Shravanabelgola - Karnataka

Shravanabelgola is a city located in Hassan District in Karnataka state. Shravanabelgola is a extraordinary Jain Pilgrimage site spreads over two hills, several tanks and village. Its highlight is the main temple crowning Indragiri Hill. Inside its precincts stands a 57-foot monolithic statue of Gommata. With long arms and legs entwined with creepers, he is wonderfully serene and oblivious to the crowds of prostrate pilgrims below. Sculptures of Jain Tirthankaras (prophets) and Yaksas (demigods), as well as 9th to 19th century reliefs carved into boulders, continue on Ghandragiri, the samll hill to the north.

How to reach:

Shravanabelgola is 158 kms away from Bangalore, 89 kms away from Mysore and 364 kms from hubli. State buses are available from Bangalore and Mysore.

Hassan is the nearest railway station and Bangalore is the nearest Airport for Shravanbelgola

Pondicherry (Puducherry) - India

The most famous of France's four trading posts in India was, until recently, a sleepy backwater with little evidence of its former status. The opening of a new coastal highway has new reduced the bus journey from Chennai to less than 4 hours and, inevitably, the number of visitors is growing.

Established in the early 18th century and with short interludes of Dutch and British control, it finally entered independent India in 1954. It still has some ornate Catholic churches. It has a grid layout, split north-south by a canal that once divided the French quater, from the Indian quater inland.

Goubert Salai is the main beach promenade, dominated at its northern end by a gigantic statue of Gandhiji (Father of Nation). Some of other tourist spots in Pondicherry are Auroville, Museum, Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

Auroville is the one of the fascinating tourist spot and its 6 kms far away from Pondicherry. Followers are international, with a high proportion of Indians, Americans, Europeans, Russians, and Japanese. Auroville Products, such as fine paper and silk, are sold all over India.

Sri Aurobindo Ashram is located in rue de la Marine, nearby Gandhi beach. Its a memorial place of Swamy Aravinder. Its open daily morning 8-12, and afternoon 2-6, admission is free.

Pondicherry Museum with artifacts from Pondicherry's original prehistoric settlement and Pallava, Chola and Vijayanagar sculptures, alongside French bourgeois furniture and other items.

To know more about Pondicherry Tourism details, click here

Thekkady (Periyar National Park) - Kerala

At the southern end of the Western Ghats on the Kerala - Tamilnadu border lies a 280 square feet stretch of water whose thickly forested banks are reputed to be among the best in India for wildlife. Elephants, Langurs, Wild Boar, Bison, Sloth Bear, Sambar Dear, Porcupines, Flying Squirrels, Leopards and the increasingly elusive tiger all inhabit the depths of this 297 square mile sanctuary, and herons, egrets, darters, kingfishers, and the great malabar grey hornbill are among the 260 or so bird species sighted. Apart from this, the sanctuary is stunningly beautiful and its best accommodations (former royal hunting lodges) occupy prime lakeside spots with lovely misty early morning views.

Season:

Periyar's high season is December through March, but accommodations fill up at any weekend or public holiday, making reservations essential. it is not worth visiting during and just after the monsoon, when lakeside sightings become rare as the wildlife has no need of water from the lake, and the humidity also encourages leeches.

Route and Accommodations:

The nearest access town is Kumily, which has good connections with Kottayam, in the Keralan backwaters, and Madurai. Between Kumily and Thekkady, where budget and mid-range accommodations are concentrated , seemingly endless plantations of cardamom, pepper, coffee, bananas, and tapioca eventually give way to evergreen and semi-deciduous forest, typical of this altitude. Thekkady is located about 257 kms from Trivendrum, 114 kms from Madurai Airport, 185 kms from Cochin International Airport. A better bet is to hire a guide and trek through the sorrounding forest or, better still, stay overnight in one of the viewing towers run by the Forest Department in Thekkady.

Kumarakom - Kerala

Kumarakom is one of the tourist spot of Kerala state. It is located in Kottayam District. It is a cluster of little island in Vembanad Lake in Kerala. Kumarakom has variety of Flora and Fauna. Here, Kumarakom Birds Sanctuary is one of the noted Birds Sanctuary in Kerala. There are many species migratory birds visit here. This sanctuary extends in 14 acres. The Vembanad Lake is one of the largest backwater in Kerala.

Fishing and Tourism are the major agriculture in Kumarakom. Fruits like banana, mango, jack fruit, aathaycka and pineapple are also cultivating here.

Another famous thing in Kumarakom is Houseboats. Tourists from all over the world, are coming to Kumarakam and staying in Houseboat for a day/week in rental basis. Boat races will be conducted here during the time of Onam festival.

How to reach?

From all over India, airline facilities are available in daily basis. By flight, we can reach upto Cochin airport, then we have to go by roadways.

Trivandrum to Kumarakom - 190 kms

Cochim to Kumarakom - 70 kms

Allappey to Kumarakom - 35 kms

Munnar to Kumarakom - 160 kms

Thekkady to Kumarakom - 122 kms

Yercaud Hills - Tamilnadu

Yercaud is one of the hill region of Tamilnadu. And it is also called "Poor Man's Ooty". The meaning of Yercaud in Tamil is "Yeri means Lake and Kaadu mean Forest". The feet of Yercaud is 1500 from the sea level. The Yercaud hill is in Salem District. One of loveliest spot in that hill is Yercaud Lake. The Lake is surrounded by lush green forest and the lake is used for boating by the tourist from all over India. The summer festival is held in this lake every year in the month of May.

Tourist Spot in Yercaud:

Yercaud Lake

Anna Park

Lady's and Gent's Seat

Killiyur Falls

Shervaoyan Temple

Pagoda Point

The Grange

Bear's Cave

Wild life like beer, bison, ant eater, foxes, rabbits, mangoose, squirrels, sparrows, buibuls and snakes are living there.

Jack fruits, Guava, Orange, Tea, black Pepper are the main crops of Yercaud hill.

Yercaud has developed into major trekking destination in this region. A lot of treks are available there.

Its around 350 kms far away from Chennai to reach Yercaud, from Salem its around 33 kms far away. The nearest airport for Yercaud Hills is Trichy airport. The nearest Railways station to the destination is Salem.

Kolli Hills (Kolli Malai) - Tamilnadu

Kolli Hills (Kolli Malai) is a small hill region which is located in central part of Tamilnadu. The is around 1000 to 1300 feet high from sea level. Its around 70 hair pin bends to reach the top of the hill. Kolli Hills is a part of Eastern Ghats, and it runs mostly parallel to east coast. These mountain sometime known as Mountains of Death. This hill has very adventurous and shocking history.

Two view points are located in Kolli Hills, one is nearby Seekuparai and another one is in Selur Nadu. These are being developed by Tamilnadu Government to encourage Tourism. This mountain is also a site of pilgrimage, due to Arapaleeswarar Temple which is believed to have a secret path to Shiva Temple which located in Rasipuram. There are three reserved forest which is in control by Tamilnadu Government.

The mountains are covered with evergreen forest, but nowadays it has been cleared for farming. The main cultivation of Kolli hills are Coffee, Tea, Jack Fruit, Pine Apple and Black Pepper.

This hill is also one of the growing tourist spot in Tamilnadu. For this, several lodges and resorts are available there. One of the famous resort is Nallathambi Resort which has been operating for mare than 15 years.

Kutralam (Courtallam) Waterfalls - Tamilnadu

Kutralam waterfalls is in Tirunelveli Dist., Tamilnadu. Here water is falling with various herbs, so it has medicine qualities, and it is called "Spa of South India". There is also a belief that the mentally ill gets cured after taking bath here. It is located at an elevation of about 550 feet in Western Ghats and it attracts the tourist from all over India.

While we take bath, the force of the waterfalls touches our body then we will feel relax and tension free. Actually, Kutralam has nine waterfalls. They are Peraruvi (Main falls), Chitra Aruvi, Shenbagadevi Falls, Thenaruvi (Honey Falls), Aintharuvi (Five Falls), Old Courtallam falls, New Falls, Pazhathotta Aruvi and Puli Aruvi (Tiger Falls).

The season in Kutralam is June to September every month. Kutralam is 640 kms far away from Chennai, 115 kms from Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), 137 kms from Kanyakumari, 40kms from Tirunelveli. The nearest airport for Kutralam is Tuticorin and the nearest railway station is Tenkasi.

Goa - India

Goa is one of the most beautiful tourist spot in India. Panaji is the capital of Goa. It is mainly focused by beaches. Konkani is the language which is used to speak by the Goa people. Some people speaks Marathi also. Goa is visited by large number of International and Domestic Tourists every year. Tourists visit Goa in two different climate (Winter and Summer). International Tourists used to visit this place in Winter season, Whereas Domestic tourists from all over India used to visit in Summer season. Goa is located in tropical zone and also near Arabian Sea, so the climate of Goa is hot and humid for most of the year. The month of summer will be hot and the monsoon rains arrives early June till September every year. Goa has very short winter season start from December to February. Goa state is divided into two parts. South Goa and North Goa. The main river of Goa state are the Mandovi and the Zuari. Goa is located between the border of Karnataka and Maharastra State. Tourism is generally focused into coastal area Goa. Every year, 2 million tourists visit Goa. Goa is situated in the coastal area of Arabian sea, so much sea foods will are available there. International tourists (especially from European countries) used to swim and take sun bath. beaches in Goa is around 125 kms. Colva beach is the famous beach in Goa. Sand of Colva beach will be in white colour and so it is known as White sand beach. Rice with fish curry is the stable food in Goa. Goa people are using coconut and coconut oil for cooking usually. Because, Goa has rich coconut trees. To reach Panaji, its around 1912 kms far away from New Delhi by roadways and railways. Flights also available to reach the city.

The Himalayas - India

The Himalayas is the massive mountain system and it separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. In Sanskrit, the word Himalaya stands for Snow Home. Hima means Snow and Alaya means Home. The Himalayas which includes Mount Everest (1st Highest peak in the world) and K2 (2nd Highest Peak in the world). It stretches across six countries and they are India, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bhutan. And some of the worlds major rivers, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Yumuna, the Yangtz and the Indus are rises in the Himalayan mountain. The main Himalayan range runs, west to east, from the Indus river valley to the Brahmaputra river valley, forming an arc 2,400 km long and varies in width 400 km in western and 150 km in eastern. It plays major role in Tourism in India. Apart from natural heritage, the Himalayas is the religious heritage for Hinduism and Buddhism. Amarnath and Badrinath temples are located in the Himalayas. Swami Vivekananda also founded Mayavathi Ashram nearby Almora in the Himalayas. Some of the temples in Himalayan Range as follows:- Amarnath - Natural Ice Shiva Linga Temple Rishikesh - Lakshmana Temple Badrinath - Vishnu Temple Kedarnath - Jyotirlingas Kailash - Lord Shiva Temple Sri Hemkund Sahib - Sikh Temple In Amarnath, Shiva Linga forms naturally in ice for few weeks once in a year. So many pilgrimages will visit this Linga at the time. For More details about Naturals and Pilgrims in the Himalayas, visit http://www.himalayas.dk/

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam - Andhra Pradesh

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is a famous hindu temple of Lord Venkateswara located in Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh. The temple is build on venkatadri hill, one of the seven hills of tirumala, and hence it is known as "Temple of Seven Hills". The temple is the richest and most visited place of worship in the work. The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 10,000 pilgrims daily. At the time of Bhramotsavam and other special occasions, its about 5,00,000 pilgrims.

History of the Temple:

Thondaiman, a king, is a ruler of Thondaimangalam (South side of Chennai), is believed to have first bulit the temple after visualizing Lord Vishnu in his dream. He bulind the Gopuram and Prakhara, and then he arranged for regular prayers to be conducted in the temple. Later, the Chola dynasty vastly improved the temple and gave rich endowments.

Dharshan:

Tirumala Tirupati devasthanam made queue systems for Dharshan to control crowd. There are some types of queue systems as follows:-

1. Dharma Dharshan - Free of cost (average time takes about 10 hours for Dharshan) 2. Sudharshanam - Rs. 50 per head (average time takes about 3 hours for Dharshan) 3. Nija Pada Dharshanam - Rs. 100 per head (average time takes about 2 hours for Dharshan) Apart for this, there are separate queue for senior citizens. And for kalyanam in temple, Rs. 1000

Prasadham:

Tirupati Laddu is the world famous prasadham given by the temple. Recently the trust has taken copy rights Laddu prasadham. Hencu no one can prepare same type. Free meals given by the temple to the pilgrimages. Travel Routes: By roads and railways, its around 592 kms far away from hyderabad and from chennai, its around 120 kms. Airlines facilities also available for tirupati in daily basis. For more details about Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanum and its Dharshan and booking visit http://www.tirumala.org/

Munnar - Kerala

Here is the another loveliest tourist spot in India, Munnar - kerala. Munnar is a town which is located in Idukki District in Kerala, situated in South Western Ghats of India. It is one of the famous tourist spot of kerala. Munnar is a malayalam words Muna and aaru (three and river). The strategic location at the confluence of Muthirappuzha river, Nallathanni river and Kundaly river is Munnar. The area of Munnar is surrounded by huge forests and the climate of the regions remains wet and cool throughout the year. The region of Munnar height varies from 6562 feet to 8530 feet from the sea level. Main cultivation of Munnar is Tea Plantation. These Tea Plants are exports to foreign countries.

Tourist Spots in Munnar as follows, The Evarikulam National Park Marayoor Forest Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Mudapetty Dam To reach Munnar, its around 198 kms from Alleppey, via Thiruvankulam. We can take a separate cab to reach the destintion. From Coimbatore, its around 250 kms via Alleppey and Thiruvankulam. For more details about Munnar visit www.munnar.org 

Valparai - Tamilnadu

Valparai is one of the hill station in Tamilnadu. It is located above 3500 feets from the sea level. The climate of valparai will be very chill. It stands with green spread mountains. The main cultivation of the living people in valparai is Tea and coffee plants. These tea leaves exports to foreign countries also. Topslip forest is one of the highest peak in south india. We can see panther elephants in topslip forest. Main spots to visit in valparai as follows;- 1. Topslip 2. Aliyar Dam 3. Sholaiyar Dam 4. Nirar Dam 5. Parmbikulam 6. Monkey falls etc., If we want to reach valparai, 64 kms drive from pollachi by bus. By train, we can go upto coimbatore. From there roadways is the only possibility to reach valparai.

Ooty - Queen of Hill Stations, Tamilnadu

Ooty is also known as Udagamandalam and it is the queen of hill stations in India. Ooty is located in Nilgiris District in Tamilnadu. It is one of the most popular tourist resort in Tamilnadu. It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level. Main Cultivation of ooty is Tea, coffee and vegetables. And also ooty has an addition attraction for the tourists is train journey from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam. Ooty train commences from kallar and it en-route many hair raising curves and fearful tunnels. While traveling by hill train, you can see tea and coffee estates around the hills. For accommodations, Stars Hotels and Lodges are available in ooty for tourists. The loveliest spots of ooty are follows:- Botanical Garden is one of the best tourist attraction place which attract the tourist from all over the world. This garden is spread over 22 hectares ascending the slopes on the hill. Ooty Lake is located just behind the Central Bus Stand. This lake looks like irregular "L" shape and its for about 2.75 kms distance. Rose Garden is situated in the heart of ooty town and its laid on 10 acres of land. All types of rose flowers are planted in this garden. Doddabetta Peak stands at an altitude of 2,623 meters high from sea level. And its located 10 kms far away from ooty town. It is the highest peak in the district. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is an adventures spot in nilgiris. Its around 32,155 hectares broad in area. Its locates between Kerala and Karnataka State. Within the sanctuary, there is an elephant camp called Theppakkadu. Pykara Lake is the clean and scenic lake in between the hills. Its an isolated lake free from pollution. Boating facilities are available here. Apart from these spot, Avalanche, Emerald Lake, Shooting Spot, Glenmorgan, Kalhatty Water Falls, Ketti Valley View, Mukkurthi Peak are also beautiful locations locates in ooty. There are various routes to travel ooty. By airways, have to land in Coimbatore airport and then you can take cab to reach the hills. By Train, We can reach upto Mettupalayam, then we can catch Hill train or cab.

Kodaikanal, Tamilnadu

Kodaikanal is one of the most beautiful hill resort in Tamilnadu. It is located on the southern crest of the upper palani hills in Dindigul District. Its around 500kms far away from Chennai and around 120 kms far away from Madurai. We can see Strobilanthus Kunthanus, a botanical name of kurunji flower in kodaikanal. This flower will blossom once in 12 year. Its was happened in kodaikanal in the year of 2004, again it will blossom only in 2016. Tea and coffee plants are the main cultivation in kodaikanal. Apart from that, they are cultivating fruits and vegetables. Kodaikanal is situated at an altitude of about 2133 metres high from sea level and its covers an area of 21.45 sq.kms. Each and every spot in kodaikanal has rich climate. The following locations are the tourist spots in kodaikanal, 1. Kodaikanal Lake 2. Briyant Park 3. Silver Cascade Falls 4. Kurinji Andavar Temple 5. Upper Lake View 6. Coakers Walk 7. Guna Cave 8. Pine Forest 9. Green Valley View 10.Bear Shola Falls 11.Silent Valley View 12.Pillar Rocks 13.Trekking 14.Flora and Fauna Museum 15.Devil's Kitchen 16.Jewel Box View and 17.Berijam Lake Berijam Lake is one of the Beautiful location and its 20 kms distance from kodaikanal. This Lake gives water to the surrounding towns and villages and it has natural pure water too. Kodaikanal can be reach by train upto kodai road from other cities, then we have take cab to go kodaikanal. From kodai road, journey times takes 1 hour approximately. By bus, we can go up to kodaikanal directly from other cities. By airways we have to land in madurai airport and have to take cab or bus to reach the destination. Kodaikanal has many adventures and beautiful locations. So, every human has to see the beauty of kodaikanal once in their life.

Chennai - Capital of Tamilnadu

Chennai formally known as Madras, is of the Metro Politan city of India. It is the capital of Tamilnadu State. The city is widely spread about 181 Sq. kms. There are many tourist places to visit. Mamallapuram, Marina Beach, Eliots Beach, Chennai Museum, Muttukad Resort, Kovalam Beach, Kabaleeswar Temple, Vadalapani Murugan Temple etc., Mamallapuram is located 60 kms far away from Chennai. It was a 7th century port city in south indian dynasty. Mamallapuram has many historical monuments and sculpture. Mamallapuram was ruled by Pallava kings. So we can see so many Pallava Sculptures in Mamallapuram. We can see many single rock sculpture which was made by Pallava Kings. Marina Beach is the second longest beach in the world. The distance of Marina beach is about 12 kms. Every weekend people will spend their time in this beach. Marina is the coastal area of Bay of Bengal. Chennai Museum is located in Egmore, chennai near Egmore railway station. Lot of Ancient Statues, Historic memorials are stored there. Muttukad resort is one of the fascinating spot to spend our leisure time by boating. Its a backwater of Bay of Bengal. Its located en-route of Mahabalipuram. There are trains available from all the cities from india to Central and Egmore Railways Station. If you want to fly to Chennai, there are many air services (Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Kingfisher, Paramount, Indian Airlines) from all the cities to Chennai Meenambakkam Airport.

Taj Mahal - Agra

Taj Mahal is one of the wonders of the world and also one of the three world heritage sites in Agra. Taj Mahal is the symbol of Love which was built by mughal emperor "Shah Jahan". Taj Mahal is a memorial place of "Mumtaj" (Wife of Shah Jahan). It was fully finished in marbles and it took 22 years to built with 20,000 workers. Building began in 1631 and completed in 1653. People from other countries are visiting Taj Mahal very often. Around 2 to 4 million domestic and foreign visitors coming to see the fascinating place.If we see Taj Mahal in a full moon night, will be very beautiful. The ground is open for 6 days a week, heavy luggage will not permitted inside the campus for security purpose. Only we can take purse, tiny camera, water bottles with us. There are so many trains facilities from other cities in India. And also you can fly to Agra Kheria Airport from other cities. At the same time there are some nearest place to visit from Taj Mahal like Agra fort and Jaipur fort.