Maharashtra is India’s third largest state in area and second largest in population after Uttar Pradesh. It is located in southwestern India. The Arabian Sea makes up the state’s western coast. Mumbai, India’s most populous city is the capital of Maharashtra. Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city, and serves as the financial and entertainment capital of the country.

The state of Maharashtra has a lot to offer to tourists. There are caves, shrines, beaches, hill stations, sanctuaries and forts to explore. A tourist just has to pick his interest.

Dating back to the 2nd BC and artistically built over a few centuries, the Caves of Maharashtra have an extraordinary appeal and aura. Nestled in the formidable Sahayadri Mountain Range, these caves have been home to monks of different religions. Caves like Ajanta and Ellora, Elephanta and Pitalkhora are famous all around the world for their ancient paintings and sculptures.

There are roughly around 350 forts in the state. Most of the forts in Maharashtra built up in the hills or near the seas are associated with Shivaji –the great Maratha warrior and an equally great fort builder. Devagiri Daulatabad fort, Murud Janjira Fort, Raigarh Fort, Sindhudurg Fort, Panhala Fort, Vijayadurg Fort are among the best known ones.

Steeply rising Western Ghats have given a special touch to the natural beauty of the state. There are numerous hill stations in Maharashtra which offer a clean, calm and a thoroughly refreshing alternative to city life. They are probably the only places in India where you can observe the fall of the land all the way to the shimmering sea. Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Bhandardara, Chikhaldara, Malshej Ghat, Panchgani, Jawhar, Amboli, Panhala, Khandala Lonavala Karla, Toranamal hill stations are a must visit for anyone who would like to see the beautiful hills.

Travel to Maharashtra would not be complete without its beaches. Maharashtra’s 720 km long affair with the Arabian Sea extends from Dahanu and Bordi in the north up to Goa proceeding southwards. If you like sand, sea and surf, this state has a great many interesting options in store. Most of the places are conveniently linked to Mumbai and are well connected with state buses. Seas are rough only during the monsoon which strikes between June and September. Discover the beaches in Maharashtra at Dahanu Bordi, Ganapatipule, Mandwa and Kihim, Marve Manori and Gorai, Shriwardhan Harihareshwar, Tarkarli, Velneshwar and Vengurla Malvan.

Maharashtra is a home to large number of animal and bird species including the tiger, crocodile, bison, gawa, neelgai, wild deer, sambars and rare migratory birds. There are some huge wildlife sanctuaries where you get amenities like jeep rides, night safaris, and library and audio-visual facilities. Chikhaldara, Pench National Park, Bor Dam and Dajipur are some of the well known wild life sanctuaries and national parks in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra is a special state which gives you the leisure of traveling through its hill stations to the beautiful beaches, to its historical forts. Cities are well connected making for an easy travel throughout the state.

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Jaipur is the largest city in Rajasthan and was built in the eighteenth century by Sawai Jai Singh as India’s
first planned city. This famous city is the capital of Rajasthan and has earned universal renown as the “Pink City “, and pink it is, with beautiful constructed palaces, havelis, forts and heritage hotels. Jaipur which means the city of victory was built exactly 273 years back and is 262 km by road from Delhi (Capital of India). A strong wall encircles the old city and even today has a suggestion of formidable strength; its function of protecting all within is obvious.

There is a feast in store for tourists. Attractive monuments where one can breathe the fragrance of history. Comfortable and luxurious hotels in Jaipur, once the proud of kings, parks, gardens, and excursions of nearby places of interest, makes it a tourist’s paradise.

The ancient heart of the Pink City still beats in its fairy-tale palaces, rugged fortresses perched on barren hills and broad avenues that dot the entire city.

There are a lot of beautiful places in and around the city which you can visit all year round. Places like Abhaneri, Bagru, Bairnath, Karauli, Ramgarh, Sanagner, Samode, Sambhar, Tonk, Ranthambhore national park and Sariska national park attract tourists from all over the world.

Some of the famous forts and temples are Nahargarh fort, Amber Palace, Jaigarh Fort, Jal Mahal(Palace on lake), Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Galtaji, Govind Dev ji Temple, City Palace Museum, Ganesh Temple, Kanak Ghati and Albert Museum in Ramniwas Bagh.

Some Facts and Figures-

Area: 200.4 sq. km.

Geographic Location: Jaipur is located at 26.92 degrees N and 75.82 degrees E.

Altitude: 431 m above sea level.

Climate: Three main seasons - summer, monsoon and winter. Summers (March to June) Winters (November-February) Monsoon (July-September)

Maximum Temperature: 45 degree centigrade

Minimum Temperature: 5 degree centigrade

Rainfall: 556 mm

Languages: Rajasthani, Hindi and English.

Religion: Hinduism is the major Religion observed here. Other religions include Islam, Jainism, Sikhism and Christianity.

Best Time to Visit: Winters

Jaipur, the pink city is famous for its forts, palaces, colors, handicrafts, gems and jewellery, arts and crafts, fairs and festivals. Jaipur perfumes( parfum) and jaipur colognes are well known all over. It is a must see if you like the luxurious past blending into the modern era perfectly.

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A Trip to Rajasthan can be a mystical journey through time. You see the sand dunes of the great desert with historical monuments, forts, palaces, havelis all around the state, giving you the glimpse of the rich cultural heritage it has. Some of the palaces and havelis are converted into heritage hotels. There is a lot to be explored and experienced by tourists. You can enjoy the scenic views in style with the royal treatment in palace on wheels, or plan a visit to colorful fairs and festivals of the state, check out wild life in jeep or camel safaris or indulge yourself in some adventure sports.

Palace on wheels-

Roll back the pages of time for one glorious week, re capture the pomp and pageantry of a royal past in royal style. Step aboard the Palace on Wheels, once the personal railway coaches of the erstwhile rulers of the princely states of Gujrat and Rajputana, the viceroy of British India and the Nizam of Hyderabad. See Rajasthan in all its splendour and the TajMahal at Agra..a celebration of everything that is beautiful. The Palace on Wheels has been rated one of the ten best luxurious train journeys in the world.

Travelling on the famed Palace on Wheels is one of the most memorable ways to explore India’s stately splendour.Unquestionably it’s an unparalleled experience to ride the replica carriages refurbished to look like the original saloons of the Maharajas, the erstwhile rulers of India. The Palace on Wheels is one of India’s most fascinating sojourns covering the pink state capital Jaipur, the golden citadel Jaisalmer, the blue city of Jodhpur, the National Park Ramthambhor, the symbol of chivalry Chittorgarh, romantic city of Lakes Udaipur, the bird sanctuary Bharatpur and the mughal capital Agra before returning to Delhi.

Celebrate-

Rajasthan, is a colourful desert. The unconvincing Thar Desert and with it all the barren land of Rajasthan has much to offer through the plethora of celebrations. Festivals and fairs, music and dances, turns the land to a creative fertile basin. Season heralded with a festive fervour and cattle marts turn into delightful fairs. Festivals hold an unusual lure for the Rajasthanis and they have any number of reasons to celebrate. Pushkar Fair, Desert festival, Elephant Festival and Camel festival are internationally famous and are not to be missed.

Wild life-

In spite of a comparatively hostile terrain, Rajasthan surprisingly is the abode of a number of mammals and birds. Its vast size and latitudinal variations above the sea level of 1,700m provides it with varied vegetation. It provides semi green forests of Mount Abu to dry grasslands of the desert, and from the dry deciduous thorn forest of Aravali to wetlands of Bharatpur. Bird watching and jeep or camel safaris are popular with tourists. Ranthambhor National Park, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Tal Chapper Sanctuary,Darrah Sanctuary, Sajjangarh, Kumbhalgarh, Desert National Park, Mount Abu, SitaMata Sanctuary, Keoladeo Ghana National Park to name a few.

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Rajasthan is a vibrant, exotic state where tradition and royal glory meet in a riot of colors against the vast backdrop of sand and desert. It has an unusual diversity in its entire forms- people, customs, culture, costumes, music, manners, dialects, cuisine and physiography. Amazing legends of heroism and romance still resound from its equally amazing architecture, which still stands to narrate its tale of a bygone era. The magic of Rajasthan is unequalled in the world for its heritage, culture, safaris, sand dunes and lush green forests with its wildlife. The land is endowed with invincible forts, magnificent palace havelis, rich culture and heritage, beauty and natural resources.

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Capital-                        Shimla

Area-                           55,673 sq. km

Area under forest-    43043 sq. km

No. of Districts-         12

Largest City-              Shimla

Latitude-                      30° 22′ 40″ N to 33° 12′ 40″ N

Longitude-                    75° 45′ 55″ E to 79° 04′ 20″ E

Altitude-                       350 meter to 6975 meter

Annual Rainfall-           180 cm

Population (2001)-       6,077,900

Male population-          3,087,940

Female population-       2,989,960

Population Density-      109

Sex Ratio-                       968 females per 1000 males

Literacy rate (2001)-    77.13%

Religion-                          Hindu (90%), Buddhist, Sikh, Christian

State language(s)-         Hindi and local dialects

Temperature-               Max 30°C (summer); min - 4°C (winter)

No. of Districts-              12

No. of Wild Life

Sanctuaries-                   32

Major Rivers-               Sutlej,  Beas, Ravi, Parbati

Major Lakes-               Renuka, Rewalsar, Khajjiar, Dal, Beas Kund, Dasaur, Brighu, Prashar, Mani Mahesh, Chander Tal, Suraj Tal, Kareri, Sreolsar, Gobind Sagar, Nako

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Shimla was the summer capital of India under British rule. Presently, it is the state capital of Himachal Pradesh, with its population around 1.6 lacs (Shimla town only). Shimla is approximately 115 km (71.4 miles) from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 365 km (226.8 miles) from New Delhi, the national capital. The city is named after the goddess Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Kali.

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For sheer geographical diversity, few places in the world are as richly endowed as Himachal Pradesh. Most of the area has low rolling hills, just a couple of hundred meters above sea level, climb on to touch the core of the Himalaya Mountains.

Rivers in deep gorges and placid mountains lakes, thick forest and acres of spree, mountain sides draped in snow, and green alpine meadows, all form a part of this immense spectrum. And the possibilities for a wide range of adventure activities are endless, from trekking to skiing, heliskiing , ice-skating. There is the thrill of paragliding and the test of stamina with mountain-cycling. You can go camping and fishing and play golf or take a safari by car, jeep or on motorcycle. Then there is mountaineering and rock climbing. Equipment, training and instructors are available. And then, all this comes at a fraction of what it would cost elsewhere in the world.

You could go for a game of golf enjoying the beautiful scenery at Naldera, 23 km. from beyond Shimla which is one of the oldest golf courses in India. Annandale, in Shimla has nine hole course managed by the army and there is another at the exquisite glade of Khajjiar, 22 km from Dalhousie and 24 km from Chamba. Putting greens are available at several resorts and hotels.

The main trekking areas in Himachal are the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges, routes over the passes between the Shimla region and the Kullu valley. A host of combinations and variations take the trails through changing countryside. Guides, equipment, porters, pack animals and maps are available at major starting points. The old Forest ‘dak bunglows’ that are strategically placed along many trek routes, add a considerable measure of nostalgic charm and convenience for trekkers.

Kufri, near Shimla is one of the oldest places in India to be associated with skiing and the slopes are still in use during winter. Above Kufri, the Mahasu ridge also has good slopes. Comprehensive facilities exist at Narkanda, 64 km from Shimla. There is a range of slopes, including a beginer’s run, an advanced slope and a slalom run.

The Shimla ice-skating rink has the largest open-air area with naturally frozen ice in this part of the world. The Ice Skating Club has already celebrated its Diamond Jubilee.

Ice-skating normally begins in early December and carries on to February.

A fairly recent sport that is steadily gaining popularity, para-gliding is possible at various places in the state. Places where para-gliding is done regularly are - Bundla Dhar near Bilaspur, in the kullu valley and at Intkali in the Pabbar valley near Rohru in Shimla district.

The Maharana Pratap Sagar reservoir in Kangra with its 42 km length and 2 km breadth, offers a variety of activities in close collabration with the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports. Year long activities include swimming, water-skiing, surfing, kayaking, rowing, canoeing and sailing. Similar activities are also available on the waters of Gobind Sagar near Bilaspur, the Chamera lake near Dalhousie (Chamba) and the Pandoh lake on the Mandi-Kullu National Highway

By jeep, car or on motorcycle you can explore the variety Himachal has to offer. Jeep Safaris are gaining popularity among the tourists. By jeep, the Trans Himalyan tract can steadily unfold their natural and man made wonders. Along one of the world’s highest highways, you can drive out of Manali, cross the Rohtang Pass (3980 m) and move through arid Lahaul, you drive through the haunting landscapes of Spiti and over the Kunzum pass (4551 m), enter Lahaul.

Himachal also hosts a winter and snow carnival. So there is something for everyone, to suit every adventure enthusiast’s needs. You don’t need and expert training for most of these activities, age is no consideration and all you need is reasonable level of fitness.

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