Archive for the ‘Beaches in India’ Category
October 1st, 2011 | 
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Digha is located about 185 kms away from the city on the south east of Calcutta. In the list of must visit Kolkata excursions, Digha beach is on the top. It is a splendid beach resort consisting of a 6 km long beach. Shankarpur is the twin beach of Digha, Calcutta that is about 10 kms away. Digha, India is very well connected with Kolkata by road. Infact, its about five hours drive from there. Digha beach is worth visiting, as its shallow water will help in rejuvenating you. The whole atmosphere over there is very soothing and serene.
Digha Beach Travel – The casuarinas plantations along the coast are so captivating! The calm sea is so charming! The dream destination of Digha on the eastern coast of India is renowned the world over for its flat and hard beaches.The beauty of the Digha beach has attracted tourists since the days of Warren Hastings! Then it was referred to as Beercool! Indeed Digha is seven long kilometers of fun and frolic! While at the Digha beach unwind yourself in the sun, sea, surf and the sand. The sea is safe for swimming so you may take a plunge!
Digha Beach Travel, Close to Digha are the other tourist attractions too. Digha is a perfect getaway in the lap of nature.Digha Beach in West Bengal, There is Chandaneswar at a distance of 8 kms were you pray to Lord Shiva in the renowned ancient temple.While shopping at Digha you just cannot skip the so very famous cashew nuts.Digha Beach in Bengal India, Accommodation is easily available at Digha there are tourist lodges, deluxe hotels, budget hotels et al where is advisable to book before the holiday season.
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Kollam town, the headquarters of Kollam district and Kollam taluk, has a hoary past. It was an international emporium of trade and even now it is a prosperous commercial centre. It is situated about 71 Kms. north of Thiruvavanathapuram and is linked by rail, road and backwater transport.
The town edges with the famous Ashtamudi lake. Many a foreign traveler has visited Kollam in early medieval period. It was one of the early centres of Christian activity in Kerala. It is said that the present town of Kollam was built by the Syrian Merchant; Sapir Iso, in the 9th Century A.D. The popularity of Kollam has been established by the time honoured proverb once you see Kollam, you will not need home any more. Kollam is an important commercial, industrial and trading centre. It is also the headquarters of Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation. The 144 ft. Thangassery Light House, built in 1902, is a centre of attraction. The Ananda Valleswaram Temple here, attracts people on almost all days. There are several Churches and Mosques in and around Kollam. The Pullichira Church was established in 1700 A.D. One of the oldest and most important Mosques in the Chinnakkada Palli. The Thangal Kunju Musliar College of Engineering, the first of its kind in the private sector in the state, is at Kilikolloor, about 7 Kms. east of Kollam town.
The Government Guest House here is 200 years old. It stands along Ashtamudi lake and is a major attraction for its elegance rates. The adventure park, located in the shores of the Ashtamudi backwaters, is a novel experiment in the country. Different types of boats, including luxury cruise boats, power boats and motor boats, are available on hire from the boat jetty near to the Adventure Park. A budget hotel for tourists, Yatri Nivas, run by Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, is also located in this village. The village is just 2 kms. away from the town.
Achencoil
Situated about 80 kms from Punalur is an important pilgrim center. The Sastha temple here, situated amidst dense forest. The idol of Sastha is supposed to have been installed several centuries before the Christian Era. The two important festivals of this temple are Mandala Pooja (December-January) and the festival held at ‘Revathi’(January-February). The two notable features of the festival are the Therotam (chariot festival) and Pushpabhishekam (offering of flowers). In no other temple of the South India are flowers offered to the deity so lavishly as at Achencoil.
Sasthamkotta Lake
Sasthamkotta Lake, situated 19 km from Kollam in the beautiful village of Sasthamkotta, is the largest freshwater lake in Kerala and serves the drinking water needs of about half a million people of the Kollam district. Surrounded by hills on all sides, Kollam is home to the popular Sasthamkotta Dharmasastha Temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, which serves as an important pilgrim centre drawing many devotees on a daily basis.
Mayyanad Village
Mayyanad is a beautiful village, situated 10 km south of Kollam District along the banks of Paravur Lake and along the coastal line of Arabian Sea. The village is an important fishing as well as pilgrim centre with several temples and shrines like Umayanallor, dedicated to Lord Subramanian, Valiyavila Temple, three churches, and a mosque. The shrine is said to have been consecrated by the great Hindu philosopher Sree Shankaracharya of Kaladi.
With the sea water receding approximately 5 kms during low tide and advancing to the shore during high tide everyday, the Chandipur Beach at Orissa offers a truly unique and captivating sight.
Easily accessible via train, the beach is merely 16 kms from the Balasore Railway Station on Howrah-Madras line of South Eastern Railways.
Watching the sea vanish right in front of your eyes and then observing its return is a very rare site. And to add more to this hide and seek of water, the Casuarina trees and creeper sand dunes seem to be swaying on a melodious musical note. The bbeach is also in close proximity to certain other places of tourist interest namely Remuna, Panchalingeswar, Aradi and Chandaneswar.
The seaside resort of Chandipur, 16 km east of Balasore, is one of Orissa’s finest beaches. The musical sway of the casuarinas trees and creepered white sand dunes add to its seductive beauty. Chandipur is one of the few beaches of the world where the sea recedes up to 5 km daily at low tide and chasing the waves in a jeep, when the sea retreats is unforgettable. When the tide is in, locals trawl for small fish along the coast. The serene and peaceful landscape of Chandipur captivates the visitor.
Easily reachable by auto rickshaw or taxi from Balasore, the accommodation at Chandipur is plentiful. Enjoy your stay at Chandipur Beach, Orissa.
Goa which is rightly regarded as the “Pearl of the East” is a paradise for all nature lovers with its golden beaches and palm fringed beachfront. It is a wonderful retreat for all the nature lovers and tourism in Goa is burgeoning in leaps and bounds. Its Gothic churches, ancient ruins, palm-fringed beaches, coconut groves, ferry rides, and bubbly folk music are some of the things it is characterized by. The solitude hunters are definitely going to make Goa as their stopover in their tour itinerary.
Goa, the beautiful state located on the western coast of India, is blessed with many attractive tourist attractions. That includes, sun kissed beaches, churches, forts, temples, lavish hotel resorts and colonial monuments.
Goa has a long stretch of coastline of about 131 km and you will be enchanted by the beautiful beaches in Goa. A salubrious climate, friendly people, appetizing food, white-washed churches and a fascinating aura of the colonial times lends an unprecedented touch to this small state of western India. Not only the Indian tourists, the Europeans are also beguiled by the natural exquisiteness of this wonderful tropical paradise and drop in to Goa for spending vacations.
The Beaches of Goa
Beaches are the attractions of Goa that are marked as the first one on the tour itinerary of Goa. Calangute Beach, called the Queen of Indian beaches is a stretched for 7 kms. Anjuna, the traditional ramble center, is admired by the back packers. It is a real lively place with many eating joints, restaurants and bars. Baga Beach, a fascinating beach is near Anjuna Beach. Dona Paula Beach 7 kms far from Panaji gives a best opportunity to the tourists for best relaxation and sunbath.
Colva Beach near Margo offers nice accommodation options. Naturally blessed beach are Arambol Beach in the north and Palolem Beach in the south. Other famous beaches include Miramar Beach, Agonda Beach, Mandrem Beach, Morjim Beach, Miramar Beach, Palolem Beach, Siridao Beach, Patnem Beach, Keri Beach, Lemos Beach, Mandrem Beach, Morji Beach, Asvem Beach and many more. The resorts on the Goa Beach Resorts offer all the modern tourist facilities in Goa.
Dona Paula beach is located just about 7-km from Panaji. This place is called the Lovers Paradise in Goa, named after Dona Paula de Menezes. A myth has been attached to this place and according one legend the Viceroy’s daughter after facing objections from her family about her love affair with a poor fisherman jumped of the cliff.
The enticing story is about a girl named Dona Paula de Menzes, after whom the Goa beach has been named. She was the daughter of a viceroy in colonial India, who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias.
Another legend says that punished for captivating Francisco de Tavora- the Count of Alvor with her charm, the Viceroy’s daughter was pushed off a cliff to drown in the waters below. Her irrepressible spirit still continues to haunt every visitor with legends of her lovers. She is even supposed to have been seen emerging from moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace.
The place where two of Goa’s famous rivers meet the Arabian Sea is the bay of Dona Paula with a very good view of the Marmagao Harbour. 7-km from Panjim, situated on the south side of the, hammer-shaped headland that divides the Zuari and Mandovi, is a Fishing Village. This is a spot to sunbathe and relax. Jet Skiing is a very common sport at this beach.
Tranquil and blue, Dona Paula unravels the ultimate in aquatic sport and fun. The Dona Paula Sports Club at Dona Paula offers some of the best water sports facilities to the sports enthusiasts including Water-scooter rides, Motor-boat rides, etc. Dona Paula is also famous for the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, where you can spot both migratory and local birds.
Goa Dona Paula beach associated with a romantic myth, is one of the hottest tourist spot in Goa. people flock to the Dona Paula beach not only to enjoy the sun and the sea but also to indulge in water sports on the clear waters. The Dona Paula Beach offers an opportunity to the tourists to have sunbath and buy cheap seaside goods from local vendors.
The beauty of Goa Dona Paula beach has been enhanced by a poky past which has the tourists thronging to this place. history goes that the beach is named after Dona Paula de Menses, daughter of a viceroy (in colonial India) who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias. The beach has also been the location for many Indian movies. Given this dual attraction, Dona Paula Beach has become popular among the tourist spots in Goa.
The old port town of Mahabalipuram also known as Mamallapuram on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, has a coastline spanning a distance of over 20 km with beautiful beaches. Located 58km from Chennai on the Mahabalipuram road, the golden sandy beach is a picturesque place bounded by the shimmering sea and rolling hills. Identified as the most pristine beaches of Tamil Nadu, the beach attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year. The beach is an idle place for sunbathing and lazing around. The sea is rough and swimming is not recommended.
Mahabalipuram beach also has some ancient historical monuments in its close proximity and this is the main reason of attraction of this beach. There is one of the oldest shore temples in South India built by the Pallava King Rajasimha in the early 8th century and the world’s largest bas-relief, the ‘Penance of Arjuna’, which is 96ft long and 43 ft high, the five rathas and the tiger’s cave along the beach. On the way to Mahabalipuram Beach is Dakshinachitra, 28 km from Chennai, a heritage space with exhibitions and workshops of the arts and crafts including traditional home architecture and performing artists of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
Other places worth a visit while on a tour to the beach include the crocodile farm where about 5000 crocodiles of 6 different species, alligators and other reptiles are bred in captivity, kept in open, marshy enclosures, snake venom extracting centre and a school of art and sculpture.
It is 59km south of Madras. It was an old port city and capital of the Pallava kings. It consists of 4 kinds of rock structures, cut-out monolithic rock temples (rathas), cut-in cave temples (mandapams), temples constructed from bas-relief sculptures carved on large rocks. multiple pieces and materials, and The combination of old 7th and 8th century Pallava carvings, temples and wonderful beaches make the place a beautiful tourist destination.
The Shore Temple is situated near the Ocean. This was built by the Pallava King Rajasimha in the early 8th century. The courtyard is surrounded by a massive wall. The entrances are guarded by sculptures of mythical deities. Inside one of the shrines, there is an image of Vishnu lying with a snake at his side in cosmic sleep on the sea.
The Krishna Mandapam This is a 12 column cave temple. It has a natural figure of a cow being milked. There is a sculpture of Krishana holding up the Govardhan mountain to protect his people from Indra’s flood, on the black wall, in side the Mandapam.
The Adivaraha cave is famous for its two portraits of royal Pallava kings with two goddesses.
The light house built by the British gives a good view and serves as a landmark in navigation.
The Mahishamardini Cave is near to the light house, on top of the hill. It is the most outstanding mandapam. The wall on the right side, is carved with the Durga, riding on the lion and defeating the Mahisha, the buffalo demon. In the opposite side there was a carving of Vishnu reclining on the great serpent Sesha. At the back of the Mahishamardini Cave there are three cells containing Shiva, Uma (Consort of Shiva) and their son Skanda.
The Tiger Cave is 5Km away from Mamallapuram, at Saluvankuppam, This place is a favorite picnic spot. The cave is distinguished by the crown of carved tiger heads around the temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga.
Tirukkalukundram (Sacred hill of Kites) is 15 Km west of Mamallapuram. The pilgrims are come here to climb 500 steps to reach on top of the hill to witness the Brahmin priests, who fed the two kites (birds).