Raipur

Raipur is the capital of Chhattisgarh . It was formerly an integral part of Madhya Pradesh, a state in Central India.

Raipur covers an area of 226 Km2. It has a population of 6, 05,131. 13% of them are below 6 years.

The Kalchuri King Ram Chandra founded Raipur in 14th century AD.

Raipur is the commercial capital and important industrial centre for Coal, Power, Steel and Aluminium. It has one of the India’s biggest iron markets with having more than 200 steel rolling mills. There are 500 agro-industries with about 800 rice milling plants in the state capital. Raipur is sometimes also referred as the “Rice Bowl of India”.

Places to visit in Raipur are:
• Radha Krishna Temple
• Chandi Temple
• Ram Temple
• Swastik Vihar Monastery
• Anand Premkuti Vihar
• Museum

Raipur is well connected by rail, road and air to Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal and Jabalpur.

Important nearby towns of Raipur:
• Bhilai - 15 Miles
• Durg – 25 Miles
• Jagadalpur – 185 Miles
• Rajnandgaon – 44 Miles
• Bilaspur – 72 Miles
• Jabalpur – 230 Miles
• Bhopal – 445 Miles

The state capital offers an attractive alienate road route to Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Hirakud Dam in Odisha, etc. The national highway 6 passes through Raipur.

Jet Airways, Indian, IndiGo and Kingfisher Airlines are major air service providers, operating daily scheduled flights to and from Raipur.

Chandigarh

Chandigarh is a union territory in India, serving the capital of two states: Punjab and Haryana.

Le Corbusier, a Swiss architecture, is credited to have planned the city of Chandigarh in 1955. It is the cleanest city in India.

Chandigarh experiences humid subtropical climate with very hot summers, mild winters and unreliable rainfall.

The state is covered by dense flora and fauna, including thick Banyan and Eucalyptus plantations. Deers, Sambars, Barking deers, Parrots, Woodpeckers and Peacocks are also protected in the state.

There are many beautiful places worth visiting in Chandigarh. Sukhna Lake, which is home to a variety of ducks and geese, Chandigarh Capital Region, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur and Rock Garden are some of them.

There is Le Corbusier Centre where the work and legacy Le Corbusier has been preserved. It was set up in 2008 on the 121st birth centenary of Le Corbusier. Its entry is free. Timings: 10:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m. The centre remains closed on Mondays and gazetted holidays. Photography is allowed.

Haryana

Haryana is a landlocked state in northern India. It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradeshto the north and Rajasthan to the south and west. The state surrounds Delhi on three sides. Its capital is Chandigarh, which is a union territory of India.

Haryana was a part of Kuru region. The state cradled the Indus Valley (Banawali and Rakhigarhi) and Vedic Civilisation flourishing on the bank of the Saraswati River (now lost its existence). Many decisive wars were fought, including the great war of Mahabharata and the three battles of Panipat, here in Haryana.

Harshavardhan, an Indian emperor and son of Prabhakarvardhan, established his capital at Thaneshwar near Kurushetra.

Vibudh Shridhar, an apabhramsha writer, founded Haryana in 12th century AD.

British administered Haryana as part of the Punjab Province.

Haryana was craved out as India’s 17th state on linguistic basis on 1st November, 1966 by Sardar Hukum Chandra Parliamentary Committee. The state comprises 20 districts and 127 blocks. There are four administrative divisions, including Ambala, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Hissar.

Haryana is India’s major contributor of milk and foodgrain. It is self-sufficient in food production. The state manufactures India’s largest manufacturer of cars, two-wheelers and tractors. The state has the third highest per capita income in India.

Haryana’s major seasonal river is Ghaggar, rises in the outer Himalaya between the Yammuna and the Sutlej River and enters Haryana near Pinjore in Panchkula district.

Major ethnic groups of Haryana are Jat and Yaduvanshi Ahir.

Haryana experiences continental type of climate with hot summers and cold in winters. About 80% rainfall occurs in the monsoon season.

The state is rich in flora and fauna. There are thorny, dry, deciduous forests and thorny shrubs. Mulberry, pine, kikar, eucalyptus, shisham and babul are some tree found here. It is home to more than 300 bird species.

Haryana is well connected by rail, road and air. It is the main base of two out of 16 India’s airlines.

Hampi

Hampi attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims every year. This is an important religious site in the south Indian state of Karnataka, which houses Virupaksha Temple and several other notable monuments. Hampi has been listed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Years ago, Hampi was the capital of Vijayanagara, an Hindu empire in southern India. The historical place is situated in the northern part of Karnataka, which has developed from the ruins of Vijayanagara.

Located at a strategic location, Hampi bounded by the torrential Tungabhadra River on the one side and surrounded by defensible hills on the other three sides.

It is like a paradise for backpackers in India travel. Hampi is close to Hospet, about 13kms away. The state capital Bangalore is 353 km away and Bellary is 74 km away. Hampi is a beautiful place to visit. 

First ‘Dreamliner’ finally reaches India

Much awaited world’s most advanced passenger jetliner Boeing 787, popularly known as the Dreamliner, finally landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Wednesday. This is the maiden voyage of the flight to India. The plane was given a water-cannon salute.

The beauty of this plane is that it is able to operate non-stop ultra long haul routes up to 16, 000 kms with 250 passengers.

Air India, India’s national air carrier has ordered 27 Dreamliners. The airline expects the delivery in October of this year. While Jet Airways, India’s second largest private carrier has placed an order for 10 aircraft. Its delivery is expected by 2014. State-owned airline Air India is planning to give training to its pilots to fly Boeing 787 from next month.

Darjeeling

Darjeeling is a Himalayan town in West Bengal, a state in eastern India. It is a renowned tourist destination where thousands of tourists swing in round the year. This stunning eastern spot is intertwined in Bengal, Sikkim and Nepal. Once remained a British military depot, Darjeeling is fondly known as “Queen of the Hills” with its stellar accomplishment.

Darjeeling is nestled in the Mahabharata Range of the Lesser Himalaya.

Darjeeling experiences temperate climate with five distinct seasons: summer, spring, autumn, winter and monsoon.

Two most significant contributors in Darjeeling’s economy are tourism and tea industry. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The railway connects the town with plains.

The popular food of Darjeeling is Momo, a steam dumpling containing cooked meat in a doughy wrap, and Thukpa.

Must-do activities in Darjeeling are Trekking, white water rafting, etc.

Scouring travellers can come down to Darjeeling any time of the year. There is Darjeeling Himalayan Railway from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. One can take national highway 55 from Siliguri which is 77 Km from Darjeeling. International travellers can take direct flight to Bagdogra wherefrom Darjeeling is 90 Km away.

Ahmadabad

Ahmadabad is a city of Gujarat. Colloquially it's called Amdavad in Gujarati. It is nearly 32 Km away from the state capital Gandhinagar. The city is referred to as the industrial capital of the Gujarat state. With booming textile industry in the city, Ahmadabad earned the nickname the “Manchester of the East.”

Ahmadabad is located on the bank of the Sabarmati River.

Sulatan Ahmad Shah founded Ahmadabad in 1411.


Ahmadabad experiences semi-arid climate with three prominent seasons: summer, monsoon and winter.

Ahmadabad is well connected by rail, road and air. Sardar VallabhBhai Patel International Airport is 15 Km away from the city centre Ahmedabad.