Port Blair: The Jewel in the Crown of Andaman and Nicobar

The only modernized town of the bunch of these Islands is the majestic administrative capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Port Blair. Port Blair takes its name from the name of the British Lt. Archibald Blair who was asked to survey the islands way back in 1789. Although native tribes always inhabited the place, the British decided to put up a penal settlement here after the first upsurge of the freedom movement in 1857. Port Blair gave importance to the region when the cellular jail was constructed here to torture the freedom fighters. This was the most infamous part of the town that sent chill down the spine of the Indians as they referred the place as the black water or Kaala Paani.

Today Port Blair stands a mute witness to the historical torture. It has now become a melting pot of many cultures and a mini India in itself. The town was used as a settlement platform by the Indian government for the refugees coming from various places to India. It has also become the prime tourist centre of the islands with many places of historical importance and natural charm around it. The small sleepy town today has an airport bringing flocks of tourists over here to live in the lap of natural luxury which is not found anywhere around.

The luxurious forests and the unexploited beaches lined with historically important monuments are the places of tourist interest in Port Blair. Being near to the sea, seafood is the favourite amongst the people and the rare fruits that are specialty of this region are the main ingredients in the diet of the people living here. Of course the people coming from various cultural background have retained their culinary flavours, most have adapted to the new environment around. The clothes are also modernized today. But the local and the native tribes have maintained their distinction by not mingling with the modern people. Their culture, their food habits and their life is totally different from that of the normal people of the region.

Location: Located in the south of the islands, Port Blair is the capital of these islands and the only entry point to these islands. It is also the only place where foreign nationals can go to.

Languages Spoken Dialects, Bengali, Tamil, Hindi, Telgu and English

Long Distance Code +91-3192

Importance Capital and the only entry point to the Andaman & Ncobar islands.

Best Time To Visit October To March

What to see in Port Blair:

Cellular Jail

Cellular Jail located in Port Blair was built by the British to jail the freedom fighters and other convicts brought to the island to serve their sentence. Construction of the building started in 1890 and took 18 years to complete. Individual cells were built in the jail for solitary confinement of the prisoners and thus it acquired the name 'cellular’. The jail is now a memorial and a national museum. A moving sound and light show, narrating the saga of the freedom struggle is staged every day in the jail.

Sippighat Farm

A Government Research farm where research into spices such as cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut and pepper are conducted. The farm sprawls across 80 acres of land, 15 km from Port Blair, on the way to Wandoor.

Barren Island

Barren, the only active volcano in South Asia, is a small island in eastern location of Andaman group of islands in Indian territory. This island lies 300 m above the sea level and the volcano in this place erupted last in 2006. A deep void land, the face of the volcano, is an attraction to the tourists. This is a barren region uninhabited by the people. This is a natural habitat for wild goats which live here by drinking the salt water and is a unique feature of this island.

Havelock Island

Havelock Island, mostly inhabited by Bengalis, is situated nearby Port Blair. The villages in this imposing picturesque Island are identified with the numbers. The Main bazaar is in Village No 3 and the boat dock is in village No 1. Havelock Island is an ideal location for the enthusiasts tourists to engage in sunbathing, beachcombing, swimming, surfing, beach camping and snorkeling. The stunning beauty of the nature is the prime attraction of this Island.

Marine Museum

The Marine Museum, also called Samudrika, is an exciting site in Port Blair with a huge collection of corals, shells and about 350 species of marine life. It also includes displays of the tribal people of the island and their lifestyle, of marine life and archaeology. The museum is divided into five sections. It is open to public from 9 am to noon and 2 pm to 5.30 pm, except on Sundays and public holidays.

Port Blair Hotels:

BAREFOOT HAVELOCK RESORT

Total Rooms: 18

Star Category: 0

Barefoot at Havelock Jungle Resort is the only resort in the Andaman Islands that is eco-friendly and promotes sustainable tourism development. The resort is spread over 7 acres of land that is free of fertilizers and pesticides. The entire construction of the resort is done with environmental friendly and indigenous raw materials. Infants and children below the age of 5 years will be complimentary on the adult meal plan without any extra bed. If an extra bed is required, then the above child rates apply. Children between 5 – 12 years will be charged as per the child rates. Children above 12 years or third adult will be charged as per extra adult rates.

HOTEL SINCLAIRS

Total Rooms: 28

Star Category: 4

Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman Islands, consisting of more than 572 islands and islets is spread over 8,249 sq kms of the Indian Ocean. It's that rare phenomenon: an unspool beach resort, whose principal attractions are the clear sapphire waters of the sea, the golden shores, the breathtaking coral formations, the flora and fauna, the endlessly fascinating marine life and the native people.

SENTINEL

Total Rooms: 53

Star Category: 2

Hotel Sentinel – named after a local Tribe of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is situated in the heart of the Port Blair city at Phoenix Bay. The hotel is surrounded by the lush green gardens provides the best of the leisure and amenities to the tourists. The royal welcome starts at the reception and through the sojourn. The Hotel presently offering 53 Rooms with many different layouts, luxury, modern amenities. The friendliness and the personalized service experiences you a new feel at the Hotel. Hotel Sentinel have been successfully handling the accommodation, food and beverage, travel requirements and providing other allied services some of the major corporate clients of India and Abroad.

PEERLESS SAROVAR PORTICO

Total Rooms: 50

Star Category: 4

Peerless Resort is only hotel in Port Blair to rise on its only beach - Landing you right in the heart of Andaman's magic. From its lush green surrounding the resort looks onto the blue sea - The perfect setting for the most memorable holiday. Peerless Resort puts together all ingredients for non-stop fun under the sun. Make yourself at home in its air-conditioned rooms with sea facing breezy balconies or any of the cozy cottages. 24 hours hot & cold running water, excellent service and air-conditioned airport transfers (available on request) are some of other highlights. The resort has splendid arrangement for large consortiums too. Those can efficiently accommodate and cater up to a thousand diners.

MEGAPODE NEST

Total Rooms: 30

Star Category: 3

Megapode Nest is a three star hotel having 20 standard rooms, 4 deluxe rooms, 4 Nicobari cottages and 2 eco-friendly cottages. All the rooms and cottages are air-conditioned and provided with telephone, colour TV etc. Nicobari Cottages are provided with refrigerator, bathtub and balcony overlooking sea.

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Bodhgaya: The Place of Enlightenment

Nearly 3000 years ago this was the place that transformed Prince Siddhartha to Lord Buddha giving him enlightenment and thus a birth of new religion, Buddhism. After experiencing severe austerities for six years, Prince Siddhartha realized the futility of such penances to find the ultimate truth for salvation of Human kind. He had wandered enough. He chose to sit under a Bodhi tree in meditation until he found out the true path to salvation. Not caring of his physical needs, he meditated for 45 days and it was then that he was enlightened and the realization of the cause of sorrow and path of salvation dawned upon him. Since then Bodhgaya has become the place where the story of Prince Siddhartha ends and saga of the world's greatest teacher begins.

Bodhgaya thus continues to be the site of utmost importance to the Buddhists and apart from being a vital Buddhist centre also happens to be an important archaeological site. People from far and wide come here to pay their homage to the great world teacher. They come here to learn more about Buddhism and its doctrines and also to learn the art of meditation.

The focal point of Bodhgaya is the Mahabodhi Temple. This 50 meter high temple was originally built by Emperor Ashok in the 3rd century B.C. after he became the follower of Buddhism. The temple was destroyed and resurrected many a times. But the present structure is said to be around 10 centuries old. This temple complex has the famous Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. The original tree died long back. A sapling of the original tree was taken to Sri Lanka by the daughter of Ashok, Sanghamitra. She got it planted in Sri Lanka. The present tree at Bodhgaya is the sapling of that tree in Sri Lanka. Emperor Ashoka also erected a diamond throne shrine at this spot with a canopy supported by four pillars over a stone representation of the Vajrasana, the Seat of Enlightenment.

Inside the temple there is a colossal image of the Buddha in the Bhumisparsha Mudra; Lord is shown touching the ground. The temple is surrounded by a small pillars and delicate lattice work.

Apart from this main site the small town today has many monasteries built by various Asian countries in their own architectural styles. All these monasteries are meant for learning Buddhism and are patronized by the people from those particular countries.

Location: Bodhgaya is a small village in the eastern state of Bihar, is situated near the Hindu pilgrimage centre of Gaya. Around 11 kms from Gaya, Bodhgaya is around 105 kms from the capital city of the state, Patna. The sleepy village has grown to prominence today as one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites of the world. The best season to visit Bodhgaya is in the winter months when the air is cool and pleasant.

This dusty village situated on river Falgu, earlier known as the River Niranjana, is one of the most sacred sites in India.

Other Name: Bodh Gaya, Buddha Gaya, Buddhagaya

Languages Spoken: Hindi, English and Maithili

Long Distance Code: +91-631

Importance: Lord Buddha attained enlightenment here

International Access: Gaya international Airport

Best Time To Visit: October To March & During May; for the Budhha Purnima celebrations

Bodhgaya Attractions:

Gaya

The town of Gaya is very near to Bodhgaya and is one of the important Hindu pilgrimage centers of India. According to a legend, Lord Vishnu gave Gaya the honours of forgiving the sinners of all their sins and purifying them in every way if they give offerings to their ancestors and take a dip in River over here. The temple of Vishnupad, where Lord Vishnu is believed to have ascended and his foot is printed in that place, also attracts huge crowds of devotees.

Barbar Caves

Around 40 kms from Bodhgaya is an unexploited Buddhist site not many are aware of. The hills of Barabar and the Nagarjuni are now important archeological sites. Here one can find seven rock cut caves. Out of the seven caves four are located on the hill of Barabar

Most probably built during the time of Mauryan emperor Ashoka; these caves are carved out of solid rocks which bear details of the life of Buddha. The caves consist of temples and sanctuaries hacked out of huge granite outcrops and are designed to look as if they have been made of wood.

The four caves have names each and are different in their own way.

The Lomas Rishi Cave, which is sculpted to resemble lattice screens, is the first available example of the famous Buddhist Chaitya Arch style in India. The entrance is in Egyptian form and only walls of the outer rooms are polished.

The Sudama Cave, known in ancient times as Nigoha Kubha or Banyan Tree Cave. It is made during the 2nd century B.C. The cave has two chambers and the interiors are having highly polished surfaces.

The Karan Chopar, a single-chamber-structure with a vaulted roof and simple opening also carved out during the same time has an inscription saying the name of the cave to be Supriya cave.

The Vishva Zopari Cave is the last two chambered cave also carved around the same time.

The Nagarjuni hills have the rest of three caves namely;

The Gopi Cave which is the most important and has a number of inscriptions on it. A number of inscriptions have been found here. It is believed that in the middle of 19th century, some Islamic saints used to live in these caves. The other two caves are the Vapuiyaka Kubha and the Vedathika Kubha.

Buddhist Monasteries

Apart from the main temple of Bodhgaya, there are many temples and monasteries built in various architectural styles. These monasteries usually patronized by foreign countries'' Buddhist organizations such as Japan, Korea and China, are the main centers for promotion of Buddhist studies. Today the small town of Bodhgaya is full of many such monasteries which bring people from far and wide to take classes in Buddhism.

Bodhgaya Hotels:

HOTEL MAHAMAYA BODHGAYA

Total Rooms: 30

Star Category: 3

Mahamaya Hotel Bodhgaya is in a good and peaceful location, quite suitable for all guests coming to Bodhgaya. Either you come here for business purpose or sightseeing, you can relax in this comfortable hotel.A warm greeting, a welcoming smile and dedicated reception at the hotel lobby offer you an experience of visiting and staying at the hotel.

LOTUS NIKKO BODHGAYA

Total Rooms : 61

Star Category : 3

The Hotel is Centrally located and Nikko at the World Heritage Site of Bodhgaya combines, Hotel Has 32 Rooms Consisting of 30 Double and 2 Suites with Business Centre, meetings and conferences.

HOTEL SUJATA

Total Rooms : 45

Star Category : 3

The Birth place of Buddhism, Bodhgaya is a place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under the shade of Banyan tree, 2500 years ago, and thereafter spread the virtues of truthfulness, love, peace and nonviolence to the mankind. Revered as one of the must visit destinations of India by the flowers of Buddhism, Bodhgaya today offers a touch of modern living even while experiencing the nature with its distinctive cultural and architectural settings

THE ROYAL RESIDENCY BODHGAYA

Total Rooms: 67

Star Category: 3

Royal Residency is a symbolic hotel erected on 3 acres of land in the best environment. The hotel has state of the art facilities and services to cater to the diversified needs of the business and leisure travelers alike. The hotel has all modern facilities including spacious lobby, shopping arcade, airline offices, a bar and a multi cuisine restaurant.

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Nainital : The Tourist's Paradise

Mr. P. Barron, a European merchant and an enthusiastic hunter from Rosa, near Shahjahanpur, founded "NAINITAL" in the year 1841. Mr. P. Barron was the first European who took great fancy to this land. Moved by the beauty of the sparkling lake he wrote: "It is by far the best site I have witnessed in the course of a 1,500 miles trek in the Himalayas." It is very less is known about the history of Nainital. This region was called Khasdesh in ancient times and Khasis ruled this region before Christ was born. The name "NAINI" is derived from a temple to the goddess 'Naini Devi" built on the upper edge of the lake and was destroyed by the landslip of 1880. It was subsequently replaced by a modern structure. The word "Naini" means 'Eyes' and 'Tal' means 'Lake'.

Nainital is 34 Km from Kathgodam, the gateway of Kumaon and the terminus of North Eastern Railway. It is 304 km from Delhi, capital of India, and 388 km from Lucknow.According to the District Gazetteer Nainital is situated at 29 degree 24' north latitude and 79 degree 28' east longitude, in a valley of the Gagar range running east and west, which is bounded on the north by the peak of China, which rises to a height of 8.568 feet, continued by the Alma peak (presently known as Snow-View) and the Sher-Ka-Danda to the eastern extremity, where the ridge descends almost to the level of the lake.

Long Distance Code +91-5942

Importance Famous for the Naini Lake

Best Time To Visit March To November

Nainital Attractions:

Naini Lake

This attribute lake is said to be one of the emerald green eyes of Shiva's wife, Sati (naina is Sanskrit for eye). When Sati's father failed to invite Shiva to a family sacrifice, she burnt herself to death in protest. Shiva gathered the charred remains in his arms and proceeded to engage in a cosmic dance, which threatened to destroy the world. To terminate the dance, Vishnu chopped up the body into pieces, and the remains were scattered across India. The modern Naina Devi Temple at the northern end of the lake is built over the precise spot where the eye is believed to have failen.

Snow View

At the top, a close up view of Naina Devi (7816m), which was, as the old brass plate here tells you, 'the highest mountain in the British empire'. Naina Devi was India's highest peak until Sikkim (and thus Kanchenjunga) was absorbed into the country. There's a small marble temple dedicated to Dev Mundi housing images of Durga, Shiva, Sita, Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman. From Snow View you can walk west to another point and then continue on to the main road to Kilbury. From here you could continue up to China Peak or head down the road to Sukhatal, passing great views of the lake in route.

A walk up to Snow View can take in the tiny Gadhan Kunkyop Ling Gompa of the Gelukpa order (of which the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader). Take the road uphill from the hotel city heart, from where a path branches off towards the gompa (the colorful prayers flags are visible from the road). The gompa serves Nainital's small (and mostly itinerant) Tibetan community. Most of the Tibetan families travel to Nainital in the summer season to sell sweaters and shawls, and in winter descends to the plains.

Naina Peak

Naina Peak known as the China peak this peak is the highest point in Nainital. From here Nainital appears as a bowl. You can walk or take ponies to the peak. From this peak you can capture the exciting views of Nainital. Naina peak also gives a good view of the Camelback peak. There are no hotel or restaurant on the top so carry food and water along with you.

Nainital Hotels:

THE RAMGARH BUNGALOWS

Total Rooms : 27

Star Category : 2

In the foothills of the Himalayas, The Old Bungalow- 1830, and The Writers' Bungalow -1860, are located in the fruit basket of the Kumaon region. These heritage structures once housed the British and Indian officers as well as their wives who travelled on horseback and palanquins. Many writers and thinkers have been drawn to the beauty of Ramgarh: Sri Aurobindo and Narain Swami established ashrams, Rabindranath Tagore wrote some of his major work-even contemplating founding Shantiniketan here; Mahadevi Verma made it her home and some of India's leading industrial families continue to have sprawling orchards. From May to September the orchards by the Writers' and Old Bungalows hang with Apricots, Plums, Peaches, Pears and Apples.

SHERVANI HILLTOP

Total Rooms : 25

Star Category : 3

Shervani Hilltop at Nainital is the four star boutique Resort retaining the old world charm which has been beautifully designed and makes for a complete holiday at this historical hill station. Situated 6 hours drive north of Delhi.

WELCOME HERITAGE PALACE BELVEDERE

Total Rooms : 19

Star Category : 3

Palace Belvedere, Nainital (Uttaranchal, India) was the summer palace of the Awagarh Royal Family and now a WelcomHeritage Hotel. The hotel offers a panoramic view of the famous Naini Lake.

MANU MAHARANI

Total Rooms : 67

Star Category : 3

The Manu Maharani Nainital is located 62 kms from Pantnagar Airport, 32 kms from Kathgodam Railway Station, and 1 km. from Nainital Bus Stand. The Manu Maharani Nainital is hotel is airconditioning & centrally heated, with a total of 67 rooms.

CORBETT'S CALL OF THE WILD

Total Rooms : 18

Star Category : 0

This is the only place in India, where we do the night safari in open jeeps with searchlights. Betalghat, a sleepy little Village on the banks of Kosi river that abounds in Mahseer on the edge of the jungles where Jim Corbett found his calling. This beautiful Safari Lodge, on the banks of Kosi River has been created like a forest dak bungalow from the bygone era. With lovely cottages having all modern amenities, this is the place for “that- perfect- off- beat” holiday.

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