Attractions of Mahabalipuram Tour

Mahabalipuram is a classic tourist destination of incredible India where tourists come from far and wide. Its rich cultural heritage and breathtaking natural beauty make it a must-see destination of Tamil Nadu. Once you travel to Mahabalipuram, you will remember the travel experience for the rest of your life. Mahabalipuram tour is a famous tour of incredible India tourism.

The beauty of Mahabalipuram's architectural marvels earned it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once the capital of the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram, this town is now a famous tourist attraction where people come to see the heritage left behind by the erstwhile rulers. The aesthetic appeal of the architectural monuments of this wonderful town draws many a tourist here. Some of the famous attractions of Mahabalipuram are:

The Shore Temple

It is the most mesmerizing attraction of this town which is steeped in rich beauty and history. Ideally nestled on the shore of Bay of Bengal amidst peaceful and beautiful environment, the temple dates back to the 8th century. It is a five-storied temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and Vishnu. The temple reflects the perfect example of Dravidian style of architecture. The exquisite carvings and sculptures of the temple deserve mention. Over the centuries some of the portions of the temple got ruined. But still the temple retains its old world charm. It looks all the more picturesque in evening when golden sun rays fall on it. The charm of this temple increases manifold with the annual celebration of the Mahabalipuram Dance Festival with the temple as its backdrop.

Arjuna Penance

Named after the hero of the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Arjuna Penance is a beautiful open air bas-relief. Built in the 7th century, it is an architectural marvel boasting of breathtaking carvings. Located on a rock, this structure offers a three-dimensional effect.

Pancha Rathas or Five Chariots

These are the arresting cave temples named after the five Pandavas, the mythological figures from the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. It is a World Heritage Site which was built in the 7th century. The carvings of these structures are truly mind-blowing.

Mahabalipuram Dance Festival

This dance festival offers a great opportunity to see the traditional dances of South India. Coinciding with the festival of Pongal(the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu), this festival is marked by dance performances by artists from all over India. It is celebrated annually in the month of January/February.

The Shore Temple

Arjuna Penance

Pancha Rathas or Five Chariots

Mahabalipuram Dance Festival

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Travel Lotus Temple Delhi

India today is go word for every globe trotting traveler and briefcase toting executive. India is one of the world's raging hot touristy hotspots. India's capital Delhi isboth daunting and alluring with a stunning backdrop of ancient architecture amidst a buzzing international metropolis which draws people from acrossIndia and the globe.

Delhibeing an international business and tourist hub of 14 million people, hotels in Delhi city are jam packed with an amazing assortment of people from different cultures, lifestyles, religions and beliefs. The state of the artInternationalAirport atDelhi has a capacity of 60 million people flying in and out.

Most hotels in Delhi are located in the Karol Bagh andConnaught Place areas which are bustling, modern, with huge department stores, chic boutiques, endless bazaars and classy up markets.

Delhiis a paradise of things to do, sights and sounds to explore, tastes to relish, . There are endless ancient monuments, forts, palaces, restaurants, shops, bazaars, classy markets, magnificent gardens, fabulous cultural and theatrical performances, modern architectural wonders, museums and art galleries, folklore and handicrafts…the list is endless. Any and every hotel in Delhi you stay at will organize forays into all these wonderful activities for you.

The Archaeological Survey of India recognizes 175 monuments in Delhias national heritage sites. The Lotus temple, also called Bahá'í House of Worship, is one of them. One of the must see places in this stupendous city. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

The Templeis composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The nine doors of the LotusTempleopen onto a central hall slightly more than 40 meters tall and that is capable of holding up to 2,500 people. The surface of the Templeis made of white marble. Along with its nine surrounding ponds and the gardens, the LotusTempleproperty comprises 26 acres. There are many hotels in Delhi nearby the temple complex as well.

TheLotusTempleis open to all regardless of religion or any other distinction. The Bahá'í laws emphasize that the spirit of the House of Worship be that it is a gathering place where people of all religions may worship God.

Since its inauguration in 1986, the Bahá'í Templein Delhihas attracted more than 100 million visitors! - making it one of the most visited buildings in the world. So what are you waiting for? Book a hotel in Delhi at any one of city's thousands of excellent hotels and gather your unforgettable memories, not to mention the ‘heritage photos' to take back home for your prized shelf.

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Travel Akshardham Temple

Swaminarayan Akshardham is the temple in New Delhi, India which characterizes the beauty of the 10,000 years of Indian culture by its excellence in beauty, wisdom and bliss. The architecture and timeless spiritual messages of the Akshardham Temple is brilliant temple that showcases the contribution of Indian art and culture, values and harmony in the mankind. The grand temple of Akshardham was established by the 11,000 artisans and volunteers in total devotional 5 years.
It was inaugurated on 6th November 2005. Akshardham the word means the eternal, divine blessings and values of Akshar which is defines as the Vedas and Upanishads with divine bhakti, purity and peace.

What to see?
There are many such things that are worth seeing in the Akshardham Temple. The first and the foremost is the Mandir of Akshardham Temple.

Mandir: The temple is built without steel, and is consisted of the 234 carved pillars, 9 ornate domes, 20 quardrangled shikharas, a spectacular Gajendra Path and 20,000 murtis and the statues of the devotees and divine personalities.

Height: 141.3 ft
Width: 316 ft
Length: 356 ft
Inauguration: 6-11-2005, Kartik Shukla Panchmi, Labh Pancham, V.S. 2062
Organizer: BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.
Creator: HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj

Audio Animatronics Shows: The show gives the presentation of the Audio Animatronics Show in the Akshardham Temple features the life of the Bhagwan Swaminarayn. Through the exhibition the happiness, success and peace of mind is portrayed by the sculpting the life of Swaninarayan. Its a unique 3D dioramas and walk through dioramas. It can also be the fresh and a new message for the audience.

Boat Ride: Its a 12 minutes boat ride experience that presents the 10,000 years old India's glorious heritage. It is the journey through the labyrinth of the ancient discoveries and inventions by the ancient rishis or saints of India.

Musical Fountain: The musical fountain of the Akshardham Temple is called as the Yugnapurush Kund which is a fascinating view of earth, water, fire, air etc. Yagna means to sacrifice or generously give appreciation.

Garden of India: Akshardham Temple has the marvelous garden which is also called as Bharat Upvan. Bharat Upvan has the magnificent and natural beauty of cultural ambiance of the lush gardens and wonderful bronze statues which plays the great role in the models of India.

Accommodation: Accommodations are available at the nearby hotels and lodges in New Delhi.

Accessibility: New Delhi is very well connected to the major Indian cities by air, rail and road.

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Do Nazca Lines Extend to North America?

Along with mysterious lines present in the arid area of Nazca in Peru we can also observe comparable lines drawn many years ago in California near the town of Blythe. The Fort Yuma Indian Reservation on the lower Colorado River is near this town and the drawings therefore bear the name Blythe Intaglios.

On another part of the world you may see similar mysterious drawings in a neighborhood of Nazca, a small town at the mouth of the river that goes into the Pacific Ocean. The city is some 400 km south of Lima in Peru. It lies near the system of valleys and plateaus on the southern coast of Peru, where these famous drawings can be seen. Nazca is also the name used for the Nazca culture that flourished in the area some time around and after the year 300 BC.

The lines - both in Nazca and Blythe - only give complete images if we see them from above (from an airplane). Unlike in Peru, where we can no longer meet indigenous people directly associated with the drawings, the original inhabitants (Indians) still live on the lower Colorado River near Blythe. Quetsan or Quechan, sometimes Yuma, Yuman, Kwtsan, Kwtsaan, is the name for the Indians that live here. The word Yuma comes from an old name used for a group of Native American ethnic groups.

The Yuma people, who today prefer to be called rather the Quechan, have long been known as very good fighters.

Apart from the very well known Dänikin-type hypotheses that imagine aliens everywhere in ancient archeology if it is possible, we can explain the purpose of the Nazca and Blythe lines simply:

1 The patterns correspond to constellations of the stars.

2 The purpose of their creation was of a ceremonial (ritual) character.

3 The lines secretly point to some underground places.

Ancient aqueducts are really present in the Nazca region and together with these very old sky drawings they are, too, some 2000 years old.

Even today, these ancient aqueducts (underground water tunnels) are used for irrigation in the Nazca region and they belong to the group of a few unparalleled construction works of the South American Indians.

The underground water tunnels are accessible even today. It is therefore quite probable that these lines may contain encrypted information on how to find some underground spaces. We can go perhaps even further and think of these theoretical underground locations as something that has a connection to ancient secrets, or even pathways to the Aghartha.

Lore Cachora, the Quetsan elder, says that the drawings were used for rituals and as these patterns produce a complete picture only from above, religious ceremonies took place on them. The Indians used them for the same purpose as we use our churches today. Lore Cachora further says that figures of the drawings represent deities of the Creation. One such a deity is Mastamho - the grandson of Mother Earth (Pachamama) and the Heavenly Father.

David Whitley, one of the leading experts on ancient drawings, confirms this, too. In his opinion, the ceremonial significance of the Blythe intaglios could have the same spirit as the ancient creators of the Nazca lines possessed, but unfortunately, we cannot say this for sure. The Blythe intaglios definitely picture the Creation, but as far as the Nazca lines in Peru are concerned, we do not have enough arguments to say the same thing.

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The Symbol Of San Francisco The Golden Gate Bridge

New York has the Empire State Building, and Washington DC has the Washington and Lincoln Memorials. Almost every major American city can boast at least one major masterpiece of architecture. In San Francisco, that emblem is the Golden Gate Bridge, recognized as one of the most graceful steel spans in the world. A tourist's visit to the San Francisco Bay Area isn't complete without a panoramic vista of this gorgeous structure. This isn't a feat of engineering; instead, it is a work of art.

To truly appreciate the Golden Gate Bridge, one must first have a solid grasp of the history that lies behind it. Conceived in the boom years of the Roaring 1920's but constructed during the depths of the Great Depression, the Bridge represents American perseverance and determination. The great project was completed in 1937, and the Golden Gate Bridge stood as the longest steel suspension bridge in the world until 1964, when the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was completed connecting the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn.

The Golden Gate Bridge garners wide praise for its aesthetics. The American Society of Civil Engineers declared it to be one of the modern Wonders of the World. According to Frommer's Travel Guides, it's "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world."

Though the Bridge can be viewed from points across San Francisco, the best vistas are to be had from Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Surrounding the San Francisco Bay, the GGNRA is one of the most visited units in the National Park System. Over 13 million people come to this area each year to view the great red bridge, among other activities.

The Park is deceptively large, as it is not one contiguous land area, but rather a collection of parks that runs from northern San Mateo County down to southern Marin County. It runs along 59 miles of coast. The GGNRA shouldn't be confused, however, with Golden Gate Park, which is run by the city of San Francisco as a separate entity.

There is no shortage of things to do in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. On a warm summer day, it's not unusual to see people biking, rollerblading, and jogging on some of the countless well-maintained paths. In addition, photography is only one art form that is used to capture the majesty of the Golden Gate Bridge. Other artists employ paints, pencils, and sculpting clay to interpret the span.

A trip to the GGNRA isn't complete without a visit to its most infamous attraction. The island of Alcatraz has been the feature of countless movies. Although it hasn't housed prisoners since 1963, its since reopened as a museum. Its positively haunting to walk the halls of this chilling structure, once home to Al Capone and "Birdman of Alcatraz" Robert Stroud.

Spend a day or two exploring Golden Gate National Recreation Area; you're sure to appreciate the Bridge, along with all of the rest of the GGNRA has to offer.

The Golden Gate Bridge

The island of Alcatraz

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