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.

Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar is the capital of north-central-east Gujarat, a state in western India. It is about 23 Km away from Ahmadabad, the biggest city of Gujarat.

Gandhinagar is situated on the west bank of the Sabarmati River.

Gandhinagar experiences three seasons: summer, monsoon and winter.

The famous Akshardham Temple is located in Gandhinagar.

Gandhinagar is well connected by rail, road and air. Sardar VallabhBhai Patel International Airport in Ahmadabad is the nearest airport.

Gujarat

Gujarat is a state, bordering Rajasthan to the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east and the Arabian Sea and Pakistan to the west. It is located in western India. Its capital is Gandhinagar, a planned city.

The state encompasses major sites of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization: Lothal, Gola Dhoro and Dholavira. Gujarat is also known as Pratichya and Varuna.

Gujarat was ruled by the Gupta Empire, the Rashtrakuta Empire, the Pala Empire, the Gurjara-Pratihara, the Maitrakas and then the Solankis. Then Muhamad of Gazani, the first Muslim conqueror in India, invaded Somnath and put an end to the Solanki Empire.

Portugal was the first European power to arrive in Gujarat. Then the British India Company established a factory in Surat in 1614. It was their first base in India.

The state has a coastline of 1,600 km.

Gujarat has four national parks and 21 sanctuaries. It is home to Asiatic Lions in Gir Forest National Park.

Narmada, one of the major rivers of Peninsular India, is the biggest river in Gujarat, followed by Tapi and Sabarmati. Sardar Sarovar Project is built on Narmada River.

Gujarat is the main producer of Tobbaco, Cotton and Groundnut in India. The state is the largest producer of Milk in India.

The state symbol of Gujarat is Lion (Animal), Glagota (Flower), Garba (Dance), Gujarati (Language), Kabbadi (Sport), Mango (fruit) and Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat (Song).

Gujarat was created a state in 1960. Surat is the commercial capital of Gujarat.

Gujarat is well connected by rail, road, waterway and air. There are 10 airports in the state. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport operates several scheduled international as well as domestic flights from here.

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 Pradesh to 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.

Delhi

Delhi is India’s capital located on the bank of the Yamuna River. It is huge and diverse with immense mix of charming culture and magnificent monuments. It is India’s largest metropolis by area and second-largest by population. Delhi has quality infrastructure, including road transport, public health and higher education.

Edwin Lutyens, a British architect, laid the central administrative area of Delhi as a testament to British Imperial Pretensions.

There are many flyovers in Delhi. It is also referred as the “City of Flyovers”. The regal Rashtrapti Bhavan (Indian President’s palace) is located right at the heart, atop in Raisina Hills.

Delhi has many tourist destinations, including ancient mosques, forts and monuments. This reflects Delhi’s rich history and culture. Major tourist attractions of Delhi are Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Laxinarayan Temple, Akshardham Temple, Gurdwara Bangala Sahib, Lotus Temple, Raj Ghat, Jama Masjid, Lodhi Gardens, Nizamuddin Dargah, etc.

For shopaholics, Delhi has many sites to explore. One can go Lajpat Nagar, South-Ext., Ansal Plaza, Connaught place, Dilli Haat, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Cottage Emporium, etc.

Apart from this, Delhi has a number of theatres. There is Sri Ram Centre for Performing Arts. You can visit Kamani Auditorium, LTG Auditorium, NSD, India Habitat Centre, India International Centre, Lalit Kala Academy, etc.

There are several luxury hotels in Delhi, including The Oberoi, Le Meridien, Park Royal Intercontinental, The Metropolitan, Hans Plaza and a slew of other splendid star hotels. These hotels offer fabulous food, sensuous spa and bars.

One can visit Delhi anytime. However, the best time to visit Delhi is between October and March when there is pleasant weather.

There is arterial Road, traversing train network and fully maintained Metro. Travellers coming all the way to Delhi can get scheduled flights to multiple destinations. There is Indira international Airport located at Palam in Delhi. Another aerodrome is Safdarjung Airport. This airport is used for general aviation purposes. There are five new lounges at the new terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Mumbai

Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra in western India. It is India’s commercial capital owing to come most of financial and business activities about here. The metropolis is one of the most populous India’s cities with a population of over 12.5 million. Mumbai is the richest city in India with the highest GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in any city of South, West or Central Asia.

Maharashtra’s capital is an archipelago of seven islands on the western coast of India. Its coastal region is known as ‘Konkan,’ containing two regions: Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban.

Mumbai is situated on the bank of Ulhas River.

Mumbai is situated on a deep natural harbour. There is Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai that handles 55-60% of India’s containerised cargo.

Mumbai experiences tropical climate with cold in December, January and February and hot in March, April, May and June.

Mumbai is the birthplace of Indian cinema, producing over 200 films every year.

There are two prominent research institutions in Mumbai: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Bhabha Atomic Research.

Maharashtra’s capital - Mumbai is well connected by rail, road, air and water. There are two headquarters of Indian Railways in Mumbai: Central Railways and Western Railways. Mumbai Suburban Railway (MSR) is the backbone of the city transport, comprising three separate rail networks: Central, Western and Harbour Line. Over 8 million passengers use MSR everyday.

There are two major ports in Mumbai: Mumbai Port Trust and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.

Mumbai has Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. It is the India’s busiest airport catering over 40 million passengers.

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, Hirakud Dam, 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.