Cultural Tourism of India

Cultural tourism is a tourism towards the cultural heritage of a place. Culture has always been a major object of travel. Tourism is now a culture. Cultural attractions play a significant role in tourism at all the levels.  Cultural heritage tourism nowadays is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry.

India, a  kaleidoscope of traditions cultures and different geographics speaks for itself. India is famous all over the world for its rich culture and heritage. The country's  cultural diversity and history attracts various tourist from all over the world .  India has a slab of every kind of traveller.
Heritage tourism in india is a treasure as there are several cultural, historical and natural resources. Some cities of the country are known just because of its heritage sites. Cultural tourism of India varies from region to region like Madurai is famous for temples, Mahabalipuram is famous for its carved rock-cut temples and caves while Agra for Taj Mahal and Jaipur for palaces.  Every state of the country is rich in culture and its heritage. There are number of historical places to visit in India .

Some major sites of the cultural tour includes:
Khajurao , Madhya Pradesh
Bikaner, Rajasthan
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Bodhgaya, Bihar
Amritsar, Punjab

KHAJURAO, MADHYAPRADESH
The Khajurao group of monuments is a group of jain and hindu temples in chhatarpur. The temples are famous for their nagara style sculptures . Most of the temples were built in  950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty.  Lakshman Temple, Kandariya Mahadeva Temple and Vishvanath Temple are some of the most visited surviving monuments in Khajuraho, and the place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

BIKANER , RAJASTHAN 
The origins of Bikaner can be traced back to 1488 when a Rathore prince, Rao Bikaji, founded the kingdom. As Rajasthan is known for its royal palaces and forts . Bikaner is situated in the  northern region of the state.  Bikaner displays its ancient opulence through palaces and forts, built of red sandstone, that have withstood the passage of time.  The city is nicknamed as the "Camel Country" . It is also known for  having its own unique temple dedicated to Karni Mata at Deshnok, called the Rats Temple.

VARANASI , UTTARPRADESH 
 Varanasi is also known as Banaras or Kashi . The city is on the banks of river Ganga . Varanasi has been a cultural centre of North India for several thousand years,[citation needed] and is closely associated with the Ganges. Hindus believe that death in the city will bring salvation, making it a major centre for pilgrimage. The city is known worldwide for its many ghats, embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. Of particular note are the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat, the last two being where Hindus cremate their dead and the Hindu genealogy registers at Varanasi are kept here.

MADURAI, TAMIL NADU
Madurai is popularly called Thoonga Nagaram meaning the city that never sleeps, on account of the active night life.   The city is located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai.Meenakshi Amman Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the south side of the Vaigai River in Madurai and is one of the most prominent landmarks of the city. The people of Madurai celebrate numerous festivals, including Meenakshi Tirukkalyanam, the Chittirai Festival and the Car Festival.Madurai is a major cultural hub of South India.

BODHGAYA,BIHAR 
Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the place where Gautama Buddha obtained his enlightment. For Buddhists, Bodh Gaya is the most important of the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha.The Buddha Statue, the Mahabodhi Temple and several other sites of religious significance are all located in close proximity to each other, visited by both pilgrims and tourists alike.

AMRITSAR,PUNJAB 
Amritsar is a city in the state of Punjab bustling with life. A city offering traditional Indian food, famous for shopping, is  located at the distance of 28 km from the Indo-Pakistan border, the city offers its visitors a chance to witness the famous Wagah Border Ceremony where the troops of both Indian and Pakistani military carry out a joint— and often competitive—  performance in the evening. In terms of culinary favourites, Amritsari Kulcha and Mahi Amritsari are not to be missed.

Prayagraj - City Excursion

The thing about tourism is that the reality of a place is quite different from the mythology of it.
Prayagraj , a city in state of Uttar Pradesh previously known as Allahabad is an important tourist destination attracting huge number of tourists annually . Being one of the oldest cities in the world and enriched with a glorious history , the city has several monuments from different periods of Indian history . The city is also famous worldwide for the Kumbh Mela, a holy religious gathering of Hindu pilgrims which also attracts a large number of tourists and has been taking place in the city from ancient times.

The Major  tourists attractions of the city are :

1. Triveni Sangam
2. Khusro Bagh
3.Aanand Bhavan
4.Allahabad Museum
5. Prayagraj  Fort
6. All Saints Cathedral

 TRIVENI SANGAM :

 Sangam is a sanskrit word meaning confluence. Triveni sangam at prayagraj is the convergence of three rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati where saraswati is mythical river. There is a belief that the Saraswati river flows underneath the surface.  The two rivers maintain their visible identity and can be identified by their different colours. The water of the Ganga is clear, while that of the Yamuna is greenish in colour.

The Triveni Sangam is considered to be a very sacred place in India to Hindus, who believe that taking a dip there will wash away sins and free them from the cycle of rebirth, thereby achieving Moksha.  Every 12 years, millions of people are drawn to a spiritual festival in India, the Maha Kumbh Mela, at this Sangam. It’s the largest gathering of humanity on Earth.

KHUSRO BAGH : 

Khusrau Bagh is a large walled garden and burial complex located in muhalla Khuldabad close to the Allahabad Junction Station, in Allahabad, India. It is two miles away from the allahabad fort built by akbar . The garden is quadrangle in shape and is spread over 40 acres. The bagh includes three tombs of Prince Khusru his mother and his sister.

The Sandstones  mausoleums within the garden are the most intense example of mughal architecture . The tomb of Khusrau, is the last of the three tombs in Khusro Bagh. Khusro was first imprisoned within the garden after he rebelled against his father, Jahangir.The garden has now lend its name to the surrounding locality of Khusrobagh, which is now bustling township.

ANAND BHAVAN :

The bhavan is a historic house museum in prayagraj . It is the museum focusing on the nehru family . It was bought by the political leader motilal nehru in 1930s and was transformed into the local headquarters of the Indian National Congress. Jawahar Planetarium, the planetarium is situated here, which has been striving to inculcate scientific temper among masses through its sky shows on astronomy and science.

ALLAHABAD MUSEUM:

The Allahabad Museum located in the picturesque Chandrashekhar Azad Park (company bagh) is among the National level museums of India.It is about 3 kms from Allahabad railway junction and almost equidistant from Prayag and Rambagh Railway Stations and about 12 km from Bamrauli Airport.

The  museum has a diversified collection of art, antiquities, paintings ,sculptures, coins, ceramics, archaeological objects, illustrated manuscripts, farmans, decorative art objects, arm & armours, textiles, natural history specimen, photographs , prints and personalia collections pertaining to Gandhi, Nehru and Literary personalities of Allahabad like Sumitra Nandan Pant,Suryakant Tripathi “Nirala”, Premchand, and Mahadevi Verma.

PRAYAGRAJ  FORT:

The Prayagraj Fort was built at Prayagraj  by the  mughal emperor Akbar in 1583.  The fort is situated at the banks of river Yamuna near its convergence with ganga.

At present it is used by the army and only a limited area is open to visitors.Visitors are allowed to see the Ashokan Pillar and Saraswati Koop, a well said to be the source of the Saraswati river and Jodhabai Palace.
The Patalpuri temple and the much revered Akshaya Vat or immortal Banyan tree are also great attractions for the faithful.

 THE ALL SAINTS CATHEDRAL :

All Saints Cathedral was built in the 19 century . The church was designed by Sir Williams Emerson in 1870 . The designs on the altar marble and stained glass panel makes the building more beautiful .  All Saints Cathedral is also known as the "Patthar Girja". The architecture is a major tourist attraction of the city. The church is situated at the canning town which lies opposite to the junction railway station .