The
temple cities in the great riverine land of
Orissa
that boasts of legendary architecture, folk
art, friendly villages and untouched beaches.
Further east the " seven sisters"
of Bhramaputra, are states that are just opening
their doors to tourism. These wild mountain
areas and marshy grasslands are home to many
of India’s tribal people and are connected
to the rest of the country by a narrow corridor….
Calcutta,
three hundred years old, traces its history
to the landing of Robert Clive on the banks
of the Hooghly besides three villages. It was
from here the monumental British Raj was launched
in India. The capital of West Bengal, Calcutta
is the major entry point.
Calcutta is ranked as the intellectual capital
of India. Poets, thinkers and film directors
of international renown hail from this city,
where avant garde plays and art exhibitions
go on practically every day of the year.
Calcutta was the
first headquarters of the East India Company,
and some of its best-known monuments were built
by this trading house. However, the city has,
within its 300 years history, hosted other communities
both from other parts of India as well as abroad
– Chinese, Americans, Jews – all
of whom have left their imprint in pockets of
Calcutta.
Sightseeing in this fascinating city includes
the Raj Bhavan, the residence of the Governor
of Bengal; Victoria Memorial, the city’s
landmark; Botanical Gardens, notable for the
oldest banyan tree, and the orchid house; Armenian
Church, Marble Palace, one family’s collection
of memorabilia; and the Birla Planetarium.
Darjeeling,
the state’s most popular hill resort,
is a slice of England 2,134 metres above sea
level. Surrounded by tea gardens growing the
prized leaf known as Darjeeling, the little
town faces some of the Himalaya’s highest
peaks. Darjeeling is an abrupt variation from
the lowlands of West Bengal. Buddhism, being
a major faith here, Darjeeling and the nearby
town of Kalimpong have, between them, several
Buddhist monasteries, chiefly of the Yellow
Hat sect.
Orissa,
culture, crafts, fine beaches, bird and wildlife
sanctuaries are what this state has in plenty,
but it is for its multitude of Hindu stone temples
that Orissa is famous.
The capital, Bhubneshwar,
once has over a thousand temples, of which a
large number remain, many being still in sue.
It is these temples that endow the city with
character. Today Bhubneshwar, is a popular conference
centre, with fine hotels and two large conference
halls.
60 kms from Bhubneshwar is Puri, one of India’s
important places for pilgrimage climaxing in
a festival held every year. During this time
the presiding deity of the temple is carried
in procession on a chariot accompanied by several
tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over
the country.
The Sun Temple
at Konark, close to Puri, dates back to the
13th century, a masterpiece of Orissan temple
architecture and one of the very few sun temples
in the country.
Chilka Lake is
close to Bhubneshwar in the hills of the Eastern
Ghats. Chilka is the larges inland lake in the
country.
Gopalpur-on-Sea
95 km from Bhubneshwar, is a quiet beach resort
with a fine hotel.
The largest of the states in the north-east
of India is Assam whose capital, Guwahati, has
an inspired location on the banks of the River
Brahmaputra. Amidst Assam’s verdant lushness
are two important game sanctuaries, Manasb and
Kaziranga, both best known for their population
of the one-horned Indian rhinoceros, a species
that faced extinction. Much of the rest of the
state is devoted to tea plantation, which yields
the strong Assam leaf popular all over the world.
Meghalaya
is one of the country’s newest states
with its capital at Shillong. For Long a summer
retreat of the British, the beautifully kept
golf course and several English country cottages
testify to another influence besides the local
one. Beautiful lakes and falls, hillside cottages,
a large university, and the popular Bara Bazar
are quaint aspects of this town.
Tripura, quite
off the beaten track, is a storehouse of tribal
crafts and culture as well as music and dancing.
In t he centre of this patch of intense greenery
is the capital, Agartala, where gracious buildings,
were once the palaces of Tripura’s royal
family.
Arunachal
Pradesh, is a fairly large State which
straddles across Assam in the north, and is
bound on the other three sides by three countries.
To its west is Bhutan. Arunachal Pradesh means
the land of rising sun, ‘Arun’ meaning
the sun. It is India’s easternmost State
and is as varied in its topography as it is
in the races which inhabit the land.
Tucked
away in the foothills of the Himalayas, Sikkim,
is a Himalayan wonderland with its lovely views
and exotic orchids, and its forest-trails. A
virtual Shangri-la watched over by Mt. Kanchenjunga,
the world’s third highest peak, Sikkim
is attractive equally for the tourist, the adventure
sports enthusiast and those interested in Buddhism
and Tibetology.
In Gangtok,
the delightfully quaint capital, are pagoda-like
roofs of many buildings and the presence of
crimson robed monks in the bazaars, and the
Institute of Tibetology, the only one of its
kind in the world. Lower down the hills is the
famed orchid sanctuary where 500 species of
orchids indigenous to Sikkim are cultivated.
Sikkim
offers several treks that lead through pine
forest, through picturesque valleys, monasteries
and to mountain lakes. It is also the base for
mountaineering expeditions and the rivers Teesta
and Rangeet offer excellent river rafting.
Prior permission
must be sought from the Ministry of Home Affaris,
Government of India, by all foreigners wishing
to visit Sikkim – though travel formalities
are being relaxed gradually. Permission may,
therefore, be sought from Indian Missions overseas,
or from offices of Sikkim Tourism. A number
of good hotels and lodging houses exist in Gangtok.
Entry to Sikkim is most convenient by coach,
taxi of helicopter.
Of all India’s
states, Bihar is
the one most intimately linked to the Buddha’s
life, resulting in a trail of pilgrimages, which
have come to be known as the Buddhist circuit.
The very name Bihar is derived from the word
‘vihara’ which means Buddhist monastery.
The Buddhist trails
beings at the capital city, Patna, where a noteworthy
museum contains a collection of Hindu and Buddhist
sculptures. The Khuda Baksh Oriental Library
has rare Muslim manuscripts including some from
the University of Cordoba in Spain. 40 kms away,
Vaishali was the site for the second Buddhist
Council as the presence of ruins testify.
90 km south of
Patna is Nalanda, which translates as ‘the
place that confers the lotus’ (of spiritual
knowledge). A monastic university flourished
here from the 5th to the 11th century. It is
said to have contained nine million books, with
2,000 teachers to impart knowledge to 10,000
students who came from all over the Buddhist
world. Lord Buddha himself taught here and Hieun
Tsang, the 7th century Chinese traveller, was
a student. Ongoing excavations have uncovered
temples, monasteries and lecture halls.
Rajgir,
‘the royal palace’, 12 kms south,
was the venue for the first Buddhist Council.
The Buddha spent five years at Rajgir after
having attained enlightenment.
Bodhgaya,
is the spot where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment,
with the Mahabodhi Temple marking the precise
location.
Bihar’s
Buddhist circuit has modest back-up facilities
by way of accommodation, international dining
and surface transport.
A short flight
from Calcutta by air (it is also connected by
flights from Delhi and Chennai) is Port Blair,
capital of the Andaman Islands. Though travel
is restricted here, those islands open to tourism,
with their lovely beaches and coral bed, area
traveller’s delight. On Port Blair, the
Cellular Jail and the Anthropological Museum
merit a visit. Excursions can be taken by motor
launch to the islands of Wandoor and Jolly Buoy
and to the bird sanctuary at Chiriyatapoo.
Patna the capital
of present day Bihar has also been the capital
of earlier civilizations in the land. Patna
lies on the southern back of the river Ganga
that plays an important role in the city’s
economic, social and religious life.
