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19 Sep 2011

NAINITAL – india

LAKE DISTRICT

INTRODUCTION

Why not today again visit India and have a visit of Lake Town named Nainital. This town has dual kind of importance. First one is its scenic beauty and the second one is its varied natural resources. If we would say that the Himalaya is a necklace and Nainital is the glittering jewel in that necklace then it would be absolutely right. This town is located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and is the headquarter of the Nainital district in the Kumaon foothills. The town is located around the Naini Lake and it was named after the name of the Goddess Naini Devi.  The beauty of the town is that it is surrounded by the high mountains with waterfalls and lakes at the foothills. There are three famous lakes in the area with the names Naina, Deopatha and Ayarpatha. Among all these three Naina is the highest which is pear-shaped. If you visit the area from the top of high mountains you get the awesome views of the vast plain, tangled ridges and a snowy rang

History

It was the time of Gurkha War (1814-1816) when the Kumaon Hills came under British rule. This war was fought between the Kingdom of Nepal and British East India Company. in 1841 an English sugar trader P. Barron constructed the first European house with which the town of Nainital was founded. He was of the view that this is the best which he had witnessed in the 2400 km long trek of Himalayas. The town took very short time to become the famous health resort for the British soldiers and their families. The reason was the unique location of the town and dense forests which escape the area from sun rays. The time came when the town became the summer residence of the Governor of United Provinces. The town faced many drastic environmental conditions as well. In 1880 a landslide buried 151. before this there were landslides in 1866 and 1879 but this was the disastrous. The cause of the landslide was heavy rain amounting from 510 mm to 890 mm. this landslide caused great damage to the buildings like Victoria hotel, Bell’s shop and the Temple of Naini Devi.

 ATTRACTIONS

As earlier said this district have many attractions. This town has numerous attractions for the tourists. There are lakes, waterfalls, peaks etc. Here are some of the important places where tourists must go and have a visit.

 a)      NAINA LAKE

If we say that the nucleus of the beauty of the town is the Nainital Lake then it would not be wrong at all. When the day is clear its water looks like a mirror and seven hills, cottages and villas are shadowed in the water of the lake. It is really a wonderful sight. It is not the end. The beauty of the lake increases thousand times when night comes and myriads of bulbs from the hill and on the edge of the lake stab their light in the water. The tourists can enjoy yachting, boating and paddling boats. One end of the lake is called Mallital and the other is called Tallital.

 b)      MALL ROAD

On one side of the lake there is Mall road which is the major tourist attraction. This rod joins the both ends of the lake. In the summer months it becomes the busiest road and vehicles are not allowed to move on the road in order to facilitate the visitors. The other side of the lake is called Thandi road which is less busy as compared to Mall road.

 c)      FLATTS

This place is for the gathering of the people and is situated at the northern side of the lake. People from all walks of life are gathered here. The famous Naini Devi Temple is also situated in the flats. This is the place where the landslip of 1880 was occurred. Afterwards this area was flattened and reserved for recreational activities. Main attractions of the flats are temple of Naini Devi and beautiful fountain. After the mall road this place is heavily crowded.

 d)      ROPEWAY

This is one of the major tourist attractions in Nainital. This ropeway starts from Mallital to the snow view point. At the snow view point you get the wider view of the Himalayas and town below.

This is really a must see place for tourists. There are plenty of things to make the journey and visit memorable

Category: India, Tourism Guide  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,  Comments off
04 Feb 2011

Shwedagon Pagoda – Best Historical Place To Visit In Myanmar(Burma)

Golden Hills

Shwedagon Pagoda Myanmar

Shwedagon Pagoda Myanmar

Shwedagon Pagoda Myanmar

Shwedagon Pagoda

Brief Words:
No visit to Union of Myanmar is complete without the visit of 2,500 year old Shwedagon Pagoda. If you are lucky enough to be planning a trip to Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, then you are very lucky indeed. This is a country rich in culture, history, sacred sights, scenic wonders and personality. You will surely enjoy your travels to this region. Myanmar has been called The Land of Gold, and that is not surprising at all when you consider just how beautifully the city of Yangon sparkles. Giant, golden and glittering pagodas will take your breath away in this friendly city. In the city of Yangon, you will find the beautifully majestic Shwedagon Pagoda. The Shwedagon Pagoda sits upon holy Singuttara Hill.

Shwedagon Pagoda Myanmar

Shwedagon Pagoda Myanmar

History:
To understand the reason why this hill is considered so holy, and to grasp the significance of the Shwedagon to Buddhists and to the people of Myanmar, it is important to know both the history and the legends of how it all came to be.
Over 2,500 years ago, there lived a king by the name of Okkalapa. He was ruler of Suvannabhumi and ruled over the Talaings. At this time, Siddharta Guatama was living in northern India. He was still a young man and was not yet recognized as the Buddha.
It was and is believed that a new Buddha, or “Enlightened One”, will come into being once every 5,000 years. At the time of Okkalapa, it had been approximately 5,000 years since the last Buddha, and it was considered time once again.
Singuttara Hill is important because it was the holy resting spot of the relics of three Buddhas. Their relics were enshrined within Singuttara Hill, thus making it a holy place.
But Okkalapa was concerned, as a new Buddha had not come to be known yet, and if it took too long he feared the hill could lose its holiness. He went to the hill to pray and to meditate, unaware of Siddharta Guatama’s coming into enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in northern India at the same time.
According to area legend, he appeared to Okkalapa and told him to be patient, that his wish for the hill would soon be granted.
As Guatama was reaching the end of his 49 days of meditation, he was visited by two brothers. Their names were Tapussa and Bhallika, and they happened to be from Myanmar and were subjects of Okkalapa. These two merchant brothers present Guatama Buddha with a gift of some honey cake, as they recognized him as The Enlightened One.
To express his thanks to them, he pulled out 8 of his hairs off of his head, and gave the hairs to Tapussa and Bhallika. They took the hairs and headed back home.

Unusual Happenings:
It was decided that a shrine place should be built on Singuttara Hill to house these newest relics. At the party in their honor, the brothers presented a casket containing the Buddha’s hairs to their king, and he opened it. At that time there were great tremors upon the earth, here was a tumult among men and spirits, rays emitted by the Hairs penetrated up to the heavens above and down to hell, the blind beheld objects, the deaf heard sounds, the dumb spoke distinctly, the earth quaked, the winds of the ocean blew, Mount Meru shook, lightning flashed, gems rained down until they were knee deep, all trees of the Himalayas, though not in season, bore blossoms and fruit.

Creation of Pagoda:
A shrine was created on Singuttara Hill to house these 8 miraculous hairs, and the area was deemed sacred. An enormous pagoda was then created atop the hill to house the shrine, and it is considered one of the most sacred places in all of Myanmar. The pagoda itself is a wondrous architectural achievement. The top soars well over 300 ft into the air (approximately 100 meters or more) above the hilltop and can be seen from quite far away. The Shwedagon, which means, loosely translated, “golden hills” is magnificently made out of gold and jewels all over. The umbrella of the Pagoda is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. The top is tipped with 76 carat diamond.

Category: (Myanmar) Burma, Best Places To Visit, Burma, Tourism Guide  Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,  One Comment