Archive for the ‘States of East India’ Category

Detail About The Place

Built - 1906- 1921
Cost - Rs1,050,000,000
Designed by - Sir William Emerson
Maximum height – 84 feet / 26 meters (without statue)
Maximum width – 228 feet / 69 meters
Open – Daily except Monday
Timing - 10.00 A.M. To 4.30 P.M.(March to October it close at 3.30 P.M.
Best Season - October to March

History About It

A splendid architectural structure in white marble, modelled on the Taj Mahal, was built in the early 20th Century in memory of Queen Victoria between 1906 and 1921 and was formally inaugurated by the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII of England. Set in beautiful garden grounds, the Victoria Memorial houses a large bronze statue of the Queen Empress Topped with a moving angel this memorial faces the Calcutta Maidan. The statues of Motherhood, Prudence, Learning, Art, Justice, Architecture and Charity are brought from Italy. The magical lighting effect in the evening and a fairy tale ‘Fountain of Joy’ facing the memorial building create an atmosphere of unforgettable charm. It also has a 5 meter tall bronze winged figure of Victory, weighing 3 tons.

It was designed by Sir William Emerson. It also act as a museum, where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India. Presently it is the finest and most prominent building and art museum of Calcutta, India, under the Department of Culture, Govt. of India.

In the evening, the light and sound programs is a major attraction for the tourists. Every day, crowds of people visit the premises from early morning to sunset. Being one of the most popular tourist spot in the city, it is one of the few well-maintained heritage buildings that exist in the city today.

Many tourists from across the country of India visit this town of Orissa to have a glimpse of the tourist attractions of Puri. These tourist destinations of Puri contribute heavily to the tourism industry of Orissa.There are a number of Puri temples, which constitute one of the main attractions at Puri. All these temples are visited by innumerable tourists, particularly by the people who are ardent devotees of the religion of Hinduism.

Some of the most commonly visited temples at Puri are the Jagannath Temple, the Gundicha Ghar Temple, Konark Temple, the Loknath Temple and the Ardhasani Temple. All these temples have their individual identities.There are quite a few maths in this town of Puri. Some of the commonly visited maths of the town are the Suna Goswami Math, the Jagannath Ballav Math and the Govardhana Math.

Apart form the Lord Jagannatha Temple, Rath Yatra is another religious attraction of the city. Held in the month of July, it is a procession of Lord Jagannatha and his siblings from the temple to Gundicha Mandir which is at a distance of 3 km. One more thing that makes tourist visit Puri is the Puri beach festival. With many performances and classical dance shows, it is a perfect representation of culture of Orissa.

Tourist Attractions

Jagannatha Temple

Puri is one of the most sacred cities in India and is called the temple town of Orissa. It is home to the world famous Lord Jagannatha Temple and the Puri beach which are the most visited destination in Orissa. This is also the place where you can be the part of the divine Rath Yatra. Apart from all these, you can also make a day excursion to Konark, which is famous for magnificent Sun Temple.

Chilka Lake

Chilka Lake is definitely the most favored natural attraction in Orissa. Situated southwest to Puri, it is the largest freshwater inland lake in Asia. It covers an area of around 1165 sq. km. Although the size decreases drastically during the dry season and sometimes reaches to 906 sq. km. The lake is located just by the side of Bay of Bengal and is separated by a sandy area. The lake is considered as an important wildlife habitat. Chilka sanctuary is home to more than 150 species of migratory as well as resident birds. You will find most of them on the Nalaban Island which has been recognized as a bird sanctuary. The aquatic life here is also quite varied. There are around 225 species of fish found here along with dolphins.

Puri Beach

Beaches in Puri are probably the best of all that are there on the eastern side of India. Tourists flock to the beach almost throughout the year, but the best time to visit the beach is during the famous Puri Beach Festival which is held early in November. This five day festival is a lot like the Goa festival with fashion shows and Rock concerts continuing throughout the night. There are also classical dance performances. In fact, the Puri Beach Festival turns out to be a perfect mirror of Orissa culture.

Konark Sun Temple

Konark is situated just 35 km from Puri. It is famous for the magnificent Sun Temple which is dedicated to Sun God. Built in 1278 CE by Ganga King Narsimha Deva, the temple became renowned for its architectural supremacy and spectacular carvings. The temple is thought to be the chariot of Sun God. It has 24 wheels around the temple, 7 horses pulling the temple, two lions guarding the entrance. It is situated on the eastern coast and is said to be.

Situated on the banks of the alluring river Brahmaputra, Guwahati, the capital of Assam, is the largest city in the State and the gateway to the northeastern states. The foremost tourist attractions of Guwahati are its ancient temples – the Kamakhya Temple situated atop the Nilachal Hill is revered as the most sacred among the tantrik shrines of Shakti worship. The temple is a testimony to the rich and distinctive Assamese style of architecture. The gorgeous Brahmaputra and the Guwahati city can be seen from a bird’s view by walking a few steps up the Nilacha Hill.

Hugging the shores of the turbulent Brahmaputra, Guwahati is the gateway to the enchanting North Eastern India. The Light of the East, Pragjyotishpura, as it was known once upon a time, is said to have been a vast kingdom during the epic period of the Mahabharata. Today, Guwahati is the hub of the region and also its largest city.

Places Of Attractions

Kaziranga National Park

Not visiting Kaziranga National Park will be inexcusable as you will miss out on some exotic wild life not present elsewhere. Kaziranga National Park is home to the near-extinct one-horned rhinoceros. Due to some imaginative conservation measures, the population of one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga has risen to a whopping 1,700. Other exotic wildlife attractions at this park include hordes of Indian elephants, Indian bison, swamp deer, sloth bears, tigers, leopards, hog badgers, wild boar, jackal, wild buffalo, pythons, and monitor lizards.

Kamakhya Temple

8 kms away from Guwahati and on the Nilachal hill, is the important temple of the goddess Kali. It represents the distinctive Assamese style in architecture and marks the place where one of the pieces of goddess Kali fell to Earth. The magnificent Brahmaputra and the city can be seen from a bird’s view by walking a little further up the hill.

Sualkuchi

Assam produces three unique varieties of silks, the Golden Muga, the White Pat and the warm Eri. Silks grown all over the state find their way to Sualkuchi, 32 kms from Guwahati. It is one of the world’s largest weaving villages often called the Manchester of the East. The entire population here is engaged in weaving exquisite silf fabrics. A renowned centre of silk production, particularly known for Muga – the golden silk of Assam which is not produced anywhere else in the world.

Umananda Temple

The great Shiva temple situated on the Peacock island in the middle of the Brahmaputra in Guwahati attracts devotees from all over the country during Shiva Ratri. One can visit the temple by crossing the river by country boat plying from Kachari ghat. On the north bank of the Brahmaputra, opposite Guwahati, where the third Pandava Arjun is believed to have watered his horse while undertaking journey during Ashwamedh Yajna. Regular ferry services are available to this place.

Darjeeling is also called ‘Queen of the hills’. This famous hill station in the state of West Bengal in India is one of the highlights of Indian tourism and West Bengal tourism benefits significantly from the vast number of Indian and international tourists that visits Darjeeling every year. The town is also the capital of the Darjeeling district which is the northernmost district of West Bengal bordering Nepal. The town offers fantastic vacations in summer as well as winter. The view of the Himalayas, particularly the magnificent view of the Kanchenjungha is one of the major attractions of Darjeeling. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, popularly known as the toy train, has become the symbol of Darjeeling .

Darjeeling is blessed with beautiful landscape and pleasant weather. Nestled amidst rolling mountains, the first sight of this serene city is enough to captivate a tourist. Boasting of a strategic location and unbound beauty, this place has been a major tourist destination of India since the British era. The cultural diversity, historical connexion, delicious cuisines, unique local market and fantastic trekking expeditions are some of the other reasons why tourists love exploring this beautiful hill resort. Darjeeling also offers them a large number of tourist attractions worth visiting, right from vantage points to war memorials, temples to monasteries and toy train to mountaineering institute. Given below is information on the places to see in Darjeeling city of West Bengal.

Places To Visit

Tiger Hill

Tiger Hill is one of the most popular vantage points in Darjeeling. From here, you can get to see world’s third highest peak, ‘Kanchenjunga’, easily. If you are exceptionally lucky, you can also get to see the highest peak of the world’ Mt. Everest’ from this place. Tiger Hill also offers some awe-inspiring views of surrounding mountains and valley.

War Memorial

The war memorial was built in Darjeeling, in the memory of those brave Gorkha soldiers who sacrificed their life for their country, in all wars and operations that taken place since independence. It was constructed by the Zilla Sainik Board, in 1995. When in Darjeeling, you must visit this place to pay homage to those brave-hearts.

Dhirdham Temple

The Dhirdham temple in Darjeeling roughly resembles the famous Pasupathinath Temple of Kathmandu. The presiding deity of this temple is ‘Lord Shiva’. The temple’s ceiling reflects the influence of Tibetan architectural style. It was constructed by Rai Saheb Purna Bahadur Pradhan in 1939. It is situated near Darjeeling Railway Station.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was inaugurated in 1954, by India’s first Prime Minister, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first man to climb Mt. Everest, was the first Director of Field Training, at this institute. It is one of India’s finest mountaineering institutes, which also houses a mountaineering museum that boasts of a rare collection of historic mountaineering equipments.

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park

Spread over an area of about 44 hectares, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is renowned for its successful captive breeding of several critical endangered species, like Snow Leopard and Red Panda. Situated at an altitude of 2133.5 meters, on the Birch Hill, this zoo now serves as home to many species of endangered animals as well as birds.

One of the seven states in the North East, Tripura is believed to be originated from “Tripura Sundari” – the supreme deity of the state remarkable in Hindus as one of the fifty one peeths of Hindu Pilgrims. In addition to this it is also maintained that primarily the land was called “Tuipra” which connotes “A land adjoining the water.” Tour to Tripura India will be very exciting for you because of its ethnic cultural diversity, its bountiful natural purlieus, its temples, museums and palaces. Tourist attractions of Tripura inveigle flocks of tourists.

How to Reach

By Air: Agartala, the state capital has the main airport where many public and private airlines operate regular flights. The state has 3 more airports in Khowai, Kamalpur and Kailashahar where small chartered-planes can land easily.

By Rail: The nearest railway station is Kumarghat at a distance of 140 km. from Agartala. This railway station is connected to Guwahati which is well connected by other cities.

By Road: NH 44 connects Agartala to Guwahati via Shillong. But because of location reaching Tripura India is easier from Bangladesh by road.

Places To Visit

Ujjayanta Palace

Once the royal abode of Maharaja Rahda Kishore Manikya, Ujjayanta Palace is located in the capital city Agartala. He built it in the 19th century by spending 10 lakh rupees. Sprawling over an area of 1 sq km, it is a two storied establishment with lush green gardens. It is a combination of different styles of architecture. It has three beautiful domes, the central one being 86′ high. The floor is made attractive with fine tiles, the ceilings is dedicated to magnificent wooden work and the impressively crafted doors show the skill of the then craftsmen. Presently the palace is an Assembly House of Tripura.

The rooms of the palace open into the peaceful Mughal style gardens with pools. Flood lighting at night make the gardens look exciting and the fountains add more charm to it. Ujjayanta Palace was initially built 10 km away from Agartala and was destroyed by an earthquake in 1897. Later the palace was rebuilt in the city itself.

Neermahal Water Palace

Reflecting the grandeur of the past, the Neermahal Water Palace was a summer resort of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya. He laid its foundation in 1930 at a place 53 km away from Agartala. It is a perfect amalgamation of Hindu and Mughal architecture. The construction work was given to Martin & Burn. Sprawling over an area of 5.3 sq km, it is ideally located in the middle of a lake named Rudrasagar. This beautiful lake becomes a host to a large number of migratory birds in winter. The well manicured gardens in the palace offer tranquillity in plenty. It is the only lake palace in the entire north east India.

The Palace is divided into two main sections. One is known as Andar Mahal where the royal family used to live and the other portion was occupied by the servants and the security personnel. The garden outside the Andar Mahal used to serve as a venue for dance, drama and theatre. Flood lighting in the evening make the ambiance pleasurable. Water sports is an exciting attraction here. The plan of establishing a museum inside the palace is in the pipeline. This museum will display the royal possessions of the Maharajas.

Government Museum

A storehouse of rarities, the Tripura Government Museum is located in Agartala. It was founded in 1970 with an aim to preserve the rich heritage of Tripura. It houses several artefacts which are a great testimony to the glorious history of the state. Numerous Manuscripts preserved in the museum speak volume about the art and crafts of the state.

Inside the museum you can see some of the rare stone images, old coins and archaeological articles. In fact, this museum is the perfect place to acquaint yourself with the culture of Tripura. Total number of collections is 1645. These collection consists of coins(gold,silver and copper), sculptures, terracotta, copper inscriptions, bronze images, oil paintings, sketches and drawings and jewellery. The museum also has a Library which is well stocked with books on art, architecture, archaeology, anthropology, history and other books on Tripura. Tripura Government Museum attracts tourists, students, general public and research scholars.

Area : 1,330 sq km (park);2,585 sq km (reserve)
Altitude : 0-10 m above sea level
Languages : Spoken Bengali, Hindi, English
Annual Mean Rainfall : 1,108 mm (Canning)
Maximum Temperature : Summer 42°C
Minimum Temperature : Winter 9.2°C

Sundarbans in West Bengal is the estuarine phase of the Ganges as well as Brahmaputra river systems. This littoral forest is the only ecological habitat of the tiger of its kind not only in India but also in the world except in Bangladesh. The typical littoral forests of Sundarbans comprises of a host of trees species adopted to the peculiar estuarine condition of high salinity, lack of soil erosion and daily inundation by high tides. The tidal forms and the mangrove vegetation in Sundarban are responsible for dynamic eco-system vigorous nutrient cycling both terrestrial and aquatic. The whole eco-system is sensitive to changes in salinity and the continuous cycle of erosion and deposition is affecting the plant communities giving rise to dynamic floristic changes. The plant communities are continuously adjusting to the new conditions.

Sundarbans Tiger Reserve provides characteristic type of habitat suitable for animals inhabiting vast tidal swamp area. Because of their intimate association with the estuarine environment, sizeable portion of aquatic and semi-aquatic animal communities are inter-related with the animals inhabiting the land areas. The uniqueness of the habitat is said to have contributed to certain behavioral trends, which are characteristic of Sundarbans tigers only. It is considered that man-eating propensity of tiger in this area is hereditarily acquired over a period of generations in the process of consumption of saline water.

History

The word “Sunderban” is derived from sundari and ban, which, when combined, means “the forests of sundari”-an obvious reference to the large mangrove trees.

The 1,330 sq km area of Sunderbans was established as a National Park on May 4, 1984. The Sunderbans had earlier been designated as a Tiger Reserve in December 1973. After this, a wildlife sanctuary was created in 1977.

The word “Sunderban” is derived from sundari and ban, which, when combined, means “the forests of sundari”-an obvious reference to the large mangrove trees.

The 1,330 sq km area of Sunderbans was established as a National Park on May 4, 1984. The Sunderbans had earlier been designated as a Tiger Reserve in December 1973. After this, a wildlife sanctuary was created in 1977.

Tourist Attractions

Moving through the largest estuarine delta in the world is quite a thrilling experience. The flora and fauna of the region are the major attractions here. The mangrove forest presents a unique ecosystem. The wildlife includes the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger, a major attraction in the tiger reserve. Some of the other attractions include chital, crocodile, monkeys, estuarine and marine turtle, dolphins and various kinds of birds. The Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project besides being a hatchery and a sanctuary is the home to the biggest estuarine crocodiles.

One of the calm and cool seaside resort having a rare phenomenon the sea water here recede and proceed 5km everyday in front of your eyes it go back and come out again. Chandipur beach is backed by the magnificent swing of casuarina trees and brushed sand dunes, make the beach a site to watch.

16 kms from Balasore, Chandipur is a quiet beach resort in orissa. At first sight there seems to be nothing that would differentiate it from rest of the beaches in world except for its flatness that also makes it one of the widest beaches in the entire country. However as time fleets across, one can notice the strangest phenomena of the nature which is peculiar only to Chandipur beach in the world.

As the day progresses, sea water recedes about 5 kms during low tide and advances to the shore line again during high tide in the evening. Elsewhere, the waves dash on the shore shouting madly, but here they are like a musical fountain, soothing to the ears. Elsewhere, the waters wait for the visitors but here the visitors have to wait for the waters. Elsewhere, the waves go wild and the visitors calm but here the ecstasy of tourists on touring orissa will go wild while the waves remain calm.

This marvel of Nature gives the bathers an unexpected pleasure of fearlessly walking into the sea and happily playing with the waves. When the waters disappear, you can even take jeep ride on, the widest beach. The beauty of the exposed bosom of the beach is further enhanced by the small red crabs. If a beach comber, you will be delighted with its abundant wealth of sea shells and drift wood.

How To Reach

Road : Chandipur is well connected by an excellent all-Weather road. 16 km from Balasore on N.H. 5, 230 km from Bhubaneswar and 314 km from Kolkata. Regular bus services are available. Taxis and Auto rickshaws are also available from Balasore.

Rail : Nearest railhead is Balasore (16 km) on the S.E. Railway served by a number of fast trains from Kolkata, New Delhi, Chennai, Puri, Tirupati, Bhubaneswar etc.

Air : Nearest airport is Bhubaneswar (230 km) and Kolkata (314 km).

Digha is an ideal beach destination for a fun-filled holiday. The sun, sea and sand a potent combination at all times – is made all the more pleasant in Digha because it is neither too crowded nor too commercial a beach resort. Called the Brighton of the East by Warren Hastings, Digha makes for a great weekend or honeymoon destination. Dighas serene beauty and her beautiful beach will have you coming back for more vacations here. Honeymoon couples beware! You may never want to go back from this secluded paradise.

Digha is a town that is situated in the state of West Bengal, in the district of East Mindapore. It is a popular beach town and there are different activities that you can engage in the area. Many tourists from nearby areas flock to the place during the peak tourist season. The entire stretch of the Digha Beach is lined with casuarina trees and the whole area is extremely scenic. There are a few beaches that are located nearby as well and these are relatively untouched and clean. The Udaipur Beach and the Shankarpur Beach are located in close proximity and these are worth visiting as they have not yet been affected by tourism.

If you are interested in activities such as fishing and angling you can travel to the town of Junpat, which is situated 40 kilometers away. There are several fishing spots, which are located in the area. It is also worth visiting the Marine Aquarium and Research Center. Some of the other tourist places in the region include Subarnareskha River, Talsari, and Lord Shiva Temple. Mandarmani Beach is a small stretch that is an up and coming tourist destination. The Subarnareskha Delta is a good place for picnics and the river drains into the sea at this point.

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