Attuvela Mahotsavam

ATTUVELA MAHAOTSAVAM

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KERALA

Attuvela Mahotsavam, according to legends, is a ceremony to welcome the Goddess of Kodungalloor who comes to visit her sister, the Goddess of Elamkavu.

Spanning over two days, this grandiose procession starts from Attuvela Kadavu, 2 km away from the Elankavu Bhagavathy temple which is located at Vadayar village in the Kottayam district in Kerala. It is dedicated to the Goddess and is celebrated in the ‘Meenam’ month of the Malayalam calendar which falls during March-April in the Gregorian calendar.

Kerala’s temple festivals are well known for their elephant displays and loud percussion. However, the Attuvela Mahotsavam, is unusually serene and delightfully quiet. The hordes of decorated small canoes accompanied by traditional temple music create a divine spectacle like the Goddess herself has descended to glide through the river waters to unite with her sister.

A visual treat for the all the visitors, Kerala’s Attuvela Mahotsavam attracts thousands of people every year, and rightfully so!

Nearest railway station: Ernakulam, about 30 km away

Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 50 km away

CHARMINAR AT HYDERABAD

CHARMINAR 

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HYDERABAD

In the late 16th century, this monument was erected to celebrate the end of a plague. Now, it is one of Hyderabad’s most famous landmarks.The Charminar is a pride of the 400-year-old glorious city. This monument of Hyderabad has extreme historical and social significance. Literally meaning the four spires, Charminar is a four-storied structure with a mosque.

The Charminar is a square structure with four imposing towers with each side measuring 20 meters in length. Each side of the square has a towering domed minaret. The height of the minarets is 48.7 meters. Each of the four minarets is four storeyed. The well-known mosque here is known as Makkah Masjid

Built in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the Charminar is synonymous with the glorious city of Hyderabad. It was built to commemorate the eradication of the plague that had struck the region. It is believed that when the plague struck, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah prayed that he would build a mosque as soon as the plague was wiped out. This mosque is popularly known as the Charminar for its four imposing minarets

The monument is divided into four floors. Climb the 149 steps to the top floor. At one end of the open roof is a mosque, which has 45 extra prayer spaces to accommodate the crowds that come for mass prayer on Fridays. From the top floor you can enjoy the peaceful ambiance and panoramic views of the bustling city below.

Huge arches support the monument on the ground level. Peer through to a pond on one side and markets on the other

BY TRAIN

The nearest railway station to charminar is secunderabad jn train station which is 6 km away from Charminar

BY AIR

The nearest airport to Charminar is rajiv gandhi international airport , hyderabad which is 14 km away from Charminar

By Road

 Hyderabad is well connected to other major Indian cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Warangal, Pune among others by National Highways. The city shall be a part of the North-South Corridor

Entry fee:  Rs.5/per person for Indians
                          Rs.100per person for foreigners

Timings:     All days of the week
                           9:30 AM - 5:30 PM

FOOD FESTIVAL AT GOA

Foodies have much to rejoice with Goa's popular annual food and cultural festival scheduled to take place from April 6 to 10 at the D B ground, Campal, Panaji. Foodies have much to rejoice with Goa's popular annual food and cultural festival scheduled to take place from April 6 to 10 at the D B ground, Campal, Panaji. Foodies have much to rejoice with Goa's popular annual food and cultural festival scheduled to take place from April 6 to 10 at the D B ground, Campal, Panaji. Foodies have much to rejoice with Goa's popular annual food and cultural festival scheduled to take place from April 6 to 10 at the D B ground, Campal, Panaji. Panaji: Foodies have much to rejoice with Goa's popular annual food and cultural festival scheduled to take place from April 6 to 10 at the D B ground, Campal, Panaji

FOOD FESTIVAL 

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GOA

Food and Cultural Festival Goa

Goa is a land of varied festivals and events. To taste the real flavor of Goa, you should visit the state during the days when the food and cultural festival is celebrated in the state. The food and cultural festival in Goa is celebrated annually over a period of 5 days and offers an excellent insight into the culture of Goa.

Goa is known widely for its variety of inventive and mouth watering culinary specialties that satisfy the tastes of tourists from all parts of the globe. The Goan cuisines are a delicate combination of western and authentic Indian culinary traditions. If you are a person who enjoys seafood, the food and cultural festival of Goa will be an ideal time to plan your Goa vacation. Fresh catches from the sea are presented in the form of various tantalizing preparations. Also enjoy a wide range of meat and vegetarian delicacies that will leave you craving for more

The entertainment programme will also include local talent with music bands, singers and performances by both popular and folk artists. A fashion show by renowned Goan fashion designer Verma D’mello will also take place during the festival. The festival will be held at the Dayanand Bandodkar football Ground,Campal,Panaji.

SAIBABA PUTTAPARTHI

PRASANTHI NILAYAM

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PUTTAPARTHI

Bangalore is the nearest metro at about 120 kilometres from the Sai Baba Ashram. Satyanarayana Raju was born on November 23, 1926 in Puttaparthi, an obscure village in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. He is said to have shown prodigious talents and unusual purity and compassion from an early age. His apparently supernatural abilities initially caused some concern to his family, who took him to Vedic doctors, eventually to be exorcised. Having been pronounced to be possessed by the divine rather than the diabolical, at the age of fourteen he calmly announced that he was the new incarnation of Sai Baba, a saint from Shirdi in Maharashtra who died eight years before Satya was born.

Gradually his fame spread, and a large group of followers grew. In 1950, the ashram was inaugurated and a decade later Sai Baba was attracting international attention. Through his miraculous powers, including the ability to materialize vibhuti or the sacred ash, with curative properties, Sai Baba has millions of devotees worldwide, a considerable number of who turn out for his birthday celebrations in Puttaparthi, where he delivers a message to his devotees.

Today, millions from all over the world, professing various faiths and hailing from all walks of life, worship Bhagavan Baba as an ‘Avatar’, and the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi. Thousands gather every day at Prasanthi Nilayam, His spiritual headquarters established beside the village of Puttaparthi, for His darshan  when He moves among devotees, blessing them and uplifting them by providing spiritual succour and solace.

His formula for humanity to lead a meaningful life is the five-fold path of:

Sathya (Truth),

Dharma (Righteousness),

Shanthi (Peace),

Prema (Love), and

Ahimsa (Non-Violence

By Road

The govt buses are available to Puttaparthi from all major cities in Andhra Pradesh regularly. Super deluxe buses make regular trips to Puttaparthi from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai

By Rail

It is located at a distance of about 8 km away from the Ashram and is linked to major cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Vizag, Hyderabad, Bhubeneshwar and New Delhi. Dharmavaram is the nearest main railhead near Puttaparthi.

By Air

The Puttaparthi town boasts of a domestic airport called the Sri Satya Sai Airport, which is just 4 km away from the Ashram. The airport is well inked to major cities which include Chennai and Mumbai. The Bangalore International airport is the closest international airport and is located almost 131 km from Puttaparthi  

Ashram schedule

Time	Activity
5.10 a.m.	Aumkar, Meditation and Suprabhatham
5.40 a.m.	Veda Chanting and Nagar Sankeertan (Circumambulating the Mandir)
6.30 a.m. - 07.30 a.m.	Pooja inside the Bhajan Hall (Entry for Devotees will start at 06.25 a.m.)
8.00 a.m. - 9.00 a.m.	Veda Chanting
9.00 a.m. - 9.30 a.m.	Bhajans
9.30 a.m. - 10.30 a.m.	Darshan of Bhagawan’s Mahasamadhi and Prayer Hall
5.00 p.m. - 5.45 p.m.	Veda Chanting
5.45 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.	Bhajans
6.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m.	Darshan of Bhagawan’s Mahasamadhi
6.30 p.m. - 6.40 p.m	Meditation for Overseas Devotees in Prayer Hall

MARINA BEACH

MARINA BEACH

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CHENNAI

India’s largest beach happens to be Chennai’s Marina Beach which extends from Fort St. George to Besant Nagar. One of the best places to visit in Chennai for viewing a spectacular sun rise, this sandy delight is lined by palm trees on one side. An old light house stands on the southern end of Marina along with several other structures including an aquarium, a swimming pool and a park. With food stalls, rides on ponies, kite flying and beach games to entertain you, a visit to here must be included on your trip to this city.

Marina beach is among the prime tourist attraction of Chennai city. Marina Beach is situated in the eastern area of the city on the sea shores of Bay of Bengal.

The famous Marina Beach, the pride of Chennai, is second longest beach in the world and has a wide sandy foreshore. One can see statues of heroes from Tamil culture to Samadhi of great leaders like Anna and MGR here. Walk along the Marina in the evening to cool off and eat crispy sundal and murukku. An aquarium is also located on the Marina Beach

In the evening Marina beach turned into over crowded picnic spots with many food stalls and a large number of young and children busy with many beach side games

Air Travel / Nearest Airport : 

Chennai city have Kamaraj Domestic Airport and the Anna International Airport situated at Tirusulam, about 20 km from the city heart and have regular flights

Road Travel / Bus Route : 

Chennai have very excellent and effective web of roads. Regular bus service is there for and from various cities in the state and nearby inter state destinations.

Train Journey / Nearest Railway Station : 

Chennai city have two railway stations namely Chennai Central and Egmore and connected with all major travel destinations of the country by wide range of rail network and number of regular express and super fast trains