Mount Abu

Mount Abu

Mount Abu is the highest peak in the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan state in western India. It is located in Sirohi district. The mountain forms a distinct rocky plateau 22km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar, at 1722 meters above sea level. It is referred to as 'an oasis in the desert', as its heights are home to rivers, lakes, waterfalls and evergreen forests.

History

In the Puranas, the region has been referred to as Arbudaranya, ("forest of Arbhu") and 'Abu' is a dimunitive of this ancient name. It is believed that sage Vasishtha retired to the southern spur at Mount Abu after following his differences with sage Vishvamitra.


Tourist attractions

The town of Mount Abu, the only hill station in Rajasthan, is located at an elevation of 1220 meters. It has been a popular retreat from the heat of Rajasthan and neighboring Gujarat for centuries. The Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1960 and covers 290 km² of the mountain.
Mount Abu is home to a number of Jain temples. The Dilwara Temples are a complex of temples, carved of white marble, that were built between the 11th and 13th centuries AD. The oldest of these is the Vimal Vasahi temple, built in 1031 AD by Vimal Shah and dedicated to the first of the Jain Tirthankaras. 

The Achalgarh fort, built in the 14th century by Rana Kumbha of Mewar, stands nearby. It encloses several beautiful Jain temples, including the Achaleswar Mahadev Temple (1412) and the Kantinath Temple (1513).

Nakki Lake is another popular visitor attraction of Mount Abu. There is the Toad Rock on a hill near the lake. Raghunath Temple and Maharaja Jaipur Palace are also on hills near Nakki Lake.

The mountain is also home to several Hindu temples, including the Adhar Devi Temple, carved out of solid rock; the Shri Raghunathji Temple; and a shrine and temple to Dattatreya built atop the Guru Shikhar peak. The world headquarters of the Brahma Kumari order of lady renunciates is also located here, as is the World Spiritual University of the same denomination. There is also believed to be a footprint of Vishnu on top of Mount Abu. The Durga temple, Ambika Mata Temple lies in a cleft of rock in Jagat, just outside of Mount Abu.

Transportation

The nearest railway station is at Abu Road, in the lowlands 27 km southeast of Mount Abu town. The station is on the main Indian Railways line between Delhi and Ahmedabad.

GUJARAT

 Gujarat we extend towards you our very warm welcome. The main intention behind creating this website is to share the colors, the romance, the heritage, the insights as well as the mystique that entwines this Gujarati legend. It is an attempt to equip you with all the relevant information, tools and resources needed to make your journey enriching, uncomplicated and enjoyable. The Gujarati soul is embodied by its regular everyday people. We hope that to some extent, this website will also connect you with the warmth and celebratory spirit of its people.

                                                       

 

BANARAS

                                       

Varanasi Ghats, Out of the seven holy places in India, Varanasi is amongst the oldest inhabited cities in the world that is also regarded as the most sacred pilgrimage for Hindus. Ghats of Varanasi make a unique appeal to the tourists. Popularly known as Kashi, Banaras or Ghats of Varanasi on the banks of Ganga River enchant devotees from all around the country and even abroad. The holy water of these Ghats are believed to wash all the sins and this is one reason that these Ghats are usually occupied by the priests for performing rituals, all day long.

Tamil Nadu

" Devotion At Highest Levels ! "

" Tamil Nadu is also popular as 'land of temples' for its grand temples that are architectural masterpieces. There are 30,000 plus temples constructed by rulers of different dynasties over the years. These Tamil Nadu temples are standing testimony to the rich Dravidian art and culture. Each temple showcases a distinctive style, built by Chola, Pallava, Nayak, Pandya and Vijaynagar rulers, who were great patrons of art and architecture.

Temples Construction Under Different Dynasties

Pallavas
 The temples built under the regime of Pallavas are the oldest temples of Tamil Nadu, dating back to 700 AD. During their period the holy shrines were replicated out of caves. Pallavas had an art of constructing temples of stones.

Cholas
 From 900 AD to 1250 AD, the Cholas took responsibility for the construction of temples. They included many decorative mandpams (halls) and the temples were beautified with huge gopurams (towers).

Pandyas
 The Pandayas enhanced the artistic value of the temples of Tamil Nadu with their constant innovation. The Pandayas introduced high wall enclosures, superb gateway arches and huge towers.

Vijaynagar
 Tamil Nadu temples built during Vijaynagar dynasty has distinct style of architecture. It comprised of intriacately carved monolithic pillars.

Nayaks
 The splendid art architectural style in Tamil Nadu temple during the regime of Nayaks was marvelous. They added circulatory paths or prakarams.

Temples of Tamil Nadu

Chidambaram Kapaleeswarar
Amongst the most important and most visited temples in Tamil Nadu, Kapaleeswarar Temple in Chidambaram is a significant Saivite shrine. The dominant deity here is the cosmic dancer Nataraja (Ananda Tandava pose ; the Cosmic Dance of bliss).
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Meenakshi Temple
Meenakshi With one of the biggest temple complexes in the country, Meenakshi Temple is thronged by lakhs of pilgrims every year from every nook and corner. Situated in Madurai, this South Indian temple is dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi.

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Madurai Murugan Temple
Dedicated to Lord Muruga, this temple of Tamil Nadu finds a place in the list of 33 important temples of Tamil Nadu. It is at a distance of 45 km from Chennai and 25 km from Chingleput.
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Rameshwaram Temple
For Hindus, Rameshwaram is as significant a holy destination as Varanasi in India.It is, infact significant for Shaivaites as well as Vaishnavaites.
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Kanyakumari Temple
Kanyakumari Temple is dedicated to Goddess Kanya, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati and is one of the most sacred temples of Tamil Nadu.
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Chayavaneashwara Temple
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Chayavaneashwara temple in Tamil Nadu attracts a largen number of devotees every year.
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Chennai Krishnapuram Temple
Krishnapuram temple houses numerous statues that would interests sculptures and other artistic minds. These have also mesmerised a lot of visitors to this temple.
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Kumbeswara Temple
This is the biggest and the oldest Shiva temple situated right in the middle of Kumbakonam city. The main deity of this temple is Lord Kumbeswara and the main Goddess is Sri Mangalambigai.
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Swamimalai Temple
The Swamimalai Temple is one of the six holy temples of Lord Subramanya. The temple is dedicated to Lord Swaminathan.
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St. Stephen's Church
It was consecrated by Rt. Rev. Turner, Bishop of Calcutta, on November 5,1830. It was named after the Governor because he was primarily responsible for its construction. It was opened to local people on communion on Easter,1831.
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Airavatheeswara Temple
This temple has found itself a places in the list of UNESCO World heritage Site. Raja Raja II built it between 1150- 1173 AD.
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Kailasamundaiyar Temple
The highlight of this temple are the inscriptions on the wall that are the oldest references to to Sankara Bhashyam, a commentary on Sankara's philosophy by Chidaananda Bhattaara. The inscription is written in Tamil language with a Sanskrit words in between written in Grantha characters.
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Nageswaran Temple
Built in the initial years of 11th century, this temple is an excellent example of Chola sculpture. It attracts many foreigners anxious to understand the rock wall edicts and study the sculptures.

South India Temples

South India is famous for various ancient temples, which attract number of devotees to pay their obeisance. The architectural excellence of temples in South India depicts the glory of bygone era. Enhanced with huge gateways, Gopurams, Sanctum Sactorum and pillared hallways, these temples are attached with some kind of mythological story. The century old temples are designed with unique shape of gopurams and hallways size. Daily rituals and ceremonies are performed in the holy shrines. These south Indian temples are also an important place for imparting educations, social gathering and celebrations. Take a South India temples tour to marvel these architectural marvels.

HYDERABAD

Hyderabad is the wonderful known capital of Andhra Pradesh, India. This one of the largest urban city of India is famous for many things. The area of Hyderabad is 650 square kilometres. It has turned as the highest rising city of India and its sixth-most populous urban agglomeration makes it different then other cities of India. There is one more name of the city such Pearls palace of India or City of Pearls.

The founder of the Hyderabad was Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah established the city in 1591 AD. The major concern of establishing the city at this corner was the banks of river Musi located in the Deccan region. The unique society and culture with different language, lifestyle, and structural design gave the diverse place in the nation. Because of Hyderabad its nearest city Secunderabad is also turned as the favourite spot for accommodation and tourism. This twin city has become the first choice for tourist and many other things.

 

Birla Temple

This city was a global center of the pearls and diamond trade though today it is also the finest global center for the Information Technology industry. The other trades such as bio pharmaceutical industry and the real estate grown with higher rates. The pace of development of the Hyderabad attracts people from different cities to shift to Hyderabad or Secunderabad. It is moreover a birth place of the Telugu Film Industry which is also known as Tollywood.The historical sites visit of Hyderabad can be dissimilar experience of a person. The UNESCO pacific site  Chowmahalla Palace is most visiting spot of this city. There are many other tourist hotspots carrying lots of appealing things to discover about the culture of the Nizam’s and early rulers of the city.