Travel Masti

Dalhousie

2009-11-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

A picturesque and popular hill station, Dalhousie was set up in 1854, as a retreat for the British soldiers and bureaucrats. Located atop the five hills of Kathalagh, Potreyn, Terah, Bakroa and Bhangora, t was named after the British Viceroy Lord Dalhousie.
Surrounded by snow-capped mounains, and situated on the western side of the mountainous ranges of Dhauladhar, it is known not only for its captivating beauty, but also for the ancient temples, he valleys of Chamba and Pangi which are great trekking grounds.

GETTING THERE
By Rail:
The nearest rail head is Pthankot well connected to Amritsar, Jammu, Delhi and Jalandhar. Onward journey from Pathankot to Chamba and Dalhousie is by road only.
By Road:
Punjab and Himachal Pradesh roadways run services, as do private operators. Dalhousie is 54 km short of Chamba. Some important distances from Chamba are, Shimla 422 km, Dharamshala 180 km and Pathankot 120 km.

SIGHT SEEING
Church
Visit the beautiful churches of St. Andrew's and St. Patrick's at Balun, the St. Francis' Church at Subash Chowk, and St. John's Church at Gandhi Chowk. Barapathar (4 km away) is a small temple in the midst of dense forests. You could also visit the Chamba Ruler's summer palace of Jandrighat, which has some interesting period architecture.

Panchpula
You could play homage to freedom fighters, by visiting Panchpula, 3 km ahead, to see the monument of Ajit Singh, and then head to Subhash Baoli, named after famous freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose, who was said to have frequented this place.

Wild Life Sanctuary
Kalatop, is a wild life sanctuary 10 km from Dalhousie and is home of many Himalayan animals including the Ghoral and the Black Bear. It also has many tributaries of the River Ravi, flowing through it. Trek you way to the peak of Dainkun hill, just above Kalatop and catch a glimpse of the rivers Chenab, Beas and Ravi.

Or, you could always explore further and head to Chamba, and visit a few interesting historical places like the Rang Mahal Palace and Bhuri Singh Museum.

TRECKING
There are some significant trek routes heading out from Dalhousie. The Khajjiar - Chamba triangle forms one of the main trecking routes and there are several smaller treks within it. Some ambitious treks are Chamba to Bharmour, Chamba to Palampur, Chamba to Pangi and Bharmour to Keylong.

QUICK FACTS
State: Himachal Pradesh
District: Chamba
Official Languages: Hindi, Pahari
Climate / Weather: Summer: 8^OC to 30^OC, Winter: 10^OC to -10^OC

SEASONS
Peak Season: 1^st April to 30^th September
Shoulder Season: 1^st October to 31^st March

COCHIN

2009-11-07T18:28:00.000-08:00

One of the finest natural harbours on the Arabian Sea coast, and the capital of Kerala: "GOD's own country". Cochin even known as Kochi, has been a part of call for foreign traders from early times. Its cosmopolitan character is reflected in the buildings and structures representing different regions of the world. A city of Peninsulas and Islands. Today it is Kerala's commercial hub.

GETTING THERE
BY AIR: Indian Airline, Jet Airways connects Cochin with regular flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Banglore, Chennai and Goa.
BY RAIL: Erunakulam Junction is the main terminus, which is connected by all major trains heading down sout.
BY ROAD: Bus services of the state road transport and private companies connect Cochin to all the major cities in Kerala.
SIGHT SEEING
DUTCH PALACE: It is built by the Portugese and presented to the Raja of Cochin in 1555.
KOONAL CROSS SHRINE: This is small chapel in which it stands in the busy commercial centre of Mattancherry.
JEWISH LOUNGE: It was built in 1568, the building was destroyed by the Portugese in 1662 and rebuilt by the Dutch two years later. Scrolls of the old testament and copper plates inscribed in hebrew script are preserved here.
GUNDU ISLAND: It is the smallest island near Cochin, has a factory where coir is made into rope manually and carpets are made by hand operated looms. The island can be reached from vypeen only by boat.
FOR KOCHI: It is situated 12 km from Ernakulam.
St. FRANCIS CHURCH: It is the oldest protestant church built by the Portugese in 1510. Vasco de Gama, who died in 1524, was buried here.
MUSEUM: The museum of Kerala's history adappally, 10 km from Ernakulam, one of its kind in Kerala. There state's history is exhibited and narrated with the help of light and sound.
CHINESE FISHING NET: These are situated at the entrance of Cochin harbour and give a fascinating sight.

QUICK FACTS
STATE: Kerala
DISTRICT: Ernakulam
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Hindi, English and Malayalam
CLIMATE / WEATHER: Summer: 20^oC to 36^oC, Winter: 16^oC to 32^oC

SEASONS
PEAK SEASON: 1^st October to 30^th April
SHOULDER SEASON: 1^st May to 30^th September

Agra

2009-10-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

Attracting the maximum number of tourists is the city of the TAJMAHAL, Agra. The over 300 year old white marble Taj is the main draw and also the various monuments and historical sites dating back to the mughal period. Fatehpur Sikri, 38 km away is the deserted, one time capital of emperor Akbar. The Tomb of Sheikh Saleem Chisti here is visited by hundred of pilgirms today.

GETTING THERE

BY AIR:

It is connected with Delhi, by a daily flight which takes 30 minutes.

BY RAIL:

It is connected to Delhi by excellent train services such as Shatabdi (2 hours), Taj Express (2.5 hours). The Shatabdi also connectes Agra to Gwalior (1 hour), Jhansi (2 hours) and Bhopal (6 hours).

SIGHT SEEING

TAJ MAHAL

The Taj Mahal is the mausoleum built by Shahjahan for his queen Mumtaz Mahal. The consruction is said to have taken 22 years to complete, starting from 1631 with over 20,000 crafts men working around the clock. Of special interest here are JILOKHANA on the main entrance, built of red sand stone. It is 204 yards long and 150 yards wide, previously it had 128 rooms of which only 76 exist. The museum to the left to the central chamber has details on construction of the Taj. The gardens, with greenery and fountains are an inspiring sight, specially in the evenings and the twin tombs of Shahjahan and Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal, like other monuments in Agra, is open from sunrise to sunset from 6 to 8 am and 4 to 7 pm. Free admission for children under 15 on all days at all the monuments. Only the Taj is closed for visitors on Friday.

AGRA FORT

Agra fort is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River and in the city centre. There are number of exquisite builings within its portals such as SAMMAN BURJ, where Shahjahan was held captive by his son. Some of the other buildings are MOTI MASJID (a white marble mosque), DIWAN-E-AAM, DIWAN-E-KHAAS, JAHANGIR PALACE.

SIKANDRA

It is situated across the Yamuna. 4 kms away there houses of Tomb of Akbar.

BHARATPUR BIR SANCTUARY

40 kms away with a deviation from Mathura, is the wonderful bird sanctuary.

FATEHPUR SIKRI

This was Akbar's capital city, built to commemorate the birth of his son as prophesied by Sheikh Saleem Chisti, the sufi saint, who resided in the area.

QUICK FACTS

State: Uttar Pradesh

District: Agra

Official Languages: Hindi, English

Climate/Weather: Summer: 22^oC to 45^oC, Winter: 4^o to 32^oC

SEASONS

PEAK SEASON: 15^th September to 15^th June

SHOULDER SEASON: 16^th June to 14^th September