Tourist Places to See in Jodhpur

Fascinating Facts:
Second largest city of Rajasthan, after Jaipur.
Famously called as the “Blue city of Rajasthan”.
Built in 1459 A.D by Rao Jodha.
Major highlights are Mehrangarh fort, Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jaswant thada etc.

Introduction:
If you want to dive into the deep sea of Rajputana culture than just come to Jodhpur, considered as one of the three sculpted city of Rajasthan. Jodhpur, the former capital of Marwar province of the bygone Rajput era was established by Rao Jaodha, a Rajput cheiftain in the year 1459 A.D. It is the second largest city of Rajasthan after Jaipur, having a total area of 22,850 sq km.

Popular as the “Gateway to the Great Thar Desert”, Jodhpur is blessed with some scenic landscape and ravishing palaces, forts , gardens that would surely mesmerize you by their charm.

Location of Jodhpur:
This bustling desert city of Rajasthan is situated in the western part of Rajasthan, very close to the International border between India and Pakistan. Due to its proximity to Pakiastan, Jodhpur has a large defense contingent. Jodhpur is bounded by Bikaner and Jaisalmer districts in the north, Barmer and Pali districts in south, Nagaur district in the east and Jaisalmer district in the west.

As Jodhpur is located at the vicinity of Thar desert, it receives very less amount of rainfall in a year( 10.3cm to 64 cm). The weather of Jodhpur, always remains very bright and hot, due to which it is also known as the “Sun City of Rajasthan”.

Charm of Jodhpur:
Jodhpur is one of the hot tourist destination of Rajasthan have some outstanding architectural master pieces of erstwhile royal period. There are numerous forts, palaces, temples which attracts the holidaymakers by their beauty. Some of the popular tourist spots in Jodhpur are-

Mehrangarh Fort- One of the most formidable and largest citadel of Rajasthan, Mehrangarh fort stands atop a 150 m high hill and 5 km long. The construction of this fort was started by Rao Jodha but successive Maharajahs of Jodhpur has completed it during their reign. Within this fort, there are series of courtyards and palaces. This fort provides an awesome view of the blue colored houses of the Jodupur town which is located at the foot hill of this fort.

Umaid Bhawan Palace- Built atop the Chittor hill, Umaid Bhawan palace is one of the most recent built palace of India. It got its name from its builder Maharajah Umaid Singh. This imposing and lavish palace is world' s largest private residence. Till date it serves as a home to the present Maharajah of Jodhpur named Maharajah Gaj Singh II. This sprawling palace is built of white marble and golden – yellow color sandstone of Chittor. Umaid Bhawaan palace is now separated into three parts, one serves as resdent of Jodhpur royal family, one serves as a luxurious hotel, and third portion serves as a museum.

Jaswant Thada- Jaswant thada is a memorial made up of white marble. It was built in memory of Maharaja Jaswahnt Singh II of Jodhpur in 1899 A.D.

Other charm of Jodhpur includes Government Museum, Umed Garden, Kamen Art Gallery.

Attractions Around Jodhpur:
Beside the tourist attractions of this city, nearby places to Jodhpur also have some fascinating places that can behold your attention. Some of the excursion places of Jodhpur are

Luni Fort- Lies at a mere distance of approximately 20km from Jodhpur, at Chanwa. This fort is now converted into a Heritage hotel by its owner Maharaja Dalip Singhji. This majestic fort is another worth watching sight which very well maintains the glory of bygone era.

Dhawa Wildlife Sanctuary-If you are nature lover, you can visit the Dhawa Wildlife Sanctuary, which is just 45 km away from Jodhpur. Here, you can have a close encounter with the Cheetal and Sambhar, as this sanctuary has the largest number of Cheetal and Sambhar.

Osian- Located approximately 60 km away from Jodhpur, on the Jodhpur-Bikaner highway diversion, Osian is an oasis in the desert area of Marwar region. This place is famous for an ancient Jain temple and also for the panoramic view of the descent of sun over the golden sands. It is believed that Oswal a Jain community originates from here only.

Nagaur Fort- Nagaur fort lies in Naguar, a beautiful town between Jodhpur and Bikaner, at a distance of 135 km from Jodhpur. This historic places has seen many wars between the Muslims invaders from Central Asia and Marwars. This fort has some artistically designed palaces like the Badal Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, and Hadi Rani Mahal, which are beautiful specimens of Rajput architecture.

Other nearby excursion places to Jodhpur are Mandore garden, Balsamand lake, Kailana lake, and Mahamandir temple.

Access to Jodhpur:
By Air- The airport of this city is located at a distance of 5km from city centre. Daily flights of Indian Airlines and Jet Airways ply from Udaipur to other major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Udaipur.

By Train-Jodhpur is well connected to all major Indian cities as it is a important division of North Western zone of Indian Railways.

By Road- Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation buses and private buses runs regularly from Jodhpur to various other cities of Rajasthan as well as to Ahmedabad and Delhi

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Disneyland - The Fascinating Theme Park in California

Disneyland is an American theme park in Anaheim, California, owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. It is the second most visited park in the world with more than 14,800,000 visitors. The park is enhanced with exciting entertainment, classical attractions and Disney Characters.

Attractions
Attractions of the place consist of ionic experiences that praises the Walt Disney's concepts and designs. Celebrate the adventure and fantasy in the Disneyland with the exciting locations like “it's a small world”, “Astro Orbiter”, “Cinderella castle”, “Cinderella's Golden Carrousel”, “Donald's Boat”, “Frontier Shootin' Arcade”, “Mickey's Country House”, “Minnie's Country House” and lots more places are there to have fun.

Entertainment
Entertainment at the park includes parades, musical stage shows, nighttime fireworks performances and meeting popular Disney Characters. “Spectromagic” parade is a night time procession, featuring a host of brilliantly lit Disney characters. “Celebrate A Dream Come True” Parade features the joyful procession of Disney characters. There are many designated places where visitors can meet, take autographs and snaps of their favourite Disney Characters.

Dining
Dining at magic kingdom gives an opportunity to share meals with Disney Princesses and other characters, a wonderful experience in spectacular Gothic ambiance. Eating spots like Cinderella's Royal Table, The Crystal Palace, Aloha Isle, Casey's corner, Cool ship serves the delicious American cuisines.

Special Events
Special events are organised to celebrate the season of vacations. “Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a special event celebrated with great enthusiasm. The amazing features of the event includes The enchanted castle dream lights on Cinderella castle, Live entertainment featuring holiday fireworks extravaganza, complimentary cookies and hot cocoa, A magical snow fall on main street and many more interesting things to see.

Another interesting event is the “Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party” which is held on selected dates in September, October and November. The event includes some entertainments such as Mickey's “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade, Disney characters and Disney Villains in special Halloween costumes and the whole place is transformed into happy haunted hollows with lightning and music.


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Great Himalayan National Park

Fast Facts:
Location: Located in Kullu region of Himachal Pradesh
Area: 765 sq km
Famous For: Musk Deer, Snow Leopard and wild sheep like Bharal, Ibex etc.
Activities: Trekking and camping

Introduction:
Great Himalayan National Park, one of the picturesque region of Himachal Pradesh is a place to go for tryst with the hidden treasures of nature. This scenic national park which lies in the Seraj Forest Division of Kullu district, is hemmed in on three sides by towering peaks of Himalayan mountains. Stretches to an area of 765 sq km positioned at an altitude between 1500 to 6000 m above sea level.

To protect the alpine, glacial, temperate, and sub tropical forests, this area has attained the status of a national park in 1984. The glaciers available in this park is the main source of four rivers namely Tirthan, Sainj, Parvati and Jiwa Nala, flowing East to West and mingling into Beas river.

Officially known as Jawaharlal Nehru Great Himalayan National Park, this protected area is haven to a endless array of faunal species. (375 species). So, far 31 species of mammals, 181 species of birds, 3 species of reptiles, 9 species amphibians, 11 species of annelids, 17 species of mollusks, 127 species of insects belonging to six orders, 68 resident bird species and 50 migrant species are identified.

Some of the best visible animals within the park are Leopards, Himalayan Black Bears, Brown bears, Himalayan Thar, Bharal, Ibex, Langurs, Rhesus macaques etc. If you are lucky enough than you will get to view Snow Leopard, which are resides in the upper snow fringes of the park.

Attractions In and Around:
Apart from its diverse flora and fauna, Great Himalayan National Park also has some more attractions. This national park is dotted with three important pilgrimage sites that are located in the vicinity of the park such as Raktisar, Hanskund and Sirikhand Mahadev.

Raktisar is the place where River Sainj originates; Hanskund is the origin point of the river Tirthan, and Sirikhand Mahadev, a lake on the southern border of the park. Beside them, nearby places to this park is also worth-watching. For instance,

Kullu: It is a beautiful valley set amidst the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, famous for its annual Dussehra festival, handicrafts, and ancient temples. While your trip to this national park, do visit the exhilarating beauties of Kullu town.

Best Time To Visit:
The ideal time to visit the park is summer season that is April to June. Even tourists can visit it from September to November as during this time period animals start their seasonal migration to lower altitudes. Avoid the monsoon season from July to August and winter season from December to March as during this time you can face several inconveniences like road blockage.

Activities To Do:
Great Himalayan National Park is a paradise for both nature lovers and trekkers. It is ideal destination for several activities that enables the visitors to come closer to nature. Some of the popular activities in which tourists can indulge themselves are

Trekking: Trekking is the most popular activity in this park. The hilly terrains and vast forests of the park are best for trekking. It helps the visitors to explore each and every corner of this picture-perfect place. Some of the popular trek inside the park include Sainj Valley Trek ( 66 km, 41 miles and moderate), Sainj Tirthan Valley Trek ( 85 km, 52.81 miles and moderate to strenuous), Jiva Nala to Parvati River Valley ( 110 km, 68.35 miles and difficult), Tirthan Valley trek ( 92 km, 57.16 miles and moderate to strenuous) and lastly Raktisar (92 km, 57.16 miles and moderate to strenuous).

Camping: Lack of staying options within the boundary of park, provides an excellent opportunity to do camping amidst the serene beauty of nature. Camping helps the tourists to peep into wild world from a close point.

Hotels and Wildlife Resorts:
There is very limited options for accommodation within the park. Some huts for the patrolling staffs are available in the park. Tourists can either stay in them or have to carry own tents for camping.

Other accommodation options outside the park include the Range office complex at Sai Ropa which is located 5 km before Gushaini and has a forest rest house. There are no luxury hotels and wildlife resorts built nearby to this park.

How To Reach There:
By Road: To reach Great Himalayan National Park, tourists has to take eastern divergence at Aut on the Kullu-Manali Highway which is 45 km (27.96 miles) from Manali and 30 km (18.64 miles) from Kullu. From Largi which is 4-km(2.49 miles) from Aut, two routes, one along the Sainj Nala, motorable till Neuli (26-km, 16.15 miles) and the other along Tirthan Nala, motorable up to Gushaini (28-km,17.39 miles) lead to the park. The rest of the park has to be covered on foot as no mule or horse transport is allowed.

By Rail: Joginder Nagar is the closest narrow gauge railhead to Kullu, which is positioned at a distance of 95 km ( 59.03 miles). Chandigarh is the nearest broad gauge railway head to Kullu.

By Air: The nearest airport to this park is at Bhuntar, which is 10 km( 6.21 miles) away from Kullu town. Bhuntar airport receives regular flights from various airports of India.


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Bodhi Day Festival

The famous Bodhi Day Festival is observed as the day of enlightment of Siddartha Gautama. It is celebrated on 8th day of the 12th lunar month, and is ceremonized annually on 8th of December in Japan and other countries. According to mythology, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices, he then decides to sit under a Pipal tree and meditate until he found the root of suffering, and a way to liberate one's self from it. It is a buddhist holiday and followers generally spend their day praying, meditating and listening to preachings of Lord Buddha.

In The Longer Discourse of Saccaka (MN 36), the Buddha describes his Enlightenment in three stages:

During the first watch, the Buddha discovered all of his past lives in the cycle of rebirth, realizes that he had been born and reborn countless times before.

As the second watch progresses, the Buddha discovered the Law of Karma and the importance of living by the Eightfold Path.

By the end of third watch, the Buddha discovered the Four Noble Truths, finally reaching Nirvana.

Agra Tourism Guide

Agra is located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on the banks of Yamuna river. In the year 1506, Sultan Sikandar Lodhi has moved the capital from Delhi to Agra. Agra is a prominent destination of the world heritage sites in India. The best suited months to visit the place is in October, November, February and March, when the temperature of the place varies between 16-25 C.

The place is having the three world famous sites like- Taj Mahal which is counted in the seven wonders of the world, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's Tomb, Jama Masjid of Agra. Among all of them Taj Mahal has always been the special attraction for the tourists from the abroad and India. It is counted in the Seven Wonders of the World and is also ranked in the three World Heritage sites.

Taj Mahal has been completed in the year 1653 and was built by the Mughal King Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal has been made in the perfectly symmetrical order which took around 22 years and 20,000 workers to build. The monument has been finished with the marble which makes it more fascinating and beautiful. Taj Mahal has always been considered as the best example of Mughal Architecture and it also combines Indian, Persian and Islamic style of art. The World Heritage Sites has explained the site as the monument as the 'jewel of the Muslim art'.

The second major tourist attraction of the place is the Fatehpur Sikri which is situated at almost 37 kms away from the city Agra and is predominantly built by the Red Sandstone. It is also believed to be the best example of the Mughal architectural work. At Fatehpur Sikri the major attraction is the sunset and that site is cherished by all the visitors from all over the globe. The best example of the Hindu and Muslim architecture is the Fatehpur Sikri. The primary attraction of the monument is the Diwan-ae-aam, Diwan-ae-khas, Turkish Sultana's House, the treasury house, palace of Jodha Bai, Birbal's Palace, Panch Mahal, The Jami Masjid,
Buland Darwaza.

The third special attraction of the city is the Agra Fort accredited as UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is named by many names like Lal Quila, Fort Rouge and the Red Fort of Agra. It is located about 2.5 km northwest from the famous Taj Mahal. The great Mughal kings like Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Aurangzeb and Shah Jahan lived here in Agra fort. At the time of Mughal Agra Fort was visited by the famous foreigner ambassadors who traveled to the country and who also participated in creating the history in India.

Other places,near to Agra where the visitors would like to visit could be the famous Bharatpur popular for Koladeo Ghana National Park, also known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Its basically loved by the bird lovers.

Next can by Gwalior, center for the Scindia rulers is around 118 kms away from Agra. There is a huge fort of the Scindia's are located there in the Gwalior city.

An individual can preferably, visit Mathura, considered as the birthplace of the Lord Krishna. It is the pilgrimage site of the Hindus. The central pilgrimage site is the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple. It is situated at around 58 kms away from Agra.

Vrindavan located near to Agra and is believed to be the sacred destination to visit for Hindus. The place is related to the life of the Lord Krishna. It is around 57 kms away from the Agra.