India-Tourist-Places.com

Archive for the ‘States of East India’ Category

West Bengal, an epicenter of the Bengali culture, is an eminent tourist destination. The state is also replete with some remarkable architectural edifices of the likes of Fort William and Victoria Memorial. Fort William is a rather impressive testimony of the British Raj’s military acumen.

It is interesting to note that the state is the proud owner of two Fort William’s, which served as a stronghold of the Indian army in East India. The imposing edifice was built under the able supervision of mastermind architects Sir Charles Eyre and John Beard.

The construction of the Government House, located within the rambling acres of Fort William, was started in the year 1702 and was completed in 1706. This edifice was christened after William II, King of England. However, the entire compound took a longer time to be completed and came into existence only in the year 1781. The whole idea was that Fort William was an impenetrable fort of the Indian Army. Currently, however, Fort William serves as the Military Head quarters of the Eastern Command and can hold a garrison up to strength of 10,000 troops.

The brick-and-mortar complex located in the heart of the city breathes in the freshness of greenery into the polluted and congested metropolis of Kolkata. Three sides of the building face the River Hoogly and the structure is surrounded by a moat 9 m deep and 15m broad. The building has six massive gates that open onto Chowringhee, Plassey Calcutta, Water Gate, St Georges and Treasury Gate. The current military head quarters houses a swimming pool, cinema hall, restaurant, telephone office, recreation club and canteen for the entertainment of the military officials. Tourists too can be enlightened by the wonders at Fort William’s museum that houses arms, weapons, armors, swords, machine guns and muskets. There are also photographs that vividly illustrate the Burma campaign and the Bangladesh Liberation War. However, prior permission has to be obtained from the Commanding Officer in order to visit the secure premises of the arsenal.

The undisputed monarch of the architectural edifices and tourist attractions that Kolkata abounds is undoubtedly the stately Victoria Memorial. Resplendent in pristine white, the building, built towards the end of the British Raj’s tenure in India, highlights architectural splendor at its zenith.

The proposal for the building and the classical architecture style was Lord Curzon’s brainchild but the mastermind architect Sir William Emerson was responsible for the blueprint of the basic design and layout. The building represents the ornate English architecture with a slight Indian tinge that was very common in the buildings of London in those days. The architect’s creative genius was inspired by the layout of the Belfast City Hall.

As the name signifies, Victoria Memorial was built as a tribute to Queen Victoria, the then “Empress of India”, to mark her death. Victoria Memorial, all dressed up in its imperial grandeur, is one of the majestic landmarks that draw myriads of locals and tourists for sightseeing.

The erstwhile princes of the various states in India provided the funds for this impressive edifice. Victoria Memorial houses a grand museum that showcases the portraits of those who played a monumental role in shaping India’s future. The building is located amidst sprawling acres of well-tended lawns and gardens. It also contains a sparkling lake that gleams like a mirage of quicksilver under the saffron sunbeams.

Victoria Memorial is a popular haunt for morning walkers, families as well young couples looking for a safe refuge. Another attraction of visiting the majestic edifice is the quaint horse drawn carriages that take tourists reminiscent of the days of the Raj.

One of the important landmark of Kolkata, the Birla Planetarium of West Bengal attracts many tourists all through the year. Founded by the educational trust of the Birla group of companies in 1962, the Birla Planetarium of West Bengal boasts to be one of the biggest astronomical observatories of the world.

The Birla Planetarium offers the visitors with an excellent opportunity to explore the cosmos and its activities. The planetarium caters to several shows in a day that enlightens the spectators with the zodiac systems, solar systems, the important stars and planets. The Birla Planetarium performs the dual function of providing a comprehensive and cohesive knowledge about the various geographical and astronomical systems of the cosmos and entertaining the viewers as well.

The Birla Planetarium conducts the shows in three different languages of English, Hindi and Bengali for the convenience of the spectators. The different shows enhance and enrich the level of knowledge of the spectators. Equipped with all the necessary technical support systems, the Birla Planetarium offers the spectators with a wonderful show that satisfies the intellectual appetite of the viewers.

Amidst the busy streets of central Kolkata, the white building of Birla Planetarium stands Tall with it’s over imposing structure that adds to the glory of the city. The luxuriant gardens of the Birla Planetarium make it an ideal spot for the tourists who are absolutely thrilled with the spectacular presentation of the solar systems of the cosmos.

The astronomical observatory of the Birla Planetarium is one of the most sought after tourist destination of West Bengal that reflects the engineering skills of the people of West Bengal.

Kaziranga National Park lies partly in Golaghat District and partly in Nagaon District of Assam. It is the oldest park in assam covers an area of 430 Sq kms along the river Brahmaputra on the North and the Karbi Anglong hills on the South. The National Highway 37 passes through the park area and tea estates, hemmed by table-top tea bushes. One can even see the rhinos and wild elephants straying near the highway.

Catching the glimpses of the wild denizens is a complete delight for the nature enthusiasts at this magnificent park. On your wildlife tours in Kaziranga you will come across several wild animals such as Indian Elephants, Indian Bison, Swamp Deer or Barasingha, Hog Deer, Sloth Bears, Tigers, Leopard Cats, Jungle Cats, Otters, Hog Badgers, Capped Langurs, Hoolock Gibbons, Wild Boar, Jackal, Wild Buffalo, Pythons, Monitor Lizards, etc.

Besides the wildlife safari, the birding tour would be a remarkable experience for the passionate birdwatchers and wildlife photographers. Some of the bird species include Oriental Honey Buzzard, Black-Shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Brahminy Kite, Pallas’s Fishing Eagle, White Tailed Eagle, Grey-Headed Fishing Eagle, Himalayan Griffon, etc. One can also spot a significant number of the migratory birds that frequent the parks lakes and swampy areas during winters that include Greylag Geese, Bar-Headed Geese, Ruddy Shelduck, Gadwall, Falcated Duck, Red-Crested Pochard and Northern Shoveller. Read the rest of this entry »

Mani Square is on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass of Kolkata.  It is the next generation shopping and entertainment destination.  It has the Kolkata’s first IMAX theater, a 3-screen multiplex, Scary House, Spencer’s Hypermart, Westside, McDonald’s, a 25,000 square foot food court, 50,000 square feet of fine dining space, top brand stores, state-of-the art amenities and facilities to help you.  There is a large space for car parking.  About 1500 vehicles can park there!  Isn’t it amazing?

The Mani Square has good customer service.  They are as follows:

1.    Customer Relation Officers.
2.    First Aid.
3.    Lost and Found Assistance.
4.    Comfort Zone.
5.    Car Wash Service.
6.    Valet Parking.
7.    Mobile phone recharging.
8.    Internet connection/WiFi.
9.    Fax and business Center Service.
10.  Wheelchairs.
11.  Children’s Day Care Center.
12.   ATM Counters.

If you fall sick or any medical aid, you just call any staff, they are going to help you.  The lost and found assistance is at the ground floor.  The atrium and sofas are all over the mall that helps you regroup and energize yourself.  While you are shopping, you can cleanse your car.  So the car wash service is available.  There is valet parking.  The pick up point is on the south side of the mall.  There are 2 tiers of service:  Gold and Platinum.  If your mobile phone is not recharged, you can recharge them at the customer service desk.  You can surf the net free of cost at WiFi hotspots.  Here you can get fast, reliable, wirefree internet connection.  You can send faxes wherever you want by just coming at the customer service desk!  There are wheelchairs for the disabled people.  The staff is eager to help you.  There is a crèche where your child can play while you shop.  There are baby strollers, which will help the mother and father of the kids.  It can be rented on an hourly basis.  The ATM counter point gives you tension free shopping.

We get a large number of shops under one roof.  A number of reputed brands and companies have opened their outlets here at Mani Square making it the hottest destination for shopping!!! For books and stationery, there are Luxor Parker, Starmark, Westside, and Write Site. For cards and gifts, there are Archies, Ariana, Exclusive Lines, Infinity, Presto stamps, Nik-Nish, Starmark, Westside and Wonderland. For kidswear, there are Barbie, Catmoss, Lilliput, Little Shop, OVO, Oyo, Paridhan, Scram, Westside, and Zapp. For confectionary and icecream parlour, there are Baskin and Robbins, Biscotti, Cookieman, Just Desserts, Mama Mia, New Zealand Naturals. The department stores are My Dollar Store, Spencers, and Westside. For electronic, computer, and Communication, there are Ezone, Planet M, The Mobile Store. For footwear, there are Addidas, Liberty, Magnet, M&B footwear, Nike, Puma, Reebok, Westside, Woodland.

So visit this place, enjoy the right shopping ambience and shop till you drop!!!

The Archaeological Museum was established in 1917 and houses the antiquities mainly those excavated from Nalanda, the earliest university cum monastery complex and from Rajgir. In the museum there is a small but beautiful collection of Buddhist and Hindu bronzes and a number of undamaged statues of the Lord Buddha that were found in the area. Two enormous terra-cotta jars of the first century stand intact behind the museum in a shaded enclosure. The collection includes copper plates and stone inscriptions, coins, pottery and samples of burnt rice (12th century AD) found among the ruins here. Open during 10.00 to 17.00. The museum is closed on Friday.

Two huge jars found from the monastic complex at Nalanda have displayed in a separate shed. A rich wealth of stone sculptures and images, terracotta, bronzes and other antiquarian objects are preserved in its reserve collection. Out of 13463 antiquities, 349 are on display in the four galleries of the museum. The antiquities from Nalanda are datable from 5th to 12th century AD but some of those from Rajgir are a little earlier in date.

The Sonepur Mela takes place at the town Sonepur which is 22km from Patna. The Mela takes place on Kartik Purnima, a fortnight after Diwali , and people from all over the world get together to participate in this huge festival and is enjoyed by all. The full moon day of the month of Kartik (November) is regarded as one of the most auspicious days for the Hindus. Sonepur situated on the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga and Gandak, has the reverence of a blessed ground and lasts for a fortnight. In ancient times the Royal Rajahs and Nawabs used to camp here. The Sonepue Fair has unique and historical importance.

The sprawling mela ground here with the pulsating market has the widest possible range of cattle and commodities. The array of shops sells all sorts of merchandise. Sonepur Fair is the only one of its kind where a large number of elephants are sold. These are purchased mainly by forest departments and people involved with logging operations. Apart from elephants, a large number of cattle and horses are also brought to the fair for sale. Various folk shows, games and jugglers can be seen in the fair.