After the vibrant atmosphere of Mumbai (Bombay), allow the palm-fringed beaches of Goa to warm your spirit in the sun and relax your mind. Or meditate in cool and ancient Buddhist caves tunnelled out of solid rock on the craggy hillsides - a dramatic contrast from the colourful fairs and festivals in unspoiled Gujarat. The choice is once again tremendous in this land that offers everything. |
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The most comprehensive beach resort in the country, Goa is approachable from Mumbai (Bombay) by air. Goa's coastline provides endless sun drenched crescents of sand. Vagator, Anjuna, Baga, Calangute and Candolim stretch out in an unbroken palm fringed line. Other beaches are at Miramar and Colva. Parasailing, yachting, windsurfing, and deep sea diving are some of the more popular water sports, facilities for which are available. In addition, every sort of accommodation fringes the beaches, from deluxe resorts to budget lodgings Inland, 451 years of Portuguese rule has imbued Goa's towns and villages with a unique culture. Whitewashed chapels and churches that dot the landscape are surrounded by sleepy villages and rice fields. | |
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| Madhya Pradesh |
In Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior is the state's northernmost city and a convenient entry point. Gwalior's landmark is its hilltop fort which contains a fine museum and an ancient temple, among, other monuments. 120 km from Gwalior is the medieval city of Orchha with exquisite palaces and cenotaphs. Built by an 11th century king of the Bundela dynasty, Orchha is now a ghost city containing the remains of what must have been once spectacularly lovely monuments, and which combine Hindu and Muslim architectural. traditions. Shivpuri, atop a plateau, contains two picturesque lakes and a national park that abounds in species of deer and antelope.
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| Khajuraho | The 9th to 12th century temples of Khajuraho is the evidences of the architectural geniuses during the times of Chandela dynasty. Situated in Madhya Pradesh, India, Khajuraho oozes with passion, eroticism, dance and music and other finesses of creative arts depicted in sculpture and images of the temples. The 85 temples were built in North Indian "Nagara" style of architecture, though only 20 of them have survived the rough weather conditions over long years of time. The two richer distinctive groups of temples are the Western and Eastern group of temples.Temple town of Khajuraho is much different from any other temple city of India. It is not about religion and worshipping and deities.
| | The temples of Khajuraho are instead famous for the eroticism etched on its walls in the form of sculptures.An amalgamation of science and art of architecture, these 10th-11th century temples have a very interesting legend behind them that connects them to the origin of Chandela dynasty. It is said that in a fit of passion and lust, the Moon God seduced and ravaged a beautiful Brahmin girls known as Hemvati, resulting in the birth of Chandravarman (the founder of the Chandela dynasty). Later, Chandravarman had a dream where his mother requested him to make a temple, which would reveal all aspects of the treasure of passion and erotic fantasy to the world. |
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| Chhattisgarh |
The name Chhattisgarh is not ancient and has come into popular usage in the last few centuries. In ancient times the region was called Dakshin Kosala. All inscription, literary works and the accounts of foreign travelers, call this region Kosala of Dakshin Kosala. According to Hari Thakur, the contest between Jabalpur and Chhattisgarh for the name Mahakosala is settled beyond doubt in favour of Chhattisgarh in the light of available evidence. Even during the reign of the Mughals, it was called Ratanpur territory and not Chhattisgarh. The word Chhattisgarh was popularized during the Maratha period and was first used in an official document in 1795. | | | Lah / Ladakh | Ladakh is a land like no other. Bounded by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the Karakoram, it lies athwart two other, the Ladakh range and the Zanskar range. | In geological terms, this is a young land, formed only a few million years ago by the buckling and folding of the earth's crust as the Indian sub-continent pushed with irresistible force against the immovable mass of Asia. | Its basic contours, uplifted by these unimaginable tectonic movements, have been modified over the millennia by the opposite process of erosion, sculpted into the form we see today by wind and water. Yes, water! Today, a high -altitude desert, sheltered from the rain-bearing clouds of the Indian monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south -east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul -n drainage basins with evocative names like Tso-moriri, Tsokar, and grandest of all, Pangong-so. Occasionally, some stray monsoon clouds do find their way over the Himalaya , and lately this seems to be happening with increasing frequency. | |
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| Gujerat |
The most convenient entry point into Gujarat is through the metropolis of Ahmedabad. The city contains some very fine museums, the Calico Museum of Textiles being considered among the world's finest. Ahmedabad's walled city is a living testimony to its heritage of crafts as women walk by in dazzling embroidered garments and flashing ethnic silver jewellery. Traditional Ahmedabad combines mosques of inspired workmanship, wooden Jain temples, unique stone stepwells and houses with ornately carved wooden balconies and window screens. Modern Ahmedabad, just across the River Sabarmati spanned by four bridges, is a showpiece of contemporary architecture with designs by Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn and the best known Indian architects. |
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