Lucknow
This capital of Uttar Pradesh has a number
of historic buildings, monuments and gardens. Standing on the
banks of the river Gomti, Lucknow is famous for its typical
culture, cupolas and refinements. With the disintegration of
the Mughal Empire the Nawabs of Oudh became very powerful and
independent. They ruled this part of the province for about
a century after the fall of the Mughals. The builder of modern
Lucknow was Asaf-ud-Daula (I 775-1797), the fourth Nawab in
succession. In this dynasty Wajid Ali Shah was the last ruler,
known for his extravagant pleasure loving pranks, and other
tantrums. In 1 856 he was deposed and deported to Calcutta by
the British. Then after, the First War of Independence in 1857
took place in which the small chieftains and princes of the
adjoining states took on the British forces but they lost eventually.
The traces of the struggle of 1 857 are still visible here.
Its historical buildings are mainly of the 18th century. Aminabad
and Hazratganj are its two main shopping centres. In the old
city the bazar, popularly known as ‘Chowk’ a large
variety of artistic pieces, brocades, saris, pottery, embroidery
and chican work overflow the shops. Lucknow is also famous for
Dusseri Mangoes, kakadis and a variety of original dishes. This
capital city is very well linked with all the major towns and
cities of the country by air, rail and road connections.
The following spots in Lucknow deserve special mention:
The Great Imanibara
Popularly known as ‘Bara’ Imambara,
this was built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula in 1784. With its extensive
frontage and the huge tomb measuring 15 meters high, 49 meters
long, and 16 metres wide, without any supporting pillars, this
is the largest vaulted hail in the world. Its labyrinth of corridors
are popularly known as ‘Bhulbhaliyah’. From the
top of this massive structure one can have a line view of the
city. This Imambara was started as a famine relief project in
1784.
The Small Imambara
This Small or ‘Chota’ Imambara
of Hussainabad was built in 1837 by Mohd. Ali Shah. It contains
the tomb of Ali Shah’s family and the Nawab’s silver
covered throne. The edifice is crowned with domes and minarets.
The central dome is golden.
British Residency
This extensive structure, reminding of
the 1857 struggle for Independence, is now a quiet place with
its well maintained gardens and lawns. It was built in 1800
for the British residents in Lucknow. During the uprising of
1857 all the British residents of Lucknow took refuge here till
they were rescued on the 87th day by Sir Hevelock. But the revolutionaries
besieged it again till Sir Cohn Compbell broke through the siege
the second time. Just in front of the Residency is the Martyrs
Memorial erected in the honor of the martyrs who dies in 1857
uprising.
Allahabad [Chief
of the Teerthas]
Situated on the confluence of the holy
rivers Ganga and Yamuna, Allahabad, known as Prayag since times
immemorial, is an ancient town. Its pristine glory was described
in superlative terms by the Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang who
visited this city in 634 AD. By the end of sixteenth century
it became an important town and Akbar rechristened it as Allahabad.
In 1801 it came into British possession. Allahabad has been
famous as a seat of learning, culture, art and tradition. Allahabad
University is one of the oldest indian Universities. Pandit
Nehru’s ancestral home, ‘Anand Bhawan’ is
also in Allahabad which had been one of the ‘nerve centre’
of the country’s agitation against the British Rule since
thirties of this century. The places worth visiting in Allababad
are ‘Anand Bhawan’, University, Fort on the bank
of the river Yamuna, Khusro’s tomb and the Immortal Banyan
Tree “The Akshaya Bat” which, on account of the
various legends attached with it. had been the popular ‘jumping
pad to heaven’. It is said that even up to medieval times,
pilgrims seeking salvation jumped down to death into the river
Yamuna from this tree.
The Magh and Kumbha
Mela
No reference of Allahabad can be complete
unless one mentions about these fairs. The bathing festival
known as the Magh Mela is an annual event and lasts for 15 days
to a month between January and February. Thousands of pilgrims
come to have a dip in the holy waters of the two sacred rivers
on this occasion. Every twelfth year the Magh Mela turns into
Kumbha Mela when millions of devout people congregate here and
a huge temporary township is set up on the river side. The Ardha
Kumbha festival is held every sixty year. The Kumbha Mela is
held in commemoration of the struggle between the Gods and Demons
for the nectar churned out of the sea. The struggle made few
drops of nectar spill out of the pitcher holding that nectar.
At four places those nectar drops were spilled out where these
Kumbha fairs are held. They are Prayag or Ahlahabad, Haridwar,
Nasik and Ujjain at different astrological combinations after
every 12 years. The biggest being the Allahabad one where about
2 to 3 crore people take bath. It has also figured in the Guiness
Books of World Record. Allahabad has many places of stay suiting
to all class of people. It is very well connected with all the
major cities of the country by .air, rail and road-routes.
Jhansi
About 300 km. south of Delhi on Bombay-Delhi
trunk railway route lies this city, founded in 1613 by Raja
Bir Singh Deo. The city is associated with the young and heroic
Rani Lakshmi Bai, who during the first national uprising of
1857 had led her forces against the British Imperialism. Her
heroic struggle against the foreign rule makes her the Joan
of Arc of Central India. The Jhansi Fort is a place worth seeing.
It offers panoramic view of the surrounding area and also contains
a museum run by Archeological Survey of India.
Ayodhya
Ayodhya is one of the seven sacred cities
of India. It is situated on the Lucknow-Mughalsarai Railway
line and is also linked by road with the most major cities of
U.P. Ayodhya is also the birth-place of Lord Rama, the hero
of the epic Ramayana. There are many spots and shrines hallowed
by Lord Rama and his espouse Sita’s name. Among and his
espouse Sita’s name. Among the places of tourist interest
are the Kanak Bhawan, Bharat Kund, Sita Rasoi and Hanuman Garhi.
Kushinagar
Kushinagar or Kasia is 55 km. east of Gorakhpur.
It was here that Lord Buddha passed into Nirvana under the sal
tree. There are a number of Buddhist stupas and viharas and
temples of the Gupta period. The most important of these is
M Stupa. The large statues of reclining and seated Buddha are
other tourist landmark of the place.
Varanasi: The City
Eternal
The eternal city of Varanasi, situated
on the western banks of the holy Ganges, takes its present name
from the two tiny monsoon rivers— Varuna and Assi between
which the city lies. Also known as Benaras, it is as ancient
as the Hindu faith itself. From times immemorial pilgrims have
congregated here seeking atonement of past sins, religious merit
for the present and the Moksha in future. Every pious Hindu
aspires to visit Kashi at least once in a life-time, and if
the luck would have it, to die there with the sacred name of
Lord Shiva on his or her lips. The ancient most cities like
Nineveb, Babylon and Thebes are now part of the history only
but Varanasi is still existing, full of verve and life. It is
also known by its ancient name Kashi. It was here in Sarnath
that Lord Budha first enlightened the people with its divine
teachings more than 2,500 years back. Although the foreign invaders
looted this city repeatedly and razed monuments and shrines
to the ground, many old monuments still attract the tourists.
The city is well connected with the major tourist centres throughout
the country by rail, road and air. It is air- linked with Delhi,
Agra, and Calcutta. Lucknow and Khajuraho. The following spots
of Varanasi deserve special mention.
The River Front
The crescent shaped river front with its
enchanting ghats rising tier upon tier, represent the most fascinating
aspect of this holy city. The devout Hindus inspired by their
faith in reincarnation gravitate here from all part of the country
for abulutions. The spectacle is at its best at dawn and at
dusk. In the small hours of early morning pilgrims take a dip
in the holy waters of Ganga and offer prayers to the sun-god.
In the evening lighted lamps and fragrant flowers brighten the
water from as they are set afloat in lelaf boats with the chanting
of prayers and holy Mantras. These ghats rich in love and legend.
over 5 km. in length, arc the stage where ashsmeared sadhus
mediate, devout recite prayers and mantras, yogis practice hatha
yoga, dead bodies are burnt and multitudes bathe in the sacred
stream. Dashashvamedha, Manikarnika, Tulsi and Panchganga are
some of the famous ghats.
Vishwanath Temple
The golden spiralled temple of Vishwanath
is the holiest place in the city Varanasi is dedicated to this
deity. First, it was destroyed by the slave Sultan Qutbuddin
Aibak and then by Aurangzeb who threw the idol of the deity
into a nearby well called Gyan Vapi. It was taken out and installed
in another temple built on the site by Maharani Ahalya Bai Holkar
of Indore in 1776. MaharajaRanjit Singh covered its spire with
a tonne of gold plating in 1835. It is also known as the Golden
Temple on this account.
Bharat Mata Temple
It is a unique temple having the carved
out marble map of India as the deity instead of any customary
deity. This temple on Vidya-peetha Road is dedicated to Mother
India, and was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi.
Tulsi Manas Mandir
Near Durga Temple on Durga kunda Road is
situated Tulsi Manas Temple. It is here that the great saint-poet
Tulsidas lived and partially created the celebrated epic ‘Sriramcharitamanas’
expounding the great and noble deeds of Lord Rama, an incarnation
of Vishnu. Here the whole epic is engraved on it walls along
with Murals.
Durga Temple
Dedicated to Goddess Durga, the consort
of Shiva, the shrine was constructed in 18th century. Its unique
design of small spires converging at the summit into one, symbolically
represents that everything has to ultimately merge in the Supreme
Being.
Benaras Hindu University
Popularly known as BHU, this great seat
of oriental learning and the largest residential university
in Asia was founded by Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya in 1916. It occupies
an area of about 2,000 acres and has a new Vishwanath Temple,
a splendid shrine in marble. The Bharat Kala Bhawan at the university
campus has an excellent collection of Indian paintings, sculptures
and terracotta
Ramnnagar Fort
On the other side of Ganga is the Ramnagar
Fort, a 17th century structure. It is the residential palace
of the former rulers of Varanasi. The Royal Museum has a unique
collection of old silver brocades, ancient furnitures and silver
howdahs (elephant saddles), costumes, etc. The museum and the
fort the open from 10 AM to 12 noon and 1 PM to 5 PM. The entry
fee is Re.1 only.
Among other places of interest in Varanasi arc Sankatmochan
and Annapurna Temples, Gyanvapi Mosque, the Kashi Vidyapeeth
and Marmandir Observatory. Varanasi has quite a hig range of
hotels, guesthouses, tourist bungalows and numerous Dharamshalas.
There are also 3 star and 2 star good western style hotels.
Varanasi is also famous for silks, brocades, jeweler, brass
and copper wares, ivory, curios, musical instruments and especially
for silk brocade fabric and saris. Among the main shopping centers
are Chowk, Vishwanath Gali, Gyamvapi, Thateri Bazar, Lahurabir,
Godolia, Golghar and Dashashvamedha Ghat. For local tours many
means of transport are easily available at reasonable rates
in Varanasi itself. For making excursion to Sarnath, it is better
to make your base at Varanasi.
Sarnath
This cradle of Buddhism lies, some 11 km.
north-east of Varanasi. It was here that Shakyamuni, Gautam
Buddha attained enlightenment at Gaya and having achieved it,
delivered his first sermon here in the Deer Park more than 2,500
years ago. Thus, Lord Buddha set in motion the Wheel of Dhamma
(Law) here. Then came Ashoka, two hundred years later erecting
several huge and beautiful stupas and the famous lion capital
which has been adopted as the national emblem of India. Down
these centuries this place has been a great centre of Buddhist
pilgrimage. Although the invaders plundered this region also,
still some of the monuments survive. Among thc prominent ones
arc Dhamekh and Dharrnarajika Stupas Dhamekh (6th Century) marks
the sacred place where Buddha set the Wheel of Dharma in motion.
Its walls are decorated with fine geometrical patterns and arabesques.
The Dharmaraj Stupa erected by Emperor Ashoka contains the relics
of the Master. The Mahabodhi Society built a temple here in
1931 known as Mulagaudha Kuti Vihara. The Buddhist relics excavated
and found at other sites of the country are enshrined here;
other monuments of interest here are the Chaukhani Stupa. the
Chinese, the Tibetan and the Jam Temples: The Mahabodhi Library
here houses a rare collection of Buddhist writings and manuscripts.
On Buddha Purnima, the birth anniversary of the. Enlightened
one, a big fair is held here and the relies of Lord Buddha are
taken out a procession. These relics are on public view only
on this occasion.
Now we shall discuss the places of tourist interest situated
in the hilly terrain of UP.
Mussoorie
About 300 km. from Delhi towards north
east lies this hilly town known as the ‘Queen of Hills’
because of its salubrious climate and enchanting envious. Especially
in summers and autumn this becomes a ‘must’ destination
for every visitor dismayed by the heat of the plains. Mussoorie
lies on a horse-shoe shaped hill slope of’ the Himalayas.
Its history can be traced back to 1827 when Capital Young, an
adventure seeking military officer discovered it and laid the
foundation of this gayest of the hill stations. A tourist here
can trek, ramble, play golf or tennis, catch mashear and trout
or enjoy the gay club life.
To reach Mussoorie, Dehradun is the nearest rail head and Jolly
Grant sixty kms. away, the nearest airport. It is connected
by road with all the major cities of the area. Dehradun is directly
connected by rail with Delhi and Bombay. There is regular bus
services direct to Mussoorie from Delhi.
The places of tourist interest in Mussoorie are: Gun Hill (ropeway
ride and for the grand view of the valley), Municipal Garden
(b I garden and mini artificial lake with boating facility);
Kempty Fall (an enchanting fall which drops from a height of
600 feet in five distinct cascades; taking bath underneath it
is a divine experience); Lal Tibba (highest peak in the town):
Cemel’s Back (for sun-set view—a sublime experience);
Yamma bridge (27 km. away from Mussoorie and the ideal place
for fishing). For the devout there are Nag Devta Temple, and
Surkhanda Devi Temple. In Mussoorie there are a number of good
western style hotels, holiday homes, rest houses, tourist bungalows
and tourist complex. The tariff of hotels varies from season
to season.
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