Scenic Beauty of India-Amazing Mathura, Vrindavan -Birth place of Lord Krishna

Scenic Beauty of India-Amazing Mathura, Vrindavan -Birth place of Lord Krishna

• Uttar Pradesh is main Hindi Heartland and has been politically one of the most active and influential state of India.
• This state is fortunate to be birth place of Lord Krishna (District Mathura and  Vrindavan) and Lord Rama (Ayodhya).
• Corbett National park for wild life lovers.
• Varanasi, One of the oldest city of India and epitome of Indian culture.
• Prayag where three holy rivers met, Ganga , Yamuna and Saraswati, is an important Pilgrimage place where world Famous Kumbh Mela is organized and millions of Indian take a dip in Sangam.
• One of the Seven Wonders of the world Taj Mahal is in district Agra.
• Budhist temple Sarnath where Gautam Budha gave his first preaching.

Devotees of Lord Krishna chanting Hare Krishna with traditional Indian music instruments Courtesy theharekrishnamovement.org/

Let's start our voyage of Uttar Pradesh with enchanting and vibrant culture of Mathura , Vrindavan and Gokul and it's beautiful temples.
Vrindavan and Gokul are small areas within district Mathura.

Gokul- 

• Gokul is the place where Lord Krishna is believed to have spent his youth, played with his friends and met his Soul-mate Radha.
• As per Hindu tradition, Lord Krishna is The Supreme God and whole universe is part of His Consciousness (Maya).
• Pious land of Mathura and Vrindavan  is blessed with presence of many Great Sages and Saints from time to time to provide humanity the righteous path of life.
• At present land of Gokul is blessed to have presence of Respected Guru Sharnanand , who had left the home in his childhood for Sadhana. He is Great scholar of Sanatan Dharma, Gold Medalist from Banaras Hindu University , and true representative of Spiritual Heritage of India.

RamanReti Temple

Vrinadavan- 

• One of the most enchanting place in Mathura and place to many amazing temples.
• Place from where another Great Sage and founder of ISKON , Srila Prabhupada,  spread the message of Krishna Bhakti.

ISKON Temple Courtesy Holidify.com

Iskon Temple Vrindavan Courtesy MapsofIndia

 Banke Bihari Temple Courtesy demotix.com

GolKunda Temple Courtesy enzoytour.blogspot.de

Govind Deo Temple Courtesy enzoytour.blogspot.de/

Rang Ji Temple Courtesy enzoytour.blogspot.de

Shah Ji Temple

Shah Ji Temple

Mathura BirthPlace of Lord Krishna Courtesy en.wikigogo.org

Holi Celebrations in Mathura Courtesy Padharo.com

Varanasi- 

• Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in India and has been mentioned in various epic books like Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• Believed to be abode of Lord Shiva.
• Major attraction is Ganga Aarati in evening and Vishwanath Temple. 

Ganga Aarati in Varanasi Courtesy IndiaTrip-packages.com

Vishwanath Temple Courtesy Varanasi.cityseekr.com

Ganga Aarati in Varanasi Courtesy Bharatdiscovery.org

Pryag-

• Also nicknamed as Allahabad, is place where three holy rivers Ganga , Yamuna and Saraswati meets.
• River Saraswati has dried up thousands of year ago and as of now only Ganga and Yamuna can be seen.
• Prayag is considered to be pious place and Kumbh mela is celebrated where millions of Indians take dip .

Kumbh Mela -Prayag Courtesy aforasana.wordpress.com

Prayag Sangam where Ganga and Yamuna meets Courtesy the-travel-maniac.blogspot.com

Sarnath-

• Sarnath is place where Gautam Buddha is believed to have attained enlightment after moving to Bodhgaya.
• Place is also birthplace of another Great Guru of Jain religon, Shri ShreyanshNath 

Sarnath Where Gautam Buddha gave first preaching

Buddhist Temple of Sarnath Courtesy Wikipedia

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful journey, There are many more good places , however i took the privilege to present which I like most.
Stay tuned for Journey to one of the seven wonders of the world, Taj Mahal in next post.

Scenic Beauty of India-Amazing Himachal

Scenic Beauty of India-Amazing Himachal

• State of Himachal is in western part of divine Himalayan range.
• It is believed that one of the Greatest Sage Vashishta , Guru of Lord Rama has done Sadhana/austerity in the pious land of Himachal.
• Famous Tabo Monastry, established in 996 AD, is on the banks of river Spiti.
• Apart from spiritual places and learning centers , there are many tourist / honeymoon spots in the Himachal that are blessed with awesome and splendid scenic beauty.
• Considered to be place of beautiful and splendid lakes.
• Parashar lake, Chamera Lake, ManiMahesh Lake, Khajjiar lake and Kareri lake are some of most beautiful and important ones.
• Near Manali, a famous tourist destination in Himachal, a place where Shiva Lingam is formed by snow naturally, like in Amarntah. At it's peak the height of Shiva Lingam is around 60 feet.

Place in Manali where , like AmarNath, Shiva Lingam is formed naturally from snow and that too 60 ft high..

Tabo Monastry Buddhist place of Sadhna/ Austerity

Tabo Monastry- Closer look courtesy staticflickr.com

There are various spellbound scenic places in Himachal.
We will start with Shimla , capital of Himachal.
Shimla-

• Shimla is one of the most sought picnic spot/honeymoon destination is India.
• Referred to as Summer Capital of North India.



Shimla- picturesque beauty courtesy uddanholidaymakers.com

• Place for many learning centers.

Shimla -Enjoy the scenic ride courtesy visitinfo.in

Voyage to Shimla courtesy inctrvlservice.com

Manali-

• Beautiful place for picnic/ honeymoon spot.
• Main attractions are Scenic beauty of Rohtang pass.
• Temple of Hidimba Devi, considered to be Goddess/Guardian  of this area,
• Place where mother of Lord Hanuman has done sadhana and still today 60 feet Shiva Lingam is formed by snow naturally.
• Plenty of amusement options from trekking, skiing to paragliding.

Random pick Manali courtesy manalitourpackages.com

Hidimba Temple Manali

Rohtang Pass Manali courtesy jagadishtours.com

Manali- Picturesque Valley courtesy superbindiatours.com

Dalhousie-

• Name of this place is after a British Officer Dalhousie.
• Chamera lake is one of the main attractions of this place.
• Near By place Khajjiar is referred to Switzerland of India due to it's scenic beauty.
• Famous Manimahesh Lake is in nearby place Chambala district.

Chamera lake Dalhousie courtesy indiaincredible.theholidayindia.com

Scenic Beauty of Dalhousie/Khajjiar  courtesy himachalresorts.com

Famous Khajjiar Lake- Dalhousie

Emerging Popular tourist destinations-
Kasauli-

Kasauli courtesy qph.is.quoracdn.net

Dharamshala-

Kareri Lake in Dharmshala

Parashar Lake-

Parashar Lake courtesy blogs.gonomad.com

• Named after Great Sage Parashar , Father of Sage Vyasa and believed to be founder of astrology,
• This lake has a floating island it it.
• Sage Parashar is believed to have done meditation in this place.

ManiMahesh Lake-

• The religious significance of this lake is next to Mansarovar lake of Mount Kailash.
• It is believed that Lord Shiva himself has done Sadhana.
• A rare event of the first sun’s rays falling on the Mani Mahesh peak is seen in reflection in the lake like saffron tilak.

Mani Mahesh Lake courtesy trekhimachal.com

Stay Tuned for voyage to Hindi Heartland Uttar Pradesh, birthplace of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna and place of one of the seven wonders of the world Taj Mahal.

Scenic Beauty of India-Amazing Uttarakhand-3

Scenic Beauty of India-Amazing Uttarakhand-3
Apart from being a major pilgrimage place, Uttarakhand is bestowed with other awesome tourist spots as well having splendid  natural beauty, Some of them are already very popular and some of them are emerging very fast on the popularity list.

Though whole Uttarakhand is heaven for nature lovers, We will cover some of the most popular places and some other places which have not been much commercialize yet attracting nature lovers like a magnet.

Nanda Devi- Second highest mountain in India, considered to be patron Goddess of Uttarakhand courtesy wildeastadventure.com

Mussoorie- This place is gateway to Gangotri and Yamunotri and referred as "Queen of Hill Stations"

• You can enjoy panoramic scenic beauty of pristine Himalayan range from here.
• Mussoorie is place of beautiful water falls as well (Kempty falls,Bhatta falls etc).
• Camel's Back road is around 3 km long natural display of rocks. 
• Dhanolti is only 24 kms from this place and is one of the topmost emerging hill station.

Mussoorie at a glance courtesy indialookup.in

Mussoorie - enjoy the nature at best courtesy indialookup.in

Mussoorie in winters courtesy indialookup.in

Mussoorie in winters courtesy indialookup.in

Nainital-known as place of lakes in India.

• Naini Lake is most important of all and that's why name of place in Nainital.
• Naini lake is surrounded by seven hills. Reflection of hills in lakes is awesome.

Naini Lake courtesy amragi.files.wordpress.com

Naini Lake in Night courtesy thehindu.com

Almora, Ranikhet and Chamoli- Other popular tourist spots of Uttarakhand.

• Full of lush green landscapes in the lap of serene Himalayas.
• Even viewing the photographs makes person fresh and full of energy.

Amazing view of Almora courtesy excursion2india.com

Scenic beauty of Ranikhet courtesy indiatravelpal.com

Scenic and adventurous Beauty of Chamoli

Emerging popular tourist destinations-Lesser known and ideal places for peace lover tourists yet picturesque scenic view. Main attractions are Lansdowne and Auli .

Lansdowne- 

Scenic beauty of Lansdowne courtesy img1.holidayiq.com

Scenic beauty of Lansdowne courtesy thinkingparticle.com

Auli-

Auli- Skiing capital of India courtesy adventuretrekking.org

Auli- Skiing capital of India courtesy vivekthakur.com

Hope you enjoyed the virtual tour of scenic beauty of Uttarakhand.
Stay tuned for next stunningly beautiful place Himachal Pradesh , commonly referred  as "In the lap of The Himalayas ".