Visit to Puri, Bhubaneswar and Chilika (Part - 3)

[Continued from Visit to Puri, Bhubaneswar and Chilika (Part - 2)] Our coach guide sent a guide for us. We started walking with our new guide who would show the intricate designs and curvings on the walls of the temple, tell us the history of the temple and explain the reason about why this temple is considered unholy. This temple was constructed by King Narasimhadeva I in the 13th century. The name Konark was derived from the two Sanskrit words - Kona meaning angle and Ark meaning Surya because of dedication of the temple to the Sun god Surya. Our guide showed us the wheels, intricate curvings and sculptures of the chariot sun temple. He also showed us how to read the time with the help of a wheel and the sun. It took 12 years, 1200 workers and 12000 gold coins to build this masterpiece of architecture. One interesting fact that I would like to mention is that one will never find any shadow of this temple on any sides around it. Now most parts of the temple has fallen down. The entire temple was designed in the form of Sun Gods, chariot drawn by seven horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely designed wheels at the base. The temple complex consists of four parts - Bhoga Mandap, Nata Mandir, Audience Hall and the Main Sanctum. Out of these only the Audience hall survives in its entirety. The main sanctum where the idol of the sun god was placed has fallen off. And some portions of the Bhoga Mandap and Nata Mandir survives. After seeing the temple complex we went back to our bus.

Konark Temple

Visit to Agra

[Continued from My Trip to Delhi] Agra is one of the most popular tourist places of India. The main attraction of Agra is the Taj Mahal. Every year thousands of tourists from India and abroad come to Agra to see the Taj. Agra is also famous for the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. All these three main attractions of Agra has been given the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Taj Mahal

We boarded the Sriganganagar-Howrah Toofan Exp from New Delhi railway station at around 7:30 am and disembarked at Agra Fort at around 1:00 pm. From there I took a cycle rickshaw and searched for hotels. We booked a room in Hotel Amba Inn. That day evening we took rest in the hotel. The following day we went to see the Taj Mahal. It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj has three gates - East, West and South. River Yamuna flows to the north of the Taj.  It remains open on all days from 6 am to 7 pm except Friday. We entered the courtyard through the South gate. For security reasons we had to leave some food which we were carrying in the cloakroom before entering the complex. On seeing the Taj we became mesmerized. The majestic structure made up of white marble left us spellbound. I wondered how this structure was built with so much perfection and accuracy. We entered the Taj Mahal. Inside the Taj, intricate designs were curved on the walls. Also there were intricate screens or jalis which allowed light to enter the mausoleum.

My trip to Delhi

Delhi is one of the most multi dimensional metropolis of India situated on the banks of River Yamuna. It is the capital city of India. Delhi is full of captivating monuments, magnificent museums, glorious shopping destinations and yummy eating places. It is also one of the oldest places to be inhabited by humans. Delhi is divided into two parts - Old Delhi and New Delhi.

India Gate

We boarded the Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express from Howrah railway station. Our train departed at 08:10 am and reached New Delhi at around 8 am the next day. At the New Delhi station there are two gates, one is known as Paharganj gate and the other one is known as Kashmiri gate. The Rail Yatri Niwas is situated near the Kashmiri gate but most of the private hotels are located in Paharganj area. We came out of the station through Paharganj gate and started searching for hotels. We booked a room in Hotel Cama. After taking a little rest we came out of our hotel. Firstly we went to see the famous India Gate. This is one of the most prominent tourist spot of Delhi. India Gate, the national monument of India was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens inspired by the Arc De Triomphe in Paris. It was built in the year 1931 and is about 42 m high. Originally a statue of King George V stood under the now vacant canopy in front of India Gate but was later moved to Coronation Park. After India's independence the India Gate became the site of the Indian Army's Tomb of Unknown Soldiers now known as Amar Jawan Jyoti.

My Visit to Daman

[Continued from Visit to Tithal] I started my journey from Valsad. We boarded the Sayaji Nagari Express from Valsad Railway Station at around 11 am and reached Vapi at 11:20 am. From the adjoining bus stand, we boarded a bus which took us to Nani Daman. On the way we crossed the check post. Atlast we reached Daman. On reaching Daman we saw that there were many types of public transports like bus, taxis and auto rickshaws plying in the city.

Nani Daman Fort

Firstly we went to book a hotel. After keeping our luggage in the hotel room we went to have our lunch. After having lunch we went for sight seeing. We booked a cab and it took us to Nani Daman Fort. This fort is situated on the north of Nani Daman. Although this fort is quite small, there are schools, radio stations, market, hotels, tourism centre and even burial grounds situated within this fort. The main attraction of this fort is the large gateway to the fort facing the river. Then we went to Jampore beach. It is a very pleasant spot and one can even plan a picnic on the shades of the Casuarina groves. After that we went to Mirasol Lake Garden. It is a wonderful place with two islands connected by a bridge and surrounded by a lake. There are provisions for boating in this lake. Other attractions include the toy train and video games.