PINK CITY

PINK CITY 

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JAIPUR

Jaipur is known as the Pink City and on arrival visitors will immediately understand the reasoning behind the name. Every building within the walled historic centre is painted a terracotta “pink” colour and there are few exceptions to this uniformly colour scheme.

The palace is located towards the northeast side of central Jaipur and has many courtyards and buildings. The palace was built between 1729 and 1732 AD by Sawai Jai Singh II. He ruled in Amer and planned and built the outer walls of the palace and later rulers added to the architecture of this palace.

Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II is known to have commissioned work for building the outer wall of the city's complex. He shifted from Amer to Jaipur due to water problems and an increase in population in 1727. He had entrusted the city's architectural design to the chief architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. The architect went on to design the City Palace in accordance with the Vaastushastra texts.

To experience the originality, to experience the traditional touch of the glorious past, your stop should be at old city, famously known as the Pink City, which is famous for magnificent palaces. The founder was Sawai Jai Singh II. To offer cordial welcome to Prince of Wales in 1876, the entire city was painted in pink color, which resembles hospitality. 

You cannot help marvel the architectural brain as the construction of the city was planned on providing excellent ventilation through out. You will love the exclusive artwork in the jewellery. You need to commence your Jaipur tour from Pink City, considered the first planned Indian city

The City Palace is a landmark in Jaipur and is also a very popular tourist hotspot. Apart from the regal architecture, the palace offers a stunning view of the Pink City and also an insight into the rich heritage of a bygone era. The City Palace is a must-see while sightseeing in Jaipur.

By Air

Jaipur also has daily domestic air links with many Indian cities such as Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Goa, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and Indore.

By Train

Indian Railways connects Jaipur from all over the country and is one of the cheapest options. A number of daily trains connect Jaipur to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Agra, Mumbai, Jodhpur, Kota, Alwar and Ajmer. Daily connections are also available for Udaipur, Chittaurgarh, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Kolkata, Jammu, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Kanpur, Roorkee, Haridwar, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur and Bhopal.

Long-distance trains arrive from many other major cities including Lucknow, Allahabad, Benaras, Vadodara, Surat, Nagpur, Bilaspur, Raipur, Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, Goa, Mangalore, Kozhikode and Kochi.

By Bus

There is an excellent bus service between Jaipur to Delhi by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) with buses approximately every half an hour both sides. From Delhi you can board the bus from Bikaner House on Pandara Road next to India Gate. From Jaipur you can board the bus from Narayan Singh Circle or the main Sindhi Camp bus stand. .

SALIM CHISTI

TOMB OF SHEIKH SALIM CHISTI

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FATEHPUR SIKRI

The Tomb of sheikh salim chisti is situated in Fatehpur sikri of North India. Now it is one of the main tourist attractions of India.

The beautiful square marble tomb of Sheikh Salim Chishti is one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India. The mausoleum was built by Akbar as a mark of his respect and reverence for the saint and it was completed in the year 1580-81. Raised on about a meter high platform, there is flight of five steps to reach its entrance porch.

 Elegant marble screens enclose the main tomb building on all sides while the tomb is places in the centre of the main hall with a single semicircular dome. 

The tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti is a white marble structure placed in the middle of a huge sandstone formation. Showcasing excellence in craftsmanship are the jali screens that are intricately carved out of marble. You will be amazed to see the spectacular serpentine brackets that are made to support the broad chajja on four sides. 

Every year, a number of women pray here for a child and tie a thread on thejali windows. When their wish is fulfilled, they come back to express their gratitude to the saint for granting their wish.

Air

 Agra's Kheria airport is situated 6km from the city centre. It is well connected with Delhi (204km-30 minutes flight) and major places in India. Flights are on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Rail

 Agra is a major railway Junction and has several railway stations and connects the city to major places in the north as well as the south. Agra Cantonment Railway station is the main terminal, located southwest of the city.

Road

 Agra is well linked by bus services to other places in the State as well as outside the state and national highways 2,3 and 11 pass through the city. The state transports have deluxe as well as ordinary buses to Delhi (every hour), Jaipur (every half an hour), Lucknow, Gwalior, Jhansi etc from Idgah bus station. For local travel, taxis, tempos, auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available. Bicycles can also be hired on hourly basis.

KALLALAGAR FESTIVAL

KALLALAGAR FESTIVAL

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MADURAI

Chithirai festival of this temple celebrated for ten days is one of the declared festivals of Tamilnadu Government. This festival day is declared as Local Holiday. In chithirai, Lord Kallalagar starts from Alagar kovil in the form of Kallar and reaches Madurai on Pournami (Full Moon day).

Here he steps into river Vaigai in his Horse Vaganam. Lakhs of devotees flock to river Vaigai to see this event. "Ethir Sevai" festival is celebrated on the day before Alagar steps into river Vaigai. It is a tradition for the people of Madurai to welcome Alagar.

As Alagar returns from Vandiyur Dhasavatharam festival is celebrated throughout the night at Ramarayar Mandapam in the Northern part of river Vaigai. After this event Alagar is taken to Mysore Veera Mandapam on decorated Anantharayar Palanquin.

The next morning Alagar in the form of Kallar returns to Alagar kovil in 'Poo Pallakku'(Palanquin decorated with flowers) During this festival, the processional idol of Alagar is taken to Madurai, halting at various places on the way.

 This festival attracts thousands of pilgrims and visitors from South India as well as from other parts of the country.A legend is popular how Alagar, the brother of Meenakshi was unable to attend her marriage in time and how he turned back from the banks of the Vaigai river.

 It is surprising what a strong visible influence this picturesque belief has been left in the environs of Madurai.

By Air
If you are traveling by air, it is very convenient to reach Madurai. The city is well connected to all the major cities of the nation. There are daily flights to Madurai from Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchi and Coimbatore. Madurai Airport is just 10 km away from the city.

By Rail
Madurai falls on the Madurai-Tiruchirappalli-Dindigul-Quilon line. It is an important railway junction of the southern railway, directly connected to Chennai and Tirunelveli via railway lines. The fastest train on the route is the Vaigai Express, a super-fast day train between Chennai Egmore and Madurai. It just takes 7 hours to cover a distance of 495 km.

By Road
Madurai city is well connected to all the parts of South India. There is an excellent bus service at regular intervals, which facilitates comfortable journey. Madurai city has 5 major bus stands, from where you can get bus to most of the cities of Tamil Nadu as well as the neighboring states.

KASI VISWANATH TEMPLE

KASI VISWANATH TEMPLE

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VARANASI

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous temple in Varanasi, also known as the Golden temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva

Kashi Vishwanath temple is located at western bank of River Ganges in the holy city Varanasi. Jyotirlinga in the Kashi Vishwanath temple has an extraordinary and exclusive importance in the religious history of India.

 It attracts devotees from all across the world. The management of the temple was taken under UP Government on 28^th January, 1983. The current temple is constructed by Late Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780.

 A Naubatkhana (in front of the temple) is constructed by the Collector Mohd. Ibrahim Khan in 1785. The two domes of the temple were covered by the gold (offered by the Punjab Kesari Maharaja Ranjeet Singh) in 1839. And the third dome was gold plated by the Ministry of cultures and Religious affairs of Uttar Pradesh Government.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple has most religious importance for the worship in the Hindu religion. Many great Hindu saints (like Adi Sankaracharya, Goswami Tulsidas, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda, Gurunanak etc) had came to the Varanasi to take bath in the holy water of the Gange and for the Darshan of the Jyotirlinga.

It is believed that the one who will take bath (at least once in the lifetime) in the Gange in the holy city Varanasi will get Moksha. True devotees of the Lord Shiva get freedom from the cycle of the death and birth. After death they directly intermingled into the Mahadev. 

People beliefs that the one who decided to end their life at the temple, Lord Shiva himself drive a mantra of freedom in his ear.

Varanasi is easily accessible from all parts of the country. Very well connected by road, rail and air, the City of. offers convenient and comfortable travelling options to and from other cities of India.

By Air

Indian Airlines flies to Babatpur airport which is 22 km. from Varanasi and 30 km. from Sarnath There is a direct daily flight connection between Varanasi and New Delhi. It also connects Varanasi to Delhi, Agra,Khajuraho, Calcutta, Mumbai, Lucknow and Bhuvaneshwar.

By Train

Varanasi is an important and major rail junction. The city is served by trains from all metros and major cities across the country. New Delhi, mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, Gwalior, Meerut, indore, Guwahati, Allahbad, Lucknow, Dehradun… the city has direct rail connections.

By Road

Varanasi is situated on NH2 from Calcutta to Delhi. Various City Like-
New Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Vindhyachal, Patna, Gorkhapur, Nagpur, Sonauli, Azamgarh, Gaya

MAHAVIR JAYANTHI

MAHAVIR JAYANTHI

The religious festival of Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated by the Jain community to commemorate the birth of the Lord Mahavira.

Mahavira was the 24th and the last Tirthankara (enlightened being). He was born in 599 BCE to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. As per legend, the Lord after birth was bathed by the god-king Indra with celestial milk. This ritual marked his birth as the birth of a Tirthankara.

Mahavira, also called as Vardhamana, is regarded as a significant propagator of Jainism, as well as its reformer. 

He preached the philosophy to encourage nonviolence (Ahimsa), truthfulness (Satya), chastity (Bramacharya), non-stealing (Asatya), and simple living (Aparigraha).

Lord Mahavira died in 527 BC at the age of 72 to achieve Moksha or Nirvana. His body was cremated at Pawapuri, which was later on converted into a Jain temple (presently known as Jal Mandir).

Even to this day, nearly 2600 years after the passing away of that great master, this pure and upright tradition of the monks has been maintained.

 Thousands of white clad Sanyasins and Sanyasinis and also nude monks move on foot from place to place throughout the length and breadth of the country, carrying Mahavira's gospel of peace, non-injury and brotherhood among people.