The Southwest is a Region of many and varied splendors. Its three states, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, contain gold-en beaches, wooded hills, serene villages along the picturesque Arabian Sea coastline, and two of India's most cosmopolitan and dynamic cities - Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Bangalore. Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra, is India's largest and most populous city, as well as its commercial and financial capital. It is also home to the world's largest cinema industry, popularly known as Bollywood. The city presents extraordinary and sometimes shocking contrasts — the glamorous world of film stars and business tycoons exists side by side with the squalor of slums and shantytowns, where over three million people (nearly one-third of Mumbai's population) live. The dominant image, however, is that of an upbeat, street-smart city full of dynamism and joie de vivre. Mumbai's population includes Marathi-speaking Hindus, a sizeable number of Muslims and Christians, as well as Jews, Parsis and other communities from different parts of India, drawn by its vibrant entrepreneurial culture, and often, by dreams of making it big in films. While this makes Mumbai remarkably cosmopolitan, it has on occasion led to sectarian strife, especially over the past decade, since the rise of the militant Hindu rightwing Shiv Sena Party. Maharashtra is a vast state, its population of over 96 million making it politically important and major industries based on cotton, sugar, engineering goods and processed foods lending it economic vitality. In recent years, strawberry fields and grape vineyards have made their appearance in its rich agricultural hinterland, but the most prized crop remains the Alfonso mango, a particularly sweet and luscious variety, which is exported across the world. Central Maharashtra has two World Heritage site to its credit, at Ajanta and Ellora. The murals and sculptures found here testify to the common, ancient roots of Hinduism and Buddhism. Many visitors travel by train from Mumbai to the tiny neighboring state of Goa. The Konkan Railway which connects the two, and continues southwards to Karnataka, is a wonderful way to see the lush coastal scenery of coconut groves, spice plantations and fishing villages. Goa was a Portuguese colony from 1510 until 1961, when it was liberated by the Indian Army. The Portuguese departed peacefully, leaving behind a rich cultural legacy in cathedrals and mansions, music, dance, and in its distinctive cuisine. Karnataka is often described as the geographical and cultural meeting point between India's Dravidian south and its Indo-Aryan north. The state's varied landscape and architecture both reflect this unique melange. Karnataka's narrow strip of fertile coastland is backed by the green hills of the Western Ghats, covered with forests of fragrant sandalwood and teak. These slope down to a vast plateau, watered by the Kaveri and Krishna rivers. This is the state's historic and cultural heartland, dotted with architectural treasures in an extraordinary variety of styles. They were built by local Hindu and Muslim dynasties, as well as by ambitious rulers from the north, Maratha warriors and medieval Islamic chieftains, all of whom had once established kingdoms here. Bangalore, the state capital, presents a sharp contrast to Karnataka's historic sites. As the ebullient center of India's burgeoning computer software industry, this once laid-back town has been transformed into a globalized, high-tech showcase for contemporary India. Several corporations have opened offices here, while pubs and shopping malls line its streets, catering to a cosmopolitan population.
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Delhi is a city of contradictions, The modern city which is known as New Delhi is very different from the the old walled city . To understand Delhi in its true sense, one must explore both sides of the city , Delhi sightseeing tour by car managed by Swan Tours offers glimpses of the best in the city . Below is the tourist information on the best of the old city: The Jama Masjid (1650-6 meaning Friday Mosque, was Shah Jahan's last building, completed two years before he lost his throne. Standing on a mound called Bhojla Pahar, the great royal mosque—one of the largest of Islam—was designed by Ustad Khlil who placed it on a high plinth to show off its glowing red sandstone inlaid with marble and brass—and to proclaim to the world his master's authority as a reflection of divine power. Visitors were suitably impressed. It was at first named Masjid-i Jahan Nama (mosque with a view of the world). Certainly, its two slender minarets flanking the three black-and-white striped, marble, onion domes of the prayer-hall dominate Old Delhi. The faithful ceaselessly stream up and down the steep north steps to the courtyard. Here they wash, study the Qur'an, pray and join visitors to gaze at the fort through the arcades, which are especially beautiful under soft morning sunlight. When pious Aurangzeb came to prayer riding a decorated elephant or carried in a golden throne, the streets from fort to mosque were doused with water to reduce the heat and dust, and were lined with 300 musketeers. (It is sometimes possible to go up a minaret, worth the climb for a bird's-eye view of the city. It is best to obtain prior permission and to avoid the crowded holy days of Fridays and Muslim festivals). The area around Jama Masjid seethes with Muslim life. On the south side, the air is scented with spices from the cluster of tiny restaurants where Karim, found down the central lane, is worth a look at any hour. Further round, the markets sell baskets of clucking white chickens and an assortment of weird-shaped fish. Shah Jahan's daughter, Jahanara Begum, built Urdu Bazar which runs off to the east. Back on the west side, every conceivable car part and size of tyre spills out from busy workshops. On the north side there are fireworks shops, supplemented by roadside stalls at festival time. Fireworks displays are an old Indian tradition (paintings show princesses playing with fireworks on palace terraces). Huge wooden elephants or gods dissolve into a mass of crackers at Hindu festivals; and one current favourite rocket has a plastic mini Ganesh (the elephant-headed god) who descends in a parachute. The lane running north from the mosque's north steps leads to Dariba Kalan, a turning on the left, which emerges into Chandni Chowk (to avoid getting lost, it is best to check by asking). The narrow paths twist between the high walls of ancient havelis (courtyard houses) with carved wooden doorways, some still home for descendants of Mughal traders, others still owned by families who now live in the air-conditioned comfort of south Delhi colonies. Tiny, polychrome temples are jammed between them, goldsmiths sit cross-legged working miracles with nimble fingers, cows laze about nonchalantly and a paan seller trundles his box of ingredients from one customer to the next. For shopping , when you undertake Golden Triangle tour packages in India , a must visit is Kinari (braid) Bazar is a lane on the left lined with tiny shops , a must visit for tourists ,glittering with all kinds of essential equipment for weddings and festivals: gold-embroidered shoes, fancy braid, glitzy saris, gold-lame turbans, tinsel, plumes and magnificent papier-mache masks of Durga, Hanuman and other favourite gods, with extra Ravana heads, swords, bows and arrows on sale in the run-up to the Dussehra festival in October. The next lane is Paratha Walan (alley of paratha sellers), formerly lined with cooks frying up delicious flat paratha breads on their griddles; today, Kusha Rai is the best of the three remaining cafes. Back on Dariba Kalan the travellers are fascinated by Gulab Singh's attar shop has tiny bottles of strong-smelling Lotus and Moonlight perfumes, much used by Muslim men and women. Further down, the old silver and gold shops glisten with traditional jewellery. On the left, the basement of Sri Ram Had Ram is like a non-stop market; women debate over which piece to buy, shop assistants pop them on the scales as cost is by weight, not design. And at the end, on the corner of Chandni Chowk, a perpetual crowd hovers around the sweet aroma of Naim Chand Jain's jalebi kiosk, customers greedily gobbling up the hot, sweet and crisp twirly shapes, licking their fingers and lips with delight.
for more information on tourist sightseeing spots in and around Delhi , Contact Swan Tours , one of the leading travel agents in India since 1995 . Unknown to the outside world until 1974, when Ladakh was opened up to tourists, Alchi is now one of Ladakh major tourist attractions, renowned as a great centre of Buddhist art. It was built as a monument to the school Spreading - the revival of Buddhism that took place in Tibet in the 11th century, on the basis of religious texts brought from Kashmir. The entire Mahayana Buddhist pantheon of deities is represented within five temples, together with superb paintings of court life, battles and pilgrimages, depicting the costumes, architecture and customs of the time. The assembly hall, known as Dukhang, is the oldest of the five temples and holds some of Alchi's greatest treasures. The beautiful central image of Vairocana, the main Buddha of Meditation, is surrounded by a wooden frame exuberantly carved with dancers, musicians, elephants and mythical animals. It is flanked by four other Buddhas of Meditation. Even more impressive are the six elaborate mandalas painted on the walls, together with small scenes of contemporary life. The space between the mandalas is filled with fine decorative details that have an unexpectedly Rococo look about them. Also Visit - Leh Ladakh Tours In the three-storeyed Sumtsek, the second-oldest temple, are spectacular images and paintings. The temple's most unique features are the gigantic images of Avalokitesvara, Manjushri and Maitreya, that stand in alcoves in three of its walls. Only their legs and torsos are visible from the ground floor, while their heads protrude into the upper storey. From waist to knee they are draped in dhoti-like garments, covered with remarkably animated and sophisticated miniature paintings. It is advisable to take a torch to examine their incredible detail. The Avaloki-tesvara image is covered with shrines, palaces, and vignettes of contemporary life. The Maitreya image has scenes from the Buddha's life painted within roundels, and the Manjushri image depicts the 84 Masters of the Tantra. The three other temples probably date from the late 12th to early 13th centuries, and though they would win acclaim in any other setting, they fade in comparison with the Dukhang and the Sumtsek. The Manjushri Lhakhang has murals of the Thousand Buddhas and an enormous, recently-repainted image of Manjushri. The Lotsawa Lhakhang has rather more austere paintings and images. It is dedicated to the saint Rinchen Zangpo, who was also closely associated with the Thikse and Tabo monasteries. The Lhakhang Soma, the last temple to be built at Alchi, has a profusion of fierce-looking deities on its walls, and scenes showing the Buddha preaching. The Five Buddhas of Meditation Buddhism in the 12th century laid emphasis on the Five Dhvani Buddhas, or Buddhas of Meditation, who feature in several mandalas in Alchi. Each of these Buddhas is associated with a direction and a colour. Vairocana (the Resplendent) is associated with the centre and the colour white; Amitabha (the Boundless Light) with the west and the colour red; Akshobhya (the Imperturbable) with the east and the colour blue; Amoghasiddhi Success) with the north and the colour green: and Ratnasambhava (the jewel-Bum) with the south and the colour ellow. The Five Buddhas of Meditation symbolize the different aspects of the luddhas and the mandalas help devotees to meditate on them. For more Information on Alchi Monastery Ladakh contact Swan Tours one of the best travel agency in India This is a separate island situated in the north of Port Blair harbour and is about 200 acres in area. At present this island is under the Indian Navy. During the British period, the Ross Island was the administrative headquarter of the Andaman Nicobar Islands. It was developed into self-equipped township with all facilities, required for a civilized colony. Tourists can reach this island within 20 minutes from Phoenix Jetty.
The marine department operates a regular ferry service to this island daily except Wednesday. Initially, the freedom fighters of the first world war of Independence of 1857 brought to Andamans were lodged on Ross Island. Dr. James Patterson Walker, the chairman of Andaman committees, arrived in Port Blair on 10th March, 1858, and established the infamous and the dreaded penal settlement with 200 convicts. British officers lived happily with all facilities like church, bakery, hospital, bath rooms, swimming pool, tennis ground etc. But now the magnificent structure of art and architecture is in ruins. The ruins on Ross Island remind us of the pomp and glory of the bygone years. As far as the attractions are concerned small museum named as 'smritika' has been organized and maintained by the Indian Navy. This museum depicts the history of the Island. Some spotted deer’s and peacocks are found on this island. All tourists are permitted to visit this precious Island but no one is allowed to stay overnight. No canteen or shop serving eatables is available on Ross Island and hence the visitors are advised to take with them all the essential items like food, bread, water, tea, coffee, etc. If you planning to explore Andaman and Nicobar, Book Andaman Holidays Tour Packages with Swan Tours at best price and discover Andaman and Nicobar, Swan Tours one of the leading travel agents in India. Superb stone carving is what Jaisalmer is famous for and rightly so, but on some walls of a haveli, a dome of a temple, occasionally entire rooms and even in private art collections are found excellent examples of paintings that existed and flourished around the 18th century. Unfortunately the Jaisalmer paintings have never been seriously studied or extensively documented, nor have the reasons for the dying out of this tradition been thoroughly researched. However, historical records do point out that many artists migrated to different parts of Rajasthan as well as the country to escape the malevolent minister Salim Singh's wrath. Though the stone carvers came back and some cheepas or printers too started using their techniques, the painting tradition died. A close study of the paintings, murals and manuscripts indicate that there did exist a distinct Jaisalmer school of painting akin to that of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner. The colours used and the facial forms in these paintings appear to follow the Jaipur and Jodhpur style of painting. There are also records of some artists who came to Jaisalmer from Jaipur via Jodhpur at the behest of Maharawal Berisal and later set-tled in Jaisalmer and developed the Jaisalmer school of painting. An artist from Udaipur named Kashi too is said to have done a substantial body of work, and his paintings are in the royal family col-lection, a number of them with the inscription 'Kashi painter of Udaipur'. His style of work seems to be influenced by the Jaipur school. Many of the miniature paintings depict popular subjects like Moomal-Mahendra, Radha-Krishna, battle scenes and equestrian portraits. Wall paintings or murals both in the aaraish and tempera techniques seem to have been very popular with the rich and the royalty around the 19th century and are in sync with what was the trend all over Rajasthan during that period. Fragments of mural paintings are found in many havelis in the city as well as the fort, the most superior and well preserved of these being in the Patwon ki Haveli, Nath Mal ki Haveli, and some apartments in the Raja ka Mahal. Rang Mahal and Sarvottam Vilas have painted chambers which along with the traditional motifs and scenes of Radha-Krishna, court ladies and processions also have painted on the walls a Mona Lisa lookalike and a European hunting scene. Another palace in the fort, Sabha Niwas, has two painted chambers, the main chamber with Krishna's Raaslila painted in fine detail all over the walls. The paintings in this chamber have been fully restored with the best conservation techniques leaving a small patch of painting untouched to show the difference. A popular form of expression was the painting of Ganesh and Saraswati, the goddess of learning, on takhatis—wooden boards used for learning alphabets. The painting traditions of Jaisalmer deserve to be studied further for they too have a story to tell. For more information on painting traditions of Jaisalmer Rajasthan and Jaisalmer tour packages contact Swan Tours one of the leading travel agents in India. Food is an important aspect of the overall experience of traveling in India , The most popular travel circuit in India - Golden Triangle Tour Packages includes visit to Delhi , Jaipur and Agra . The cuisines at all three destinations is different from one another . There is no single Indian cuisine: eating in India can be gloriously varied for the taste buds. Traveling around the Golden Triangle, you can try courtly Mughlai dishes simmered in rich sauces or simple North Indian kebabs grilled on charcoal, Light Street snacks, a Rajasthani thali or a rogue thali intruding from South India, and sweetmeats coated in real silver or chunks of fresh papaya and mango. More myths to dispel. There is no single Indian curry and no single `curry powder'—each dish has its own refined set of ingredients flavored with its own masala (spices). Indeed, the proper use of spices is the basis of good Indian cooking. The secret is the right selection, blend and quantity. Ingredients may include ginger, cumin, cardamom, mace, cloves, cinnamon, nuts and chillies. In Indian cooking, it is fine for a dish to be hot from a mixture of spices, not so fine for it to be, as locals put it, 'chilli-hot'. As a general guideline to spice explorers, chillies make a dish hot, while yoghurt and coconut keep it mild. Indians, particularly men, take their food extremely seriously. A man needs only the tiniest hint to effuse poetically about a chicken dish only perfected by his great aunt (could he arrange for her to cook it for you?), the spinach grown in a certain area, the subtle succulence of his mother's filial (lentils). Aerobics may have penetrated a few homes, but a showy stomach is still an accepted sign of well-being. As one Indian woman candidly remarked to me, 'The sari is no incentive to slimming; it can expand as I do with no alterations.' Western visitors have often been frustrated in their efforts to find good food. This is because until recently Indians preferred to eat at home, and home cooking is still the best. The change began in the 1970s in Delhi, when the growing middle-class began to eat out, and a new generation of foreign visitors arrived with more discerning and adventurous palates than their Raj forebears. The Punjabi hotel-owners who moved to New Delhi aft (Independence could no longer serve up tandoori chicken (spices removed i case memsahib gets the hiccups) and nursery Raj food in flowered wallpapered rooms. The food revolution began. Out went brown soup, spiceless tandoori chicken and caramel custard. Old chefs were consulted; authentic recipes revived. And in came the speciality restaurant. Now restaurant eating is part of fashionable New Delhi life. The local clientele enticed with new decor, regional cuisines and a string of food festivals—French, Italian, Thai and Japanese. In essence, whatever the tastebuds demand is available in Delhi; there are even a Domino's, Pizza Hut and McDonald's for fast-food addicts. In Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan, there is a fair range of cuisines, but almost no distinctive Rajasthani food unless you make a special request. And Agra offers little of its great Mughal past. For general tips and specific restaurant suggestions, see pages 233-236. Ordering a meal is not as difficult as the long menus imply. Try a lamb (gosht) and chicken (murg) dish with a seasonal vegetable—cauliflowe (gobi), spinach (saag) and potato (aloo) are delicious in winter. The huge variety of Indian breads taste best hot and fresh, so it is best to order one, then more (perhaps of a different type) after the food arrives—in an Indian home the breads are cooked throughout the meal. Among the pickles (called chutneys in the West), mango is likely to pep up a dish enough and chilli is likely to blow the roof of your mouth off, although some Indians start their day with a palate-cleansing raw chilli before breakfast. Chutney Hindi word, meaning relish) is, confusingly, a fresh sauce, such as the mint spice and yoghurt mixture served with samosas. To cool off any unwelcome heat and to keep the tummy happy, yoghurt (dahi) eaten plain or mixed with cucumber, tomato, etc, works better than water. As for eating, to really enter the spirit follows the old proverb: 'Eating with a Iodic and fork is like making love through an interpreter.' Using your right hand, never the left, mix mouthfuls of rice with meats and vegetable or nimbly tear off pieces of bread and wrap them around the drier foods, using a spoon for more liquid dishes. Being adventurous and trying the different cuisines on offer is part of visiting India. In Delhi a rich and royal Mughlai feast complements a day exploring Old Delhi. Agra has few Mughlai restaurants, although it was to this city that the first emperor, Babur, brought his taste for exotic Persian food. In Babar's diary there are a number of references to food and feasting: the transport of 'excellent' almonds by camel merits a large picture, the ginicow is 'very tender and savoury' and the citron is a 'deliciously acid fruit, making a very pleasant and wholesome sherbet'. Babur set the tone for Mughal feasting, a combination of present-giving, entertainment and gourmandizing. Later, Akbar claimed that 500 different dishes were essential for a regular royal meal; let alone what would be expected at a feast. Today, a Mughlai meal still sits heavily. Try rich shammi or seekh kebabs to start, then a biryani (meat tenderized in herbs, spices, nuts, raisins, coconut and cream, then cooked with rice), raan-i-mirza (leg of lamb cooked in curd, cardamoms and cumin) or murg massalam (chicken stuffed with ginger, eggs, pistachios, cashew nuts and other goodies). Scoop it up with rich Mughlai breads such as the flaky, butter-oozing paratha, a sheermal, a baharhani or a Kabuli noon; or order a pile of rice given royal status with saffron and cardamom. Nav-ratan (nine gems) is the speciAly good chutney. The brave can finish with the immobilizing, sweeter-than-sweet rice dish, muzafar; the less brave with a sherbet. Hotels and Connaught Place restaurants can provide sumptuous food and settings; Old Delhi restaurants such as Karim (see page 85) have equally good food but in simpler surroundings and with good local atmosphere. Regular North Indian food, of the kind eaten by the hungry Muslim armies sweeping down the Himalayan passes to conquer Hindustan, traces its origins to the North-West Frontier and western Punjab. Like the Mughlai cuisine, it focuses on meat, but it is simpler and less rich. Kebabs of spiced meat on long skewers are plunged into the red-hot clay or iron tandoor ovens. Unlike Mughlai dishes, the meat is usually cooked on the bone in its own juices and a few spices. It is not tenderized too much so it keeps a good chew to it, and the gravy is left unstrained and slightly nutty compared to Mughlai smoothness. For breads, there are plain naan, parathas, the makai-hi-roti (made of cornflour) and the roomali (handkerchief) roti which the chef tosses and twirls high in the air to stretch it to transparent thinness. Northerners like vegetables, especially potato (aloo), spinach (saag) and peas (mattar). A pulse, perhaps chickpeas (channa) or lentils (dhal) and mango pickle complete the meal. The favourite winter Punjabi pudding is gajar (carrot) halwa. After those Indian spices, you could try chewing a paan to cleanse aid digestion. There are paan-sellers on street corners, and several restaurants keep paan boxes. To concoct a paan, a sliced, woody betel nut is laid on a betel leaf with lime, catechu paste and as many other ingredients as you wish, both sweet and sour. The leaf is then deftly wrapped into a tidy parcel. You pop it in, chew, swallow the juices, and spit out what is left when you have had enough - only the tenderest leaves can be swallowed. For a light meal, South Indian is the answer. A thali has the advantage of being easy to order: just one word brings a complete meal, usually only lightly spiced, easy to digest in the heat and gentle on a stomach new to India. It is all vegetarian, and the dishes are selected by the chef from an almost infinite list of vegetable combinations cooked with gentle spices. (Some northern restaurants serve a 'non-veg', i.e. meat thali, to pander to locals.)
The thali (platter) is delivered with a ring of hatoris (little dishes), each containing a different dish and usually arranged in order so you progress round the circle through complementary flavours ending with payasam (rich rice pudding). The centre is filled with rice and breads, replenished whenever you wish. Another good South Indian meal is a masala dosa, a large paper-thin rice pancake wrapped around a dryish potato filling and served with sambhar, a more liquid vegetable dish, and some fresh coconut chutney. As it is often eaten in the morning in the South, masala dosa is on some hotel breakfast menus. And the steaming South Indian filter coffee is excellent, like Italian espresso. Then to fruits available during the Golden Triangle Travel package . North Delhi's Sabzi Mandl, the largest vegetable market in Asia, ensures a constant flow of fresh vegetables and fruits. Without importing, India can produce fruits from cool bills and hunting plains. And India is so big that some fruits are available all year as they are grown in different places. Papayas, pineapples and coconuts are always around, as are delicious bananas. Then there are limes, custard apples, guavas, live .star fruits, apples from Kashmir, chickoos (like kiwi fruit), kinos (a marinade hybrid of sweet lime and orange which ripens in .January) and the divine mangoes which make their first appearance in April. One special fruit is found in the Agra backstreets. It is petha, a huge green-skinned pumpkin whose white flesh is cut up, pricked, washed in soda and then cooked in sugar syrup until it turns transparent. If you like pumpkin pie, you may well like petha. The place to taste the best petha is at Panchi Petha Store on Bhagat Singh Road. Snacks are an important part of Indian life. And the delicious-lookin dishes prepared at roadside stalls and in tiny shops are too tempting to resist. To try these is not as dangerous as many people believe, for while is sheer madness ever to drink unboiled water, freshly cooked food shoul not upset a good constitution. Snacks start at the pavement chaat stalls. Chaat is a spicy mixture which tingles the tastebuds. Everyone eats it including suited office worker and it is also a favourite with pregnant women. Found all over India, with infinite local variations, it is always eaten cold. Delhi chaats, considered some of the best of all, usually include dry mango and fresh mint chutneys (and raw mango in season). Try one based on chole (chickpeas in gravy) or on seasonal fruits and topped with coriander and ginger. In Agra, pani purl is the chaat speciality. A watery liquid (pani means water) spiced with tamarind, lime, mint paste and hot chillies is poured into a crisp fried shell (a pun), to be popped into the mouth in one, quickly, before it collapses. Another is sank, a boat-shaped poppadum filled with a spicy fresh chutney, often on sale in the main market street behind the Jama Masjid. After the savoury, the sweet in India, gods and humans alike have a very sweet tooth. If you enjoy the sweetmeat shops and the hot gulab jamun served in restaurants, try a roadside special. In Old Delhi, moving down Chandni Chowk Main Street from the fort, you can find Nairn Chand Jain on the left, a kiosk where the founder's grandsons cook huge, golden-brown, calorie-laden jalebis day and night, soaking the fried twirly sjiapes in cauldrons of bubbling syrup. Around Fatehpuri Mosque, fresh nuts and dried fruits are sold straight from the sack. Although these ones are intended to further enrich the Mughlai dishes, Mahatma Gandhi believed that a man's diet 'should consist of nothing but sunbaked fruits and nuts'. In old Agra, they are sold on roadside carts together with a winter local favourite, gujak, a nutty-textured biscuit made of caramelized sugar and sesame seed. As for freshly-made ice-cream, the fruit or nut ones such as mango and pistachio are delicious, especially at LMB on Johari Bazar in Jaipur and at Giani Ice-Cream found a few yards along the road to the right of Fatepuri Mosque in Old Delhi; Giani also has mountains of irresistible hot halwa. Hotel snacks offer none of this fun. Best is to loll beside the hotel pool or sink into a wicker chair for teatime samosas (a fried, pyramid-shaped envelope with a meat or vegetable stuffing) or pakoras (deep-fried vegetables) with fresh mint chutney, washed down with strong Indian tea. For drinks, the most thirst-quenching is fresh lime juice mixed with water (nimbu pani) or soda (nimbu soda) and drunk plain or with sugar or salt. Lassi, a drink of fresh yoghurt, is also taken plain, sugared or salted, and is both refreshing and tummy-settling. (In the heat, salted drinks help keep the body's fluids in balance.) Then there are the many fizzy sweet drinks, the safest if you want a drink from a street cafe or kiosk. Pure fruit juices such as fresh mango or pineapple are delicious, especially at Nathu's in Delhi; but be careful where you order them. For something stronger, Indian beers are similar to lager and the Indian-made spirits are considerably cheaper than imported brands. Indian rum is particularly good and Indian gin makes a perky Tom Collins cocktail, a sort of alcoholic nimbu soda. Indian vodka is equally good. Postscript: In any restaurant, smart or modest, if you think the hygiene is dubious, order freshly cooked hot food, avoid lingering buffets and resort to an omelette if necessary. For drink, use purifers if you think the water has not been filtered or boiled, see that bottled drinks are opened in front of you and do not take ice unless you are confident the water is OK. And remember, alcohol is not a sterilizer. For further information on Food trails in Golden triangle travel circuit , contact one of the top India travel agency - Swan Tours , The company promotes Delhi Agra Jaipur Luxury tours , Delhi sightseeing tour by car, golden triangle with shimla tour and many more such travel itineraries . Majority of the tourists traveling to Bhutan covers Paro, Thimphu and Punakha , but the second time traveler also visits some of the less popular destinations such as Trashigang and Yangtse, more travel information on these destinations is as below : The trip from Mongar to Trashigang is the easiest part of the long journey east. The three-hour drive includes crossing the Kori La Pass (2,684 m/8,800 ft) and the rapid descent through the famous Yadi loops, 10 km (6 mi) of switchbacks that weave back and forth in a series of figure eights before reaching the valley floor. The vegetation changes drastically as the climate warms, and banana 'groves are scattered alongside the road. Arriving in Trashigang is eventful, as it marks the end of the long drive eastward from Thimphu. The close proximity to Samdrup Jongkhar, in the southeast Indian state of Assam, has enabled the small town to develop into an urban center for the eastern region. The town is situated on a ridge that juts out of the mountain. The business district is at the far end of the ridge, near the dzong, while private homes, the hospital, the school, and the guest house are scattered higher along the mountain. Trashigang is a bustling marketplace with people everywhere, particularly in the main square, where an enormous prayer wheel turns incessantly. Merak and Sakteng hill tribes come to trade yak butter and other assorted provisions. The tribes are known for their traditional yak hair hats and brightly colored clothing. Merak and Sakteng are about 80 km (50 mi) east of Trashigang, near the bor-der with India's Arunachal Pradesh. In order to protect the lifestyle of these indigenous peoples, both Merak and Sakteng have been declared restricted areas for travelers. The Trashigang Dzong sits at the far end of the mountainous ridge, overlooking the Gamri River. It is protected on three sides by deep ravines. It was built in 1659 by Minjur Tenpa, the Penlop of Trongsa, and named Trashigang Dzong, the "dzong of the Auspicious Mount." The dzong governed the whole eastern region from the 17th .century until the be-ginning of the 20th century, when it was destroyed by a fire. The dzong was enlarged by Tenzing Rabgye, the Fourth Desi of Bhutan, and restored in 1950. Trashigang has its own festival in November, celebrated with sacred dances. The dancers are usually lamas, are almost always masked, and represent gods and demons from Buddhist mythology. It is a very ex-citing dance to observe, and if your trip here happens to coincide during the tsechu, you are sure to be welcomed. About 24 km (15 mi) from Trashigang, the temple of Gom Kora sits alongside the road. It is another of the famous meditation sites of Guru Rimpoche. Here, it is said, he meditated to subdue a demon. An enormous boulder sits in the middle of the garden of the temple, and leg-end states that anyone who can climb the rock will be cleansed of sin. Farther along the road, about 28 km (17 mi) north of Trashigang, is the small village of Yangtse, which developed around Chorten Kora, one of two chortens built in Nepalese style within the kingdom (the other is Chendebji chorten, near Trongsa). The chorten is enormous. Its location, on a plateau in the foothills, is believed to be a site where Guru Rimpoche meditated. It rests on a square base, with wide steps leading to a circular dome covered with a gold-leafed umbrella. The chorten has since become a sacred religious symbol of peace and great happiness. It is believed that the prayers made here by those with clear souls will be answered. Just outside Yangtse, a little farther along the road, is the Trashi Yangtse Dzong. The original dzong was founded by Pema Lingpa, after the Drukpa conquest of 1656. Because the dzong was rather small, and its location a bit precarious, a new dzong was built in 1997, in the cur-rent site overlooking the valley. This dzong is now an administrative subdivision of Trashigang. For more information on Bhutan Travel Packages contact one of the leading Travel agents in India since 1995 - Swan Tours. Druk air operates daily flights from Delhi , Swan Tours can provide Bhutan tour packages from Delhi inclusive of airfare , Hotel Accommodation , Sightseeing and guide services , For discounted offers call 011-23415601 The most popular tour with the travellers (both domestic and inbound) in India is the Delhi Jaipur Agra tour or the Golden Triangle tour. This glimpses of this tour include a peek into the mughal history , visiting the monuments dating back 100s of years , a look at the modern Indian culture , visit to the temples and mosques , a gastronomical trail - tastes of british , mughlai ,indian , irani fusions .Some of the interesting facts about Delhi , Jaipur ,Agra tour are as below : Establishing a Democracy with Delhi as Capital On 26 January 1950 the Constitution came into force; the event is celebrated annually and magnificently in New Delhi as Republic Day (see page 207). Broadly, the Constitution outlines a democracy with a President as Head of State, a Prime Minister as Head of Government and a two-house Parliament elected by universal suffrage: Lok Sabha (House of the People, 545 seats) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States, 250 seats). Based on Westminster's Parliament, the political structure also draws on the 1935 Government of India Act and on the US system, and incorporates a Bill of Rights. The infant democracy inherited its capital, New Delhi, from the British. Two years after Nehru's death in 1964, his daughter Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister. When the Congress party divided in 1969, she led Congress (I). She remained in power until her authoritarian ways led to the Emergency of 1975, and to her being ousted in 1977. But she won a landslide victory back into power in 1980. There she remained until her assassination on 31 October 1984. Her son, Rajiv Gandhi (assassinated 21 May 1991), was immediately sworn in as Prime Minister, and then confirmed in a general election. In the 1989 election he lost power to V P Singh whose Janata Dal Party allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a government. In November 1990 Chandra Shekhar replaced V P Singh. Then, in India's 10th General Election in May-June 1991, a mid-term poll again produced a hung parliament and P V Narasimha Rao of the Congress (I) party formed a minority government. After the May 1996 election, the BJP briefly formed the government, to be followed by the United Front (June 1996) with Deve Gowda as Prime Minister. In April 1997 he was replaced by I K Gujral. The World's Largest Democracy: Size and Population Independent India absorbed all the former princely states. A new map was drawn. There are now 26 states and six Union Territories and Special Areas. Its population of 300 million at Independence has shot up to around 900 million, 40 percent of it under 15 years old. After 40 years of rampant urban expansion, which has attracted 25 percent of the population, Delhi and Jaipur are in grave danger of being throttled by too much growth too quick. Delhi, India's newest state, currently has a population of over 9.52 million, the third largest city after Mumbai and Calcutta. By comparison, Agra, in Uttar Pradesh state, has a manageable 2.5 inhabitants. Jaipur is India's thirteenth largest city, with a population of almost 1.6 million. It is the capital of Rajasthan (land of the Rajputs) state, a parched land of 44 million people. Previously there were 23 princely states in Rajputana, whose acknowledged head was Udaipur's Maharana of Mewar. Jaipur's position today fulfills Jai Singh II's dream 250 years ago that his new city should be the capital of a united Rajputana, a centre for government, trade and worship. Indeed, Maharaja Man Singh II became Rajpramukh (head) of the newly formed Rajasthan Union in 1948, when Jaipur became the administrative centre for a collection of democratized, formerly princely, states. The next year it became Rajasthan state. Literacy, Illiteracy and Marriage India's literacy rate is around 52 percent. While 64 percent of men are literate, only 40 percent of women can read. As expected, Delhi's literacy is a high 76 percent. So in the run-up for state and national political elections, canvassing is a colourful mixture of rousing rallies attended by film stars and the promotion of party symbols by daubing them on any available wall. The Congress (I)'s symbol is a raised hand. Those who do read are voracious newspaper consumers. India prints 1,802 daily newspapers, with the 114 principal dailies totting up a 13-million circulation. English language papers provide the visitor with national and local news, and an insight into Indian values. In all three cities, The Times of India, The Indian Express, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Patriot and The Statesman are available. And the magazine India Today provides the best perky round-ups of all current issues. Sunday papers carry the no-nonsense, serious marriage advertisements listed under classifieds: 'Wanted, convent educated, fair girl from good family for Jat boy age 25 years working in reputed paint company at, Jabalpur. Covenanted post four figure salary plus perks. Early man tag, thoroughly practical: he knows what he wants, and she can see what she will get. It is a system still favoured by even the university-educated urban middle-class who claims that such frankness is a major reason for the low divorce rate. But the marriage deal for poorer women is usually not good: the average marriage age is only 18.3 years, around 60 percent of women are illiterate and the pernicious dowry system (with demands for a fridge, TV and motor bike besides the traditional silks and jewellery) means parents pray for a baby to be a boy (abandoned ones are usually girls). Furthermore, dowry deaths, so-called accidents after a girl's in-laws demand extra post-marriage dowry, are back on the increase. So are incidents of sati, the practice of a widow's self-immolation on her husband's funeral pyre that was outlawed by the British in 1829. Language: A Foreign Tongue still Dominates Despite all efforts, English is still the lingua franca. It is even spoken by taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers. But Indian English, like American English, has its own particular accent and idioms, many of them highly imaginative. In 1965 Hindi was proclaimed the national language. This is not fine classical Hindi, a Sanskrit-based language, but a less attractive, simplified version created for administration. It has failed to find approval, and it is used it is peppered with English words where it lacks Hindi equivalents. Official languages are now both Hindi and English: India's official name is both Bharat and Republic of India. But an erudite Delhi family receiving a wedding invitation in Hindi may still call on their son's schooling to help translate. There are also 18 recognized national regional languages (Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were added to the official 15 in 1992) and another 1,650 or so languages and dialects. Delhi has mainly Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi speakers, whereas Jaipur has Rajasthani and Hindi speakers. However, the visitor to North India, where the nation's 38 percent of Hindi speakers are concentrated, needs English for most occasions and a few Hindi words and phrases do make the exploration of back streets and villages easier. Religion: A Tolerance for Gods of Every Kind India has no official religion. But the breakdown of followers of the six principal religions is revealing: 82.6 percent Hindu, 11.4 percent Muslim, 2.4 percent Christian, 2 percent Sikh, 0.7 percent Buddhist, 0.5 percent Jain and 0.3 percent Parsee. Two of the world's great religions have Indian roots. First Hinduism and then Buddhism which developed from it. The Jain and Sikh movements also grew out of Hinduism. Hinduism: The astonishing number of Hindu gods and the length and complexity of the great epics can be approached by the first-time visitor by starting with the Trinity—Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver) and Shiva (Destroyer)—and by reading a good short version of two of the sacred texts, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana (see bibliography). The religion's roots are in the Indus Valley. Disseminated by the Aryan invaders who arrived in North India around 1500 BC, this early form was given structure by the Vedic scriptures. Put very simply, Hindus believe that the spirit endures a series of rebirths ending in moksha, when it is freed from the rebirth cycle. The concept of karma is that each person's deeds lead to lower, or higher, reincarnation. (See also Glossary, page 216). Jaipur has an all-pervading Hindu atmosphere, especially during puja (worship) time at the Govinda Deva Temple, at Amber Fort's Kali TeMple and at Hanuman Temple near Sisodia Rani ka Bagh. For a more intense experience, Vrindaban and the other villages north of Agra are where the young Krishna played. Islam: Islam came to northern India with the succession of invaders pouring down over the Hindu Kush, and was consolidated by the long Mughal rule. Since the area covered by this book includes two Mughal capitals, Delhi and Agra, their legacy of Islamic buildings, religious shrines, cultural traditions and, indeed, numbers of the faithful are disproportionate to other regions of India. Muslim means 'he who has submitted'. The submission is to the will of Allah (God) and is total. The Prophet Muhammad (c 570-632) preached that there was one God and that a believer's sacred duty was to spread the word of Islam (submission to God). The Qur'an, Islam's sacred book which records the Prophet's revelations, says God is the creator of the universe, rewards the faithful and punishes the wicked, can bestow renewed life after death, and all men are equal in life and in death. This last tenet was particularly attractive to India's lower social classes trapped at the bottom of caste ridden Hinduism, hence Islam's initial success. A Muslim has five duties or pillars—belief in the one true God with Muhammad as his Prophet; remembering this by praying humbly five times a day; charitable work; fasting during Ramazan (Ramadan), the month Muhammad received his revelation; and going on haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca (Muhammad's birthplace) at least once in a lifetime. To balance a Muslim's total submission and fatalistic acceptance of God's will, idolatry is an unforgivable sin. Also, a Muslim may not drink wine or eat pork; he may not display pride, arrogance or ostentation; and (which the Mughals often forgot) tomb-building and the veneration of graves was not approved. Sufism, the mystical thread in Islam (followed by many Muslims in India including the Mughal rulers), can assimilate local religious customs such as singing, dancing and a more individual relationship with God. Arising in the tenth century in Sindh, the Saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti brought the Chishti order of Sufism to Delhi in 1192, and was buried at Ajmer in Rajasthan. The Muslim atmosphere is best seen around mosques on Friday, the holy day, especially around Old Delhi's Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque), Agra's Jama Masjid, and at three smaller but intensely Muslim places: Nizamuddin, a medieval Sufi village that is the oldest living area of Delhi; Ajmer, an important pilgrimage centre south-west of Jaipur; and Fatehpur Sikri's Jama Masjid where Sheikh Salim Chishti is buried. Christianity: Although Christianity came to South India very early, possibly brought by St Thomas the Apostle, it was first brought to the Mughal court at Agra by the Jesuits in the late sixteenth century. The Agra cantonment was serviced by the fine St George's Cathedral, St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral and an overflowing Roman Catholic Cemetery, all still used by the town's 30,000 faithful. In Delhi, the old cantonment area has the Greek Revival St James's Church, and New Delhi has a clutch of grand churches built for the empire's subjects. Sikhism: Many Sikhs came from the Punjab to settle in Delhi. Most wear their distinctive turbans over their uncut hair—although some have now shorn their locks—and are known for their hard work. They follow a fairly new religion founded by Guru Nanak in the fifteenth century. Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) introduced five symbols or hahhars by which they could recognize each other: hesha (uncut hair), hangha (comb), hachha (shorts), Kara (steel bracelet) and hirpan (sword). Their temples are called gurdwaras and the Sisganj Gurdwara in Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk is usually bustling with activity. Buddhism: There are few Buddhists in this area of India. This more contemplative religion, breaking away from rigid Hinduism dominated by the priests, was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a prince who received enlightenment late in the sixth century BC at Bodh Gaya in Bihar. As the Buddha (Enlightened One), he preached his first sermon at Sarnath near Varanasi and emphasized dharma (religious teachings), sangha (monasticism) and buddhi (intellectual enlightenment). Bodhisattvas, his close followers, are those who have postponed nirvana (release from the cycle of birth) to "show others the way. Jainism: This has similarities with Buddhism. Developed early in the sixth century BC and for the same reasons, another prince, Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara (saint), rejected his worldly life and went to live as an ascetic and attain the highest spiritual knowledge. He then became a jina (conqueror), and his followers are called Jains. Emphasizing the monastic life, Jains believe the universe was not created but is infinite so they have no god. But they do believe in reincarnation and salvation, found through such deeds as temple building and ahimsa (reverence for life), which demands strict vegetarianism. There are two sects: Digambaras (sky-clad) who possess nothing, not even clothes; and Shvetambaras (white-robed), who are less strict. Jains are concentrated in Gujarat in West India, and go in pilgrimage on foot to their sacred hills. In Delhi, the Jains visit the Digamber Jain Temple and Charity Bird Hospital, at the top of Chandni Chowk, facing the Red Fort in Old Delhi. Zoroastrianism: The tiny but exceptional community of Parsees, as the followers of Zoroastrianism are known, has produced some of India's greatest industrialists and scientists, notably the Tata family. Migrating from Muslim persecution in Persia, they arrived in Gujarat in 745 AD and later came to British Bombay as traders, shipbuilders and bankers. Following their prophet, Zarathustra (golden light), they seek knowledge and illumination through worship, fire and sun and follow the path of Asha—good thoughts, words and deeds. As worshippers of fire, they lay their dead in towers of silence for vultures to avoid polluting fire or earth. To explore Golden triangle tour packages one needs to have a minimum of 4-5 nights , Golden Triangle holiday package can also be combined with Amritsar , Shimla , Varanasi , Goa and many more exotic destinations in India . For customised requirements on this tour contact Swan Tours - one of the leading travel agents in India. The most popular tours promoted by Swan Tours related to Delhi, Jaipur and Agra are as below: Delhi Jaipur and Agra with Fatehpur Sikri Tour, Golden Triangle Travel Package , Golden Triangle with Shimla Tour , Golden Triangle Tour with Mathura Vrindavan, Golden Triangle Tour With Varanasi. 7/29/2017 0 Comments Major tourist attractions in GoaDona Paula East of Miramar lie leafy suburbs, residential areas, palm groves and paddy fields that wind up close to Dona Paula Bay. The bay separates and unites the estuaries of the Rivers Mandoyi and Zuari as they merge Arabian Sea. Two small rock encrusted beaches curl around the cove, these can be accessed from the esplanade at Dona Paula. Catering primarily to tourists, the promenade is packed with hotels, cafes and shops and stalls that sell trinkets, bags, clothes and film rolls! It is also the one place in Panaji to offer facilities for water sport - water scooters, pedal boats and sailboats. Contact: Dolphin Adventure Sports or Dona Paula Water Sports Association at Dona Paula. Love's Labour Lost: The bay is named after Dona Paula de Menezes, the lovesick daughter of the Protuguese Viceroy. A statue of Dona Paula stands gazing out to sea from arc: a rocky escarpment overlooking the bay Local legend tells us that the poor girl fell in love with an officer on the ship bringing her to Goa_ When the lovers were refused permission to marry and the officer sent back to Portugal, Dona Paula would climb up here to wait for the ship she believed would bring her beloved back. The poor unfortunate soul never came because dad had had him bumped off. When Dona Paula discovered her father's perfidy, she threw herself of these very rocks. Mahalakshmi Hindu Panaji's presiding dell) is the Goddess Mahalakshmi. She watches over the city from her temple abode at the foot of Altinho. The shrine houses a four armed, black stone idol of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. The temple was constructed in 1817 mostly from funds generated from devotees whose faith in the goddess, one presumes, had paid off! The annual Maruti-Zatra (festival) is held at the temple every January. Muslims were persona non grata in the early years of Portuguese rule, partly because of Christianity vs Islam baggage and partly due to Portugal's battles with the Arabs. The persecution of Goa's Muslims lasted through the Inquisition. It was only long after the Inquisition that Muslims felt safe enough to build mosques. Panaji's Jama Masjid is one of the few mosques in coastal Goa and it too was built after the Inquisition. Municipal Garden `Jardim de Garcia da Orta', the garden planted by Dr Garcia de Orta is now Goa's Municipal Garden. Dr de Orta was a noted physician in 16th Century Goa who spent his leisure hours cataloguing and studying indigenous plants and herbs used by Yunani hakims and Hindu vaids. The good doctor was convinced that local physicians were best equipped and more qualified than European doctors to treat tropical ailments. His magnum opus, a comparative study of European and Indian medicine was published in 1563 in Goa. Museum of Goa, Daman & Diu Panaji has just one museum of note, the Museum of Goa, Daman and Diu, which includes artifacts and archives from the other two Portuguese territories in India. The Museum's archaeological and archival material is acknowledged to be the best of its kind (in India) in the context of Portuguese rule in Goa. Sculpture, furniture, coins, textiles, objects d'art, ivory statues etc reflect the overpowering Christian influence on Portuguese art and crafts. The sculpture collection includes antiquities from Goa's Hindu era. Museum of Goa, Daman and Diu, Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museum, Ashirvad Building, St. Inez, Panaji, Goa 403 001 Timings: 10:00hrs to 13:00hrs; 14:00 hrs to 17:30hrs Closed on Sundays and public holidays. Of cafés, casinos, cruises and carnavals The riverside boulevard is the most crowded part of Panaji —usually packed with pedlars and pedestrians. Even local residents hang out here waiting for the ferry, watching the river flow by or the sun to set. Down below, by the riverbank is the ferry wharf with a frenetic fish market and an amazing aura of anticipation. The area buzzes with activity, especially when it’s time for river cruises and conducted tours to leave or return. Its carnaval time & King Momo's in charge Goa celebrates the carnaval — a three-day pageant of uninhibited revelry and fun, an orgy of merrymaking, music and dancing that traditionally sets the scene for the 40 days of fasting and praying in the month of Lent. Pagan in origin, totally hedonistic by inclination, Portuguese and Indian in essence, the Carnaval finds the streets of Panaji jammed with bands, dancers and floats in parades presided over by King Momo himself. The carnaval concludes with the Red & Black Ball held by the Clube National in Panaji. Those lucky enough to be in Goa for the Carnaval (February) have to obey King Momo's command — eat, drink and make merry! Cruises Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) organizes conducted tours for North & South Goa and Old Goa, and river cruises on the Mandovi. Tour buses park opposite the GTDC Tourist Hotel or near the jetty. The Santa Monica cruise features traditional Goan bands, dancers and cuisine and presents great views of the two riverbanks with Reis Magos and Aguada Forts, small villages, jetties and whitewashed churches. Tickets for the Mandovi river cruise can be purchased at the counter near the office of the Captain of Port Jetty. Goa and Panaji, by virtue of being its capital, have the requisite infrastructure to host visitors. Hotels are available in plenty, though the best and most preferred hotels are in the beach resorts in North and South Goa. But Panaji has a fair share of good hotels, guesthouses, apartments and paying guest accommodation. Restaurants and cafés, bars and taverns are equally prolific and the choice of cuisine on offer is mind-boggling. Every variety of Indian cuisine from rigidly vegetarian Gujarati to hardcore meat-oriented Punjabi and Mughlai is easily available. Local dishes are much sought after even though they are hot and spicy. Fast food, American, Italian or Indian kind is served at trendy cafés and bars, most of them on Dayanand Bandodkar Marg. All commercial activity in Panaji centres around 18 June Road — the district is packed with shops selling cashew nuts and spices, wines, feni, jewellery, baskets, mats, books, branded goods and designer wear. Accommodation in Panaji Goa Panaji obviously caters to those who like to be in the centre of action! Rented apartments, guesthouses and hotels of every category are available — but not in season and not unless accommodation has been booked well in advance. Suggested hotels: Accommodation in Goa is divided into five segments – Budget, Standard, Deluxe, Luxury and premium some of the preferred hotels in Goa are as below: W Goa , Ramada Caravela Beach Resort , Alila Diwa Goa , The Lalit Golf & Spa Resort Goa , Grand Hyatt Goa and Holiday Inn Resort Goa Casino Goa Panaji's hottest venue and latest offering to the world of leisure entertainment is MV Caravela, a cruise ship casino. The very first of its kind in India, the Caravela is a lavishly appointed twin-engine catamaran that can accommodate 300 people. It has a bar, restaurant, sundeck and swimming pool and a casino featuring eight slot machines and twelve table games where enthusiasts can try their luck at Blackjack, American Roulette and Stud Poker. Stakes begin at Rs 100 and can go up to Rs 10,000. The Caravela also has a few suites for those inclined to stay onboard. The ship stays anchored off the jetty at Panaji and will cruise the Rivers Mandovi and Zuari and down the coast to Varca in south Goa. Off season (monsoon) cruising will be restricted to the waters of the Mandovi. Around Panaji Ribandar (3km): Across the causeway from Panaji lies Ribandar, the old trading port on the River Mandovi. Its proximity to Panaji makes it worth a visit if not to admire its Portuguese era buildings and narrow streets, then to shop at Goa's first ever designer store, Camelot. Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary: Catch a ferry at Ribandar to visit the sanctuary on the island of Choroa. Mangroves and wetlands host a number of resident and migratory species. The sanctuary is open all year round. For permission, apply to Chief Wild Life Warden, Forest Department, Junta House, Panaji. Fort Aguada (10km): Built in 1612, Fort Aguada guarded the river route to Velha Goa from its vantage position on Cape Aguada, across the river from Panaji. A freshwater spring inside the fort gave it its name — `agua' is Portuguese for water. The fort now does duty as Goa's Central Jail. Siridao Beach (6km): Calm and shallow waters, with no tow or undercurrents make this beach safe for swimmers. Swan Tours one of the leading travel agents in India can organize holidays in Goa including air tickets, transfers, sightseeing, meal inclusive at 5 Star Hotels in Goa, beach resorts in Goa at discounted rates for offers on hotels in Goa call Swan Tours at 011 23415601. The approach to Ladakh by air over the Rohtang Pass transforms one's image of the Himalaya. The of tortured and rock gar reminder of the Indian sub-continent folding up against the heart of Asia, lifting rivers and lakes up to incredible heights. Yet the world's greatest mountain range seems astonishingly diminutive, clothed in uniform layers of smooth and creamy snow. It is astounding that in this terrain, once known as the end of the habitable word, communities have managed not merely to survive, but to evolve a rich socio-economic and cultural history. Initial wonder gives way to awe, the harsh black rock-face — faces carved with snow, clouds and mountain mists deters any thought of conquest. The fact that we are to skim across the high ridges, almost at touching distance and make a sharp and sudden descent into the Leh valley heightens our sense of the dramatic. We plunge directly into the once unknown world of the Ladakh plateau. Having arrived seems an achievement in itself. Even by air unpredictable weather conditions make it difficult to reach Ladakh. Until the late sixties only Indian Air Force planes carried travellers there, strapped to benches and equipped with parachutes. Over the Zoji-la Pass, the flight throws into relief the grimness of the old trade route that crossed the plateau to meet the Shyok River where the summer trail linking Ladakh to Yarkand on the Silk Route was located. The main trade routes that crossed Central Asia had been laid across mountains and deserts, linking Sinkiang in western China with Eastern Europe. It took three months for the Chang Thang nomads and the traders on the Silk Route to go from Leh to Lhasa. Also visit – Kashmir tour packages Ladakh's population is composed of distinct ethnic groups, predominantly the Mons, Dards and the Tibetans. The Mons is a pastoral community from the south of the Himalaya who converted to Buddhism in the time of the emperor Kanishka. In most villages, they are carpenters and blacksmiths, though they are now mainly village musicians who chant the great epic of the Ladakhi, the Kesar Saga. The Dards are peasants of Indo-European stock settled in Dras. The Dards and Mons must have bartered their farm produce for animal products with the Tibetan Chang-pas, the nomads of Chang Thang. From Ladakh to Yarkand and Turkestan, the intrepid merchants continued to cross-fertilize culture when along with their goods they transported customs and technology. The ties are apparent in the common dress and linguistic unity, food habits and pastimes. It is almost as if the world beyond the passes has survived because the south-west-north-east axis was designed by nature to isolate the mountain communities, yet foster in them a curiously cosmopolitan outlook. The importance of these passes is clearly evident from the historical development of the area. Today, Ladakh is a melting-pot, an expression of the living tradition of central Tibetan Buddhism and Islam combined with the Dogra, Kashmiri and Sikh cultures. Fleeing monks, antagonistic princes, adventurers all found a way into these impregnable valleys, just as the purist mountaineer still prefers to find his — on foot. The contemporary wayfarer, travelling by road through the mountains around hairpin bends, can only dimly imagine the harrowing odyssey of travellers in the past. Today, the distance from Srinagar to Leh can be covered by road in two days at a comfortable pace, once the Border Roads Organization has cut through the walls of ice in mid-June. From the plains the route over the Bra Lacha-la is well mar, ked. It is the trail that the nomads from the Change Thang plateau followed to bring their Pashmina goats for the shawl-markers of the Punjab. Historically military campaigns have also used the Zanskar-Bara Lacha — Chang Thang axis more frequently than the Zoji-la route. Now that the Bara Lacha-la route has been made less treacherous by the all-weather Upshi-Manali road built by the military, it seems as if the discovery of Latah only awaited the reach of technology. For more information on Tradition of Leh Ladakh and Leh Ladakh tour packages contact Swan Tours one of the leading travel agents in India. |
AuthorSwan Tours one of the leading travel agnets in India Archives
January 2018
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