Here lies the country’s financial capital
Rajasthan, Fairy-tale aristocrats, battle-scarred
forts; the Rajput pride borne out of legendary
exploits; marble dreamscapes of floating palaces;
murals of dancing girls; polo-playing Maharajas
and beautiful Maharanis; velvet bedecked howdahs
on elephants to take you through narrow streets
to hilltop castles and palaces; shimmering sands
of desert cities; four-wheel drives in royal
wildlife reserves; the colour & pageantry
of a vibrant people. Rugged and romantic Rajasthan
is "Classic Fantasy" at its best.
Mumbai,
the financial capital of India is the major
trade route of the Deccan; the heart of the
mighty Maratha Empire that successfully resisted
the foreign invader; the land of the wandering
monks who immortalized their devotion in stone
leaving a rich legacy of rock-cut cave architecture;
home of the rich cottage industry of textile
weaving, embroidery and handicrafts and the
home of Mahatma Gandhi and his message of peace
Bombay is the country’s premier cultural
centre. Jehangir Art Gallery attracts regular
art exhibitions; Prithvi Theater is well known
for its theatrical performances, and the National
Centre for Performing Arts periodically hosts
Indian and international concerts of music and
dance.
Aurangabad,
400 kms from Bombay is linked by domestic Airlines
flights. Spectacular rock-cut caves and cave
paintings exists at two nearby places, Ajanta
and Ellora. The most notable feature of these
cave temples is that entire hillsides were cut
away by artisans chisels to produce some of
the world’s most sculptures. Ellora’s
34 caves are over 10 centuries old and represent
elaborate sculpture of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain
faiths. The caves at Ajanta date back to the
5th Century and contain paintings and sculptures
of major events in the life of Buddha.
Goa
the most comprehensive beach resort in the country.
Goa is approachable from Bombay by air. Goa’s
coastline provides endless sun drenched crescents
of sand. Vagator, Anjuna, Baga, Calangute and
Cadolim stretch out in an unbroken palm fringed
line. Other beaches include Miramar and Colva.
Parasailing, Yatching, windsurfing and deep
sea diving are some of the more popular water
sports, facilities for which are available.
In addition, every sort of accommodation fringe
the beaches, from deluxe resorts to budge lodgings.
Inland, 451 years
of Portuguese rule has imbued Goa’s town
and villages with an unique culture. Whitewashed
chapels and churches that dot the landscape
are surrounded by sleepy villages and rice fields.
Panji the capital
city, and Margao an important town, have private
houses and government buildings dating back
to Portuguese times. Old Goa, now deserted,
has a collection of Goa’s larges churches:
The Cathedral with its Iberian exterior, Bom
Jesu that enshrines the mortal remains of St.
Francis Xavier and the starkly beautiful Convent
Saint Monica. Mapusa, a market town, comes alive
every Friday with a quaint pavement bazaar.
The most convenient
entry point into Gujarat
is through the metropolis of Ahmedabad. The
city contains some very fine museum, the Calico
Museum of textiles being considered among the
world’s finest/ Ahmedabad’s walled
city is a living testimony to its heritage of
crafts as women walk by in dazzling embroidered
garments, to flashing ethnic silver jewellery.
Traditional Ahmedabad combines mosques of inspired
workmanship, wooden Jain Temples, unique stone
step wells and houses with ornately carved wooden
balconies and window screens. Modern Ahmedabad,
just across the River Sabarmati spanned by four
bridges, is a showpiece of cotemporary architecture
with designs by Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn and
the best known Indian architects.
Ahmedabad
is convenient base for a number of excursions,
Modhera being the best known. 106 kms away,
this is one of the very few sun temples in the
country. Palitana 215 km away, is a hill top
place of pilgrimage for Jains. 863 temples of
all sizes crowd the hill, which has to be approached
by foot. Stone and marble spires with their
rich detail of carving make for Palitana’s
very special appeal.
Portuguese rule
in India included the territories of Goa, Daman
and Diu, the last two within the state of Gujarat.
Diu, is a tiny island off the extreme south
of the mainland is even now a secluded beach
resort near a colonial town of great charm,
with whitewashed churches and tile-roofed villas.
Gujarat’s
most popular beach and the state is well endowed
with them – is Ahmedpur Mandvi whose chief
attraction is the ethnic beach resort. Cottages
modelled on rural Gujarati architecture look
out onto a secluded beach, one of the state’s
chief centres for water sports.
Bhopal, the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh,
has grown around a large lake, the ornamental
newer part of the city being roughly opposite
the labyrinthine lanes of the old town. Craft
notably velvet handbags studded with stones,
and lacy silverwork is practiced in narrow alleyways
that lead off from domes mosques in the old
city.
Bharat Bhavan is a showcase of Indian art, folk,
traditions, sculpture and a center for the performing
arts as well. Bhimbetka, a few hours drive from
Bhopal, is the site for spectacular cave paintings;
Udaygiri, another excursion from Bhopal, has
notable cave sculptures of religious themes.
Sanchi, is an
unmatched repository of Buddhist art and architecture.
Located on a secluded hill crowned by a group
of stupas and gateways, it occupies a unique
position in the history of Buddhism. Its stupas,
chaityas, temples, monasteries and gateways
are embellished by the most delicate carvings
that depict various incidents in the Buddha’s
life as well as some of his important teachings.
Efficient guide services, an essential part
of sightseeing in Sanchi, are available here.
A 90 kms drive
from Indore takes one across a narrow gorge,
after the horizon widens abruptly, to reveal
the deserted city of Mandu. Built as a testament
of love by a Muslim ruler for his Hindu queen,
Mandu’s air of serenity and spaciousness
offsets to perfection its palaces, temple and
mosque which lie scattered over the 75 kms of
Mandu’s fortified area. Most interesting
of all is the imaginative use that has been
made of the surroundings. Thus Jahaz Mahal or
Ship Palace is actually built in a pond on which
is appears to float, and Hindola Mahal or Swing
Palaces gives every appearance of living up
to its name.
In Madhya
Pradesh, Gwalior is the state’s
northernmost city and a convenient entry point.
Gwalior’s landmark is its hilltop fort,
which contains a fine museum and an ancient
temple, among other monuments.
120 kms from Gwalior
is the medieval city of Orchha with exquisite
palaces and cenotaphs. Built by an 11th century
king of the Bundela dynasty, Orchha is now a
ghost city containing the remains of what must
once have been spectacularly lovely monuments,
and which combine Hindu and Muslim architectural
traditions.
Shivpuri, atop
a plateau, contains two picturesque lakes and
a national park that abounds in species of deer
and antelope.
Khajuraho, an
obscure village, no more than a clearing in
the jungle, now captures world attention for
its 22 temples built by the rulers of the Chandela
dynasty. Each temple, built of stone, is distinguished
by carved spires and walls, where the subjects
range from aesthetic depicting of major and
minor deities and celestial beings to a variety
of erotic sculptures.
