Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad

Sabarmati Ashram, also known as Harijan Ashram or Satyagraha Ashram, is situated on the bank of river Sabarmati in Ahemdabad. Basically the Ashram was established at the Kocharab Bunglow of JivanLal Desai on 25th May 1915. Later on it was shifted to the banks of Sabarmati river. Mahatma Gandhi stayed in this Ashram during pre-independence period from 1915-1933.

Set in the calm environment, surrounded by green shady trees, was the best suitable place for Gandhi and his followers to carry on their constructive activities such as cow breeding, Khadi, animal husbandry etc. Ashram was also best suited place for the moderates group organized to help in securing freedom for the country.

Ashram is witness to many historical events. 'Hridaya Kunj', holds a great historic importance, where visitors can find the things which were used by Gandhi such as writing desk, a khadi kurta, a yarn spun by him. An old Ashram guest house known as 'Nandini' is on the right hand side of the Hridaya Kunj, where guest from within country and abroad were put up. 'Upasana Mandir' is an open-air prayer ground where Gandhiji attended all the members of the Ashram individually and gave solutions to their problems.

The most important feature of the Ashram is a museum, divided into five sections- Office, two photo galleries, library and an auditorium. The museum displays Gandhiji's quotations, letters and his other personal relics. “My life is my Message” gallery consists of eight life size paintings and more than 250 photo enlargements of some historic events of Gandhi's life. The library owns nearly 35,000 books dealing with the subjects related to Gandhi's life experiences, teachings and Indian freedom movement.

An archive consists of 34,117 letters written to and from Gandhiji, manuscripts of his 8,781 articles appearing in Harijan, Harijansevak, and Harijanbandhu and about 6,000 photographs of Gandhiji and his associates. It also stores 134 reels of microfilms of his writings and 210 films on Gandhi and the freedom struggle.

The Ashram has preserved the photographs, paintings, voice-records, films and personal belongings of the great freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi. Light show on the life of Gandhi is held in the open garden of the Ashram at 5 pm. The duration of the show is 45 minutes.

Sabarmati Ashram serves as an important tourist spot as it reflects the spirit of the Gandhian way of life.


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MATHURA AND VRINDAVAN

Once your tour to the historical sites of Agra is complete you can now get ready to explore a different and more mythological side to Indian history by visiting the holy lands of Mathura and Vrindavan which lend an intimate connection to the sacred Hindu Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Shri Krishna was born in Dwapar Yuga as the eighth son of Yadav prince Vasudev and Devki and to save him from being killed by his Maternal Uncle Kansa, he was sent to Vrindavan, a village in Braj where he grew up to kill Kansa in the tender care of his foster parents Nand and Yashoda.

Mathura is located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh at a distance of 145 km from south-east of Delhi and 58 km north-west of Agra.

Vrindavan which is just 15 kms from Mathura was a place where Shri Krishna did all his leelas and his characteristic playful preachings. Its in Vrindavan where Shri Krishna or Kanha as he was fondly called, did all his rasleelas and woed his childhood sweetheart Radha, who is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu's wife.

Both Mathura and Vrindavan still reverberate the feel of Lord Krishna's presence and the enchanting sound of his flute. It is said in Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, an important hindu sanskrit scripture, that Mathura and Vrindavan are the constant abodes of the Lord on Earth. It is also said that those who offer prayers to Lord Krishna in these sacred cities, they get purified and reach the Lord when they die.

One can also find prevalence of Buddhist monastries in Mathura which were constructed under the reignsof Ashoka, the Mauryan emperor who ruled India in the third 3rd century B.C. The city was an important center of art and culture during that time.







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Rishikesh Tourism Guide

Literally meaning 'The Place of Sages', this place very elegantly and delicately balances the rich religious heritage that it holds for years and the brand it has achieved as an adventure traveller's dream destination today among the youth.

Without any pomp or show it presents many colours India is famous for, one of them being Yoga. It is today known as the Yoga Capital of the World. Yet the most important stature of the place is achieved from the religious flavors it presents. Rishikesh is situated at a distance of 28 kms from Haridwar on the way to Badrinath in the state of Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal). It is located at a distance of about 245 kms from Delhi, it is spanning in an area of just 11 km sq.The journey of char dhams which are of a special significance for a Hindu Pilgrim starts from this place.

It is a land of ashrams most of which impart spiritual knowledge about wholesome well-being. Paremarth Niketan, Sivananda Ashram, Yoga Niketan, Omkaranand Ashram, Vanprastha Ashram, Vithal Ashram, meditation center and yoga study centers are sohrams in Rishikesh offering tremendous learning opportunities and a soulful experience.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The important touches of this place in the Indian history makes it worth a visit to have a spiritual enlightment. It is here that Lord Rama's brother Bharat did heavy penance at a landmark place called Bharat temple. One of the most admired and followed religious leaders, Adi Shankaracharya visited Rishikesh in the 9th century AD.

KAILASH ASHRAM

Kailash Ashram Brahmavidyapeetham is an institute offering Vedantic Studies since around 120 years.

TRIVENI GHAT

Triveni Ghat is a holy spot where streams of three important rivers of India meet namely Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati and at this point pilgrims bathe in the sacred waters to purify their souls. It is at this place where pind shraadh is performed for the ancestors' souls.

RISHIKUND

Rishikund is a pond adjacent to the Triveni Ghat which is said to be saturated by Goddess Yamuna. The Raghunath temple stands near the Rishikund which devoted to the hindu Lord Rama and his wife, Sita.

GEETA BHAVAN

Geeta Bhavan was constructed by Geeta Bhavan Trust, Gorakhpur. This temple has verses of Geeta and Ramayana inscribed on its walls. The trust's goal is to imbibe normal and spiritual knowledge among people. It is a place where tranquility resides.


LAKSHMAN JHOOLA

Lakshman Jhoola is a very famous sight 7km north of Rishikesh. It is a suspended bridge made of rope across the river Ganga connecting Rishikesh and Tapovan, constructed in 1929.It was a bridge without pillar support till 1889 but now it is rebuilt with iron-pillars. It is said that Shri Lakshman, Hindu Lord Rama's brother had done penance at this place since he had killed a Brahmin.



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City Palace of Jaipur (Rajasthan)

Commemorating the signature of the royal residence is the scintillating beauty of Jaipur city located in the heart of the pink city. Built by the founder of the city, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727 AD, it covers almost one-seventh of the city. The grandness and innate beauty of the Palace gives a royal treat to the eyes as soon as one ingresses into the palace and represents a concoction of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles of architecture.

The behemoth structure is a repository of all that you wanted to have a glance to know the lifestyles of the royals of the walled city. The two entrance gates, one from the Jaleb Chawk and other from the Tripola gate, take us to the wide-spanning areas of gardens palaces and courtyards.

The first courtyard that we see as soon as we enter the Tripola Gate is the Mubarak Mahal or 'the auspicious palace' as the name suggests. It acted as a reception center for the visitors during the reign of the royals. Built by Maharaj Madho Singh II in the late 19th century,embraces an information center or library and an office in the ground floor. On the second floor one can find the textile museum showcasing excuisite Indian textile ranging from the Royalwear to the Pashmina and the Benarasi silk.

The Diwan-e-Aam or the house of the commons, brandished with crystal chandeliers and colorfully painted ceilings epitomizes the Mughal style of architecture. It is entered through another gate near the Mubarak Mahal. This part of the complex manifests an extensive Art Gallery exhibiting miniature copies of Hindu scripts like the Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana and ancient fictions together with Rajasthani, Mughal and Persian miniature paintings, palanquins and elephant saddles or howdas. The famed Muslim author Abul Fazl' version of the Mahabharata known as Razmnamah is also carefully preserved here.

To the north-west of the city palace complex is the seven-storied Chandra Mahal where the current royal Maharaja of Jaipur and his family still resides. It also houses the Sawai Man Singh II Museum which was earlier called the 'Maharaja of Jaipur Museum', at the ground and the first floor with rare enamelware, wall frescos, carpets, mirror-work and weaponry including guns and gun-powder, belt swords, scissor action daggers, pistols and canons, poison-tipped blades that were used by the Royal Maharajas or kings.

The third floor of the Chandra Mahal comprises of the resiting and dining area of the palace which is aptly called 'Sukh Mahal'. On the fourth floor is the Shobha Niwas which actualizes the hall of beauty of the palace with its ornate mirrorwork and the gold-leaf decorations. The fifth floor is named the Chavi Niwas which means the 'hall of images'. It has white and blue colored walls and a reflecting-polished floor. It acted as the idiol retreat for the Maharajas.

The topmost floor or the crown of the palace is aptly known as the Mukut Palace which gives a panoramic view of the lush royal gardens, wide sprung courtyards and the rugged hills from its mirrored-ceilings.

Opposite to the Chandra Mahal is the Bada Mahal, Govind ji temple and the Jai Niwas garden consisting of a series of fountains keeping the area cool and look palacial. This style of having a garden and fountains overlooking the main building. Is also a signature style of mughal architecture.

One can even enjoy shopping in the bustling bazaars from where one can take back the fragrance of the Rajasthani culture in the form of silver jewelery, handicraft works, precious and semi-precious stones, ethnic ware, foot wares and loads of other interesting stuff.

The City Palace is opened everyday except public holidays from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm. Deluxe buses, city buses, RTDC buses and private coaches are available on the whole city trip and point to point distance charges as per choice are available.


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Theme Parks in India

Fun and Food village
The theme park is located on old Jaipur highway, Kapashera, Gurgaon. It has two main sections – the Amusement park with 21 Amusement rides and the Water park consists of 22 water slides. The major attractions of the Park are Indoor Snow park and Lazy River which is 400ft long water channel. There is food court and bar within the premise which serves beverages, Indian, continental and Chinese food.

Essel World
Essel World, the largest water theme park, is located near Gorai beach Island in Mumbai. Children's Rides, Adult Rides and Family Rides are the three sections of the rides in Essel World. The famous sites of the park are Ice Skating and Rikis Rocking Alley with six bowling lanes, dance floor and Cafeteria. Food court in the park serves delicious Indian, continental and Chinese food.

Ocean Park
Ocean park is situated on the Gandipat road in Hyderabad. The theme park has two sections – Water park and Amusement park. The Amusement park includes thrilling rides like Peacock ride, Humpty dumpty, fun trooper etc. Get charged with water park rides like Wave pool, Aqua snake, Harakiri etc. The famous site of the park is Super loop ride, the adventurous roller coaster.

Platinum Resorts
Basically the Platinum resorts is a resort cum Amusement park, divided into two sections – the Amusement park offering some exciting rides such as Torra-Torra, Break dance, slides bouncy and many more and the Water park that consist of fun loving rides like Magic twist, wave pool etc. The theme park also offers conference room, 42 A.C rooms, lawn tennis, Gym and multi cuisine restaurant.

Entertainment City
Entertainment City is divided into three sub zones – Kids, Teenager and family zone. The park has more than 30 rides supplied from European manufacturers. It offers a Monorail system to take people to all the four corners of the park. Shopping mall and five star hotel are added advantage of the park. The food court in the premises serves Indian and continental cuisines.

Veegaland Park
Veegalland Park is situated at Pallikkara, 14 km away from Cochin. The park includes many exciting sites such as musical fountain, flower garden, water pool and water slides. Apart from that major attractions of the park are Musical Fountain and The Vintage Castle. It also has excellent assortment of rides like Balarama cave, wonder splash, vintage Tornado etc., thrilling shows and restaurants that serves yummy Indian and continental dishes.

Nikko Park
Nikko park,the green paradise has a scenic beauty consisting of green gardens and rose garden. The park is an entertaining and happening place for both kids and adults, having fun loving rides like Toy train, Cable car, Water coaster, Flying Saucer, Pirate ship and many more. The food court includes mouth watering Indian, Continental and Chinese food items.



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Pushkar Fair in India

India is a country of fairs and festivals. The real picture of the Rajasthani culture can be experienced in the dazzling traditional gathering at Pushkar. People enjoy the traditional musical dance-dramas in Marwari regional language.

Pushkar is one of the famous pilgrimage destination for Hindus, with 400 temples of which the most important are dedicated to Lord Brahma- the creator of the universe. Worshipers crowd into the Brahma temple and offerings are made to the deity. The picturesque holy Pushkar lake is situated in a valley at about 11 km northwest of Ajmer.

Pushkar fair is one of the most popular and colorful fair of the Thar desert. It begins on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi and continues for five days till Kartik Purnima. The fair plays an important role in keeping alive the traditions and culture of Rajasthan. Hoards of people takes an active part in the fair and celebrate it with music and traditional dances.

There is a religious significance behind celebrating the Pushkar festival. On the eve of this fair the Sarovar lake is engulfed with religious fervor, devotees take holy dip in a sacred water of this lake as they believe it will lead to salvation.

The tourists are very much attracted to the folk dances and folk music of Rajasthan. The devotees, musicians, acrobats, folk dancers, traders etc. dressed in bright colors makes the arid desert lively. Apart from this, the camels, horses, cows parade and race are interesting part of the fair. The tug of war is an another interesting part of the fair.

Camel trading is also an important specialty of the Pushkar fair. Camel- traders from far away places gather in Pushkar with their humped beasts. It is world's largest camel fair in which about 25000 are traded.

Finally, after the fulfillment of their spiritual duties and completion of the competition, pilgrims pack their bundle and head home with unforgettable memories and their spirits filled with peace.

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