India Travelers    
 

West Bengal, like many other places in the world, is a place of contrasts- a curious blend of the old and the new, partly feudal, partly born out of growing urbanization, partly undefinable. The climate is, however, hot - blame the climate for the Bengali's hotheadedness. The rains come around July. But it is hot and sweaty all the year round. However, Darjeeling, the most popular hill station of the region, and its surrounding areas, prove a respite. However, in its physical form, it is a complete representation of the Indian subcontinent. Darjeeling, its northern end, lies cuddled in the arms of the mighty Himalayas and the Dooars in the foothills are rich in forest. The indomitable river Ganga flows across the state's rich alluvial plains to reach the Bay of Bengal in the south, through vast swamps that are known as the Sundarbans. And then in the middle of these two extremes, there is Calcutta. Better known as the city of joy and as the city of mother Theresa, it offers a bustling insight into India's ambiguous nature: the enormous thriving big cities with booming businesses on the one hand and the poor on the other hand.

Bengal is one of the most important cultural hubs of India. There was a saying, "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow". It is the birthplace of India's only Nobel laureate in literature, Rabindranath Tagore (not counting Rudyard Kipling, who was born in Bombay during British rule). The world famous film director Satyajit Ray was also born here. Apart from this, Bengal gave birth to innumerable well known poets and writers who enriched the world literature ceaselessly. Some prominent members include Kazi Nazrul Islam, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Bibhutibhushan Bandapadhay. Also from West Bengal is the famous Indian singer in films, Kishore Kumar ( a Bengali by lineage but born in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India), as well as the world-famous sitarist Ravi Shankar.

Places Of Interest :
Belur Math, Botanical Garden, Dakshineshwar Temple, Howarh Bridge, Jain Temple, Kali Temple, Marble Palace, Nakhoda Mosque, National Library, Rabindra Sarobar, Raj Bhavan, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Sahid Minar (Ochterlony Monument), St.Paul's Cathedral, Victoria Memorial, Zoological Gardens.

Museums an Art Galleries:
Academy of Fine Arts, Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Birla Industrial & Technological Museum, Birla Planetarium, Gurusaday Museum, Nehru Children's Museum, Rabindra Bharati Museum, State Archaeological Gallery, Victoria Memorial Hall Museum.

Excursions:
Digha Beach- 185 kms, Santiniketan- 213 kms, Bakkhali Beach- 132 kms, Chandannagar- 39 kms, Diamond Harbour- 51 kms, Sundarban- 131 kms, Tribani- 48 kms, Gangasagar- 140 kms, Malda- 340 kms, Kalna- 82 kms, Navadweep- 110 kms, Mayapur- 134 kms, Murshidabad- 221 kms, Vishnupur- 152 kms, Belur Math- 16 kms, Dakshineshwar Temple- 20 kms, Botanical Gardens- 8 kms, Murshidabad- 221 kms, Shantiniketan- 167 kms.

India Travel Destination Guide

Contacts for disabled travelers in India

Contacts for disabled travelers Britain and Ireland Can Be Done 7-11 Kensington High St, London W8 5NP ® 020/8907 2400. Specialist tour operators for the disabled. Carefree Holidays 64 Florence Rd, Northampton NN1 4NA © 01604/634301. Specialist tour operators for the disabled. Holiday Care Service 2nd Floor, Imperial Buildings, Victoria

Electricity in India

Generally 220V 50Hz AC, though direct current supplies also exist, so check before plugging in. Most sockets are triple round-pin (accepting European-size double round-pin plugs). British, Irish and Australasian plugs will need an adaptor, preferably universal; American and Canadian appliances will need a transformer too, unless multi-voltage. Power cuts and

Internet access in Delhi

Internet access is as easy as getting a telephone booth in delhi. You can find internet cafes is most of the parts of Delhi. Prices range from a mere Rs10 per hour to around Rs100 per hour but make sure you check your connection by surfing first. Paharganj teems with

Little Andaman island

This island has a beautiful beach at Butler Bay, a waterfall and plantation of oil palms. Apart from this there are several sandy beaches all along the coastline of the island. The break water at Hut Bay offers an excellent view to the tourists. Little Andaman is the vegetable

Great Nicobar

Great Nicobar Great Nicobar is the largest of the Nicobar Islands of India, north of Sumatra. Indoor Point, its southernmost tip, is also the southernmost point of India. The island covers 1045 km but is sparsely inhabited, largely being covered by rainforest and known for its diverse wildlife. The majority of the

Bus Services from Delhi

Following are the details of Bus servies from delhi to various states. Only state buses DTC(Delhi Transport Corpotration) are included in this summary; To Rajasthan DTC provides good services for Rajasthan. But in case you are not able to find the bus for rajasthan, then you can take the buses from Dhaula Kuan.

Textiles and clothing in India

Silk is usually a good buy in India, provided you make sure it is the real thing (the old test was to see whether it was possible to pull the whole garment straight through a wedding ring; however, some synthetics apparently go through too, so burn a thread and sniff

Hospitals in Delhi

Following is the list of major Hospitals in Delhi with their Phone Numbers AIIMS 91 - 11 - 2686 4851 Bansal Hospital & Res. Ctr. (P) Ltd. 91 - 11 - 2326 1072 Bara Hindu Rao Hospital 91 - 11 - 2291 9706 91 - 11 - 2291 9562 Batra Hospital & Medical Res.

Paintings and antiques in India

Most Tibetan thangkas (Buddhist religious paintings mounted on brocaded silk) are mass produced (usually in Nepal) and mod¬ern, whatever the seller says, but even the cheapest boast the dense Buddhist symbol¬ism inherent in the form. You'll find them in the north, where there are Tibetan commu¬nities, and a little investigation

Carpets and rugs in India

Carpets and rugs Kashmiri rugs are among the best in the world (up there with those from Iran) and, given a little caution and scepticism, you can get yourself a bargain in India (though you can also get shafted if you're not careful). A pukka Kashmiri carpet should have a label

Sponsered Sites

India Travel Updates
  • Telecom N.Z. May Follow India's Reliance in Move to GSM Network
  • European car rental co to drive into India
  • Shock of Air India took years to heal: families
  • India demand dropping of Hair
  • Panesar hopes Aussie mob to treat him India-style
  • South African captain fit for India
  • India needs 7 SBIs to compete globally
  • India cancels truce with Assam rebels
  • Package on Air India flight: probe expanded
  • Dell to ship chip-based products to India soon
  • IBM to establish new software development center in India
  • Arrested in India – Noa Haviv didnt check her bag
  • Air India package contained tools: Police
  • Agarkar has a lot to offer to India
  • Sarvodaya activist hails India,Pakistan peace initiative
  • GE to up sales in China, India
  • Hingis running hot in India
  • Wolfowitz says India is going towards smaller levels
  • At last, a win for India
  • India: An Outsider No More
  • India Resource Guide