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Kerala :
Backwaters
900 km of tranquility
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It's an intricate network of innumerable lagoons,
lakes, canals, estuaries and the deltas of
forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea.
Over 900 km of this labyrinthine waterworld is
navigable. The largest backwater stretch in Kerala
is the Vembanad lake which flows through three
districts and opens out into the sea at the Kochi
port.
The Ashtamudi Lake (literally, having eight arms), which
covers a major portion of Kollam district in the south, is the
second largest and is considered the gateway to the
backwaters. |
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The Ketturvallom: Showcasing a unique heritage The
kettuvalloms (houseboats) of Kerala are giant country crafts,
measuring up to 80 feet in length. It took great skill and
meticulousness to construct these giants by tying huge planks
of jack wood together, without the use of a single nail.
Today, these goods carriers have been adapted to make the most
exciting tourism product in India, the luxurious furnished
houseboat. A kettuvallom usually has one or two bath attached
bedrooms, an open lounge, deck, kitchenette and a crew
comprising oarsmen, a cook and guide.
THE BACKWATER DESTINATIONS:
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvallam
Kollam
Alappuzha
Kottayam
Kumarakom
Cochin (Ernakulam, Kochi)
Kozhikode
Kasaragod
Forts & Monuments of India
Indian forts & monuments display a variety in architecture,
Cultural Heritage & the topographical segments. Some of the
popular Forts & Monuments of India Include:
Agra:
Taj Mahal
Agra Fort
Sikandara
Fatehpur Sikri
Chittorgarh:
Chittorgarh Fort
Delhi:
Qutab Minar Complex
Red Fort
Humanyu's Tomb
Jama Masjid
Rashtrapati Bhawan
Rajghat
Purana Quila
Jantar Mantar
Safdarjang's Tomb
India Gate
Lakshmi Narayan Mandir
Jaipur:
Amer Fort
City Palace
Hawa Mahal
Jaigarh Fort
Jantar Mantar
Nahargarh Fort
Jodhpur:
Mehrangarh Fort
Hill Resorts In India
India has seven principal mountain ranges and the most
important amongst them are the Himalayas. The Himalayas run
across the top of the Indian subcontinent stretching over some
2500 kilometres. These mountains were formed between 50 to 60
million years ago. The most recently formed are the lower
foothills known as the Shivaliks.
Beyond the Shivaliks are the lower Himalayas which have the
most popular hill resorts of India. These are Shimla,
Dalhousie, Mussoorie, Nainital, and Darjeeling.
These hill resorts are at the height of four to eight thousand
feet above sea level. Beyond the lower Himalayas are the Great
Himalayas or the Himadaris.
In the Himadaris are Everest and Annapurna peaks which lie in
the boundaries of Nepal and within India are Kanchenjunga,
Nanga Parbat and Nanda Devi. The Aravallis, one of the oldest
ranges in the world, run between Delhi and Gujarat to the
south west. Its once snow covered peaks are no more there but
this mountain range still has one hill resort, Mount Abu and
one peak Guru Shikhar, over 6000 feet high.
The Vindhyas divide the wide gangetic plains of northern India
from the southern parts of the country. They are stretched
over a length of 1000 kilometre with an average altitude of
974 feet. The Satpuras which are south of the Vindhyas, run
parallel to them. The name Satpuras is formed of two words Sat
meaning seven and Puras meaning folds, referring to the seven
lines of hills which make up the Satpuras. It has one hill
resort, Pachmarhi which is located near the highest point in
the range, Dhupgarh at a height of 4429 feet. The Sahyadris
run for 1600 kms down the western edge to the southern most
point of India.
The Sahyadris catch the monsoon rains on the western side. The
hill resort in this area is Ootacamund which stands at the
foot of the 8615 feet high Doda Betta Peak. This peak is
located in the Nilgiris (literally, Blue Mountains). Beyond
the Nilgiris are the Annamalai or Elephant Hills, the summits
of which are said to resemble elephant heads.
The famous hill resort of Kodaikanal is located in the Palni
Hills. The Eastern ghats which run on the opposite side of the
Sahyadris have summits over 3200 feet but are devoid of hill
resorts. To their southeast are the Shevroy hills and the hill
station of Yercaud. Purvanchal, or eastern mountains are the
last great mountain ranges of India running along the
Indo-Myanmar border in North East India.
List of Hill Stations:
Himachal Pradesh:
Chail, Chamba, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, Kasauli, Kangra, Kullu,
Manali, Naldehra, Parwanoo, Shimla
Jammu & Kashmir:
Gulmarg, Jammu, Patnitop, Sonamarg
Jharkhand:
Ranchi
Kerala:
Munnar, Nelliyampathy, Wayanad, Devikulam, Peermade, Ponmudi,
Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Palakkad, Kannur,
Madhya Pradesh:
Bhedaghat
Maharashtra:
Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Lonaval, Khandala - Karla, Matheran,
Amboli, Jawahar, Panhala, Chikhaldara
Rajasthan:
Mount Abu
Tamilnadu:
Courtallam, Kodaikkanal, Yercaud, Udhagamandalam
Uttaranchal:
Almora, Dehradun, Kausani, Mussoorie, Nanital, Pithoragarh
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