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Allahabad Kumbh Mela 2013

Held every four years by rotation at Haridwar, Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad, 2013 is the year of the Allahabad Kumbh Mela. Thus each of these places gets the charge of organising the Kumbh Mela every twelve years. Among them, Haridwar and Allahabad hold the ‘Ardh Kumbh Mela’ every six years. The last Ardh Kumbh Mela was held in the year 2007 at Allahabad. Around 70 million pilgrims participated on the 45th day. The one before that was held at at Haridwar in the year 2001 where 30 million people had gathered. The Kumbh Mela taking place at Allahabad this time is the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Allahabad kumbh2013
foreigner at kumbh

Considered the most sacred of all, the Maha Kumbh Mela also happens to be the world’s oldest and largest spiritual gathering. It is in fact, one rare opportunity for all to be able to witness some of India’s oldest and most sacred rituals. These were passed down from one generation to another from the Maharajas of India, performed by a special section of elite Brahmin priests, and witnessed by monks, sages and sadhus. In fact, many of these holy men and women do not appear in public except of an occasion like the Maha Kumbh Mela.

The place where the Maha Kumbh Mela 2013 will be celebrated is known as the Prayag Raj. This is where, since the time of the Rig Vedas, ancient rituals and rites were performed, near the confluence of rivers Ganga and Yamuna. Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of the Kumbh Mela. Thousands of devotees take a holy dip in the Ganges on this day and so starts the 55-day festival. The third important day of the six bathing days at the Kumbh Mela is Mauni Amavasya after Makar Sankranti and Paush Purnima. After Makar Sankranti, it is the second Shahi Snan of the mela.

This year, extra forces have been employed to keep a vigil on the mela grounds. More than 15,000 security officials have been drawn from Central paramilitary forces. These include the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Border Security Force (BSF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the Provincial Armed Constabulary as well as the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). Mela administrators are strict about not allowing anyone to take more than a dip in the river. Washing clothes or throwing garbage in the river water is strictly not allowed. Regular visitors believe that one dip in the holy river has the power to change a life forever.

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India Culture & Heritage Kerala Tourist Attractions

The Heritage Mosques of Cochin

Cochin is a very popular port city in the coastal area of Malabar in Kerala. This place is also known for the oldest mosques that carry the beauty of historical facts, splendid architecture, and religion as well. Since, it is a coastal region; this place remained a center of attraction for several maritime trades along the Indian Ocean. The trade relations with other countries stood a significant reason for other religious and cultural influences such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam into India via Cochin. As a result of other religious impact some of the very old mosques in Cochin bear a historical significance too.

ponnani juma masjid in cochin
ponnani juma masjid in cochin

In fact, in India initial construction of mosques began in Cochin which paved the way for them to be considered as a symbol of heritage. Nowadays many tourists visit Cochin for this experience that reminds them of olden days of India, as that heritage has been very well preserved in Cochin. Cochin is a place filled with coconut palms, and it is a fantastic sight to visit these mosques constructed in places surrounded by coconut trees. The atmosphere where the mosques have been constructed brings a sense of calmness and you feel you are sitting in the lap of Mother Nature. Hence the mosques are called as the heritage mosques of Cochin.

Famous Mosques in and around Cochin

Cheraman Juma Masjid – it is one of the oldest mosques in Cochin. This mosque was built by Man like Bin Dinar, who is one among the followers of Prophet Mohammad. The king Cheraman Perumal patronized Muslim religion; hence, this mosque contains the influence of Hinduism. One could identify the Hindu temple structural style in it. For example, in this mosque people use a brass oil lamp, light scented sticks that are usually used by Hindus. The pulpit is made of rosewood and contains carvings resembling a Hindu temple.

Kanjiramatton Mosque– located about 25km from Cochin; this mosque is a typical illustration that shows the beauty of antique styles of architecture followed in mazhars and dargahs, a worship place for Muslims.

Ponnani Juma Masjid– Located in the northern part of Cochin, this masque was built about 1500 years back. Historical records say that this mosque had been built tin response to Portuguese to show the power of Muslims in trade.

The Calvathy Mosque– it is situated nearby the Calvathy canal which served as the connecting point between Europeans and Indians for trade relations.

Madeena Masjid– Situated in Ernakulam of Cochin this mosque has been widely used as a place of managing foreign trade and business establishments.

Architectural Significance

The mosques in Cochin especially bear its uniqueness in the architectural pattern it followed. The workmanship in each mosque reflects the type of place, the materials available in that place, and the culture. All these factors decide the kind of materials that were used for construction. The structure of the mosques reflected the indigenous buildings; hence, typical large wood-framed pyramidal roofs could be identified in the mosques’ structure. Similarly, one could see the craftsmanship made in wood like the natives adapt for their housing.

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India Culture & Heritage

Temples of Love Khajuraho

khajuraho temples
khajuraho temples

Khajuraho is a small village with even less moderate population. The inhabitants lived here and there around the forest. But when the two remarkable temples were kept ready for visitors, the whole place had been transformed into a busy town. It was by the hard work of the Chandela Rajputs who took the effort in constructing the temples in the middle of 9th century. Khajuraho remained the capital of Chandelas and also stood as the main religious center. Lots and lots of information can be given about the internal and external structures, sculptures of the Temples of Love Khajuraho.

The temples reflected the belief of Tantrik Mysticism which considered sex as an important feel for human beings to attain the full essence in life. The temples there are ample erotic art works depicted. Inside the temple the carvings of deities had been depicted tremendously. If you notice carefully all the carvings reflect the life cycle of human beings like human bodies, love making, life style, activities of men and women, etc. Some carvings depicts women engaged in dressing, some depicts musicians, farmers, folk, mundane things in life, etc.

Since, majority of the sculptures depict the scenes related to mundane activity in human life and also reflects erotic sexual implication, this temple best illustrates the architectural beauty rather than of religious significance. It was believed that more than 85 temples must have been there, however, due to dimness and less attention paid on maintenance only 20 temples survive in spite of climatic changes. The temples have been categorized into eastern and western groups pertaining to the sub sects in Hindu religion.

Some of the temples to be visited to enjoy architectural and sculptural beauty are

  1. Lakshmana Temple
  2. Kandariya Mahadeo Temple
  3. Devi Jagadamba Temple
  4. Lakshmi and Varaha Temple
  5. Chausath Yogini Temple
  6. VIshvanath and Nandi Temple

Temples in Khajuraho that belonged to western group are

  1. Chitragupta Temple
  2. Brahma and Haunman Temple
  3. The Jatkari Temple

Temples that belong to the Eastern group are

  1. Ghantai Temple
  2. Vamana Temple
  3. Javari Temple

Chattarbhuj Temple is the exclusive temple in Khajuraho which does not contain any sculpture depicting the concept of love making.

The religious aspect tends to reflect two major sub divisions of Hindu. One could find themes of both Shaivism and Vaishnavism of Hinduism, and Jainism and Tantrism sculptured in interior and exterior as well. As far as the architectural beauty is concerned, depictions in Khajuraho contains sculptures of various deities, their helpers, extraterrestrial maidens [a blend of human and animal body structure], all personified in postures provocative of love.

The sculptures of couples represented in erotic postures reflect love in art form. Similarly, depictions of musicians, dancers, and couples involved in love also carry the fine embodiment of art work. Since, the sculptures represent more of human love life, Khajuraho is considered as a temple of love.

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India Culture & Heritage

Tips to plan a visit to Cultural Sites of India

India is a country filled with unbelievable cultural atmosphere. Since the climate is moderate during March to July, it is better to avoid visiting India during these months. Either Cultural Tours India or vacation tours to different parts of India like North India, or South India, etc. make sure that you gather information about the major cultural spots there and the right timing to stay.

golden temple
darshan of Golden temple

Seven best ideas to plan your cultural tour:

  1. If it is a 10 day trip, make your plan in such a way that you spend 4 days to visit all the cultural and tourists’ attractions in North India, and spend 4 days to visit South India.
  2. Some of the important cultural places in Northern part of India are The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Thar Desert in Rajasthan, Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Konark Sun Temple, etc.
  3. You can also specifically arrange your cultural trip to India, by visiting only the temples in India. It will be a very exciting experience to visit only the different temples in India, like Tirupati Balaji Temple, Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Jagannath Temple, Rishikesh in Northern India, etc. One can learn a lot about the cultural specifications from the sculptures in and around the temples and the various construction patterns in which the temples are built.
  4. Another way to make your cultural trip to India is to visit major cultural attractions all over India within 10 days. If you can spend 12 to 15 days you can cover almost all tourist places as well.
  5. Browse to learn the important cultural attractions and then look for the latest travel deals which can cover as many places as possible. You can plan your holiday on themes like sightseeing, adventurous and traditional places visit and then cover all the related places.
  6. Browse for the best hotels with package offers. Be sure to compare the packages and check out for the services that hotels offer through their reviews in order to get best deal with best services.
  7. Make sure of the availability of visiting hours[dharsan] timings , if you are particular about visiting major temples in North India and South India

It is a wonderful experience to visit India with an intention to enjoy the cultural flavor. One can enjoy as well as learn lot about history and civilization of Indian people. One can also find the variety of cultural trends in different parts of India, for example the food varies from place to place.

If you would like to enjoy the colorful scenario of India’s rich cultural heritage, you can plan your visit during the festive months of September to January. Since the climate is moderate during March to July, it is better to avoid visiting India during these months.

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10 of the best hotels in India

India is a country known for its multi-cultural heritage. It is a wonderful land with a variety of regional languages spoken within the country. Indians are strictly bound to their tradition and culture. Though there may be western influence and technological impact on its life style, one can find the traditional and cultural practices still maintained all over the country. Festivals are the major attractions in India. If you are planning to visit India, the best season would be from September to January. However, browsing to get information about India tour packages will fetch you the best deals to make your trip meaningful, economical and worth mentioning.

Radisson Blu Hotel Pune
Radisson Blu Hotel Pune Kharadi

India Hotels range from economic rate to luxurious rate. Hence, it is a very easy task to book hotels based on your finance. There are a number of hotels which have their branches in all the major cities of India. These hotels also offer excellent services for the visitors to have a pleasant stay and to visit the places. Food, service, location and rooms are comfortably provided. One can find two and three bed room residential rentals to make their stay in India Hotels an unforgettable one. This kind of hotel service remains appropriate choice for a family of more than 4members. If you are intended to visit North India or Eastern part of India or any particular state in India, you can choose a residential type of hotels and stay along with your family and get the feel of staying at home.

  1. Radisson hotel
  2. The Park hotels
  3. The Leela Kempinski
  4. The Taj Hotels
  5. The Oberoi Hotels
  6. The ITC hotels
  7. Le Meridian
  8. The Vivanta by Taj Hotels
  9. The LaLit hotels
  10. The Savannah Sinclairs.

These hotels provide all facilities catering to the needs of International standards. They are best if you are looking for a safe, luxurious and perfect accommodation with your family. If you are in search of India tours you can select the package if it contains any of these hotel accommodations. Plan your trip and enjoy the staying experience in any of the top hotels in India. These hotels are also ideal for people who wish to stay for more than 3 days or more than a week as they not only offer boarding and lodging services, they also offer fully designed & customized holidays. You can also make use of the additional services rendered by the hotels and know-how you can witness the tourists’ attraction with trip full of information. Moreover if you are looking forward for some fully fledged resort services of a resort for having an all round holiday experience you can find out appropriate resort based hotels.

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