Tripura Sundari Temple - It Has A Quadrangle Formed Hut With A Sharp Dome

TRIPURA SUNDARI TEMPLE 

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AGARTALA

Tripura Sundari Temple is situated about 67 kms from Agartala. This temple is also known as Matabari and located in the ancient capital, Udaipur on the top of hillock Dhanisagar in the middle of the 16th century.

 The deity is Goddess Kali.

This is one of the 51 Pithas mentioned in the Tantras. The temple is served by red robed priests and is the location of the large fair during Diwali festival in October-November.

Beyond this age-old temple there is a big tank called Dhani Sagar, the abode of old tortoises, sacred to pilgrims for food offerings.

It is said that when any of these wise tortoises is to die, it approaches the altar of the temple and breathes its last.The temple has a square shaped sanctum that resembles to typical Bengali hut with a conical dome.

 It was constructed in 1501 by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya Debbarma. The temple has two identical images of the deity which is known as Tripura Sundari (5 feet tall) and Chhotima (2 feet tall).

The temple structure is also known as Kurma Pitha as the temple premises resembles kurma or tortoise.

Durga puja is celebrated joyously in Tripura Sundari temple.

Every year during Diwali, a popular fair is organized near the temple which is visited by lakhs of pilgrims.

People come here to take bathe in the fish-filled tank which is located near the temple.

Fairs are also held on the occasion of ‘Uttarayan Sankranti’ and ‘Shiva –Chaturdashi’.

Daily, the goddess is offered with ‘anna-bhog’ (rice). Besides this, various types of seasonal fruit is also offered to the goddess.

By Air

 The closest airport is at Agartala from where temple can be reached by road.

By Train

The nearest rail head is Kumarghat which is 140 km from Agartala. From here buses and taxis are available to reach the temple.

By Road

 The temple is located at 55 km from Agartala, the capital of Tripura. It is well connected by all towns of Tripura. The nearby bus stand is Matabari.

Wild Planet Resort – It Is Amidst And Surrounded By The Hill Tea Plantation

WILD PLANET RESORT 

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NILGIRIS 

Devala is located in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu state of India.Wild Jungle resort is located at Devala-(The Chirapunji of South India), in the Nilgiris, the border of Wayanad hills and Mudumalai tiger reserve.

Wild Planet Resort is an intimate, secluded, luxurious resort located in the middle of a dense rain forest. Nestled in the natural beauty of the wilds, Wild Planet Jungle resort is located at Devala-(The Chirapunji of South India), in the Nilgiris, the border of Wayanad hills and Mudumalai tiger reserve.

 It is an iconic Indian retreat, set in 100 acres of land which is hidden inside the secluded 3300 square kilometers of tropical rain forest in the midst of Nilgiris mountain range- the meeting point of Eastern and Western Ghats.

Built on family owned land about 1300m above sea level, this hill station is renowned for its coffee, tea and pepper plantations. Mountains and forests combine to create numerous outback trails, trekking routes and opportunities for other adventure sports.

Wild Planets mission is to share this unique part of the world, while maintaining respect for the natural environment and challenging accepted notions of luxury. Dedicated to environmentally conscious hospitality, Wild Planet Jungle resort is no ordinary tourist destination!

Our Hill Top Cottages are spacious (650 sq. each) and luxuriously done accommodations. The cottages are atop a hillock in the middle of a tea plantation providing a green blanket on the slopes. The balcony overlooks the surrounding rain forest and the Nilgiri mountain range, as far as the eye can see.

The resort has various activities available for you to enjoy at the resort including outdoor games like Badminton, Basket Ball, Archery and indoor games like Pool, Table Tennis, Caroms and other board games.

 We offer a free nature walk inside the property and trekking options are also available for those who want to refresh themselves amid nature. We can arrange for fishing in a pond inside the property. Also we do arrange for day trips to nearby sightseeing places like Mudumalai wild life sanctuary, Bandipur, Ooty and Wayanad.

By Air

Nearest airport is Calicut, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Mysore.

By Train

- Nearest railway station is Calicut, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Mysore.

By Road

Bangalore – Mysore – Gundalpet – Bandipur – Gudalur – Devala – Wild Planet (260 KM)

Calicut – Thamarassery – Chundale – Meppadi – Devala – Wild Planet (125 KM)

Coimbatore -Mettupalayam – Ooty – Gudalur – Devala – Wild Planet (160 KM)

Cochin – Thrissur – Perinthalmanna – Nilambur – Devala – Wild Planet (238 KM)

Mangalore – Kasargod – Taliparamba – Iritty – Manathavady – Ambalavayal – Devala – Wild Planet (312 KM).

Devala,

Between Wayanad Hills & Mudumalai Tiger Reserve,

Nilgiris, Kerala – Tamil Nadu Border, South India.

Khangchendzonga National Park Has Been Declared As A World Heritage Site By UNESCO

Sikkim's Khangchendzonga National Park is India's newest entry in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

Here's a proud moment for every Indian. More so for those who love to travel.

The Khangchendzonga National Park, a lesser-known destination in Sikkim, has been declared has a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This is for the first time that any Indian destination has been under the Mixed criteria of UNESCO's heritage sites list, thus recognising the outstanding universal values for its both natural and cultural significance.

Located  at the heart of the Himalayan range in Sikkim, the Park is home to dozens of lofty mountain peaks, 18 glaciers, lakes, waterfalls and some unique flora and fauna.

A favourite among trekkers, this place has a unique biodiversity that includes an interesting mix of wildlife species and the presence of plains, valleys, lakes, glaciers and spectacular, snow-capped mountains covered with ancient forests, including the world's third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga.

Besides, the National Park is highly regarded by the state's local population because of several mythological stories that are associated with the caves, rivers, lakes, forests and other natural elements in this place.

The UNESCO designation not only adds prestige to the park, but also entitles it to financing from the World Heritage Fund.

"The UNESCO recognition will give a further push to eco-tourism in our state, while also helping us to regulate the high influx of visitors to more popular destinations with only a minimal negative impact of tourism," said Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling.

"This is important since tourist arrivals to our state more than doubled to 38,479 in 2015 and our target is around 12 lakh visitors by 2025," he said in a statement.

"At the same time, while there are no major developmental projects like roads or buildings within the Khangchendzonga National Park, tourism associated with the protected park provides local communities with substantial incomes," said the Chief Minister.

"As a result, there has been significant improvement in living conditions, especially at Pelling, Yuksom, Gangtok and Ravangla. Tourism-related activities like running pack animals, portering, guiding and lodge management have become major economic activities."

"The park has 18 sub-forest types. It has a large diversity of species of higher plants (1,580), mammals (124) and birds (300). There is no other protected area found in the Indian Himalaya with such variety of sub-forest types and species diversity," an official said.

The park is home to the red panda, snow leopard, great Tibetan sheep and musk deer. The birds include black-necked crane, grey peacock pheasant, Himalayan monal pheasant, Sikkim's state bird blood pheasant, Tibetan snow cock and Himalayan snow cock.

What is also unique about its eco-system is that it has permanently snowcapped mountains, glaciers, high altitude lakes, grasslands, cold deserts and varied forest types. Consequently, the floral and fauna is also diverse and a delight for visitors.

It has 20 peaks above 6,000 metres--11 between 6,000 to 7,000 metres, eight between 7,000 to 8,000 metres and one above that. And that is Mount Khangchendzonga (also called Kanchenjunga), which towers at 8,586 metres and is the third highest in the world.

The park also has religious significance. Sikkim is presented in Buddhism as a "hidden land" and as per scriptures, what now constitutes the park is the sanctum sanctorum, where religious masters have hidden religious texts and treatises marked for discovery in later times.

Officials explained that these hidden treasures, known as "ters", are destined to be discovered by ter-tons, literally treasure revealers, from the sacred spots littered across the park. This has ensured that the sacred places are not defiled, thereby sustaining preservation.

Kerala Tourism Decided To Attract More Tourists

Kerala Tourism's upcoming plans are just too good to be true.

Kerala Tourism has come up with new and exciting initiatives to attract more tourists. Eco-Adventure, Project Muziris--aimed to reinstate the historical and cultural significance of the legendary port of Muziris and promoting Kerala as a MICE and wedding destination are on the priority list of the tourism board.

Eco-adventure tour packages to attract young vacationers and packages focused on the hills and forests of the Western Ghats will be part of the tourism scheme. There are also plans for commissioning chartered flights and exploring possibilities of charter trains and tourist bogies in trains from major Indian markets.

U V Jose, director of Kerala Tourism says, "Our main objective is to promote newly started initiatives. From picture perfect landscapes and exciting getaways to rich culture and heritage, the State has a lot to showcase, not to forget the delectable cuisine, music and art."

Nanda Kumar, deputy director of Kerala tourism adds, "We are promoting Kerala tourism in metro cities every year. We are also planning to campaign this in small villages and cities like Lucknow, Nagpur, Patna and Ahmedabad."

Kerala tourism also plans to open new hotels and resorts to cater to the increasing footfall of tourists.

Malabar tourism will also be promoted in a big way along with the Spice Route.

Muziris Heritage Project Has Now Been Developed Into A Tourism Site By Kerala Toursim

Muziris: Kerala's new heritage site for tourists

History has always been written by the victors, and the victors have always been the good ones. Or that is what the history books claim. None of us have lived to see what really happened -- that's the bitter truth about any recorded history till date. But, that is not the only factor which keeps a region's history wrapped in a cloak of mysteries and half-baked truths. There are places that ceased to exist with the passage of time and reappeared only when historians unearthed them centuries later.

One such place is the Muziris Heritage site. Located in the Malabar Coast of Kerala, Muziris used to be an important seaport way back in the 1st century BC, or even earlier. Overlooking the Arabian Sea, this prosperous city-port at the mouth of the Periyar river held the key to India's spice trade with the Persians, the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Roman Empire, among others. Muziris was impossible to ignore, until a major natural calamity in the 14th century caused a major transformation to the water bodies of the Periyar river basin, wiping off the entire port region from the country's map.

A series of excavations made by Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) in the years 2007 and 2008, unearthed valuable information on the Muziris location. Years of findings and research ever since, has brought back 3,000 years of history to the fore. The Muziris Heritage Project has now been developed into a tourism site by the Kerala Tourism department and will be formally inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on February 27.

The project is an effort to conserve and showcase the cultural heritage of the place. The Muziris Heritage Project is spread across the modern-day Ernakulam and Thrissur districts of Kerala. The Kerala Tourism website says the phase of the project covers "two municipalities viz. Kodungalloor and Paravoor and eight panchayats viz. Chendamangalam, Chittattinkara, Vadakkekara, Pallippuram, S.N.Puram, Eriad and Methala. More areas will be included in the next phase."

With excavated artefacts displayed in a museum, and several monuments restored, the project aims to educate tourists, students and locals about the rich cultural heritage of the region. Through various recreations and displays, the project will provide a detailed glimpse into the bygone era by showcasing the various shades of people's lifestyle at the time, including a display of their attire, ways of trading through the barter system, festivals they celebrated, the kind of food they had, and a lot more.

Since Muziris was an important centre of trade between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, people from various countries, including the Egyptians, Arabs, Chinese, Romans and Greeks settled in this place over the years. This led to the building of forts, churches, palaces and other architectural marvels, that together form a part of the built heritage of Muziris. Given below is the list of monuments you can see in this place:

·         The Holy Cross Church

·         Marthoma Smruthi Tharangam

·         Paravur Jewish Synagogue

·         Pattanam Excavation Site

·         Kottayil Kovilakom

·         Vypeekotta Seminary

·         Chennamangalam Jewish Synagogue

·         Paliam Dutch Palace

·         Paliam Nalukettu

·         Gothuruthu

·         Kottappuram Fort

·         Cheraman Parambu

·         Kizhthali Siva Temple

·         Thiruvanchikulam Mahadeva Temple

·         Cheraman Juma Masjid

·         Kodungalloor Bhagavathi Temple

·         Abdul Rahman Sahib's House

·         Marthoma Pontifical Shrine

·         Pallippuram Fort

·         The Azheekal Sree Varaha temple

·         The Manjumatha church

·         Kottapuram market - a model of a rural market

·         Kottakkavu church - place of religious importance

·         The Kodungalloor temple vibrant with rituals