Indian Attractions

India is not only known for its majestic manmade structures like the Taj Mahal. It is also a place where natural beauty abound. There are actually many beaches in India where you and your family can have fun. Read on to know some of the best beaches in India.

Anjuna Beach, Goa

Anjuna Beach is known as the freak capital of the world. It is because of the trance parties and the hippies who synthesize the belief of the East and the art and ideas of the West. During the summer, psychedelic groups meet there and have fun. The attractions on the beach are the amazing Albuquerque Mansion, which was built in 1920, the Chapora Fort, and the Mascarenhas mansion. The beach is also known for its full-moon paties that attracted a lot of tourists. The calm water of the Anjuna beach is ideal for scuba diving and swimming.

Juhu Beach, Maharashtra

Juhu Beach is not the place for you if you want to be somewhere quiet and serene. However, this beach also holds a certain charm to tourists. Juhu is actually very popular for its carnival atmosphere. Crowds are everywhere. In this beach, you won't get the chance to feel lonely because of the place's merry ambiance. The water of Juhu is excellent for swimming and other interesting water sports. There are also various hotels nearby where you can get the chance to lounge in pools.

India is not only a place rich in culture, but also one that is blessed by nature. You can have a vacation in India even if you are on budget. All you have to do is to look for discount vacation package deals. You can also enlist the service of travel agents to help you plan your vacation to India.

India is a place with rich history and culture. The place is known for its religious and secular structures. One of the famous structures in India is the Taj Mahal. Taj mahal is a white domed marble mausoleum located in Agra. It is an integrated complex of structures. This is one of the most tourist-visited site in India. Read on to know more about this magnificent structure.

Brief history and description of the Taj Mahal

The construction of Taj Mahal began around 1632 and was completed around 1653. The facade of Taj Mahal is not the only interesting feature. The story behind its construction is also worth knowing. The mausoleum was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his favorite wide Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal is an example of Mughal architecture, which combine Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural style.

Guide to visiting the famous Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal looms from the banks of the Yamuna River. It is actually one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Taj Mahal is located in Agra, 125 miles from Delhi. From Delhi, you can go to Agra by a train. The main railway station is Agra Cantt. Taj Mahal is open from 6am to 7pm everyday, except Friday. Two days before and after the full moon, Taj Mahal is open for moonlight viewing. The best time to go to Taj Mahal is on February. From February 18 to 27, there's the long week Taj Mahotsav. A festival focusing on arts, crafts, and Indian culture.

Taj Mahal appears to change its color with the changing light of the day. It is best to go there when the sun is about to rise and also when the sun is about to set.

When touring India, the best city to start is none other than the capital city of Delhi. The place is known as the world's most historical capitals. In fact, two of its monuments, such as the Humayun Tomb and Qutb Minar, are included in the World Heritage Sites. Delhi features a great number of definite tourist hubs to its thousands of visitors each year. The places you should never forget to see are the monuments, mosques and forts, like the Red Fort Delhi.

Noted as Delhi's pride for a historical fort monument, the Red Fort was established in year 1638 by Emperor Shah Jehan. Inside the magnificent monument are the Diwan-i-am, which is a hall that was once regarded for public audiences; the Diwan-i-Khas, wherein private audiences were allowed; the Rang Mahal, the famous water cooled area for the royal females; and the Pearl Mosque, which is an ornate white marble dream.

Inside the historical Delhi Fort, the Prime Minister of India has announced the independence of India. On the ground floor of the fort lies the War Memorial Museum. The Public audience hall was built with red sandstones and was set on top of a magnificent plinth. Also, the fort houses the Museum of Archeology that features various artifacts from the royal palace. If you happen to be planning a trip in India, never forget to visit Delhi's Red Fort monument.

As soon as Miss India Sushmita Sen bagged the crown for the Ms. Universe title, the world soon marvelled in their innate elegance and ardor. It's like seeing women of India in a different sphere for the first time. A much modern and smart reputation preceded after their clouts of traditional culture and beliefs. Thus, women from India emerged visible to the world.

But still, traditional in depth and heart, textiles are comparative to Indian women's beauty and dynamic charm. These textiles are full-bodied with color and texture, therefore, combining what attracts the eyes with what soothes the touch.

The textile craftsmanship started as early as the archaic world where remnants of Indian cottons were found in Egypt and the textile industry of fabrics even blossomed during the barter system. From then and now, their quality of work and yield is proven to be world-class. It is remarkable for its beadwork, class, color and texture, in short, quaint vivid.

Moreso, their cunning entrepreneurship, design and skills open up to the world market today. Along with other countries in the East, they are likewise moving along with global trends and possibilities for the future India. The textiles thereby speaks of culture harboring in the modern times!

India is world-renown for its traditional culture and belief. It cradles some of the oldest religious beliefs, sects and practices. But with the upsurge in modern times, India also devotes its rich culture in stylish crafts like bags and accessories. We often associate them with colorful costumes. Perhaps their love for colors and innate culture show best through their designs.

I see a budding market for bags and accessories in India. Particularly, I'm amazed with their bead designs. I've also taken notice of their penchant to gems and stones. I've seen most of which as body accessories and sometimes even embedded through their skin.

Most of their bags incorporate color and gems. They are often shiny with wonderful specks of designs or icons. I also see other tourists and foreigners carrying bags of lofty details. I could only presume that some of it came from India.

Women in India are becoming more trendy and fashionable. They do this by creating their timely viable trends. A visit to India, I've noticed improvements growing out of their tradition. Hopefully, the world will open its doors wider for their products and artistic yields. Will the West soon notice the East trend-setters in fashion? Well, maybe!

This magnificent tower that is often compared with the arches in Paris and Britain also symbolizes heroism. It stands in Janpath while passers thereof are led to Rashtrapati Bhawan. It's built to pay homage to the seventy thousand soldiers who fought during the WW1. An additional of 13,516 epithets are inscribed on the Gate's arch. The stone foundation is posited by Connaught's duke in 1921 while the memorial is dedicated to India in 1931 by Lord Irwin. When India bid goodbye to the imperial leaders, the Amar Jawan Jyoti is added to the site. It reminds the people of the soldiers who died in the 1971 war.

On midsummer nights, the arch turns into a carnival. No, not the frolic type that we are used to. But hundreds of people gather in the monumental site that the entire avenue is filled with vehicles, motorcycles, and scooters. As a matter of fact, the people of Delhi spend the whole night beneath the arch. Tourists will find this event a very noisy one because it is the time when vendors roam the place selling chaat (salad made with fruits and spicy sauce), bhelpuri (spicy puffed rice), chickpeas, dumplings, ice cream, chips, candies, and a variety of beverages. Here, travelers are allowed to play cards, ball games, and even bring ultimate Frisbee discs.

Holy temples are omnipresent in the cities of India. Every town has more than one shrine, but very few of them are regularly visited by tourists. Needless to say, among the favorites are the Taj Mahal and the Temple of Lotus. Since we're all familiar with the earlier holy shrine, let's talk about the Lotus.

The design of the worship place is an adaptation of the arrangement of the petals of the beautiful lotus flower. Built in 1986, the temple is located in New Delhi. It's regarded as the mother of the all the temples in India and receives millions of visitors every year. The temple is sitting at a pedestal surrounded by green grassplots and alleys. All in all, they cover 26 acres of land.

It's said that lotus is a symbolism for purity and beauty and an embodiment of divinity. Apparently, the temple that bears the flower's design carries with it the same characteristics. The ethereal charm and simplicity of the place of worship invite pilgrims from all parts of the globe. The temple hasn't only become a representation of faith, but because of its astounding construction, engineers regard the holy place as a modern structure inspired by ancient abstraction. From afar, especially when the sun shines its brightest, the temple looks like a giant lotus flower shining in Delhi.

If you think that India is merely about religious buildings and fabric markets, then perhaps you have not yet seen the Calangute Beach in the city of Panaji in Goa. The Calangute Beach used to be the hangout of hippies during the 1970s, but this history does not obscure the fact that it is a beauty, with its golden sand plus unspoiled waters.

It is not surprising that many beach lovers flock to Calangute; I, for one, enjoyed my stay there, especially when I went to the nearby bazaar where I got great bargains, and when I tried their seafood dishes which are really yummy and fresh.

One attraction that a tourist must visit in India is Amritsar's Golden Temple. Located in the Indian state of Punjab, this edifice is welcome to any visitors whether or not he or she is associated with Sikh religion. A visit to the temple is free and residents give travelers free food.

This Golden Temple is made up of two storeys of marble and is built on the middle of the area's sacred lake which is perceived to be where Buddha used to meditate. Travelers who want to have peace and oneness with their spirituality must merely ensure to cover their head and remove their shoes while inside the temple. In this part of India , they can also get a taste of delectable Indian food and witness the Sikh's endless reading of the holy word.

The story of the Taj Mahal can be said to be borne out of love. The Taj Mahal, which features intricate and majestic details with a sparkling outdoor reflective pool, was built by the emperor Shah Jehan in the 1600s in honor of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died in her fourteenth childbirth. Shah Jehan loved his Mumtaz Mahal so much that he took the effort of bringing white marble to Agra and spearheaded the creation of the structure for 22 years. Eventually, Shah Jehan was buried in the same edifice, next to the tomb of his wife.

I can never get enough of the Taj Mahal, it's truly a majestic sight, an icon of beauty and love. The structure epitomizes the dedication of Shahjahan, the 5th Mughal Emperor of India, to his mistress, Mumtaz Mahal, it's very sweet actually. It's one of the most extraordinary structures in the world that man has created. The Taj Mahal took 22 years of construction, and almost 20, 000 men worked everyday to build the Taj Mahal. It's located near the riverbanks of Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The Taj Mahal, is a work of art, it's truly captivating.

Darbar Sahib, known as the Golden Temple in India is a sight so majestic and sacred that, it will literally takes your breath away. It's located in India's holy city, Amritsar, and it was started by Guru Amar Dos, a Sikh guru.

Through generations, the Golden Temple had been the very center and essence of Sikhism, until now, people flock to this temple, to worship, to visit, to see and to experience the very unique feel of the Darbar Sahib, India's Golden Temple. So, if you want this one-of-a-kind temple experience, better hurry up with that airline ticket!

The 13th of January in Punjab, India is celebrated with an agricultural festival, called the Lohri. Lohri symbolizes the final day of winter in Punjab, and the Lohri welcomes the warmer weather to come. During daytime, the kids would go around the neighborhood, and the people would give them sweets, whatever to chew on, or money sometimes; just like Halloween, without the costume. At night, everyone would celebrate with dances, Indian food, and singing around a large bonfire, for the cold weather. The sweets that the kids collected are then distributed around, symbolizes the act of an Indian hero, just like Robin Hood, who's a thief, giving money and food to the poor.