India Articles

A century ago, when one talked about India, it was invariably about snake charmers,yogis and beggars in streets. Now IT is the main tag India shows, the progress it has made is certainly visible in growing strength of its currency (rupee) in international stock markets. Like burgeoning industry, Tourism is also expanding very fast in India. Following is a list of places I have visited in India.

Situated in the heart of Central India, Khajuraho is a temple town different from any other temple city of India. It is not about religion, worshipping and deities, instead temples in this fascinating village are famous for the eroticism etched on its walls in the form of sculptures. There are so many theories and controversies over eroticism depicted on the outer walls of temples in Khajuraho.

Tiger tales keep doing the rounds among the community living in villages around the largest mangrove rainforests in the world — the Sunderbans. To the villagers the big cat is ‘Dakhin Rai’, a sobriquet for the mighty lord of the jungles, uttered with reverence and fear. The tiger and the community in the deltaic island forests, interspersed by innumerable streams, cohabit in a love hate relationship. When the striped beauty strikes, the villagers mourn the deceased and curse the animal; and the tiger hates man knowing that the two-legged animal around its domain is the fiercest of all predators. So, it uses its cunning to take it one-up on him as opportunities present itself.

More things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of’. And the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi gives credit to this famous line of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poetry. Sheer faith brings in multitudes of people of all ages, races and religions to kowtow before the Goddess, who showers her grace on each of them and grants them their wishes. The pilgrimage requires great fortitude, both physical and mental, as you have to climb mile after mile, uphill, before getting a glimpse of the Goddess. But as they say ‘tough times never last, tough people do’ and millions of people make this journey successfully, year after year. So can you!

If it were not for the 400 m stretch of the yellow sand beach lapped by the cerulean waves of the Bay of Bengal, at the edge of the town, Puri would have remained the quintessential pilgrim town of Orissa. The frolicsome antics by the seaside and the studied spirituality of the Jagannath temple may seem like strange bedfellows but it is this magic combination that lifts Puri from the mediocrity of an ordinary destination. One arm of the touristy Golden Triangle (the other two being the state capital Bhubaneswar and the city of the sun temple, Konark), Puri is a year round destination. But if you are headed for the seaside, the best time is winter.

"PLEASE madam here is your dinner and I have also laid out the table." Tiffin carrier in hand the caretaker of our Gangotri Forest Lodge stood at the door, "I will be here again tomorrow, early morning." I looked at my wristwatch – it was not even six thirty in the evening.

Located on the sprawling banks of the river Yamuna, Delhi, the capital of India, represents an intriguing blend of a myriad of ancient and the modern civilizations, reflected not only in its diverse cultural heritage and historical monuments but also in the present social structure and lifestyles. The city chronicles the history of the various civilizations and dynasties that flourished here for over 3000 years. Their legacy survives in the many ancient monuments left behind by their rulers, each a chronicle of the glory of its times and a reflection of the prevailing cultures. The remains of seven distinctive capital cities can be seen here.