Guwahati – a perfect place to live in leisure

The gateway to North East India is Guwahati. IThe capital of Assam, Dispur is within the city Guwahati. It is the most happening place of North East and the only commercial and educational centre. The mighty Brahmaputra flows within the town is the main highlight of the town. And the entire city is bordered by beautiful green hills.

Sight seeing

There are many interesting places to see in Guwahati. The first among them is Kamakhya temple. It is a very famous temple in the lap of Nilachal hill. Baishistha temple, Bala ji Temple are well known destinations in Guwahati. Another must visit place in Guwahati is Umananda island temple on the river Brahmaputra. The boat ride to this island is very pleasant. Guwahati is not a very big city one or two days are enough to cover the city. So short trip to Kajiranga national park, Shillong, Cherrapunjee are good options to explore the charm of North East India.

People , food, shopping

Assame people are very simple and good by heart. Guwahati is a combination of Assamese and Bengali people. Bihu is the main festival of Assamese and during the 'bahag bihu'(in the month of April) the whole Guwahati looks very colourful with bihu song and dance. When it comes to Assamese cuisines nothing can beat the fish items. 'Maas tanga' is a famous fish curry of them. Assamese food are less spicy and staple food is rice and fish. The popular fast food of the region is steamed momo with tangy chili. Besides these continental, chinese, south Indian restaurants are common in Guwahati.

For shopping in Guwahati 'Fancy Bazar' is an excellent place. Assamese ethnic wear mekhla chadar are ideal item to get from Guwahati. All types of bamboo products like basket, show piece, jewellary, table, chair are available in mind blowing designs in Guwahati. Packets of tea leaves form Guwahati is the best gift to the near and dear one.

Getting there

Guwahati is well connected from Delhi and Kolkata by air. But if you have time it is always pleasant to go Guwahati on train. The lush green hills, tea garden unfolding before one's eye are some excellent feeling while journey by train in Guwahati.

Lodging

No scarcity for hotels. Luxury to budget hotels are easily available in Guwahati.

Warning

Since the political situation is not very comfortable in Guwahati visitors are advised not to roam around in the city till late night. Otherwise it is an ideal place to sit in nature's lap.The life in Guwahati is quite slow and perfect place to live in leisure.

Orissa

On the eastern part of India Orissia boasts a distinctive and rich cultural heritage.
It is special for its temples, beaches, dance and Ikkat sarees. Orissa has many interesting places like -Bhubeneshwar, Puri, Konark, Chilika, Cuttak, Rourkela, Sambalpur and many more. The lush green of Orissa is the home of many birds and Royal Bengal Tiger.

The famous cities of Orissa
Bhubeneshwar – The capital of Orissa is also known as the city of temples. This city is an perfect blend of present and past. The beautiful temples and modern entertainment has made the place a favourite tourist destination.
Puri – Famous for its Ratha yatra, the place Puri is also called the abode of Lord Jagannath. Puri is famous for its beach. Both pilgrims and pleasure seekers visit this land of Jagannath. The beaches of Puri is amazingly beautiful and wild.
Konark – The venue of famous Konark dance festival, Konark Sun Temple attracts lots of tourists everyday not only for its huge size but also for its erotic sculpture. Another famous attraction of the place is chandrabhaga beach.
Chilika – The largest brackish water lake of Asia is Chilika. Tourists also come here to see the wide variety of birds during winter. The dolphin in the Chilika lake are famous for their tricks.
Cuttack – Cuttack is also called the millennium city. It is one of the developing cities in Orissa.

Orissa is a wonderful state in India filled with exquisite temples and wonderful monuments. It is a home to many prolofic artists and craftsman. The wild life of Orissa including Royal Bengal Tiger, landscape, birds, water, temple, arts all these things has made the state an enchanting land for the tourist.Every year specially during Rath Yatra, Orissa become the host for huge number of tourists. Another famous attractions of Orissa is Konark dance festival. During the festival artists around the world join their to give their best performances.

Frankly speaking Orissa is yet to be discovered by the tourists properly. The lush green forest, other than the famous beaches are still waiting to be explored. Orissa is a very cultured state. Oriya people are very religious minded and help the tourists to make the place at ease. The Ikkat silk of Orissa are world famous. Tourists should not forget to buy the famous silk and cotton of Orissa.

Orissa is welconnected from all the major cities of India. And there are a good number of decent hotels available in all the places of Orissa. But for Puri it is better to book the hotel before arrival to get the better view of the sea.

Golden Temple, Amritsar

Amritsar is an important city in Punjab. It is considered as the ultimate place for Sikh religion. The main attraction of Amritsar is the golden temple. It is a symbol of peace, prosperity, freedom and and spiritual enlightenment. Every year large number of devotees from all over the world visit the golden temple to offer prayers. Though it is main Sikh pilgrimage centre but people from all religion visit there to attain peace. Golden Temple is also famous as the Harmandir Sahib, which means "the Temple of God". It is also known as the Darbar Sahib.

This temple of Supreme God is also famous for its stupendous architecture. The exterior of the temple is gold plated which is really dazzling and the structure of the temple stands in the middle of the square tank. Hari Mandir or Darbar Sahib is the most beautiful and sacred part of Golden temple and the sacred pool known as the “Amrit Sarovar” The reflection of the temple in the water is really amazing. There is a crossway over the pool to get the temple.

History of the temple lies much behind, the construction of the temple was started in 1574. The temple was completed in 1601 but renovation and restoration continued over the years. It should mention here that all the gold and precious stone work took place under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Visit to the Golden Temple is undoubtedly once in a life time achievements. Come here with a few good hours and get lost in its magical beauty. Try to take a trip in this God's abode where you see a totally different world.

Some important facts

1. There is a free a dining hall where around 35,000 people a day are fed for free by temple volunteers

2. Guest quarters are also available for international Sikh visitors (for a nominal fee), and at least 400 simple rooms are provided free of charge to Sikh pilgrims

3. The Niwas is a free hostel for the pilgrims maintained by the Temple authorities. It has been built by the Gurdwara Committee. It has 228 rooms and 18 big halls, which supplies the facilities of free beddings, cots, lights and fans etc. to the lodgers.

Kausani – a scintillating hill resort.

Not very famous like the other hill stations of North India, Kausani is an excellent hill station in Uttarakhand. The rise of the mountains is so dramatic here, as if to reach the heaven. The view of the endless stretch of snow peak Himalayas is beyond any description. It should mention here that the entire Kumaon Hills are well known for their halcyon beauty.

Kausani is very calm and quiet place, nothing much to visit there. It offers beauty of the pine trees in the lap of Himalaya and the end less snow capped mountains. The beauty of the place never fails to lure tourists. Once Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru went to the place for 1 day but because of the beauty of the place they could not but help staying there for 1 week. That place is now known as Gandhi ashram or Anashakti Ashram- a favorite place for the tourists.

It is a superb destinations for the photographers and nature lovers. The mind boggling panoramic view of this hill station is really mesmerizing. It is often called as the Switzerland of India. The place has different adventure activities to offer like trekking, base camp etc. There are snowfalls in winter in Kausani so those who want to enjoy snow it is a best place to visit during winter. Other wise it is always an excellent place to escape from the heat.

The near by excursion of Kausani are – Binsar, Ranikhet, Almora, Nainital, Mukteshwer and many more.
Getting there is never a problem, the nearest rail station is Katgodam at a distance of 142 km. Various bus services are also available form Nainital, Ranikhet, Almora and Katgodam. You can even hire a car to enjoy the valleys and hills in your way.

Surprisingly this small hill stations has plenty of staying accomodation from deluxe hotels, standard hotels and budget hotels and quite a few resorts.

So explore the beauty of Himalaya in this summer in the hill resorts of Kausani.

Rameshwaram

Kashi, in the north India and Rameshwaram in the South India are the two places that are considered as the abode of God in India. These are considered as the famous shrine of Hindus in India. At the very tip of Indian peninsula, Rameshwaram is an island in the gulf of manner. It is an important pilgrimage centre. Let me just give the historical detail of the place. The history of the place lies in the age of Lord Rama. It is the place where Rama built the Ram Setu across the sea to rescue his consort Sita from Ravana. It is in the Rameshwaram where Rama worshipped Shiva to washed away the sin of killing Ravana. The presiding deity here is the Linga Of Sri Ranganatha. Rameshwaram is known as the Varanasi in the South.

Attractions of the place -

Ramanathaswamy Temple :

The main magnetic pull of the town is the Ramanathaswamy Temple, a wonderful example of Dravidian architecture. It sprawled over an area of 15 acres with huge gopurams, monolithic walls and a stupendous Nandi, which is around 18 feet tall and 22 feet in length. The pillars and corridor of the temple are world famous. There are around 4000 pillars, each pillar 4000 feet long create an amazing view of the temple. The corridor of this temple is the longest corridor of the world. Legends say that

Rama sanctified this place by worshipping Siva after he won the battle in Sri Lanka. The construction of the temple began in the 12th century AD and additions were made over the centuries by various rulers, so that today its gopuram is 53 m high. Only Hindus may enter the inner sanctum.

Gandamadana Parvatham :

Just 2 km from the temple, this is the highest point on the island. It is a stepped hall where the imprint of Lord Rama's feet placed on a Chakra (wheel). Being the highest point, the place offers an excellent view of the country side.

Dhanushkodi :

The place named after the bow of Lord Rama is at a distance of 8 kms from Rameshwaram. The boulders around the sea between Srilanka and this place known as Adam's bridge, are believed to be used by Hanuman to reach across Srilanka. It is an excellent place to witness the history.

Beach:

The beach of Rameshwaram is also very famous. The serene, tranquil beach of Rameshwaram attracts each and every tourist visit the place.

Rameshwaram is not only a famous pilgrimage centre but also a famous holiday spot too. The communication of the place is very smooth. The nearest air port is Madurai and by train and bus it is well connected from every where. There are plenty of hotels, so there is no accommodation crisis.

Ajmer

Ornamented by the Dargah Shariff of Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chisty, Ajmer is a small but very famous city in the state Rajasthan. Nestled in the lap of Aravalli Ajmer is one of the holiest place of worship not only of Muslims but also of all religion who believes in Khwaja. The city possesses the mausoleum of the sufi saint, khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. Every day thousands of pilgrims visit the Dargah to seek blessings of the saint. The famous marble domed mausoleum of the saint is one of the most important shrine for Muslims and the place witnesses an endless flow of visitors of all religion as the sick, the troubled and the childless come here to seek blessings or just peace of mind. There is a legend that the Mughal emperor, Akbar came here to the saint in quest of an heir and the saint full filled his wish.

Major Tourists attractions of the city
Centre of attractions of the city is the Dargah and except this the city boasts of having some historical monuments of Mughal era. Adhai-din ka Jhonpra is a remarkable structure of Indo islamic architecture. It was used be a Sanskrit College in 12th century but later on it was rebuilt and turned into a mosque. The amazing fact about it is that it built on pillars and no two pillars are alike.
Akbar Fort , was the royal residence of emperor Akbar. It is centrally located and well known for its museum with in the fort. Anna Sagar lake is another tourists spot with in the city. It is located in the north of the city. The lake had been decorated by the Mughal emporiors and it has added beauty to the city. Nasiyan Jain Temple is a worth visiting place in Ajmer. Mayo College, one of India's best public school is also located in Ajmer. It has been a school to many great personalities of India.
Another important attractions of Ajmer is the famous urs festival. It is the main annual festival celebrated in the seventh month of the lunar calender. It is a vibrant and musical festival. Amazing Qawalis are sung during the festival in the Dargah. Millions of people all over the world visit this place during the festival.
You can also shop some memories from Ajmer also as the city offers wonderful silver jewelry with a ethnic touch. Several handicraft items, jooti are Ajmer's prime attractions.

Karnataka

Enchanting and abounding in scenic beauty, the state Karnataka is rich in flora, fauna, culture and modern technology. Karnataka lures tourists with many unforgettable attractions. These are - wild life sanctuaries at Bandi Pur, Nagarhole and Dandeli, Ranganathittu Bird's Sanctuary near Srirangapatna which is a famous tourist spot of historical importance. The well known hill stations of Karnataka are Nandhi Hills, Kemmannagundi and Mercara. Beach resorts like Karwar, Ullal, Malpe and Maravanthe are world famous. Similarly the Brindavan Gardens at krishnarajasagara attracts lots of tourists. The jog falls and other water falls at shiva Smudram, Magod, Unchelli or Lushington near Siddapur and other places shows the variety and richness of the attractions that the state beholds to the tourists.
Where as on the other side the silicon valley that is Bangaluru the capital city shows us the most modern side of the state. It is the information technology hub of the country. Its pleasant climate, wonderful people and highly educated population have made the place as one of the fastest growing sate of Asia. So you can imagine the versatile characteristics of the state. Oh...I have not yet discussed about Hampi, the world Heritage centre. It was once the capital of the largest empire of the post Mughal India. Though today it is just ruins of the great architecture but a favourite holiday destination in Karnata. Yearly Hampi festival gathers a huge number of tourists every year.
Karnataka has great religious and historic importance. It is the land of great preacher Acharyas, Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhea. The temples like Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal are of great religious importance. These are great attractive spots for the art lovers. And similarly the churches of Mangalore, Mysore, Bangalore and Bijapur are instance of Christian culture.
The state Karnataka is a rich pot of art and culture. Classical dance and music are the part and parcel of the karnataka people. The fairs and festivals of Karnataka display their colourful culture. The amiable people of Karnata are great host to the tourist. They invite people to explore the cream of Karnata.