Handicrafts of Himachal Pradesh

Handicrafts of Himachal Pradesh

The State of Himachal is rich in the field of handicrafts. In Kangra Valley, at Mcleodganj, fine and detailed sand mandals are made. Tibetan textiles such as bags, chubas (dresses worn by Tibetan women), hats and trousers can be found at the office of Tibetan Handicrafts and Stitches of Time. The Tibetan handicrafts co-operative, employs about 145 people in the weaving of most Tibetan carpets. The visitors are welcome to watch the carpet makers at work on traditional looms. There are dozens of other shops, selling Tibetan artifacts.

The Kullu Valley is famous for shawls. Woven on wooden handloom, Kullu shawls are light and remarkably warm and make great souvenirs. From Bhuntar to Manali, the road is lined up with literally hundreds of shops, selling traditional Kullu shawls with check patterns, using motifs associated with Buddhism. The Kulu nose ornaments are mainly the nath and boulak designs. The pipal patra is an ornament to frame the face, made by fastening pipla leaves to enamelled silver, made in Kullu and Kinnaur.

Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) Tourism

Madhya Pradesh Tourism

Originally Madhya Pradesh was made on 1st Nov. 1956 but at the time of reformation of various states of the nations, Madhya Pradesh was reorganized on November 01’2000 by separating Chhattisgarh State from it. Being located in the Centre of the country (Madhya) the name justifies itself. The geographical location is 21 *6’ to 26* 30’ North latitude and 74* to 81* East longitude. The boundary of Madhya Pradesh is surrounded by the boundaries of 5 other states, which are-Uttar Pradesh in North East, Chhattisgarh in East, Maharashtra in South-West, Gujarat in West and Rajasthan in North West region. Its area is 3 lac 83 thousand Sq.km. Nowhere it has any coastal line or international boundary. There are 12 commissionaires, 48 districts, 324 tehsils, 459 Community  Blocks, 174 Tribal Blocks, Towns,76220 Villages, 18 Municipal Corporations, 30992 Village Panchayats, 459 Janpad Panchayats, 48 distt. Panchayats, and 38 towns with more than 1 lac population. There are 230 seats for state legislative assembly.

The 48 Districts of the State are Anuppur, Ashok Nagar, Balaghat, Burhanpur, Barwani, Betul, Bhind, Bhopal, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Datia, Dewas, Dhar, Dindori, Guna, Gwalior, Harda, Hoshangabad, Indore, Jabalpur,JHABUA, Katni, Khandwa, Khargon, Mandsaur, Mandla, Morena, Narsinghpur, Neemach, Panna, Raisen, Rajgarh, Ratlam, Rewa, Sagar, Satna, Sehore, Seoni, Shahdol, Shajapur, Shivpuri, Sidhi, Sheopur, Tikamgarh, Umaria, Ujjain, and Vidisha.

Madhya Pradesh TourismThe tourist places of the state can be seen for whole of the year. Even then, the best period to travel is from October to March. Khajuraho, Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Pachmarhi, Chitrakoot, Ujjain, Sanchi, Orchha, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Mandu, Amarkantak, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Jabalpur, Bhimbetka and Bagh Caves are the important places from the view point of historical and touristic significance.

Albert Hall Jaipur

Albert Hall is a nice museum in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. It is known across the world for having an Egyptian mummy in its treasure. An avid visitor will definitely devote 3-4 hours to explore the artifacts in the museum. The must-see of Albert Hall include Maharaja Gallery, Outdoor Murals, Open Courtyard, Carpet Gallery (brought from Iran), Tithi Platter (a kind of calender), Ramayan Shield (depicting signifinat aspects of Ramayana), Weaponry, Nepalese Buddha, Egyptian Mummy, Mahisasur Mardini (a statue from Abhaneri), Shiva, Parvati & Ravana statue (finely sculptured statue of ancient India from Dausa), Gandhar Buddhas, Bikaneri Pottery, Jaipur Pottery, Miniature Painting Gallery, Ivory, Jewellery, Musical Instruments, Carved Doors, Celestial Gods, Marble Trimurti (Hindu Trinity), Odhni Cloth, Block Printing, Turbans, Yoga Asanas etc.

Albert Hall is well kept and its rich treasure offers an opportunity to study and know rich and glorious past of this part of Rajasthan.

Indian Crafts

                                                                       Indian Crafts

India’s deep rooted tradition in crafts can be traced back to the ancient times when the country, famous for its cotton, was an important trading centre for mainly textiles and dyes, and ivory. Sailors from the West and the Far East poured silver and gold into India in return for its hand-printed cotton textiles and other handicrafts. But it was only under the early Mughals that Indian crafts touched new heights: the art of textile making and jewellery was highly developed and new techniques/skills such as velvet manufacturing were introduced and perfected. Local patronage diminished with the weakening of Mughal power. The colonial era discouraged trade in crafts. Indian crafts were now challenged by the cheap, imported and machine made goods. Gandhi’s ‘Sawadeshi’ movement was aimed at reinforcing the status of the Indian crafts. After independence, the government’s efforts have been to launch developmental programmes for the crafts industry, revive many traditional crafts, identify new craft centres and make people more aware of their country’s rich cultural heritage.

Indian crafts can be broadly classified as folk crafts, commercial crafts and crafts associated with religious centres. Folk crafts are produced by village craftsmen for a limited population or created by people for their own use. Commercial crafts are produced by craftsmen of a particular group/ caste working in a centre associated with a specific skill.

Indian crafts are a major tourist attraction of India. The finesse, variety, regional modifications, perfection and eco-friendliness are hallmarks of Indian crafts. These innumerable crafts are result of hundreds and thousands of years of perfectionist endeavour. A visitor traveling India should explore the glorious aspect of Indian craftsmanship.

Same Day Agra Tour

This short trip popularly known as "same day Agra tour" or "same day Taj Mahal tour" or "one day Agra tour" is designed and planned specially for those business travellers who are left with least time for personal pleasure. This Same Day Taj Mahal tour will comfortably take you to Agra where the world famous Taj Mahal is situated. Along with Taj Mahal, you will be witnessing the grandiose scale of architecture in Agra Fort and sublime stream of love in the white marble structure of Tomb of It-mad-ud Daula. This marvelously and meticulously designed trip starts in the morning from New Delhi and will show you all the major attractions and local culture of Agra and offers a small shopping cum local sightseeing section which you can utilize for buying Handicrafts and leather items. The trip starts in the morning and late in the evening, you shall be back again to Delhi. 

Same Day Taj Mahal Tour Highlights :  Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Tomb of It-mad-ud-Daula,Tonga ride,Battery van ride,Local market and culture.

05:00 Hrs :Pick up from Hotel :- You will be picked up from your Hotel in Delhi at 5:00 hrs and you will move for Agra by road. En route have breakfast at good restaurant.
10:00 Hrs :Arrive at Agra :- In 5 hours you will reach Agra. An Introduction with English speaking trained guide followed by a visit to famous tourist attractions in the city of Agra.
11:00 Hrs :Visit the Taj Mahal :- Visit the well known Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal is a world heritage site in Agra and also one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
13:00 Hrs :Agra Fort :- Agra Fort is also known as Red Fort. Built by various Mughal rulers, the fort is a live testimony of the great Mughal Architecture in India.
16:00 Hrs :Visit Local Market :- Visit Tomb of It-Mad-ud-Daula and local bustling market of Agra which is famous for its handicrafts and leather products.
18:00 Hrs :- Depart from Agra for Delhi.
23:00 Hrs :Arrival in Delhi :- Arrive at Delhi. You will be taken to your hotel of stay. Proceed to your onward journey or destination.

                                                                                                  

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Dev Diwali (Deepawali) in Varanasi

Dev Diwali (Deepawali) in Varanasi

Dev Diwali is one of the famous festivals of Hindu which is celebrated in Benares on the occasion of Kartik Poornima and starts by holy Vedic mantras chanted by priests to please and welcome the God, sparkling fire crackers and a bunch of Diyas at the ghats.

At this occasion each and every ghat of the Ganges is packed with the great crowd of pilgrims and diyas (earthen ware). The pilgrims and devotees offer 'diyas' showing their reverence for the Ganges, worshiped by the Hindus as mother. Thousands of diyas (also known as earthen lamps) put into the holy water of the Ganges for their gods according to their rituals beliefs create a mesmerizing spectacle.

Dev Diwali 2013 will be celebrated on Sunday, at 17th November 2013. The main rituals performed by the devotees consist of Kartik Snan (taking a holy bath in the Ganges during Kartika) and Deepdan (offering of oil lighted lamps) to Ganga in the evening. The Ganga aarti is also performed in the evening.

Ganga Mahotsav is a tourist-centric festival in Varanasi which is celebrated for five days every year starting from Prabodhani Ekadashi to Kartik Poornima during the month of October–November. It showcases the rich cultural heritage of Varanasi. The festival, with a message of faith and culture, covers popular cultural programmeslike classical music, a country boat race, daily Shilpa Mela, displays of sculptures, displays of marital arts, and on the final day Poornima (full moon) which coincides with the traditional Dev Deepawali (light festival of the gods). The ghats on the Ganga River glitter with more than a million lit earthen lamps.

On occasion of Ganga Mahotsav and dev Dipawali all hotels are full, so please reconfirm your hotel reservation. 

North India Tourism

The reasons to visit north India are many. Except sea beaches and lagoons, you happen to discover almost all sorts of topographies and hence evolved diversities. North India is studded with most revered Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain pilgrimages. Being guarded by the Himalayas, north India is endowed with rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Sutlej, Vyas, Gomti and Brahmaputra. Delhi, the capital of India, has been arena of political and military upheavals. Being birth place of Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Mahavir and holy sages, north India represents gist of cultural India.

North India tours stun a the visitors by showcasing Yoga & Ayurveda in Rishikesh, religious and spiritual rituals in Varanasi, sexual bliss sculpted on temple walls in Khajuraho, Taj Mahal as epitome of love in Agra, forts and palaces all around in Rajasthan, wildlife diversity in Ranthambhore and Corbett National Parks and Buddhist monasteries in Dharmashala and Ladakh. And Delhi probably emerges as the capital which is most endowed with cultural heritage and monuments of olden days.

As North India is having lot many exotic tourist destinations, Indian tour operators offer many North India package tours to cater to different niches catering to differing requirements and proclivity of the travellers. Rajasthan tour packages cater to the demand of the travellers who want see sturdy, gargantuan and royal monuments like forts and palaces. Customized Rajasthan tours also cater to specific wish-lists of the traveller like desert safari in Jaisalmer, camel ride in Bikaner, tiger safari in Ranthambhore, village safari into Bishnoi villages in Jodhpur etc.

Similarly, Taj Mahal has the distinction of most visited single monument of India. Most of the tourists visiting North India, do visit Taj Mahal in Agra. But many a times, a business traveller with paucity of time wants to see Taj Mahal during his India stay. Keeping in view the time constraints and eagerness to see Taj Mahal once while in India, Indian tour operators have on offer ‘one day Taj Mahal tour, also called as ‘day tour to Agra’ and ‘same day Taj Mahal Tour’.    

  

Likewise, tailor-made tours for Varanasi, Khajuraho, Golden Triangle, Leh Ladakh etc are also on offer.