Experience The Cool Climate At Mandovi River In Cruise

CRUISE 

AT

MANDOVI RIVER

The Santa Monica takes you on a leisurely cruise along the Mandovi River. While the boat sails down the river, local boys and girls perform folk dances and sing mandos. Their performance is followed up a live band. The Santa Monica then takes you past the Panjim riverfront to Miramar to witness a spectacular sunset.

This cruise is generally included in the North Goa Tours arranged by the GTDC. This is an hour long cruise on the Santa Monica which takes guests out on a leisurely sail down the River Mandovi from the Santa Monica jetty in Panaji. While the vessel sails serenly down the river past the beautiful Adil Shah Palace that was once the first building in Panjim City.

This was the summer palace of the Sultan which was then used by the Viceroy of Portugal and finally by the government of Goa as its Secretariat. Now that a new Secretariat is in use on Porvorim Hill across the river Mandovi, the Adil Shah Palace wil be turned into a cultural centre with art galleries and concert halls, etc.

While you sail down the river local boys and girls treat you to some Goa's best known folk dances, the dekhni and the fugdi. They sing mandos and finally give over centrestage to live musicians or a DJ and the guest can then sing and dance and generally make merry. This cruise is a huge success with people of all ages, men, women and children.

The Santa Monica then takes you past the Panjim riverfront past the jetty and old colonial buildings on past the Promenade with its lovely tree lined avenues past Miramar where you sit and watch one of Goa's spectacular sunsets.

You can see the spread of the Mormugao Port and the mass of the Aguada Fort and as the shadows lengthen you find yourself transported back in history to the time when all visitors who landed on these shores loved Goa so much they wanted to possess her.

The Santa Monica then turns around and sails back to her jetty along the silent Mandovi, past the pretty cottages of Betim.

TARIFF

Dep: 6.00 pm onwards( 1 hr duration) upto 7.30 p.m. (Queue system)
Rs 300/- per head

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Rajwada Palace – It Stands Splendidly After Burning Three Times In Past Period

RAJWADA PALACE 

AT

INDORE

Rajwada palace is a popular tourist spot inside Indore city of Madhya Pradesh state. Rajwada is the historical palace of the Holkars. It was built about two centuries ago and is located near the Chhatris in the main square.

It is a seven storied structure, which serves as the living example of the grandeur of the Holkars. Rajwada stands in the centre of the city. The new palace is on the northern side, while the old palace stands in the old part of the town.

The old palace is a multi-storied building which also serves as a gateway of the Rajwada. It stands amongst the crowded streets of the Kajuri Bazar and faces the main square of the city.

The palace was once the centre of all the trading activities in the city. It is a blend of Maratha, Mughal and French style of architecture. The entrance of the palace has a lofty archway with a giant wooden door which is covered with iron studs.

The gopura-like monument is made up of wood and stone. It has a number of balconies windows and corridors. The entrance leads to a huge courtyard, which is surrounded by galleried rooms and the arcaded Ganesha hall, which was once the venue of all state and religious functions. This hall is now used for art exhibitions and classical music concerts.

It is in western part of Madhya Pradesh. While going for Indore local sightseeing you will observe that it is one of the oldest historical structure in the city. It was built in 1747 A.D. by founder of Holkar dynasty -Malhar Rao Holkar.

Malhar Rao Holkar used Rajwada as his residence and stayed here till 1880 A.D. This remarkable mammoth 7 storied palace stands in the heart of the busiest part (Khajuri Bazaar) of the town.

It is also close to the Chhatris. After independence Indore city expanded with development of new areas. Now a days it is considered as old Indore. Facing it is a garden with a statue of the great Queen Ahilya Bai.

The face that enclose the gateway of the palace gives an impression of a rather forbidding wizard`s castle. This remarkable palace serves as an living example of the Grandeur of Holkars dynasty.

Rajwada has been burnt three times in history. The last fire broke out in 1984 and caused the maximum destruction. The lower three floors are made up of stone, while the top floors are made of wood.

This made it very vulnerable to destruction by fire. Now, only the front part of the original structure remains. The palace has recently been renovated, which has managed to bring back the old glory to some extent.

In the rear part of the palace, a beautiful garden has been created. It contains fountains, an artificial waterfall and some magnificent pieces of 11th century sculpture.

By Air

Ahilyabai Airport of Indore is the nearest airport for reaching it by air. It is well linked with other important cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Raipur, Hyderabad, Jabalpur etc.

By Train

Indore Junction in city is the main railway station. City is well connected directly by train from major cities and tourist destinations like: Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Nagpur, Bhopal, Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Chennai, Tivandrum, Surat, Gaya, Kolkata, Varanasi etc.

By Road

Road connectivity of Indore is very good. 03 National Highways and 02 State Highways passes through Indore city which connects it with important places like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Betul, Jhansi, Burhanpur, Bhopal etc.

Hindola Mahal – It Was Designed By An Artist Who Designed The Warangal Fort Too

HINDOLA MAHAL

AT

DHAR

Hindola Mahal in Mandu is a popular historical monuments and tourist attractions during Mandu sightseeing. Its english translation is "Swinging Palace". It is a "T" shaped building use as open air theater or audience hall. It derives its name from its sloping, buttressed walls. This sloping wall is in 77°angle which gives an impression as if building is swinging.

It is believed to be constructed during rule of Hoshang Shah in year 1425 as Durbar Hall but later modified and added to its current look by Ghiyasuddin Khilji reign in last of 15th century. It is one of the first set of monuments that appears while entering into Mandu, coming from Indore through Delhi Darwaza. 

Hindola Mahal is a "T" shaped building where its head is north direction facing.

It is part of royal palace complex which includes other popular buildings like Jahaz Mahal, Tawili Mahal, Munj Talao, Nahar Jharokha etc. In terms of architecture, it is marked different from other Mandu monuments due to its extreme simplicity in style of construction but well-proportioned. It has bordering Munj Talao to the north which is a cluster of ruined monuments.

We can find same kind of architecture in historical buildings in other parts of India like in Fort of Warangal which is located in Andhra Pradesh state in South India and seems to have been designed by same artist.

The Hindola Mahal explores its architectural simplicity with minimal ornamentation and stands out boldly through massive inclined slopes. These elements make the Hindola Mahal a unique example of the Malwa style. In addition, the pointed arches on the building’s interior show how Malwa architecture was inspired by the Delhi styles.

The Architecture of Hindola Mahal is unique with innovative construction and superb technique which invites thousands of tourists every year. It was constructed with sand stone with beautifully carved columns. In the western part of the Hindola Mahal there are few monuments whose identities are not yet unveiled.

Entrance Fee

Rs.5 (Indian)

Rs.100 (Foreigner)

Rs.25 (Video Camera)

Timings 6 am to 7 pm

By Air

Nearest airport for reaching Hindola Mahal is in Indore about 100 kms away. It is a well connected airport. After reaching Indore Airport, one can do further journey by road using bus service or taxi service.

By Train

Nearest railway station for reaching Hindola Mahal is in Indore city and known as Indore Junction. It is well connected with important tourist destinations and cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Jaipur, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Varanasi etc.

By Bus

Hindola mahal in Mandu is easily accessible by road from rest of the India. Its nearby cities are Indore and Dhar. It is easily accessible by single drive from Vadodara, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Jalgaon etc.

Green Carpet Workshop Was Conducted By Kerala Tourism

Kerala Tourism Conducts 

Green Carpet Workshop

Kerala can be proudly called ‘God's Own Country’ only when efforts are put in place to ensure security, cleanliness, hygiene, and scientific waste management, apart from offering unique experiences, Mr. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Kerala, has said.

The minister was speaking while inaugurating a two-day workshop by Kerala Tourism held as part of the Green Carpet initiative which he said would go a long way towards achieving these goals.

The minister also remarked that tourism activities should not be confined to just a few tourist centres, but should be extended to other centres as well. 

The workshop was aimed at ensuring sustainable development and maintenance of 79 select tourist destinations. A blueprint for 111 short term and long term projects was designed in the workshop.

"The 79 tourist destinations selected for the first phase of the Green Carpet initiative will be turned into distinctive tourism friendly centres," said Mr. U. V. Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism, at the concluding meet.

Mr. S. Harikishore IAS,  Executive Director , Kudumbashree,  Ms. Vasuki IAS, Executive Director, Suchitwa Mission, Mr. S. Sugathan, Executive Director, Green Village,  Mr. G. Shankar, Director, Habitat, Mr. Roopesh Kumar, State Field Coordinator, Responsible Tourism, Mr. S. D. Prins, PRO, Raj Bhavan, Dr. Shekhar L. Kuriakose, Member Secretary , Disaster Management Authority , Dr V. Vijayakumar, Principal, KITTS, Prof. Saroop Roy, and Prof. Raghunandanan (IRCTC) conducted classes on various topics. 

Destination Managers of tourist destinations, Deputy Directors, and District Tourism Promotional Council (DTPC) Secretaries attended the workshop at Maria Rani Centre, Sreekaryam. 

Source : Kerala Tourism

Best Leisure Destination Award Is Given To Kerala

Kerala Voted Best Leisure Destination in India 

by Condé Nast Traveller

Kerala has clinched the big prize as India’s best destination for leisure at the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Awards 2016.

Kerala bagged the award close on the heels of clinching two major popularity awards with the Lonely Planet magazine citing it as the best family destination in India and Travel + Leisure magazine listing it as a top honeymooners’ destination.

The state was voted the ‘Favourite Indian Leisure Destination’ of the year in a survey conducted by the international travel magazine. Kerala, which had won the runner-up prize in the same category in 2015, shared the top honour with Goa this year.

Mr. K. Radhakrishnan, Deputy Director, Kerala Tourism received the travel award at a glittering ceremony held at The Lodhi hotel in New Delhi. Mr. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Union Tourism, was the Chief Guest.

The annual awards, in their sixth year, honour the best in travel, tourism, and hospitality with winners in various categories picked by readers of the magazine through a voting process spanning two months.

“We are honoured to be recognised as a place to relax and rejuvenate by the travellers to our state. Kerala is known for its natural beauty and the state’s historical connections with many other parts of the world have contributed to its popularity as a top destination for leisure,” said Mr. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Kerala.

Dr. Venu V., Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism, remarked that the award reaffirmed the state’s reputation for being a tourist’s paradise.

“Be it a stay on a houseboat on one of its numerous serene backwaters, relaxing on the pristine beaches, experiencing the bliss of village life, watching traditional art performances or relishing its lip smacking cuisine, Kerala offers a perfect all-in-one leisure experience to travellers from near and far. The options for leisure travel in Kerala are limitless,” Dr. Venu said.

“The award reflects the diversity of leisure-based offerings in Kerala today as well as the quality of their branding. Visitors looking to unwind here know they have an abundance of choices to pick from. The results of their positive experiences here have shown up through the state’s consistently strong showings at such prestigious tourism and travel awards,” said Mr. U.V. Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism. 

Source : Kerala tourism