Posts Tagged ‘Indian vacations’

A rich cultural heritage, varied wildlife, magnificent mountain ranges, picturesque beaches, exquisite temples and monuments, rejuvenating hill stations, that’s India for you, a premier vacation destination. However, aside from these attractions and the varied destinations, India is also famous for one other thing: pilgrimages. Quite an increasing number of visitors have found out that having an Indian vacation and a pilgrimage is quite an interesting and rewarding experience.

India is a practically a country that is very diverse. Almost all places in India offer its own attractions which draws a yearly influx of tourists and pilgrims from around the globe. Some of the more popular and notable pilgrimage destinations include the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the Dilwara temples of Mount Abu and the Palitana in Gujarat, Meenakshi. The Rock Fort in Tamil Nadu, the Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, Sabarimala and Guruvayur in Kerala and not to mention the Badami Caves in Karnataka are also targets of pilgrimage tourism.

Being the land of Gods and Goddess, India is at the very center of spiritual and religious activities. Pilgrims flock to holy towns and temples to have religious enlightenment or experiences may them be absolute believers or just tourists interested in India’s rich culture, heritage and spiritual beliefs. Nowadays, travel agencies and tours are packaging special pilgrimage packages for tourists who are looking at India as their next vacation destination.

Pilgrimages are as varied as the religions in India themselves. For example Christian, Jainism and Sikh pilgrimages are now commonly packaged as tours for vacationers in India. Places of worships, shrines, churches and locations where these religions began, flourished or even saw their demised in India are the prime destinations of such tours. For example, the cities like Calicut, Trivandrum, Madurai, Goa and Mumbai are famous for Christian churches which stand in testament to the unique and magnificent architectural feats of olden times. Similarly, the serene worship halls and shrines of Jainism believers offer yet another look at Indian architectural splendor.

Other pilgrimage destination sites include the revered Badrinath temple which is dedicated to Shri Badrinathji and was said to have been constructed by Adi Guru Shankaracharya. The Kedarnath in the state of Uttarakhand, one of the holiest pilgrimage destination in the country, houses the 12 holy Jyotirlingams. Another revered temple is the Vaishno Devi Temple in Katra. The place is so revered by Hindus that those residing in Northern India would make it a point to visit the temple once in their lifetime.

Tirupti Balaji temple which is situated on the seventh peak of the Tirupati hill is said to be richest temple in the country and perhaps even in the world. It has a rich history behind which spans for centuries. Another temple which perhaps rival the popularity of other pilgrimage sites is the Haridwar Temple which is considered the gateway to other sites in Uttrakhand region.

It is said that Haridwar Temple was blessed by the trinity of Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The temple is said to purify the mind, the body and the soul of pilgrims. It has become the center of spirituality in the region and incidentally also of arts, science and culture.

We can go on citing pilgrimage sites in India and we will run out of space before we run out of sites to mention. The richness of India’s spiritual and religious traditions is truly an experience worth trying. An Indian vacation and a pilgrimage is something that should never be set aside.

Technorati Tags: Indian, cultural heritage, wildlife, mountain ranges, beaches, temples, attractions, pilgrimages, India, Indian vacations

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India is a bird watcher’s paradise. There are lots of birds found in India, actually more than the species of birds in Europe and in North America. There are tours which organizes or combines an Indian vacation with birding or birdwatching.

There are more species of birds found in India than any other country, that is about 1250 species out of the total 8650 species in the whole world. These numbers are credited for the diversity in Indian environment and climate. There are different habitats for birds like mangrove forests, tropical rainforests, sub-alpine forests and grasslands. Aside from that there are also deserts and cultivated areas or areas for agriculture. There are two kinds of climates, hot climate in the South and cold in North.

Birdwatching has become popular over the years, with people rapidly finding ways to combine birding with other activities. It has become a popular activity for families. There are serious birdwatchers who would combine birdwatching with vacations, taking the whole family.

The best time to go to India for birdwatching would be from October to April. There are different kinds of birds that can be seen during this season. If you are apprehensive of booking your own or your family’s birding trip, then there are agencies who are willing to help you with it.

When looking for birding tours, aside from the price, you would also have to consider if the program is comprehensive enough. There are travel agencies that arrange birding tours along with visiting historical and cultural landmarks and sights like Taj Mahal. It would be better if there would be 12 or less than 12 members of the birding tour. This would help you have a better birding experience.

If a travel agency would arrange your birding tour, they would usually include hotel reservations, accommodations, wildlife camps and schedule bird viewing photography. They would also arrange the transportation, you can also look for agencies that would offer financial protection and insurance for their clients.

Some of the top places for birdwatching are the following:

• Sonai Rupai Sanctuary – this sanctuary is located in Sonitpur District. They have a variety of hill, domestic and migratory birds. Aside from the birds you can also get to see elephants, Indian bison, and deer.

• Flamingo Colony – this is known to be the largest flamingo colony in the world and it can be found in Khavda, Gujarat. It is one of the most beautiful Indian sanctuaries for birds. Flamingos are not the only one visiting the area, there are also other birds that would migrate to India before coming home.

• Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary – is located near Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This sanctuary is just near the Nal Lake. There are variety of birds found in this sanctuary like cranes, flamingos, pelicans, ducks, storks and other birds with different colors and variety.

• Porbandar Bird Sanctuary – this is just located in the middle of Porbandar, Gujarat. There are many domestic and migratory birds that can be seen in this area. There are wildfowl, teals, ibis and curlews which can be seen in the sanctuary.

• Velvadrar Bird Sanctuary – is in Bhavnagar, Gujarat which showcases the Indian black buck and different kinds of birds.

• Sultanpur National Park – Sultanpur, Haryana is the location of one of the best national parks in India. There are darters, egrets, shoveler, gadwalls, geese, teals, kingfishers, lapwings, sandpipers, demoiselle cranes and other water birds.

So next time, you plan to do birding, try to consider going abroad. Combine it with an Indian vacation that would take your experience on a different level.

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