“Divine nature has blessed all the places on this earth. Beauty should lie in your eyes to admire some place or the other.”
Planning for your honeymoon, or a relaxing family trip, or even a freak out vacation with friends – choose a north east India tour package, and visit Darjeeling. This fascinating place is best known for Buddhist monasteries, tea plantations, ride on the chairlift, shopping in the colourful markets and trekking to high altitude spots. Popular as one of the most magnificent hill resorts in the world, Darjeeling also has a unique feature of toy train, which takes you from Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling through scenic valleys.
Prominent Attractions
The word ‘Darjeeling’ is derived from Tibetian word ‘Dorje’ which means ‘a precious stone or ecclesiastical scepter’ (which is emblematic of the thunderbolt of Indra), and ‘ling’ means ‘a place’. Therefore, Darjeeling literally means the land of the thunderbolt.
War Memorial
Constructed in the memory of brave soldiers who died in wars, War Memorial is worth a visit. It also offers picturesque views of snowy peaks in the backdrop.
Lloyds Botanical Garden
Serving as a family picnic spot, this colourful garden is located below the Market Motor Stand. Various Himalayan plants, flowers, orchids etc. can be spotted here.
The Shrubbery
Located on the Jawahar Parbat behind Raj Bhawan, the Shrubbery is also a beautiful garden offering magnificent views of Kanchenjunga Range and Singla Valley.
Happy Valley Tea Estate
Darjeeling and the nearby areas comprise of about 70 tea gardens, out of which Happy Valley is the nearest (3 km). One can also see the processing of the world famous Darjeeling tea here.
Moreover, all the native people in Darjeeling are addicted to festivities. They celebrate Lepcha/Bhutia New Year’s Day (1st week of January), Losar Tibetan New Year’s Day (February) and Durga Puja/Dussehra with full vigor and enthusiasm.
If you are more inclined towards sightseeing, March to May and September to November is considered the best season to plan a trip to Darjeeling. Tourists also love to get photographed with the snow-clad peaks of Himalayas in backdrop while wearing local attires.
By: Sanjog KR
Posts Tagged ‘Durga Puja’
Darjeeling Tour – Cream of the Crop in North East India
February 27th, 2010Upcoming Fairs and Festivals of India
February 17th, 2010
India is a land of contrasts, a land mass of humanity and a potpourri of different cultures, which make it really exciting for a tourist to visit India. Festivals in India can symbolize the welcoming of a season, the arrival of a full moon, the harvest, the birthday of a saint or the coming of a new year to name a few. And as the winter sets in, India gets ready to celebrate the multitude of events and festivals. After harsh summer and intermittent rains, the weather finally is cool and pleasant, which make it the right time for festivals in the country.
One of the grand festivals that celebrated is Deepawali, which marks the victory of good over evil. Diwali is also called festival of light, and is one of the most important festivals of the Hindus, held on the new moon between October 13th and November 14th. Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth is worshipped on this day. Dusshera celebrated before Deepawali witnesses the burning of effigies of Ravana, the demon king of Lanka and his brothers.
In the East of India, especially in West Bengal, Durga Puja is the mother of all festivals. The week-long festivities of Durga Pooja culminate with the immersion of Durga idols in rivers and sea. During the Pooja, Pandal hopping is the most common activity, people shop, visit pandal after pandal, eat and merry.
In the western-state of Gujarat, Dandia is a common and very popular dance, which is done during Navratris (nine nights). Kite Festival in Ahmedabad is another popular festival of Gujarat.
Rajasthan celebrates a number of festivals during winter season. Pushkar fair is one of the most popular fairs of Rajasthan. Pushkar Festival is celebrated in Oct-Nov. The fair not only attracts tourists from all over the country but a large number of foreign tourists also visit the fair.
Here are some of the festivals that you can still catch this winter:
Desert Festival, Jaisalmer (Jan-Feb) Camel Festival, Bikaner (January) Nagaur Fair, Nagaur (Jan-Feb) Baneshwar Fair, Baneshwar (Jan-Feb) Mewar Festival, Udaipur (March-April)
By: Rojar Mark
Calcutta, India – More Than You’ve Heard
December 10th, 2009
Calcutta, India is a city known for having a serious poverty problem. While this is true, there is much more to the place.
Calcutta
Calcutta is a colonial city organized during the period of British rule, which means a great majority of it is only one to two hundred years old. Unfortunately, the upkeep in the city has been seriously lacking. Frankly, the place appears to be falling down in most places.
Rejecting the British moniker, the Bengali locals have moved to successfully change the name of Calcutta to Kolkata. The change hasn’t really been picked up with any gusto, but there you go.
Kolkata is bursting with people. There may be as much as two times the number of people the city was designed to hold. Unfortunately, a large number of these people live in abject poverty. The poverty level you’ve seen in movies and heard about through the work of Mother Teresa exists in spades. It is very bad. If you’re ever disappointed about your station in life, just investigate or visit Calcutta. You’ll find you have nothing to complain about.
From a traveler’s perspective, Calcutta is a place that should either be avoided at all costs or a must visit. If you can stand the mass poverty, the city has a surprising artistic underbelly. Art galleries, wild paintings and classic Indian music are on the menu. Huge festivals such as Durga Puja have to be seen to be believed.
If you are going to give Calcutta a go, do not go at any point during June, July or August. While this is the coolest time of the year, it is also monsoon season. Drenching rain and Calcutta are not good mixes.
By: Richard Chapo
