Vellayani

vellayani is a picturesque village situated on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram. Vellayani Lake, the only fresh water lake in Thiruvananthapuram District, is in this village. The village has vast paddy fields which add to its beauty.
Vellayani Devi Temple is situated on the banks of Vellayani Lake. Kaliyoottu Mahotsavam, a 40- day-long festival, is the major festival celebrated in this temple. College of Agriculture, situated here, is one of the main agricultural colleges of Kerala. The village also takes the pride of possessing a big agricultural ground which belongs to this college.
Nemom Sree Mahadev Temple is easily accessible from here.

College of Agriculture Vellayani

College of Agriculture was founded in 1955 at Vellayani, a village on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram. The college is housed in the palace building belonging to the royal family of erstwhile Travancore. It is under the faculty of agriculture of the Kerala Agricultural University.
A pioneering institution of its kind in Kerala, the college offers undergraduate and post graduate programs in the field of agriculture. A well-maintained farm helps in field facilities for giving adequate work experience for the BSc course and for conducting researches of MSc and PhD students.
The college has departments for agronomy, soil science, horticulture, agricultural botany and plant breeding, entomology, plant pathology, plantation crops, agricultural extension and agricultural economics. It houses a soil museum under the supervision of the department of soil science. The college also operates a sales counter cum information center for the benefit of the public.
Seminars, symposia, workshops, field days and farmers' fairs are usually organized. On-campus and off-campus trainings are imparted to various categories of officers of the Department of Agriculture, Co-operation, Forest and Nationalized Banks by the concerned specialists of the college

Vellayani Lake

Vellayani Lake, the only fresh water lake in Thiruvananthapuram District, is located at Vellayani, a picturesque village on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city. The lake water is extensively used for drinking and irrigational purposes.
The origin of this lake is related to a saint, who used to meditate under a banyan tree at this place. One day, a beggar came up to him and asked for some water to drink. When saint found that his pot was nearly empty, he poured the last few drops in the pot into his palm and with a prayer, threw the drops as far as he could. It is believed that the land till the point where the drops touched the earth turned into a big lake.
Vellayani Vishnu Temple and Vellayani Devi Temple are two famous shrines situated on the banks of this lake

Vellayani Devi Temple

Vellayani Devi Temple is a highly revered shrine located at Vellayani, in Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala. This 700-year old shrine, situated near the picturesque Vellayani Lake, is one of the renowned historic temples in Kerala. The temple enshrines Goddess Kali as the presiding deity.
Other deities worshipped here include Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh and Nagaraja. The temple also has a separate shrine dedicated to Madan Thampuran.
Vellayani Devi Temple is renowned for celebrating the longest (50 days) non pilgrimage festival of South India. This festival held once in 3 years is known as the ‘Kaliyoottu Mahotsavam’ – which literally means ‘the festival of feeding the Devi’. During the festive occasion thousands of people from all over the district visit the temple to pay respect to the deity.
Vellayani Vishnu Temple, an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, situated nearby is worth visiting.
Vellayani Devi Temple can be reached easily from Thiruvananthapuram Central Bus Station (9 km). Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station is the nearest railhead.

Vellayani Vishnu Temple

Vellayani Temple is situated in Thiruvananthapuram. It is an ancient temple. The temple faces west, which is rare for Vishnu temples. The deity of the temple is in a standing posture and has four hands. The hands at the back hold the conch and the Sudarshanachakra, while one hand in the front holds the gada [club], and the other is on varada mudra form. Vellayani Lake is situated near the temple. It is said that a sage used to meditate under this banyan tree. One day, a beggar came up to him and asked for some water to drink. The pot was empty. The sage poured the last few drops in the pot into his palm and with a prayer, threw the drops as far as he could. To the beggar's astonishment, a lake appeared, growing bigger and bigger. Out of the depths of the lake, arose an idol. The sage picks up it and placed under the banyan tree. The Travancore Devaswom is in charge of the temple.

OOTY

Ooty,located at the Nilgiri hills, is a beautiful hill station. The Botanical Gardens here has a wide variety of plants and trees and the Rose garden has about 1900 varieties. The artificial lake with boats adds charm to Ooty, Other places of interest are the Deer Park, Dodda-betta peak, the Government Museum, the Art Gallery, kalhatti waterfalls, St. Stephen's church, Umbrella tre Tribal research centre museum, jolly world amusement park, etc. It is also an ideal place for trekking, horse riding, boating, etc. The "Black Thunder" amusement park at mettupalayam is on the way to Ooty from Coimbatore. Mountain railway connect it with Mettupalayam and Coimbatore . Distance: Coibatore 98, Kodaikanal 236, Coonoor 17 km

PURI

Puri (Jagannath Puri) is one of the four holiest pilgrimage centres of India (Others are Dwaraka, Badarinath and Rameswaram). The jagannath temple built in 12th century has 200 metre high surrounding walls and a 58 metre high conical tower. Puri's great attractions are the famous Rath Yatra (car festival), picturesque long sandy beach, the Gundicha mandir, Raghurajpur (14km), etc. Distance: konark 35km, Bhubaneshwar 56km

CHIDAMBARAM

Chidambaram's great Nataraja temple complex covers an area of 22 hectares and is one of the ancient temples in South India. Its Gopurams carved with 108 classical postures of Nataraja and the 1000 pillared Rajasabha are worth seeing. There are five halls in the temple which are architectural wonders and all with hundreds of pillars depicting dancing figures, etc. There is also a shrine known as Chitrakootam adjacent to the shrine. Distance: Chennai 232, Thanjavoor 113, Trichy 194.

NALANDA

Nalanda has a very ancient history and the Nalanda University was established by Gupta emperors in the 5th century. Nalanda was famous as a centre of Buddist theology and educational activities. Attractions are the Nalanda University Archaeological complex, Archeological museum, Hueng Tsang Memorial Hall, Surajpur, Baragoan, Rajgir and Pawapuri. Distance: Rajgir 12km, Patna 95km(airport)

KURUKSHETRA

Kurukshetra on the Grand Trunk Road, has many attractions. The Sri Krishna Museum is an excellent art gallery, where works by hundreds of artists are displayed. Lord Krishna is portrayed in wood, stone, bronze, etc. The kurukshetra Panorama and science centre, the Brahmasarovar tank, Sufi saint Shaikh Chehil's tomb, the small Archaeological museum Mugal gardens, Banyan tree at Jyotiar, 6km away, are visited by many. Distance: Pipli 6, Chandigarh 92.

MOUNT ABU

Rajasthan's only hill station, Mount Abu at 1220 metre on the Aravalli hills is a place of scenic beauty and charm. Nakki lake, Toad rock, Wildlife sanctuary, Dilwara group of jain temples, Gaumukh, Raghunath temple, Adhar Devi temple, and Achalagarh fort and temples(10km), the Guru shikhar peak(15km) are the important attraction. Brahma kumaris Spiritual University is alsn here. Distance: Ranakpur 189, Udaipur 190, Ahmedabad 215

BHARATPUR

Bharatpur is famous for the Keoladeo National Park, a unique bird sanctuary with more than 364 species within its 29sq.km, which has also been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other attractions are the Lohagarh or iron fort, the palace, Purana Mahal, Deeg fort, the Government museum, Jawahar Bhuj, Fatheh Burj, Gopal Bhavan, Bengal chamber, Suraj Bhavan, Nand Bhavan, etc. Deeg, 36km north of Bharatpur, has the Suraj mahal palace, which is one of India's most beautiful and delicately proportioned buildings. Distance: Agra 56, Delhi 205, Jaipur 176

Darjeeling Tourist Guide

 Darjeeling is famous for its tea. It's a hill resort in West-Bengal, and for those who are a bit tired of the hustle and bustle of Calcutta it is the ideal place to go. Old colonial style mansions and lush green hills are waiting for you.

Darjeeling is one of the most beautiful Hill Stations in India coming under the state of West Bengal.  The view of Kanchenjunga, and other ranges of the Himalayas is the attraction of this little city. Darjeeling can be reached either by Air and the nearest Airport is Bagdogra. By train, you will have to travel overnight from Kolkatta at alight at New Jalpaiguri, then take the famous Toy Train which is running for more than a Century. Winding itself into the hills there is a fantastic history behind the laying of tracks for this rail route. Darjeeling can also be reached on road by jeep, van or car. But the rail route is the most enjoyable.

We were told by the Railway authorities that during the British period in India, Darjeeling was their attraction to spend in summers and they decided to lay the railway track from the plains to the hill top. The distance was less and the height disproportionate.

Gujarat

 Gujarat is a state in the western region of India.
Towards the north-west of Gujarat is Pakistan.Towards the north and north-east is Rajasthan. Towards the east is Madhya Pradesh. Towards the south are Maharashtra, Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The winter season in this state is dry, mild and pleasant and the temperature varies from 12 °C to 29 °C. The summer season is extremely dry and hot and the temperature varies from 29 °C to 41 °C.
From mid-June, the monsoon season begins. Sometimes the rainfall is so heavy that there are severe floods.
As per the 2001 census, the population of this state was 5,06,71,017.
In Gujarat, 89.1 percent people are Hindu, 9.1 percent are Muslim, 1 percent is Jain and 0.1 percent is Sikhs.
A majority of Gujarati Hindus are strictly vegetarian.
Gujarati is the most widely spoken language in this state. Some of the people speak Hindi, Marathi and other languages. In the Kutch district, the prevalent language is Kutchi.

All the cities in Gujarat
Ahmedabad	Bhavnagar	Bhuj
Champaner	Gandhinagar	Junagadh
Rajkot	Surat	Vadodara

MAP

Kerala

The Southern state of Kerala is arguably India's most interesting state.
Its culture has been influenced by Portuguese, Dutch and English
elements involved in the spice trade, its geography varies in a very
short distance from tropical beaches to high hill stations, and it
boasts the world's first freely elected communist government whose
social policies have resulted in a literacy rate of 95%. In the space of
just 11 days, we do our very best to give you an introduction to this
beautiful corner of India.The name of the state of Kerala has been taken from the word
Keralaputra (land of the sons of Cheras), as mentioned in one of the
Ashokan edicts dating back to 273-236 BC. Chera was the first large
empire that took roots in this state, and continued to use Tamil till
7th century as their administrative language. The Chera power declined
in the 10th century AD, after Cholas, the rulers of Tamil Nadu, were
successful in overthrowing the dynasty.

It is the backwater cruises that complete the tour to southern India
take you through the winding waterways revealing the colorful culture
and customs of the rural life. The magic of the mystical backwaters
works on one and all. Though you may plan your backwater tour to Kerala
anytime of the year, the best time for cruising is from October to March.

On your way back home from the backwaters of Kerala do not forget to
pick up the best buys being offered by the region ranging from the
carved wooden elephant souvenirs, assorted handicrafts like bell metal
products, coir goods, sandalwood, brass and wooden items, conch shells,
paintings and masks.


Kerala Tourism revives you with a perfect holiday to recharge your body
and soul intoxicating your mind with its natural beauty. Kerala tourism
plays a major role in Indian tour attractions. Kerala tourism is blessed
with extravagant attractions - Kerala backwater tour packages , Kerala
ayurveda tour packages , Kerala wildlife tourism , Kerala beach tourism
, Kerala hill station tourism etc.

Kerala tourism offers a great variety of tours & travel experiences.
Whether it is about backwater tour package of Kerala or a travel
package, vacationers are assured of a great holiday in Kerela. More...

Kerala offers two kinds of Ayurvedic health options: recreative and
therapeutic. These ayurveda packages are based on the time-tested,
ancient Indian system of medicine- Ayurveda.

Kerala, selected as one among the ten 'Paradises of the world' by the
National Geographic Traveller, is a tourist destination which has
everything from beaches, hill stations, wildlife sanctuaries, backwater,
culture, heritage, art forms, etc. In short, the only thing that would
not be available here is snow, making Kerala the only place to have
something for everyone.
Take your pick for the best backwater tour for family and friends. The
cruises and the overnight stays in the houseboats are the best way to an
unforgettable holiday. The waterbus ferry and the cruise boats are the
most relaxed. Your backwater holidays need not be meticulously planned.
Even the booking need not be made well in advance. Besides the
houseboats the regular accommodation options of the budget, standard,
deluxe, luxury et al may be opted for. The entire maritime journey is a
merry time experience in true sense.

The green and graceful, palm fringed backwaters of Kerala are unique in
themselves. Known all over the world, the tour of Backwaters in Kerala
India is considered equivalent to and even much refreshing than the
canals in Thailand, or the backwaters in Milan. The sparkling and
emerald green waters acquiring the hues of tall huge green palms attract
the tourists in quest of serenity and intangible beauty.

Thekkady

Thekkady is a rich in natural as well as cultural wealth. It boasts of the largest wildlife sanctuary in India. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over 777 sq km, is home to elephants, sambars, tigers, gaurs, lion tailed macaques and Nilgiri langurs. The Periyar Lake is an artificial lake spread over 25 sq km formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam. The Mangla Devi Temple is a ruined stone temple situated deep inside the forest. Sukri Dam is a 120 years old dam built across the Periyar. The Tribal Heritage Museum is built inside the Mannan settlement and displays various artifacts related to ancient agricultural practices, marriage ceremonies, cultural events, dress code, rituals and death ceremonies like fishing gear, hunting weaponry, indigenous medicine and vessels, cereals, medicinal herbs and bamboo furniture. You can indulge in activities like Bamboo Rafting, Border Hiking and Nature Walks while at Thekkady.

The sanctuary is centered around the large (24 sq km) artificial lake formed by a dam across the Periyar river. The main attraction is a boat trip over this man-made lake of Thekkady. The forest department would also arrange elephant rides and trekking inside the sanctuary. One can see deers, monkeys, tigers, herds of elephants and other exotic flora and fauna here. For the more adventurous, trekking into the jungle would be an exciting thing to do.

There are bus regular bus services from the major towns and cities in Kerala to Thekkady.


Some of the main attractions of Thekkady are:

Plantation Tours: Plantation Eco-Tours are arranged from the District Tourism Information Office at Thekkady jn. in Kumily. Tours cover cardamom, pepper, coffee and tea plantations, tea factories, tribal settlements and the surrounding hill regions.

Elephant rides: The forest Department, Thekkady offers facilities for elephant rides through the jungle. Time : 1000 to 1700 hrs. Duration of a trip : 30 minutes. Tickets are available from the wildlife information.

Trekking: Main trekking areas in Thekkady are Kurisumala near Kumily, Pullumedu, Ottakathalamedu, 5 km from Kumily, Grampi near Vandiperiyar.

Boat cruises on the Periyar Lake

Location     :


Thekkady is a hill station at an altitude ranging from 700 m to 1900 m in the Idukki district. It lies on the Western Ghats in the state of Kerala. 





 

Mattupetty - 13 kms from Munnar

Mattupetty, situated at a height of 1700 m, is specially known for its highly specialised dairy farm - the Indo Swiss Livestock Project. Over a 100 varieties of high yielding cattle are reared here.

The Mattupetty also has a lake and dam, just a short distance from the farm. These are beautiful picnic spots and the boat cruises (Speed launch, slow speedboat and motorboats) along the dam are quite popular. The sprawling Kundala tea plantations and the Kundala Lake are other attractions in the vicinity.

Munnar

Munnar, was the most popular summer resorts during the British reign and is still a very well known hill station. Located at an altitude of 1800m above sea level, this 'Kashmir of the East' is the first hill resort in the State.

The chilly climate here is ideal for cultivating tea. It is home to one of the biggest tea plantations in the world- the Kannan Devan Tea Plantations. The sight of mist topped tea plantations spread across acres of Munnar, is indeed soothing to the eye.

The most splendid sight would definitely be that of thousands of the exotic blue flower- Neelakurinji, that inundate the hills every 12 years (the next bloom will be in the year 2006). There are many lovely spots that are ideal for rock climbing and trekking as well. The noisy waterfalls, gurgling streams and rows of tiny cottages add more life and colour to the vivid picturesque location that Munnar already is.

Munnar - 70 kms from Idukki (KERALA)

Konark

Tourist guide Konark

With a population of about 15,000, an average rainfall of over 15,000 mm and surrounded with greenery, the city located on the eastern sea-coast of India, Konark is renowned across the world for its architectural beauty, most prominent of them being the Sun Temple build in the 13th Century, the ruins of which were later discovered in the 19th century.
Konark is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and one of the most prominent cities in the state of Orissa.

In addition to the astounding architectural brilliance exemplified in by the Temples, the Konark beach is one of the better beaches in India to be visited, with the best time to visit being between the months of October and March.


Konark is also well located for visit to surrounding areas which are home to recent excavations of Buddhist sites.
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Orissa

Orissa is a large state which lies to the eastern side of the coast of India.

The cities in Orissa are ones of the most visited by the tourists every year.

Orissa is home to a large number of IT- industries, steel companies and many other mineral industries. Apart from all these industries, tourism has played a very important role in the economy of Orissa.

Orissa has a population of 36,706,920.


Oriya is the official language but people are well versed with Hindi and English.

Odissi is instead the traditional classical dance of Orissa : actually, it's well renowned all over the world.
The rich Adivasi culture of ancient Orissa is still reflected in some parts of Orissa.

Orissa has a tropical climate with heavy rainfalls. In summers the average maximum temperature is about 35ºC. In winters the temperature is pretty cool, the average minimum temperature is 9ºC.

Orissa is state of immense cultural and religious heritage

All the cities in Orissa
Angul	Baripada	Bhubaneswar
Konark	Puri	Raghurajpur
Sundergarh	-	-

Delhi

 National Capital Territory of Delhi: Cities and Vacations

The National Capital Territory of Delhi lies almost totally in the Gangetic plains.
Towards the East is the state of Uttar Pradesh. In the South, North and West the state of Haryana borders Delhi.

The significant characteristics of Delhi are the Yamuna flood plain as well as the Delhi ridge.
The weather of Delhi territory is semi-arid : from early April to October is the summer season accompanied by the monsoon, whereas, on the other hand, from October the winter season begins and this peaks in January.

This season is adversely reputed for heavy fog. The average yearly rainfall is about 714 mm. Of these the maximum part is in July and August. The temperature can be as high as 47 °C or as low as -0.6 °C. As per the 2001 census, the population of Delhi was 1,37,82,976.

In Delhi territory, there are several ethnic groups and cultures.

There are also considerable expatriates. Both blue collar and white collar workers from all corners of the country are enticed towards Delhi.

All these factors make Delhi a truly cosmopolitan city.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu: Introduction and History

This state was in existence since prehistoric times and is known as the native land of the Tamils with a history going back to several thousand years.
Tamil Nadu is one of the most developed states in India comprising of a variety of unusual flora fauna, beautiful hill stations, tranquil beaches, ancient pilgrimage sites and stunning Hindu temples.
With a coastline of more than 1000Km, Tamil Nadu had beautiful serene beaches.
The local language largely spoken in this state is Tamil apart from Sanskrit.
Chennai, earlier known as Madras is the capital of this state.
Tamil Cuisine is amongst the most erstwhile culinary inheritances in the world. Its unique dishing out of food in a banana leaf instead of a plate is one of the reasons why tourists from all over enjoy this cuisine.
The St. Thomas Mount in Chennai, the Santhome Basilica built upon the mausoleum of St. Thomas, the picturesque hill stations of Coonoor, Yercaud, Kodaikanal and Udhagamandalam along with a variety of national and wildlife parks and sanctuaries are the star attractions of this beautiful scenic state.

All the cities in Tamil Nadu
Chennai	Chidambaram	Coimbatore
Kanchipuram	Kanyakumari	Kodaikanal
Madurai	Mamallapuram	Ootacamund
Ooty	Selam	Thanjavur
Tiruchirappalli	Tirupur	Udhagamandalam

Meghalaya

Literarily meaning ‘The Abode of Clouds’ (in Sanskrit) the north eastern state of Meghalaya, with a population of just over 2 million people, is a hilly strip with about one-third of the state being forested, is about 300 km long and 100 km wide is a small state in north-eastern India.
With majority of the population being made up of tribal people dominated by three main sects, Meghalaya is currently one of few states in India to have as high a Christianity population of over 70%.
The state made up of many rivers and mainly built on rock formations contains rich deposits of valuable minerals.
As described by its name, Meghalaya is considered one of the wettest states in the country with an average rainfall as high as 1200 cm, and its climate being moderate but humid and its economy predominantly agrarian

All the cities in Meghalaya
Cherrapunjee	Jongohetpara	Phlangmawphra
Ringkhap songmong	Shillong	-

Himachal Pradesh

 The state of Himachal Pradesh was formed by the unification of 30 princely states following Independence from the British Rule in 1947.
With population of around 7 million, this traditional state of Himachal Pradesh, which has been influenced minimally by external cultures, is bordered by Jammu & Kashmir to its North.
Known for having one of the highest per-capita income in the country and sometimes referred to the land of Gods, the state has a great variation in climatic conditions owing to its great disparities in elevations between locations.
With over 60% under forest area, the State is also known as the fruit bowl and has a continuous supply for water from the numerous rivers that flows through it.
This has resulted in Hydro power and agriculture becoming a major contributor to the revenue with a large amount being sold to neighbouring states too.

All the cities in Himachal Pradesh
Dharamsala	Kullu	Manali
McLeod Ganj	Shimla