Uttarakhand Tourism: Gateway of Heaven Haridwar

Often referred to as the ‘Gateway of Heaven’, Haridwar is considered as one of the holiest place in the country. Located at the banks of Ganges in Uttarakhand, Haridwar attracts a large number of pilgrims from the country.

As quoted by Varun Paswan, a famous Hindi poet;

“पड़ी हुई है एक किनारे पर

होगी कोई नदी

कोई विस्तार पानी का

अपनी बैठक का कोई झोलदार कोना महज

जहाँ भटक के ना पहुंचा कोई मेहमान

ना ही टिका कोई मेज़बान

दूरियां पार करने को एक पुल है

उसके नीचे जो जलराशि है

वही गंगा कहती है”

Haridwar exhibits a perfect blend of spirituality and holiness. It opens the doors to Char Dham, ie, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri and promises a worthwhile experience to the travellers. The age old streets of the city and countless number of temples transfer travelers into another world.

Places of interest

There are considerable numbers of mythologies associated with Haridwar, which makes it all the more interesting place. You can get first hand information by talking to the localities there. Haridwar is considered as among the seven most holy places in country. Along with Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad, it is one of the four sites where drops of ‘Amrit’ accidently spilled over while being carried by the divine bird ‘Garuda’. There are number places for tourists;

Haridwar-Junction

Har ki Pauri:

This Ganga ghat was built by King Vikramaditya. It is believed that at this point ganga takes entry into plains after having a rough journey from the mountains. The ghat is believed to have been visited by Lord Vishnu which is indicative by the name of the place. The place ideal to relax and have delicious samosa and chai.

Har-ki-Pauri–Haridwar

Mansa Devi Temple:

The devoted status of Haridwar has also been derived by the presence of this temple. Mansa Devi is one of the shaktipeeth present in the country. It is believed that Goddess Mansa Devi fulfils the wishes of devotees visiting her. It is a must to experience the grandeur of the temple.

Mansa-Devi-Temple

Udan Khatola:

Haridwar has one of the oldest ropeways in the country. It is also called as ‘ropeway to god’ as it transports one to the Chandi Devi temple located on the other side. While on the ropeway you can enjoy the marvellous greenery that Uttrakhand has to offer.

Udan-Khatola

Haridwar is also a site for many religious festivals. Most importantly it is one of the destinations for the Kumbh Mela every 12 years which draws tourist from all over the world. The Ardh Kumbh Mela is held in every 6 years. The Kanwar Mela and Somwati Amavasya are another significant festivals of Haridwar.

Kumbh-Mela-in-Haridwar

Indian Festivals: Festivals in March

As all the harvest festivals recede and the Indian landscape is touched by clearer weather, it’s time for some colour and fun in the month of March. The famous festival of colours, Holi, brings with it wide scale celebrations across the country.

Holi-colors

Here are some of the places that you must keep in mind while planning a trip to India in March. 

Holi 

Almost all North Indian cities burst in colour and celebrations in the month of March, with the ‘festival of colour’, Holi. Dry and wet colours are thrown with the aid of balloons and sprinklers on each other. This joyous festival is a ‘no bar’ day when everyone’s threshold is challenged or rather soaked in colour. ‘Bhaang’, the wet residue of cannabis is used in drinks and foods to add more fun. The Holi of Varanasi, Barsana and Mathura are the most popular.

Holi-Re-Rasiya

Jaipur Elephant Festival 

You can safely spend a fair amount of time in Rajasthan in the month of March. Around the same time as Holi, Jaipur also hosts a grand festival which displays its royal heritage in the form of an ‘elephant festival’. Splendid parades with elaborately decorated elephants and even tug of war games make for quite an entertaining spectacle for visitors.

Rangilo-Hathi-in-Jaipur

Paripally Gajmela 

A month for elephants, this festival is held at the Paripally Kodimootil Sree Bhadrakaali Temple around an hour’s drive from Trivandrum in Kerala. 50 elephants are richly decorated and then paraded to make offerings at the temple. A photographer’s delight, it is one of the lesser known festivals to capture. It is likely to have more local participation over the well advertised festivals of Kerala which attract more tourists.

Elephants-decoration-Kerala

Thirunakkara Arattu 

Another elephant oriented festival in the month of March is celebrated in Kottayam district of Kerala. The 10 day Thirunakkara Arattu is held in the honour of the local temple. The procession of elephants is complemented by folk dances such as the Mayilattom (peacock dance) in the temple compound. 

Gajmela-in-Kerala

The International Yoga Festival 

India is the Yoga Mecca of the world and what could be better if you have an international festival which is a congregation of all yoga lovers in one place. The festival is held in the spiritual capital of the India, Rishikesh and has attendance from over 30 countries. Discussions, camps, cooking classes and a charity fundraiser are part of the event apart from classes for all the participants. 

Yoga-at-River-Ganges-Rishikesh

Other festivals not to miss this month …

Some of the other festivals to look out for are the Mewar and Gangaur Festivals of Rajasthan. Another Kabir related festival of Sufi music starts in February but spills into March in the state. You can think of this month as a Rajasthan focused visit to India. 

Camel-Jaipur-Streets

Rajasthan Tourism: Jaisalmer Desert Festival 2013

Jaisalmer is probably the only city in the Great Indian Desert that brings out to the world the beauty of the desert life like no other. The Golden City of India, the gold sand stone fortress of the city “Sonar Quila” atop the Trikuta Hills has mesmerized many a visitors to this land who have been enchanted by the sites and sees of this illustrious city.

Sonar Quila (Golden Fort)-from sunset point-Jaisalmer

Built in the 12th century by Maharawal Jaisal, it was strategically built on the ancient desert caravan routes to Central Asia and North Africa, which allowed this bastion of the Bhati clan of the Rajputs to prosper for the coming many generations.

Desert Camp-Preparation-for-Jaisalmer-Desert-Festival

Jaisalmer as a tourist destination has a lot to offer to its visitors, there are so many places to explore in this medieval era city that has a great relevance in the Rajputana history. In accordance with its image of being the representative of the desert life to the world, Jaisalmer hosts the Jaisalmer Desert Festival from the 23rd-25th of February 2013 to celebrate the desert way of life.

Participants-of-Mr-Desert-Competition

The event sees the coming together of everything the desert life of Rajasthan has to offer to the many tourists that come at its door. The festival is a major attraction among the foreigners who just can’t get enough of Rajasthan.

Camel-Race-Jaisalmer Desert Festival

The festivals brings together folk artists from around Rajasthan to perform the stories of the land displaying in their acts the beauty of this land, other attractions include performances by snake charmers, puppet artists and folk singers. There are competitions like turban-tying, longest moustache and Mr. Desert. Camel involved competitions include Camel race, Camel polo and Camel decoration.

Cultural-Dance-Jaisalmer Desert-Festival

The event till has been a blockbuster among tourist from all parts of the world and this time around also the event will see high turnout.

Camel Polo Match-Jaisalmer-Desert-Festival

International Yoga Festival 2013 in India

Yoga is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu Philosophy. Yoga in India is an art that has been celebrated for millenniums and continues to be an integral part of the Indian as well as global society. According to some historians yoga was developed in the times of The Indus Valley Civilization which takes its origin back to about 2500 BC to 6500 BC.

International-Yoga-Festival

Yoga is the art that unites the body, mind and soul with the ultimate purpose of uniting the man with the Supreme Being, it is a tool for finding the Lord, and mental and physical stability. The purpose of Yoga as detailed in the book Yoga sutras of Patanjali which is a compilation of all the knowledge related to Yoga is the cessation of perturbations of the consciousness. It is a source of attaining Moksh.

Yoga-Classes-on-Ganges

Today, Yoga is associated with attaining a healthy physical body and a stable mental state, it is a major de-stressor in today’s fast paced world. In the last century since Swami Vivekananda introduced the fascinating art of Yoga to the West, Yoga has become a household name and something that is recognized globally. You will often hear about celebrities taking up various Yoga courses to maintain their demigod like physiques.

Meditation-Yoga-Ganges

In essence of this rising popularity of Yoga around the world, the department of Tourism of Uttar Pradesh in 1999, in a hotel in Rishikesh (then part of Uttar Pradesh) started the International Yoga Festival as a place where Yoga followers and Gurus can come together to spread this most amazing of all art forms. Since then the festival has only gained popularity which shows in the staggering number of people that embrace its doors.

Parmarth Niketan Ashram-Rishikesh

The yoga festival in Rishikesh is held every year in the first week of March at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram. This time around the International Yoga Festival 2013 will be held from 1st to 7th march in Rishikesh.