Tourist Attractions in India

A God gifted land, India is home to pleathora of tourist attractions that draw tourists from every nook and corner of the world. Bestowed with a five thousand years history, India is known for its vast geographical diversity, rich cultural heritage and monumental attractions. Of course, it is not possible to condense all the tourist attraction of India in a single article, but here I am providing a berief account of most poular tourist attractions of India.

Taj Mahal : Declared one of the seven ‘Wonders of World’ recently Taj Mahal magnificently stands in Agra city of Uttar Pradesh, India. Built by the Mughal emperor Shahjahan about 350 years ago, Taj Mahal is a symbol of eternal love between the emperor and his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. A white marble monument Taj Mahal is one of India’s most visited tourist spot and draws tourists from all over the world from centuries.

Khajuraho Temples : Constructed by the mighty Chandela rulers during the 9th and 10th century, Khajuraho Temples are excellent example of art forms of early medieval period. Situated in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho Temples are known for housing erotic sculptures. Originally there were 85 temples but now only 22 temples stand and they have been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Ajanta and Ellora Caves : World Heritage Sites of Ajanta and Ellora are situated close to Aurangabad city of Maharashtra. Ajanta and Ellora Caves were discovered in 19th century by a British official when he was on a hunting expedition. Both these caves has shrines and temples belonging to Hindus, Buddist and Jains. Ajanta caves are also noted for their paintings and the interesting sculptures.

Wildlife in India : Topographically India is a varied land known for its diversified flora and fauna. Due to poaching and other encroachments the wildlife areas of India have been designated as Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks. Corbett National Park, Kaziranga National Park, Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Ranthambore National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park and Sunderban Tiger Reserve are some of the famous wildlife sanctuaries and national parks of India. All these wildlife sanctuaries and parks provide natural habitat to a variety of floral and faunal species.

Temples in India : India is an ancient land and Hinduism is one of the oldest religions of the country. Over the centuries several Hindu Kings had ruled over India who built thousands of temples across the country. . Even today majority of the people follow Hinduism so you will find a fine collection of old as well as modern temples in India. Some of the popular temples in India are Tiruapti Temple (Andhra Pradesh), Akshardham Temple (Gujarat, Delhi), Sun Temple (Orissa), Jagannath Temple (Orissa), Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Varanasi), Meenakshi Temple (Madurai) etc.

Beaches in India : India is flanked by the sea form three sides including the Bay of Bengal in east and Arabian Sea in west. India’s thousands kilometre long coastline is home time to some of the finest beaches of the world. Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the states known for the beatiful beaches. Most famous beaches of India include Anjuna Beach (Goa), Dona Paula Beach (Goa), Calangute Beach (Goa), Alappuzha Beach (Kerala), Kovalam Beach (Kerala), Bekal Beach (Kerala), Marina Beach (Tamil Nadu), Kanyakumari Beach (Tamil Nadu) and so on.

Forts and Monuments in India : A historic land, India had been ruled by a number of dynasties and their rulers built numerous forts and palaces during their regime. Today those rulers or their descendant are no more, but you can find a glimpse of the bygone era in forts and monuments built by them. Red Fort (Delhi), Qutab Minar (New Delhi), Red Fort (Agra), Amber Fort (Jaipur), Mehrangarh Fort (Jodhpur) and Jaisalmer Fort (Jaisalmer) are some of the finest forts and monuments of India.

Hill Stations of India : Hills form an important part of Indian topography. In fact, most of the northern and north-eastern part of India is flanked by Great Indian Himalayas. While the western ghat range starts from border of Gujarat and Maharashtra and runs through the states of Goa, Kartanataka, Tamil Nadu ends at Kanyakumari. These mountain ranges are home to a number of beautiful hill stations that include Darjeeling, Munnar, Shimla, Manali, Nainital, Devikulam, Mount Abu etc.

A Rickshaw Ride in Chandni Chowk (Old Delhi)

By - Md. Mudassir Alam

If you will ask Delhiites about the attractions of Old Delhi, most probably they will name the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, but very few of them will tell about the rickshaw ride through the winding lanes of Chandni chowk. Me too was unaware about the rickshaw ride in Old Delhi, but luckily this past week I got a chance to enjoy the pleasant ride.

As the rickshaw ride in Old Delhi was a new experience for me, so I thought to make that journey memorable. Several small and beautifully designed rickshaws were available at the rickshaw stand close to Sri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir, located in Chandni Chowk area. The rikshawalas were shouting in harmonized unison, as in a chorus, each with an invitation to ride in only their rickshaws. After thinking about various routes, finally I decided to take a ride from Chandni Chowk to Chawri Bazaar.

From the very beginning of my rickshaw ride, I came across the sights and sounds of Old Delhi. I was involved in observing the things across the busy streets, on the other hand the rickshaw puller was clearing his route by chanting the sentences, ‘bhai jara hatke’, ‘o babu sahab side dena’ etc. En-route, there were several shops that were offering everything of daily usage right from A to Z. Apart from these, the old buildings of the Chandni Chowk area were providing a glimpse of British India alongwith describing the 400 yrs old history of Chandni Chowk area. Finally, I reached Chawri Bazaar metro station, I paid the rickshawala his fare and moved towards the station to catch a train to Luteyn’s Delhi that is Connaught Place.

Moreover, a rickshaw ride in Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s Shahjahanbad city (Old Delhi) is one of the wonderful attractions in Delhi. So, take out some time your next holiday for a rickshaw ride in Old Delhi. I am sure, that the inexpensive and very cost effective ride will surely provide you lots of fun and enjoyment. Lastly, if you are looking for some shopping then must visit the market offering textiles, electronic, goods and watches at reasonable prices. Are you feeling hungry? Don't worry, because there are a number of eating joints in Chandani Chowk area which offer sweets, snacks and several other delicacies to satisfy your taste buds.

So our gang is back from Nainital. Here are some of the pics of our memorable escapade. Stay tuned for further updates on the same and more...