Khjjiar Hill Station – When You Are Here You Feel As To be in switcherland

KHAJJIAR HILL STATION

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CHAMBA

Khajjiar hill station is located in chamba district of Himachal Pradesh state of India. Khajjiar is a popular hill station about 26 km from Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh. One of the 160 places in the world that bear tropical resemblance to Switzerland, Khajjiar is situated at a height of 6500 feet and bestowed with natural beauty and pleasant climate.

Vast expanse of green meadows and dense forests besides vistas of majestic snow-clad Himalayan peaks make Khajjiar a popular destination among tourists. The Khajjiar Lake and Chamera Lake add to the charm of Khajjiar.

Khajjiar is also called the Gulmarg of Himachal Pradesh and serves as the starting point for treks to Chamba, Dalhousie and Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary among others. 

Indeed, trekking is the best way to explore Khajjiar. Zorbing, which involves rolling downhill from inside a plastic ‘zorb’, is a popular recreational activity during April and May. With its exotic flora and fauna, the Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary is a delight for nature lovers and wildlife photographers.

Not much is known about Khajjiar’s history but temples dating back to the 12th century still stand in majestic splendor here. The Khajji Naga Temple is the most sacred shine in Khajjiar. People of Khajjiar generally speak Himachali. However, almost all of them are comfortable with Hindi as well.

Activities at Khajjiar -  

1. Paragliding - Now you can enjoy paragliding at Khajjiar. Like Solang nala, kids can also enjoy small flights within Khajjiar and adults can enjoy the longer flights from surrounding hills, which usually land in Khajjiar. 

2. Horse riding - You can ride around the Khajjiar. There is a proper path defined for horses and this is one of the early & popular activity to enjoy at Khajjiar. The horse owners also tell you few tricks to ride the horse. On the halfway, you feel like controlling the horse on your own :). That's fun !

3. Zorbing - You would see zorbing balls rolling on other side of Khajjiar lake. 

4. Photo shoot in Himachali dress - This is typical activity which is offered in most of the hill stations in Himachal and Kashmir.

5. Interacting with rabbits and getting some photographs clicked - You would find few kids with rabbits. They allow you clicking photographs with these rabbits and charge 10 rs. During tourist season, they may ask 20 rs or so.

6. Enjoy local folk music - There is a gentleman, who sings local songs around the dry lake of Khajjiar. He sings brilliantly and you can find his videos on Youtube.   

By Air

The nearest airport from Khajjar is that of Gaggal in Kangra, situated at a distance of 180 km. Travelers can take a flight till Gaggal airport and from there, board taxis and buses available for reaching Khajjar. After the Gaggal airport, the ones in Jammu and Amritsar are the next best options, especially with their connectivity with the rest of India.

By Train

Pathankot is the nearest railhead for traveling to Khajjar. The place is situated at a distance of 80 km from the hill resort. Almost all the main stations of India are connected with this railway station. Buses and taxis could be boarded to reach Khajjar from Pathakot. Chandigarh and Delhi are two big cities near Khajjar, you can start your journey from.

By Road

Khajjar is well connected with most of the cities of the state with well-developed and sophisticated roads. This place is easily accessible by road and is hardly about one and a half hours driving from Dalhousie and Chamba. Himachal Road Transport Corporation operates bus services, connecting Khajjar with the major cities in and around the state.

Velankanni Church Gearing Up To Receive Lakhs Of Devotees For 11 Days Festival

VELANKANNI FESTIVAL

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NAGAPATINAM

The festival starts on August 29 with the hoisting of the church flag and would end on September 8.

A total of around 800,000 devotees are expected to render their prayers at the basilica Our Lady of Health located in Velankanni – a small town in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu – during the 11 day festival, said an official. The festival starts on August 29 with the hoisting of the church flag and would end on September 8.

“Around seven-eight lakh devotees from different faiths are expected to visit Velankanni church during the festival that starts on August 29. On certain days the number of people will go up to 300,000,” Fr E.J.Thomas, Director, Shrine Media told IANS over phone from Velankanni. He said people from the southern states and also from Maharashtra, Odisha and other states would visit Velankanni during the festival time.

A police official in Velankanni told IANS that security and other arrangements have been made to handle the devotees who congregate in large numbers. “There are open space around the church and crowd management will not be an issue,” the police official added not wanting to be quoted.

According to Thomas, special mass will be held in Tamil, English, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Konkani. During the festival, the church car will be pulled by the devotees.

He said this is the first festival after the renovation of the main shrine. The state-owned transport corporation and Indian Railways have announced special services to handle the additional passenger load to Velankanni from different places.

Chandigarh - Most Well Planned City In The World

As per report of India Times CHANDIGARH is in the most well planned cities in the World

Certainly one of the best cities in India, it is neatly planned and divided into sectors which are nicely connected to one another. Adding to that, every sector has a park and a shopping street with plantations surrounding them.

Chandigarh is the best-planned city in India, with architecture which is world-renowned, and a quality of life, which is unparalleled. As the capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh it is a prestigious city. The face of modern India, Chandigarh, is the manifestation of a dream that Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru envisaged and Le Corbusier executed.

Serenity and a city are two diametrically opposite concepts, which however, get belied in the 'City Beautiful'. Chandigarh is a rare epitome of modernization co-existing with nature's preservation. It is here that the trees and plants are as much a part of the construction plans as the buildings and the roads. India’s first planned city, is a rich, prosperous, spic and span, green city rightly  called “ THE CITY BEAUTIFUL ”.

Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple – It Was Designed By Admixture Of Chalukya,Bhumija And Maratha Style Of Architecture

MAHAKALESHWAR TEMPLE

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UJJAIN

The temple is located in Ujjain of Madhya Pradesh state of India.The temple is three-storeyed. In the lowest middle and uppermost parts are respectively installed the lingams of Mahakalesvara, Omkaresvara and Nagachandresvara. The pilgrims and the visitors can only have the glimse of Nagachandresvara on the festive of Naga Panchami.

A very large-sized Kunda named Koti Tirtha also exists in the temple-complex. The Kunda is built in the sarvatobhadra style. The Kunda and its water both are treated as very celestial.

 On the path adjoining the stairs of the Kunda, may be seen many images representing the sculptural grandeur of the temple built during the Paramara period. In the east of the Kunda is a large-sized Veranda in which there is the entrance to the path leading to the garbhagrha.

In the northern side of the verandah, in a cell, the images of Sri Rama and goddess Avantika are worshipped. In the southern side of the main shrine, there stand many small Saivite temples built during the shinde regime among these the temple of Vrddha Mahakalesvara, Anadi Kalpesvara and Saptarshi are prominent and are the remarkable pieces of architecture.

The lingam of Mahakalesvara is colossus. The silver plated Naga Jaladhari and the inscribed and esoteric silver-plate covering the roof of the garbhagrha add extra grandeur to the shrine.

Besides Jyotirlinga, attractive and small-sized images of Ganesa, Kartikeya and Paravati can be seen in the garbhagrha. All around the walls classical eulogies in the praise of Lord Siva are exhibited.

The Nanda Dipa always remains lit. In the exit-path, there is a wide hall in which a most attractive metal quoted stone Nandi, in the sitting humble pose may be witnessed.

The temple of Mahakalesvara is a planned admixture of the Bhumija, Chalukya and Maratha styles of architecture. The sikhara with the mini-srngas is very peculiar. In previous years its upper part has been covered with gold plate.

These are still continuing with joyful ceremony and devotional enthusiasm. The Bhasmarti in early morning, Mahasivaratri, Pancha-Krosi Yatra, Somavati Amavasya etc. are special religious occasions interwoven with the rituals of the temple.

Madhya Pradesh Government and Ujjain Development Authority exclusively contributed special repairs and made provisions for the stay of pilgrims. The same process is also being followed at the time of the forthcoming Simhastha.

By Air

Nearest airport is Indore (53km).flights arriving from Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Gwalior.

By Train

Ujjain is directly connected by railway line to Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Mumbai , Fouzabad, Lucknow, Dehradun, Delhi, Banaras,Kochin, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Howrah and many more.

By Road

Ujjain is directly connected by road to Indore, Surat, Gwalior, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Udaipur, Nasik, Mathura.

Yadavindra Garden – Colourful Lights Raise Up The Beauty Of Palace At Twilight Time

YADAVINDRA GARDEN

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CHANDIGARH

Chandigarh Pinjore Gardens, also called Yadavindra Gardens are 20 km from Chandigarh, 15 km from Panchkula, on the Chandigarh Shimla national highway number 21. Taxis and buses ply regularly between Pinjore, Kalka, Panchkula and Chandigarh.

The fascinating Mughal Garden (now popularly called Pinjore Garden) cover a total area of 100 acres. A mini zoo, plants nursery, a Japanese garden, historic palaces and picnic lawns await tourists. Especially at weekends, fountains are switched on and after dusk, lights pick up the beauty of the palaces by night.

Nawab Fadai Khan, a great architect and foster brother of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb is said to have designed the idyllic gardens. He planned the Gardens on the classical Charbagh pattern, giving the area a central water way. 

Both sides of this waterway were covered with patches of green bordered with flowers and shaded by trees. He supervised the construction of the stylistic Sheesh Mahal (palace of glass), the Rang Mahal (painted palace), and the cube-like Jal Mahal (palace of water).

Like other Mughal gardens, this one also has a sloping ground and is decorated with fountains and grand and beautiful pavilions. There is a channel of water in the middle of the garden. The fountains are located inside this channel of water. There are walkways located on both sides of the channel.

Lined with huge trees and a stretch of green grass, these walkways add to the beauty, charm and elegance of the Pinjore Garden. If you walk straight down, you will arrive at a huge pavilion, which offers marvelous view of the entire garden. The pavilion also has a terrace with a water body located in the center.

Special programs are arranged at the Yadavindra Gardens for the Baisakhi (spring) festival in April and for the Mango Festival in June and July. The gardens have cool, shady walks and flagged pathways which run to the outer reaches of the creeper-covered walls. The end structure of the doorway has recently been made into a disc-like open-air theatre.

By Air

The nearest airport to Pinjore Gardens is  chandigarh  air  force base airport, chandigarh which is 17 km away from Pinjore Gardens

By Train

The nearest railway station to pinjore gardens is Chandigarh Train Station which is 13 km away from Pinjore Gardens. 

By Bus

Taxis and buses ply regularly between Pinjore, Kalka, Panchkula and Chandigarh.