Sunday, July 22, 2012

Kochi is a city of the Indian State of Kerala. The city derived its name from Malayalam word koch azhi, meaning 'small lagoon'. Kochi formerly known as Cochin (the colonial-era name), is a major port city located on the west coast of India by the Arabian Sea. Kochi is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. Kochi is often called by the name Ernakulam, which refers to the western part of the mainland Kochi. The civic body that governs the city is the Corporation of Cochin, which was constituted in the year 1967, and the statutory body that over sees its development is the Greater Cochin Development Authority.

Kochi is home to people of diverse faiths-Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jains, Jews, Sikhs and Buddhists. People from various parts of India have made Kochi their home. Kochi and its suburbs have an estimated population of about 1.5 million, making it the second largest city in Kerala. Kochi was one of the most frequented trading ports in ancient India. Influences of its trading past can be seen in the giant fishing nets that the locals use which are of the typical Chinese design of a couple of centuries ago. The ferries have special names for their stops. The east stop of Willindon Island is called Embarkation. The west stop is Terminus while the main stop at Fort Cochin is Customs.


Kochi's economy is one of the fastest growing in the country. The main business sectors include gold retailing, seafood and spices exports, information technology (IT), tourism, banking, shipbuilding and fishing. Kochi also earns a lot from remittances by non-resident Keralites, majority of whom are in the Gulf countries. Of late, Kochi has emerged as a favored destination for IT and ITES companies. Tourism is a major revenue earner. It has been a major exporter of spices since times of yore, which is what drew the various groups of foreigners to its shores. Kochi houses the International Pepper Exchange and the headquarters of the Spices Board of India. 

Kochi is blessed with temperate climate most of the year. One can visit any time, but as with other parts of India try and avoid both the summers and the monsoons if you can. Remember that the returning monsoons hit Kochi in the month of October. Other than that it is a beautiful place to visit.


Places to Visit in Kochi
St. Francis Church Jewish Synagogue Santa Cruz Basilica
Mattancherry Palace Sree Rajeswari Temple Willingdon Island
Bhubaneshwar is the capital city of the state of Orissa and is also a major commercial and trading hub and a popular tourist destination in India. Popularly known as the ‘Temple City of India’, it is famous for a rich religious tradition and culture. Bhubaneshwar is home to a variety of temples and religious monuments of the ancient periods. Being the seat of Tribhubaneswar or 'Lord Lingaraj', Bhubaneswar is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. Hundreds of temples dot the landscape of the Old Town, which once boasted of more than 2000 temples. Bhubaneswar is the place where temple building activities of Orissan style flowered from its very inception to its fullest culmination extending over a period of over one thousand years.

The new Bhubaneswar with its modern buildings and extensive infrastructure perfectly complements its historic surroundings. With facilities to cater to every type of visitor, Bhubaneswar makes an ideal tourist destination. This city is most renowned for changing the conqueror to the conquered. The great Kalinga War took place here between Emperor Asoka and Kalinga (the old empire of Orissa). Asoka was overwhelmed at the gory of blood that flowed like a river. Asokan inscriptions still stand testimony for this. Having merged its intriguing past so uniquely with its modern aspirations, it forms an integral link in the Golden Triangle that incorporates the holy city of Puri (Jagannath Temple) and Konark (Sun temple). The twin cave groups of Kandagiri and Udayagiri are evidence of the region's antiquity, dating to the 2nd century BC or the early Jain monastery.

The elements of Bhubaneswar economy ranges from agriculture, horticulture, sericulture, metal and minerals sector, engineering and agro-based industries to information technology enabled services as well as hand loom and tourism industry. Bhubaneswar Economy depends mainly on agriculture, sericulture, horticulture and IT industry. The development of these sectors and their further growth have led to the growth of other subsidiary sectors like Banking sector, metals and minerals industry. The growth of Tourism industry has led to the growth of Hotel industry. Bhubaneswar Economy is basically shaped by people who do not belong to Orissa. Of late the potential of this place has been realized by the big giants like Infosys, Balasore Alloys, Reliance Energy, Satyam, SAIL, NALCO, Tata Steel and many others. These are the companies who have invested the major stake in the Bhubaneswar economic structure after analyzing the potential of Bhubaneswar's market. 

Bhubaneswar enjoys a typical tropical weather conditions. Summers arrive in March and lasts till May marked by extreme heat and humidity with temperature reaching over 40° C. The city experiences relief with the advent of south west monsoon in June and heavy downpour provides relief to the dry and rain starved environs. July and August are the two months that receive maximum rainfall. November is the most pleasant time when the city is blessed with soothing weather conditions. Winters usually set in the last week of November and last till January with temperature dropping to 15° C. 

Places to Visit in Bhubaneshwar
Lingaraj Temple Dhauli Taptapani
Bindusagar Nandan Kanan Ekamra Haa


Coimbatore, situated on the banks of river Noyyal, is the third largest city of Tamil Nadu. It is a well known city and urban settlement in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The city is known as the Manchester of South India and is known for its textile factories, engineering firms, automobile parts manufacturers, health care facilities, educational institutions, and hospitality industries. The Coimbatore city is the headquarters of the Coimbatore District and has a number of tourist destinations which makes it a perfect destination for holidaying. It is a multi cultural city with temples, Gurudwaras and mosques. The city attracts large number of tourists each year by its beauty. Touristplacesinindia.com offers you complete information on all that you want to know about Coimbatore. 

Coimbatiore or Kovai is the Manchester of Southern India. Primarily an industrial city, Coimbatore houses electric motors, pumps, automobile spares, engineering goods, iron steel and cotton textiles. Undoubtedly, the city is stuffed with various textile markets to shop and splurge on. Coimbatore located at the foothills of the sensuous Nilgiris has a pleasant climate to boast of. Cascading waterfalls, ancient temples, plenty of auspicious sites and rich wildlife parks are there to entertain the tourists. The place is thick with natural treasure which acts as real refreshment. One such place is the famous Annamalai National Park, echoing with the variety of flora and fauna. Coimbatore is a warm and cultured city with a considerable amount of people belonging to North and West Indian origin. The inhabitants are known for their refined manners, polished language and simple lifestyle, away from glitz and glamour.

Coimbatore is one of the fastest growing cities in India. Situated at the foot hills of Nilgiris, it is known for its pleasant climate, peaceful atmosphere, cosmopolitan outlook and private enterprise. Cotton textiles, electric motors, pumps, automobile spares, iron steel and aluminium castings form major exports from Coimbatore. Coimbatore, With a population of more than 15 lakhs. There are more than 30,000 tiny small, medium and large industries and textile mills. The city is known for its entrepreneurship of its residents. The rick black soil of the region has contributed to Coimbatore's flourishing agriculture industry and, it is in fact, the successful growth of cotton has served as a foundation for the establishment of its famous textile industry. There are more than 25,000 small, medium, large scale industries and textile mills. Coimbatore is also famous for the manufacture of motor pump sets and varied engineering goods, due to which it has earned the title " Detroit of the South". The Development of Hydro electricity from the Pykara Falls in the 1930s led to a cotton boom in Coimbatore. The result has been a strong economy and a reputation as one of the greatest industrial cities in South India.

The geographical location and relief makes the climate of the Coimbatore city moderate and pleasant throughout the year. The Coimbatore city does not witness much temperature fluctuations between summers and winters. During the summers, the average weather conditions are hot with mercury rising to as high as 39°C whereas the minimum temperature in summer is around 21°C. During the winters, the weather remains mild with the maximum temperature around 30°C and the minimum temperature remaining around 15°C. Coimbatore does not receive monsoon rains from the Southwest Monsoons between the months of June and September. Instead, Coimbatore and its surrounding areas experience rains during October-November by the retreating monsoons (the north-eastern monsoon). The best time to visit Coimbatore is between December and March, as the weather conditions during this period remain moderate. Light cotton clothes are suitable for summers whereas in winters you need to keep light woolen clothes.

Places to Visit in Coimbatore
Perur Temple Parambikulam-Aliyar Thirumoorthy Temple
Marudhamalai Temple The Siruvani Waterfalls and Dam VOC Park and Zoo

Indore

Indore is the largest city in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the River Khan and Sarawati. The two rivulets unite at the center of the city where a small temple of Sangamnath or Indreshwar exists. The city of Indore derived its name from the deity itself. At an altitude of 553 m above sea level on the Malwa Plateau, this city is nearly the heart of the nation. With growing population, the city is expanding rapidly and so is its tourism industry. Travel to Indore city will present a blissful blend of the past and the future. Indore is not a historically important city. Not many tourists wind up here unless they make it a sort of basecamp for excursions from it. Located in the heart of India, Indore is quite hot in the summer but the nights are something special. Due to its location on the southern edge of the Malwa plateau, it makes an excellent tourist destination, during the day a cool breeze starts which makes the evenings quite pleasant. No wonder poets have deemed Shab-e-Malwa (the night of Malwa) exquisite beyond compare.

With its rich history, unique tradition, numerous tourist attractions and beautiful surroundings, there are lots of interesting facts about Indore. One of the most popular historical cities, Indore belongs to the central state of India, Madhya Pradesh. It is at present, the biggest city in Madhya Pradesh. The place has been blessed with natural beauty and is drained by various rivers. Indore is known for its architectural splendor. The tales of the glorious past are narrated by these splendid historical monuments and cast a magical spell on the visitors. Rani Ahilya Bai Holkar was a great architectural patron and spent a lot of money on the construction of many temples across the nation. The queen is taken in great regard by the people and as a tribute; her statue was built in the center of the city, near Rajwada. Apart from being a historical city, Indore is also the commercial capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh. 

Indore is a host to many industries, like automobile, textile, IT etc. With latest technological advancements, the city is about to become the IT hub of the state of MP. Other than this, there are a number of educational institutes in Indore which are amongst the best in the country. The first and foremost is IIM Indore, which is amongst the pioneer management institutes in India. With world class facilities, the institute produces world acclaimed professionals. Devi Ahilya Vishwa Vidyalaya of the city was established in the year 1964 and today, it is one of the most renowned universities of India.

Indore is situated in the great plains of India in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Indore experiences warm weather in the summer season with temperature rising up to 40 'C and during the summer season the temperature usually drops to about 6 'C. The drop in the temperature during the summer season is due to the cool winds that follow to this region from the great Himalayan mountains.

Places to Visit in Indore
Rajwada Bada Ganapati Lal Baugh Place
Kanch Mandir Chhatri Baugh Bijasen Tekri

Kolkata

Kolkata is the capital city of West Bengal state in India. The city which is the cultural capital of whole India and the commercial capital of Eastern India. The city was earlier known as Calcutta, being pronounced since the British rule and has changed to Kolkata officially in 2001, has derived the name from Kalikata, which is a village name in the area before the British arrival, means the land of Goddess “Kali”. Kolkata is the third largest Metropolitan city of India and capital city of state West Bengal. Kolkata was a Capital of India at British Raj till capital moved to Delhi in year 1912. Kolkata also known as City of Joy because of its rich culture. In Kolkata you will get mix culture of old and modern lifestyle. 

Kolkata, the former capital of India presents the cultural splendor of the east. The city bears the impressions of the historical landmarks set by some of the greatest reformers of India. The city has progressed with an immense pace and today stands as one of the leading cities and metropolis of the developing nation. Kolkata is the hub of commercial activities in India East. The city presents a mouthful of attractions that have a great historical importance.


Kolkata is the second largest city of India. It is a cosmopolitan city where people, technology and ideas have blended together with the socio-political culture to give the city a new shape. The city is full of historical monuments and palaces and is therefore also called the “The City of Palaces”. Its glorious history dates back to 1690 when it was selected by the British for their trade settlements. The site was carefully chosen by the British as it was protected by the Hooghly River on the west, a creek on the north, and by salt lakes about two and a half miles to the east. 

Calcutta or Kolkata is the capital of the state of West Bengal. The city of Kolkata experience a very humid and warm summers during the months of April to October with temperature reaching up to 42 'C. During the winter months the temperature drops to about 9.6 'C providing a pleasant weather to enjoy. The best time to visit the city of calcutta is during the months of November to February.

Places to Visit in Kolkata
Fort William Victoria Memorial Howrah Bridge
Birla Planetarium Eden Garden The Saheed Mina

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. The city is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills with narrow winding lanes and busy commercial alleys. Thiruvananthapuram literally means Ananthapuri, "the city of Ananthan", the Thiru (Great/Lord) Ananthan's Puram (City). The name derives from the main deity of a Hindu temple at the centre of the city. Ananthan is the serpent Sesha on whom Padmanabhan or Vishnu reclines. The temple of Anantha, the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is the most recognizable icon of the city.

Thiruvananthapuram which was previously called Trivandrum, is an ancient city with tradition dating back to 1000 BC. Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of Raja of Travancore in 1750. The name is derived from 'Tiru Ananta Puram', the abode of the Sacred serpent Ananta, upon whose coils Vishnu lies in the main temple. It is a peaceful attractive city built across seven hills, the city's old quarter clusters around the temple, while along the busy Mahatma Gamdhi Road are colonial mansions, churches and modern high-rises. Thiruvananthapuram had managed to retain some of the ambience characteristics of Kerala such as red tiled roofs, narrow winding lanes and intimate corner cafes.

Thiruvananthapuram is the knowledge capital of the Kerala, boasting of premier R&D institutions of national and international stature such as Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (Space Launch Vehicle Design and Development activity), integral arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation, employing over 7000 high tech professionals; the Regional Research Laboratory which is home to scientists working in cutting edge research areas of agro processing, chemical technologies, biotechnology, waste water technology, material sciences and mineral processing; the Electronics Research and Development Centre India ER & DCI, which has established itself as one of India’s premier electronics design and development centers and training centres for IBM mainframes; the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (www.rgcb.org), Kerala’s apex research center for Biotechnology; the Tropical and Botanical Research Institute under the Dept. of Biotechnology, Govt. of India; the Centre for Development Studies, a premier Social Science research institution engaged in interdisciplinary research in the development problems in India; the Centre for Earth Science Studies, a centre for excellence in Earth Sciences.

The city has a tropical climate and therefore does not experience distinct seasons. The mean maximum temperature 34 °C and the mean minimum temperature is 21 °C. The humidity is high and rises to about 90% during the monsoon season. Thiruvananthapuram is the first city along the path of the south-west monsoons and gets its first showers in early June. The city gets heavy rainfall of around 1700 mm per year. The city also gets rain from the receding north-east monsoons which hit the city by October. The dry season sets in by December. December, January and February are the coldest months while March, April and May are the hottest. The winter temperature comes down to about 18 °C and summer temperatures can sometimes go as high as 37 °C. 


Places to Visit in Trivandrum
Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple The Kanakakunnu Palace Ponmudi hill
Napier Museum Neyyar Dam Kovalam Beach

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat and sixth largest city of india is located in the western region of India. Ahmedabad is situated at the bank of Sabarmati River. Formerly Ahmedabad was known as Manchester of India for its textile industries. Ahmedabad is also called Karnavati and amdavad. Ahmedabad is famous for its diversified culture and various festivals such as Uttrayan (Festival of Kites), Navaratri (Festival of ras garba), Rathyatra (Festiavl of Lord Jagannath). Traditionally, lot of commerce and trade has been originating here and was seen as the commercial capital of Gujarat. Upto the mid 19th Century, it was a major textile manufacturing centre and was called the Manchester of India. Ahmedabad is now growing industrially very fast. MoUs for global investments to the tune of Rs 120,000 crores have been committed recently. 

Ahmedabad offers the traveler various interesting and historical places. Ancient mosques, temples and forts are the main attraction for tourist. Visitors like to visit Jumma Masjud, Hutheesingh derasar and famous sabarmati ashram. A culturally endowed place, it celebrates colorful festivals like the nine nights traditional Garba Dance Festival of Gujarat in the month of October. Ahmedabad is a venue of an International Kite festival in the month of January every year which is passionately participated by the locals and foreigners too. Nestled on the banks of river Sabarmati, the banks of which are being developed for tourism interest. This city has a number of historical monuments, museums, bird sanctuary, picturesque gardens, toy train, skyscrapers, shopping malls to attract the old and the young.

Ahmedabad is the most prominent city in Gujarat, along with being a major commercial center in the state. Consequently, there has been a rapid increase in the number of industries and mills in and around the city. Though it had helped in the growth of the region and the state, it has also added pollution to the environment. As it is located away from the sea, the climatic conditions of the city are fairly influenced by it. Ahmedabad also experiences the three main seasons, like most of the cities in India. Ahmedabad is a major educational centre for technical studies viz Indian Institute of Management, Physical Research Laboratory, Indian Space Research Organization, National Institute of Design and the Academy of HRD. While being a fast progressing industrial hub it has also seen a solid NGO movement which got initiated during Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom struggle focusing on varied development issues in the country. Known NGOs include SEWA, CEE (Centre for Environmental Education), JANVIKAS, DALIT SHAKTI KENDRA  are based in the city.

The climate of Ahmedabad is hot and moist. Best period to visit Ahmedabad is between November and February, it is winter season. Weather is cool and pleasant in winter. In Summer (April-June) temprature can reach 46.0°C. Good Rainfall in monsoon (July-September) gives relief to ahmedabad from hot summer.

Places to Visit in Ahmedabad
Gandhi Aashram Bhadra Fort Juma Masjid, (mosque)
Sidi Sayed Mosque Akshardham Temple Hathisingh Jain Temple