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.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand is a state in northern India. It has been craved out on November 9th, 2000 of Uttar Pradesh to become the 27th state in India. This Himalayan state is known as the “Land of Gods” as numerous revered pilgrim sites are there in the state.

The state is 93% mountainous and sixty per cent forest.

Uttarakhand comprises 13 districts. A group of districts creates division. There are two divisions: Kumaon (includes six districts) and Garhwal (includes seven districts).

Uttarakhand shares international boundaries with Tibet to the north and Nepal to the east.

Dehradun is the capital and largest city of Uttarakhand, located in the Doon Valley and on the north-western side of the fertile IndoGangtic Plains. It is surrounded by the Himalayas in the North, Sivalik Hills in the south, the Ganges River in the east and the Yammua River in the west.

Baba Ram Rai, the elder son of seventh Sikh Guru Har Rai, founded Dehradun in the early eighteenth century.

Hindi and Sanskrit are the official languages of Uttarakhand.

There are many reputed government and PSU organisations in Dehradun, including ONGC (Oil & Natural Gas Corporation), Geological Survey of India, Forest Research Institute, Forest Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India and Survey of India.

Gairsen in Uttarakhan is a mooted site for Uttarakhand’s future capital by the supporters demanding a separate Indian state of Uttarakhand for long. It is a village in Chamoli district, bordering the Garhwal and Kumaon regions.

Nainital is located in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalayas. P. Barron, a sugar trader from Shahjahanpur, founded in 1841.

Almora is another beautiful district of the state. It is a cantonment town located next to the rivers Kosi and Suyal. Katyui king Baichaldev founded Almora.

Several wild animals, including bharal, snow leopards, leopards and tigers are there in Uttarakhand. The state is home to India’s first national park, Jim Corbett National Park . Various other parks like Valley of Flowers National Park, Nanda Devi National Park and Gangotri National Park are also there in Dehradun.

Uttarakhand plays a prominent role in leisure, adventure and religious tourism. The state tourism department promotes immense tourist prospects with allowing travellers to revel in various activities like Mountaineering, rock climbing, river rafting and hiking. Utarakhand encourages eco-tourism, agro-tourism and rural tourism in India.

The state conserves four Hindu dhams (the holiest pilgrim spots): Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yammunotri and Gangotri.

Uttarakhand is well connected by rail, road and air. There are six airports: Jolly Grant Airport at Deharadum, Pantnagar Airport at Pantnagar, Naini-Saini Pitoragrah at Pitoragarh, Uttar Kashi, Gochar Airport at Chamoli and Agastyamuni Airport at Rudrapryag.

Kerala

Kerala is a state located south most on the west coast of India. It is bordered by
Karnataka to the north, the Lakshadweep Sea to the west and Tamil Nadu to the south and east. There are fringed beaches, pristine backwaters and greenery in profusion in Kerala.

The Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama who discovered India in 1498, first reached Calicut in Kerala.

The stare was created on November 1st, 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act.

Kerala comprises 14 districts. Idduki is the largest district in the state. The capital of Kerala is Thiruvananthapuram.

The official language of Kerala is Malayalam.

Kerala experiences the humid equatorial tropical climate. The best time to visit Kerala is between October and March.

Kerala’s coasts had direct contacts across the Arabian Sea with all the major Red Sea ports and the Mediterranean ports.

Kerala is one of the best tourist destinations in the world where a large number of tourists come round the year. The state is famous for the backwaters, ayurvedic treatments and tropical greenery.

Year by year Kerala is increasing in tourist number, as it goes up by 16.11%. That is about 5, 98,929 foreign tourists and 75, 91,250 domestic tourists during 2008.

Major tourist destinations of Kerala are Alappuzha, Bekal, Bharananganam, Guruvayur, Idukki, Kannur, Kochi, Kottayam, Kovalam, Kozhikode, Kumarakom, Malayattoor, Munnar, Parumala, Peermade, Sabarimala, Thekkady, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Varkala Wayanad and Sasthamkotta.

Kerala also preserves some notable biodiversity sites, where one can find over 10, 000 plant species, about 4,000 flowering plant species and almost 900 medicinal plants.

The state is the home to myriad forms of dance and cultures. Some of the famous art forms of Kerala are kathakali, mohiniyattam, kalaripayattu, chaakyar koothu, maargamkali, oppana, ottamthullal, theyyam, kummattikali and krishnanttam.

Kerala cuisine is traditionally served on green banana leaves. A few delectable items are Idlli, Payasam, Pulisherry, Puttukadala, Puzhukku, Rasam, Sambar, etc.

There is Kerala Tourism Development Corporation in the state to manage tourism.

Kerala is well connected by rail, road, waterway and air. There are three major airports at Thiruvananathapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. Another airport at Kannur has also been proposed in order to manage huge traffic duly. Many airlines connect Kerala with their scheduled flight services. For that, booking can be made online as well as offline.

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh is situated in the central India, bordering Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan . It is the “heart of India”. The capital of Madhya Pradesh is Bhopal.

Madhya Pradesh comprises 50 districts. Indore is the largest city of Madhya Pradesh, and called commercial capital of the state. Gwalior is the tourist capital of Madhya Pradesh.

Hindi is the official language of Madhya Pradesh. Other dialects are Malvi, Nimadi, Bundeli, Korku, Kalto and Bagheli.

Madhya Pradesh experiences subtropical climate with hot dry summer and cool and relatively dry winter.

There is a vast expanse of thriving ecotourism in Madhya Pradesh. The state protects 9 national parks and a number of natural reserves in the state.

Madhya Pradesh is well connected by rail, road and air. There are 5 domestic airports located at Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Khajuraho and Gwalior.

The state has also launched caravan tourism. This is equipped with studio-style bedroom, washroom, LCD TV, DVD, Microwave oven, fridge stocked with snacks and cold drinks.

There are several caravan packages, including Bhopal-Panchmari-Bhopal, Bhopal-Bhojpur-Bhimbetka-Delawadi-Bhopal, Bhopal-Sanchi-Udaigiri-Bhopal and Bhopal-Bhojpur-Bhimbetka.

Khajuraho
Khajuraho is located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. It is one of the popular destinations in India. There are the largest Medieval and Jain temples, famous for the erotic figurines. 10% of these cravings contain sexual themes. These statues suggest tantric sexual practices. And the rest depict the everyday life of the common Indian. It is considered to be one of the “Seven Wonders” of India. UNESCO has enlisted Khajuraho in the World Heritage Site.

Chandelas, a Rajput dynasty in north India, got the temples at Khajuraho built. These shrines are made of sandstone, in which builder had not used mortar at all. The stones were held in place by gravity.

Khajuraho is 328 miles from New Delhi, the capital of India.

Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. It was declared a national park in 1968. The park has a large biodiversity, covering an area of 105 km2. It preserves the highest number of tigers in India. There is a large breeding population of leopards, and several species of deer.

Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh is situated in the extreme northeast of India. It abounds with natural resources and biodiversity, and boasts a unique heritage of tribal culture. It is one of the most picturesque states in India. The capital of Arunachal Pradesh is Itanagar, which is situated at the foothills of Himalayas.

Arunachal shares international boundaries with China in the north, Myanmar in the east and Bhutan in the west. It falls in the eastern Himalayan range. Most of its terrain is mountainous with several streams making deep gorges.

Arunachal is the land of rising Sun. It is the largest north-eastern state, spreading over 83,743 km2. 82 per cent of the total area covers the forest with thousands of species of flora and fauna. The state has several national parks, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves. It is identified as one of the 12 mega biodiversity hotspots in the world with 20% of India’s fauna, 4,500 species of flowering plants, 52 rhododendron species and more than 600 species of orchids. More than 450 plants have been identified as having medicinal value.

Arunachal attained statehood in February 1987. The state comprises 16 districts.

There are about 26 major tribal groups and a number of sub-tribes in the state, and each having its own dialect and distinct cultural identity. The Government of India is doing all-out effort in preserving and documenting their cultural heritage.

Arunachal Pradesh has made remarkable progress in almost all the major sectors of the economy.

Tourists from around the world come to Arunachal Pradesh. Tawang is the most famous tourist destination in Arunachal Pradesh, sharing boundaries with Tibet in the north and Bhutan in the southwest. There are numerous adventure activities, including River rafting, biking, trekking, mountaineering, hang-gliding and skiing, to do in the state.

Arunachal Pradesh holds a number of annual events, including The Buddha Mahotsava, the Siang River Festival, the Parashuram Kund Mela, the Namdapha Eco-cultural Festival and the Pangsua Pass Winter Festival.

The state cultivates pineapple, orange, apple, mushroom, ginger and cardamom. The state agricultural department has constructed cold storages at Namsai, Ruskin and Dirang.

There are about seventy species of bamboo found in Arunachal Pradesh. The bamboo is used in several purposes, including construction, crafting, decoration, furniture and fabricating weapons.

Arunachal is also emerging as a major tea-producing state. A camp office of the Tea Board of India was established in 2009 to give an impetus to tea production in the state.

Karnataka

Karnataka is a state in the south west India. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast and Kerala to the southwest.

The state of Karnataka was created on November 1st, 1956 by the State Reorganisation Act. Karnataka was originally the State of Mysore, but later in 1973, it was rechristened Karnataka. It comprises 30 districts. Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka.

The official language of Karnataka is Kannada.

The Krishna and the Cauvery run across the state.

Karnataka is home to India’s largest biocluster, with 158 biotechnology firms. It also accounts for 75% of India’s floriculture, as it greatly supplies a variety of ornamental plants worldwide.

There are over 3500 core silk industries in Karnataka, the largest in India. Most manufacturers are located across Muddenahalli, Kanivenarayanapura and Doddaballapura.

Karnataka is the fourth favourite tourist destination in India. There is an ancient array of sculpted temples, modern cities, hilarious hills, dense forest and endless beaches. There is a 320 km long coastline dotted with pristine golden beaches.

There are many beautiful temples at Belur, Halebeedu, Somnathpur, Badami and Aihiole. Over 25,000 monuments are yet to receive protection of the state directorate of archaeological and museum.

Karnataka’s waterfalls are the must-see places. Jog Falls is the India’s tallest single-tiered waterfall. Other famous waterfalls of Karnataka are Gokak Falls, Unchalli Falls, Magod Falls, Abbey Falls and Shivasamudra Falls.

Saree, a strip of unstitched cloth ranges from four to nine metres in length, is the traditional dress of women in Karnataka.

Rice and Ragi are the staple food of Karnataka.

There are airports in Bangalore, Hubli, Mangalore, Belgaum, Hampi, Bellary and Mysore. The state has 11 major and ten minor seaports. The New Mangalore port, kicked off operations in 1973, handles over 32.04 million tonnes of traffic in the year 2006-07.