dam and its lake with the winter migrant bird visitors from Siberia leaning Temple of Huma and the wildlife Sanctuary at Badrama Ushakuthi Khalasuni and Debrigadh wildlife sanctuary in the Barapahad mountain range Chourasimal Budharaja Temple Gudguda waterfall Ghanteswari Temple attract tourists Nearby places like the Narsinghnath and Harishankar Bolangir Padhanpat Deogarh Hanuman Batika Mandira Dam and Khandadhar Rourkela attracts tourists to its serene surroundingsThe artwork of the Sambalpuri tie and dye weavers fascinating fabrics with enchanting designs and motifs is cherished for the uniqueness by the connoisseur of handloom the world over Sambalpuri songs and dance has earned a unique place in the cultural arena of the wouldPlaces like Vikramkhol Manikmoda Phuldungri Ushakuthi Bhimamandli Ulapgadha Sargikhol preserve and exhibit prehistoric remains of Paleolithic and Chalcolithic periods The caves embody many paintings and indicate the rich historic significance of the Sambalpur region

Koraput

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:09:09 PST

Overview: Koraput theampnbsp lagrest district of Orissa and one of the largest inampnbsp india is a district of meadows forests rapids and falls andampnbsp terraced valley thronegedampnbsp withampnbsp colourful tribels Itampnbsp has is own appeal forampnbsp the visitors who preferampnbsp relaxation in theampnbsp lap of nature hi ghest Rail Route Broad Guage water in kirandul line onampnbsp the SErlyampnbsp passes through the dense forests charming mea dows and breathampnbsp taking ghats Koraput district inampnbsp Orissa is feast for the eyes and cradled in natures bounty The aweinspiring sights make Koraput a travellers ampnbsp delightampnbsp Nature speaks a variety of languages which the lover of nature translatesampnbsp in to joyampnbsp The breath taking scenery brings heaven to earth ampnbsp The virgin nature with untouchedampnbsp ampamp unexploredampnbsp tribals ampamp their rich cultural heritage provide tourists a lot to enjoy ampamp feel places to visit ampamp things to doampnbsp The broad panorama of enchanting hills theampnbsp rippling streams spectacular waterfalls the wonderful caves lush of green valleys the salubrious climate with fresh air on one hand and simplicity and traditional hospitality of tribes their colorful and natural gesture on the other hand make Koraput a different world a world that beckons one to come again and again to get peace tranquility and joy for ever Travel warnig: Koraput theampnbsp lagrest district of Orissa and one of the largest inampnbsp india is a district of meadows forests rapids and falls andampnbsp terraced valley thronegedampnbsp withampnbsp colourful tribels Itampnbsp has is own appeal forampnbsp the visitors who preferampnbsp relaxation in theampnbsp lap of nature hi ghest Rail Route Broad Guage water in kirandul line onampnbsp the SErlyampnbsp passes through the dense forests charming mea dows and breathampnbsp taking ghats Koraput district inampnbsp Orissa is feast for the eyes and cradled in natures bounty The aweinspiring sights make Koraput a travellers ampnbsp delightampnbsp Nature speaks a variety of languages which the lover of nature translatesampnbsp in to joyampnbsp The breath taking scenery brings heaven to earth ampnbsp The virgin nature with untouchedampnbsp ampamp unexploredampnbsp tribals ampamp their rich cultural heritage provide tourists a lot to enjoy ampamp feel places to visit ampamp things to doampnbsp The broad panorama of enchanting hills theampnbsp rippling streams spectacular waterfalls the wonderful caves lush of green valleys the salubrious climate with fresh air on one hand and simplicity and traditional hospitality of tribes their colorful and natural gesture on the other hand make Koraput a different world a world that beckons one to come again and again to get peace tranquility and joy for ever

Bhubaneswar

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:34:45 PST

Overview: The ancient city Bhubaneshwar is also modern capital of Orissa ituated at an altitude of 45 meters above Sea level The name of Niubaneswar is associated with a cluster of magnificent temples constitution virtually a complete record of Kalinga architecture almost form its nasency toculmination The vaulting spires of temples dominate this city skyline At ne time more than 7000 temples of various sizes stood around I tindusagar tank in the old city Today only about 500 of them survive in virying degrees of repairIt was only in 1950 AD that the capital of the state of Orissa was Jutted from Cuttack to Bhubanswar With the result that the present city is lush aid green and a Charming departure from the bustle of modern cities er buildings fruit trees line every road Temple Mosques Churches also assa has long been considered as the jewel of Eastern India Travel warnig: The ancient city Bhubaneshwar is also modern capital of Orissa ituated at an altitude of 45 meters above Sea level The name of Niubaneswar is associated with a cluster of magnificent temples constitution virtually a complete record of Kalinga architecture almost form its nasency toculmination The vaulting spires of temples dominate this city skyline At ne time more than 7000 temples of various sizes stood around I tindusagar tank in the old city Today only about 500 of them survive in virying degrees of repairIt was only in 1950 AD that the capital of the state of Orissa was Jutted from Cuttack to Bhubanswar With the result that the present city is lush aid green and a Charming departure from the bustle of modern cities er buildings fruit trees line every road Temple Mosques Churches also assa has long been considered as the jewel of Eastern India