Why India
India has it all - a bustling urban metropolis of Mumbai, the stunning lakes region of Udaipur, colourful, princely Jaipur, colonial New Delhi and of course, the exquisite Taj Mahal - every day is a new experience!
To the Afghan, Turk, Greek, Arab and Roman kings, it was a vast and inexhaustible source of treasures of all kinds, to the Chinese travellers, it was the land of knowledge and wisdom. Its ageless face saw the advent of Islam, it saw empires being built and destroyed or even merely dismantled to make way for the new, and
Delhi lived on!.
The British created their own Delhi with large well planned avenues and planted 10000 trees with a 112 kms of hedges that it would be green round the year abundant with flowers , a botanical paradise. The seat of the British Empire, Delhi of 1911 was planned to resemble an Englishman dressed for the climate'. Its planners and main architects decided that it would be neither Hindu, nor Muslim, nor Buddhist, nor English nor Roman but IMPERIAL, house for the Viceroy that resembled a giant Indianbungalow, embattled Rajput fortress and Mughal tomb with shades of BuckinghamPalace with English country house comfort.
Delhi is perhaps the only city in the world that fuses its past present and evokes its future without losing an iota of its identity. 1300 monuments speak of her antiquity, of the ambitions of men who thought they could hold on to her but history proved otherwise. A popular superstition is that it is also known as the graveyard of dynasties with every one of its cities built there heralding the death the dynasty that built it.
Thus, Delhi is a "Melting Pot" of cultures, politics and religions of India's colourful past in its monuments, its palaces, and in the faces of its people as they narrate the story of their glorious past.
love!
Agra city is a virtual gateway to a world of discovery. It has witnessed the rise of the pomp and pageantry of three great Mughal monarchs - Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jehan, all of whom lavished on this fabled city, their love and riches to transform the land into one of the greatest centres of art, culture, learning and commerce. Much of the city's impressive past lives in evidence even today, in the haunting presence inside the monuments and in the majesty of the buildings.
The incomparable Taj Mahal - the most beautiful building in the world, the impressive Red Fort of Agra and the "lost" city of Fatephur Sikri are incredible legacies of the rampaging Mughals, invaders from lands far to the north and whose story has left an indelible mark on India.
Welcome to Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay)! 'A city which by god's decree is meant to be one of the most important ports....' was how the island city of Bombay was described by Gerald Aungier, the Director of the East India Company who had received it for a princely sum of 10 pounds sterling a year rent from the British Crown. That was the value rightly put for what he saw was a group of seven marshy swampy islands with a handful of fishing villages on the coastal areas. Today these fishing villages have become India's most modern and cosmopolitan city where the price of land per square foot, is the highest you could find in the world.
Bombay, India's commercial capital and city of fortune. The very name conjures up a host of vision. Of glamour and mega - stars. Of industrialists and business houses. Of a multifarious futuristic life-style which is likely to become even more intense as Bombay moves closer and closer to it becoming the world's largest metro after Tokyo by the year 2015. And all the while, Bombay - the largest, most cosmopolitan, richest and fastest growing of India's metros, continues to maintain and add to its impressive portfolio. Just consider the following : the oldest Stock Exchange in India is located in Bombay where 75% of the nation's financial business passes through daily scrip transactions that take place at the Bombay Stock Exchange, which has become an important indicator of national stability and the general "health" of the nation.
Bombay is the base for prestigious financial institutions including the Reserve Bank of India. It is also in Bombay that the largest number of Merchant Bankers can be found. With the spirit of enterprise and an inspiration of dreams, Bombay's attraction is the promise of a fortune that has become so intimately associated with its image over the years.
Jodhpur, known the world over as the "Blue City" sits on the edge of the unforgiving Thar desert in the far north west part of Rajasthan.
Historically Jodhpur is very much the heart of the flamboyant Rajputs, ruled by the Rathore clan from inside their impregnable Mehrangarh Fort high above the city. Today, the former capital city of the state of Marwar retains much of its medieval character.
Explore the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort, standing sentinel over the doorway to the Thar Desert. This fort was the scene of many a heroic tale and even today one can see the cannons proudly displayed even though they no longer boom from its ramparts. The swords that flashed in the desert sun now lie in the fort museum but if they could speak they would tell of the courage and loyalty of their masters.
A visit to the fort, built for defense, plunges us straight into its past. As we walk up the steep road to its entrance the imprints of the 'hands' of brave women, "satis" who preferred death to dishonour, speak of extraordinary human courage. The music of the 'mirashis', the traditional royal musicians even today greets every visitor to the fort as it did centuries ago
Jodhpur is a veritable shopper's paradise. The colourful but hectic bazaar consists of many narrow lanes, lined with tiny shops. There are so many markets to fulfill that "urge to shop". Jodhpur is home to many talented and skilled craftsmen like textile dyers, metal engravers and probably the last of the tailors of the classic 'Jodhpur' breeches. Jodhpur is famous now, all over the world for wooden furniture, handicrafts in iron and camel bone. There are a lot of fabric shops, selling 'bandhini' (very fine tie & dye), hand block prints, silver shops selling jewellery by weight, and antique shops.
Jaipur is the celebrated pink city of the Maharajas, the city of pomp and splendour of colour and festivity, of a rich and regal past that continues into the present. Planned and built during the reign of the enigmatic Jai Singh II in 1727, Jaipur is one of the happiest cities in Rajasthan.
Jaipur today, is the capital of Rajasthan with a population of over 1 ½ million people. Jaipur is called the "Pink City", for by law, all the buildings in the old city must be painted a deep saffron-pink. It is especially known for its arts and crafts, jewellery, enamel work, hand-painted fabrics and stone sculptures.
Above everything, Jaipur is an extraordinary colourful place. On its streets you see women in their brilliant read and orange head coverings and sweeping skirts, and men in their equally vivid turbans and upturned moustaches. Jaipur is also a city of polo which is played on horseback, elephants and at times on bicycles!
Once visited, you will want to return again and again. From the hustle and bustle of Johori Bazaar to the serenity of the luxurious Rambagh Palace, Jaipur is one of India's special places!
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Imperial Delhi |
Delhi - Seat of the Largest Democracy in the World
I asked my soul what is Delhi? It replied, the world is the body, Delhi is its soul - is how a 19th century poet described this city that has ever been so many things to so many different people. To the weary travellers on the ancient silk route it was the first plain after having crossed the Himalayan Mountains with the promise of shelter, food and business opportunities.To the Afghan, Turk, Greek, Arab and Roman kings, it was a vast and inexhaustible source of treasures of all kinds, to the Chinese travellers, it was the land of knowledge and wisdom. Its ageless face saw the advent of Islam, it saw empires being built and destroyed or even merely dismantled to make way for the new, and
Old Delhi Market |
The British created their own Delhi with large well planned avenues and planted 10000 trees with a 112 kms of hedges that it would be green round the year abundant with flowers , a botanical paradise. The seat of the British Empire, Delhi of 1911 was planned to resemble an Englishman dressed for the climate'. Its planners and main architects decided that it would be neither Hindu, nor Muslim, nor Buddhist, nor English nor Roman but IMPERIAL, house for the Viceroy that resembled a giant Indianbungalow, embattled Rajput fortress and Mughal tomb with shades of BuckinghamPalace with English country house comfort.
Delhi is perhaps the only city in the world that fuses its past present and evokes its future without losing an iota of its identity. 1300 monuments speak of her antiquity, of the ambitions of men who thought they could hold on to her but history proved otherwise. A popular superstition is that it is also known as the graveyard of dynasties with every one of its cities built there heralding the death the dynasty that built it.
Thus, Delhi is a "Melting Pot" of cultures, politics and religions of India's colourful past in its monuments, its palaces, and in the faces of its people as they narrate the story of their glorious past.
Agra -The city that created the most extravagant monument ever built for
Taj Mahal |
Agra city is a virtual gateway to a world of discovery. It has witnessed the rise of the pomp and pageantry of three great Mughal monarchs - Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jehan, all of whom lavished on this fabled city, their love and riches to transform the land into one of the greatest centres of art, culture, learning and commerce. Much of the city's impressive past lives in evidence even today, in the haunting presence inside the monuments and in the majesty of the buildings.
The incomparable Taj Mahal - the most beautiful building in the world, the impressive Red Fort of Agra and the "lost" city of Fatephur Sikri are incredible legacies of the rampaging Mughals, invaders from lands far to the north and whose story has left an indelible mark on India.
Mumbai - formerly known as Bombay
Colour & Traditions of India |
Bombay, India's commercial capital and city of fortune. The very name conjures up a host of vision. Of glamour and mega - stars. Of industrialists and business houses. Of a multifarious futuristic life-style which is likely to become even more intense as Bombay moves closer and closer to it becoming the world's largest metro after Tokyo by the year 2015. And all the while, Bombay - the largest, most cosmopolitan, richest and fastest growing of India's metros, continues to maintain and add to its impressive portfolio. Just consider the following : the oldest Stock Exchange in India is located in Bombay where 75% of the nation's financial business passes through daily scrip transactions that take place at the Bombay Stock Exchange, which has become an important indicator of national stability and the general "health" of the nation.
Bombay is the base for prestigious financial institutions including the Reserve Bank of India. It is also in Bombay that the largest number of Merchant Bankers can be found. With the spirit of enterprise and an inspiration of dreams, Bombay's attraction is the promise of a fortune that has become so intimately associated with its image over the years.
Rajasthan
Weclome Gate at Amber Fort |
Historically Jodhpur is very much the heart of the flamboyant Rajputs, ruled by the Rathore clan from inside their impregnable Mehrangarh Fort high above the city. Today, the former capital city of the state of Marwar retains much of its medieval character.
Explore the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort, standing sentinel over the doorway to the Thar Desert. This fort was the scene of many a heroic tale and even today one can see the cannons proudly displayed even though they no longer boom from its ramparts. The swords that flashed in the desert sun now lie in the fort museum but if they could speak they would tell of the courage and loyalty of their masters.
A visit to the fort, built for defense, plunges us straight into its past. As we walk up the steep road to its entrance the imprints of the 'hands' of brave women, "satis" who preferred death to dishonour, speak of extraordinary human courage. The music of the 'mirashis', the traditional royal musicians even today greets every visitor to the fort as it did centuries ago
Jodhpur is a veritable shopper's paradise. The colourful but hectic bazaar consists of many narrow lanes, lined with tiny shops. There are so many markets to fulfill that "urge to shop". Jodhpur is home to many talented and skilled craftsmen like textile dyers, metal engravers and probably the last of the tailors of the classic 'Jodhpur' breeches. Jodhpur is famous now, all over the world for wooden furniture, handicrafts in iron and camel bone. There are a lot of fabric shops, selling 'bandhini' (very fine tie & dye), hand block prints, silver shops selling jewellery by weight, and antique shops.
Jaipur
Rambagh Palace |
Jaipur today, is the capital of Rajasthan with a population of over 1 ½ million people. Jaipur is called the "Pink City", for by law, all the buildings in the old city must be painted a deep saffron-pink. It is especially known for its arts and crafts, jewellery, enamel work, hand-painted fabrics and stone sculptures.
Above everything, Jaipur is an extraordinary colourful place. On its streets you see women in their brilliant read and orange head coverings and sweeping skirts, and men in their equally vivid turbans and upturned moustaches. Jaipur is also a city of polo which is played on horseback, elephants and at times on bicycles!
Once visited, you will want to return again and again. From the hustle and bustle of Johori Bazaar to the serenity of the luxurious Rambagh Palace, Jaipur is one of India's special places!