Eternal India Encyclopedia

ETERNAL INDIA encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

Vellore : 130 kms from Madras. The fort on the River Pallar (and th*e Jalakanteshwara Temple inside it) was built in the 16th cen- tury. It was associated with the Revolt of 1857 . Also famous for Christian Mission Hospital established in 1900 by American mis- sionaries. Gingee : 13th century fort built by the Cholas and occupied by the Vijayanagar kings, Nayakas, Marathas, French and British. Chidambaram : 9th century temple complex of Nataraja, dedi- cated to Shiva in his aspect of the cosmic Dancer. Two of the temple's gopurams are covered with sculptures illustrating the 108 positions of the Natya sastra, the science of dancing. The sanctum has a statue of Shiva as Nataraja in an alloy of five metals. Tranquebar : Old Danish port town from 1620 - 1840. It was then sold to the British. Dansborg Castle, old fort, is well preserved. Kumbakonam : 68 kms from Chidambaram and 313 kms south of Madras. One of the oldest cities of the south, on the banks of the Cauvery River. There are four big temples here. Thanjavur (Tanjore): Capital of the Chola empire. The Brihadeshwara Temple is the culminating glory of Chola temple architecture. The dome is a single piece of granite weighing 81 tonnes. It was moved up by hauling it along a 6km long ramp. There are 70 other temples. Tiruchirappalli (Trichi) : 310 kms from Madras on the banks of the Cauvery. The Rock Fort Temple on top of a huge outcrop of rock is reached by climbing 437 steps. The 11th century temple carved out of the rock is a brilliant example of Pallava architecture. Srirangam : 7 kms north of Tiruchirappalli. The Sri Ranganatha Swami Temple is the largest in India. It is surrounded by 7 concentric walls and has 21 gopurams. The Jambukeshava Temple is dedicated to Shiva and has five concentric walls and seven gopurams. Madurai : Second largest town in Tamil Nadu. Developed as a centre of Dravidian culture under the Nayak Kings who ruled from 1565 to 1781. The 17th century Meenakshi Temple is the second largest in South India. It has nine gopurams with sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses. Part of the temple complex houses a museum — the Temple Art Gallery museum. There are several other important temples in Madurai. Tirumalai Nayak Palace : This Indo-Saracenic Palace was built in 1636 by the ruler whose name it bears. There is a sonet lumiere in English which tells the history of the city. Gandhi Museum : Contains Gandhi memorabilia. Rameshwaram : This is an island in the Gulf of Mannar which is connected to the mainland at Mandapam by rail. A major pilgrim- age centre. Ramanathaswamy Temple has magnificent corridors lined with sculptured pillars. One corridor is 1220 m (4000ft), the longest in the world. Kanyakumari : Land's End, the southernmost tip of India. This is where the waters of the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal meet. At full moon you can see the sunset and the moon- rise over the ocean. The Kanyakumari Temple attracts pilgrims from all over India who come to worship and to bathe. The Vivekananda Memorial is on two rocky islands where Swami Vivekananda sat meditating in 1892. There is an 8ft statue of Vivekananda.

Courtallam : A pleasant resort with a 300ft waterfall. Facilities for bathing. There are seven sparkling waterfalls. Kodaikanal : 120 kms from Madurai. Charming hill station built round the lake. Ootacamund (Ooty): The Queen of Hill stations. Now known as Uthagamandalam, 605 kms from Madras. Coonoor and Ko- tagiri are small hill stations close to Ooty. Yercaud : Quiet little hill station in Salem district. Hogenakkal : Waterfall on the Cauvery. 114 kms from Salem, 132 kms from Bangalore. Mudumalai Game Sanctuary : 73 kms from Ooty, 97 kms from Bangalore. Tiger, elephants, deer, bison £tc.

TRIPURA

A former princely state, it became part of the Indian Union in 1949 and a separate state in 1972. A beautiful state with hills and forests. There are 586 tea gardens in Tripura. Capital Agartala. The Vijayanta Palace is in the heart of the town. Sipahijala: 35kms from Agartala. Built over 4 sq.miles of land donated by Maharajah Vir Vikram to a sipahi (soldier). Hence the name. An artificial lake, zoological and botanical garden form a delightful picnic spot. The zoo is in the middle of forest land. Udaipur : 45 kms from Agartala. Lake temples. Once called the city of temples. Many of those that survive are in a ruined condition. Nirmahal: 39 kms from Udaipur. The Nirmahal or water palace has been built in the Rudrasagar lake. Dombur Falls: 110 kms from Agartala. Site of Tripura's first hydel project. There is a dam on the Gomti River and an artificial lake has been constructed with. 21 islands. A popular tourist at- traction. Jompui Hills : 250 kms from Agartala, 3000 ft in altitude. The Lushais, who are now Christians, live here. The colourful cos- tumes of the Lushais match the beauty of nature. Tourist can come from Agartala to Dharmanagar by bus. They can travel by jeep to the Kanchanpur Forest Lodge for an over- night stay and travel by jeep to the Jompui Hills. Dharmanagar is connected by bus to Silchar in Assam. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, west, south and part of the eastern border which leads to Assam. There is a 1 daily plane service from Calcutta which is only 45 minutes from Agartala.

UTTAR PRADESH

Lucknow : The most populous State in India. Has places which are holy to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The capital city is