Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu & Kashmir is a state in northernmost of India it is situated in the Himalayan Mountains. The state shares border with Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and an international boundary with Pakistan to the north and east.

J&K comprises three regions: Jammu, the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh. The state has two capitals: Srinagar in the summer and Jammu in the winter. Jammu & Kashmir comprises 22 districts.

The Mughal emperor, Akbar, invaded Kashmir in 1586. He appointed one of his generals, Ramchandra I, as a governor of the Himalayan Kingdom. He founded the city of Jammu. Ranjit Singh of Lahore captured Jammu and Kashmir in 1780 after the death of Ranjit Deo, a descendent of Ramchandra.

The Indus, Tawi, Ravi and Chenab are the major rivers following through the state. But the Jhelum River is the only Himalayan river flows through the Kashmir Valley.

There are several Himalayan glaciers in Jammu and Kashmir. Siachin Glacier is one of them. It is the longest Himalayan glacier.

Jammu & Kashmir is home to several famous lakes: Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Wular Lake and Manasbal Lake in Jammu, Pangong Lake and Tsomo-riri Lake in Ladakh, Surinsar Lake and Mansar Lake in Jammu.

There are many gardens in the state. These are Mughal Garden, Shalimar, Nishat Garden, Pari Mahal, Harwan, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden, Cheshmashahi, Srinagar, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Jharokha Mughal Garden, Manasbal, Mughal Garden, Darashikoh Bagh, Bijbehara, Botanical Garden Kokernag, Mughal Garden, Bagh-e-Bahu, etc.

Urdu is the official language of the state. Other principal spoken languages are Kashmiri, Dogri, Pahari, Balti, Ladakhi, Gojri, Shina and Pashto.

The state celebrates many festivals: Tulip festival, Baisakhi Festival, Khir Bhawani Festival, Gurez Festival, AmarnathJi Yatra, Saffron Festival, Snow Festival, Urs or annual festivals, the monastic Festival, Chhams, etc.

Jammu & Kashmir is well connected by rail, road and air. Direct flights operate to Srinagar and Leh. The major service providers in the state are Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan.

Punjab

Punjab is a state in northwest India, bordering Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh to the west, Haryana to the south and southeast, Rajasthan to the southwest, Jammu and Kashmir to the north and Punjab Province of Pakistan to the west. Chandigarh, an India’s union territory, is the capital of Punjab.

The partition of 1947 divided India into two Independent states: India and Pakistan. Later in 1966 India craved two new states out of Punjab: Haryana and Himachal Pradesh .

Punjab keeps a rich historical significance. There is Indus Valley Civilization. It spanned around Harappa and Ropar. Its remnant can still be traced. It was a part of great ancient empires including Gandhara Mahajanpadas, Nanda, Mauryas, Sungas, Kushans, Guptas, Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas and Hindu Shahis. The Mughals controlled the region from 1524 to 1739.

Sikhism is the predominant faith in the state.

Punjab comprises 20 districts. There are five divisions in Punjab. Each division contains several districts.

The capital of Punjab is Chandigarh.

Punjabi is the official language of Punjab.

Major cities of Punjab are Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali and Patiala.

There are many tourist attractions in Punjab. The Golden Temple, a prominent Sikh gurduwara, is, also known as Harmindar Sahib or Darbar Sahib, there in Amritsar, Punjab. It was built in 1574. A great influx of tourists and devotees visit this Sikh temple round the year.

The state celebrates Lohari, Basant, Baisakhi and Teej.

Agriculture is the largest industry in Punjab. It is the largest producer of wheat in India.

Punjab experiences the extreme hot and harsh cold condition.

Punjab is well connected by rail, road and air. There are six airports at Ludhiana, Mohali, Pathankot and Patiala in Punjab. Shri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar operates international flights to Punjab. Air India, Air India Express, Armavia, Jet Airways, Jetlite, Kingfisher Airlines, Mahan Air, Qatar Airways, Turkmenistan Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways are the major service providers.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan is India’s largest state. It comprises inhospitable Great Indian Desert - Thar. This is the “Land of Kings”, as many kingdoms, including Rajputan, Jat and Muslim, ruled it over for years. For, a great tourist influx swoons in Rajasthan each year to check its bevy of beauties.

Rajasthan is bordered by Pakistan to the west, Gujarat to the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast and Punjab to the west. The tropic of Cancer passes through its southern tip in the Banswara district.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan. The city is known as the “Pink City of India”.

Rajasthan is the “Land of Colours” with displaying opulent vista, rich cultural heritage, safaris sand dunes, lush forests and deterrent wildlife to invite adventurers come down and explore it. There is a prefect amalgamation endowed with wholesome beauty in Rajasthan.

Travellers visit majestic forts, intricately carved temples and decorated Havelis. Their exemplified magnificence is present across the state. Jantar Mantar, Chittorgarh Fort, Dilwara Temple, Lake Palace Hotel, City Palaces, Jaisalmer Havelis are major attractions of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan is a shopper’s paradise, famous for textile, semi-precious stones and handicrafts. It appeals to tourists the most and they enjoy its intricate designs at reasonable rates.

Tourists come down to relish in Rajasthani music, dance and art & craft.

Rajasthan produces the second largest polyester in India. The Bhilwara district of the state is the largest city in suiting production and export. Rajasthan is the biggest wool-producing state in India.

Each district of Rajasthan spells its own speciality. Bikaner is well known for its spicy snack, namkeen and mixture, the pink city Jaipur is for Jewellery, Jodhpur for sweet and Jaisalmer is for yellow stones.

There are many national parks and sanctuaries in Rajasthan. Notable ones are Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar, Ranthambhore National Park in Sawai Madhopur and Desert National Park in Jaisalmer.

Rajasthan accounts for 14%, which is the fourth highest in all India’s states, of total international tourists.

Rail, Road and Air connect Rajasthan to the other part of India. There are three main airports in Rajasthan: Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur. Direct flights connect Rajasthan to major India’s cities. However, most international flights arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. It is 250 Km from Jaipur.

Rajasthan is rich in culture that reflects in its way of life. Tourists receive traditional warmth and finest hospitality in India’s largest state – Rajasthan.

Indian air market to grow even more

IndiGo Airlines indicates better market prospects despite huge losses, poor yield and overcapacity posted by major countries’ carriers. Its latest agreement for the new aircraft appears to illustrate confidence in the Indian Market. While Airbus and Boeing affirm by saying that India is still among the strongest of air traffic expansion over the next two decades.

IndiGo is a low-cost Indian carrier, operating domestic air service with linking more than 25 destinations across the country. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport is the main base of IndiGo. The airline began services in 2006 with Delhi-Imphal flight.

The airline also stays outside the spell of carrier-consolidation, including Jet Airways and Air Sahara, Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan and Air India and Indian Airlines, as sought to counter economic pressures.

Now, India’s low-cost carrier,IndiGo, is among the carriers set to take advantage of Indian threshold. The airline is also planning to fly on international routes.

Airbus predicts domestic Indian traffic volume at 9.2% a year. The overall figure is expected to exceed 250 trillion revenue passenger-kilometres by 2029, and is further added that from India to China, South-east Asia and North America would be the fastest-growing flows.