Tirupati - Heaven of Tranquility

Tirupati

 Heaven of Tranquility
 

Tranquillity (also spelled tranquility) is the quality of calm experienced in places with mainly natural features and activities, free from disturbance from man-made areas.

 References to Tiruvenkatam abound in early Tamil literature(Tolkappiam and Silappadikaram)

Tirupati/Tirumala is a pilgrimage center of great significance and is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims throughout the year.Tirupati balaji is also known as Venkateswara, or Srinivasa or Vishnu for many year's and it was located on a range of the Eastern Ghats, called the Seven Hills.It is an ancient temple and its glory has been sung by the saints of the yesteryears.

The richest temple in India, this temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a grand history spanning several centuries.  

The best time to vist tirupati in October to March

How to reach Tirupati Temple:

BY AIR:- Tirupati is 15 kms from the city centre and the Indian Airlines office is situated at the Hotel Vishnupriya, opposite the central bus terminal. East - West Airlines has four flights a week to Hyderabad (Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday) and other flights to and from Chennai.

BY TRAIN:-There are two trains that connect Tirupati with Chennai - the Saptagiri Express and the Tirupati - Madras Mail. 

BY BUS:- The government bus stand, APSRTC Central bus station is about 2 kms away from the railway station. Express buses are available to and from Chennai to Tirupati. From Tirupati you can take direct buses to Hyderabad, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Vellore and Vijayawada and Bangalore.

Bhakt Darshan

For tourist purpose only the government had provided ahe Dharamshalas, located near the temple complex at cheap rate

The famous hotels and lodges of the town are New Bhimas House, Bhimas Paradise, The Bhimas Hotel, Indira Rest House, Vasantha Vihar Lodge, Gopi Krishna Deluxe Hotel, Hotel Vishnu Priya, Hotel Mayura, Oorvasi International Hotel, Raghunadha etc.

Life Story of Shirdi Sai Baba

 

Shirdi is located in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra in Western India. Shirdi extends latitude 19°45 N and longitude 74°25 E..

Shirdi is quite close to the holy city of Nashik with just 90kms away. It takes about 6hrs to reach Saibaba of Shirdi from Mumbai. Pune is about 206kms from Shirdi.

Here is brief distance chart of Shirdi from some important cities of Maharashtra:
Mumbai 266 kms
Nasik 90 kms
Hyderabad 610 kms
Surat 373 kms
Nagpur 618 kms
Jalgaon 233 kms
Ahmednagar 83 kms
Aurangabad 144 kms
Delhi 1166 kms
Pune 207 kms
Sholapur 312 kms

Sai Baba of Shirdi (Unknown – October 15, 1918), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba (Marathi: शिरडीचे साईबाबा, Hindi: शिरडीके साईबाबा, Telugu: షిర్డీ సాయి బాబా), was an Indian guru, yogi and fakir who is regarded by his Hindu and Muslim followers as a saint. Some of his Hindu devotees believe that he was an incarnation of ShivaDattatreya. Many devotees believe that he was a Sadguru. There are many stories and eyewitness accounts of miracles he performed. He is a well-known figure in many parts of the world, but especially in India, where he is much revered.

Life Story of Shirdi Sai Baba

 

On September 29, 1990

In the former Nizam's [Maharaj] dominion, there was a remote village called Pathri. In that village there were a couple named Gangabhavadya and Devagiriamma. They were grieving over the lack of children. In answer to their prayers, a son was born on September 28, 1835. Today is the anniversary of that day. This child was Sai Baba. As Gangabhavadya had developed a feeling of total detachment and renunciation, he decided to retire to a forest regardless of the child. Devagiriamma, who looked upon her husband as God, decided to follow the husband leaving the child.

Khajuraho - Temples of Love in India

Khajuraho - Temples of Love in India

The name Khajuraho, ancient "Kharjuravahaka", is derived from the Sanskritkharjur meaning date palm. word

The Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho (Hindi: खजुराहो), a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about 620 kilometres (385 mi) southeast of New Delhi, are one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval HinduJain temples, famous for their erotic sculpture. The Khajuraho group of monuments has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and , and is considered to be one of the "seven wonders" of India.

Khajuraho derives its name from the Khajur tree (the date palm tree) which abound a plenty in the region.The construction of these temples began in the reign of King Yasovarman. Eighty five of these temples were built of which around twenty two survive today. These temples are divided into three geographical blocks: the western, eastern and the southern. The western block is the biggest and the richest in artistry. 
Khajuraho Temples are the most graphic, erotic and sensuous sculptures of India, the world has ever known. But Khajuraho has not received the attention it deserves for its significant contribution to the religious art of India – there are literally hundreds of exquisite images on the interior and exterior walls of the shrines. 
Architecturally these temples are unique. While each temple in Khajuraho has a distinct plan and design, several features are common to all. They are all built on high platforms, several metres off the ground, either in granite or a combination of light sandstone and granite. Each of these temples has an entrance hall or mandapa, and a sanctum sanctorum or garbha griha. The roofs of these various sections have a distinct form. The porch and hall have pyramidal roofs made of several horizontal layers. The inner sanctum's roof is a conical tower - a colossal pile of stone (often 30m high) made of an arrangement of miniature towers called shikharas. 
Major Groups of Khajuraho Temples
For the purpose of convenience, the village of Khajuraho has been divided into three directional areas in which are located the major groups of temples .  
1- Western Group Temples
These groups of Khajuraho temples are entirely Hindu, and constitute some of the finest examples of Chandela art at its peak. The largest being the Kandhariya Mahadev, followed by a granite temple - Chaunsath Yogini. The Chitragupta Temple is dedicated to the Sun God, while the Vishwanath Temple sports a three-headed image of Brahma – the Creator of the Universe. The Lakshmana Temple is superbly decorated, while the Devi Jagdambi Temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali. Other temples in the Western Group include the Varaha Temple with a nine-feet high boar-incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Matangeshwara Temple with a eight-feet high lingam, and the Brahma Temple.
2- Eastern Group Temples
This group of Khajuraho tempels comprises of two historic Jain temples – the Adinath Temple lavishly embellished with sculpted figures, and the Parsvanath Temple, the largest Jain temple, sculpted with charming detail. There are other shrines such as the Vamana Temple with apsaras in sensuous poses, and the Javari Temple that has a richly-carved doorway.
3-Southern Group
This group has two impressive Khajuraho temples, mainly belonging to the 12th century – the Chaturbhuja Temple, with a massive, carved image of Vishnu, and the Duladeo Temple, one of the last temples of the Chandela era, dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Khajuraho Hotels

5 star hotels
Jass Trident
Hotel Chandela

3 star hotel
Hotel Khajuraho Ashok
Usha Bundela
Kairali Ayurvedic Health Spa

Tajmahal-The Symbol Of Love

The Taj Mahal is an immense mausoleum of white marble, built between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife. Taj Mahal means Crown Palace; one of the wife's names was Mumtaz Mahal, Ornament of the Palace. The Taj is one of the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tombs in the world, one of the masterpieces of Indian Muslim architecture, and one of the great sites of the world's heritage.  

The Taj Mahal stands serene and perfect in its garden of cypresses and reflecting pools on the banks of the River Yamuna. Its pure white marble shimmers silvery white in the moonlight, glows softly pink at dawn, and at close of day reflects the fiery tints of the setting sun. The Taj in all its timeless beauty is still the inspiration of poets and painters, writers and photographers. And lovers still meet here in the moonlight in the shadow of the world's most famous monument to love. Shahjehan built the Taj in memory of Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their 14th child. No cost was spared to make it the most beautiful monument the world had ever seen. White marble and red sandstone, silver and gold, carnelian and jasper, moonstone and jade, lapis lazuli and coral were fashioned by 20, 000 skilled workers to make the emperor's dream a reality. It took 22 years to complete - a symbol of eternal love where Shahjehan too lies buried, re-united at last with his beloved Mumtaz.
Set at the north end of a formal Persian garden with water courses, paved walkways and rows of dark cypresses, the Taj rises on a high red sandstone base topped by a huge white marble terrace, its flawless double dome flanked by four tapering minarets. Within lies the jewel-inlaid cenotaph of the queen, and a little to one side - the only asymmetrical feature in the Taj - the richly decorated casket of the emperor. Both are enclosed by an octagonal screen of finely pierced marble. So perfect are the proportions of the Taj, so exquisite its workmanship, that it has been described as having been designed by giants and finished by jewellers.
The legend, the poetry and the romance that shroud was described by Rabindranath Tagore as "a teardrop on the cheek of time". Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" and is in fact the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. It is best described by the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, as "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor's love wrought in living stones." It is a celebration of woman built in marble and that's the way to appreciate it. Taj Mahal stands on the bank of River Yamuna, which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending the Great Red Fort of Agra, the center of the Mughal emperors until they moved their capital to Delhi in 1637.

The Story of a Taj Mahal

According to popular legend, Shah Jahan decided to construct another Taj Mahal in black marble on the other side of the river Yamuna and to connect the two by a bridge. This structure was intended to be his own tomb. It has been recorded almost contemporarily by a French merchant Tavernier : "Shah Jehan began to build his own tomb on the other side of the river but the war with his sons interrupted his plan and Aurangzeb who reigns at present is not disposed to complete it".
Later gazetteers and guide books mention this story almost invariably. The irregular position of the cenotaph of Shah Jahan as compared to that of Mumtaz Mahal which occupies the exact centre of the hall is said to be proof of this assumption. The Mehtab Burj and the wall adjoining it opposite the Taj Mahal are generally said to be the foundations and remains of the proposed plan.
Many scholars, however, believe that this idea belongs to fiction rather than history. The traces which are identified as the foundations of the second Taj Mahal are actually the enclosing wall of a garden founded by Babar. The irregular position of Shah Jahan's cenotaph in comparison to Mumtaz Mahal's, is similar to that at the tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah, and thus should not be of any striking significance. Besides, according to Islamic law, bodies are buried with their faces towards Mecca and legs towards the south, and the husband is placed on the right hand side of his wife. The interpretation that the cenotaph of Shah Jahan was not meant to be placed here appears to be superfluous.

Languages in India with MAP

There are 1652 different languages in India and 350 are as major languages. 

Most of the languages of India belong to two families, Aryan and Dravidian. Languages spoken in the five states of south India belong to the Dravidian family and most of the
languages spoken in the north are of Aryan family. The general script of the Aryan languages is different from the general script of the Dravidian languages. The Indians also distinguish between the general north Indian accent and general south Indian accent. Along with these two main language families, there are others from Sino-Mongoloid family spoken in the East India.
Indian literature dates back several millennia to the hymns of the Vedic Aryans. The oral tradition nurtured classical literature, and produced great works of philosophy and religious doctrine. It also accounted for compilations of anecdotes like the Panchatantra and the Jataka tales, as well as epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In southern India, the creative energies of the Tamil poets found expression in the great works of Sangam literature. The epic Tirukkural by Tiruvalluvar is a masterpiece of this age. In the north, dramatists like Kalidasa and Bhasa produced great dramas in Sanskrit.
The Constitution has recognized Hindi, in the Devanagiri script, as India's official language. However English continues to be the working language. For many educated Indians, English is virtually their first language, and for a great number of Indians who are multi-lingual, it will probably be the second. The regional languages have been recognized as official languages of the States. In many cases, the state boundaries are drawn along linguistic lines. Listed below are the 22 languages officially recognized by the Indian Constitution. Four of them, namely Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali, have been recently added to the eighth schedule.

STATES AND CAPITAL OF INDIA

STATES AND CAPITAL

Topest Historical Places in India

 Topest Historical Places in India

India is a diverse country steeped in history. Its past has seen a melting pot of different religions, rulers and empires -- all of which have left their mark on the countryside. Many historical places in India are listed as World Heritage sites due to their cultural importance.
Visit these popular historical places in India and take a trip back in time to ancient India. You'll marvel at the architecture of what are some of the most stunning and captivating historical attractions that India has to offer.

1. The Taj Mahal

 

The Taj Mahal looms fairytale-like from the banks of the Yamuna River. It's actually a tomb that contains the body of Mumtaz Mahal – the wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. He had it built as an ode to his love for her. Dating back to 1630 AD, the Taj Mahal is made out of marble and took 22 years and 20,000 workers to complete. One of the most captivating things about it is the way its color appears to gradually alter in the changing light of the day.

2. Hampi

 

Now a laid back village, Hampi was once the last capital of Vijayanagar, one of the greatest Hindu empires in India’s history. It has some extremely captivating ruins, intriguingly intermingled with large boulders that rear up all over the landscape. The ruins, which date back to the 14th century, stretch for just over 25 kilometers (10 miles) and comprise more than 500 monuments. An incredible energy can be felt at this ancient place.

3. Khajuraho Temples

 

If you want proof that the Kama Sutra originated in India, Khajuraho is the place to see. Erotica abounds here with over 20 temples devoted to sexuality and sex. The temples are best known for their erotic sculptures. However, more than that, they show a celebration of love, life and worship. They also provide an uninhibited peek into ancient Hindu faith and Tantric practices. No where else will you find such unique temples with meticulously detailed carvings.

4. Ajanta and Ellora Caves

Astonishingly carved into hillside rock in the middle of nowhere are the Ajanta and Ellora caves. There are 34 caves at Ellora dating from between the 6th and 11th centuries AD, and 29 caves at Ajanta dating back to between the 2nd century BC and 6th century AD. While the Ajanta caves are rich in paintings and sculpture, the Ellora caves are renowned for their extraordinary architecture. The most incredible thing about these caves is that they were crafted by hand, with only a hammer and chisel.

5. Fatehpur Sikri

A city that was once the proud capital of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, Fatehpur Sikri now stands deserted as a well preserved ghost town. It was abandoned by its occupants after only 15 years due to insufficient water supply. Constructed out of red sandstone, Fatehpur Sikri is full of regal palaces and courtyards. You can almost feel yourself being transported back to medieval times here.