Nalsarovar
Bird Sanctuary:
The Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary
is located to the South West of
Ahmedabad at a distance of 65
Kms. It is one of the most famous
bird sanctuary of Gujarat. The
marshy surroundings of the scenic
Nal Lake which is well spread
out over an area of 11,500 hectares
is a bird watcher's delight. The
Sanctuary was founded in the year
1969 and there are over 250 avian
species that breed in the marshy
areas of the lake. The sanctuary
is at its best during the winter
months when migratory birds like
Flamingoes, Rosy Pelicans, White
Storks, Herons and Brahminy Ducks
flock to its catchment areas.
Visitors and bird watchers are
transported in miniature boats
to have a glimpse of the avian
species. The lake has many vantage
spots from where one can bask
in the glory of ethereal sunset
and sunrise.
Bhavnagar:
Bhavnagar is located in the southeast
of Gujarat which is popularly
known as Kathiawad or Saurashtra.
In the days of yore, Bhavnagar
used to be the capital of a princely
state.
For the discerning traveler, Bhavnagar
can be a perfect base from where
one can embark on the trail of
the famous Jain temples of Palitana
as well as trips to the Velvadar
Sanctuary, the abode of the endangered
Indian Black Buck.
Bhavsinhji Gohil was the founder
of Bhavnagar and he built this
fascinating place way back in
1743 A.D.In the days of yore,
Bhavnagar used to be a busy port.
Kolkata is a city, which has many
contrasts. For some, Kolkata is
well known as the city of joy,
while for some others it is a
city of squalor, poverty and chaos.
In the days of yore, Kolkata used
to be one of the supreme colonial
city in the whole of the Orient
and rubbed shoulders with cities
like London and Paris. Today,
Kolkata is a bustling metropolis
of India.
The gradual evolution of Kolkata
from a 17th century sleepy fishing
village to one of the greatest
cities of the Orient is the stuff
of legends. As a city, Kolkata
owes a lot to the pioneering zeal
of the British East India Company
and its not surprising that some
of the most amazing colonial edifices
are located in Kolkata and not
anywhere else.
Kolkata is popularly referred
to as "The City of Joy". It is
also in more ways than one the
intellectual capital of India.
Some of the most awe inspiring
heritage edifices of India, particularly
the colonial structures are absolutely
amazing. No trip to Kolkata is
ever complete without visiting
some of its most enduring monuments
and heritage edifices all of which
exude with a rich virile past.
For instance, there is the Victoria
Memorial which is easily one of
Kolkata's most prominent colonial
building and is high on the agenda
of every tourist's itinerary.
The very name indicates the fact
that this awesome building was
built in the memory of Queen Victoria.
The magnificent Howrah Bridge
is another of Kolkata's enduring
landmarks along with the equally
splendid Vidyasagar Setu. Kolkata
also boasts of Asia's second biggest
planetarium which is indeed some
achievement.
One of the greatest cricketing
venues of the world - Eden Gardens
is located in Kolkata.. As far
as spirituality is concerned,
Kolkata has a surfeit of temples
and philanthropic organizations.
Goddess Kali is the presiding
deity of Kolkata and the majestic
Dakshineswar temple and Kalighat
are two temples dedicated to the
all-conquering Mother Goddess
Kali. The Missionaries of Charity
founded by Nobel Laureate Mother
Teresa who is regarded as the
"Saint of Kolkata" also has its
headquarters (Nirmal Hriday) at
Kolkata.
Kolkata is at its best during
the month of October-November
when the greatest festival of
the Bengali community - The Durga
Puja is celebrated. A carnival
spirit engulfs the whole of Kolkata.
Till 1911 Kolkata was the capital
of the British ruled India. Having
been nurtured by the British for
such a long time meant that the
city acquired a distinct culture
and heritage. It is visible even
today courtesy the names of the
streets which bear English names.
For instance Middleton Street,
Park Street, Russell Street to
name just a few. The people of
Kolkata are proud of their identity
and they flaunt their legacy to
visitors at the slightest pretext.
To sum up, Kolkata is one of the
most humane cities in the world
and this aspect of Kolkata is
unmatched by any other cities
of the world.
The city of Kolkata has much to
offer to the discerning visitors
by way of monuments, heritage
and natural splendors. Some of
the city's most enduring landmarks
are compiled below: Victoria
Memorial:
Victoria Memorial is amongst the
must a visit tourist landmark
of Kolkata. This massive colonial
edifice has been built with the
finest variety of white marble
and is a gift to the city of joy
by the British East India Company.
The entire edifice is illuminated
every evening and it makes for
a truly stunning site. Presently
the Victoria Memorial has been
converted into a museum which
has one of the finest collections
of vestiges belonging to the bygone
Raj era.
Indian Museum:
The Indian Museum is one of India's
oldest museums and was built way
back in 1874. The museum has some
of the rare collections of archaeological
relics. The oldest museum in India,
it has one of the rare collections
of archeological. The museum is
conspicuous by an unique Lion
Capitol, which happens to be the
India's national emblem.
Eden Gardens Tours in Kolkata India :
No trip to Kolkata is ever complete
without a visit to the world's
greatest cricketing amphitheatre-
The Eden Gardens. It is ideally
located in the northwest part
of the city and apart from the
main stadium, which is of colossal
dimension with a capacity to accommodate
a staggering 95,000 spectators
there is also a beautifully landscaped
and immaculately maintained garden.
Birla Planetarium:
The Birla Planetarium is one of
the largest planetariums in the
world and it conducts regular
shows on the mysteries of outer
space as well as the fascinating
science of astronomy. The Planetarium
conducts educational workshops
and seminars and a few very high
quality courses on Astronomy are
also taught here which is aimed
at students with a scientific
bent of mind.
Howrah
Bridge:
Howrah Bridge is synonymous with
Kolkata. It is an engineering
marvel of the 20th century. This
colossal bridge is all of 450
meters long and the most unusual
feature of the bridge is that
there is not even a single pylon
on the Ganges River below. Every
day more than 100,000 vehicles
pass through this bridge of stupendous
dimension, thereby making it one
of the world's busiest bridges.
Belur Math:
Belur Math is a magnificent temple
and is the global headquarters
of the Ramkrishna Mission. Located
on the banks of the holy Ganges
river, this stupendous temple
is dedicated to one of India's
great spiritual giants - Sri Sri
Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Inside
the premises there are smaller
temples dedicated to Holy mother
Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda
and Swami Brahmananda. There is
also a museum, which showcases
the evolution of the Ramkrishna
Mission from its nascent stage
to one of the world's premier
spiritual and philanthropic organizations.
The architectural style of Belur
Math has the ingredients of a
church, a temple and a mosque
that is truly evocative of the
"Harmony of Religions" as preached
by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa
himself.
Kalighat
:
Kalighat is Kolkata's most famous
Kali temple along with Dakshineswar
temple. Legend has it that, one
the fingers of Goddess Paravati
the holy consort of Lord Shiva
fell here. The modern temple structure
was built in the year 1809. The
Kalighat temple is one of the
most sacred and venerated shrines
of Tantrik Hinduism. It is also
a Shakti Peetha.
Dakshineswar
Kali Temple:
The world famous Dakshineswar
Kali Temple was built in 1847
by Rani Rashmuni on the banks
of the holy Ganges river to the
north of the city. This magnificent
temple is associated with the
life and times of one of India's
greatest spiritual saints - Sri
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa who
was the priest of this temple.
It is in this temple that Sri
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa was
blessed with the vision of the
holy mother and attained enlightenment.
Apart from the main temple where
the presiding deity Goddess Kali
is installed, there are also12
small Shiva temples, a temple
dedicated to Radha Krishna and
the living room of Shri Shri Ramakrishna
Paramahansa along with "Nahabat"
where holy mother Sarad Devi the
holy consort of Sri Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahansa lived.
Ramakrishna
Mission Institute of Culture:
The Ramakrishna Mission Institute
of Culture is one of India's most
renowned centers of Spiritual
Research and religious discourses.
Research scholars from India and
abroad come here for research
on religion and spirituality.
The institute is located at Golpark.
Nakhoda Mosque:
Nakhoda Mosque draws inspiration
from Mughal emperor Akbar's mausoleum
at Sikandra in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
The mosque was built way back
in 1926 and is ideally located
on Chitpur Road.The mosque is
built of the finest quality of
red sandstone and is conspicuous
by its two minarets that towers
to a height of 46 meters. The
mosque also has a vibrant onion
shaped dome and is the principal
place of Muslim congregatio in
Kolkata with a capacity to accommodate
up to 10,000 people at any given
point of time.
St.
John's Church:
St.John's Church was built way
back in 1787 and is conspicuous
by its Grecian columns. The church
is most famous for being the final
resting place or the burial place
of the founder of modern Kolkata
- Job Charnok
St.
Paul's Cathedral:
St.Paul's Cathedral which was
built between 1839 and 1847 is
one of the finest specimens of
Gothic style architecture in Kolkata.
It is conspicuous by its stained
glass windows and has two exquisite
Florentine frescoes. The St.Paul's
Cathedral is the principal place
of Christian congregation and
was sanctified way back in the
year 1874.
Armenian
Church:
This church is one of the oldest
in Kolkata and was built in 1764.
A few other notable churches in
Kolkata are the St. Andrew's Church,
The Old Mission Church, the Jewish
Synagogues and the Greek Orthodox
Church all of which are worth
visiting.
Parsi Fire
Temples:
In the days of yore, particularly
during the reign of the British
East India Company, there used
to be a prosperous Parsi colony
in Kolkata. The Parsi Fire Temples
are located in Beliaghata and
there is another one at Metcalf
Street, both are still frequented
by the dwindling Parsi community
of Kolkata.
Swami
Vivekananda's House:
One of India's greatest monk and
philosopher- Swami Vivekananda
was born and brought up in Kolkata.
His ancestral house is located
at Simla St. just adjacent to
Bidhan Sarani. The house has now
been converted into a museum and
displays some of the personal
belongings of the great soul.
The house also has an Institute
that imparts education on Vedanta
and its significance in the modern
world.
Maidan:
The verdant 3 Kms long stretch
of green vistas bang in the heart
of Kolkata has earned the Maidan
the sobriquet of "The Lung of
Kolkata". In the peripheral areas
of this green oasis some of the
famous football clubs like the
East Bengal, Mohan Bagan and Mohammedan
Sporting are located. In the evening,
large stretches of the Maidan
are filled with people who come
to chill out and escape the sweltering
summer heat. Eden Gardens : Named
after Lord Auckland's sister,
this picturesque garden has a
tiny Burmese pagoda set in a small
lake. It also houses Kolkata's
Cricket Stadium.
Outram
Ghat:
The Outram Ghat is one of Kolkata's
most famous ghats located on the
banks of the shimmering Hooghly
river. From this ghat, one can
bask in the majestic panoramic
vistas of the colossal Howrah
Bridge as well as the Vidyasagar
Setu two of Kolkata's most enduring
landmarks. For the more romantically
inclined, a boat cruise on the
river Ganga is a very rewarding
experience.
Other interesting places of natural
beauty are the Zoological Garden
which is among the oldest in India
and was established way back in
1876. The Horticultural Garden
too is worth visiting and has
one of the finest collections
of exotic trees and plants. There
is Rabindra Sarovar, which is
the favorite As far as Museums
are concerned, the major ones
are the Asutosh Museum located
at Kolkata University. The Birla
Industrial and Technological Museum,
Birla Academy of Art & Culture,
the Rabindra Bharati and a Postal
Museum too are worth visiting.
Nalban:
Nalban is located in the upscale
Salt Lake township which is in
close proximity to the Kolkata
airport. It is actually a tranquil
lake retreat and is conspicuous
by a majestic 400-acre shimmering
lake. Facilities exist for boating
and gorgeously designed Shikaras
too can be hired for a stint of
cruising on the placid waters
of the lake.
Writers'
Building:
The magnificent Writer's Building
houses the state secretariat and
all the cabinet ministers of the
Government of West Bengal have
their offices located at Writers
Building. In the days of yore,
this building used to serve as
dwelling place of the junior officers
of the British East India Company.
The original edifice was nothing
as compared to the present one
which underwent massive renovation
and was redesigned during the
span of Lt. Governor Ashley Eden.
This building is by far the most
impressive heritage building in
the whole of Kolkata.
Nicco Park:
Nicco Park is an amusement park
located in Salt Lake, an upscale
neighborhood of Kolkata. A bewildering
array of rides and exciting games
are available at Nicco Park. One
of the star attractions of the
park is the adrenalin pumping
River Cave Ride, which is a one
of its kind ride. The Park is
open every day of the week. |
