Monday, August 25, 2008

India: Where Bollywood Starts

BANGALORE - THE GARDEN CITY

The founding of present day Bangalore is attributed to the Magadi Chieftain, Kempe Gowda, who laid its foundations in 1537. According to local folklore the present name Palace in Bangalore Image Bangalore, derives from 'Bendakalooru' or the town of boiled beans, a name given by Veera Ballala, a king of the Vijayanagar dynasty, who having lost his way in the forests was given a bowl of boiled beans by a kindly woman here. However that may be, the founding of the city is traced back to 1537 and it has seen the rule of the maharajas of Mysore mainly. One of the factors that has gone in to make Bangalore the fifth largest city in India today is its mild and healthy climate. A large number of people, many from outside the region have thus made the city their permanent home. Thus the city has a fairly large number of people who are retired from active life and others who are here for exclusive pleasure seeking.

Often termed as a garden city, Bangalore's climate has also drawn towards itself a large number of industries like the HAL and the Indian Telephone Industry and has become Image a premier manufacturing and commercial centre since the 1950s.

Amidst all this hectic activity, the city offers itself as an ideal base to explore the fascinating and culturally rich state of Karnataka. Visitors will find the ruins of the once powerful Vijayanagar empire, the sculpted wonders of Belur and Halebid, the awesome mausoleum of Bijapur and much more within easy reach. The city by itself offers extensive shopping opportunities, a rich fanfare of cuisine, hotels to suit all pockets and much cultural and other entertainment.




CHENNAI - CITY OF HOLY SERPENT

Chennai, the largest city in southern India located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai Beach Image developed after 1639 when the British East India Company
established a fort and trading post at the small fishing village of Chennai.

Over the past three and a half centuries, the small fishing village has grown into a bustling metropolis which is especially known for its spaciousness which is lacking in other Indian cities, This characteristic is exemplified by the long esplanade called the Marina and which is lined by impressive buildings which remind the casual visitor of the long and inseparable association the city has had with the British.

Even elsewhere in the city, one cannot fail to notice the dominant British influences in the form of old cathedrals, buildings in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, wide tree lined avenues.

However, though the English legacy is undeniable, Chennai has continued to be a centre which has blended the foreign influence with the traditional Tamil-Hindu culture. As a city it continues to maintain the best of south Indian traditions. This is not surprising because the region was an important centre of Pallavan culture long before the British came here and the traces of which are to be found in the numerous old temple. Image

Thus, the unwary visitor will find Chennai more than just a gateway of South India. He shall find it a convenient base to peep into the varied aspects of traditional south Indian culture and life styles which inter- mingle with the modern city complete with its plush hotels and restaurants- offering a range of continental and typical, south Indian cuisine, long and uncrowded stretches of beaches, modern shopping centres which offer traditional handicrafts, textiles and much more peculiar to this part of India.

Besides the modern city itself, there are several interesting towns like Mamallapuram and Kanchipuram, each with a rich collection of ancient temples and an array of traditional handicrafts which are very much their own.




IMMORTAL CITY - DELHI
Sprawling on the banks of the river Yamuna, Delhi, Bahai Temple the capital of India, typifies the soul of the country. In time the city conceals within its bosom annals of civilisations that flourished for more than three thousand years. Indraprastha, according to legends, the city founded by the Pandavas in the times of the epic Mahabharata (circa 1500 B.C.), was located near the Old Fort that stands on a large mound overlooking the river.

Qutab Minar Since those early days many dynasties and rulers flourished on its regal soil. The legacy of that past survives in the many monuments left behind by the regents, each a chronicle of the glory of its time and an imprint of the character of the ruler. Today, the city is a curious blend of the modern and traditional, skyscrapers, beautiful gardens and wide tree-lined avenues perpetuate the Mughal passion of landscaping and architectural excellence. More important, however, Delhi blends within its folds the great cultural variety of India; an unceasing range of activity, a million ways of saying 'You are Welcome'.



Mumbai - The business hub of India

Mumbai a cluster of seven islands, derives its name from Mumbadevi, the patron goddess of the Koli fisher folk, its oldest inhabitants. Mumbai Image

Once a Portuguese princess' dowry and later an adornment of neo-gothic British architecture, Mumbai today, is more than just a metropolis. It is infact an enigma of mud huts & sky- scrapers, age old traditions & high fashions, the industrialists' heaven & movie makers' hollywood.

A lovely natural harbour and winding creek set off the city of Mumbai from the long, narrow coast of Western India.

Mumbai pulsates with activity. It is a city that is disciplined by no time frame-neither by day nor night. Mumbai is also the country's financial powerhouse, the nation's industrial heartland, and its economic nerve centre. Dazzling shopping arcades, exciting sport activity, night clubs and discotheques, theatre and music, gourmet restaurants and interesting sightseeing - Mumbai offers the visitor a heady mix of all this and more.

AGRA FORT

Architectural wonder in stone

Within a radius of 3 kilometres, on the banks of the river Yamuna, rises the crescent-like Agra Fort. Designed and built by Akbar in 1565 A.D., the fort is surrounded by a 70 foot high wall. It houses the beautiful Pearl Mosque and numerous palaces including the Jahangiri Mahal, Diwan-i-khas, Diwan-i-Am and Moti Masjid.

The fort has four gates and is enclosed by a double barricaded wall of red sand stone. Many buildings were constructed within the fort of which very few remain till date. One of the most significant ones is the multistoreyed Jahangiri Mahal built by Akbar for his wife Jodha Bai.

The Mahal is reached through an impressive gateway and its inner courtyard consists of beautiful halls, profuse carvings on stone, exquisitely carved heavy brackets, piers and cross beams. Most of the panels in the eastern hall are decorated with the Persian styled stucco paintings in gold and blue. It is believed that a century later, most of the structure were dismantled by Shahjahan and were replaced with white marble pavilions covered with intricate inlay work. Of which the most prominent ones are - the Diwan-i-khas, the Mausam Burj and the Shaha Burj. Away from the waterfront he built the Moti Masjid and the Diwan-i-Am.

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