Started during the reign of Lord Curzon in November 1903, this rail route features in the Guinness Book of World Records for offering the steepest rise in altitude in the space of 96 kilometers. More than two-thirds of the track is curved, sometimes at angles as sharp as 48 degrees.

Saputara has been constructed as a well planned hill station having all necessary serviceableness like hotels, boating parks, swimming pools, club, ropeways, theaters and a museum providing the tourists an delightful vacation in the coziness of the hill station. Saputara is about 170 kilometers from Surat and about 80 kilometers from Nashik. The border of Maharashtra is about 5 km. away from Saputara.

This picturesque hill station is situated on a plateau in the Dang forest area of the Sahyadri Range. Saputara town is situated at an altitude of around 1,000 m with a climate that is pleasant although bit cold, throughout the year. Even the highest temperature in the summer does not exceed 27 degree C. Saputara literally stands for “Abode of Serpent” there is a presence of snake sculpture on the shores of Sarpagana River which flows through the town. This snake sculpture on the shores of Sarpagana River is worshiped by the local tribes on many festivals like Holi. Tribes like Kunbis, Warlis, Bhils and Gamits inhabit Dangs. They are known for their traditional dances, which are performed wearing Bamboo and Wooden masks. The dangs district constitute of an area of 1,752 km. having population of 1.5 lacks with a tribal population density of 94% and located in south-east of Gujarat.

]]> http://travel.vandeindia.com/saputara-ultimate-destination-after-rain-in-gujarat.html/feed 0 http://travel.vandeindia.com/vaishnavdevi-temple-north-india.html http://travel.vandeindia.com/vaishnavdevi-temple-north-india.html#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:36:11 +0000 admin http://travel.vandeindia.com/?p=809 About Vaishbavdevi

Vaishnavdevi shrine is located in the Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir. A small town Katra is the way and means for reaching out to the temple. The town is located in a high altitude and in the hilly region of lower Himalayas in the Trikuta range . Similarly, the case with the shrine of Vaishnavdevi, situated about 61 kms from Jammu, in the an altitude of about 5,200 feet over the sea level. The exact location of the site up hill is around 14 kms from the Katra town . On reaching out here, the experience is totally a different. Enchanting view of the different valleys, filled with lush green trees, humming sounds of the bees and chirping sounds of the birds, echoes of the devotees “Jai mata ki”,” Jai mata di”, Jai Jai maiya and so on, all along the path and water falls with their silvery brightness is not a thing to miss. All that is worth seeing and admiring far away from the madding crowd, unending sounds of the modern machines and vehicles. To reach on to the top of the hill one has to climb up by any of the routes available there. Devotees from all over India and abroad comes here to have a ‘Darshan’ of the Goddess presiding in the hills. Pilgrims in the earlier day’s used to begin their journey during the days of ‘Navaratri’ ( a special night in September) and continuing for 3 months consecutively. During these three months at Katra, Vaishnavdevi and other temples hosts many wonderful programs dedicated to the Goddess.

The ‘Homos’ and ‘Yagnas’ (rituals)celebrated by the devotees and pilgrims. There is an un-disputed belief about the Holy Places or Teerthasthal that they provide the much needed relief, peace and happiness to the visitor who came under the refuge of Mother Goddess from the daily hustles of life. Before going for the Darshan of Goddess one has to bathe in variably. There are various bathing places made for the same purpose. There is also arrangements at ‘Charanganga’ which comes out of the holy cave. People can use this water for bathing. Then after the pilgrims sit down as per the serial number on the given slip and wait for their turn to have a Darshan of Goddess. It is to be noted that the pilgrims are not allowed to carry any sort of leather items, cigarettes or any other intoxicants while visiting the holy shrine. In the main entrance of the cave, there is a huge stone lying which is called Bhairav’s body. There is a continuous water flow from this cave. One will not be in a position to stand erect anywhere inside the cave. In fact no body can under stand the intricacy of the shape of the cave, shrine and the rest of the things in the Vaishnavdevi. One who is really bestowed with the grace of the Goddess for her Darshan only can understand this metaphysical phenomenon. Here in the cave of the hills Goddess Vaishnavdevi is presiding deity in Her earthly abode in the forms of Mahalakshmi, Mashasaraswati and Mahakali. Some people says that out of the three presiding deities, the prominent incarnation is Goddess Vaishnavdevi. Speaking about the cave, the space would be sufficient for 3-4 people. Seated here in the very place Pundit takes the offerings of the devotees to the Goddess and gives out ‘Prasad’ to the devotees. After taking a Darshan people have to come out though the new exit, which is made a few years ago for the convenience of the pilgrims by the Shrine Board. After coming out of the temple people worship young girls and serve them Puri and Halwah( prasad ). After visiting Goddess Vaishnavdevi, people start their return journey towards Katra with Darshan of Bhairavnath where their pilgrimage ends at.

he airport located nearest to Sikkim is Bagdogra Airport of West Bengal which is only 124 Kms away from Gangtok. India’s national carrier, Indian Airlines including almost all other domestic airlines such as Jet Airlines, Air Deccan run regular flights from the important cities of India such as Kolkata, Delhi etc. Bagdogra is also connected with Gangtok by daily helicopter service operated by Sikkim Tourism development Corporation and it will take only 20 minutes to reach Gangtok from Bagdogra. This helicopter service is subjected to the weather conditions.
In Gangtok, major air ticketing agencies are Josse and Josse Travels and Cox & King.

Located at Narmada river, Gujarat, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam has a height of 455 feet. Of the 30 large dams planned on river Narmada, the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) is the largest multipurpose project involved in the construction. It was first conceived in the 1940s by Jawaharlal Nehru. The project only took form in 1979 as part of a development scheme to increase irrigation and produce hydroelectricity. The 455 ft height is the focal point of both the dam-builders plans and the Narmada Bachao Andolan`s opposition.

]]> http://travel.vandeindia.com/7-wonders-of-india-sardar-sarovar-narmada-dam.html/feed 0 http://travel.vandeindia.com/panchgani-madhya-pradesh.html http://travel.vandeindia.com/panchgani-madhya-pradesh.html#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:35:34 +0000 admin http://travel.vandeindia.com/?p=775 Panchgani is situated 20 kms East of Mahabaleshwar and spreads out over five hills. The name actually means ‘five lands’ and in this very popular hill station, that bears the Raj stamp all over it, you can have some excellent views of the flat surroundings. It is also famous for its boarding schools, its Parsee Bungalows, the fresh air, tasty strawberries and the rich Indians who like to spend some time here. Picturesque Panchgani has served as the background for several films.

From Mahabaleshwar, it takes only twenty to twenty-five minutes to reach Panchgani. It can also be easily visited from Poona or Bombay. .

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