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Tarun
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| "Vishwakarma, the
architect of the gods, began building an image of Vishnu, to mark the site
where a relic of Krishna, found by King Indradhumna. The king had been warned
not to disturb him or Vishwakarma would stop work. In one night a grand
temple in the blue mountains of Orissa was built. But the impatient king
could not help seeing what was happening to the relic after fifteen days.
He broke the contract. Vishwakarma was enraged and stopped work. The king
went to plead with Brahma, who agreed to give the relic its present form.
Thus the fame of Jagannath, the most sacred shrines in this land of temples
was established." |
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| Calcutta
- the City of Joy - and the gateway to the East, is an intense and overcrowded
city where India's finest artists, musicians, scholars and poets live. The
grand old monuments of the British Raj like Victoria Memorial, the High
Court and Writers Building still stand but back to back with overcrowded
and teeming bazaars. The city is the good, the bad and the ugly of the country,
but no visit to India is ever complete without seeing it. |
[ Calcutta ]
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| South of Calcutta and an hour away by flight,
is the bastion of the former Kalinga empire - Orissa, a riverine
land of great Hindu and Jain temples, of rich culture, colourful festivals
attractive folk art and textiles. |
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[ Arts ]
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Bhubneshwar, the well planned state capital is
the base for the popular Eastern Triangle tour of Konark famous
for its 13th century Sun Temple and Puri, on the sea,
known for the 12th century Jagannath temple and is one
of the four main pilgrimage centres of India. |
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| These temple cities boast of 500 ancient
temples dating back to the 7th century AD. The area is rich
in native and tribal crafts - textiles, metal casting and other decorative
arts. |
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| Further east are the states
known as the Seven Sisters - Assam,
Meghalaya, Arunachal, Nagaland, Mizoram,
Tripura and Manipur. Recently opened to foreigners and
Indians, a visit here takes one back into time. |
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| While Assam is known for the silk and tea
it produces, the others areas are equally known for their handicrafts
- masks, painted wooden vessels, silver artefacts, shawls and
jackets. The climate is tropical and here grow some of the rarest
orchids; the forests tropical and here grow some of the rarest
orchids; the forests abound with wildlife. Arunachal offers
trout and Mahseer fishing while trekking in the alpine
areas offers totally unbeaten trails. The other states do not
offer alpine country but it is difficult to believe that they
are a part of India. Customs, traditions and lifestyles are
totally different. |
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[ Tea garden of Darjeling ]
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| While Mizoram and Nagaland are
predominantly Christian, Manipur offers a very pure form of
Hinduism, and Arunachal is mainly Buddhist. It was at Kohima,
in Nagaland that the Japanese advance was finally halted at the famous
battle of the tennis courts of the Allied Club. A number of War Grave
Commissions visit the memorial here every year. |
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| To the North of Calcutta are Darjeeling,
a major hill station and Sikkim, known for its famous peak
of Kanchenjunga, bordered by Tibet in the north, Bhutan in the west
and Nepal in the east. Trekking is popular in these places but is
restricted to a few routes. |
[ Buddha ]
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This is because of the proximity
of the Chinese border and the Line of Control which restrict movement.
South west of the magnificent Himalayas, is the area where Buddha
walked. and birthplace of two major religions - Hinduism and Buddhism.
It is a land of pilgrims, and Bihar, the poorest state in India, is
a tour right off the beaten track. Tourist facilities are limited
but this is compensated by the spiritual experience of a lifetime.
From Gaya, to the Hindu pilgrim centre, Bodhgaya, where Buddha
achieved his enlightenment underneath the Bodhi tree, is a
short drive. Close by are Nalanda, the oldest university in the world
and Rajgir the capital of the ancient Magadha empire, where Buddha
and Mahavira ( founder of the Jain religion ) delivered their
most important teachings. |
| But the biggest festival ever, is the annual
Buddha Jayanti festival that celebrates the Buddha's birth anniversary.
Put up with the noise and the crowds, to experience Bodhgaya's unique
cup of spiritualism. |
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