Places of Worship

Raghunath Temple: 130 years old it is the largest temple complex in northern India. The temple work started by Maharaja Gulab Singh, who was the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir in 1835 AD . The temple work was completed by his son Maharaja Ranbir Singh in 1860 AD.

Panchbakhtar Temple - Panchvaktar (five faces) Lord Shiv (temple) is a unique place, in Jammu, the city of temples.
It is one of the oldest Shiv alaya in jammu. Old tales and oral histories state that Adi Shankryacharya visited this site and stayed there; while some believe that it was discovered much later, during the reign of Raja Mal Dev, in early fourteenth century. The Lingam in this temple is self manifested (Aap Shambu).


MATA VAISHNO DEVI: A pilgrimage to the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji is considered to be one of the holiest pilgrimages of our times. Popular the world over as Moonh Maangi Muradein Poori Karne Wali Mata, which means, the Mother who fulfills whatever Her children wish for, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji resides in a Holy Cave located in the folds of the three peaked mountain named Trikuta (pronounced as Trikoot). The Holy Cave attracts lakhs of devotees every year.

Birla Temple near the New Delhi railway station. The beautiful temple was once the epicenter of Indian freedom struggle. This was because Mahatma Gandhi had a temporary residence here. The Birla temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi. If you want to visit a historic temple then move to the Kashmiri gate area and you will find the "old Hanuman temple". The way towards this temple is very narrow and dirty but the temple in itself is worth a visit. Then you have Chhatarpur Temple, the largest in India. Though this place is not much revered, the sheer size and grandeur of this temple attract large number of tourists.

THE LOTUS TEMPLE: The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India, popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flowerlike shape, is a Baha'i House of Worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian Sub continent . It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles

Nanjangud Temple: The main temple at Nanjangud is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, also called Sri Nanjundeshwara, "The God who drank poison". Located 30km from Mysore. Nanjangud is also known as Dakshina Kashi or Varanasi of the South.

The Golden Temple : in India, which is often called the “Darbar Sahib or Harmandar Sahib” by the Indians, is one of the oldest places of worship for the ‘Sikhs’ and is located in Amritsar, Punjab. It is considered one of the holiest, blessed and sacrosanct places in India. It is a symbol of both beauty and peace. The temple is surrounded by a small man-made lake which has tons and tones of fishes in it. This lake is supposed to have holy water. The temple can be entered from four different sides and thus symbolizes openness, eptance. This concept is based on the old tents which were open from all four sides, welcoming travelers from all directions.


THE SUN TEMPLE: Konark is one of the well known tourist attractions of Orissa. Konark, Konark houses a colossal temple dedicated to the Sun God. Even in its ruined state it is a magnificient temple reflecting the genius of the architects that envisioned and built it. Bhuvaneshwar, Konark and Puri constitute the Golden triangle of Orissa, visited in large numbers by pilgrims and tourists.

Food

BENGALI THALI: Bengali cooking is famous for sweets made from cottage cheese. Sandesh, Rosogolla, chanar payesh are few of the very popular recipes. Mishti Doi (sweetened curd) and Patali gur confectionery (date palm jaggery) are mouth watering. Every district in Bengal has a special sweet recipe of its own . Langcha and Mihidana Sitabhog of Bardhaman, Sharbhaja of Krishnanagar, Chanabora of Murshidabad and so on. Luchi, Bengali Fish Curry, Cholar Dal and Aloo Posto to Gurer Payesh and Chum Chum are any food lovers first choice.

GUJRATI THALI: Gujarati cusine has special place all over India. Gujarati cooking consists of dal, bhaat( rice), vegetables, chapatis, kachumbar( mixed vegetables salad), papad and curd. Gujarati food is nourishing and balanced. Snacks like dhokla, khandvi, sweets like basundi are famous for its taste.

 

MAHARASHTRA THALI: The people of Maharashtra regard their food as 'Anna he poornabrahma' which means 'anna', or food is equal to 'Brahma', or the creator of the universe. In other words it means food is God, thus it should be worshiped. Maharashtrians also believe in offering their food first to the lord as a thanksgiving ritual for all that he has given. On festive occasions, some specific mithais (sweets) are offered such as Ukadiche Modak (Ganesh Chaturthi) and Satyanarayan Puja Sheera

PUNJABI THALI: Punjab is a northern state of India and is very popular for its rich food . Punjabi recipe is prepared in delicious gravy and punjabi parathas melted in butter/ ghee. Punjabi dishes is simple, healthy and yet has its own fascination. The famous dishes like matar paneer, dal makhani, parathas, bature, lassi are popular all over India.

Cultural Heritage

RELIGIONS IN INDIA: India is the birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, jainism and sikkhism, collectively known as Indian religions. Religion still plays a central and definitive role in the life of many of its people. Indian religions, also known as Dharmic religions are a major form of world religions along with abrahamic ones. Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third- and fourth-largest religions respectively, with over 2 billion followers altogether, and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers. India is also the birthplace for the Lingayat and Ahmadiyya faiths. India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures.

CLOTHING IN INDIA: In India, a person's social status is perceived to be symbolized by his or her attire.Traditional clothing greatly varies across different parts of India and is influenced immensely by local culture, geography and climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as saree for women and dhoti or lingi for men; in addition, stitched clothes such as churidar for women and kurta pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. Indian dress etiquette discourages exposure of skin and wearing transparent or tight clothes. Most Indian clothes are made from cotton which is ideal for the region's hot weather. Since India's weather is mostly hot and rainy, majority of Indians wear sandals.

DANCE FORMS IN INDIA: Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical forms. Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythologicalelements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama. These are: bharatanatyamof the state of Tamil Nadu, kathakof Uttar Pradesh,kathakaliand mohiniattamof Kerala,kuchipudiof Andhra Pradesh, manipuriof Manipur,odissiof the state of Odishaand the sattriyaof AssamAmong the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab, the bihu of Assam, the chhau of Jharkhand, the Odishi of Orissa, the ghoomar of Rajasthan, the dandiya and garba of Gujarat, the Yakshagana of Karnataka and lavani of Maharashtra and Dekhnni of Goa.

Tourist Interest Places

There are many  interesting places in India which are worth a visit. The numerous architectural wonders present here possess importance of their own.

 THE TAJ MAHAL, Located in Agra and is in the list of the world famous seven wonders. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in the memory of his third wife Mumtaz. It was named after his third wife Mumtaz Mahal and renowned as Taj Mahal. It is considered as the symbol of love.

THE INDIA GATE, Situated in the heart of New Delhi, it was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is composed of red sand stone and granite. It commemorates the 90,000 soldiers of the British Indian Armywho lost their lives while fighting for the British Indian Empire. It was originally known as All India War Memorial.