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A GREAT DESTINATION
ETERNAL
INDIA
encyclopedia
Kumbhalgarh
: This is on the Aravali Hills, 64 kms from Udaipur.
The fort with many temples and palaces was renovated in the last
century.
Ranakpur
: This is the biggest of the 5 Jain pilgrim centres in India.
The temple was built in 1439. It has 29 halls supported by 1444
pillars no two of which are alike.
Mt. Abu
: Rajasthan's only hill station. The main attractions are
the 5 temples in Dilwara, 4kms away. The Vimal Vasahi Temple
is dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara, Adinath, the Tejpal
Temple to the 22nd Tirthankara Neminath.
Jodhpur
: Largest city of Rajasthan after Jaipur. The massive
Meherangarh Fort is most impressive. Nearby is the Jeswant
Thanda, white marble memorial to Maharaj Jaswant Singh II.
Mandore
near Jodhpur, is a popular local attraction. It has ex-
tensive gardens with high rock terraces.
Jaisalmer
: Located on the edge of the Thar Desert, the camel
routes between India and central Asia once passed through
Jaisalmer.The houses built of yellow sandstone shine like gold.
Oct.-Feb. is the best time for the camel safaris (four days and
three nights) which go to Mool Sagar Oasis, the Sam sand dunes
and passes through Hindu, Muslim, Rajput and tribal villages.
Bikaner
: A desert town noted for its large fort (Jungarh) con-
structed between 1588 - 1593, and made of red and yellow sand-
stone.
Karni Mata temple
: At Deshnok on the Jodhpur Road, 33km from
Bikaner. Dedicated to the mystic Kami Mata. Here rats are fed
and cared for because they may one day be reborn as mystics or
holy men.
SIKKIM
Formerly protectorate of Britain, India inherited this position in
1947 . Sikkim became the 22nd state of India in 1975. The capital of
the Himalayan state is Gangtok. It has the Research Institute of Ti-
betology, the world's third largest collection of Tibetan manuscripts.
The Orchid Farm has 200 different species.of orchids.
Sikkim's charm lies in its spectacular mountain scenery, varied
flora and fauna and ancient Buddhist monasteries of which there are
140 in the state. Sikkim is to the north of the Darjeeling district of
West Bengal. On its north is the Himalayan peak of Kanchenjunga
and Tibet, on the east Tibet and Bhutan, and on the west Nepal. The
river Teesta flows through Sikkim. It is surrounded on all sides by
places of scenic beauty.
It is a trekker's paradise. Trek from Gangtok to Pemayangtse
via Rumtek. Then on to Yaksum, Bakkhim and Dzongri. Dzongri is
3962m in height. You can also ride a yak to Dzongri. Rhododen-
drons of many varieties bloom by the roadside. There are other
treks also.
Pemayangtse, 137 kms from Gangtok, is famous for its Bud-
dhist monastery.
There is no air or rail link to Gangtok. You can get there by bus
via Darjeeling or Kalimpong or from Sijiguri (West Bengal). For-
eigners need permits for Sikkim.
TAMIL NADU
Madras,
the fourth largest city in India, is the capital of the State
of Tamil Nadu. It was here that the East India Company got its
first foothold on the east coast in 1639, 27 years after it had es-
tablished a factory at Surat, north of Bombay. Fort St. George
was built between 1639 - 1653 on land given by the Raja of Chan-
dragiri. The fort museum contains interesting relics. The St.
Mary's church built in 1678-80 is the first Protestant church in
India.
The Marina Beach
(13kms) is the second largest in the world.
Situated on the road along the Marina are the Senate House in
Indo-Saracenic style, the Moorish style Chepauk palace, and the
Ice House which was used to store blocks of ice during the Raj
era. The Annadurai Memorial is a recent addition.
San Thome Cathedral
: This Roman Catholic church originally
built in 1504 was rebuilt in 1893. St. Thomas, one of the 12
apostles who survived Christ is buried here, He came to India in
52 AD and was martyred at St. Thomas Mount near Madras.
The Kapaleshwara Temple
in South Madras has a typical Dravid-
iangopuram.
The Parthasarathi temple
in Triplicane was built in the 8th century
by the Pallavas.
The Deer Park
at Guindy, 8kms from Madras, has many species
of deer in their natural habitat.
The Snake park
at Guindy was developed by the American Romu-
lus Whittaker and has over 500 snakes.
The Theosophical Society
in the south of Madras was established
in 1891. The ground has a large banyan tree, the second biggest in
India. Rukmani Arundale's Kalakshetra, the school of dance and
the arts, is beside the society.
AROUND MADRAS
Kanchipuram
: Once the capital city of.the Pallavas, it is sacred
to both Shiva and Vishnu and one of the 7 holy cities of India (the
others being Hardwar, Ujjaini, Varanasi, Mathura, Ayodhya and
Dwarka). It has 200 temples and is the Varanasi of the south. The
Kailashnath Temple is the oldest in South India. .
Tirukkalu Kundram :
At the hill top temple here every day just
before noon two white kites appear and are fed by the priest.
Mahabalipuram
: 45 kms to the south of Madras. The port city of
the Pallavas. The 7th century shore temple is the only one of three
now surviving. The five Rathas are prototypes of Dravidian
temples, carved out of a single block of stone with a huge stone
elephant in the middle. The penance of Bhagiratha and the pen-
ance of Arjuna are two frescoes in bas-relief.
Crocodile farm near Mahabalipuram on road to Madras is ex-
cellent for breeding crocodiles.
Vedanthangal:
A major bird sanctuary, 80 kms from Madras. Has
a heavy concentration of waterfowl in an area of 80 hectares.
Tiruvannamalai
: The ashram is associated with the memory of
Ramana Maharishi whose tomb is here.