Eternal India Encyclopedia

ETERNAL INDIA encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

only 100. The Lingaraj Temple (1090-1104) admits only Hindus. It is the most important temple in Bhubaneswar. Puri : 61 kms from Bhubaneswar : World - famous Jagannath Temple. Built in 1198. The annual car festival which draws thou- sands of devotees takes place in June or July. Sea front has fine stretch of white sand. Konark : 30 kms from Puri, 64 kms from Bhubaneswar. The world famous 13th century Sun temple is in the form of a chariot drawn by 7 horses. Chilka : 160 kms from Puri. Largest fresh water lake in India. Gopalpur-on sea: Popular beach and health resort. Cuttack : 35 kms north of Bhubaneswar. Old capital of Orissa before construction of Bhubaneswar Balasore : On the rail line to Calcutta. Once an important trading centre. Chandipur : 16 kms away from Balasore. Beach resort. Hirakud Dam : World's fourth largest dam across Mahanadi, 328 kms from Bhubaneswar. Rourkela: Major steel plant set up with German aid. Nandan kanan Zoo is famous for its Royal Bengal Tigers and white tigers. Safari coach facilites available.

Hawa Mahal or Palace of the Winds was built as a facade from behind which the ladies of the palace could watch the road out- side. Its semi - octagonal balconies, fretwork, roof and domes make it a unique building and the principal landmark of Jaipur. The Jantar Muntar or observatory built by Jai Singh on the palace terrace is the largest of the five constructed by him all over India. Amber : 11 km from Jaipur. This was the capital before it was shifted to Jaipur. The fortress palace is a superb example of Rajput architecture. Bharatpur : 55 kms from Agra and 180 kms from Delhi. The bird sanctuary is home to 328 kinds of birds, 117 of which come from Siberia or China. The sanctuary is now known as the Keoladeo National Park. Deeg : 35 kms from Bharatpur. The Gopal Bhavan Palace has a marble swing, which was originally the property of the Nawabs of Oudh but was carried off to Deeg by Maharajah Jawahar Singh. The Maharajah even attacked the Red Fort in Delhi in 1762, and among other objects, looted the marble palace and brought it here. Sariska wildlife sanctuary : 107 kms from Jaipur , 200 kms from Delhi. Alwar : The city palace has a museum which has a valuable collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings and weapons. Ajmer : Major pilgrimage place for Muslims. Main attraction of Ajmer is the Darga Khaja Saheb, the tomb of a Sufi saint who came to Ajmer in 1192. Akbar's religious teacher was Moinuddin Christi whose tomb is here. Pushkar : 11 kms N-W of Ajmer. Hindu place of pilgrimage. Every year, during Kartik - Poornima (Oct-Nov) a huge cattle fair is held. Ranthambhor: This tiger reserve is near the town of Sawai Mad- hopur. Best time September - April before monsoon. Kotah : Rajasthan's fastest growing industrial city. Atomic power station. Famous for its sarees. Bundi : 39 kms west of Kotah : This unspoilt city has a 17th century palace. Not on the tourist beat, so tourists are not usually allowed inside palace. Some distance away is the Taragarh fort built in 1372. Has a picture gallery covered with murals. Chittor : This ancient capital of Mewar state symbolises Rajput courage. It was sacked three times: in 1303 when Alau-ud-din Khilji, the ruler of Delhi, wanted to marry Rani Padmini; in 1535 by the Sultan of Gujarat and in 1568 by Akbar. Each time the women immolated themselves while the men died in battle rather than surrender. Legend says that the foundation of the fort of Chittor- garh was laid by Bhima, the second of the Pandava brothers. Udaipur : City of palaces, lakes and gardens. The city palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan is on the shores of the artificially created lake Pichola. The Jag Niwas in the middle of the lake has been converted into a luxury lake palace hotel. The Jag- mandir is another island palace which has been converted into a hotel. Prince Khurram who became Emperor Shah Jahan rebelled against his father Jahangir and took shelter here. It is said to have inspired the idea of the Taj Mahal. Jaisamard Lake : Second largest artificial lake in Asia, built by Maharana Jai singh in 17th century at a cost of 1V 2 crores of rupees. 48km from Udaipur.

PUNJAB

Anandpur Sahib : Place of pilgrimage for Sikhs. Guru Govind Singh baptised the first five Sikhs here- and initiated them into the Khalsa. Amritsar : 25 kms from the Pakistan frontier. The Golden Temple, holiest shrine of the Sikhs which has the Granth Sahib. Jallianwala Bagh : Close to the Golden Temple . The place where more than 2000 people were killed on 13th April 1919 when General Dyer fired without any warning on a crowd which had gathered to protest against martial law. Ludhiana : Famous for its woollen, silk and cotton fabrics. Hero cycles manufactured here. Patiala : Capital of a former independent Sikh state. The Motibagh palace is built on the pattern of the Shalimar Gardens of Lahore. The museum has a good collection of manuscripts and paintings.

RAJASTHAN

Jaipur : Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan "Land of the Kings", home of the Rajputs renowned for their bravery and sense of honour. Jaipur, known as the pink city from the pink - coloured sandstone used in the construction of many of the old buildings. Its name is derived from Maharajah Jai Singh (1699 - 1744), the warrior, as- tronomer who planned it.