Mahabharata

The Mahabharata,Originally Called Jaya - (victory) :

The Mahabharata, perhaps with some justification, is said to be the longest poem in the world. 100,000 stanzas strong, the epic has a story which is as relevant to the world today as it was then. and if the Greek Epics - Iliad and the Odyssey are considered to be long, then it wouldn’t be amiss to mention that the Mahabharata is eight times longer than Homer’s two epics – combined!Tradition has it that the Ramayana (see Ramayana) was written at the date much earlier than the Mahabharata. History, however, tells another tale. Polyandry was an early Aryan concept.

Further, the Ramayana talks about the southern peninsula, which had not been penetrated into in the time of the Mahabharata. The Legendary Tale of MahabharataThe story of the Mahabharata revolves around two families, the Pandavas and the Kauravas who were cousins. They were children of Dhritrashtra and Pandu, the sons of Shantanu. The Pandavas were: Yudhishtra the righteous, Bhima of prodigious strength, Arjuna the warrior and Nakula and Sahdev, the twins who were known for their good looks. There were a hundred Kaurava children, of whom the eldest was Duryodhana who along with his uncle Shakuni are the main villains of the epic.

The whole rigmarole starts when Dhritrashtra, though being the elder son, does not succeed to the throne because he is blind. Pandu does, and that makes fertile ground for future rivalries to gain ground especially when Pandu dies and Dhritrashtra becomes the regent of his children and the throne.The bitterness between the two families starts taking shape early even in school days. and as the children grow, things get progressively worse as the Kauravas repeatedly attempt to assassinate their more popular and accomplished cousins. However, that was nothing compared to the trouble that starts when the Pandavas demand their kingdom back from their uncle.

This request is turned down by Duryodhana and just as things seem to be headed for a colossal clash, Krishna the suave master strategist and statesman, intervenes and resolves the crisis. The Pandavas are given the area of the present Delhi (called Indraprastha) to rule. Tales are told of the fabulous city that Indraprastha grew into under the Pandavas. Came the day when the Kauravas decided to pay their cousins a visit, and dazzled by the city decided to get that back too.What happened next is one of the Mahabharata's most well-known and oft-played episodes which has moved many pious hearts. The Pandavas were invited to capital of the Kauravas where Yudhishtra (the head of the Pandavas) is tricked into gambling with them. Duryodhana well knew that with Shakuni, his clever uncle who was an expert at gambling, at the helm things were bound to go his way. After having lost everything in the game – including his brothers – Yudhishtra, in a bid to get back everything he has lost, bids his wife Draupadi. and loses.

In a very emotion-charged scene, Draupadi is dragged into the court by Dhushashan, Duryodhana's younger brother, and an attempt is made to strip her. Which fails. For Lord Krishna performs a miracle – her sari goes on for yards and refuses to come off. Following this, Pandavas are forced into exile and are told to wait thirteen years before they can reclaim their kingdom.Thirteen years and many adventures later, the Pandavas return and are again refused access to their kingdom. Upon which the Pandavas decide that enough is enough and a terrible war ensues. The Bhagwad Gita was expounded by Lord Krishna at the beginning of this war. In the end only one survivor, Manu, remains to keep the dynasty going.

Mahabharata A Wondrous Tale Full of Twist and Curves :

The Mahabharata is an amazing tale full of drama, scheming, jealousy, human foibles and failings. The legendary author of the epic is called Vyasa, which means the compiler so we don’t really know the real name of the writer; although it has been suggested that a whole team of Brahmins composed it under the alias of Vyasa.About his tale Vyasa is supposed to have said, 'that which cannot be found exists nowhere.'Well, as Brahma (of the Hindu Trinity of Gods) would say, tathastu (so be it).

Ramayana-Mythology story of india

Ramayana Creates The Perfect:
If the Mahabharata seems to be about normal flawed human beings with their insecurities and jealousies, the Ramayana is about Utopian ideals and lofty principles. Ramayana creates the perfect: the virtuous elder brother, the obedient, ever-devoted younger brothers and the self-sacrificing, ever-loving wife. All those who appear to be flawed in some way – like Dhashratha, the father of lord Rama, Keikeyi, the step-mother, and above all Ravana the villain – seem to have been put in the story only as examples of how-not-to-be and to enhance the goodness of the principle characters.The Legendary TaleThe central plot of the Ramayana is quite simple.
The king of Ayodhya, Dhashratha's heir apparent is Rama, the righteous man, respectful son, brave warrior, loving brother and doting husband. His brothers, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughana, were from the various other queens of the king. The king's favorite consort is Keikeyi, Bharat's mother.Things begin to swiftly fall from ideal when Keikeyi is instigated by her lady-in-waiting to ask Dhashratha to make her son Bharata the heir-apparent instead. She convinces the king to send Rama to vanvaas (exile) for 14 years. The king tries to reason with her – to no avail and in the end has to give in.Rama, being the model son, obeys his father's wish without question. However, Sita being the ideal wife and Lakshmana, being the ideal younger brother, insist on following Rama to exile.
When they are gone, Bharata returns home to find his brother gone and when he comes to know of what has gone on behind his back, he chastises his mother and refuses to accept the kingdom. He insists on following his brother to exile too and living in ascetic conditions. Then Lord Rama himself has to step in and talk him out of this – for someone has to rule the kingdom. Bharata then agrees to rule on his brother behalf.In the forests, Rama and his entourage go through several interesting experiences and insights. Disaster strikes as late as their last year in exile. In the shape of Ravana. Actually Ravana pretty much leaves them to their devices, until Shurpanakha his sister gets enamored by Rama. She tries to seduce him; however Rama rejects her and indeed gets so impatient doing this that he cuts off her nose.Stung by this, Ravana decides to take revenge and abducts Sita. Now starts the trouble.Rama, of course, decides to get his wife back. He organizes a force and attacks the capital of Ravana, called the golden Lanka.
Ravana is talked about as a brave, powerful and very wise king whose only flaw was vanity, which of course does him in, in the end. In the fierce war which ensues, Ravana is defeated and killed, along with his brothers and son. Sita returns to the fold. and then they all come back happily to Ayodhya, where Rama takes over as king again.

"Good Always Wins Over Evil"

By the way, the festival of Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya.

Religions in India

India Language

India a potpourri of different cultures, religions, and beliefs, is home to not just one or two languages but is a mixture of uncountable number of different lingual families. It is a rainbow, which has hues of all the cultures and languages to it. Whether it is Northern, Southern, Eastern or Western, all regions find representation in this mesmerizing country. It is a land of unity in diversity. As the people of India belong to different races of the world it is not surprising if they speak different languages. There is not a single language in this vast country, which is spoken and understood by the whole of the population. Depending upon whom you ask number of languages in India can vary from two to two thousand.
The language of Indian people changes at every mile. As the people are descendents of different races of the world variation in the languages spoken by them is a natural corollary to it. It is noteworthy that even in the same language accent of people often differs due to regional influence. There is one very interesting fact about the languages of India. Though India may boast of being a home to the languages of major lingual families of the world the irony is that this abode of languages does not have a national language of its own. According to the Constitution of India any language, which will be accepted by all the states of India as their official language will be given the status of national language.
In India no language is accepted or spoken by all the states unanimously. Even Hindi, a single language largely spoken by the people of India is unable to attain the status of national language as it is does not fulfill the condition of Constitution of India. Though it is spoken by large number of people but just 10 states of India have accepted it as their official language.

Ancestry :
As India is a vast landscape so it is not surprising if the number of languages also vary according to the geography. The people residing in India are not the natives of India they belong to five different races of world namely; Negroid, Europoid, Australoid, Mongloid and Caucasian. When these people came to India they brought their native languages along with them. Only Dravidian family is the native lingual family of India.
All other families have immigrated from other parts of the world. The languages of India belong to mainly four different sets of lingual families. The largest family of language is Indo European family, which branches to Indo Aryan family in India. It is the language spoken by almost 74% people of India. It mainly comprise of languages spoken in Northern and Western parts of India such as Sanskrit, Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Oriya, Sindhi, Rajasthani, Assamese. Among the members of this family Hindi is the most prevalent and Sanskrit is the most ancient one.

The second largest group of family is the Dravidian family. It is spoken by almost 24% of masses in India. It reigns mainly in Southern states of India. Initially it was spoken in northern India as well but when Aryans came to India they pushed Dravidians to the Southern part of India as a result Indo Aryan group became prevalent in Northern India and Dravidian languages contracted to South India.

Dravidian family includes almost all the southern languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu, Kota, Toda, Kotagu. Tamil is the oldest and purest of the Dravidian languages. Telugu is the widely spoken one and Malayalam is the youngest of all the languages of this family. Other prominent families of languages spoken in India are Sino-Tibetan, Austric and some other groups.

The languages of Sino-Tibetan family are spoken mainly in North-Eastern parts of India. Bodo and Naga languages spoken mainly by the people of Assam are the examples of this set of languages. The Austric set of languages mainly belongs to the Austric- Asiatic group of sub- families. The languages of this group are mainly spoken by the tribal people of Central, Eastern and North-Eastern people of India. Thus ancestry of Indian languages can be traced to following groups of families:
Indo Aryan
Dravidian
Sino- Tibetan
Austric
Others too.

The Mid Way :
Among all the Indo Aryan languages Sanskrit is the most ancient one. It is the language from which all the present languages of Indo Aryan family have originated. It is the language, which is supposed to be synonymous with the culture of India. The origin of many modern day languages including Hindi can be traced back to Sanskrit and its "apbhramsh"(diluted forms). Now Sanskrit has lost its old world charm, it is not a language of daily use anymore however it is still used as a language of prayers and preaching in Hindu religion. Though not prevalent in day-to-day use it is revived by the people of Mattur, a village in Karnataka as a language of daily use.
The Present :
Presently the official number of languages for India is 418 and out of this 11 have become extinct and there are 407 living languages of India, and 22 languages officially recognized by the Constitution of India. Out of these languages Hindi is spoken by majority of North Indians. When India got independence it was thought that Hindi will be made the National language of the nation but this thought did not materialize, as large population in Southern India did not understand Hindi. During British rule English was the official language and language of communication. So it was learned by elites of India too.
After independence English was made the associative official language to help in communication but it was thought that after a decade it will be withdrawn but it did not happen due to the protest by the southern states. Slowly English got embedded in Indian culture and is now one of the widely spoken languages of India. From kindergarten to the government offices it has became the medium of communication. No official work can be done without the help of English. Due to the effect of westernization and globalization it seems from outside that it is the native language of India but it is not the reality, as the mass population residing in villages of India do not understand it even today.
They speak and understand just the language of their region. Some of the official languages recognized by the Constitution of India are:
Sanskrit - The oldest documented language of the world. It is the ancestor of almost all of the indo Aryan languages.
Hindi - Spoken in almost all of Northern India, and is the official language of 10 states.
English - Associative official language and is mainly used for communication with states where Hindi is not the official language.
Gujarati - Language of Gujarat and Union Territories of Dadar and Nagar Haveli.
Punjabi - This descendent of Indo Aryan lingual family is the official language of Punjab.
Bengali- The state language of West Bengal spoken by almost 200 million people of west Bengal and Bangladesh.
Assamese - Official language of Assam.
Kashmiri - The language of Kashmir and spoken by 55% of Kashmiri population.
Urdu - The official language of Kashmir.
Oriya - This branch of indo Aryan family is the state language of state of Orissa.
Marathi - Language of Maharashtra.
Kannada - This member of Dravidian family is the official language of Karnataka.
Tamil - The oldest and purest form of Dravidian family is given the status of state language of Tamil Nadu.
Telugu - This is the largest spoken language of Dravidian group. It is the official language of Andhra Pradesh.
Malayalam - The youngest member of Dravidian family. It is the official language of Kerala.
Sindhi - Language spoken by the people of North-West region including India and Pakistan.
Konkani - The state language of Goa.
Manipuri - The official language of Manipur. The language spoken in large parts of North-Eastern India.
Apart from these languages there are certain languages, which are spoken by large masses but are known as regional languages these include Bihari, Rajasthani, Haryanavi, Bhili, Gondi, Tulu and many more. Bihari language is spoken by almost 5 million people of India but it did not get the status of official language as its three forms: Angika, Bhojpuri and Magadhi were considered to be the dialects of Hindi. Rajasthani is also struggling to get the official status for similar reason.
There are some languages, which are given the status of minority languages, as they are not widely spoken. Mahl, language of Minicoy island of Lakshdweep, Puducherry, language of Pondicherry and Portuguese language spoken by the people of Goa, Daman and Diu, are some of the minority languages. Every language whether it is official or regional carries with it the legacy of the region it belong to. The languages are mirror to the spirit of people they are spoken by. So every language irrespective of its status holds special place in the hearts of its native people. The different languages of India does not represent the fissures in Indian tile instead they show the diversity and richness of culture of this land of sages. Hence every language is important in making India a rich land and helps in its growth.

India Dress

The culture, religion, languages spoken and attire of the people of India are as diverse as the landscape of this vast country. Due to its diversity this cultural hub does not have just one dress, which can be called as the National Dress or Indian Dress. If in northern part we find more of the Muslim influence, in the southern part of India Dravidian style of costumes dominate.
WOMEN'S WEAR:
The language, religion and dresses of the people change according to the region they inhabit.
In northern part of India Salwar Kameez is prevalent among women. Salwar is a type of loose trouser, which is worn with lose Kurta known as Kameez. This Indian dress is usually accompanied by Dupatta, a kind of veil used to cover head or bosom. This Indian dress is the favorite of North Indian women as it is hassle free to wear and easy to maintain and allows complete freedom of movement which is necessary for hard working women whether in an office or helping her husband in fields.
In western India i.e. Rajasthan and Gujarat, Lehenga Choli forms core of the traditional dress of the locals. Lehenga is a lose ankle length skirt worn with Choli, a kind of blouse. This outfit is incomplete without Odhni, western Indian version of Dupatta, which lends the grace and style to this traditional Indian dress. Another dress that resembles Lehenga is Ghaghra. It is a type of full flared ankle length skirt, which is worn with a belt around the waist. In some parts of India you can also find women wearing Garara, a kind of divided skirt, flared at the bottom much like bell-bottoms. Sari, an unstitched piece of cloth which looks common but lends the uncommon grace and elegance to the women wearing it. In ancient times unstitched fabric was supposed to be pure this belief gave rise to this Indian dress in which is there is no problem of size and shape. It is a six to nine yard piece of cloth.
Depending upon the needs and cultural and religious norms of the region, each region has its own style of draping a sari. The style of wearing a sari reflects the age, region, religion, status and occupation of the women to some extent. The different styles of draping a sari are:
North Indian:
It is the widely used style in which Sari is draped around a waist once and then pleats are tucked in the waistband. The remaining portion of Sari, known as Pallu is put across the left shoulder and is allowed to fall behind.
Gujarati:
This style of Sari is known as Seedha Pallu Sari. In this style Pallu is taken to back side and is then put across the front side of the right shoulder.
Bengali: A pleatless style of draping a sari.
Maharashtrian: for this style of sari you need a sari which is longer than the usual one i.e. 8-9 m long. In this style sari is passed through legs and one portion of it is tucked at the back providing room for greater freedom of movement.
Other styles of draping a sari worth mention are: Kodagu, Nivi and Kachha Nivi style. The popularity of sari resulted in its different types.
The most famous types of Indian sari are:
Bandhani
Patola
Gujarati brocade
Paithani
Chanderi
Gadawal
Banaras brocade
Kota doria
Kanjeevaram
Konrad
Pashmina silk
Kota silk
Puttapakshi
Baluchari
This elegant garment, available in uncountable types and which can be draped in number of styles, suits every Indian occasion. Whether it's a formal office environment or a family get-together it always accentuates the grace of the Indian women. But these days the trends are slightly changing. The traditional Indian dresses are paving the way for the ones with western touch. Nowadays, urban Indian women wear jeans, shirt and trouser and skirts, which is more suitable to her working lifestyle.
MEN'S SECTION :
Dhoti and Kurta is supposed to be the native Indian dress for men. Dhoti is a piece of cloth, which is tied at the waist, and one part of it is passed between the legs and is tucked at the back, whereas Kurta is a type of an Indian tunic. In Southern India, men mostly wear Shirt and Lungi. Lungi is also a type of dhoti, worn differently. It is tied at the waist and hung lose at the legs. These days due to the changing occupational demands Indian men are opting for the dresses such as trousers, jeans and shirts etc. HEADGEAR:
The cap and dupatta are the main headgears used by Indian men and women respectively. Muslim men use a special type of cap known as 'Topi' to cover their heads whereas turban, locally known as 'Pagadi' in Punjab, is an integral part of a Sikh men.

Adam's Bridge

Adam's Bridge (Tamil: ஆதாம் பாலம் āthām pālam), also known as Rāmar Pālam (Tamil: இராமர் பாலம் irāmar pālam) and Ram sethu. (from Sanskrit:रामसेतु rāmasetu) meaning "Rama's Bridge", is a chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of Tamilnadu, India. Geological evidence indicates that this bridge is a former land connection between India and Sri Lanka.The bridge is 30 miles (48 km) long and separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast). Some of the sandbanks are dry and the sea in the area is very shallow, being only 3 ft to 30 ft (1 m to 10 m) deep in places, which hinders navigation.A ferry service linking the island and port of Rameswaram in India with Talaimannar in Sri Lanka has been suspended for some time because of the fighting between Sri Lankan government forces and the separatist LTTE. The Pamban Bridge links Rameswaram island with mainland India. In 2001, the Government of India approved a multi-million dollar Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project that aims to create a ship channel across the Palk Strait.

The bridge was first mentioned in historical works in the 11th century, mentioned by Alberuni Ibn Khordadbeh in his Book of Roads and Kingdoms (ca. 850 AD) and was called Set Bandhai or "Bridge of the Sea".The name Adam's Bridge probably comes from an Islamic legend, according to which Adam used the bridge to reach Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka, where he stood repentant on one foot for 1,000 years, leaving a large hollow mark resembling a footprint. Both the peak and the bridge are named after this legend. The name Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu (Sanskrit; setu: bridge) was given to this bridge of shoals in Rameshwaram, as Hindu legend identifies it with the bridge built by the Vanara (monkey-men) army of Rama , which he used to reach Sri Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from the Rakshasa king, Ravana, as stated in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana..
The sea separating India and Sri Lanka is called Sethusamudram "Sea of the Bridge". Maps prepared by a Dutch cartographer in 1747, available at the Tanjore Saraswathi mahal library shows this area as Ramancoil, a colloquial form of the Tamil Raman Kovil (Rama's Temple)Another map of Mogul India prepared by J. Rennel in 1788 retrieved from the same library called this area the area of the Rama Temple . Many other maps in Schwartzberg's historical atlas and other sources call this area with various names like Koti, Sethubandha and Sethubandha Rameswaram along with others.Valmiki Ramayan called the bridge built by Lord Rama Setu Bandhanam in verse 2-22-76.
The earliest map that calls this area Adam's bridge was prepared by a British cartographer in 1804.

Adam's Bridge starts as chain of shoals from the Dhanuskodi tip of India's Rameswaram Island and ends at Sri Lanka's Mannar Island. Rameswaram Island is connected to the Indian mainland by 3 km long Pamban Bridge. Ramasetu and neighbouring areas like Rameswaram Dhanushkodi, Devipattinam and Thirupullani are mentioned in the context of various legends in Ramayana.

India Gate

The India Gate is a war memorial in New Delhi commemorating the Indian dead of the First World War. The India Gate today also houses the Indian Army's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Amar Jawan Jyoti.

Situated on the Rajpath in New Delhi, the India Gate was originally called the All India War Memorial is a monument built by Edwin Lutyens to commemorate the Indian soldiers who died in World War I and the Afghan Wars. The foundation stone was laid on 10 February 1921 by the Duke of Connaught. The names of the soldiers who died in these wars are inscribed on the walls. It was completed in 1931. The 42 metre tall India Gate is situated such that many important roads spread out from it. Traffic passing around India Gate used to be continuous until the roads were closed to the public due to terrorist threats. The lawns around Rajpath are thronged by people during the night, when the India Gate is lit up. The India Gate also has some resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe of Paris. Inscribed on top of India Gate in capital letters is the line:
“
To the dead of the Indian armies who fell honoured in France and Flanders Mesopotamia and Persia East Africa Gallipoli and elsewhere in the near and the far-east and in sacred memory also of those whose names are recorded and who fell in India or the north-west frontier and during the Third Afghan War.
”
It is today one of the most famous monuments in Delhi.

Burning in a shrine under the arch of India Gate since 1971 is the Amar Jawan Jyoti (the flame of the immortal warrior), which marks the Unknown Soldier's Tomb. The shrine itself is a black marble cenotaph with a rifle placed on its barrel, crested by a soldier's helmet. Each face of the cenotaph has inscribed in gold the words "Amar Jawan" (Immortal Warrior). This cenotaph is itself placed on an edifice which has on its four corners four torches that are perpetually kept alive. It was unveiled on January 26, 1972 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in the wake of the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Today, it is customary for the President and the Prime Minister, as well as visiting Guests of State, to pay homage at the site on occasions of State ceremonies.

Red Fort

The Delhi Fort also known as Lal Qil'ah, or Lal Qila, meaning the Red Fort, located in Delhi, India and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

The Red Fort and the city of Shahjahanabad was constructed by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 A.D. The layout of the Red Fort was organised to retain and integrate this site with the Salimgarh Fort. The fortress palace is an important focal point of the medieval city of Shahjahanabad. The planning and aesthetics of the Red Fort represent the zenith of Mughal creativity which prevailed during the reign of Emperor Shahjahan. This Fort has had many developments added on after its construction by Emperor Shahjahan. The significant phases of development were under Aurangzeb and later Mughal rulers. Important physical changes were carried out in the overall settings of the site after the First War of Independence during British Rule in 1857. After Independence, the site experienced a few changes in terms of addition/alteration to the structures. During the British period the Fort was mainly used as a cantonment and even after Independence, a significant part of the Fort remained under the control of the Army until the year 2003.
The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in the Delhi site. He moved his capital from Agra in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and to provide ample opportunity to apply his ambitious building schemes and interests.
The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. The wall at its north-eastern corner is adjacent to an older fort, the Salimgarh Fort, a defense built by Islam Shah Suri in 1546. Construction on the Red Fort began in 1638 and was complete by 1648. However, it is believed that it is the ancient city of Lal Kot which was captured by Shah Jahan since Lal Kot literally means Red (Lal) Fort (Kot). Lal Kot was the capital city of Prithviraj Chauhan in the late 12th century.
On 11 March 1783, Sikhs entered Red Fort in Delhi and occupied the Diwan-i-Am. The city was essentially surrendered by the Mughal wazir in cahoots with his Sikh Allies. This task was carried out under the command of the Sardar Baghel Singh Dhaliwal of the Karor Singhia misl

Kovalam

Kovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Kerala, a state in south India. It is located around 16 km outside Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) City in the Thiruvananthapuram district.

Kovalam was brought to the public eye by the Maharaja of Travancore.The European guests of the then Travancore kingdom discovered the potentiality of Kovalam beach as a tourist destination in the 1930s. However, Kovalam shot into limelight in the early seventies with arrivals of the masses of hippies. That started the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into one of the most important tourist destinations in all India- the Kovalam beach.

Kovalam has three crescent shaped beaches separated by rocky outcroppings. Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of metres are ideal for swimming. The beaches have steep palm covered headlands and are lined with shops that offer all kinds of goods and services.

"Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees"
The larger of the beaches is called Light House Beach for its 35 metre high light house which towers over it atop Kurumkal hillock. The second largest one is Hawah Beach named thus for the topless European women who used to throng there. It was the first topless beach in India. Topfree bathing and parading is banned now except in private coves owned by resorts. Visitors frequent these two beaches. The northern part of the beach is known as Samudra Beach in tourism parlance. A large promontory separates this part from the southern side. Samudra Beach doesn't have tourists thronging there or hectic business. The local fishermen ply their trade on this part. The sands on the beaches in Kovalam are partially black in colour due to the presence of ilmenite and thorazite. The normal tourist season is from September to May.

Charminar

Charminar (Devanagari: चार मीनार, Nastaliq: چار مینار, meaning "Four Towers" or "Mosque of the four minarets") is one of the most important monuments in the city of Hyderabad, capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah built the monument in 1591 shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golkonda to what now is known as Hyderabad[1]. Legend has it that the building honors a promise Quli Qutb Shah made to Allah. He supposedly had prayed for the end of a plague and vowed that he would build a masjid on that very place. The masjid became popularly known as Charminar because of its four (Hindi char = four) minarets (Minar (Arabic manara) = spire/tower), which possibly honor the first four khalifs of Islam. The actual masjid occupies the top floor of the four-story structure. (Madame Blavatsky asserted that each of the floors was meant for a separate branch of learning .)[2] There is a legend that an underground tunnel connects the palace at Golconda to Charminar to give the Qutb Shahi royal family an escape route should they need it during a siege. However, the exact location of the tunnel is unknown.
In 1591 while laying the foundation of Charminar, Quli prayed: Oh God, bestow unto this city peace and prosperity. Let millions of men of all castes, creeds and religions make it their abode. Like fishes in the water. True to the legend, the city blossomed into a synthesis of two cultures.

Guindy National Park

Guindy National Park, A 2.82 km² (1 sq mi) Protected area of Tamil Nadu, located in Chennai, South India, is the 8th smallest National Park of India and one of the very few national parks situated inside a city. The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor of Tamilnadu, India. It extends deep inside the govornor's estate, enclosing beautiful forests, scrub lands, lakes and streams. Guindy Park was originally a game reserve, then owned by a British citizen named Gilbert Rodericks and transferred to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department in 1958.

The Guindy National Park, Raj Bhavan and Indian Institute of Technology Madras habitat complex has historically enjoyed a certain degree of protection and has continued to support some of the last remnants of the natural habitats that typify the natural range of plant and animal biodiversity of north-eastern Tamil Nadu.[2]
The park has a dry evergreen scrub and thorn forest with over 350 species of plants including shrubs, climbers, herbs and grasses and over 24 varieties of trees, including the Sugar-apple, Atlantia monophylla, Wood-apple, Neem.
There are over 14 types of mammals including Antelope, 400 Black buck, Chital, 24 Jackal, Pangolin, 2000 Spotted deer, Jungle cat, Large Indian Civet, River otter, Hyena and Fox.
The park has dense forest, grasslands and water-bodies which provide an ideal habitat for over 100 species of birds including partridges, pheasants, parrots, quail, paradise fly-catcher, Black-winged kite, Honey Buzzard, Pariah kite and Eagle. Bird watchers anticipate migratory birds here like teals, garganeys, pochards, Medium egrets, large egrets, night herons, pond herons and open-billed storks every fall season.[3]
There are also many kinds of amphibians and snakes. Some species of tortoise and turtles- especially the endangered Star Turtle, lizards, geckos, chameleons and the common Indian monitor lizard are found here, as well as a large variety of insects including 60 species of spiders and 60 species of butterflies.

Guindy Snake Park, formerly the location of Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, is next to the Guindy National Park. There one can see King Cobra, pythons, vipers and other reptiles. 22 acres of GNP has been carved out into a children's park and play area at the northeast corner of the park with a collection of animals and birds. Animals in the children’s park include black buck, sambar, spotted deer, porcupine, hyena, jackal, python, grey pelican, night heron, cormorant, cockatiel, mongoose, bonnet monkey and common langur. The Snake park and Children’s park have separate entrances and independent entry fees. Drinking water, vendors and catering is available.

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram (Tamil: மகாபலிபுரம்) also known as Mamallapuram (Tamil: மாமல்லபுரம்) is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has an average elevation of 12 metres (39 feet).
Mahabalipuram was a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It is believed to have been named after the Pallava king Mamalla. It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th century, and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The monuments are mostly rock-cut and monolithic, and constitute the early stages of Dravidian architecture wherein Buddhist elements of design are prominently visible. They are constituted by cave temples, monolithic rathas (chariots), sculpted reliefs and structural temples. The pillars are of the Dravidian order. The sculptures are excellent examples of Pallava art.
It is believed by some that this area served as a school for young sculptors. The different sculptures, some half finished, may have been examples of different styles of architecture, probably demonstrated by instructors and practiced on by young students. This can be seen in the Pancha Rathas where each Ratha is sculpted in a different style.
Some important structures include:
Thirukadalmallai, the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was also built by Pallava King in order to safeguard the sculptures from the ocean. It is told that after building this temple, the remaining architecture was preserved and was not corroded by sea.
Descent of the Ganges - a giant open-air bas relief
Arjuna's Penance - relief sculpture on a massive scale extolling an episode from the Hindu epic, The Mahabharata.
Varaha Cave Temple - a small rock-cut temple dating back to the 7th century.
The Shore Temple - a structural temple along the Bay of Bengal with the entrance from the western side away from the sea. Recent excavations have revealed new structures here. The temple was reconstructed stone by stone from the sea after being washed away in a cyclone.
Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) - five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. An interesting aspect of the rathas is that, despite their sizes they are not assembled — each of these is carved from one single large piece of stone.