INDIA UNLIMITED – To the traveller, india offers a variety of attractions natural beauty history culture adventure and much more. It has more that what can be covered in a lifetime.
India is often considered more a sub continent with its wide variety of languages spoken geographical variations culture climate cuisines dress and religion and it is also a land of immense beauty.
The extreme north is marked by the high Himalayan ranges. The beautiful states in the namely jammu & Kashmir Himchal and Uttarakhand are lands of towering hills and mountains dales rivers and lakes exciting winter sports and pleasant summer holidays. These states have some of the world’s best treks and the trout fishing facilities and the season here lasts throughout the year winter and summer Sking and helil sking are major winter sports which can be enjoyed by all.
The beautiful states in the north namely jammu & Kashmir Himchal. And Uttarkhand are lands of towering hill and moutains dales rivers and lakes exciting winter sports and pleasant summer holidays.
Uttarakhand is also known as Dev Bhoomi as a very large number of important Hindu spots are located here. Thosands of pilgrims make treacherous trips up the mountains to pay homage at the shrines nestling in these mountains.
Just below lies Punjab with its extensive fields of wheat. It is a land of colorful people attracting you with their equally lively folk dance the Bhangra. And as you move further down en route are the wonderful highway resorts of Haryana. Haryana is also known for the mythological battlefieds of Kurukshetra mentioned in the epic Mahabharata Uttar Pradesh is the land of the Taj Mahal in Agra and also the ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri built by Mughal Emperor Akbar and then later abandoned Varnasi the eternal city of the banks of the holy river Ganges, is one of the world oldest living cities and a pilgrimage Uttar Pradesh and Bihar record the life and teachings of Sarnath Nalanda Rajgir Kushinager. The Bhoramdev temple in Chhattisgarh is said to be a precursor to the world famous Khajuraho temple in Madhya Pradesh. The state’s tribes are indeed a fascinating study in anthropology. The unique handcrafted items made by the tribals from grass wood and metal are good buys The pre historic caves dense forests and historical forts are something which the state is pround of.
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar record the life and teachings of Gautam Buddha A host of places come of mind Bodhgaya Sarnath Nalanda Rajgir Kushinagar.
Jharkhand is fascinating Watch the tribals celebrate their festivals their fairs their marriages and enjoy their typical items made from leaves twings wood and metal Also take time off for an experience of amazing ice age caves deep forests and a vibrant wildlife. The state also has some of Hinduism’s and the Jain’s sacred shrines.
Further East lies the state of West Bengal with its busy bustling capital Kolkata, which was the capital of the British before they shifted base to New Delhi. The beautiful hill resorts of Darjeeling and the unique toy train are a great attraction for tourists.
The seven unspoilt states of Sikkim, Manipur, Assam Arunachal Tripura Nagaland and Maghalaya can overawe you with their blue hills and mystic beauty.
The East is also the home of the legendary Sun Temple at Konark and of Bhubaneswar in Orissa. The Jaganath Temple at Puri is one of Hinuism’s four most important temples.
This is not all Delhi, India’s beautiful capital embodies and records the history of the last two thousands yeats. Its monuments an other landmarks talk of seven earlier dynasties since the days of Indrastha and the Mahabharata.
Rajasthan further west sings desert tales of a brave and chivalrous race. A land of beautiful palaces and rugged forts of exquisite temples and gorgeous lakes Rajasthan attracts you to a host of almost legendary an regal destination like Jaipur, Amber, Jaisalmer, Chittor, Deeg, Ranakpur, Mount, Abu, Udaipur… each with its own fort and lovely palace.
Also in Western India is Ahmedabad in Gujarat, the city on monuments belonging to two cultures hindu and Muslim. Gujarat is also the home of Mahatma Gandhi and the site of his historic Dandi March which challenged the might of the British Empire.
Our journey further brings us to adjacent Madhya Pradesh with the famous erotic temple of Khajuraho and to Mandu the city of joy which has immortalized the legendary romance between Rupmati and Prince Baz Bahadur.
Madhya Pradesh is also the site of the ancient Buddhist Situpa as Sanchi of the 3rd century B.C.
The busy metropolitan city of Mumbai in Maharastra world of film stars and is India’s business capital.
Delhi India’s beautiful capital embodies and records the history of the last two thousand years. Its monuments and other landmarks talk of seven earlier dynasties since the days of Indraprastha and the Mahabharata.
Maharastra is also world famous for the cave sculptures and paintings of Ajantsa and Eilora. A short beautiful city of Pune the home city of Shivaji mahraj.
Next door is Goa which the Portuguese so aptly called Golden Goa. A glorious land of sun sand and sea with some of the world’s most fabulous beaches and unique culture a perfect blendings of India and Portugal of Hinduism and Christianity.
Hyderabad the capital of Andhra Pradesh is a wonderful fusion of two cultures and two religions, Hinduism and Islam. The Char Minar, the Mecca Masjid the nearby 13th century Golconda Fort the beautiful temple on top of the Naubat Pahad its quaint bazaars and the famous Salar Jung Museum which houses the private art collection of Hyderabad’s erstwhile Nawab Salar Jung 3rd are all worth visiting again and again. At Nagarjunasagar lie the ruins of 3rd century Budhhist city.
While Amravati is another ancient centre of Buddhism Simhanchalam and Tirupati represent two of Hinduism’s most important shrines.
Daman and Diu known for churches with Portuguese carvings on their walls and built in ancient Gothic style also have places like fort of tourists from across the world to the Aurobindo Ashram.
Mysore in present day Karnataka is aristocratic regal and graceful it has on old world charm all its own Exciting excursions from Mysore include the Brindavan Gardens Srirangapatnam Tippu Sultan Summer Palace and Tippu and Hyder Ali Tombs Somnathpur on other hand is modern city but one which is beautiful and well planned Bangalore is the Garden City with parks broad clean avenues and all conceivable modern amenities. It is a conveninent base to explore Belur Halebid and the Nandi Hills Karnataka also contains the priceless capital of the great Vijayananager Empire (1336 -1565) as also Badami and Bijapur the respective capitals of the Chalukya and the Adil Shahi dynasties.
In the extreme South is Tamil Nadu the land of temples. Ancient medieval and contemporary there are hundreds and thousands of them each better than the other. Once of Hinduism’s four holiest shrines is the offshore temple of Rameshwaram where the one thousands pillared corridor is perhaps the longest in India. A short distance from the capital of Chennai lies Mamallapuram, the site of the famous 7th century Shore Temple and the magnificent monolithic Pandava Rathas ir temple chariots.The magnificent monolithic Pandava Rathas sents the zenith of Pandyan architecture while at Kanchipuram stands the ancient Kailashnath Temple. Yet another kind of an almost mystic experience awaits point of three seas the Bay of Bengal the Indian Occan and the Arabain Sea. Also a boat ride to the Vivekananda Memorial is must. The hill resorts of Ooty and Kodaikanal in the Nilgiris or the Blue Mountains transport
You to a totally different world.
Tamil Nadu the land of temples Ancient medieval and contemporary. A short distance from the capital of Chennai lies Mamallapuram the site of the famous 7th century shore Temple and the magnificent monolithic Pandava Rathas or temple chariots.
West of Tamil Nadu all along the coast lies the lush green tropical paradise of Kerala. A land of pleasant sunshine and rain Kerala is a blend of many cultures and religions. India’s fabled land of spices Kerela has over the centuries attrachted such diverse and colourful travelers such as Cleopatra the son of Caesar St. Thomas Vasco de Gama and a host of races including the Phoenicians Romans Greeks Persians and Chinese. The state also has a beautiful Jewish Synagogue. For the modern tourist Kerala is the fun land of sun sea and surf having such wonderful holiday resorts as Kovalam near Trivandrum. A leisurely boat cruise along the backwaters at Cochin Alleppey or Quilon is a delightful experience. And for lovers of wildlife there are sanctuaties like the Periyar Wild Life Sancturay.Eravikulam and the Silent Valley National Park etc.
Forming the outer limits of the Indian territory are the islands of Andaman and Nicobar consisting of 350 small islands situated midway between India and Myanmar in the South. The capital Port Blair is famous for the Cellular Jail where India’s freedom fighters were incarcerated during their struggle for India’s freedom from the British. The Anthropological Museum is another main attraction besides beautiful beaches and water complexes. A world of solitude and clear waters the Andamans are an excellent holiday destination now.
And there are some unique mountain trains which can give you the holiday of life time. As these toy trains chug uphill they open vistas of immense natural beauty around. These include the Kalka Shimla toy train. Apart from these are the tourist trains like the Palace on Wheels the Deccan Odyssey Heritage on wheels and the Fairy Queen.
Truly India has a lot to offer much more than ever before Not only age old traditions and culture but also a horde of adventure options.