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Archive for the ‘States of East India’ Category

Located in the 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, the Sunderbans National Park is the largest estuarine sanctuary in the world. Part of the world’s largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges and the lower Brahmaputra, Sunderbans is famous worldwide as home to the elusive Royal Bengal Tiger. The park is blessed with great scenic beauty and a rare wealth of wildlife, including many endangered species. The tourist Attractions in Sunderbans are excitingly diverse and the park offers the perfect setting to experience the magic and mystery of wilderness.

Spotting wild animals in their natural habitat is almost always a matter of luck. But the wildlife in Sunderbans is so rich and varied that the odds will remain tilted in your favor when you visit the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve in West Bengal. Most popular among the tourist attractions in Sunderbans is the Royal Bengal Tiger. Sunderbans is the only ecological habitat of the tiger of its kind not only in India, but also in the world except in Bangladesh. The Tiger Reserve has the largest concentration of wild tigers in the world. It is home to about 270 Royal Bengal Tigers which have adapted remarkably well to the swampy habitat.

A part of the world’s largest delta formed by the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna, the Sunderbans is a vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp stretching for about 160 miles along the Bay of Bengal from the Hooghly River Estuary in West Bengal to the Meghna River Estuary in Bangladesh. Sprawled over an area of 4262 sq. kms in India, Sunderbans is the largest estuarine sanctuary in the world, and habitat to some of India’s most amazing wildlife species.

The Sunderban Tiger Project was formed in 1974 and covers an area of 2585 sq. kms, of which the core area covers 1330 sq. kms and is a national forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Home to the largest concentration of wild tigers in the world, the Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal received National Park status on May 4, 1984. The park comprises a network of estuaries, tidal rivers, and creeks intersected by many channels, with flat, marshy islands covered with thick forests in between. The littoral forest at the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve is the only ecological habitat of the tiger of its kind not only in India, but also worldwide except in Bangladesh.

Some other tourist attractions in Sunderbans include:

Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project
Also among the tourist attractions in Sunderbans is the Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project, a hatchery and a sanctuary, which is also home to the biggest estuarine crocodiles.

Netidhopani:
The picturesque beauty of Netidhopani is enhanced manifolds by its mangrove forests and teeming wildlife populace. Furthermore, the ruins of a 400-year-old temple here is also among the major draws for tourists.

Halliday Island:
Lying to the south of the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, are the Halliday Island Wildlife Sanctuary — the last retreat of the Barking Deer, and the Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary — a haven for bird viewers.

Kanak:
The shallow waters and beaches at Kanak is one of the well known resting places of the Olive Ridley Turtles in Sunderban. During their breeding season, these turtles migrate from a long distance to the shallow coastal waters. It is believed, that the turtles travel upriver a distance of about 100 km from the sea mouth into the Sunderban.

General Information

Area – 5.05 sq. km

Altitude – 1458 Metres (4864 ft)

Population – 35000 (app)

Rainfall – 160 inches (Annual)
Best Season September to mid June

Clothing Summer - Light Woollens Winter : Heavy Woollens

Languages – Nepali, Hindi, Tibetan, English and Bengali

Kurseong is a hill town that is situated in the state of West Bengal in the Darjeeling district. The quiet town is an up and coming tourist destination and this is an ideal place to relax and unwind from the hectic pace of urban life. Tourist places in Kurseong are some of the well-known tourist destinations close to Darjeeling town. Kurseong is a hill station and also a sub-divisional town situated in Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The local name of Kurseong is called “Kharsang” which in the Lepcha language depicts “Land of the White Orchids”. Besides being a great tourist spot, Kurseong is also a hub for quality educational institutions.

Kurseong in West Bengal is located at an altitude of 1458 metres and is just 30 km from the tourist hub Darjeeling. It has a pleasant climate throughout the year and the winters are not as severe as Darjeeling. The best times to visit Kurseong are between March end and May and between the end of August and October.

As you leave the small town you can find acres of verdant slopes covered with tea bushes – one of the finest varieties of Darjeeling Tea is found in the tea gardens surrounding Kurseong. The finest teas are produced by Castleton, Makaibari and Ambootia Tea Estate. Visitor can have a first hand experience of how tea leaves are processed and prepared for production by visiting the nearby tea factories.

Even though Kurseong has lagged behind in the race to become a preferred tourist destination compared to its glamorous counterpart Darjeeling, there is tranquility and peace about the place that does not fail to affect a visitor – and that quest for peace and tranquility brings him back again.

Kurseong is connected to Siliguri by two alternative routes; one is the Pankhabari route which is faster but very steep. The other road traverses through Rongtong, Ghayabari, Mahanadi and Gidda Pahar which provides a breathtaking view of the natural surroundings. If you travel through this road in monsoon you can enjoy the magnificent sight of waterfalls cascading from the hills.

Places To Visit :

Forest Museum – The forest museum is also located in Dow Hill and is overseen by the forest department. You will get to know the types of animals that inhabited the forest area here in the past when you visit the museum.

Giddapahar view point – Giddapahar view point in Giddapahar, a few kilometers from Kurseong, provides a great view of the mountains and is a great place for clicking photographs.

Giddapahar Seti Mata Temple – This temple is carved out of an ancient rock and is dedicated to Goddess Durga. A sacred place of the Hindus.

Ambootia Temple – This temple is located within the Ambootia Tea Estate area. It has an old temple thronged by many devotees.

Dowhill’s Girls School – Provides a glimpse of the British era with its architecture and elegance. This school is well known for its beautiful location surrounded by pine trees and the quality of education it provides.

Victoria Boy’s School – This school was also created by the British and still maintains its Victorian looks and fame.

Grotto – The grotto houses the statue of Virgin Mary and is located in a beautiful surrounding that takes you to another place and time. It is a peaceful place and peace is what you feel when you’re there. Devotees light candles and pray to God here; it is also frequented by young couples because it offers seclusion.

Bhangzang Salamander Lake – It is located 14 km from Kurseong. In the past, it used to be a favorite place for the British and people from the neighboring towns used to hang out here frequently. A relatively unknown getaway among the tourist destinations in Darjeeling brought to you by naturebeyond. It is a beautiful green-tinged lake that shelters the rarest and most endangered species of salamanders – a species under threat of extinction.

Bagora – Bagora is also called zero point because it is the place with the highest elevation in Kurseong. It has also has a base camp of the Indian Air Force with a helipad.

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.

Howrah Bridge, located over the Hoogli River in West Bengal, India, is said to be the busiest bridge of the world. It got its name owing to the fact that it connects the city of Howrah to Calcutta. Hawrah Bridge in Kolkata, India, also known by the name ‘Rabindra Setu’, was set up in 1874. It stands on two 270 feet high pillars. Calcutta Howrah Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that was constructed without using any nuts and bolts. Though, earlier it had a tram route, but presently, it is serving mainly as a Road Bridge. Howrah bridge has got two sister bridges also, namely, Vidyasagar Setu and the Vivekananda Setu that are situated at different points over the hoogly river. This bridge acts as an important symbol of Kolkata.

How about visiting a vintage bridge which has no nuts & bolts in its construction but still standing tall for the last 66 years? Hard to believe? The Bridge in concern – one of the busiest in the world – is located at Howrah in West Bengal. The Howrah bridge, the sixth longest of its type, has been an emblem of the city of Kolkata from its inception. So much so that the world knows Kolkata by its trams, the Victoria Memorial, and of course the Howrah Bridge. Opened to traffic in 1943, the construction of the bridge was started in 1937. The bridge has remained one of the most renowned landmarks of Kolkata. More than 150,000 vehicles and 4,000,000 pedestrians cross over the bridge every day. Technically speaking, Howrah Bridge is a “Cantilever Truss” bridge, constructed entirely by riveting, without nuts or bolts!

Notable features of the Howrah Bridge:

1. 705 meters in length, 97 feet in width, 82 meters in height

2. 26,500 plus mega tonne of high-tensile steel was used

3. Suspension type Balanced Cantilever

4. 325 ft, length of each anchor arm

5. 468 ft, length of each Cantilever arm

6. 564 ft, suspended span

7. Deck width 71 ft, footpath 15 feet on either side

8. No nuts & bolts

9. Total 8 articulation joints, 3 at each of the cantilever arms, and 2 in the suspended portions

10. Carriageway Minimum headroom is 5.8 m

11. River traffic freeboard is 8.8 m

12. Ranks sixth in World’s top 10 longest Cantilever bridges

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.

Gangtok, the “Lofty Hill” or the “Hill made flat to build the Gangtok monastery in 1716″. Gangtok is a city, which, till one sees it, one would believe exists only in picture-story books. In the mystery-laden mists prayer flags whip in the breeze; wheels spin in the hands of Lamas mumbling invocations to God, in the distance are the snows, on the streets amidst brightly painted pagoda roofed houses, lined with friendly smiling people are silver, silk and spice and jewellery to gladden an maiden’s heart, from across the seven seas are gadget and goods to delight the collector of “imported goods’, while directly overlooking the city is the hill Lukshyma, the ‘Mother of Pearl’ citadel of the magic mountain, Khang-Chen-Dzod-Nga.

Excursions can be made from Gangtok to Changu Lake, 35 kms away famous for its cool and placid waters and the picturesque locale. Chungthang is also worth a visit because of its religious significance, which is interesting. The Sikkimese and the Hindu soldiers in the Indian Army believe that guru Padmasabhava had rested in this place and left three footprints for his devotees on a solid piece of rock. The Sikh members of the Indian army believe that the footprints are those of Guru Nanak.

Places to Visit in Gangtok

Deer Park
Adjacent to the new secretariat and also called the Rustomji Park named after one of the Dewans of the Chogyal of Sikkim, the park has a big open enclosure in which animals native to Sikkim like the red panda and the Himalayan Bear are kept. A big statue of Lord Buddha commemorating his preachings of the noble truths in the Deer Park at Sarnath adorns the park premises. A butter lamp perpetually burns in front of the statue, which is surrounded with flowers of exotic variety. The park commands a fantastic view of the hills, surrounding Gangtok and thus commands a significant position in the list of places to visit in Gangtok.

Kabi Longstok
25-km from Gangtok, just before Phodong is Kabi Longstok. There is a spot amidst tall trees, where the treaty of brotherhood between, the Lepcha Chieftan – Tetong Tek and the Tibetan chief Khye Bhumsa was signed.

Kangchendzonga National Park
Crossing a check gate where visitors entry permits was checked, one enters the Kangchendzonga National Park. The climb is gradual but very interesting as soon one is greeted by snow, lying white and pristine over the green forest floor and covering a few treetops. The jagged, rocky slopes to our left glistened in the sunlight at places forming glaciers where the gradient was right. The mountains to right are covered with dark green pines; the snow line being much higher.

Lachung
Another significant entry in the list of top places to visit in Gangtok is Lachung. The road from Chungthang toward Lachung takes one into another world. This is the area inhabited by the Lachungpas, a hardy mountain people who consider themselves quite different from the Bhutias and the Tibetans. The lush green, terraced hillsides, even in winter, were a testimony to the grit and determination of these people. Lachung is the last habitation on the road to Yumthang a monastery; hidden high on the hillside overlooked a settlement of Lachungpas and barracks of the Indian army. The mountains on the other side of the valley rose up to snowy heights. In the distance, one could see the impressions of a track that was once used by traders to cross over from Tibet with their mules laden with Chinese silk.

Rumtek Monastery
A 24-km drive from Gangtok, through the beautiful, bewitching countryside leads one to Rumtek. Rumtek, is the seat of the Karmapa Lama who heads the Kagyupa Sect of Buddhism. It is amongst the best places to visit in Gangtok if you want to know more about Buddhism.

South African architects Bentel Associates International (BAI), pioneers in commercial architecture, have been making their mark on the Indian architectural landscape for the last few years.The one million square feet (93 000m2) South City Mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road is part of a mixed-use development project across 31 acres in south Kolkata. The development includes four residential towers with 1 600 flats, a 75 000 square feet (7 000m2) art club and 125 000 square feet (11 650m2) dedicated to school and car parking facilities for more than 1 600 cars.

“The planning for the one million square feet (93 000m2) South City Mall is based on symbiosis between large and small retailers to create a micro environment that encourages visitors to shop,” says architect and senior director at BAI Nicolas Kyriacos, who coordinates the development of new business in India for the company and oversees concept, development and design direction.

According to a recent survey conducted by global property consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield, not all mall operators are likely to benefit equally: “Only the ones in favourable locations and having the right format and suitable strategies are likely to remain long-term players,” the survey states. Kyriacos agrees: “Prior to starting work on South City Mall we had already been working in India for a few years. We had observed that the planning of the existing malls in India lacked an understanding of mall culture. Malls were generally designed along high street or strip shopping principles rather than being based on mall design principles. Many of these malls failed to succeed.”

In first-world countries, it is generally accepted that if a retail environment lacks synergy between its diverse elements and experiences it will not be successful. Although location is important, the right expertise in conceptualisation, design, development and management of malls is absolutely necessary to optimise long-term sustainability and profitability.

Mall’s design concept

“South city Mall was an exceptional challenge in that we inherited a structural footprint within which we were asked to create a shopping environment that would be financially viable for the developers whilst also satisfying international standards.” Kyriacos and his team examined the existing structural footprint and recognised that by introducing a large central atrium and creating a double mall, they would be able to create space for many small shops as well as excitement and drama which would enable them to develop a world-class shopping environment.

The second and third floors have been visually integrated by introducing a focal point – an atrium along the entire length of the mall. This has been reinforced by designing the multiplex with the entry on the second floor and its exit from the third floor. The primary reason for doing this was to ensure that the food court, family entertainment component and the young fashion zone would not only contribute to creating excitement but also would become a destination. It offers the shopper uninterrupted visibility of at least 30 per cent of all line shops at a glance. This focal point can even be experienced from the road outside. It has also been designed to accommodate promotions of any type and size.

“This design allows us to concentrate and maximise the FSI (floor space index) of the development on one side of the site thus allowing us to introduce a multilevel car park on the other side. This will afford shoppers the convenience of parking and entering the five-level shopping mall at each level,” adds Kyriacos. Another innovative aspect of the design is that South City Mall functions as a ‘race track’ for shoppers with the anchors positioned along the ‘track’ in a way that draws the shoppers past the smaller retailers.

The most sacred pilgrim center for Hindus in India, Puri also known as the Jagannath (the Lord of Universe) and is credited with the famous Jagannath temple and is along the coast of Bay of Bengal in the state of Orissa in India. The Hindu mythology contained in the Skanda Purana describes Puri as the resting place of Lord Vishnu.

Puri is a large depository of art and architecture of India, especially that of Orissa. The historical and cultural edifices have silvery antiquity dating back to 3rd century B.C. to 17th century A.D. Konark, Bhuvaneshwar and Puri complete the golden triangle of Orissa, the three places with majestic history, heritage and many renowned worshipping shrines and of which Puri attracts the maximum number of visitors.

Lord Jagannath is believed to be the symbol of Universal peace, love and brotherhood and is a manifestation of Lord Krishna. The important annual festival here is the ritual of Rath Yatra, during which thousands of devotees throng to this temple.

Puri is an emerging industrial area with the major industries like rice milling, handicrafts and fish curing. Puri is a religious place and a most wanted holiday attraction. Puri engulfs all cultural heritages of ancient India and traditional Hindu beliefs. With historical temples and sacred rituals, Puri draws all the enthusiast tourists to its lap for a lifetime experience.

Travel within city

Cycle Rickshaw
Cycle rickshaws are prevalent in Puri and these are the locally preferred mode of transport. Cycle rickshaws in Puri can charge you anywhere around Rs 10 to 20, depending on the distance traveled. Cycle rickshaws are quite slow, so opt for cycle rickshaws only if you have ample time in your hands. Cycle rickshaws are also the cheapest mode of transport.

Auto Rickshaw
Auto rickshaws in the city of Puri do not run on meter, and you should negotiate a prior rate before getting into one. Make sure you talk to the locals first and figure out what the actual rate will be, as this will help you avoid paying too much out of your pocket for a short trip. There are no separate night rates included, and travelling through an auto rickshaw is actually very safe. You can also reach your destination faster this way.