A
melting pot of tradition, culture and incredible sights!
India offers you the most fascinating travel
destinations right from the tip of the Himalayas to the
depths of the Arabian Sea. Exotic beaches, misty
wildernesses, flashy cities, and networks of
scintillating rivers…the list is endless. Maharajas
castle to meek cottages, India presents you a treasure
trove of unforgettable experiences. Travel in India to
discover a world of beauty, ingenuity and splendor.
Goa
Holiday spells G-O-A !. Let your hair down, put on your
swim trunks and tread the golden beaches in the bright
sunshine. Feast on the tangy food and get merry on the
alluring pot wines.
Goa is a great vacation destination for all those of you
who want to kick the stress. Relax in the cute, vintage
style cottages. Visit the beautiful and elegant Basilica
of Bom Jesus church that silently tells the historic
tale of the meeting of ancient cultures. Lose yourself
in the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore.But
that’s not all. Go wild surfing, waterskiing,
paragliding and snorkeling. Take a pit-stop at colorful
shops and get yourself a couple of sea shell necklaces.
Dance to the lovely Konkani music that reveals to you
the soul of Goa. There is no doubting it. Once you’re
there the sea will take hold of you and will set you
spirit on fire!!
Jaipur
This pretty ‘pink city’ has nothing to do with little
ponies and rainbows but happens to bear a few world
renowned architectural land marks. The strong capital
city of the state of Rajasthan is ruled by the Rajputs,
the warrior family who considered the color pink to be
associated with hospitality. and are reputed to have
daubed the city in preparation for the visit of
Britain's Prince Alfred in 1853. This tradition and
Jaipur's welcoming, relaxed air continue to this day.
The city holds to its credit the Iswari Minar Swarga Sul
(the Minaret Piercing Heaven) which was built to
overlook the city. But the most striking sight is the
stunning artistry of the five-storey facade of the Hawa
Mahal, or Palace of the Winds. The palace was built in
1799 to enable ladies of the royal household to watch
street life and processions, and is part of the City
Palace complex which forms the heart of the old city.
Today Jaipur is a city of broad avenues and remarkable
architectural harmony, built on a dry lake bed
surrounded by barren hills. It's an extremely colorful
city and, in the evening light, it radiates a magical
warm glow. The city has now sprawled beyond its original
fortified confines, but most of its attractions are
compactly located in the walled 'pink city' in the
northeast of the city. All seven gates into the old city
remain, one of which leads into Johari Bazaar - the
famous jewellers' market.
Agra
Love could never be expressed more extravagantly. The
Taj mahal has for centuries left travelers in awe and
has become the de facto tourist emblem of India. This
marble mausoleum was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah
Jahan in memory of his second wife Mumtaz Mahal .The
city's other major attraction is the massive red
sandstone Agra Fort, also on the bank of the Yamuna
River. The auricular fort's colossal double walls rise
over 20m (65ft) in height and measure 2.5km (1.55mi) in
circumference.
Kerala:
The ancient history of Kerala is shrouded in the mists
of tradition. The most popular legend would have it that
the land crust that forms the State was raised from the
depths of the ocean. Parasurama, the Brahmin avatar
(incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, had waged an epic series
of vengeful wars on the Kshatriyas. Came a moment when
Parasurama was struck by remorse at the wanton
annihilation he had wrought. He offered severe penance
atop the mountain heights. In a mood of profound
atonement, the sage heaved his mighty axes into the
midst of the distant ocean. The waves foamed and frothed
as a prawn-shaped land extending from Gokarnam to
Kanyakumari surfaced from the depths of the sea to form
the state and hence the sobriquet - "Gods own Country".
The complex network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals
fringing the coast of Kerala forms the basis of a
distinct regional lifestyle, and travelling by boat
along these backwaters is one of the highlights of a
visit to the state. The boats cross shallow,
palm-fringed lakes studded with Chinese fishing nets,
and along narrow, shady canals where coir (coconut
fiber), copra and cashews are loaded onto boats. Stops
are made at small settlements where people live on
carefully cultivated narrow spits of land only a few
meters wide, and there's the chance to see traditional
boats with huge sails, and prows carved into the shape
of dragons. The most popular backwater trip is the
eight-hour voyage between Kollam and Alappuzha.
Kerala is particularly known for its ancient tradition
of medicine -Ayurveda. A system of treatment based on
the inherent ability of the human body to rejuvenate, to
heal and to restore its natural balance.The dance form
of “kathakali”, one of the worlds hardest dance forms
and one that requires the most extensive kind of
make-up; and the deadly martial art form of “kalazhi
payattu” hit the ‘must see’ list in Kerala tourism.
Kahjurao
This quiet, genial, dusty village in northern Madhya
Pradesh is awash with temples. Temples for everything -
sun gods, sacred bulls and, more memorably and most
prominently, sex. The erotic possibilities suggested by
the stone figures in the numerous temples have
contributed to Khajuraho's international fame. Another
prime feature of the temple craftmanship is that they
are liberally embellished with some of the finest
handiwork of the Chandela period, a dynasty which
survived for five centuries before falling to the
onslaught of Islam. Visitors are also drawn to a dance
festival, celebrated in March, which attracts some of
the best classical dancers in the country - the floodlit
temples provide a spectacular backdrop during the event.
The largest and most important temples are in the
attractively landscaped Western Group. Externally, the
temples consist of curvilinear towers with clusters of
lesser turrets clinging to them, suggestive of rising
mountain peaks (ahem) converging round a great central
peak. Round the exterior walls are two, sometimes three,
superimposed rows of gods, goddesses, kings and heroes,
courtesans, couples in carnal embrace and, in some
cases, friezes depicting various forms of bestiality.
The interiors are just as ornate, with an open portico
leading into a main hall, then a vestibule beyond which
is an inner sanctum containing the free-standing cult
image. In fact, the sculpture and architecture blend so
perfectly that each building appears to have been
conceived by a single - and highly sexed - mastermind.
Himachal Pradesh
As the name connotes ('Him' means snow), it is a land of
snow-clad mountains, snow-fed rivers and sparkling
streams, the beauty of which has lured many to this
enchanting place. Himachal Pradesh is a hallowed land, a
land of gods, goddesses and saints. Religion is the
bed-rock on which the culture, arts and crafts of this
state are founded. This is more than evident in the
numerous Hindu and Buddhist shrines and monasteries,
where the people of Himachal have surpassed in stone and
woodcarvings.
Nestled in the Himalayas, the world's mightiest mountain
ranges, Himachal is blessed with some of the most
spectacular landscapes anywhere. Truly a travelers
paradise, with mighty snow peaks, deep gorges, lush
green and golden valleys, flower filled meadows, misty
woods, fast flowing icy rivers, glaciers and enchanting
lakes. While the picturesque valleys of Kullu, Kinnaur
and Kangra are a riot of colours, in marked contrast the
barren terrain of Lahaul & Spiti have a stunning lunar
landscape like beauty. For the visitor there are superb
locations for relaxing and sight seeing. There are also
tremendous opportunities for trekking, mountaineering,
fishing, river rafting, skiing, para-gliding, ice
skating and golf.
Tamil nadu
Follow the temple trail as it winds through Chidambaram,
Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunalveli, Kanchipuram,
Rameshwaram, Madurai and Chennai and winds up at
Kanyakumari. Combine surf kissed beaches with monumental
ancient temples at Mahabalipuram and Kanyakumari. Strike
out into the wild at Mudumalai, which, as a part of the
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is dedicated to the
preservation of a wide array of wildlife. The Moray
River, which runs through the park, supports endangered
aquatic wildlife like otters, turtles and crocodile. The
forests are home to wild elephant, deer, panther, the
gaur, the notoriously shy Bengal tiger and a variety of
birds.
Cool off at Tamil Nadu’s hill stations, set up as summer
retreats by the Europeans who did business here and
eventually came to rule the subcontinent. Avoid the
moist heat of the plains and escape to the mist-shrouded
slopes of Ooty,Kodaikanal or Yercaud. Pondicherry still
retains much of its French dressing. This sometime
capital of French India is the setting for Auroville –
an organisation that experiments with international
living. It is also the location of a world-class medical
school, and one of the last sites of a certain European
genteelness that most of India has lost
Manipur
As perfect as a painting, Manipur is described rightly
as the Jewel of India . Manipur lies south of Nagaland &
North of Mizoram. It shares the international boundary
with Myanmar on the western & Southern side.Legand has
it that the discovery of Manipur was the result of
delight that the gods took in dancing. Still practiced
today, is a classical dance form marked by graceful &
restrained movements and delicate hand gestures known as
‘Manipuri’. Manipur is a chest of tradition and cultural
patterns, best represented by its dance forms. The Lai-haraoba
a traditional stylized ritual dance performed for
appeasing gods and goddess. The Lai-haraoba festival is
generally celebrated between April and May.
The “raas” songs and dances express the “Leelas” (play)
of Lord Krishna as a child with “Gopis” of Brindvan and
depict their yearning for communion with the lord. The
tribal dances of Manipur are the expression of love,
creativity and aestheticism of the tribal people of the
state. Manipuris were earlier recognized as skillful
warriors and still practice the arts of wrestling sword
fighting and martial arts. Songol kangjej (manipur Polo)
is the principal sport of the state, for polo is
believed to have originated here.