Golden Temple is located in the city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab. The temple is also known as Harmandir Sahib. Golden Temple was initially built around 1574 A.D. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the eternal Guru of the Sikhs is located inside the temple.

The Golden Temple is one of the famous pilgrimage spots in India. It is also known as Harmandir Sahib and is a scared place for the Sikh community. Thousands of tourists and pilgrims come to the Golden Temple all over the year. The temple is located in the city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab.

Attractions

• Darshani Deori: This is the main entrance, sporting a distinctly Victorian clock-tower.
• Amrit Sarovar: The giant pool of water that surrounds and reflects the Golden Temple.
• Harmandir Sahib: This is the Golden Temple itself, floating above the Amrit Sarovar, housing the sacred Adi Granth scripture which is recited out loud during the day. This is the most crowded point, accessible by a bridge from the edge of the pool, and entry here is regulated by guards.
• Akal Takht: directly opposite the Harmandir Sahib. Meaning “the Timeless, this is where the highest council of Sikhs sits and deliberates. At night, the Guru Granth Sahib is taken to the Akal Takht.
• Central Sikh Museum: 2nd floor (entrance on the right side of the main side of the main entrance). Devoted to large gallery of paintings, mostly showing the gruesome ways countless Sikhs have been martyred, and various knick-knacks from the gurus. Free.

Festivals and Events

Baisakhi, the festival of spring, is celebrated every year on 13th of April, and is believed to be extremely auspicious because it is on this day that Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth. It is also believed that wheat crop is ready for harvesting and on this day, farmers start reaping the harvest for which they have waited patiently. The Guru Granth Sahib is read in all the Gurdwaras and a procession is carried out in the city.

Guru Nanak Jayanti falls in the month of October commemorating the birthday of Guru Nanak Devji Maharaj. The Guru Granth Sahib is read and langars (community feast) are organized in the Gurdwaras and at homes.

Amritsar Travel Tips:

Amritsar is divided into old and new parts of the city. The Golden Temple is located in the old part, which is full of bazaars, only 15 minutes from the railway station. A free bus runs regularly (every 45 minutes) from the station to the Golden Temple. When you visit the Golden Temple, you can join the pilgrims for a free feed of common food from the kitchen, called “Guru Ka Langar”.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit the temple is in the winter months (October to March) when the weather is pleasant and it even gets cold here. However the winter months are the best suited for sightseeing. Summers should be avoided as it can get blisteringly hot. An early morning or late night visit to the temple is special as the atmosphere is serene and very peaceful.

Timing

The temple remains open on all days and can be visited from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm in the summer months and 5:00 am to 9:00 pm in wint

er months.

Getting There

Amritsar is well connected to all the major cities of nor

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n India. Important destinations include Delhi, Shimla, Chandigarh, Dehradun,

Rishikesh, Kullu, Manali and Jammu. It is at a distance of 234 km from Chandigarh.

Thushargiri is a mesmerizing spectacle to the visitor. Two streams originating from the Western Ghats assemble here to form the Chalippuzha River. The river diverges into three waterfalls creating a snowy spray, which gives the name, ‘Thusharagiri’. Of the three, the highest waterfall is the Thenpara that falls from an altitude of 75 metres. The roar of the waterfalls can be enjoyed from September to November. The waterfall with its gentle spray is sure to soothe every eye. The cascading waters of the waterfall slides past with surfy smiles.

Located at Kodencherry in Kozhikode district, the plantation destination that abounds in rubber, areca nut, pepper, ginger and spices is also a trekker’s enjoyment. Trekker’s start early morning from the second waterfalls at the hills and climb up through the perfectdense evergreen forests teeming with exotic birds and animals to reach Vythiri and Waynad district by evening. The place offers challenging trekking and rock-climbing through river path and numerous waterfalls. It is a place of beauty, calm, and tranquility. The place has a crocodile farm run by the state forest department.

Activities

The place Thusharagiri offers challenging trekking and rock-climbing activity through the river path and numerous waterfalls. There is another dam located at 60 km from Calicut. It is a place of beauty, calm, and serenity. The place also has a crocodile farm run by the state forest department.

Thusharagiri is an ideal spot for trekking & rock climbing towards the Lakkidi ghat passing through thick foliage & lush greenery. September to November is the best time to visit.

How to Reach:

Nearest Railway Station: Kozhikkode about 50 kms away
Nearest Airport: Karipur International Airport about 23 kms away from Kozhikkode town

The park, which is one of the finest tiger reserves in the country, is one of the best places in the country to see these majestic predators in the wild. It also contains deserted fortress and lakes. Its ‘friendly’ tigers have made it one of the most filmed wildlife reserves in the world.

Flora and fauna

Ranthambore National Park is famous for its Tigers and is a favorite with photographers. For a relatively small area, the park has a rich diversity of fauna and flora – species list includes 300 trees, 50 aquatic plants, 272 birds, 12 reptiles including the Marsh Crocodile & amphibians and 30 mammals.

Climate

Ranthambore National Park is open from 1st October to 30th June (July – September closed to visitors). A good time to visit is between November and May when the nature of the dry deciduous forests makes sightings common.

Fees/Permits

There are only 2 safari visiting hours per day. Self travellers are recommended to book their canters or gypsy for zone 1, 2 or 3 at 5 am for 6 am safari or 12.30 for 2.30 pm safari from Project Tiger Booking Office opp New ST Stand at start point of most resorts on Ranthambore road. Zone Allotments are computerised and random based on the Reserve Management.

Ranthambore Travel Tips:

This national park is very popular due to its nearness to Delhi and the fact that tigers are relatively easy to spot here. Traffic into the park is highly regulated. Private vehicles are not allowed to enter, and the number of jeeps is limited to 20 at one time, split along 5 different zones. Availability of seats tends to vary quite a bit; therefore seats are best booked as far in advance as possible. Some zones, particularly two and three, are better than others for seeing tigers. Zone one is highly avoidable. However it’s not possible to choose your route. Selection is carried out by a lottery conducted by forest officials.

Fun facts

Safari rides are available twice every day – at 06:30 and 14:30. Each ride lasts for about 3 hours. Tourists can choose from two options of vehicles for the safari: 20-seats open top canter or 6-seats open top gypsy. Each ride costs around Rs 700-800 per person. The central park area is divided into several zones and the safari takes us on one of those zones. Most of the times, it’s not possible to sight a tiger in one outing, so people usually take more than one ride.

Surrounding Attractions

National Park (Ranthambore National Park), Rajasthan (Sawai Madhopur). Ranthambore National Park located in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan is one of the most visited wildlife parks in India. The main attractions of Ranthambore National Park are its tiger and bird population.

Ranthambhore Fort, (13 Km from Sawai Madhopur Railway station). Founded in 944 and initially named “Ranath Bhawar Garh” which means “a place of Rajput warriors”.

Bakula: Ranthambore wildlife sanctuary is mostly covered with thick forest. Bakula is one of the thickly forested regions. Bakula region has various pools and water holes as well as a dense forest part, due to the forest cover and easily available water, abundance of wildlife is easily found in the Bakula Region.

Kachida Valley: Kachida Valley has many outcrops and low hills. This valley is located near to outskirts of Ranthambore national park. Tourists should go through Jeep Safari, while exploring this area.

Lakarda Anantpura: Lakarda Anantpura is located in the north and north-west part of the Ranthambhore National Park. This area is ideal location to visit Sloth Bears. Tourists can also find lots of ant hills, favourite of beers.

Jogi Mahal: This fort is among the must watch places in Ranthambore national park. This fort is located near to the park and offers amazing facilities to the tourists, to make their journey more comfortable.

Buy

Handicrafts Paintings ground nuts Rajasthani dresses

Get in

Nearest Town is Sawai Madhopur, situated on the Delhi-Mumbai railway line and also linked with Jaipur and Agra by rail.

The Bassein Fort was established by the Portuguese in 1534, which sustained to be their headquarters till 1739. Located near Vasai, which is in north of Mumbai, the Bassein Fort was attacked by the Marathas in the 18th century. After a three long year fight the Bassein fort became a control of the Maratha rulers in 1739.

Now in skeleton the Bassein Fort stands upright behind the palm groves as an example of the great Maratha rulers. The entrance leads to a small terrace from where the bits and pieces of the old fort can be seen that are mostly broken now. The remnants of the fort still demonstrate the amazing architecture of the history. There are three chapels inside the Fort that resembles the architecture of the 17th century Portuguese churches. The southernmost chapel has a well conserved barrel arched ceiling.

Although the fort is in a broken condition, the remnants of the standing walls give a clear idea of the floor plans of these forts. Decorated with engraved stones, some of these arches still exhibit sharp carves and some have damaged out beyond recognition.

Bassein is a shipbuilding centre today and was ruled by many rulers, such as, the Portuguese, the Marathas and the British. Many Bollywood films are also shot in Bassein Fort.

Getting there:
Bassein fort is 77km from Mumbai. It can be reached by local train from Mumbai or Vasai road. Auto rickshaw or taxis are accessible at the station.

Nearby Attractions

About 10-km to the northwest lies Nalasopara village, the capital of the Konkan region from 1500 BC to 1300 AD. Many Buddhist leftovers were discovered here. Nalasopara is believed to have been the birthplace of Buddha.

An hour by bus from Bassein station are the Vajreshwari temple and the Akoli hot springs Also easily reachable is Ganeshpuri  with the Sadguru Nityanand Maharaj Samadhi Mandir, the Bhimeshwar temple and other ashrams.