Advance reservation for rail journey in India and Rail Budget 2012-2013

Train journey in India just not boost the India tourism but this the most important and very essential means of public transportation available in the country. Train travel facility in India is provided by the government and every year a separate budget of railway is presented in the parliament.

Rail budget for the year 2012 – 2013 is round the corner and this appears that rail ministry for a change is going to give emphasis on the traveling comforts of passengers by improving system of reservation of journey tickets.  A few steps like reducing the time of Tatkal reservation to 24 hours or increasing the time period of advance reservation from 90 days to 120 days has been already implemented. News says that rail ministry is working on the plan to assure a train seat for all those who request for reservation. Certainly this is great news but we have to look at what we are getting presently.

Tatkal reservation facility was introduced to provide tickets to passengers forced to travel without a pre scheduled plan but today this is working as the additional income source for railways, in the most of trains almost one third of available seats are not booked as being kept reserved for Tatkal.

When a person goes for reservation and find the waiting list close to 100 he opt to pay more and go for Tatkal, here it is not possible for everyone to have computer hence most of passengers are forced to ask travel agents and pay yet another amount.

If the rail ministry is sincere about improving the reservation system here are few suggestions:

1] Passengers traveling in group should be allowed to book journey tickets 120 days in advance of journey date. Here a single ticket will be issued for entire group and this will be essential for every adult to carry photo identity during journey.

2] A family [minimum four and maximum 20 members] will also be allowed to book tickets 120 days in advance, here all the members must have same surname and every adult should carry photo identity during journey.

3] Only 10% of total available train seats will be available for [1] & [2].

4] Instead of present system only 10% of total available seats should be available for Tatkal booking. Charge of Tatkal should not be more than 10% of fare. 

5] Advance reservation should be started 45 days in advance of actual journey date for 70% of available seats keeping 10% seats apart to be made available for booking 7 days in advance so that youth going for interview or travelers without pre schedule travel plan can also get confirmed seats without paying for Tatkal.

6] Rule should be made for non refundable advance reservation for this a discount of 10% on fare can be allowed. When there will no provision of refund surely the cancellation will reduced.

7] RAC waiting list should not be in excess of available seats. For example if in a particular train there are 90 side lower birth in sleeper class RAC waiting should be closed at 90.

8] Similarly not more than 10% of total available seats should be booked under waiting list.

9] Every adult traveling in reserved comportment should carry photo identity proof.

10] A new category NTW [New train Waiting List] should be introduced with 20% additional fare, when for a particular train booking under this category crossed 500 mark a new train should be allowed to depart from the originating station within 30-45 minutes of original train. In this new train there will be no unreserved comportments barring the half of coaches attached to engine and guard coach.

11] Passengers of original train with RAC and Waiting List should be given option of auto upgrade to NTW list at the time of booking and difference to be collected by concerned coach ticket conductor during the traveling. This will give assurance of seats to all those who opt for reservation. 

12] Like the A.C. coaches internal entrance should also be made in the sleeper class coaches, There should be attended in each and every coach. Like the Garib Rath paid Sleeping bag facility should also be introduced in the sleeper class for the passengers traveling overnight.

13] Dinning car must be part of long rout trains, journey time more than 15 hours, in these trains there should be a minimum 6 coaches for unreserved passengers apart from the two half coaches attached to engine and guard coach which should be kept reserved for Military personals, Women and handicapped travelers and their companions.

Indian Cities - Agartala

Know About Agartala
Agartala is the capital city of Tirpura state and situated almost on the boundary of India with Bangladesh. City offers truly suspenseful exotic world heavily enriched with genuine diversity of flora and fauna because nature has blessed the area so abundantly that one will love to visit here again and again, beautiful palaces, gardens, hills, temples and lakes and picturesque surroundings will force you for just one word Splendid and Amazing. Architectural monuments and The red government buildings are adding to tourist value of city.
Agartala City Tourist Spots /Must Visit
BenuVan Vihar
Kunjavan Palace
Maharaja Veer Vikram College
State Museum
Ujjayanta Palace

Agartala: Spoken Languages :

Kokborok (Tripuri language) - Manipuri - Chakma - Nepali - Hindi - English.

www.amarbharat.com for complete travel info about Agartala

Indian Cities - Tourism Vision

India is at the leading and prime position among the lands of oldest human civilization hence in compare to any other country more ancient cities can be located here. This may the ancient university at Takshshila or the Bodhgaya of Gautam Buddha, many Indian cities Like Ayodhya have the history dates back to Ramayana. Many of Indian cities are very closely related with Hindu incarnations just like Mathura, Virundavan (Uttar Pradesh) and Dwarka with Lord Krishna , Kashi or Varanasi with Lord Shiva, Ayodhya and Rameshwaram have close association with Lord Rama, Amritsar (Golden Temple) is also said to be capital of Sikhism. Some cities like Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and Nasik (Maharashtra) are related with mass religious celebration like Kumbh Mela.

During the long history of existence country went under the rules of rulers from the different dynasties who were believing in different religious faiths. the cave temples at Ajatha, Elora, Elephenta, Badami and Mahaballipuram , Sun temples at Konark, Khajuraho temples an Madhya Pradesh are symbols of Hindu religion, Biwi Ka Makbara (Aurangabad Maharashtra), Taj Mahal (Agra), Qtab Minar and Red Fort (Delhi) and Khwaja's Dargah at Ajmer (Rajasthan) are some of monuments related with Islam and Mogul rule in the country. Churches at Goa, Kerala and at many other cities are the true representation of Indian respect for the Christianity. Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) is the seat of Dalai Lama and Sanchi, Sarnath and Bodhgaya are the most famous places for Buddhism pilgrimage. In nutshell one can find some cities on Indian land related to all religions with which human beings believe in.

After independence from British rule in 1947 country has traveled miles and miles on the front of development and modernization. This may be the completely planed city of Chandigad, economic capital of country Mumbai with sky touching multi story buildings or the cities with fame of being I T cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune, every where a fine blend of ancient culture and modernization is the prime attraction for the visitors.

For more details about Indian Cities and India tourism

www.indiatravelfun.com

India Travel Fun – Making of tourism fun

India Travel Fun – Making of tourism fun
My regular blog readers might be wondering over my long absence from blogosphere but a few of you might know about my professional life related with visulaisation of concepts and shaping them into informative source for the internet in the form of a web site or web portal. Since last 2-3 months I was over busy with my professional life, two of simultaneously on going projects renovation of http://www.thesindhuworld.com/ premier community portal of global Sindhi community and designing http://www.indiatravelfun.com/ a web portal dedicated to tourism of India. As both of these were time bonding projects so it was hard to find off time for my passion. The Sindhu World was completing two years on 29-08-2008 so the renovation work was to be completed before that and by the blessings of Waheguru we had launched renovated version of site on 01-09-2008 though http://www.thesindhuworld.com/ is still not matching with my dream designing but surely this new version is more user friendly and enriched with information.
We had decided, World Tourism Day [27-09-2008] as the deadline for launching our project http://www.indiatravelfun.com/ related to tourism industry and tourist info of India. Surely this second task was more stressful and truly a challenge for our creative team as there are numerous sites already exists for providing information about India tourism. The work started with searching of a suitable domain name, extensive search, a true long exchange of thoughts, and deep insight helped us almost finalizing the domain name and we were just one step away – making click on “Book this domain”, when all of sudden a lightening went through my thought process and finalized domain name was altered. For what purpose we use the word tourism, when another word “travel” best known to masses is there, surely just because this traveling is different, this is travel for the fun, starts with fun, loaded with fun and ends with fun hence before going online I was certain about the domain name and fortunately my search for http://www.indiatravelfun.com/ showed the availability of domain name so without vesting a single second, the domain name was booked.
As the work got momentum with designing the hugeness of information and time available started threatening us because visiting more than 150 cities which we intended to include in “City List” of the site in the time period of less than 40 days and collecting information related with Hotels and Travel agents for every city was truly high asking, finally this was decided to go with available information for the “Travel Tools” and for the rest provision should be made for the online registration. Major part of “Hotel and Travel assistance listing” is free so we believe all the Indian hotel owners, travel agents and tour operators will become part of this information as and when they came to know.
We are strong believer and confident about the utility of information available at http://www.indiatravelfun.com/ alike for the Indian and foreigner travel lovers just because the information is inclusive of 50 + Beaches40 + Churches50 + Monuments and World Heritage Sites25+ Gurudwara [Sikh Temples]50+ Hill Stations50+ Masjids & Dargahs200+ famous temples [Hindu & Jain temples]50+ Wild life destinations125+ Cities Once I had read somewhere “The best tool for sharpening your creativity is be critic of own”. Surely I will like to have a critic look at my own work and share my conclusions with all of you.

Why to Visit India

Why to Visit India

People often ask this question just because in the past this happens to be vision of some people to look at India as the backward, facility less and land of religiously divided narrow minded citizens where sufis and sadhus are busy in cheating huge illiterate masses. These people had tried to disperses their this wrong vision about the land of Vedas, Work field of Buddha and Mahatama Gandhi, a country among the top seven countries in terms of land, second in population, highly populated democratic set up of ruling, country with almost 1000 languages and dialects, a true diversity in religious faith with about 80% Hindu population but freedom for Muslim, Shikh, Zoroastrians, Jains, Buddhists and all other small communities, a country from which citizens have highest ratio in the technical staff of companies like Microsoft, Doctors, Engineers and other professional of which country are always in demand in European countries, America and United Kingdom and above all world’s most progress economy of last 2-3 decades.

I am aware of the fact many of you might undergoing the disputed and confused mental status about traveling and tourism in Incredible India, so I am putting another seven important reason for India tourism.

1] Probably India is the only country with a long, over 7000 kilometer long coastline, hence there is beyond imagining attractions for lovers of aqueous. Water streams of north Indian states like Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttara Pradesh etc. are ideal places for water sports like, for skiing, fishing, yachting, kayaking etc.

2] From Goa to Adman Nicobar Island you will find a great number of beaches. India is the only country where you can plan a beach tour for the duration of your vacation and still either you have to make hurry or leave something unseen for the next vacation.

3] There is Himalayan mountain range as northern boundary of the country; South and east are the land of Indo- Gangetic area, where as in the west one can find desert like Thar, with all these diversified landscape no other country can match with India in greatest opportunities available for the eco tourism.

4] Mountain Railways, included in the list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO is a life time memory and one of major reason for visiting India. There are some luxurious train tours like “Palace on Wheel” where almost all five star tourist hotel facilities can be enjoyed while traveling. One can find these trains in many Indian states like Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

5] With being the land of World Oldest knowledge books “Vedas” and largest university at “Nalanda & Takshshila” country is in abundance with historical monuments. This is ideal place for historical research scholar and citizen having interest in knowing about the historical facts of development of human societies. Tajmahal of Agra included in Seven Wonders of the World is one of the major attractions of India tourism for the world travelers. India is also land of forts and Palaces [many of palaces are turned into tourist stay homes hence this provided a chance of living with kingly status] that creates opportunity in looking back into history.

6] Another tourist attraction for India tourism is religious tourism, Char Dham Yatra, Kailash Mansarovar are the famous pilgrimage traveling. Urse of Khaja Mainuddin Chishti, at Ajmer in Rajasthan attracts Muslim devotees from all parts of globe. Dharamshala in the Himachal Pradesh is major activity center of Dalai Lama, Sanchi is centre of Buddhist religion, Golden Temple Amritsar is the most scared worshiped place of Sikhism, In the states of Kerala and Goa not only higher population of Christians can be observed but also one can find many historic Churches, Cathedrals and monuments related with the history of Christianity. Cave temples of Ajantha, Ellora, Elephanta and Badami are also among the tourist attractions of India.

7] Along with diversity of human culture, customs and traditions, India is richer with the huge number of flora & Fauna, hence is an ideal spot for the nature lovers. There are numerous reserve forests, National Parks and Bird Sanctuaries with tourist stay facilities to welcome one who find it interesting and thrilling to watch the wildlife in natural habitat. Abundance of forests provides scope for herbal treatment of diseases, Kerala beaches are world famous for herbal body massage.

With the high speed roads, mega highways, government help for developing the infra structural tourist facilities, increased internal air travel facilities and economically less expensive India is turning into” treasure trove" in true sense. I am sure for your next vacation; your dream tourist destination will be none else but India, Incredible India, a traveler’s paradise in all means.

Visit http://www.thesindhuworld.com/india for all the essential details and information related with your traveling in India.

Tourism and Rains

Tourism and Rains

When any body thought of touring India, he/ she often advice to avoid planning the tour in the months from July to September, just because these months are the rainy season in India. This is decades old understanding that during this season Indian situations and infra structural facilities are not adequate to meet with these wet, cold and humid climates. Unfortunately commercial of some well known hotels located at some of famous Indian tourist spots and cities, offering a cut in price of packaged tours, prove helpful for making this myth more and more, stronger.

This was the fact that India have sufficient heavy rains and in the past roads were not equipped with the facility of facing the excess flow of rainy flood water as a result of which, often the roads get blocked for hours and hours, days and days. Surely in those conditions tourist were forced to stay at a particular spot for the duration longer than the planning and have to suffer economically, beside that they might also forced either to cut down some places from their scheduled tour itinerary or to extended their tour period.

Rain water had flown very heavily in these 60 years of independence and country has marched a long on infra structural front also, along with so many modernization steps and technological achievements. Most of the Indian roads barring a few remote and hilly regions are know equipped to face these seasonal flood situations and keep on going with traffic. This makes the above advice a myth in true sense.

Rainy Tourism in India

India being a country, rich with nature, flora and fauna, hence there are abundant opportunities for tourism in this season, as during this time earth goes under lavish green cover, water reservoirs gets filed with water and water falls starts getting over flowed.

India is country of festivals also and many of Hindu festivals like, Nag Panchami, Shrikrishan Janamashtami, Puri Rath Yatra etc. are celebrated during this season, hence this is the most appropriate time to visit and get experience of Indian life with ancient glory and present modernization along with having a look on nature at its best.

One has to plan the tour properly to enjoy fullest without much disturbance from rains. If we look in India rains gets starting with south India and goes on in the north direction, hence one should start the tour in July by visiting Kerala, witnessing mesmerizing water falls, boat race etc. and keep on moving in north to reach Mathura for the Janamashatmi [Birthday celebrations of God Shrikrishna].

India tourism goes to dead end in rainy season is purely a myth and you can prove it so by enjoying the Indian rains.

Train in the Sky [Journey to Delhi]

Train in the Sky [Journey to Delhi]

Surprised to read the title, how unknowingly to me, Indian railway has gone to such progressed status? This might be the question you may be asking to self? No dear still the services of Indian railways are limited to terrestrial faculty only, I am talking about the “Budget Air lines” opening a new, affordable and time saving travel alternative available for the Indians.

I was bit excited on the morning of 5th February 2008 as it was first chance for me to board on a domestic flight covering the distance between Pune and Delhi. The first thing which surprised me was the instruction of Airline “ We prefer reporting time two hours prior to schedule time of flight”, as I was traveling from Kolhapur to Pune by train, which was schedule to reach at Pune early morning, well ahead of schedule time of flight, so it was not a problem for me.

My son’s friend Deepak was waiting for me at Pune station, after detraining he took me to Pune Air port at Lehgaon, where we sit for discussion on share market and mutual funds. I was traveling Delhi for the shooting of first nine episodes of “Public Ka Vittmantri” and as this was one of the nine topics on which every participant was supposed to express the expectation of common people from the forthcoming union budget of the country. Deepak being an investment guide was the perfect person to learn more about the faculty.

At about 10:30 Deepak asked my permission for reaching to his office on time and after that I was there at the front desk of “Indigo” after handing over my check in luggage I was with boarding pass and about 80 minutes of time before the boarding. Really it was pity that at waiting lounge Tea was almost tasteless and I was forced to go out to have one with smoke at canteen outside. Surprisingly I was allowed to step out even with boarding pass.

Almost one hour before the schedule time we have been asked to proceed for security check in and wait in the departure lounge. Fan wings of the plane started moving almost 15 minutes after the schedule departure time. I asked the lady from the cabin crew after we were stable in air for some biscuits and water. The service was very prompt but I was still drinking the water she returned back and asked me for paying Rs. 20/- for the two pieces of cookies, for which you might not preferred to pay even Rs. 5/- while buying from the market. The surprised were still not finished as I have to wait almost one hour for collecting my check in luggage at Delhi Air port. Yet another surprised was stored there for my return journey by “go air” where even drinking water was the paid service.

I am not objecting for the paid catering service, my objection is with the quality and rates, when the air line companies are realizing that they have to remain within the budget of middle class economy on the fare fronts why the same realization is not visualized for the catering? Surely paying something between the Rs. 80 and Rs. 150/- for a vegetable sandwich or Rs. 10/- for a 200 ml drinking water bottle is not within the affordability of Indian middle class economy.

As for as the leg space is concern it was even narrower than the leg space of 2X2 Asiad buses but as the most of the passengers were traveling a distance to be covered in the duration of 2-3 hours hence this can be taken as the avoidable discomfort.

My, this travel experience will remain incomplete for me if I forget to mention Mr. Bharat, the cook at guest house of Zee at Delhi. Host in true sense, humble in nature, a person with ability of understanding your choice of food within seconds. As the concluding remark I wish to thank Mr. Dinesh Joshi [from Zee Business] producer of “Public ka Vittmantri” for taking efforts for making my stay at Delhi comfortable.

Kolhapur : City of Mahalaxmi

Kolhapur : City of Mahalaxmi

In our country, there are numerous cities and places with fame and religious importance. When we talk about this the first place and crowing status is occupied by the city named Kashi, Banaras or Varanasi situated on the banks of most scared river "Ganga" in the Uttarpreadesh . A very few other cities are matching with this fame and importance and among these one most prominent city is the Kolhapur which in the history pages also mentioned as "Kashi of South India". In fact the city is the genuine mixture of old heritage, rich civilization and modern technical advancement though in the field of technology and industries many mile stones are still to be created by the city. Kolhapur is probably the first city from Maharshtra India for which you can have city info by using your mobile phone. Just type http://m.kolhapurworld.com in your mobile browser and get all the information about the city.

Kolhapur district is the southernmost district of Maharashtra. District headquarter is Kolhapur City which is an ancient city. The city is situated on the banks of river Panchganga and is known as 'Dakshin Kashi'. Kolhapur is seat of Goddess Mahalaxmi and is one of the Shaktipeeths mentioned in Indian mythology. Kolhapur, was ruled by Silaharas, Yadavas, Rashtrakutas and Chalukyas in the medieval times.

The growth of district in modern times is fascinating. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja is an architect and founder of modern Kolhapur. The district is abundant in natural resources- water, soil, natural vegetation, animal wealth and minerals. As a result, Kolhapur is one of the most agriculturally advanced districts of not only Maharashtra but also India. It is fast becoming an industrialized district as well and already a front runner in agro-based industries. Kolhapur District is one of the shining examples in the Co-operative Movement of India. No doubt, the district has the highest per capita income in the Maharashtra State and one of the highest in the country.

Kolhapur has a distinct culture developed as a result of rich history and its quality of people who have been front-runners in various fields. Kolhapur is famous in the country and in the oversees lands for production of Jaggery, Kolhapur Chappals, silver jewelry, and Indian Wrestling.

The physical setting of the Kolhapur district is divided into three main parts namely Eastern ranges, Central ranges and Southern ranges. Eastern and Central ranges have black soil formed from 'lava' and at some places it has large tracks of fertile land. The western ranges are mostly hilly and have red soil. The majority area in the west is under thick forest coverage.

Panchaganga, Warana, Dudhaganga, Vedganga, Bhogavati, Hiranyakeshi and Ghataprabha are main rivers which flows towards east through western Ghats. The river Panchaganga is formed by the tributaries namely the Kasari, the Kumbi, the Tulsi and the Bhogavati. Krishna river flows in the east on easten border of the district, similarly Tillari River flows on western border to west.

How to reach here

Though the Air travel facility for Kolhapur is still not fully functional and nearest air port is Belgaum just about 100 km from the city, but by road city is connected to various metros through NH4. Kolhapur is the last railway station on the Pune - Kolhapur rail lines. City is at the distance of almost 400 km in south from the Mumbai and about 220 km from Pune, the IT city of Maharashtra.

District Statistics

* The total population of the district is 3515,413.

* The geographical area of the district is 7685 Sq.Kms.

* The population density of the district is 457 persons per square kilometers. The urban density is 1804 and the rural density is 327.

* 29.65 percent population of the district lives in urban areas. There is an increase of 3.32 percent compared to 1991 urban population.

* The annual population growth rate in last decade (1991-2001) is 1.76 the urban annual growth rate is 3.24 and for rural it is 1.23.

* The sex ratio of Kolhapur district is 949. Urban sex ratio is 918 and rural sex ratio is 962.

* The average literacy in Kolhapur district is 77.23 percent. Urban literacy is 86.13 percent and rural literacy is 73.41 percent.

* The female literacy in the district is 66.38 percent and this increase is 13.3 percent compared to the last decade.

* There is 10.29 percent increase in average literacy of the district over last decade.

* 12.49 percent population of the district is in the age-group of 0-6.

* The SC population of the district is 12.75 percent and ST population is only 0.49 percent.


Two most important things that are related with fame of the city are Karveer Niwasini Shri Amba Devi [Temple of Goddess Mahalaxmi] beside the religious importance temple is famous for unique and super natural phenomenon "Kiranoutsav". Hand made "Kolhapuri Chappals" footwear are the another reason for the world fame of the city.

Weekend travel in the lap of Nature

Weekend travel in the lap of Nature

It was saturday night, when during our dinner we decided to take this sunday off from all of our works and spent whole day in the company of the nature beside our family members. It was not new for us as it is a set trend of our family that after a whole day of our regular works we all come together for dinner and not only exchange notes about our work but also disscuss our future plans. As it was decided we left the Kolhapur city before the clock corsses 7am. We were heading towards the Amba Ghat, a hilly destination at about 65km from our residence. It took almost over than one hour to reach there and feast of looking at natural beauty was infort of us with the breakfast. It was a marvellous exprience to have tea sips being coverd with clouds. Stairing to valley with green top from a high altitude Ghat road was not only refreshing for eyes but also was adding calm to minds. The magical effect of the place will reflect from the fact that it took almost one hour for our walk on spirial ghat roads to cover a distence of about 3km, before we decided to go through the rest of about 10km of Ghat by vehicles. Now we are heading towards the Ganpatipule, Swambhoo Temple of Lord Ganesha at sea shore. Almost a two hours driving in the lap of nature was sufficient to take us at one of the most famous temple of Maharashtra. After having Darshan it was time for the sea bath, though it is dangrous to go to sea at Ganpatipule but as usual no visitor comes over the temptation of going in. We all were there under the speeding white, though not far away from the shore but being with family members it was a pleasent play and memorable exprience for all of us, specially when the waves are going high with our shouts "Flood came! Flood Came". After a refreshing bath it was turn of delicious lunch, prepared in Malvani [Kokani] style, minimum use of spices with high coconut contents. "Sole curry" and "Malvani Chicken" were realy mouth watering and tasty. As it was just over 3:00 pm when we finished our lunch so instead of returning back to Kolhapur, We decided to go Jaygad Fort, a seventeenth century monument,constructed by King Shivaji , situated at about 30km from the Ganpatipule. It was a never forget exprience to drive on the sea side road and stairing at natural beauty, the whole one hour that we drive and stoped here and there the hot topic of our discussion was, if goverenment give a slight attention towards the Kokan tourism developement, these beautiful and unexplored sea shore will leave Goa sea shores miles and miles behind. As we reached Jaygad fort it was just as of dropping water on the burning coals, the situation of this reserved monument was a real pity, though it is situated just opposit to Jaygad police station but there was no one to look after the fort which is almost in the ruin status. The view of sea from top of the fort was one to go in and remains in the memmory for a longer time, with heavy hearts we turned to the Jaygad port just one Km from the fort. The narrow bay has not only filled our hearts with its scenic beauty but also assured the bright future of our country, we are heading towards.After having tea and snacks it was all the way journey back but it was once again the late evening beauty of Amba Ghat delayed our reaching back kolhapur by almost one hour.

My Related Writtings
Maharashtra Tourism
Kokan Tourism

Nag Panchami A day with venomous cobras

Nag Panchami A day with venomous cobras

India a land of miracles and faith in worship, an aspirant to the students of spirituality and religious rituals. Here you may find that every sunrise comes with a festival, a specific reason to celebrate the day, hence the phrase “Land of Festivals” is correctly used with the context of India. India is only country where you can find a worship celebration related not only to God and Goddess but also to plants and rivers.

The fifth day of bright fortnight of Shravan month [July-August] is celebrated as “Nag Panchami” through out the India, though celebration in south are at high notes in comparison of north India. The Indus Valley civilisation of 3000 B.C. gives ample proof of the popularity of snake-worship amongst the Nagas, whose culture was fairly wide-spread in India, according to Puranas some of the famous Naga Kings are Anant, Vasuki, Shesh, Padma, Kanwal, Karkotak, Kalia, Aswatar, Takshak, Sankhpal, Dhritarashtra and Pingal. Sheshnag is the couch of the Lord Vishnu during the interim times of destroying of the universe and creating a new one. India is country of farmers and snakes are the friends of the farmer, as by eating rats, snakes are helpful in saving the food grains cultivated by the farmer. This is yet another evidence of wisdom of Hindu masters that this festival “Nag Panchami” celebration related with worship of snakes, is celebrated during the rainy season, when need of protection for snakes is at its top. Some of famous places for the celebration of this day are

Adiesha Temple in Andhra Pradesh

Nagaraja Temple in Kerala

Nagathamman Temple in Chennai

Hardevja Temple in Jaipur.

Nagdwar Temple Pachmadi, Madhyapradesh

I am going to share with you here about a place which is not so famous but where you can spends this day in the company of venomous cobras without any fear, you can find here numerous number of snakes moving freely in the courtyard of Gorakhnath temple without showing any intension of biting the human beings present there. This place, village “Battis-Shirala” is just about 50 km away from us, in the Sangli District of Maharashtra , nearly 400 km from the Mumbai. According to old aged, the roots of this celebration lie in, once Guru Gorakhnath was passing through this village, he saw that a woman was worshiping a clay snake idol, with the spiritual powers Guru Gorakhnath brought life to that cobra idol and ask woman to worship. Guru Gorakhnath told not to fear of the snakes; no human will die on this day due to snake bite. In the recent times people not only from the Sangli, Kolhapur, Pune and other districts of Maharashtra but a few foreign tourists are also visiting the place on this day to be witness of thousands of snakes moving freely. Some time back officials from the Chennai snake park visited and confirm that poison containing fangs of snakes are not removed even than it is amazing thing no one die due to snake bite.

The villagers start collecting the snakes about 8-10 days in advance and keep them in earthen pots and feed rats to snakes. The celebrations starts with early morning bath by the woman, who wear “Nav wari” , The traditional nine yard Maharashtarian Saree, and ornaments before the start of worship and offering of “Haldi coonkoon and Flowers”. All the earthen pots are taken to temple in procession, where after the religious rituals snakes are feeded with milk and honey. This is only place in world, where you can have a self photo, with the look of Lard Shiva, venomous cobra around your neck, without fear on this day.

Blue Aqueous Marine – Goa

Blue Aqueous Marine – Goa

That is something between science and myth, a blend of culture, traditions and modernization. A place in long shadows, calm cool, breezy day and long musical nights, loaded all the way with fun. Yes, I am talking about the one of the smallest state Goa , of India, a piece of land of about 40 beaches in the circumference of just about 100 km. “Go Goa , 365 days on Holiday” is just not a slogan for tourist attraction but is an invitation to live with history under the sky of modernization on the banks of fun and pleasure. The list of most searched key words of internet in relation of India tourism can’t be completed without the words beaches and Goa. See my previous two articles related with places.

Goa Images Reflections and Reality[Part One]

Sea Shore Planet: Tourist Paradise: GOA [Goa Part II]

When it comes to beaches of Goa, the tour can be divided into North Goa beaches and South Goa beaches. There are various travel agencies arranging site seeing beside the private car etc. If you have traveled before I will suggest choosing 2-3 spots for the day travel with local bus service that will provide you with a chance of looking into famous Goaian culture and life style. A unique facility available at Goa makes it more adventurous for the couples; here you can hire a bike, presence of English, Marathi, Kokani, Hindi and Portuguese as the spoken languages, small area of just over 100 km, and availability of detailed road maps are there to help you on your this voyage and that all will make your Goa trip a life time experience. Some of the most famous and visited beaches are

ANJUNA BEACH

The beach was discovered by the hippies sometime between 1950 and 1960 hence still most famous among them and also referred as the hippie s beach. When you are laying there on the pale golden sand you will feel that a white rushing stream is speeding to embrace you. The beach is famous for its street market and all night parties; it is your bargaining power that can allow you every Wednesday to take away anything ranging from a swim suit to a second hand bike almost at throw away price. The music loaded beach is just 8 km away from the Mapuca, the second famous city, after capital Panaji, of the state.

BAGA BEACH

Though it is a small beach situated in the west direction of Mapuca at a distance of about 10 km, but the calm and quite, wet brown sand and long shadows of palm tress makes it an attraction for tourists specially though who wish to have a time in peace away from the crowded beaches of Goa. Another attraction is the presence of best restaurants in the Goa, you can enjoy the romantic, candlelight, beach side dinner here and have the pleasure of being the part of exotic nightlife of Goa.

COLVA BEACH

Colva beach is for the people who wish to enjoy the company of family or friends with the only disturbance from the whispering sea. Unlike the Anjuna and Calangute beaches you will found this less crowded with tourist. It might be due to its location, at a distance from the two most famous cities Panaji and Mapuca. Colva will tempt you for long romantic walk on silvery white sand under the moon light and bright sunny morning will ask you to keep lying for some more time.

CALANGUTE BEACH

Surely the most visited beach just 16 km from the capital city Panaji, It has also fame for its holiday resorts, and is so attractive that it is often referred as the “Queen of beaches” you will found it perfect heaven of tourist with equal crowds of the foreign and domestic tourists. Here beside the water sports, children can enjoy the making of sand castles and in the beach side shacks you can enjoy cocktail with sighting the sea.

VAGATOR BEACH

The Sun Kissing beach is just 22km from Panaji, with ruins of Chopara fort, constructed by King Adil Shah, at its north end. Pure white sand and doted black rocks are the prime attraction of the place. It is a beach, typically dotted with palm trees and sea green water with people in swimming suit and having fun in water and gives you feeling of life coming to a postcard scene. Lush green form houses and tall palm and coconut trees with pictorial Portuguese bungalows gives such a beautiful look that area is utilized by many film makers. Hindi movie “Gumnam” the famous suspense film, was the first film in which this beautiful sea shore and ruins of chopara fort were picturised to create mixture of beauty and fear.

Other Tourist attractions

Though it is no more a beach but place has some historic value and place for water sports, specially for water scooter etc. Miramar is the city beach of Panaji. Apart from the Panaji and Mapuca, other worth to visit cities are, Madgaon, Wasco, Arambel, etc. A few other beaches are

Candolim Beach

Sinquerim Beach

Bambolim Beach

Arambol Beach

Benaulim Beach

Palolem Beach

Agonda Beach

BOGMALO BEACH

Hindu Temples- Kashi Vishwanath

Hindu Temples- Kashi Vishwanath
"Kashi Karvat" it the faith of Hindus all over the world that one of dies in the city of Kashi will directly go to heaven, hence old age people come to the city for a stay till the death, this is known as the "Kashi Karvat." Kashi is also synonymous for the terminator of the universe Lord Shiva. The city is also have the fame of being first of tweleve "Jyotirlings" .Kashi now known as Varanasi and Vishavnath temple are the identification mark for each other. On the banks of holly river Ganga, is situated , temple of Lord Shiva " Vishavnath Temple" according to epic the original shiva Ling is lying hiden in the well of knowledge situated next to temple. The temple is open only to Hindus. Other religion followers are not allowed to enter the temple, though they can take an outside view of the temple. The building of temple has been constructed and destructed many times. The last known invasion was by Aurangzeb, who destroyed the temple heavily. He constructed a mosque, called Gyanwapi Mosque, in the same compound. The mosque shares same wall with the temple. In 1776, Maharani Ahilyabai of Indore, donated heavily to re-construct the buildings of temple. Maharaj Ranjit Singh of Lahore is said to have donated 1000 Kg of gold to construct the 16 mt high spire of the temple. Beside the Ayodhya's Ram Janam Bhoomi dispute about this land also comes to surface from time to time. the Dashashwamedh Ghat one of the most famous ghat got its name from the epic that When Lord Shiva decided to stay in the city , Brahama welcomed him by sending his 10 10 horses chariot. City and temple are true representative of the timeless cultural traditions and highest spiritual values.

Amarkantak: Pilgrimage in nature

Amarkantak: Pilgrimage in nature

India is the only country where rivers are worshiped, respected as mother and treated as the source of providing salvation. Among the Holly Rivers of India, river Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati are the front runners. It is said for attaining purification one has to take a dip in Ganga and make prayers on the banks of Yamuna [for seven days] and Saraswati [For three days], where as due to boon of Lord Shiva river Narmada’s only sight is capable of the same. The origin of this sacred river Narmada lies at Maical Mountain in the mountain series of Vindh and Satupuda at Amarkantak.

This area of Maical Mountain is, the natural habituate of dense forest of teak and Mahua trees at the height of 3500 feet, with four rivers in all four directions, river Sone [Shone] in east, river Narmada in west, river Mahanadi in south and river Jawalawati [Juhala] in the north. The music of many waterfalls present in the area and singing birds of these evergreen forests are producing the most wonderful natural concert that leaves the tourist spellbound.

In the Ramayan era this mountain Maical [Maikal] was known as the “Hriuksh Paravat” according to famous epics King Ravana enjoyed the vision of beauty of this place from his aero plan “Pushpak”. In the Mahabharat era King Yudhistar visited mountain to worship Maha Muni Markandey in his aashram. Origin of the river Narmada is near this Aashram. Almost about 2,500 years of Mahabharat Adiguru Shankaracharya came to this place, in search of spiritual master at that time river Narmada was under the influence of floods which was about to disturb meditation of Swami Govindpad, Aacharya with the help of his kamandal constructed “Narmada Ashtak” to control the flood and after getting the guidance of spirituality from swami ji established “Shivlinga” there, which is at present is known as “Pataleshwar Mahadev”. Temples here are constructed from the black stones and are unique in architect though at some places a thinner similarity with the world heritage site Ellora caves is visible. Some of the places from the area which holds tourist attraction are

1.Narmada Mandir (group of temples) : Narmdeshwar temple which has a holy kund made at the source of river Narmada is the most important temple at Amarkantak. There are about twenty small temples in the premises of the Narmada Mandir each one of which is important in its own way. There is the Sati temple, which is, devoted to Parvati. The protected site of the ASI is close to the main Narmada temple.
2. Mai Ka Bagiya : About one Km. from the main temple, there is a garden, which lies in a densely forested area. It is popularly believed that the Narmada devi used to pluck flowers in this garden.
3. Sonmuda : The point of origin of the Sone river. It is also a “sunrise” point.
4. Bhrigumandal: It is around 3 Kms. from Amarkantak on a difficult forest trek route. It is believed that Bhrigu Rishi meditated here. The Parasvinayak and Chandi caves are on this route.
5. Kabir Chabutra: Saint Kabir spent time here in meditation.
6. Jwaleshwar Mahadev :The origin of river Johilla. There is a temple deep in the forest of Jwaleshwar Mahadev . There is a 'sunset point' close to this temple.
7. Kapildhara: At a distance of 8 Kms. from the origin of river Narmada, the river falls from a height of 100 feet creating a waterfall known as Kapildhara. It is believed that the Kapil rishi meditated here.
8. Dudhdhara: At a distance of 1 Km. from Kapildhara there is another beautiful waterfall on the river Narmada called Dudhdhara.
9. Shambhudhara & Durgadhara :Two other extremely beautiful waterfalls are situated deep in the forest. One has to walk a few Kms. to see these breathtaking waterfalls.
10. Sarvodya Jain Temple: This temple is under construction. It is considered a construction marvel. Cement and iron have not been used in this temple and the weight of the idol to be placed in the temple is around 24 Tones.

You can reach Amarkantak from the Jabalpur [M.P.] or From the Khajurahoo, it is almost in the mid of Bandhavgad and Kanha reserve forest so you can stay here while visiting these. Amarkantak is indeed blessed by Nature. Holy ponds, lofty hills, forested surroundings, marvelous waterfalls and an ever-pervading air of serenity make Amarkantak a much sought-after destination for the religious-minded as well as for the nature-lover.

Sea Shore Planet: Tourist Paradise: GOA [Part 2]

Sea Shore Planet: Tourist Paradise: GOA
[Goa Part II]

When in America or Europe or in UK people talk about Indian tourism the first word that is most probably pronounced is GOA and with the word everybody goes in the visualization and virtual feeling of calm and cool sea winds, lush green palms and coconuts, speeding boats on blue aqua and silvery sand. This is what GOA remains in the minds of tourist.

The fact remains undisputed, sea shores are the prime attraction of the GOA, but it is a hard truth GOA is much more worth for tourists than the beaches, even after a considerable long Portuguese rule you will find here many temples along with churches with the best of illustration for the outstanding and exemplary cases of Christian architecture , this makes GOA a place to be visited again and again.

Hindu Temples

History says that during the long Portuguese rule attempts were made for destroying Hindu Temples, however many Hindu temples mainly present in “Ponda” or “Phonda” taluka are reflecting the glimpses of Old Hindu divine light present in the area. Some of the most prominent temples are

Mangeshi Temple: one of the oldest Saraswat temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is just about 20 km from the capital city Panaji , at the Pirol.

Shri Shantadurga temple: This is yet another temple that is included in the schedule of most of the tour operators. Goddess Shantadurga, Goddess of peace, dedicated this temple is with a pagoda like outer shape.

Shri Bhagavati Temple: It is said that temple is old over than 500 years. The Parenem taluka situated temple [about 28 km from Panaji] is famous for the Dushera celebrations. Goddess Bhagavat Ashtabhuja is in the standing position and the entrance of the temple have two elephants craved in black stone.

Shri Ramnath Panchayatan: Yet another temple from Phonda [about 35 km from Panaji] is in fact cluster of five temples beside the temple of main deity Ramnath, four other small temples are dedicated to Shri Laxminarayan, Shri Shantadurga (Sateri), Shri Betal and Shri Sidhanath .


Other significant temples includes the Ganapati temple at Khandole, the Maha Laxmi temple at Bandewade and the Sri Nagesh Maharudra Temple at Bandora, Shri Mahalsa - At Mardol, Shri Gomanteshwar Devasthan at Brahmapuri, Shri Kamakshi Sausthan at Shiroda, Temple of Shri Mahadeva at Tambdi Surla, Shri Navdurga at Madkai, Sapteshwar-Bhagvati Temple at Mandrem, Shri Shantadurga - Kavlem and many more.

Churches of GOA

Though for GOA you can say also that it is a land of churches because when we compare the number of churches with the area of the land, GOA is among the densest population of churches in India. Prominent churches include:

BASILICA OF BOM JESUS
The most famous church of Roman Catholic world was built in 1605, is the tomb and place for the mortal remains of patron saint of GOA, St. Francis Xavier [in near future I will post about his life]. This church is famous for miraculous phenomenon, St. Francis Xavier died in china [December 2, 1552] and as per his will, when after one year of death his remains were being transferred to GOA , it was observed that time has not affected his body. After every Ten years body is kept for an Exposition or public viewing.

SE CATHEDRAL
Church is dedicated to Saint Catherine and among the biggest tourist attractions at GOA. Tuscan style architect and the Cross of Miracles are the prime attractions, it is said that cross of Miracles is growing in size and according to faith of Goans, healing properties of the cross are unique on the earth.

Other churches of GOA are The Church of St. Francis of Assisi, The Church of St. Cajatan, the Church of Our Lady of Rosary, The Reis Magos Church, Church of Mae de Dens or Mother of God, and The Church of St. Alex.

Beaches and how to have a real vision of GOA will be published in the third and concluding article of the series.

Part I of the Article if you have missed it.

Goa Images Reflections and Reality[Part One]

Goa Images Reflections and Reality[Part One]

"Images are the killers of the reality" I can't recall this or this type of words where I read but if you are visiting Goa with some of the images I assure you that you are going to find the vice versa situation , here reality is all prepared to kill your images. The first image that will go under the breakage if you are traveling by road is the Goa is the shortest piece of Indian land with most pictures and scenic nature. As if you preferred to go from the Belgaum, Karnatak, almost whole of the four hours of your journey you will feel mesmerised by the adventurous, fearful and scenic beauty of heights and Vallie's. Many of the,road side cliff top waterfalls will prove hurdle in your journey if you are visiting round the corner of rainy season and will force you to relax for a while at the door step of nature , cloud play during this time adds unforgettable experience to your memory. If your choice is go via the Maharashtra then from Kolhapur there are two options for you One by Amboli road and another by Gaganbawada Road though there is third option by Radhanagari road is also available but most of the visitors opt one from the former two. If you are traveling by the Kokan railway do opt for day journey to have the same experience that you will have by road travel either from Karnataka or Maharashtra.

Geographicaly Goa is situated on the west coast of India and its boundaries on the western side are composed by the Arabian Sea, Where as state is connected with Maharashtra on the north side and with Karanataka in the east and south directions. Population wise it is the fourth smallest and area wise is the smallest state of India. The state was under the Portuguese governance for about 450 years hence being in India you will found many things not matching with Indian customs and traditions, don't be surprised if you feel that life style of Goa is not matching with the rest of India, it is because still the ruins of Portuguese life style are very much alive in the human society of the state even after almost 50 years [ included in India in 1961] of Independence, though India is said to be country of festivals but here you will find the social stimulation towards the festivals only at the time carnival and to some extant during the New year celebration, thus here your second image get killed by the reality.

If we try to turn the history pages we will find that the natives of Goa are basically Saraswat Brahman who were moved from bank of river Saraswati to Bengal and were known as Gaud Saraswat, were shifted to Goa and during the era of Mahabharat & then were known as the Gomantak beside these Brahaman families some migrants from the south called Kundbis were the part of initial human society of the Goa. I am not sure but it is said that When Lord Vishnu was on earth as Parashuram, he defeated Samudra, the sea and since that time Samudra had never crossed the limit fixed by the arrow of Parshuram, which falls at the village Bannali [Bann = arrow and ali=village] presently known as Benaulim.

Some of the Dynasties that rules over the Goa are : The Scytho-parthians [ 2nd-4th century AD] ; The Abhiras, Batpura Bhojas [ 4th to 6th century]; TheChalukyas of Badami [6th to 8th century AD]; The Rashtrakutas of Malkhed[8th to 10th Century AD] ;The Kadambas [1006 -1356AD] ; The Yadavas of Devaguiri (modern Daulatabad) [ 12th to 13th century AD] ; The Hindu Empire of Vijayanagar [14-15th century AD]; The Muslim Bahmani Kingdom of Deccan [15th century]. Portuguese has take the control of the land somewhere near the 1510.

It might be surprise for you that in this era of high communication, Goa state still don't have own Television Transmission, there is no separate news channel for the state,you have to depend on Mumbai Doordarshan for the weather report and for local news on the not so much reliable cable network. The same thing is with the newspapers [though the scene is changing with a vigorous rate] This might be the due to the reason that during the Portuguese times any person seen reading newspaper was punished physically, the hangover of that mentality is so high that natives are still unable to get rid of it. Yet another example of this mental slavery is the tradition according to which during the tourist season [October- December] when Portuguese tourists are visiting Goa, state's cultural and tourism Minister remains present at Air port to welcome them, this tradition remain unbroken even during the rule of Hindutav wadi Party BJP.

Your another image about Goa that is going to become vanish on the surface of reality is the night life, the first thing that will make you spellbound is the start of closing of shops near around the seven in the evening and even in the major cities Like Panaji, Mapusa, Madgaon, Vasco you will have to search for an open hotel for the dinner after 11pm. You will be welcomed by the empty roads even after 9 O'clock at night.

This was all about the historical, Geographical and social life of the Goa, for the star tourist attractions which are in abundance here I will write a separate blog including the reasons why it is said" Go Goa 365 days on Holiday".

My Related Articles

Kokan Tourism

Alibag: Historic beautiful Kokanz beaches

Kokan Journey: Amboli Forest Hill Station

Maharshtra Tourism

Lush green hilly planes, calm clean and scenic sea shores, historical monuments,Wild life and reserve forests, Stone caved window to history these are the few words that can replace the word "Maharashtra Tourism" .

About the State

Word "Marathi", used for the natives and basis for the nomenclature of the state as Maharashtra, has historical roots, In the seventh century many of native of this land were associated with the profession of Chariot drivers "Rathi", history revels that in the 90 A.D. they have formed a group of fighters "Maharathi". Maharashtra is the state with a glorious past, pleasant present and fantastic future. The state is among the most advanced states of the country. Mumbai, the economic capital of the country is part of state. Here while your tour your are sure to found and feel the presence of most effective mixture of culture, traditions and technology. The per capita income of the state is 60% higher than the national average, state is among the high industrialised lands of India and contributes for 22% of India's net value-added output in the organized industrial sector-way ahead of any other state. The official language is Marathi with about 42 dialects, beside these Maharashtrians are also using Hindi,Gujrati and English in their day to day life, hence language is not going to prove hurdle for the enjoyment of your travel here. You will find at every place, sufficient accommodation facilities to meet with your budget, from five star luxury suites to shared rooms. The pure maharashtrian cuisine like the Misal, Kokani Fish Fry, Tambada and Pandhra Rasa, Kande Pohe, Jhunka Bakhari, Puran Poli, will not only prompt you to visit state again and again but also will keep your mouth watering for the years to come.

About your tour

Before you plan your tour have a look

Temperature: Summer 22°C-39°C Winter 12°C-34°C

Tourist Season :Sep to Apr (Coast) Jun to Sep (Hill Stations)

Airports : Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik, Sholapur

Mode of Transport : Excellent Air, Rail and Road links are available for travel within the state and around.

List of religious places includes :

Afghan Memorial [Colaba Mumbai]

Ambadevi Temple [Amravati]

Anwa Temple [Aurangabad]

Ayappa Temple [Mumbai]

Bahubali Temples [Kolhapur]

Ballaleshwar [Palli]

Bibi Ka Maqbara [Aurangabad]

Buddist Caves of Ajantha [A World Heritage site- Jalgaon]

Kailash Temple [Ellora-Aurangabad]

Mahalaxmi [Kolhapur]

Nageshwar Temple [Pune]

Osho Ashram [Pune]

Pandharpur

Shirdi

Sidhi Vinayak [Mumbai]

Shri Hazur Sahib,Sachkhand Saheb [Nanded]

Trimbkeshwar [Nashik]

If you are a domestic traveler I will suggest to go to

www.mtdcindia.com and plan you travel, as Maharashtra is a state with a quite large geographical area, so you can make parts of your Maharashtra Tourism, as for as the upper class domestic and foreigner travelers are concerned I will suggest them to have a tour with Deccan Odysee "A palace on wheal train" for maharashtra tourism. It is a life time experience of one week long comfortable and luxurious train journey that covers almost all the prominent travel destinations of the state. You can book your journey tickets online at the same www.mtdcindia.com site and have a look at your day to day journey schedules. Among the star attractions are unexplored see shores of Kokan are most important, you can even plan your trip only for these by making Kolhapur base camp.

Hindu Temples

- Akshar Dham
- Bahai Temple
- Baijnath Temple
- Birla Mandir
- Cave Temples
- Dwarkadhish Temple
- Chattarpur Mandir
- Eklingji Temple
- Ganapatipule Temple
- Guruvayoor Temple
- ISKON Temples
- Jagannath Temple
- Jwalamukhi Temple
- Kailash Temple
- Kashi Vishwanath
- Khajuraho Temples
- Lepakshi Temple
- Lingaraja Temple
- Lotus Temple
- Meenakshi Temple
- Mukteswara Temple
- Naina Devi Temple
- Omkareshwar Temple
- Orcha Temple
- Sabarimala Temple
- Shankracharya Temple
- Somnath Temple
- Sun Temple - Konark
- Thousand Pillar Temple
- Tirupati Tirumala Balaji
- Vaishno Devi

Hindu Pilgrimage Destinations

- Allahabad
- Amarnath
-Ayodhya
- Badrinath
- Bhuwaneshwar
- Chidabaram
- Dwarka
- Gangotri
- Haridwar
- Kanchipuram
- Kanyakumari
- Kedarnath
- Khajuraho
- Konarak
- Madurai
- Mahabalipuram
- Mathura
- Puri
- Pushkar
- Puttaparthi
- Rameshwaram
- Rishikesh
- Shirdi
- Thanjavur
- Tirupati
- Varanasi
- Vrindavan
- Yamunotri

Ahmedabad: Land of Textile and Monuments

Indian cities listed for the vigorous rate of growth can’t be completed without the mention of Ahmedabad, Capital of Gujrat state till the 1970. History reveals that the city was in existence in the 11th century and was named as Ashapalli or Ashawal. During the 13th century King Karandev of Solanki dynasty after the victory over the King of Ashaval established a city called Karnavati on the bank of river Sabarmati. At the same place in the year 1411 sultan Ahmed Shah reconstructed the city Ahmedabad which works as the capital of sultanate [Kingdom].In the year 1487 grandson of Ahmed Shah, Mohammad Begada started and completed the construction of city wall of 10 km. in circumference with 12 gates and 189 bastions.

You can bifurcate city into two parts; Old city unplanned structures, narrow roads and much crowded during the rush business hours and new city much satisfactory and to some extant planned infra structures, sufficiently wide roads and shops and business complexes to meet with modern trends of shopping. From the centuries the city has been nick named as Manchester of east due to reliable textile industry. In the recent past skillful native population has added Chemical Industry also in the business horizon of the city to make it more versatile and competitor for the other markets of the world. Ahmedabad is on the national highway 8 that connects Delhi with Mumbai. Being the past capital of state city is well connected with all other major cities of country by road also.

The city is famous for the “Sabarmati Ashram” monument related with Mahatma Gandhi, Father of Nation and “Akhshar Dham” Temple. You can find here numerous monuments scattered here and there. Dandi, place related with famous salt agitation of Gandhi ji and Dwarka related with Lord Krishna are in the vicinity of the city. Some of the famous monuments and places of tourist attraction are

Kankaria Lake, Aquarium & Zoo [Constructed by Sultan Qutub-ud-Din]

Step Wells [Caves with interiorsof carvings in stone]

The Palace of Shahibaugh [Build in 1622 A.D. Presently Sardar Patel Memorial]

Jain Temples (Derasars) [Situated in old city]
Dawazas(Gates) of Ahmedabad - Teen Darwazas
- Lal Darwazas- Delhi Darwazas

Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram [Built on the banks of river Sabarmati]

Sidi Syed Mosque [Near Lal Darwaja and world famous for magnificient craved stone work]

Jumma Masjid [illustration of Islamic Architecture with 260 pillars and 15Domes, constructed by Sultan Ahmed Shah in 1423]

Apart from these there are many museums reflecting old culture of the city. The city is a real image of ancient glory and modernization.