Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Srinagar : The Summer Capital of the Rulers

Srinagar… famous as the city of the Dal Lake is also the capital of the state. Situated at 1730 meters above the sea level, the uniqueness of this city are its lakes and the house boats and shikaras swinging on the water. The origin of Srinagar is said to be Srinagari founded by Emperor Ashok in 3rd century B.C. The great Buddhist scholar from China also has written about Srinagari, as a beautiful city in the northern most part of India.

A city of mixed cultures. The Hindus, the Muslims and the Buddhist cultures co-existed peacefully in the valley. The British made their impact in the valley by building the houseboats that swing on the Dal Lake even today and are a major attraction of the tourists coming to Srinagar. These varied cultures have given birth to one unique culture that is Kashmiri. Srinagar takes pride on that culture.

The beauty of Srinagar is changes daily. In spring when the flowers are in full bloom as if the whole valley is a bed of flowers while in peak winters the white snow just shows the green pine tree tops. As the leaves fall in autumn the whole of Srinagar wears a red - orange look which enhances its beauty.

The beautiful Mughal Gardens and long stretches of various lakes, gives the city a unique impact. Be it a ride in the Shikara, a stay at the houseboat, a visit to a temple or a mosque, the beautiful site of flowers beds, or ladies in Burkhas and men folk chatting over the Kahwa, Srinagar holds a beautiful surprise at every turn that leaves you enchanted.

Location: Situated in the north western part of this huge state, Srinagar has all the conducive elements to make it a picture perfect. Located in the heart of Kashmir valley and perched at the height of 1730, meters, Srinagar is surrounded by the beauty of Himalayas and nature.

Climate: Srinagar experiences all the climatic conditions. A beautiful spring and a pleasant summer, the crisp autumn and the chilly winter. Each weather comes with its own charm and is equally enjoyable.

Languages Spoken: Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, Dogri, English
Long Distance Code: +91-194
Importance:The summer capital of the sate and known as Paradise on earth.
Area: 105 sq.kms
Best Time To Visit: October To June

Srinagar Attractions :

Jama Masjid

The Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in Kashmir built originally by the Sultan Sikandar in 1400 A.D. Later it was added by his son. But the mosque was gutted down in fire not once but thrice and was rebuilt each time. But the massive original pillars made of pine wood were amazingly saved from fire and they still stand intact and look as good as new. The mosque is huge enough to accommodate 10,000 namazis at one time.

Hari Parbat Fort

The Hari Parbat fort on top of the Sharika Hills is an ancient Hindu holy site. The wall around the hill along with almond orchards, which bloom in spring, was built by the great Mughal emperor Akbar in the late 16th century. The fort above was added by the afghan governor Atta Mohammad Khan in the 18th century. Today it is occupied by the Indian military.

The Dal Lake

The most famous lake of the town is the Dal Lake. It is not only famous for its slow flow of waters but the beautiful shikaras those row down the Lake with virtually carrying the whole town inside it. It is located centrally in the town and has many shikaras which give rides to the tourists on the lake. The floating garden and the market here are the prime attractions. Virtually a whole garden is seen floating with various kinds of flowers from roses to lilies and lotus to marigold. Equally alluring is the market where one can buy almost everything. The attraction is that buying, selling and bargaining is done while sitting in the boats and paddling by oars at the same time! The ride in these shikaras can be relaxing and tiring both at the same time.

The Mughal Gardens

Srinagar has beautiful gardens. Gardens with step terraces, laden with flowers during spring and autumn, water fountains always sprinkling drops of water all around and the lush green surroundings with a carpet of soft grass beautiful trees, including the Chinar. The se gardens were actually developed by the Mughals who were attracted to this place during the long summers of the northern plains. They planted these gardens in a beautiful ambience with great weather. The gardens brought sweet smell of flowers and chirping of birds. What different than this would the Paradise be, they thought!

The smallest of all the Mughal gardens but also the most beautiful of all is the Chesmeshahi. Built at a height above the city, it gives magnificent views. Equally stupendous is its layout with just three terraces in addition to a natural spring of water enclosed in a stone pavilion.The Nishat Garden encircles the Dal Lake and is along the road. It was built by empress Noor Jehan's brother, Asaf Khan. Nishat Garden is the biggest of all. It has several terraces, a central water course and a beautiful site between the Dal Lake and the Zabarwan Hills.The majestic Shalimar Garden was planted by the emperor Jehangir himself. Jehangir is said to have loved Kashmir and Srinagar especially. The Shalimar Garden is full of beautiful Chinar trees and a series of water flowing stone pavilions. The bright flower beds when in full bloom give an exotic touch to the pretty garden.

Hazaratbal Mosque

This beautiful mosque built recently stands on the old site and is only one of its kinds in the valley of Srinagar. The earlier mosque was supposed to be 600 years old. It is an elegant structure of white marble with perfectly proportioned single dome façade and a single minaret. It is a typical Kashmiri architecture with cone shaped dome and overlapping terraces and the building is only compared to the magnificent Taj Mahal of Agra. The importance of this mosque lies in the single hair of the Great Prophet Mohammed that is enshrined here. It is opened for public viewing only once a year in the month of July for a few days.


Friday, June 25, 2010

Festivals and Fairs of India

MAHAVIR JAYANTI:
India has a large Jain community which celebrates the birth of the last, the 24th Teerthankar, Lord Mahavir. The Jains celebrate the birth anniversary of Mahavir, the founder of Jainism on a large scale. This religious event is largely observed by visiting sacred sites and worshipping the Teerthankars.




HINDU NEW YEAR:
The Hindu New year is celebrated through out the country in nearly all the states with different names. People mainly cook and eat sweets and wear new clothes and wish each other on this occasion. They sing and dance and start with new ventures on this day.

RAMNAVAMI:The ninth day of the first month in the Hindu calendar is celebrated as the day of birth of the Hindu God, incarnation of Vishnu and the hero of the epic Ramayana, Lord Ram. The festival is celebrated all over the country with people fasting and worshipping the Lord for the whole day. Ramnavami is also celebrated as the Vasant Navratra and the celebration starts from the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra and lasts up to Ramnavami. On Ashthami or the eighth day, Durga is worshipped. Both Ram and Durga symbolize the victory of good over the evil.

RAKSHA BANDHAN:The first full moon falling in August celebrates the relations between a brother and a sister. On this day sisters tie a sacred thread called Rakhi on their brothers' wrists and pray for their well being while the brothers return the love by gifting them and promising to take care of the sisters for the rest of their lives. This full moon day is celebrated as Nariyal or the Coconut Pournima along the coastal areas of India. It is basically festival of the fishermen who pray the sea God seeking his permission to venture into the sea to fish, after rest of two months, which is the peak monsoon season. Sweets made of coconut are prepared and everyone enjoys. In South India, it is celebrated as Avani Avittam. The holy thread is changed and libation of water is offered to the ancestors and Rishis on this occasion.

KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI:Eighth day of the black half in the month of Shravan is celeb rated as the birthday of Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu. Legend says that the Lord was born in the midnight and it was raining heavily then. People all around the country celebrate this festival with equal fervour. They fast the whole day and rejoice the birth in the middle of the night by breaking the fast. Songs and dances are performed all around the temples of India and children make a small display of the birth scene of Lord Krishna.

Varanasi : The Holy City

Varanasi… one of the most ancient inhabited cities of the world is also the oldest living city of the world. Varanasi is considered to be India's religious and spiritual hub and derives its name from the tributaries of the Ganges, Varuna and Asi that it is located on. Its original name Kashi comes from Kasha meaning the place of sacred light. The other name Benares might have been either a corruption of Varanasi by the British or from the Pali version of the word Varanasi to Baranasi to Benares. Famous author Mark Twain after visiting the city in the 19th century wrote, "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together."

Varanasi is one of the most famous Hindu pilgrimage centers of India. Legend says that it was the dwelling place of Lord Shiva and therefore the devotees believe that a dip in the Ganges at Varanasi washes all their sins and helps them attain salvation. People from all over India come here at least once in a lifetime so that they can purify themselves. The age old people come here in the last days of their lives to die on the Ghats of Varanasi. They believe that such death would relieve them of the vicious circle of rebirth and they would attain the eternal salvation or Moksha. Varanasi is an amazing spiritual power for all ages. The old come here to die while the infants are brought here by their parents to take the first holy dip in the Ganges and worship the reigning deity, Lord Shiva. The newlywed come for the blessings of the Gods and the widows come here to lead a life devoted to the same God.

Varanasi finds a mention in the epics of Mahabharata and the ancient Hindu scriptures. Although the history of the city is lost in its antiquity, it has been glorified and described in the Skanda Purana as Kashi, written nearly 5000 years ago. Kashi since then has been a centre of education and knowledge. While the city is important for the Hindus it also gained importance when Buddha preached his first sermon in Saranath, just 10 kms away from Varanasi.

By the time the Chinese scholars such as Fa Xian and Xian Zhuang had visited Varanasi and written about its advanced and developed culture, the city had already grown into prominence all over India and into its neighbouring countries as the city of Temples, as the city of education and the as the city of spiritual bliss. It was renowned as the flourishing centre of religion, education and commerce by the 3rd century A.D.

The prosperity of this city of temples became an inevitable bone of contention for the local rulers and also attracted the Muslim rulers of the north. From the 11th century onwards it was looted and stripped many a times till the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Hence although it an ancient city it hardly has any ancient temples and most of the present ones standing were rebuilt by various Hindu rulers in the 18th century.

After accession by the British during the Raj and later after the Independence, Varanasi still retained its identity and remained a prominent city. With time the paths of salvation might have changed and definitions of purity may have been redefined.But even today the city holds its unique charm with narrow by lanes and innumerous Ghats, with devotees performing their traditional rituals in the Ganges and the people flocking to this city to attain salvation.Apart from the mornings on the Ghats and rituals at the temples, Varanasi is famous for producing the most beautiful and ethnic silk saris those are world famous. The beetle leaf, the Benarasi paan from the city is equally famous for its pungent taste yet soft structure.Varanasi is a haunting city of dignified buildings, although many of them crumbling, glorified by myth and legend. An old eternal city sanctified by religion retaining its very special vitality.A visit to Varanasi is experience of some kind. For some its self discovery, for others its salvation while for some it's just an ancient city and few unlucky ones who carry back nothing but only worst of the memories from the city.

Location: Varanasi is strategically located on the Delhi - Kolkata route on the banks of the great River Ganges. Placed around 300 kms from the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Varanasi is one of the most ancient inhabited civilizations on the earth. It is based on the banks of tributaries of the Ganges, the Varuna and Asi rivers and hence gets the name of Varanasi.

Other Name: Banaras
Languages Spoken: Hindi and English
Long Distance Code: +91-542
Importance: The oldest living city of the world on the banks of the mighty river Ganga
Area: 73.89 sq.km
Best Time To Visit: October To March

Varanasi Attractions:

Ghats of Varanasi

Varanasi has since ancient days been famous for its prime location on the great River Ganges and its temples. It is considered to be the prime abode of Lord Shiva. As the common belief goes a holy dip in the Ganges rescues a man from the circle of birth and rebirth. These Ghats are the stepped embankments on the River Ganges built by various Hindu rulers for their private use. Till date these embankments are used for the daily rituals of taking holy bath in the River or worshipping the Sun God and the River in the early morning. Visitors to the city do not miss out an opportunity to visit the Ghats, where one can actually experience the daily rituals of the Hindus of the city. Most of the Ghats were built and patronized by Maratha rulers like the Peshwas, the Holkars, the Scindias, the Gaekwads and the Bhonsles. Till date few of Ghats are owned by the local rulers of Varanasi.

All the Ghats are placed in the periphery of four to five km stretch on the bank of the River Ganges. These Ghats are best visited at dawn, before Sunrise. A boat ride on the River watching the sun rising and at the same time following the traditional rituals of the devotees is a picturesque sight. Sunset is another time to visit the Ghats when hymns are sung in the praise of The Almighty and the Ganges worshipping with lamps. By the time the sun dips down, men and women place small lamps on leaves and sail them in the river as an offering. Hundreds and thousands of lamps sail in the calm waters giving an impression of star lit sky. A beautiful mesmerizing site not to be missed.

The Dasashwamedh Ghat quite unspoilt and beautiful Ghat is the most famous Ghat of Varanasi. It offers a splendid view of the water front and has a mythological legend behind it. It is said that the Ghat is where Lord Brahma sacrificed 10 horses to bring back Lord Shiva after his banishment from the place. So it is considered to be the most pious of all the Ghats in Varanasi. The Manikarnika Ghat was once a pit dug by Lord Vishnu by his charka and filled it with his perspiration while performing various penances. While Lord Shiva watched him, his ear ring made of pearl fell in to the pit giving it the name of Manikarnika. Another Ghat is known as the Chakrapushkarni Ghat where Lord Vishnu lay is footprint. Other famous Ghats are the Manmandir Ghat, the Hanuman Ghat and the Kedar Ghat.

Temples of Varanasi

The Kashi Vishwanath temple:

The presiding deity of Varanasi is Lord Shiva and the temple is dedicated to the same. Also known as the golden temple owing to the golden top donated by the Maharaja of Lahore, Punjab in 1885 A.D. the structure of the temple is new. It was rebuilt in 1776 A.D. by Ahilyabai Holkar, the Maharani of Indore. Although the structure is around 250 year old, the idol, the Shiva Lingam is believed to be ancient. It is said that the idol was well preserved by the priest of the temple during the demolition of the temple by The Mughal king Aurangzeb in the 17th century. The temple is a major attraction of the devotees to Varanasi other than the Ghats.

The Bharat Mata Temple:

A unique temple and probably one of its kind in the whole of India, this temple is dedicated to the country, the mother land. The temple built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and Durga Prasad Khatri was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1935 A.D. It houses a beautiful map of India carved out of marble.

The Durga Temple:

Dedicated to Goddess Durga, denoting the energy, this is one of the important temples of the city and is built in the Nagara style of Architecture in the 18th century.

The Alamgir Mosque:

This Islamic place of worship is placed just next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. It is said that the earlier structure of the Kashi Vishwanath stood right where the mosque stands today. The temple was demolished by the Mughal King Aurangzeb in the 17th century and built a mosque here naming it the Alamgir mosque. The Vishwanath temple was rebuilt later. The mosque is also known as the Gyanvapi mosque.

Sarnath

The most important pilgrimage centre for the Buddhists, Saranath is hardly 10 km from Varanasi. It is here that Lord Buddha preached his first sermon unfolding the four noble truths of life giving the eight fold path to Nirvana or enlightenment in 530 B.C. It was at Saranath that Lord Buddha preached the middle path which became the corner stone of the Buddhist religion. Saranath was called as Sarangnath earlier another name of Buddha in his previous births as the king of Antelopes. Sarangnath later came to be known as Saranath. Another reason is may be that the place where Buddha gave his first sermon was in a deer Park and hence the name of the lord of the deer, Sarangnath.

Saranath was made into one of the major Buddhist religious destinations after the great Mauryan emperor Ashok realized its historic importance. He built the magnificent Stupas and buildings patronizing the place. But today what we see of this place is just the ruins of which was described as the Turning of Wheel of Law, by the Chinese traveler Xian Zhuang in the 7th century.

The Dhamekh Stupa built in the 6th century is the only proper monument that stands today. It commemorates the spot where Buddha gave his first sermon to five disciples. Hardly anything of the magnificent Ashok pillar remains. But the inscription on it tells the monks to lead the path of religion without breaking the Sangha. The Archaeological Museum of Saranath however is probably one of the best and outstanding archaeological museums in the country. It displays the artifacts that were excavated from the ruins of Saranath. The most notable being the Lion Capital which once surmounted the Huge Ashok pillar with four back to back lions.

The Lion Capital, carved from one single block of rock, has been adopted as the national emblem by free India. The four back to back Lions have a four panel band which features Lion, Elephant, Horse and Bull. The Capital stands on an inverted Lotus flower which is symbolic to the seven lotus flowers which bloomed after Buddha's death. The Museums contains many other relics built during the Mauryan period dating back to the 3rd century B.C.

The other important place in Saranath is the temple built by the Mahabodhi society in 1931 which has the original relics of Lord Buddha in a silver casket. The interior of the temple are decorated with beautiful frescoes depicting the life of Buddha and also has a replica of 5th century statue of Buddha in Gold.

Ramnagar Fort

Around 16 kms from Varanasi on the stretch of the Bank across the river Ganges stands the magnificent Ramnagar Fort. This fort is still a royal residence of the Kings of Varanasi. The Durbar hall is converted into a museum displaying the royal artifacts like the Guns and ivory items. The fort is famous for the Ramlila it hosts during the Dusshera festival. Ramlila is the story of the epic hero Ram of Ramayana. It is enacted in the form of drama with songs. The staging of the story begins one month prior to Dusshera and ends on Dusshera by showing victory of Ram over the demon king Ravan.