Mount Abu

--> Mount Abu has been home to many sages and saints. Most famous of them was Sage Vashishtha who is believed to have created four agnikula Rajput clans from a fire-pit by performing a yagna or fire sacrifice, to protect the earth from the demons.

The Yagna was performed besides a natural spring situated below Abu, emerging from a rock shaped like a cows head and hence the site was called Gaumukh.

Mount Abu situated at a average height of 1,219 mtr's above sea level is the oasis in the deserted land of Rajasthan and posses the honor of being the only hill-station in Rajasthan as well as north-west India, The world famous tourist destination is known for its Delwara Jain temples and natural beauty world over, situated amidst lush green forested hills on the highest peak in the Aravali range is also the summer capital for the Indian state of Rajasthan, home to lakes, waterfalls and green forests, the hill retreat, has a very cool and soothing climate thanks to its rich flora covering the entire hillside that includes coniferous trees and flowering shrubs. Mount Abu with its word-class tourist facilities with hotels ranging from budget class to three star and heritage provides a great holiday escape and honeymoon attraction. Every year more then three million national and international tourists visit mount abu enjoying its scenic beauty, rich flora & fauna as well as the marble art of delwara jain temples.



Situated amidst lush green, forested hills on the highest peak in the Aravali range, Mount Abu is the summer capital for the Indian state of Rajasthan. Its cool and soothing climate makes it an ideal retreat. Explore a number of Jain temples, including the Dilwara Temples, a complex carved of while marble, or visit the nearby Achalgarh fort, which houses many beautiful temples of its own.

Amritsar

--> Located in the North West region of India, the most striking feature about Amritsar is its antiquity. In Hindi the word Amritsar means 'a Holy pool of nectar' and it was back in the year 1573 that work for digging the Holy pool had begun.
One of the ancient cities of India, the most important fact about Amritsar is that it is the main seat of Sikh history and culture. The city itself was founded by the Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das, and till present times it is the spiritual and temporal center of Sikh culture with the Golden Temple in Amritsar as its nucleus.

In depth study about Amritsar reveals the undulating historical experience of the city. From the demolition of the Golden Temple to the tragedy of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Amritsar has seen the worst of situations and yet emerged like a phoenix through testing times. Even recently, Amritsar had fallen prey to the terrorist activities which hundreds of live

Amritsar Massacre: This place noted for its most notorious massacre under British rule. It is 400 meters north of the Golden Temple. The British General Dyer was the Lieutenant Governor of the province in 1919. He banned all meetings and demonstrations led by Indians against the economical set back by World War I. On 13 April 1919, pilgrims poured into Amritsar to celebrate the Baisakhi festival, a holiday in the Sikh calendar. In the afternoon thousands of people gathered at Jallian Wala Bagh to celebrate the Baisakhi. This ground surrounded by high walls on all sides has only a narrow alley for access. General Dyer personally led the troops to the sight and ordered his men to open fire without any warning. It resulted in the death of 379 and injured more than 1200. India was outraged by Dyer´s massacre. Gandhiji, called for a nation wide strike and started the Non-cooperation Movement, which became an important mile stone in the struggle for India´s Independence. Today this ground has been changed to a park and it has a pleasant garden. There is a narrow path between the houses which leads to the lawn of the park. At the entrance there is a memorial plaque which recounts the history. There is a well on the north side in which many people who tried to escape from the bullets were drowned, and remnants of walls have been preserved to show the bullet holes. At the east end of the garden there is a large memorial built in memory of those who died here.

--> Climate of Amritsar :
Amritsar has an extreme type of climate with very hot summers and chilly winters. The region has four distinct seasons- the winter season (November to March), the summer season (April to June), monsoon season ( July to September) and post- monsoon season (September to November). Summers can be as hot as 46 degrees. During winters, temperature may drop down to a minimum of - 3 degrees centigrade. The ideal time to visit Amritsar is between the months of October and March.

Mahabaleshwar

   

--> MAHABALESHWAR TOURIST GUIDE
Distances: Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar via Mahad is 220 kms Mumbai to Pune is 180 kms & further Pune to Mahabaleshwar is 120 kms. Panchgani to Mahabaleshwar is

Short History
Maharaja Pratapsinha of Satara (1818 to 1839) engineered a scheme to develop M'war as a health resort. sir John Malcolum, the first governer to visit Mahabaleshwar in 1828, established M'war in 1829. Sir Charles Malet, the first resident in Pune darbar of the Peshwas in 1791 happens to be the first european to step on this plateau.

--> If you want to enjoy cool mountain air, lush greenery, breathtaking valleys and soaring mountain peaks, you should go to Mahabaleshwar. Mahabaleshwar is a hill station situated in the Sayhadri range of Maharashtra state. It is situated about southwest of Pune at a distance of 115 kms. It is situated in satara district at an altitude of 1372 m above sea level.

Matheran

--> Matheran 120 Km From Pune 120 Km From Pune. Itwas set up by Collector of Thane - Sir Mallet in 1880. Mode of transport is by horse or walking. As no vehicles are allowed here. Hence there is no pollution. It is famous for the mini train that links Matheran to proper broad gauge which is a Neral. This train covers the distance of 21 Kms. The train takes you through dense forest. The real beauty of Matheran is best viewed in monsoon. It is situated 800 mts high in the ghats . The climate is cool and pleasant with a beautiful lake & many points worth a visit. It is nearest hill station from Bombay.

Matheran is a nature’s gift, with 38 peak points for an enthusiastic tourist to take refuge from the day to day hardships of modern life. These points include Panorama point, Echo point, Charlotte Lake, King George point and Louisa point. The Paymaster Park and Panthers’ Caves are two prime picnic spots for any one can enjoy the natural pleasures; especially children will enjoy these grandeur places. Matheran with the undulated hilly regions with the treasures of natural beauty is one of the best summer retreats to keep away from the scorching mercury levels in the down plain cities.


Matheran is famous for its train, which runs from Neral to Matheran. This small train covers the distance of 21 Kms in 2-2 1/2 hrs. Journey through this train is really enjoyable. The train goes through deep forest and one can see the beauty of jungle. Matheran is truly a unique place as it is 'Pollution Free Town' . No vehicles are allowed here and hence total area is free from pollution. You can either walk the town or travel on the back of horses.

--> The old world charm of the British and Parsi home capitavtes you all the way up to the Charlotte Lake. On each trip through the main bazaar you purchase some of its attractions - care and leather articles, hats, chappals and the irresistible chikki loved by young and old alike.
Temperatures vary from 16° C in winter to 32° C in summer with an annual rainfall of 524 cms. It is a place to visit round the year, monssons included, for the young at heart. MTDC provides accommodation facilities, the total capacity being 83.

Wayanad

--> Wayanad is known for its rich tribal heritage,agricultural prosperity,lush green virgin forests,natural sources of water and hill ranges besides its legendary tales of valour and courage .It has abundant natural resources that include exotic species of plants and wild animals.Wayanad is a delight and a must-see destination for every tourist and visitor to Gods own country.The least populous of Kerala’s districts, Wayanad is relatively backward and development has not appreciably improved the lives of the tribes who comprise a sizeable section of the population.

Undoubtedly , Wayanad is the most favored holiday destination of tourist visiting Kerala. The Green Paradise offers a wide variety of tourist spot to suit every taste. The beautiful Land Scape and pleasant atmosphere of Wayanad, make different from other tourist places. There are various places of touristic,ecological,religious and historic importance in the District. The name Wayanad has been derived from the expression of vayal nadu vayal (paddy) nadu (land) means “The land of Paddy Field”.

erce Guerilla war drew the English Army into the inaccessible valleys of Wayanad. But when Pazhassi smelt the defeat he killed himself and the British were the masters of Wayanad. The British opened the plateau of cultivation of tea & other cash crops and laid roads from Kozhikode (Calicut) and Thallassery to Ooty and Mysore through Wayanad.

--> When the state of Kerala was formed in 1956, Wayanad was part of Kannur District. Later south Wayanad was added to Kozhikode (Calicut) District and then November 1, 1980 North and South Wayanad joined together to form the present Wayanad District.

The counting team also registered the movement of another tiger, according to KG Radhakrishna Lal, Assistant Wildlife Warden, Muthanga Range. The tiger call was recorded at Chettialathoor area in the Muthanga range while the movement of tiger was registered near Muthanga, he said. The census team also registered spotting of three bears. The deer population has registered a considerable increase, it is learnt. The three-day wildlife census with focus on tiger population was started WWS from Saturday.

Havelock Islands

The Indian government has been advocating eco-friendly tourism development on Havelock for a while now, and while it's the most visited of the islands it sees only a fraction of the visitors that crowd other island destinations such as Thailand. The pace of life is slow, the locals are friendly and still not too affected by tourism, and the facilities are moderately basic for the most part. While many of the lodges have 'resort' in their names, none come even close, thankfully.

--> Mid-January until mid-May sees the best weather, and often the best diving conditions. The days are mostly sunny at this time of year, and the sea sometimes flat enough to reflect the clouds. The monsoon usually hits around late May, lasting until the end of July, and is probably the worst time to visit the island – strong winds, frequent rain and low visibility underwater. August thru November see some occasional showers and slightly rougher seas, but diving can still be great at this time of year. The weather often takes a turn for the worse for the month of December through early January.

Inhabited by Bengali settlers since the 1950s, Havelock is about 54km northeast of Port Blair and covers 100 sq km. Only the northern third of the island is settled, and each village is referred to by a number. Boats dock at the jetty at No 1 Village; the main bazaar is 2km south at No 3 Village; and most of the accommodation is strung along the east coast between villages No 2 and No 5.

--> The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have great maritime importance. During the British period political leaders considered dangerous to the interests of the Raj and other dreaded criminals were deported from mainland to the Cellular Jail- the Indian Bastille, situated on the sea coast of Atlanta Point in the North-Eastern part of Port Blair. Thus these islands were infamously known as the 'Black Water Prison' or 'Kala Pani'.

Kolkata

Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which first arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta (There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Govindapur & Kolkata.Later the village Kolkata became the city Kolkata.) but in recent years a number of Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata occupies the site of an older Indian city, centered around the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat. This claim has been accepted by the Kolkata High Court. The Court has dismissed the name of Job Charnock as the founder of the city and 24th August as its date of birth. The historic Judgement was based upon an high level Expert Commitee findings. It has been proved that Kolkata had an highly civilized society for centuries before the Europeans first came here.

Kolkata, the bustling capital city of West Bengal, is the hub of Bengali culture in India. The city which is the cultural capital of whole India and the commercial capital of Eastern India was earlier known as Calcutta as it was pronounced since the British rule and has changed to Kolkata officially in 2001. It has derived the name from Kalikata, which is a village name in the area before the British arrival, means the land of Goddess “Kali”. Kolkata boasts of a rich cultural heritage, evident in its distinct cuisine, clothing, lifestyle, its literature and even architecture

From the middle of the 19th Century attempts and experiments began to be made to establish a Municipal Corporation for Calcutta. It was felt that the city had grown and needed proper and specialised management to deal with its problems.Besides, now the "second city of the Empire" needed to have improved infrastructure,and systems to enable it to solve its own problems.

In 1847 the electoral system was introduced for the first time and the Justices were replaced by a Board of 7 paid members, four of whom were elected by the rate payers. The Board was authorised to purchase and hold property for improvement of the town, and to maintain roads and drains in proper state. In 1852, this Board was replaced by a new one of four members, of whom two were appointed by the Government and two were elected. Taxes were levied on housing, lighting, horses and vehicular traffic.

In 1863 a new body was formed which elected its own Vice Chairman, and had a regular Health Officer, Engineer, Surveyor, Tax Collector and Assessor. It was during this time that the drainage and water supply were largely developed. The New Market was established in 1874, and the Municipal Slaughter House in1866. Footpaths were made along with the main roads, and many other improvements carried out. The house tax was raised to a maximum of ten percent. In 1876 a new Corporation was created with 72 Commissioners. 48 of the Commissioners were elected by ratepayers and 24 appointed by the Government. At this time the two railway terminals at Howrah and Sealdah were connected by Harrison Road. Changes continued in 1888 and 1899. The most important changes were instituted by the Act of 1923, sponsored by Rashtraguru Surendranath Bannerjee as the first Minister for Local Self-Government in Bengal.

 Modern Kolkata

Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. Kolkata witnessed an economic decline from the late sixties till the late nineties. The city's economic fortunes turned the tide as the economic liberalization in India during the early nineties reached Kolkata during late nineties. Kolkata is a multicultural, cosmopolitan city. Apart from the diversity of India, there are also Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans).