Beijing

Beijing is situated in northern China closet o Tianjin Municipality, in part it is also surrounded by Hebei Province. The city has a surface of more than 16.800 square kilometers and a population of 13.82 million people. Beijing ’s best seasons are late spring and autumn: especially in May, September and October people can enjoy the bright sunshine and a blue sky. Beijing is named the capital of the People’s Republic of China. It’s China’s most important centre for international trade and communications and on the mean time the nation’s political, economic, cultural and educational centre. Throughout its long history it has been the heart and soul of politics and society. Beijing’s long and illustrious history started about 500.000 years ago. It endured invasions, wars, rise and falls of imperial dynasties but each time it stood out as a strong and vibrant city. Beijing went through many dynasties and 34 emperors have lived and ruled the nation. Already from its earliest days it has been an important trading city.

Hefei - China

Hefei is at the junction of the (South) Fei Rivers ; former names: Ho-fei , Luzhou , Luchow ; is a prefecture- level city and the capital of the Anhui province in China . Located in central
Anhui, it borders Huainan to the north, Chuzhou to the northeast, Chaohu to the southeast and Lu'an to the west. From the 8 th to
the 6 th century BC, Hefei was the site of the small state of Shu, later a part of the Chu kingdom. Many archaeological findings dating from this period have been made. The name Hefei was first given to the county set up in the area under the Han dynasty in the 2 nd century BC. In the months of June, July, August, and often September, daily temperatures can reach a high of 37 °C (99 ° F) with high humidity levels being the norm. Hefei's annual average temperature is about 15.7 ° C ( 60 ° F). Its annual precipitation is about 1 ,000 mm (39 in). It snows irregularly in the winter .

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

Benoni

Benoni is located on the East Rand in the South African province of Gauteng. From 2000 it has been a part Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
The name had a very sorrowful meaning and was founded in the year 1881 by Johan Rissik , who found it difficult to assign  title deeds  to all unclaimed state property. Thus he named this land as Farm Benoni the son of my sorrow which is a Hebrew name and was given by Rachael to her son in the biblical Book of Genesis. Later on gold mines were discovered and for a short while the name was changed to Little Cornwall.

Since it became a gold mining district a huge amount of revenue was earned and the city started flourishing. But trees were also plants to make the environment quite safe and the road neat and clean

The climate of this place is quite pleasant and can be visited at any time of the year.

The population of this lace comes to 654,509 according to 200 census.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine

One widely-traveled Frenchman observed in the 18th century that Krakow's Wieliczka salt mine was no less magnificent than the Egyptian pyramids. "The historic Salt Mine in Wieliczka is the only site in the world where mining has continued since the Middle Ages. Lying on nine levels, its original excavations (longitudinals, traverses, chambers, lakes, as well as lesser and major shafts) stretch for the total of 300 kilometres: reaching the depth of 327 metres they illustrate all the stages of the development of the mining technology over time." The quotation comes from the justification of entering the Wieliczka Salt Mine into UNESCO's 1st World List of Cultural and Natural Heritage on 8th September, 1978 together with 11 other sites from all over the world. The mine is also notable for a long tradition of tourism: the famous, breath-taking site has been visited over the centuries by Nicolaus Copernicus, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Alexander von Humboldt, Dimitri Mendeleev, Boleslaw Prus, Ignacy Paderewski, Pope John Paul II, crowned heads, as well millions of people from all over the world. The salt mine forms an "underground town" with churches, lakes and passages.