Worldroom MICE Tourism Guide: India 2008


	Previous Edition archive
	Worldroom National Tourism Guide INDIA 2008archive


	Heritage tourism is all set to play a pivotal role in showcasing the resurgence of the romance of travel in India. The beginnings may be slow but the path ahead is full of promise and spellbinding adventures in full measure. So much has been lost over time, but the promotion of heritage tourism will assuredly add more luster to the countrywide movement for the preservation of India's unique traditions and historic and cultural sites. From the moment the traditional tikka of welcome graces your forehead to the last salute from the regal darban at your hotel, you can delight in the pleasures of an old-fashioned leisurely journey of discovery of the splendiferous embarrassment of riches of heritage sites, cultural diversity, architectural marvels, and the rich tapestry of the arts and crafts of this antique land. From the early days of the Indus Valley Civilization waves of migrations, warlords and conquerors attracted by India's legendary wealth, over the centuries, have left their socio-political and cultural influences on every aspect of this vast land and its many people. It is the sensitive merging of native tradition and this cross-cultural richness that has resulted in a vibrant and kaleidoscopic canvas of regional marvels, from north to south and from east to west. The dazzling juxtaposition of the contemporary and ancient world has coalesced into a poetic synthesis of such assured richness that it defies understanding. Delve into its spirituality, its architectural diversity, the crafting traditions, its culinary vibrations and its colourful festivals for a fascinating insight into the workings of one of the world's oldest civilizations. India's spiritual heritage has been attracting visitors for centuries, whether it was the Chinese scholar Huen Tsang who walked all the way from China to India's Buddhist sites, or world-acclaimed pop stars, The Beatles, who flew in, in the 1960s, to rediscover themselves in the holy city of Rishikesh- being the world's Yoga centre today. India is the birthplace of the world's most important religious movements. Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism once flourished simultaneously here. Bodhgaya, where Lord Buddha gained nirvana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the ancient city of Varanasi, which flourished at the same time as Babylon and Ninevah and considered by Hindus as the earthly home of Lord Shiva, are amongst India's most important spiritual hubs attracting visitors from around the globe. Some of the most magnificent temples raised to the galaxy of Hindu deities have been legendary for their architecture and their riches (Somnath in Gujarat was plundered 17 times by Mahmud Ghazni and raised again and again). Today the 8th-11th century temples of Khajuraho, rescued from the jungles, and the spectacular shore temple of Konarak in Orissa, are the sites of prestigious annual dance festivals. Around the 15th century the Portuguese and the English who arrived at her shores ostensibly for trade have in their beautiful churches and cathedrals, left behind a legacy of their stay in this beautiful country. Some of the churches in Goa and Kerala are among the world's oldest. With the arrival of Islam in the country, demolished temples were often replaced by mosques by the Muslim invaders. Amongst them were the conquering Mughals from Central Asia who commissioned mosques marked by architectural perfection. The country's fragmented architectural heritage documents over 5,000 years of Indian history. From the underplayed splendour of the Taj Mahal to the ancient university site of Nalanda from its fabulous palaces to its palatial mansions to its colonial-era bungalows -from Kashmir to Karnataka � from Orissa to Gujarat from the rugged beauty of the 300 odd coastal forts of Maharashtra and Goa - of Rajasthan of Madhya Pradesh to the gorgeously sculpted terraccotta temples of Bishnupur in West Bengal, on offer is an invaluable architectural imprint and dazzling cornucopia of a fusion of aesthetics and traditional techniques and skills. There are living heritage cities to explore(Delhi with its old Mughal capital of Shajehanabad and Raj-era Luteyn's city); there are the painterly wonders of the open-air gallery towns of Shekhawati; medieval Bundi beckons in Rajasthan while the signature Chinese nets at Kochi harbour revive the memory of ancient galleons sweeping in from foreign lands to trade in India's legendary spice wealth. The marvelous Padmanabhapuram Palace of Travancore royals, close to Thiruvananthapuram is a poem of wooden carving skills, but the stunning stone temples of Masroor, hewn out of hard rock in Himachal Pradesh, truly boggle the mind. Next