The tourism industry is a major contributor to the economy of Uttaranchal, with the Corbett National Park and Tiger Reserve and the nearby hill-stations of Nainital and Bhimtal and several other hill-stations like Mussoorie, Almora and Ranikhet being among the most frequented destinations of India.Uttaranchal is also a major destination for adventure sports lovers. Many national and international competitions of Sking, Water rafting, Mountaineering, Rock climbing etc. are held every year. Many adventure sports places are here

General Information 
Uttaranchal is a recently formed state. It has been carved out the state Uttar Pradesh. Uttaranchal became the 27th state of India on 9th November 2000. It is one the most beautiful states in India. Besides the breathtaking view of the Himalayas, Uttaranchal is also the home of the point of the origin of the sacred river Ganga and Yamuna. The capital of Uttaranchal is Dehradun. The climate of Uttaranchal provides the state with its only livelihood, i.e., tourism.
 
History
Uttaranchal, the land of Gods finds its mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand and Himavat. The history of this places dates back to the time when the Kushanas ruled it. Then came the Kudinas, Kanishka, Samudra, Gupta and the Chandras. The British have ruled the land for a large amount of time. Uttaranchal is called The Dev Bhoomi because of its various holy places and Shrines.
 
Geography
The recently formed state of Uttaranchal lies in the north west side of Uttar Pradesh. Uttaranchal is a fraction of the western Himalayan ranges opening from the Shivalik range to the Himalayas. Tibet is at the northeastern border of the state. The northwestern side is kissing the state of Himachal Pradesh. Haryana also touches the state of Uttaranchal. The western and southern boundary is formed by the state of Uttar Pradesh. The entire geographical area of Uttaranchal is 51, 125 sq. kms.
 
 
Climate/Temperature
The lovely state of Uttaranchal experiences extreme climatic conditions with very high temperature in summer and freezing cold in winters. The beautiful land is of extreme temperatures. Summers are unbearable with the mercury touching as high as 40C. Winters are chilly with the temperature going below 5C. The state has two distinct climatic regions: the chief hilly landscape and the diminutive plain section. The climatic stipulation of the plains is parallel to its counterpart in the Gangetic plain that is, tropical. The Himalayan region has Alpine environment exemplified by cold winters with snowfall for relatively long time, good rainfall in the monsoon, and meek summers.
 
Religions
The major religion of Uttaranchal is Hinduism. There is a majority of Hindus on the lovely land of Uttaranchal.
 
Languages Spoken
Pahari languages are mostly spoken in the Uttaranchal state. Some of the Pahari languages are – Gurkhali, Khaskura, and Parbatiya. The people of Uttranchal also speak Hindi and English. Urdu is also spoken by a considerable amount of the population of Uttaranchal.
 
People / Population
The whole population of the recently formed State of Uttaranchal on March 2001 stood at 8,479,562 persons as per the provisional results of the Census of India 2001
 
Places to Visit / Attractions
There is umpteenth number of places to visit in the state of Uttaranchal. The hill stations include Dehradun, Auli and Nainitaal. People from all parts of the world come to view the mystical beauty of these hill stations and get complete ecstasy and elation on this tranquil land. Other tourist attractions in Uttaranchal include Corbett national park, Valley of flowers, Nanda Devi national park, Uttarakashi, Almora, Champawat, Bageshwar, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Char Dhams ( Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri).
 
Adventure Sports
Uttaranchal is rapture for adventure sports. Activities like canoeing, river rafting, kayaking etc are fast becoming increasingly popular in the state. The frosty pinnacles of the Himalayas are source mighty rivers. Rivers flowing through innumerable number forests, rocky gorges, and high mountain villages, provide ideal locales for the perfect water adventure.

BCCL has acquired stake in Culture Holiday (I) Pvt Ltd, a company owning TravelChaCha.com, a travel portal, which provides end-to-end travel planning services.

Travelchacha.com specializes in offering single-window booking portal to a traveller for all his travel needs, including flights, hotels, cars or tour packages.

The portal provides extensive range of complete tour packages, from a short weekend tour, expansive leisure holidays, hill stations, beaches, pilgrimage, honeymoon and historical tours within India or abroad with the best rates in the industry. Speaking on the tie-up with BCCL, Sanjay Bhasin, CEO said, “We are pleased to take our BCCL partnership to the next level.”

“This relationship will allow TravelChaCha.com to continue to innovate and grow as a travel portal,” Bhasin added.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/BCCL_buys_stake_in_travel_co/articleshow/3124585.cms

One of the most important events during July / August is Amarnath Yatra, the Holy Pilgrimage made in obeisance to the Lord Shiva. This is an annual event when thousands of Hindus from different corners of the Globe visit Amarnath caves. The pilgrims trek from Pahalgam to these caves and worship the great ice Lingam. Legend has it that Shiva recounted to Parvati the secret of creation in a cave in Amarnath. Unknown to them, a pair of mating doves eavesdropped on this conversation and having learned the secret, are reborn again and again, and have made the cave their eternal abode. Many pilgrims report seeing the doves-pair when they trek the arduous route to pay obeisance before the ice-lingam (the phallic symbol of Shiva). This is an event you certainly will talk about for the rest of your life.

The Legend – There is a famous Rigvedic Verse that says “Ekam Sat ” that is “There is one Being, the sages call Him by many names.” The God (Parmeshwar) has three deities who carry on the world. This is known as Holy Trinity. Brahma- the creator, Vishnu – the perpetuator of life and Shiva (Mahesh) -the purifier and perpetuator of good and destroyer of evil. Rig Veda refers to Shiva as Rudra as in its following verse. “We Worship Tryambaka (Rudra), Who spread Fragrance and Increases Nourishment, May He release me, like the cucumber from its stem, From Mortal Life, but not From Immorality. “(Rig Veda Mandal VII Sukta 59 and Mantra 12)

The Yajurveda describes Shiva as ascetic warrior whose robe is of Deer Skin and He carries Trishul. According to the verse Satyam, Shivam ,Sundaram ,the life is described as having three facets Truth (Satyam), Good (Shivam) and the Beautiful (Sundaram). Shiva is a living God. The most Sacred and ancient books of India, the Rig Veda narrates His presence in the hymns. Vedic myths, rituals and even astronomy testify to His existence from the dawn of time .The Mohinjodaro and Harappa findings confirm Shiva worship in the ancient India. According to the older scriptures, He has three places of His residence. One is Kailash Parvat another is Lohit Giri under which Brahamputra flows and third is Muzwan Parvat.

Significance of Amarnath Cave – The Legend about the importance of Amarnath Cave is as follows: This is the cave which was chosen by Lord Shiva for narrating the secrets of immortality and creation of Universe to Maa Parvati ji. The story goes like this. Centuries ago Maa Parvati asked Shivji to let her know why and when He started wearing the beads of heads (Mund Mala). Bhole Shankar replied whenever you are born I add one more head in my beads. Maa Parvati said,” My Lord, my body is destroyed every time and I die again and again, but you are Immortal. Please let me know the secret of this.” Bhole Shankar replied that it is due to Amar Katha.”

Maa Parvati insisted that she should be told that secret. For long Shiva continued postponing. Finally on consistent demand from Maa Parvati He made up his mind to tell the immortal secret. He started for lonely place where no living being could listen it. He chose Amarnath Cave. In preparation to that He left His Nandi (The Bull which He used to ride) at Pahalgam (Bail gaon). At Chandanwari He released Moon from his hairs (Jataon). At the banks of Lake Sheshnag He released the snakes. He decided to leave his Son Ganesha at Mahagunas Parvat (Mahaganesh Hill). At Panjtarni, Shivji left the Five Elements behind (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky) which make living being. He is the Lord of these elements. It is believed that as a symbol of sacrificing the earthly world, Shivaji and Maa Parvati had Tandav Dance. After leaving behind all these, Bhole Shankar enters the Holy Amarnath Cave along with Parvati Maa.

Lord Shiva took his Samadhi on the Deer Skin and meditated. To ensure that no living being is able to hear the Immortal Tale, He created Rudra named Kalagni and ordered him to spread fire to eliminate every living thing in and around the Holy Cave. After this He started narrating the secret of immortality to Maa Parvati. But as a matter of chance one egg which was lying beneath the Deerskin remained protected. It is believed to be non living and more over it was protected by Shiva-Parvati Asan (Bed). The pair of pigeons, which were born out of this egg, became immortal having listened the secret of immortality (Amar Katha). Many pilgrims report seeing the pair of pigeons when they trek the arduous route to pay their obeisance before the Ice-Lingam (the phallic symbol of Shiva).

Discovery of Holy Cave – The story narrated by people about the discovery of this Holy Cave is of a Gujjar (shepherd) Buta Malik. He is given the credit of discovering this Holy Cave. Story goes like this, that a saint gave Buta Malik a bag full of Coal. On reaching his home when he opened the bag, to his utter surprise the bag was full of gold coins. This made him overwhelmed with joy. He ran to thank the Saint. But, what he found was that the Saint had disappeared. Instead, he found The Holy Cave and Shiva Lingam there in . He announced the discovery of this to the Villagers. Then onwards this has become the sacred place of Pilgrimage.

The ancient epics narrate another story, which goes like this. The valley of Kashmir was under water. It was a big lake. Kashyap Rishi drained the water through number of rivers and rivulets. In those days Bhrigu Rishi came that way on a visit to the Himalaya. He was the first to have Darshans of this Holy Cave. When people heard of the Lingam, Amarnath for them became Shiva’s abode and a Centre of pilgrimage.

Since then Lakhs of devotees perform the pilgrimage through tough terrain and avail eternal happiness. The trek to Amarnath, in the month of sharavan (July-August) has the devout flock to this incredible shrine, where the image of Shiva, in the form of a Lingam, is formed naturally of an Ice Stalagmite, which waxes and wanes with the Moon’s cycle. By its side are fascinating, two more Ice Lingams, that of Maa Parvati and of their son, Ganesha.

Amarnath is 145 km east of Srinagar in Kashmir. There is an ice Shiva-lingam here that changes size with the seasons, and also as the moon waxes and wanes it becomes bigger and smaller. On the full moon day the lingam is about 6 ft high. Each year on the full moon day of July-August (Sravana) when the Shiva-lingam attains its maximum height there is a festival at this cave temple. It is said that Lord Shiva first appeared on this day.

Location and Access

Location : 145-km From Srinagar, Kashmir

Region Altitude : 4,175m (13,700ft).

Darshan Season : July To August

It is located in a glacial valley at 4,175m (13,700 ft.). The cave is about 150 feet high and 90 feet long. Within the cave there are four or five ice formations that resemble the figures of different gods. The biggest figure is regarded as Shiva (Amarnath). On the left side of the linga is an ice formation called Ganesh, and on the right side is one of Parvati and Bhairava.

The area is covered with snow from September to June. The cave opens only in July and August. This is the rainy season, so pilgrims have to brave the rain to get there. About 25,000 people make this pilgrimage each year. You can also hire ponies and dandies for the trip. It is very crowded during the annual Sravana festival. There is a yearly pilgrimage starting from Srinagar that is led by the Chhari Saheb, the holy sceptre.
India Holidays
How to Get There

Air : Indian Airlines has daily flights to Delhi and Srinagar (depends on weather). There are also flights to Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, and Leh. The Indian Airlines office (2542-735) is at the Tourist Reception Centre on Vir Marg.

Train : The Shalimar Express departs from Delhi at 4.10 pm and arrives in Jammu at 7 am. There are other trains to and from Delhi. From Jammu there are direct trains to Mumbai, Kolkata. Most buses from Jammu leave between 6 and 7 am, in order to arrive before night. A ticket to Srinagar should be booked in advance. There are buses to Delhi (14 hr), Amritsar (5 hr), and Pathankot (3 hr). From Pathankot you can get a bus to Dharamshala and Dalhousie. Deluxe buses depart from the railway station, usually between 6 and 7 am.

When to take up the Yatra

The Amarnath Yatra is organised every year by the J &K Govt. during the month of Shravan (July and August); the dates however, vary every year looking at the weather conditions and according to Purnima (Raksha Bandhan) in the month of Sharavan (Vikrama Samwat). This year Yatra will be taken up from 18 June 2008 to 18 August 2008.

Yatra to Baba Amarnath Holy Cave for which one has to trek a height of about 14,500 ft is full of thrill and joy .The feeling of divine which is always beneath ones’ heart, burst out and one realises ‘Moksha’ as one attends the Cave and perform the prayer before the Shivlinga. Surrounded by beautiful valleys, mountains, one will always feel His presence on the paradise of the earth, the memory of which hardly vanishes with time a journey that will rediscover the nature and its love, which is always inside, but one has never felt.

Climate
The climatic conditions are very uncertain. Rain or snowfall may take place at any time or place during the Yatra . It is to be particularly noted that abrupt changes in temperature might occur. Sunny weather may turn into rain / snowfall in a short time. The temperature may fall up to -5 degree C.

The early history of this Jewel is not known. However, according to Hindus, before the Mughal Emperors owned it, it belonged to the Pandus whose legends remain one of the cyclops of Roman mythology. Many believe that it was presented to Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan by the Amir Jamla, who was one time a Jeweller and afterward formed the diamond mines in the Deccan, and this Koh-i-Noor had a great influence in making him a wazir. Some are of the view that it was found at the Golconda mines about the year 1550 and when rough it said to have weighed 900 carats. The French traveller, Tavernier, who saw the Koh-i-Noor in the possession of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, ornamenting his small throne gives its weight as 420 carats. He further says that the largest diamond in Europe is in the crown of Russia, and weighs 194 carats only. (One carat is equal to the 150th part of an ounce troy).

This history of Koh-i-Noor that how it came in the possession of Nadir Shah, the King of Persia, then to the possession of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and untimately to the possession of Queen Victoria of England, is quite interesting. Nadir Shah had heard about the fabulous wealth of India and his greed was excited. He invaded India and after winning battles on the way reached Delhi in March 1739. During his two months stay in Delhi looted countless booty including Koh-i-Noor diamond and then carried it to Persia, where it became the property of Ahmad Shah Abdali, when Nadir Shah’s test was plundered after his murder. Ahmad Shah Abdali died in 1773 and at that time Punjab formed a part of the Afghan dominion. The successors of Abdali weakened themselves in their internal conflicts and greatly facilitated the rapid growth of Ranjit Singh’s dominion. Shah Shuja, the grand son of Ahmed Shah Abdali, occupied the throne of Kabul in 1800 but was finally ousted from power. In his efforts to recover the throne of Kabul, Shah Shuja solicited Ranjit Singh’s help and came to Lahore in 1813.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh had his only eye on the precious stone Kohi-i-Noor and offered a Jagir to Shah Shuja is lieu but his begum declared that the said stone had been pledged to a saraf for a loan of money. Ranjit Singh was intelligent enough not to be imposed upon this shallow pretext and to prevent the jewel being sent away ordered strict guard around the Shah’s house and resorted to harsh measures to bring the unlucky Shah to confession. On seeing the Shah not detected by such means Ranjit forwarded some letters purported to have been written by Shah to Fateh Khan in Kabul inviting him to invade Punjab to liberate him. In consequence to this Shah was informed that he was to be taken to Gobindgarh as state prisoner. On this Shah demanded two months time to redeem the jewel from the saraf which Ranjit granted to him. Shah fearing death invited Maharaja Ranjit Singh on the last day of the two months to come and receive the diamond. The Maharaja was received with dignity peculiar to him and remain seated silently for an hour. Maharaja become impatient and asked his attendant to remind the Shah of the purpose of his visit. Shah did not make any answer but beckoned to Eunuch who brought a small pocket and laid the jewel on the carpet spread between them. Having satisfied Ranjit Singh took possession of the jewel and instantly left the place without speaking a word even saluting the Shah.

In 1814 the Shah succeeded in sending his brother and Begums to Ludhiana in disguise and then soon after made his escape and joined them where the East India company allowed them Rs. 50,000/- and Rs. 20,000/- per years respectively.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh suddenly died of a paralytic stoke in June 1839. He was succeeded by his imbecile son, Kharak Singh. On November 5, 1840, Kharak Singh die and the reign of his capable son Nao Nihal Singh also ended the same day while returning home from the cemetery after performing funeral rites of his father by the fall of an archway of the Lahore Fort. The following years witnessed intrigue and murders. The English were closely watching the happenings in the Punjab and they finally declared war is December, 1845 which ended in February 1846. Sikh army was defeated and Peace Treaty was concluded between Maharaja Dalip Singh, a minor son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the East Indian company. This peace treaty did not last long and second Anglo-Sikh war was fought in 1848-49. Finally the Sikh army was defeated and Punjab was annexed. The Maharaja Dalip Singh was pensioned off, all state property confiscated to the company, the celebrated diamond, the Koh-i-Noor surrended to the Queen of England on 24th March, 1849. This is how the Koh-i-Noor passing through many hands finally reached England.

Films and politics have remained two of the most exciting and rewarding activities on the Indian scene. Politics has offered new opportunities for fading film stars to play heroes and heroines, this time in real life. Vinod Khanna was not very active in films when the BJP offered him the Lok Sabha seat from Gurdaspur and gaining from a BJP wave, he won. For a long time, Raj Babbar was a “Trishanku” in Bollywood, swinging between hero and villain’s roles and the call from Mulayam Singh Yadav to join the Samajwadi Party must have come as a welcome relief.

When film stars join politics out of strong commitment or a genuine desire to do public good, their credibility is intact. Sunil Dutt who had a clean record in public life entered politics to help Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a family friend who had nominated his wife Nargis to the Rajya Sabha. Dutt, along with Nargis, had entertained jawans at border posts and helped her in starting the Spastics Society of India. After Nargis died, Dutt continued the good work. The Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation did admirable work and Dutt undertook long peace marches in India and abroad to defuse militancy in Punjab and seek a ban on nuclear weapons. Dutt held fast to the Congress ideology and kept winning the Lok Sabha seat from Mumbai North-West even on occasions when the Congress drew a blank in the rest of the city. Politics could do with more Sunil Dutts.

Amitabh Bachchan’s brief stint with the Congress was due to his friendship with Rajiv Gandhi, but his political career floundered following the Bofors scandal that tarred and feathered Gandhi. Hounded by the V.P. Singh government and the media, Bachchan made a quick exit from politics and vowed never to return. Nearly 10-years later, he was back in party politics, campaigning for his “friend and younger brother”, Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party and its leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav, both of whom had shattered the dream of Sonia Gandhi to head a Congress-led coalition at the Centre. Was this a repeat of the “Namak Haram” role for Bachchan?

On a recent television programme, Shabana Azmi, Independent member of the Rajya Sabha, argued that her status without any party affiliation helped her credibility and won her difficult battles. “I can talk to the Prime Minister, his cabinet colleagues and State Chief Ministers and move things. This may not be possible if I wore a party label. My actions would be mis-interpreted as political and vote catching moves.” To a certain extent, she is right though Sunil Dutt’s links with the Congress did not hamper his effort to “move things.”

Ideology apart, how significant is the selfishness motive which has drawn film stars to politics? Vyjayanthimala Bali, after an undistinguished stint as the Congress MP, was denied a party ticket for the Lok Sabha. Miffed, she immediately joined the BJP. No questions of ideology here, only self-interest. Sometimes, pure luck carried some of the film stars to dizzying heights in politics. Remember Dipika, who played Sita in Ramanand Sagar’s TV serial, “Ramayana”? Exploiting the Hindutva fervour generated by the serial, the BJP nominated Dipika for the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat, which she won. She spent one term in the Lok Sabha without speaking a word.

Film stars, according to him, could achieve more by way of social causes, by remaining outside active politics. Veteran star, Dev Anand, agreed. He started a unit of the Janata Party immediately after the Emergency was lifted, but soon gave it up in disgust because of in-fighting and ego clashes. “I do not go near politics now,” he confessed.

In trend-setting Hollywood, a failed actor Ronald Reagan became the Governor of California and then a Republican President of the US. His Teflon charm hid the fact of his being a total failure in the job. His ignorance of international affairs was abysmal and one felt he was acting all the time at the White House.

Top Hollywood stars did take interest in politics, supporting the Republicans or the Democrats as per their conservative or liberal leanings. But few of them entered active politics and made a run for office. Actors like Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman and actress Meryl Streep came out against war hysteria, nuclear threat, and injustice to Native Americans and free availability of deadly guns. Issues interested them more than political plums.

Our temperate forests have various edible mushrooms like Boletus edulis, (Ghogga), Calvatia gigantea (Ban Dogi), Helvella crispa, (Kanna Guchhu) Morchella esculenta, (Guchhi) Pleurotus eryngii, (Dheengri), Ramaria formosa (Shatrola) and Sparassis crispa (Sehri) Sub-tropical belt of Jammu has very delicious termitomyces mushroom (Tartaaloo).

Among birds, unique species like Ocyceros birostris (Grey) Hornbill, vern. Doa), Streptopelia orientalis (Rufous Turtle Dove, vern. Kalmoonha), Dendrocitta vagabunda (Treepie, vern. Laangardumba), Treron spenura (Green Pigeon, vern. Preu) are seen in our city of Jammu as well as in outskirts. Smaller birds like Sunbirds, Flowerpeckers, Tailor birds, Weaver birds, Wagtails buchchats, Warblers, Bee-eaters, wheatears, Larks, are also quite common. In our coniferous forests of Sudhmahadev and Batote Bhaderwah, large sized brilliantly coloured Pheasants are very attractive birds. Monal pheasant (Lophophorus impejanus, vern, Neel), Tragopan Pheasant (vern. Bindas), Kaleej Pheasant (Lophura leucomelana, vern, Kolsa), Cheer Pheasnat (Catreus wallichii, vern, Reear) etc are all elegant but presently in threatened category and in need of very stringent protection measures. Their unlawful shooting need to be put under stricter surveillance. Vultures (Gyps bengalensis) are also on the decline as a consequence of widespread use of Diclofenac veterinary medicine.

Wild sheep and goats are unique to J&k. Many species exist in the cold desert area of Ladakh. Capra ibex (vern. Kill Bakri) is confined to precipitous cliffs and ridges in the mountains. Capra falconeri (vern. Markhor) inhabits pine and birch forests of Jammu and Kashmir. Its presence in Poonchh area became a subject of hot discussion during the initiatio of Mughal road to Srinagar via. Poonchh. Hirpora wldlife sanctuary is known for Markhor population and need foolproof protection if it is to be saved for future.

Among fishes, Mahseer (Tor putitora) is unique to River Tawi. Many species of the River Tawi are the source of livelihood for the local fishermen but due to overexploitation of water resources, dwindling green forests and dumping of garbage and untreated sewage into the river it has resulted into the dwindling of fish catch for the locals. Many species like Lalai (Heteropneustes fossilis), Keengar (Mystus vittatus), Tippar (Puntius conchonius), Trakla (xenentodon cancila), Kangi (Trichogaster fasciatus), Mallee (Wallago attu) have already faced the brunt of urbanization and industrialization in Jammu region. Mountain streams harbours various trouts like Schizothorax richaradsoni and Schizothorax lacustris. Triplophysa kashmirensis and Triplophysa ladacensis (Ladakh Loach) are found in Kashmir and Ladakh region of our state.

Flora and fauna is the solid backbone of our culture and many of our traditions and rituals are intimately associated with plants and animals. Loosing one flagship species from an ecosystem leads to undesirable lsos of many other specis down the food chain and thus erodes our economy as well as cultural ethos.

Earth Summit of Rio-de-Janeiro of 1992 highlighted this underlying link between man and Biodiversity and Biodiversity convention became the major milestone in the history of conservation of flora and fauna. Biodiversity Act of 2002 got the consent of Parliament in 2005 and it is now mandatory to take measures to protect biodiversity in totality to have equitable distribution of benefits among all stakeholders including local communities and document traditional knowledge ofall ethnic groups. State Biodiversity Board need to be established at the earliest in J&K to care of all concerns related to flora and fauna.

Vedas and Shastras : According to vedas to walk daily during the spring season or Vasant Ritu, is the most beneficial to the human being’s health. Mentioning has been made in the Shastras about the importance of taking new sprouts of mango trees during spring season. Use of these sprouts in this season protects the human beings from the blood diseases. In accordance with estern scientists especially botanists, new sprouts of mango trees having a number of organic acids are useful to destroy the harmful products of blood. AYURVEDA

Goddess Sita’s Soyamber : It is believed that during spring season, the Sage Vishvamitra took both Lord Rama and Shri Lakshman with him to Janakpuri (now known as Nepal) where marriage ceremony (soyamber) of Goddess Sita was to be held. Prior to attending this soyamber, both Shri Rama and Lakshman paid a visit to Janakpuri city with the blessings of Sage Vishvamitra. Sant Tulsi Dass has wonderfully mentioned about the beautiful walking scene of both of these brothers. “Both had put on yellow coloured clothes with beautiful bows in their hands, arrows around the waists, binding ‘with yellow cloths and layer of chandan wood studed on their foreheads.” This gives an evidence that to put on yellow coloured clothes on the start of spring season is an old tradition which was even present during “Treta Yug”.

After visiting Janakpuri city, both, Lord Rama and Lakshman went to see the garden of Raja Janak. The scenario of the garden has also been stated by saint Tulsi Dass. “They saw the garden where spring season was in full swing and attracted everyone. To attract minds of the people, there were many captivating trees and climbers which were blooming as well as a number of birds singing sweetly.” There was also pond in the garden. Both Shri Rama and Lakshman were overjoyed to see the garden’s beauty. During soyamber of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita, the spring season blessed with the couple greatly.

Lord Krishna’s Views About Spring Season: The Lord Krishna has explained in Bhagvad Gita that out of the various Indian seasons, the spring season has its own form and charm. According to Him, the spring season is such a season in which all plants become vigour and green without water. It has further been added that there is not much coldness or hotness in this season, rather it is moderate or neutral in its temperament. All the human beings become juvenile and enjoy joyfully.

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Among the Mughal gardens of Kashmir Chashma Shahi fascinated Shahjahan, the fourth Mughal emperor, the most owing to the fact that it haunted him with the sweet memories of his beloved queen, Mumtaj Mahal who always accompanied him during his visit to these gardens. Once she fell ill and could not be cured despite several efforts of the royal Vaidyas and Haqueems and the chief of the medical staff of the court suggested that she must be allowed to visit some health resort especially during summer months and for that matter there was none the better than the valley of Kashmir that too Shahjahan prefered to stay at Pari Mahal along with his queen leaving behind all the busy schedule of political manoeuvring. She enjoyed the fresh air and fresh vegetables and drank sweet water of Chashma Shahi resulting into miraculous recoupment in her health.

Mughal royal families were charmed by the scenic beauty and landscapes of its surroundings in addition to the sweet water of Chashma Shahi having medicinal value. Mughals were followed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab who reigned north India in early 19th century. He was also fond of Mughal gardens, Chashma Shahi was his favourite. He was followed by Dogra rulers, second and third Dogra emperors namely Maharaja Ranbir Singh and Maharaja Pratap Singh were the frequent visitors of this garden and spring. Its water was being carried to the royal kitchen to be used by the members of royal family. Shaikh Sahib, afterwards, also used the water of Chashma Shahi and it is said the water was supplied to him during his confinement. After sixties the modern emperors, high officials were alloted newly built huts in the environs of Chashmashahi and for their benefit a small canal supplying water of the spring to a reservoir was diverted to these huts with the result the original reservoir in the garden dried up causing damage to the environment of the layout of the garden.

Shahjahan was a great Mughal emperor who frequently visited Mughal gardens and stayed at Pari Mahal time and again with his queen. And with the improvement of her health after regular intake of water of Chashmashahi other members of the royal family were attracted towards this spring. Mughal princesses too wanted to take its water as such a special department was created to carry its water to Agra to be used in royal kitchen.

The history of Maharashtra can be dated back to 2nd BC where the major religions like Hinduism and Buddhism flourished in full fledge with exciting and compelling arts, crafts, sculptures and paintings. Some of the famous caves of Maharashtra are Ajanta caves which consist of more than 30 caves; Ellora caves where almost 34 caves are found with fine intricate interiors and ornamental facades combinedly represent the three faiths – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism; Elephanta caves were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated on the northern coastline of Mumbai; Aurangabad caves are divided into two sections, one is called Western Group Caves and another as Eastern Group Caves.

To explore the splendor of multi-faceted India, INDRAIL PASSES provide excellent value for money and enhance the charm of holidays for visitors from abroad. INDRAIL PASSES offer visitors on a budget, the facility to travel as they like, over the entire Indian Railway System, without any route restriction within the period of validity of the ticket. These passes can only be purchased by foreign nationals and NRI’s on payment in US Dollars, Pound Sterling and other convertible foreign currencies.