A Complete Travel Guide

Visit Puri for Beaches and Jagannath Temple

2009-01-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Puri is famous tourist spot for its panoramic view of colorful sunset at its beaches as well as a pilgrim place for the famous Temple of Lord Jagannath. Some tourists visit every year to worship at this temple and is believed to get their dream fulfilled by blessings of Lord Jagannath.

Jagannth temple Puri

This temple was built in 12th Century by king Ananthverman of Eastern Ganga dynasty.
This is a very holy place in eastern part of India and millions of people visit during Rath Yatra.

How to reach Puri

Puri is an important place of Orissa and is connected by all routes. It is easily reachable by air, rail as well as by road.

Puri by Air
The nearest airport is in Bhubneshwar the capital of Orissa called the Biju Patnayak air port. This is situated about 60Km from Puri.

Puri by Rail
Puri is a major Railway station ans well connected with all major cities of India. It falls in Eastcoast Railways and apart from all metro cities it has a train route from Tiruvanthpuram, Okha, Tirupati from South,Guahati as well as Baidhyanathdham from East and Nagpur and Ahmedabad from West.

Puri by Road
Puri is 60 Km from Bhubneshwar and is easily approachable by bus also. The main bus stand is located nearby Gundicha Mandir on Grand Road. There are several tourist buses available for Puri, Konark and Bhubneshwar.

Beaches of Puri

Puri is famous for beaches of Bay of Bengal ocean. Among the several big and small beaches the most famous beaches for tourist interests are :-

Balighai Beach

This beach is nearest and famous for picnic spot. It is situated at about 8 Km from the city.

Baleshwar beach

This beach is a site of a Shaivite shrine. It is situated at about 15 Km from the city.

Baliharachandi beach

This beach is very famous and known for the shrine of Goddess Harachandi. It is situated at about 27 Km from the city it is a lonely and beautiful beach and its meandering sand dunes is quiet enchanting.

Astaranga beach

This beach is situated at about 91 Km from the city and its famous for panoramic sunset view. This beach is famous for fish harbour. This beach is filled with foreign tourists.

Where to stay at Puri

There are all kinds of hotels and resorts at Puri from Rs 250 a room to as much as 5000-10000 Rs a room. Some of the famous hotels are
Coco Palms Puri Sargdwar Puri , Puri 762001
Hotel Arya Palace Chakratirth Road , Puri 752001
Hotel Holiday Resort Chakratirtha Road , Puri 752002

There are other important places nearby like Konark and Bhubneshwar which can be seen in a single trip of Bhunbneshwar-Konark-Puri.

Nicobar- Southernmost tip of India

2008-12-25T09:35:00.000-08:00

Andaman and Nicobar the Union Territory of India consist of 306 idyllic islands in the Bay of Bengal. These are submerged mountain range which extends from Myanmar to Indonesia.
Car Nicobar is the headquarter of Nicobar district. It consists of 28 islands and total area is 1841 square Kilometers. It is separated from Andaman by 10 degree channel.

How to Reach Nicobar

To reach Nicobar island there is Sea route from Port Blair the Capital of Andaman and Nicobar. The journey is of 16 hours and there is regular ship service.

Places of Tourist's interest at Nicobar

Nicobar is rich in greenary and have a pollution free environment. Gardens, clean, fresh and virgin beaches are appealing. It is a paradise for tourists who are nature lover. Some of the very important spots are:-
Indira Point

It was formerly known as Pygmallion Point and is the southernmost tip of India which earlier beleived to be Kanyakumari. Gaint leatherback turtles are the thing of interest at beaches near Galathia. It may take 50-60 hours of journey from Port Blair by sea.
Katchal

It is 425 Km by sea and is a tiny island of Nicobar. The new millenium was heralded with the first sunrise here only on 1st January 2000. The island consist of enchanting and beautiful beaches at East bay, Jhula and west bay. It is out of the bounds of foreigners and Indians are proper permission can visit here. Though all the Nicobar islands are out of bound of foreigners at present.

Lakhshadweep- A collection of Islands

2008-12-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

Lakshadweep is a group of 36 islands. It is Union Territory of India located in Arabian Sea at about 300 Km from Kerala. It covers a land area of 32 square Kilometers and out of 36 islands only 10 are inhabitated. The Capital of Lakshadweep is Karavatti where all Governmental operation takes place. The local language here is Malyalam and Mahl.

How to Reach Lakshadweep

As it is a group of islands there are only two routes to reach Lakshadweep, through air and through Sea.
By Air to Lakshadweep
The airport is stuated at Agatti, the flight is from Koc(old name Cochin) a place in Kerala. Indian Airlines as well as private airlines have regular flights from Kochi to Lakshadweep.
By Sea to Lakshadweep
The ship service is also from Kochi and takes about 20 hours to reach Lakshadweep. During monsoons the ship services are cancelled and air route remains the only way to reach Lakshadweep.

Places of tourists interest at Lakshadweep

As mentioned above out of 36 islands of Lakshadweep only 10 are inhabitated but out of these only four namely Kalpani, Karavatti, Minicoy, and Kadamat are open for Indian tourists. For foreigners there are a bit more restrictions and only two islands namely Banjaram and Kadamat are open. For visiting Lakshadweep a procedure and verification has to be followed.
The islands are full of beautiful clean beaches, palm trees, greenary and natural scenaries. Tourists can enjoy variety of fishes as fishing is the main occupation there.
Lakshadweep is a new and emerging tourist spot of India and once visited, no one can restrict themselves from visiting again.

Konark Sun Temple- A UNESCO World heritage site

2008-12-24T05:35:00.000-08:00

Konark is situated at about 65 Km south east to Bhubneshwar, the Capital city of Orissa and is famous for its magnificent Sun Temple. It is one of the UNESCO World heritage site.

Sun Temple Konark

The sun temple of Konark is famous for its artistic creation. It was built in 13th Century by King Narsimhadev of Eastern Ganga dynasty. The temple is of Sun God (Surya) on a giant chariot consisting of twelve pairs of wheels and is beleived to carry Sun God on his journey across the sky.
The creativity is eye pleasing and the all the small and big idols on the wall are well crafted.

How to Reach Konark

The nearest airport and Railway station is of Bhubneshwar which is about 65 Km from Konark. By Road there are tourist buses from Puri as well as Bhubneshwar covering Puri, Bhubneshwar and Konark.
A private vehicle can be hired from Bhubneshwar or Puri.

Other Places to visit at Konark

Apart from the architectural magic of Sun Temple other place which are worth watching at Konark are-

Chandrabhaga Beach

- The beach is known for its beauty and provides immense pleasure, peace and sense of relaxation. It is very close to Sun Temple Konark.

Ramchandi beach

- It is 7 Km from Konark on the Marine drive and a place to spend some time for relaxation with cocnut water and fish fry.
Tourist going Konark should not miss places like Shrine and Nine Planet and Archeological museum and beach.Overall Konark is a tourist spot for both who love to go at Pilgrim places and who love natural as well as artistic historical beauty.

BhubneshwarTemple City of India

2008-12-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

Bhubneshwar is the capital city of Orissa and is nearly 480 Km from Kolkata towards South. It is popularly known as "Temple City of India". It is one of the planned city and beleived to have more than 2000 temples. The main temple is Tribhubaneshwer or 'Lord Lingraj' temple and it sorrounds with hundreds of temple in the old town.

How to Reach Bhubneshwar

By air route to Bhubneshwar

Biju Patnaik air port is in Bhubneshwar and many private airlines have flight for the city. It is 5 Km from city centre.

By Rail route to Bhubneshwar

The Railway station is in the heart of the city and many trains from Kolkata to South or West passes through the station. It is well connected by major cities of India.

By Road to Bhubneshwar

There is bus services and the bus stand is at Bermunda which is about 8Km from the city centre. There are several tourist buses which cover Bhubneshwar, Puri and Konark. Private vehicles on hire is also available.

Other Places to visit at Bhubneshwar

Apart from famour Lingraj Temple there are several other tourist spots at Bhubneshwar.

Chausath Yogini Temple

- The place is 15 Km south east to Bhubneshwar at Pipli village. Pipli is a village of artisans famous for their colorful applique workof fabrics.

Nandan Kanan National Park

- The name literally means the "Garden of Pleasure" and is 20 Km from Bhubneshwar. It is situated along the bank of Konjia lakew and amidst natural forest, is located as one of India,s largest tiger safari.

Udaigiri(Sunrise hill) and Khandagiri (Broken hill)

- this is about 6 Km from Bhubneshwar.
There are several other place worth to visit like Mukteshwar temple, Rajarani temple, Vaital Deul temple, Parasurameshwar temple, Bindusar tank and Orissa state Museum.

Mandu- The essence of love

2008-12-23T02:51:00.000-08:00

Mandu is situated 2000 feet above the sea-level, it is a place better known as Capital of physical pleasure for Mughal Kings and on the other hand famous for the love story of Baz Bahadur a poet prince and Queen Roopmati.

History of Mandu

The place was ruled by Parmars till 13th Century when Mughals invaded. Seeing the nature's beauty the Mughals named it Shadiyabad which means a place of pleasure or joy. The place is situated at the bank of river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh and is about 45sq km in area. 12 gates are crossed to reach Mandu.

Places to see at Mandu

Mandu is a place of architectural beauty blessed with the various type of monuments, palaces, tombs and mosques. Important places for tourists are -

Jahaj Mahal- As the name suggests there is a palace of ship shaped which is 120 meter long. It was made by Gayasuddin Khilji between two artificial lake named Munji Talab and Kanpur Talab. The palace looks like sailing as a ship in the lake. Sultan Gayasuddin Khilji used it for fulfillment of his sexual desire and used as harem keeping about 15000 women.

Hoshang Shah’s Tomb- This is a great creation of Afghan reign. It has a beautiful dome, marble lattice work, porticos, courts and towers. This is the first Indian monument made up of 100 percent marble. The tip of the monument is very attractive and the nets and pillars are example of great creation.
Shah Jahan sent his craftsmen including Hamid the main architect before making Taj Mahal to inspire with the great creation.

Asharfi Mahal- This palace was made by Mahmud Shah Khilji an ascendent of Hoshung Shah which intended to be a Madarsa a school for Muslim community. After winning the battle from Mewar by Rana Kumbha, he built this seven storeyed pillar. At present only one pillar is intact.
This palace is also known a 'Palace of Golden coin'. There is an interesting story behind this name. The plaace contained 200 stairs and women kept by Sultans were asked to climb up and down and was awarded with an asharfi 'Golden coin' as reward. This was done with an intention to keep those women slim and attractive.

Hindola Mahal- This is also called Swinging Palace as the wall of the palace were slopy and looks as hanging or swinging. This was made by Gayasuddin Khilji as a audience hall and his meeting and conference. The palace was made by a special stone called Balua. This used to be Diwan-e-Khas for Sultans of Malwa.

Jami Masjid- This grand Mosque is among the biggest mosque in Asia and is made by inspiration of mosque of Damascus. Its construction was started by Hoshang and completed by Mahmud Khalji in 1454 A.D. In the centre of the mosque the porch is sorrounded by many decorated pillars.

Lohani caves- It is the lone ancient monument in the Mandu fort at present.They were made in about the eleventh or twelfth century A.D. for residence of "Shiva Jogis". In their front is a rock-cut cistern. Their premises were once filled with Debris, which when cleared yielded some 80 sculptures or carvings now in the local museum at Dharmasala attached to Hoshang’s tomb.

Rewa Kund- This is a reservoir built with an aqueduct to provide water to the palace of Rani Roopmati. Now a days it is considered as sacred place.

Baz Bahadur Palace- This was made in 6th century and is situated on the slopes of a hill in the midst of picturesque natural scenery with a wide courtyard and encircled by halls and high terraces.

Roopmati’s Palace- This is situated beyond the Baz Bahadur Palace from where she could see Baz Bahadur’s palace and the sacred river Narmada,the stream of which is seen is from here on a clear sunny day, winding about like a white serpent on the plains below.

There are other places like Hathi Mahal, echo point etc. Those who are interested to see historical creations, Mandu is an ideal place for them.

How to Reach Mandu

Indore is the nearest airport, Railhead and even best approachable by road. Mandu is about 100 km from Indore airport and 95 Km from the Railway station and roadways. Private vehicles are also available on hire at Indore.

Overall Mandu is a pride of Madhya Pradesh which is considered as Heart of India.

Kulu- The Himachal's Paradise

2008-12-21T02:41:00.000-08:00

Kulu is situated about 1200 metres above the sea level and in ancient times it was the last end where human life existed. The place is among the famous hill stations in India.
History of Kulu
The ancient name of Kulu is Kulta which is mentioned in Vishnu puran and Ramayana, even in Mahabharata it is mentioned as on of the Northern state.
In seventh century Chinese tourist visited this place and mentioned this place in their book of that travel experience as Kiu-lu-to, situated about 117 miles North-east to Jalandhar.
In the ancient historical documents there is a coin which is supposed to be of first or second century released by the King of Kulu.
Places to see at Kulu
Larji- it is a fishing spot situated south to Kulu at about 30 Km. The river Sainj and Trithan joins to form the Beas
Raghunath Temple- This is the most important place at Kulu and of prime importance during Dushehra festival, it is at Sultanpur near Dhalpur valley.
Bijli Mahadev Shrine- This placed is reached by trekking, and is about 10 Km from Kulu. From the temple a panoramic view of Kulu & Paravati valleys can be seen. The idol of Bijli Mahadev glitters and really soothing to the eyes. It is a place where beauty and devotion combines to please the heart and soul.
Banjaar- This place is situated on the bank of river Trithan and is a spot for trout fishing.
Vaishno Devi Temple- This is situated at about 4km from Dhalpur, the idol of Vaishno Devi gives extreme peace and happiness and is one of the important place to visit at Kulu.
Bajuara-This place is situated at about 15Km from Kulu and have Basheshwar Mahadev temple. It is in the plains so easily approachable. It is the ancient monuments and is supposed to be built in 8th century.
Malana-Malana is considered to be the oldest democracy in the world. It is near Chandrakhani pass and has temple of Jamlu, these places are the midway of trekking from Kulu to Manikaran.
Katrain- This place is famous for apple orchards, bee keeping and Government trout farm at Patilkulh.
Nagger- This place is famous for large number of temples of Vishnu, Tripura Sundari & Lord Krishana. Roerich art gallery is another thing worth watching at this place. This is also a mid way of trekking from Kulu to Manikaran.
Kasol- Kasol is a natures paradise, situated on the bank of Parvati river. Beautiful scenes, valleys and a place for trout fishing makes this place special.
Camping Sight Raison- This is another place where the nature gives the real gift to the tourists, beautiful hills, valleys consisting of apple orchards can the sorrounding can even make a 60 years old to feel like 25 years young man.
Manikaran- Though Makikaran will be mentioned separately in detail, but just to mention here it is famous for its hot spring, a natural reservoir of hot water in all the season.
Trekking is done from Kulu to Manikaran approximately a distance of about 45 Kms coveirng areas Zari, Malana, Chandrakhani Pass etc.
How to Reach Kulu
By Air:
The nearest airport is at Bhuntar, 10kms. from Kulu. Many private airlines like Trans Bharat Aviation and Jagson flights with Delhi & Shimla lands here.
By Railways:
Nearest convenient Railway stations are Kalka, Chandigarh and Pathankot on Broad Gauge from where Kulu can be reached by road. If any one want to cover more area by Railways then from Pathankot meter gauge train is available to Jogendra Nagar which is the nearest Railway station from Kulu.
By road:
Kulu is well connected by road with Delhi, Ambala, Chandigarh, Shimla, Dehradun, Pathankot, Dharamsala & Dalhousie etc. Regular direct buses ply between these stations including deluxe, semi-deluxe and air conditioned buses during tourist season.
Local Transport AT Kulu:
Local buses operate between Kulu-Manali and Manikaran regularly. Taxis and Private cars are also available.
Where to stay at Kulu
Kulu have all kind of hotels, resorts and guest houses ranging from 150 Rs per day to more than 10000 Rs per day. Special discounts of at least 40-50% is given in off season.
Season to Visit Kulu
March to June is the peak season for relaxation and visiting the places of sight seeing and enjoy short and long excursions as well as climbing and river rafting. For skiing purpose winter season is preferred as it is filled with snow.
Special time is the time of Dushehra and it is really worth watching Dushehra at Kulu.