Andaman & Nicobar - Emerald Islands !

A bird's eye view shows this cluster of 350 small and large island as small, green speaks staggered on the vast blue waters. Situated midway between India and Burma, in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were at one time inhabited by various tribes which strongly resisted any efforts at civilization. some of these tribes are perhaps among the oldest tribal communities in the world, and tourists are prohibited from establishing contact with them. Owing to prolonged isolation they are somewhat hostile and are also under the danger of catching infection from outsiders.

 

 

 

Indian legend traces the name Andaman to a derivation of Hanuman or Hanuman the Monkey God of the epic Ramayana, who is said to have used these islands as stepping stones on his way to Sri Lanka, to save Goddess Sita, consort of Lord Rama.

 

 

 

Modern history perhaps dates to 1789 when Lord Cornwallis, the British Governor -General commissioned a survey of the islands.

 

 

 

Later, after the First War of Independence in 1857 the British established a penal colony here and Andamans and Port Blair, the capital, came to be a dreaded word. For, known as 'Kala Pani' of 'Black Water', the city was the site of the Cellular Jail - a panel colony where political prisoners were banished, perhaps never to be seen again.

 

 

 

During world War II, the Japanese occupied the Islands and held them from 1944-1945. The Andamans today present a totally different picture. Some tribes have opened up, and the British rule is no more. The islands are now fast becoming an attractive holiday destination-for the anthropologist and the beach lover.

 

 

 

The Islands are a living museum of planet earth. Dense rain forests, and canopies of luxuriant green branches host a variety of birds, insects, and all kind of life. There are beautiful tropical flowers and orchids. The jungles shelter about 242 species of birds, 46 species of mammals and 78 species of reptiles comprising the wild cat, iguana, green lizards, deer, wild pig, goats and a wide variety of snakes.

 

 

 

The water are clear and beautiful, and the beaches at Corbyn's Cove, Wandoor, Jolly Boy and Cinque offer an excellent sea for swimming. Numerous other beaches are open to holidayers out to enjoy water sports. Tourists can surf, ski, scuba dive, snorkel, sail, fish or just enjoy the sea, the sun and the sand. For the more adventurous, deep-sea diving unfolds precious treasures of corals, vegetation, sponges and fish life.

 

Climate : Summer (March to June) - Warm Monsoon (July to August) - Warm and Humid Winter(November to February)- Chilly to Very Cold

 

Clothing : Summer - Cottons Winter - Woollens

 

Languages spoken : Indigenous languages, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali & English.

 

Best Time to visit : October to April

 

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Mysore Dasara

Mysore Dasara , the state festival (Nadahabba) of Karnataka,India is celebrated for 10 days. Dasara or Vijayadashami, the last day of Navaratri is a jubilant festival to mark the conclusion of Mysore Dasara festival. Mysore Dasara 2010 starts on October 8th and ends on October 17th. In 2010, it marks the 400th year of celebrations. Mysore Chamundeshwari Temple is one of the Astadasha Shakti peetham (18 popular Shakti temples). Da...sara celebrations in Mysore were started by the Vijayanagar Kings the 15th Century. The Wodeyar’s of Mysore continued the Dasara festival in 1610 at Srirangapatna.

The procession of elephants (Ambari), exhibitions of handicrafts and artifacts, air show, wrestling competitions, Jambu Savari, Food mela, etc are the most popular events and celebrations of Mysore Dasara. This festival culminates on Vijayadashami at Bannimantapa with Banni tree puja (botanical name of Banni Tree – Prosopis spicigera).

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Silent Valley National Park

Location: 40 km from Mannarkkad, Palakkad district, North Kerala.

Attractions: Extremely fragile, a unique preserve of tropical evergreen rain forests lying above the equator and the forest strip which causes the summer rains in Kerala.

 

The Silent Valley National Park with an area of 90 sq km is located in the Northeastern corner of Palakkad district. It rises abruptly to the Nilgiri Plateau in the North and overlooks the plains of Mannarkkad in the South.

The core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the Silent Valley National Park. Despite its name, the Silent Valley (the clamour of Cicadas is conspicuously absent here) echoes with the sounds of teeming wildlife. The denizens of this sprawling habitat of endangered virgin tropical forests include rare birds, deer and tiger.

Perhaps, nowhere else can one find such a representative collection of peninsular mammals, over a 100 species of butterflies and 400 species of moths and other fauna like the Ceylon Frogmouth, Great Indian Hornbill, the Nilgiri Laughing Thrush and the Lion-tailed Macaque.

The River Kunthi descends from the Nilgiri hills, from an altitude of 2000 m above sea level, and traverses the entire length of the valley and rushes down to the plains through the deep forest. The River Kunthi never turns brown and is always crystal clear, perennial and wild.

The evapo-transpiration from these forests is much higher than from any other surface. This cools the atmosphere, helps easy condensation of water vapour and thus causes the summer rains. Visit Bumblebee Holidays

Getting there:

Nearest railway station: Palakkad, about 80 km.

Nearest airport: Coimbatore (in neighbouring Tamilnadu State), about 55 km.

 

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Entrance of Silent Valley National Park

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Mussorie - Queen of hills

Mussoorie is distinctively known as the queen of hills, because of its out of the world splendor. One of the major tourist destinations in Uttrakhand, Mussoorie not only boasts of the picturesque views of the Himalayas and the Doon valley but it also showcases some of the rarest flora and fauna of the country. Standing magnificently among the foot hills of the Himalayas, this hill adorns the edge of the Garhwal Himalayas. With River Ganga on one end and River Yamuna on the other, Mussoorie stretches up to 12 miles in length.

 

 

 

 

 

Mussoorie is an essential part of Uttrakhand tourism. Apart from its own charismatic beauty, Mussoorie boasts of stupendous visions of the Himalayan ranges covered with snow and the charming views of the Doon valley and Haridwar. The irregular shapes of the hills clad in a cloak of green flora and white mist take you to a fairyland. The peaks of Chakhamba, Shrikantha, Banderpoonch and the Gangotri look beautiful from here and form some of the major tourist attractions in Mussoorie.

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the other tourist sites in Mussoorie include the Camel back road, Gunhill, the town Mall, the Bhadraj Temple, Children’s lodge and the Municipal garden. The place is home to many water falls namely Kempty falls, Bhatta falls, Mossey falls and Jharipani falls.

 

 

 

 

Traveling to Mussoorie is pretty convenient as it is well placed and well connected. The nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradun. The closest railway station is also in Dehradun. There are many trains plying to and fro Haridwar and Rishikesh as well. Mussoorie is connected through proper roadways to all major towns and cities of Uttaranchal, Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

 

 

 

 

Being a major tourist site, Mussoorie provides world class accommodation options to the tourists. There are a number of hotels in Mussoorie. You have the options of 5 star, 3 star, budget hotels as well as lodges and inns to choose from. Generally, all major tour packages of Mussoorie include accommodation facilities.

 

 

 

 

 

Mussoorie has many stories to tell. Every road, every lane has places and edifices which have their own stories. The Lal tibba, the Mussoorie library, the Landour Bazaar and Gunhill, each of them has their own history. Unlike Shimla, Mussoorie was never considered the summer capital. It has always remained informal with a tradition of romance in the air.  Visit Bumblebee Holidays 

 

 

 

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Overview

The travelling is always taxing on your body, though you forget everything once you reach your destination. The picture changes drastically once you reach the top as the sudden rushing sound of the cascading waterfall makes you feel that the water has begun to fall only now. Though the fact is that the waters have maintained this suddenness for a long time and they are still persevering. The Athirapally waterfalls are 80 feet high which start at the high ranges calmly and come crashing down through the gorges.

 

There is a rocky road that moves around the mountain providing you with a magnificent view of the Athirapally waterfalls. Visiting the Athirapally waterfalls in September is a good idea as the waterfalls are in full force just after the monsoons.

 

The Landscape

As you move nearer through the beautifully landscaped road to Athirapally, you can enjoy the views of Arecanut Palms on one side and the Chalakudy river on the other side. First the river seems winding and then it crashes down suddenly, white with challenge. Only after a short distance, the river is back to its normal self again. Trekking is a wonderful way to explore the nearby areas, especially if you do it along the banks of the Chalakudy river.

The waterfall is located at a height in the Sholayar forest ranges and is very near to the Valparai which is a popular hill station.

 

The Surroundings

There are some vendors here who sell jute hats and plastic flowers, they definitely make the place more tourist friendly. The presence of the waterfall is unmistakable everywhere in Athirapally as it is present either in the form of a painting or a topic of conversation.

 

Nearby Attractions

 

Valparai

It is a hill station known for its sprawling tea plantations. The elephant density of the place is among the highest in India.

 

Vazhachal Waterfalls

It is a picturesque waterfall as well as a popular picnic spot located on the periphery of the Sholayar forest range in Kerala. This waterfall is also a part of the Chalakkudy river.

 

Anakkayam

The place is about 20 km away from the Chalakudy and is known for a lake with calm and soothing waters. So far Anakkayam has remained untouched by human encroachment therefore has a pristine beauty that never fails to captivate the tourists.

 

How to Reach?

After you reach the Cochin International Airport or the Cochin Railway Station, you'll have to drive for 55 km to reach the Athirapally waterfalls. From Cochin you'll have to drive on NH 47 and then turn right from the Chalakudy Junction, which is the nearest railhead. The city of Thrissur is at the distance of about 63 km from the Athirapally waterfalls. You are allowed to visit the waterfall only between 8 am and 6 pm.

 

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RAMADAN

Idul-Fitr, of late known by the misnomer 'Ramadan' is one of the two festivals of Islam. Ramadan is the ninth month of the lunar year.

During this month the Muslims observe fast, giving up all kinds of food and drink during day time, and spend the major part of the night in devotion and prayer. Purification of the body and soul is the main aim of this observance. When the crescent appears on the western horizon heralding the end of the month of fasting, it marks the beginning of the Idul-Fitr festival. Because this festival is connected with the month of Ramadan, it came to be known as 'Ramadan'. The Idul-Fitr festival starts with the commencement of the first day of the month of 'Shawwal'.

The first item of the celebration is distribution of food materials to the poor and the deserving. Any person who holds food in excess of the day's need must necessarily make his contribution in accordance with the scales prescribed by Islam. Muslims all over the world celebrate this festival with great éclat and in gratitude to God.

In the morning men, women and children cleanse their bodies, put on the best attire and proceed to the mosque or the Id-Gah. The assembled Muslims gathering then offers the congregational prayer led by the Imam. After the prayers the Imam delivers the sermon pointing out the extreme importance of the occasion. Returning home after the ceremonial functions, they visit friends and relatives. Some make it a point to visit the graves of close relatives, on this day. In certain parts of Kerala, for instance Chavakkad, Muslim women, dressed in their best clothes and wearing jewelery, celebrate this occasion by paying visits to neighbors and engaging in entertainments. The women org anise themselves into groups and spend the time in singing and dancing.

Recently in certain parts of Kerala new practices is connection with the celebration of this festival have been introduced. One of the novel features of the Id celebration is to invite members of the sister communities to participate in such function.