Udaipur City Palace – It Is Largest Attractive Palace And Built Only In Sandstone And Granite

CITY PALACE

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UDAIPUR

Udaipur City Palace is one of the architectural marvels of Rajasthan state of India and located peacefully on the banks of Lake Pichola. This majestic City Palace is the most-visited tourist attraction of Udaipur and often distinguished as the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Initially, Maharana Udai Singh built this superb wonder, but the present form of the Palace is the result of subsequent additions by his successors.

City Palace boasts of the wonderful blend of Medieval, European and Chinese Architecture. The Palace has various towers, domes and arches, which add to the flavor of heritage site. Towering on the banks of Pichola Lake, City Palace is truly a feast to the eyes. City Palace is a marvelous assortment of courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging gardens. Encircled by fortifications, this imposing Palace is wholly built in granite and marble.

City Palace has several gates that are known as "Pols". 'Bara Pol' (Great Gate) is the main gate to the City Palace complex that will take you to the first courtyard. On passing 'Bara Pol', you will come across a triple arched gate, which is known as 'Tripolia'. Between these two gates, you would see eight marble arches or Toranas, where Kings used to weigh themselves with gold and silver. Besides Tripolia, there is an arena where elephant fights were staged. Across 'Tripolia', you would enter the 'Elephant Gate' or the 'Hathi Pol'.

City Palace comprises 11 wonderful palaces, which were built by different rulers still they resemble each other. With the sheer glimpse of unique paintings, antique furniture and exquisite glass mirror & ornamental tiles work of these palaces, you will get amazed. Manak Mahal (Ruby Palace) has figures of crystal and porcelain. However, Bhim Vilas flaunts a fabulous collection of miniature paintings depicting the real life stories of Radha-Krishna.

The 'Krishna Vilas' is known for the noteworthy album of miniature paintings portraying royal processions, festivals and games of the Maharanas. Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) is celebrated for its lavish decor while Sheesh Mahal (Palace of mirrors) is known for its breathtaking mirror work. 'Chini Chitrashala' is renowned for its Chinese and Dutch ornamental tiles. 'Dilkusha Mahal' (Palace of Joy) is known for the murals and wall paintings.

Bada Mahal is the exotic garden palace that stands erect on a 90 feet high natural rock formation. Rang Bhawan is the palace that used to contain royal treasure. There are temples of Lord Krishna, Meera Bai and Shiva, located right to the 'Rang Bhawan'. 'Mor Chowk' has exceptional glass mosaics of peacocks, set in the walls presenting the three seasons of summer, winter and monsoon. 'Laxmi Vilas Chowk' is an art gallery with a distinctive collection of Mewar paintings.

Situated in the premises of City Place complex, Jagdish Temple is the biggest and most beautiful temple of Udaipur. This temple Appeals to the aesthetic sense of the people and we will further discuss it in our other section. You can also trace a Shrine of Dhuni Mata in the complex of City Palace. This part is considered as the oldest part of the Palace where a sage passed his life meditating here.

In 1974, a part of the City Palace and the 'Zenana Mahal' (Ladies Chamber) have been transformed into a museum. The museum is open for public and we have discussed it in our other section about museums. One can locate some striking paintings in the 'Zenana Mahal' which further leads to Lakshmi Chowk. 'Lakshmi Chowk' is a beautiful white pavilion. In City palace, the most captivating sight can be viewed from the towers and terraces of 'Amar Vilas' from where you can get a breathtaking view of Lake Pichola.

'Amar Vilas' is the highest point of this Palace and has wonderful hanging gardens with fountains, towers and terraces. City Palace is structured in a way that it offers a splendid view of the lake from all its Balconies, cupolas and towers. Unlike the craggy exterior, City Palace has amazing interiors with delicate mirror-work, marble work, murals, wall paintings, silver work, inlay work and surplus of colored glass. The exquisite work of City Palace cannot be bounded in words, so one must visit this palace to capture the real picture of it.

By Air

Udaipur Airport namely Maharana Pratap Airport is located near Dabok at a distance of 22 kms from the city of Udaipur. Many domestic airlines connect the city to all the major cities of India including Jaipur, Mumbai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Regular air services are available for Delhi and Mumbai.

By Rail

Udaipur Railway Station is located at a comfortable distance from the city of Udaipur. Rajasthan Railways connects Udaipur station with all the other cities of Rajasthan as well as India. There are frequent trains which run to and from Udaipur connecting Jaipur, Mumbai and Delhi. One can also travel to this beautiful city by the luxurious Palace on Wheels.

By Road

Udaipur is well connected by road to major cities in India. Brilliant road network ensure people to enjoy a relaxed journey to and from Udaipur. This mode of commuting is quite easy and economical. Udaipur Bus Stand has regular bus services, connecting Udaipur with nearby cities including Delhi, Jaipur, Chittorgarh, Indore, Kota, Ajmer, Ahmedabad and Mt. Abu. Rajasthan Roadways provides the facility of Deluxe Buses and AC coaches for the convenience of passengers. One can also hire taxis and cars to reach Udaipur by road.

Safdarjung Tomb – It Is The Last Model And Bounded By The Garden Style Of Mughals

SAFDARJUNG TOMB

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NEW DELHI

Safdarjung Tomb is one of the most magnificent tombs of India, situated in the capital city of Delhi. The tomb of Mirza Muqim Abul-Mansur Khan, entitled Safdar-Jang, who was the viceroy of Oudh under Muhammad Shah (1719-48) and later on prime minister under Ahmad Shah (1748-54). The tomb was built in about 1754 by Shuja'u'd-Daula, Safdar Jang's son.

Safdarjang Tomb dates back to the year 1753 and lies at the Lodi Road of New Delhi, near the Safdarjung Airport. Surrounded by blooming gardens, the entire complex of Safdarjung tomb covers an area of approximately 300 sq km.

The tomb is the last example of the pattern which began with Humayun's tomb. Enclosed within a large garden, divided into squares on the charbagh pattern, with tanks and fountains along the central pathway, with a gate on the east and pavilions on the other three sides, the tomb proper stands out in the centre of the enclosure.

The garden of the tomb has been designed as per the Charbagh style of the Mughal gardens. It is also said that tomb of Safdar Jung is built almost on the same pattern as the Humayun's tomb.

Safdarjung tomb has been constructed out of red sandstone and buff stone. Along with Safdarjung, the tomb also houses the remains of his wife.

All the apartments in the Safdarjang Tomb, with the exception of the corner ones, are rectangular in shape.

Red and buff sandstone has been used in its facing, a large proportion of which was stripped off from' Abdu'r-Ral,lim Khan-i-Khanan's tomb. The marble panels on its corner-towers are pleasing but rather florid.

In fact, its exaggerated ornamentation and lack of proportions, evidenced particularly by its vertical elevation, rob it of the character of a great building, although it has been rightly described as 'the last flicker in the lamp of Mughal architecture at Delhi'.

Entrance Fee:

Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 15 per head.

Others:

Indian Rs. 200/- per head

(Free entry to children up to 15 years)

Safdarjung’s tomb is on Aurobindo marg, near Safdarjung Airport. One can take the metro to Central Secretariat and then take a bus or an auto.

Mangaladevi Temple – Doing A Tour Of Mangalore Could Not Finish Without A Trip To This Temple

MANGALADEVI TEMPLE

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MANGALORE

Sri Mangaladevi Temple is a Hindu temple in the city of Mangalore District of Karnataka State of India. The temple is at Bolara which is about three kilometers from the City Centre. The temple is dedicated to the god Shakti who is in the form of Mangaladevi. This is where the name of the city, Mangalore, comes from. This temple has high significance among the locals and was built in the ninth century.

The history of the temple dates back to the tenth century when two sages came to visit Mangalore from Nepal. The sages were named Machhendranatha and Gorakanatha. Hearing about the arrival of the two sages, the ruling king came to meet them. He offered all help and patronage and paid his respects to them.

Delighted by the humility of the King, the sages asked him for a piece of land to build a temple. The King came to know about the temple built by Parshurama which was the Temple of Mangaladevi. The sages then took the King to all the places which had historical importance and asked him to dig the place and build a temple.

The King did as he was asked to and a grand shrine of the goddess stood at the holy place. Since then, the temple attained special significance and has become a part of the history of the city of Mangalore.

The temple has an architecture which reflects the style of Kerala and has most of the structure made from wood. The Hindu god, Mangaladevi is in a seated posture inside the temple. A rectangular wall around the temple encloses all the shrines located inside the temple boundary. The central shrine has the image of the deity which can be reached through five steps.

The temple has a two-storied tower and special pujas are performed during the Navaratri festival. Special pujas are performed on all the nine days of the festival. A large number of devotees gather at the temple of the day of Dasara which is the tenth and the last day of Navaratri festival.

On the day of Dasara, the decorated goddess is mounted on a chariot and the grand procession moves to Marnamikatte, where the god Mangaladevi and Shamivriksha are worshipped. The devotees believe that the worship of the goddess brings them prosperity and happiness. The Vedic Brahmins perform various pujas and rituals on a regular basis.

The temple has a rich heritage, Keralian style architecture and a historical significance. The temple has easy access through buses and autos. Travelling to the ancient city of Mangalore will not be complete without a visit to this temple.

Darshan Timings

Morning00 AM – 10.00 AM

Noon: 00 Noon 1.00 PM

Evening:00 PM -8.30 PM. (Fridays till 9.00 PM)

Daily Pooja timings

6.00 AM, 1.00 PM, 8.30 PM and 9.00 PM on Fridays

By Air

Mangalore International airport is nearest airport and from there you can avail taxis or buses

By Train

Mangalore railway station is the nearest railway station to reach the temple.

By Bus

The temple can be easily reached through the best transport system available here. Get into the bus number 27, 27A, and 29A, to reach the temple

Mangi Tungi Hills – It Has Lots Of Caves As There Are Few Hills Only In India

MANGI-TUNGI HILLS

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NASHIK

Twin hills of Mangi-Tungi are situated in the picturesque Selbari range of Western Ghat, famous for medieval Jaina caves and icons carved on the rock face. These hills are the highest in Nashik district; Mangi reaching up to a height of 1,326 meters and Tungi up to 1,323 meters.

The hills are connected by a narrow ridge and the most interesting facet of the hills is their peculiar shapes. Conical-shaped, both these peaks have completely bare and perpendicular surfaces, which is what makes them so distinct. But apart from the hills in themselves, the site is visited by tourists around the year for the Jaina caves and hundreds of Jaina icons carved on the rock face of the peaks.

These caves and icons are believed to have been cut over a long period during the 9th to 15th century CE. The exploration of the caves begins with the two Jaina caves at a height of around 150 meters on the southern face of Mangi hill. These have about 80 icons.

Climbing up the hill, you reach the base of the Mangi peak, surrounding which are five caves and around 135 icons carved directly on the rock face. Crossing the narrow ridge between the peaks, you reach the base of Tungi peak, which has two caves and eight icons on the rock face. The caves per se are not as architecturally decorative as caves found elsewhere but the many icons will hold you spellbound. The walls are covered with rock-cut icons of Jaina deities and there also are large panels of scenes drawn from ancient legends.

Further from the caves, a climb up to the peaks takes you to caves which are simple rooms with crude pillars, built in some cases for supporting the roof. The icons inside the caves and on the rock face mainly consist of rows and rows of Jina figures along with a large number of figures of monks and some devotees.

There is a very narrow and precarious path around these peaks that one needs to follow to see the icons on the rock face but there’s nothing to fear since a parapet wall has been constructed for safety. The ideal time to see the caves is at the break of dawn when the first rays of sun light up the icons. Also, the view from the top is magnificent with the ranges of Western Ghats and rivers Mosam and Panjra flowing nearby.

This place is very old consists of two hills Mangi & Tungi are two cliffs of a single mountain these are named after two sisters Mangi and Tungi. Mangi is at a height of 4343 feet and Tungi is 4366 feet above the sea level. We can find 6 caves on the Mangi hill and 2 caves on Tungi hill.

The nearby forts of Kanchanpur and Mulher and the village of Mulher are of historical significance. Till Vikram year 1822, in this village which was a city, there lived hundreds of Jain householder families and the city was rich and prosperous. It is said that once upon a time, the local king as well as all his subjects were following Jain religion.

At the base of the mountain , now there are a total of three temples, two of Sri Parshvanath Bhagwan and one of Sri Adhinath Bhagwan. The place is a veritable treasure trove of ancient art. It would be difficult to describe this place in words.

The ancient artistic Jain idols of Tirthankars and saints together with exquisitely carved images of gods and goddess in dancing moods and postures of a great variety which are found here in caves are rarely to be seen anywhere else. From place to place here inscriptions are found in Sanskrit as well as Magadhi languages.

The best way to reach Mangi-Tungi is by road via Nashik, Satana and Taharabad. The nearest highway is State Highway 7. There are regular bus services from Taharabad to Mangi-Tungi.

Kerala's Heritage And Culture Connect To The Tourism Sector Said By CM Of Kerala

Connect State’s Heritage with Tourism Sector: Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Kerala

Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Kerala, has underlined the need to connect Kerala’s heritage and culture to the tourism sector.  “International and domestic tourists should get the experience of Kerala products, heritage and culture to enhance the sector. This can be achieved only by connecting Kerala’s traditional industries with the sector. Tourism is a gateway to take the state’s history to the world,” he said while delivering the inaugural address of the Sargaalaya International Arts and Crafts Festival at Iringal, Kozhikode.

He also presented the State Tourism Awards for 2014-15 at the event. A high powered committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Venu V., Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism, selected 27 winners under three categories for the tourism awards.

Mr. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Kerala, who presided over the event, said that the state tourism sector aims to create 4 lakh jobs in next five years.

“With many innovative initiatives, Kerala has already grabbed a space on the world tourism map. The government is planning to identify and develop 79 new destinations in the state apart from creating more model tourism villages. This will be ensured with the help of the co-operative sector,” said the Tourism Minister.

Dr. Venu V., Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism and Mr. U. V. Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism were among the host of dignitaries at the event.

Click here to view the winners list.