India, where culture echoes, tradition speaks, beauty enthralls and diversity delights is one of the popular tourist hubs of the world. Trailing the beauties of major tourist attractions such as Italy, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand, India has proudly emerged as the numero uno travel destinations.

Widely-read British magazine ‘Conde Nest Traveller’ recently conducted a survey among its readers who were fervent and sophisticated travelers around the world. In the April issue of the magazine, the readers were asked for the world’s best hotels, spas, cities, airports, cruise lines and tour operator nominations.

The survey report, the nomination results and the ratings led the magazine to come to the conclusion that India is the top tourist destination among the masses. In the year 2004, India was the 10th most preferred destination, the 4thin 2006 and has now grabbed the top position. Union Tourism Minister Ambika Soni was swollen with pride on receiving the Readers Travel Award in London Monday night.

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Source: The Times of India

It indicates the Ministry is intent of making Hampi a major tourist destination keeping in mind the site’s recognition by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and its subsequent listing in Historical sites in Danger. The massive work of restoration by Karnataka state department of Archeology, the Hampi Foundation and Archaeological Survey of India cleared its name from the list. It joins 23 other sites in India, which have already been listed by the organization. Indian conservationists reacted enthusiastically to the news, proclaiming that their country’s heritage is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

In Asia, China and Vietnam have been aggressive in marketing their sites. The challenge for Indian authorities now is to translate the UNESCO listing into better management on the ground and to bring in more tourist dollars. People visiting World Heritage Sites expect world-class infrastructure. Angkor Wat in Cambodia - which has the distinction of having been listed by UNESCO both as a World Heritage Site and simultaneously included on the list of World Heritage in Danger 12 years ago - earns Cambodia a third of its foreign income. Tikal National Park in Guatemala raises $280 million a year, while Machu Picchu receives one million annual visitors. India is well equipped to benefit enormously, because it has sites dispersed throughout the country.

UNESCO recognition is by no means sufficient to protect a monument. The awards carry no direct financial reward and, once a site has been listed, its management is left to local authorities, despite the rigorous selection process. With 788 World Heritage sites around the world, UNESCO simply does not have the resources to monitor them after listing. A more serious threat is to Hampi, where the Karnataka State government has built two bridges across the river where the 14th-century site is located.

Anila Verghese, a Mumbai art historian who has written a book on Hampi, says:

It is the cause of great damage to the monument. They knocked down the fort walls in the process. People who manage such sites have not got their act together. There are plans for malls to be built just outside the site.

These developments prompted UNESCO to put Hampi on the list of World Heritage in Danger in 1999.

Chandraumalueshvara Temple is facing a number of immediate threats including:

Collapsing gateways and fortification walls
Deterioration of temple exterior/interior
Misuse of temple for storage and refuse
Animal and human feces
Fire damage and scorching
Water damage/leakage
Plant growth and intrusion
Looting and vandalism

After completing excavation and research in April, 2005, conservationist are undertaking stabilization of the foundation and waterfront ramparts, and conservation of the walls and roofs for the main hall and other sacred chambers enabling the conservation to focus on restoration of exterior and interior gateways, doorways, plazas, sculptures and stairways, and the perimeter fortification. A large number of structural components of the main temple, plaza area, gateways and are piled up around the temple and must be inventoried and analyzed to determine appropriate usage and placement, both for structural integrity and architectural and historical authenticity.

There exist serious problems in the current site designation, land use, and the implementation of cultural heritage policies and regulations at Hampi. Only a few monuments in the citadel area of Hampi were designated UNESCO World Heritage or National Heritage, where as the actual setting and the context was not. As well, recent research shows that many important monuments exist outside the protected area that are facing complete devastation, with many being used for building materials of modern structures within the town.

Primary Threats to Hampi World Heritage

Urbanization and Unplanned Development
Encroaching infrastructure and uncontrolled construction of buildings are a constant threat to Hampi as only 58 of the 550 total monuments hold heritage protection status. Encroaching urbanization continues to threaten the site as a result of the ever-increasing population and growing pressures from tourism. The most recent threat is a proposed new bridge across the Tungabhadra River.

Environmental Threats
Stone quarrying, ramped pollution, as well as encroaching agriculture currently threatens Hampi.

Lack of Cultural Resource Management
Hampi’s future is falling victim to the politics of three major controlling authorities (National, State and District) that work independently and parallel to each other.

SIGNIFICANCE - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Hampi resides on the banks of the Thungabadra River with a backdrop of the majestic rock boulders was once capital of one of the largest Hindu Empires in Indian History. Founded in 1336, Hampi was the capital of an alliance of southern Hindu kingdoms that managed to hold off the invading Muslim armies for over two centuries.

The uniqueness of this site lies in vast area of monument complexes, the kingdom’s long reign as an advanced society and its unique architecture (which is Islamic for the secular buildings and purely Hindu for the religious structures). It has come to light in recent research that this capital city was actually the center of a large metropolitan region and not just a deserted city. Its fabulously rich princes built Dravidian temples and palaces that won the admiration of travelers between the 14th and 16th centuries until it was conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565, at which time the city was pillaged over a period of six months before being abandoned.

The Eastern Indian Himalayas is a range that dominates the Northern part of West Bengal. Located in this part of the world is the Indian queen of the hills, Darjeeling. It is famous for numerous things and one of them include Darjeeling tea.

As the SUV or your van that you travel in makes it’s way up the windy roads, the Himalayan vistas open up. The green slopes welcome you to the heart of the Himalayas. Eventually, the slopes give way to the tea gardens of the area, where workers keep plucking the tea leaves. Evidently, Darjeeling is home to the world’s best tea.

About a whopping 87 estates operate in the area with a large scale tea production. With Darjeeling spreading it’s wings over to Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, there’s plenty of scope for the tea estates to expand and grow. Although, the area is getting used up, there is still some room for development.

Folks come to this area from all around the world and the visitors range from London to Manhattan. Makaibari is probably the most popular among the rest of the tea estates. Travelers in this part of the Himalayas are mostly tea tasters, and tea dealers besides people who are just visiting for a vacation.

As far as I know, tea tasting is not as easy as wine tasting is. You have to know how and where the plants are grown and in what condition. That way you get a better perspective on this specialty.

A few days spent in the tea wilderness will help you get first hand knowledge on the tea plantations and their aspects. So if you are planning a vacation to Asia, I suggest that you better check out the tea estates of Makaibari, Glenburn, and Goomtee. It will be much like a Napa valley wine touring.

Image credits: Mickcanning,

Conventionally known as the Malabar Coast, Calicut in Kerala was the place where Vasco-Da-Gama first touched his galleons to the Indian soil; after discovering the sea-trade route to India.

Explorers traveled to this part of the world to collect then invaluable spices and natural herbs. Today tourists, especially honeymooners folk this land to enjoy the scenic beauty and romancing on the waters of the lagoons in house-boats and the Shikaras.

Keralite countryside has abundant medieval and colonial ruins — forts, churches, mosques and temples, some dating back to even early 15th century. Kerala has been the melting point of the East and West. Population statistics reveal the inhabitants to be Hindus, Muslims and Christians — around thirty percent each. Kerala has the highest literacy rate amongst all Indian states and a common Keralite is known to be very hardworking, polite and active if you ever come across. Besides, Keralites perhaps have a genetic advantage — men are absolutely handsome and women are simple yet made of mirror cracking material! Their pleasant smile, sparkling eyes, white saree and those white-orange garlands in their thick, long, black, coconut oil nourished hair could cause you a crush. So beware!

Kerala is blessed with a network of inland waterways. This has peppered many house-boat and Shikara owners. So do not miss an opportunity to cruise along a lagoon watching the scenic landscape of the mountains, coconut jungles on one side and portal activities on the other.

Kerala would be incomplete if you do not taste it’s delicacies! The food is laden with spices, fish, coconut and rice. Here you could have items you may perhaps never taste elsewhere — paisum (sweet milk gruel served in Hindu temples), Keralite fish curry and biryani. Fitness freaks need not worry — traditional Keralite food has been scientifically approved of having a high nutritional value and almost nil cholesterol content.

Rich in coconut production do not forget to take a relaxing massage at the end of the day. So plan your next vacation into the Incredible India’s land of lagoons — Kerala!

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Source: ScotlandonSunday

The most attractive feature of Mahimapura is its quaint wooded hillock crowned by a beautiful Vijayanagara style Garuda/ Ranganathaswamy temple. According to the temple priest, this is the only shrine in the state where Garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu, is given the same importance as Ranganathaswamy, the main deity. Mahimaranganathaswamy the central deity appears like a mound of jaggery and is believed to be naturally originated, while the Vishnu image which is worshipped was installed much later during the Vijayanagar period. At the foot of the hill there is the temple in which a finely carved monolithic idol of Hanuman standing tall at about 12 ft is enshrined.

To visit the Mahimaranganathaswamy temple one has to negotiate the steep climb of around 350 ft via a flight of well-hewn stone steps. The top of the hill is a rounded plateau with a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Ranganathaswamy, which houses fine statues of Garuda, Hanumantha and Ranganatha (installed). The temple is a small structure with a squarish garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) and has square Vijayanagara style pillars endowed with fine relief sculptures. The garbhagriha is crowned by a brick and mortar Shikhara which is visible from a long distance. The main idol of Ranganatha is in Vijayanagara style is actually a Venkataramana image with Shankha (conch), Chakra (discus), Abhaya and Varada attributes. There is also a beautiful and antique metallic image of Venkataramana which is used during festivals.

The temple is completely built of stone and each pillar is beautifully carved depicting the various forms of Lord Vishnu. But due to faulty maintenance the artistry has become almost invisible. The pillars have been whitewashed resulting in the finer aspects and intricate cuts and curves of the sculptures becoming invisible. The whitewashing has actually covered up most of the artistic images of the pillars. It looks rather odd that natural stone pillars have been whitewashed instead of being cleaned and washed with water.

Worship happens only in the morning in the temple; there is no worship during the nights, as it is believed that divine sages visit the place during the evenings. Many film sequences of local language films have been shot in this place. The rural locales have provided a scenic backdrop to the improbably song-n-dance sequences of many Kannada films.

Legend:
There is an interesting legend associated with the origin of the temple. Mahimapura is believed to be the place where Garuda the vehicle of Lord Vishnu performed penance to cleanse himself of the sin of eating the dead body of a Rakshasi (ogress). It is believed that several thousands of years ago, sage Kashyapa’s wife Aditi is given two eggs by the Sun god, who says that two sons will be born out of the eggs. Aditi waits for several years for the eggs to hatch. Getting impatient she breaks one of the eggs and a child without arms and legs comes out of the egg, curses her with a life of slavery and vanishes. She feels sad and worships the Sun god again seeking forgiveness. The Sun god appears and advises her to wait and that a powerful and strong son will emerge from the remaining egg. After some years Garuda comes out of the egg and immediately demands food from his mother, she directs him to Sage Kashyapa. Garuda who is impatient with hunger disturbs the penance of Sage Kashyapa and asks for food. The sage then gets angry and tells Garuda to go to a rocky place where the dead body of a ‘Rakshasi’ (ogress) is lying, eat it and satisfy his hunger. This place is called the ‘Rakshasi Bande’ and is situated adjacent to Mahimapura hill.

Garuda eats the dead body and later feels that he has committed a mistake by disturbing sage Kashyapa’s penance. He seeks forgiveness from sage Kashyapa, who in turn directs him to Mahimapura with an instruction to worship Lord Ranganatha. Garuda performs intensive penance and after several years Lord Ranganatha appears before him in the Nirakari form or as a mound of Jaggery. Garuda built a small temple in the memory of the lord here. Local chieftains renovated the temple and later during the Chola and Vijayanagara period a new stone temple was built and embellished with grants and renovations.

Festivals and fairs:
The annual jatra on the Magha Poornima day of Hindu calendar, the festivities go on for almost 15 days and a cattle fair is also organised. A Car Festival (Rathothsava) is also conducted. Several village level competitions are also held. Apart from this three important festivals are celebrated with great pomp here, i.e., Janmashtami, Dasara (Navratri) and Narasimha Jayanthi.

Getting there.
Start off on the National Highway 4 (Bangalore - Tumkur Road) and drive for around 45 kms. One can find a large sign on the left side, which reads ‘Mahimapura‘ and an arrow points towards a cross. Take left and proceed straight for around 1.5 kms. You will come across a small hillock with a steep flight of steps leading to the top. This is Mahimapura. KSRTC buses ply thrice a day from Bangalore to Mahimapura. Alternatively one can travel to Nelamangala by BMTC and travel by local transport to Mahimapura.

We all have read lot about Ajanta and Ellora caves, the architectural marvels of ancient times. Ellora that represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture has 35 caves in all. We all have read so much about these caves that we think we know every fact about these. Well, if this is so I’m sure you know which temple has the World’s Largest Monolith. If your answer is no, then go about reading.

Carved out of stone, the Kailasa temple (cave 16) is really an architectural wonder. It boasts of the biggest hewn monolith temple in the world and is considered
the pinnacle of Indian rock-cut architecture. The greatness of this structure lies in the fact that it’s a temple strictly adhering to the Vaastu Shaastra and other rules of a worshipping place.

Well-known for being carved out of single solid rock from top to bottom, it is richly embellished three-storey high temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and contains the world’s largest cantilevered rock ceiling.

Believed to have taken 7,000 labourers 150 years to complete the project, it’s gigantic, 8th century temple that covers twice the area of the Parthenon in Athens. No doubt, all of the caves at Ellora are stunning architectural feats but this fact can also not be ignored that the Kailasa Temple is the jewel in the crown.

Believe me, the temple is such a mammoth that you undergo different feeling while you take a tour. As you enter the complex, ordinariness turns into curiosity. When you glance at the masterpieces, your curiosity turns into bewilderment. Walking around the temple turns bewilderment into disbelief and you leave the temple thinking it’s a dream!

Have a look at the beautiful pictures in the image gallery below to get an idea of what this architectural wonder looks like but I don’t think the pictures do the justice, you got to see it to believe it!

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Planning your next trip to Bangalore, one of the popular tourist destinations and confused about booking a hotel. If yes, I can suggest you one such hotel in the city that offers excellent hospitality and tranquil environment.

Nowhere in Bangalore will you get a recreating privileged atmosphere of a colonial-era residence than Villa Pottipati. It has eight heritage-styled rooms each of which has a distinct character and the whole house is so relaxed and appealing that you’ll hardly want to drift beyond the walls of the compound.

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Villa Pottipati is a 120-year old ancestral home that is located in the midst of lush greenery and picturesque surrounding.It has red cement floors, teakwood beams, and high ceilings, furnished with teak and rosewood antique furniture and beautiful artifacts.

It has many rooms that are named after traditional South Indian saris. Each guest- room is different, no matter which room you stay in; don’t forget to ask about the tour of other unoccupied rooms.

The Venkatagiri Suite, has a stunning turquoise-blue Venkatagiri sari covering the bed, and offers incredible value. The Rajadurga Suite rewards early birds with spectacular sunrise views. The fabulous Kanchipuram Suite has a private pillared balcony, an old-fashioned lime-green bathroom, and a quaint antique gramophone.

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Dining:

The menu offers a mix of Indian and Continental cuisine along with a few local delicacies.
Location:
142, 8th Cross, 4th Main Road, Malleswaram.

Getting There:
The villa is located at 12 kms from airport and 2 kms from railway station.

The hotel promises a home away from home with personal and exceptional service. The guests enjoy the kind of attention which the guests probably enjoyed a century ago. But you won’t have to forgo any modern amenities.

Source: Gadling

Just 6km south-west of Bhubneshwer in Dauli one can see the Brami script from the time of Mauryan ruler Asoka (272-236 BC).When you get there its looks like an unimportant hill with a few couple enjoying the evening breeze. But when you get to it it’s surprisingly well preserved, partly covered in a glass room with a guard who has the key. There is no ticket and the guard happily opened the lock of the door. What an interesting mix of words from different languages , Khemer, Tamil,Malayalam,Burmese, Tibetan, Thai and even Japanese from the Brahmnic family. I touched it and felt like making history in my life journey. In it , Asoka wants his administrators to rule his subject with gentleness and fairness.

‘You are in charge of many thousand living being.....all men are my children and as I desire my children that they obtain welfare and happiness both in this world and next, the same do I desire for all men.’

Asoka on conquering Kalinga present day Orissa killed thousands, there were only widows and orphans, a famine and epidemic followed making life miserable. If you watch the Hindi movie by the same name it beautifully shows how a dying woman refuses water from the hands of the king because he is a murderer. It made Asoka move towards remorse and repentance. Later he converted to Buddhism and worked for the welfare of his people and preached Dharma.

Directly above the Brahmi script is a life- like frontal view of an elephant, carved out of a rock hill. It represents the emergence of Buddhist Asoka from the cave into Buddism.

This mission of peace is symbolised by the tall white Shanti Stupa on top of a nearby hill. Built in 1970 by Japan Buddha Sangha and Kalinga Nippon Buddha Sangha, its monks followed Gandhiji in his struggle for India’s freedom movement on the path of non violence.

The image above is fromm Jaggayyappetah, Amaravati, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh. About 2nd Century AD. Image credit

You want to visit Rajasthan and explore the desert landscapes, culture and experience the royalty at your own pace and flexibility. But your budget is not very high and you want to be on your own. The only option seems to be to load your stuff on a bike and vroom off into the vast open highways and explore the different regions of the royal state.

If you are one of those footloose and fancyfree bikers who wish to travel and explore on a motorcycle, Rajasthan tourism has some really good news for you. The state government has put in place a new policy to encourage tourists to rent motorcycles and explore the state.

Famous for its desert landscapes, rugged and formidable fortresses, grand palaces, serene placid lakes and exotic culture, Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, both for international and domestic travellers. In 2005-06 the desert state attracted over 1.2 million foreign and 17 million domestic tourists. Tourism revenues to the state aggregate to over Rs.10 billion annually.

This new plan of hiring motorcycles to visiting tourists who wish to travel at their own pace and style was conceptualised after seeing the grand success of a similar scheme in Goa, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

Motorcycle rental tariffs other terms and conditions have not been specified as yet. Private operators say that they will ensure that the rentals remain reasonable so that more and more people will hire motorcycles. Moreover entrepreneurs agree that market forces will direct how much rental will be charged. Moreover in a bid to entice entrepreneurs to get into this new line of travel business the state government has decided to cut road tax by three percent for motorcycles purchased for renting out.

The scheme has already been kicked off in Jaipur, Ajmer, Pushkar, Mount Abu, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. Since the scheme was announced the department of tourism has been thronged by applicants seeking licences to rent motorcycles, but only 12 have been granted to put a total of 70 motorcycles on rent by the government.

Since the response has been very good the state government is considering a statewide rollout of the scheme soon.

For those tourists who want to travel by motorcycle but don’t know how to ride, then they can hire a driver too. The tourism department has implemented a scheme wherein they will issue special licences and identity cards to drivers along with mandating a unique dresscode and a different number series for the motorcycles which are meant for hiring. The colour scheme of the motorcycles have been finalised at black and yellow.

Looks like Rajasthan, which is already popular among tourists is all set to double its tourist inflow. A good sign indeed for the travel industry and the Indian economy.