Tourism India

The Essence of the Major General Claude Martin – unnoticed by the History

On 11 April 1839, the erstwhile Supreme Court at Calcutta decreed “that a College at Lucknow be established pursuant to the will of Claude Martin.” And the Sun Shined brighter …

Claude Martin being almost entirely self-educated was a Frenchman by birth and came to India in the year 1752 to begin his military career at the age of 17, rose to the level of Major General, He walked the tight rope between the Nawab- Asaf-ud-Daula and the and the East India Company with such sharpness that both needed his services till the end. Must have indeed been a Tall personality to strike the balance.  His Personal Achievements in a lot of fields are remarkable.. He rose a level above in everything that he did.. To set an example for the generations to come.. And a person of such a disposition becomes an educationalist … makes the future shine brighter each passing day. Realizing the value of formalized education he reserved an enormous portion of his estate for the founding of schools at Calcutta, Lucknow, and Lyon (France), his native city. All these schools are flourishing, training the youth of today to become educated, disciplined, and useful citizens. Thousands who have passed through these schools have cause to be grateful for Claude Martin’s generosity and foresight.

Over the period of more than one and a half centuries, the College has shaped soldiers, sailors, and airmen who have made the school and their country proud in the two World Wars and in the wars of Independent India. It has also shaped engineers, doctors, educationists, administrators, and outstanding sportsmen, now spread across the globe

For the Ones who have finished school … would want to relive it here and the ones who are in school desire to be here… completely worth the visit …

Cruise in the Ganges and explore the old age city-Banaras

Mark Twain wrote, “Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”

Banaras the enchanting oldest city – 84 Ghats…about 2000 temples and sites of religious, historical and architectural significance, heritage walks, the narrow, twisting, age-old lanes and touch the carefree life of the locals. Enjoy the delicious street food of hundreds of different kinds and flavours.

Varanasi has different tales, timelines, and experiences packed for each traveler!

In this old age city – in the Holy River Ganges -Enjoy the state of art cruise at an affordable price with two options- morning-The slow cruise allows to take in every detail of the magnificent heritage at each of the 84 Ghats and evening.. Will allow you to see the sun setting, often with beautiful hues that lend a delicate tint to the river, as well as witness the Ganga Aarti – the daily ritual of offering devotion to the holy river Ganga – held at several Ghats almost simultaneously.

Not to miss..

Queen’s Gift to the King-Rani Ni Vav- Patan

It has been listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites since 2014.

Queen Udyamati built this step well- known as “VAV” in local Language (Gujarati) as a mark in the history of her husband King Bheema on the banks of the Maiden River Saraswati.

In the olden days.. the Vav was a place where women would gather for their daily chores as, fetching drinking water, bathing, washing clothes, tattle time, singing old stories melodies folklore songs, dancing which used to make their day by day life all the more fascinating and lit.

The finest and one of the biggest examples of its kind and designed as an inverted temple emphasizing the sacredness of water, the stepwell is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels; more than 500 principal sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular images.

Back in a time where life was all about living in the Moment…

Located in the state of Tamilnadu.  The Kodiyar River Makes a Descent at this location. With about 300 ft. long riverbed which is rocky, the water falls from a height of about 50ft and flows about seven months a year. Near the Waterfall there is a Temple of Lord Veerbhadra- Fierce Incarnation of Lord Shiva.

This temple is one of 12 Lord Shiva temples on the route of the Sivalaya Ottam- ritual Marathon. This Marathon has a great belief and starts on the day of Shivratri on foot -82 Kms to be traveled within 24 hours.. Collecting the blessings/offerings from each temple …

The Water falls with a great force and has a magnificent view. Safe and clean. It will seem like a curtain of white water come over the rocks as if it were being poured from a giant bucket that never emptied. The Time will pause here..

 Top of Patnitop

The Adventure Park with a view … Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. The park offers something for everyone

So much to offer with a super parcel of INDIA’s FIRST …Try the longest Zipline with 9 wires, 10 poles, and a magnificent view.

Dry tube sledding for the adrenaline-charged experience.

Travel to the Era of Magic Carpets … Experience the fantasy of riding ONE – getting a first-hand encounter of the picturesque locale.

Gondola ride, now that the Alps come to you, the delightful thrill of being hundreds of feet above the ground gliding over lush green forests and terraced slopes in spacious avant-garde gondolas are custom-crafted for an all year round experience.

Hiking – two trails particularly crafted for an advancing encounter of the greenery

How you feel the most alive when your heart skips a few beats!!!

Indian Rulers faced Mongol invasions several times throughout history but there was a time when Delhi Sultanate fell to Mongols in a siege of the year 1303 during the reign of Alauddin Khalji, this was considered one of the most ferocious invasions by many historians but after Mongols took over Delhi suburbs the ruler took refuge in the under-construction fort called Siri, a well-guarded camp which Mongols couldn’t penetrate & finally retreated from the long siege and never attacked Delhi again.

After Khilji came Firuz Shah Tughlaq who established a Madrasa and named it Hauz Khas meaning The Royal Water Tank. The Tomb of Firuz Shah Tughlaq still sits in the very place along with a lake, a deer park to see.

Hauz Khas still stands with remains of the Fort Siri also, in south Delhi standing apart from the modern world and converted into a place of solace & celebration with Exclusive shopping experiences & flourishing gastronomy.

Hauz Khas Village features a lot of Speciality Restaurants, Pubs & Bars where people come to get out of city life. There are a lot of antique shops & artist galleries in the area as well and have evolved a perfect mix of modern & 13th-century architecture which compensates any voyager with a very traditional & ethnic charm.

It was called “Bugyal” meaning meadow in Local Garhwali language. A long time ago there was a tribe called ‘Bhotiyas’ that settled in this region they were originally from Mongol they turned into exemplary Traders after setting down and used to carry out trade with Tibet and this inspired the locals and Auli became home to the training grounds of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police mainly because of its tough climatic conditions by the Government Of India. It is 2800m high above sea level and is a perfect Ski paradise for any adventure seeker. In 2019 a few gentlemen came to Auli from International Ski Federation and Auli will be soon hosting International Ski Tournaments with the Support of our valiant ITBP expert personnel. The GMVN (Garhwali Mandal Vikas Nigam) also hosts National Ski Competitions to motivate new Skiers. Auli also is near to the famous Valley Of Flowers National Park for Trekkers and hikers in the Chamoli District of Uttarakhand. End up in the path of Guru Adi Shankaracharya who tread on the same meadows and even left his mark Shankaracharya Tapasthali (A Temple that Still Exists today) & Jotir math one of the four mathas set for governing authority of all four Vedas, Jotir Math or Joshimath has the authority over Atharva Veda, the Veda of magic spells, incantations, rituals. So don’t settle down break free amidst these enchanted meadows of Auli.

On the banks of the river, Hooghly lies Kolkata(City Of Joy)’s one of the oldest recreational spots in the city originally the ghat was built by the British in the year 1841 and the Prinsep Memorial was commemorated in 1843 after the death of James Prinsep, who also was a fellow of Royal Society & his collection of all the ancient coins still lays in the British Museum in London even today. He was what we call a Numismatist meaning a person who studies forms & types of money mainly coins & during that era to decipher & recognize past kingdoms wealth pertaining to their ways of trade & relations with other kingdoms during their reign. The Ghat was used by Britishers for embarking & disembarking on ships for their journey and hence the ghat transformed into a popular spot, shops came up the vendors started selling Ice Creams, there were boats where people could come and enjoy rides on the Hooghly overlooking the Famous Howrah Bridge. The Prinsep Memorial was refurbished in Nov 2001 and now since 24th May 2012, a 2km long riverfront with Illuminations, Parks, landscaped Gardens, and fountains along with an array of shops serving a variety of comfort foods has been developed.

Nowadays you can even hire a boat for not more than 400 INR for 30 mins and enjoy the sunset overlooking the new Vidyasagar Setu Bridge adjacent to the old Howrah Bridge. So next time engage in this old tradition of chilling in the banks of Hooghly with your friends & loved ones in this the amazing city of Joy.

In the time of British India, a group of Jesuit Priests from Kodaikanal started to build mud houses inside the forest area for the people who converted to Christianity from their local religion or traditions could settle there and start a new life and Vattakanal was born. Even today it remains a Christian village that is home to more than 100 families. After the Independence, the priest found a calling and started cultivating on forest lands and then nature hit back because of the chopping of trees for farming a particular local fauna became agitated and started running on the fields destroying the crop & has been worshipped in the region since then and the community faced difficulties in finding work and the younger generation started flocking in the forests and discover a psychotropic mushroom giving an unparallel hallucinogenic feel in the body and this became a popular myth among a lot of Israelis. At the same time in India commercialization had just prevailed in India and a lot of tourists started flocking India in search of places, culture & mostly People! And Nowadays Vattakanal is a universal hippie paradise offering great cuisine, Cozy stays, misty panoramic views of the Mountains, and beautiful treks in and around the forests. There is an Echo Point where nature talks back to you so beware of what you give! A personal recommendation is Altaf’s Café a must-visit for it’s delicious the Mediterranean & Lebanese Preparations with a Jaw-dropping view and after you can trek to the famous Dolphin’s Nose a picturesque peak shaped like the nose of a dolphin with view hovering at 6600 Ft.

A site where three religions co-existed long ago before there was a word called secularism and remained capital of Gujarat established by King Vanraj Chavda the most successful ruler of The Chavda dynasty which reigned over most of Gujarat from the year 690 to 942. He was the one who named the province of Champaner on his favorite general Name “Champa” right on the foot of Pavagadh Hills which said to be a chunk of the Himalaya’s Mountain which the mighty God Hanumanji carried to save Lord Ram’s Brother Laxman who got injured fighting one of Ravana’s sons. Champaner has Not just That there are three Jain temples on the Pavagadh hills that are said to be 5000 years old! But after the foundation laid by Vanraj Chavda Champaner was handed to a family called Patai’s among them the last ruler called “Patai Jaisinh” has a very mythological story behind him. According to the local folklores (Garba) once during the Navratri time, Goddess Mahakali assumed the form of a lady to come down & enjoy the festival but the King did not behave properly so he was cursed that his kingdom should fall and it Did in the 15th Century during his reign Mahmud Begada or Known as Mahmud Shah I, attacked and to control over Pavagadh & Junagadh and established his kingdom’s Capital to Champaner which now is a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site since 2004 making it the second UNESCO Heritage site in Gujarat and here lies The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park as a commemoration of stories like this! Then came the Mughal Ruler Humayun who conquered these lands and shifted his capital to Ahmedabad & once a capital was long forgotten in history although Today’s scenario is quite different it’s a major pilgrimage destination and there is a pretty good infrastructure for tourism being developed by the local government to promote this destination. Find yourself in these ancient stories & structures in this lost capital of Gujarat Champaner-Pavagadh.