Places to Visit in Central India


Gwalior
gwalior fort, adventure tours Gwalior is famous for its very old and very large fort. Within the fort walls are a number of interesting temples and ruined palaces. The dramatic and colourful history of the great fort certainly goes back over 1000 years. The fort hill rises 100 meters above the town and is about three km in length. Its width varies from nearly a km to less than 200 meters. The fort walls , which continue around almost the entire hilltop, are 10 meters high and imposingly solid. Beneath the walls, the hill face is a sheer drop away to the plains

Orchha
orchha palace, adventure tours Hemis Bundela chief Raja Rudra Pratap (1501-31) chose an easily defended and beautiful site for his capital. Set on an island on a bend in the Betwa River, it is elevated above the surrounding wooded countryside. Once capital of its own state. Orcha contains three palaces, each built by succeeding Maharajas in a similar style and combing to form a complex as imposing as that at Udaipur.

Khajuraho
khajurho temple, adventure tours The temples at Khajuraho were built under later Chandela kings between 950 and 1050 AD in a truly inspired burst of creativity. Of the original 85 temples, the 25 surving are among the finest in India. They are built mostly of a find sandstone from Panna in shades ranging from pink through buff to pale yellow although granite was used in a few.

Bhopal
bhopal lake, adventure tours Bhopal the capital stands on the 11th century legendary city Bhopal created by Raja Bhoj after he built a dam (pal) which resulted in the lakes here. The city was revitalized when Dost Mohammed Khan, one of Aurangazeb"s Afghan governors planned to set out wide roads, adom it with monuments and replant the gardens. He died in 1723 leaving an island state in Malwa which remained loyal to the British from the 18th century from 1857 until1926. Bhopal was ruled by women, first Sikander Begum ( 1857-1901) and then by Shah Jahan Begum (1901-1926).

Ujjain
rangdum monastery, adventure toursLegend has it that Siva Commemorated his victory over the demon ruler of Tripuri by changing the name of his capital from Avantika to Ujjaiyini (One who conquers with Pride). It is also believed that Vikaramaditya, greatest king of Hindu golden age, held court in Ujjain.

Ajanta Caves
ajanta caves, adventure toursAjanta Caves spectacularly located in a pass in the Vindhya Hills. In 1819 a company of British soldiers on a tiger hunt stumbled on this series of remarkable caves, which have become a treasure trove of Buddhist art (2nd century BC to 7th century AD). As late as the 1920s Murray's Handbook declared them 'quite out of the range of the ordinary tourist'. The wall paintings lovingly illuminate the Buddhist stories in flowing colors:

Ellora Caves
rangdum monastery, adventure toursLying near an important ancient trade route between Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh and the West coast, the caves are through to be the work of priests and pilgrims who used the route. Unlike the caves at Ajanta, Ellora' s caves were never lost, but they were abandoned and forgotten. There are 34 caves, 12 are Buddhist (created from approximately 600-800 AD) 17 Hindu (600-900 AD) and 5 Jain (800-1100 AD).

Mumbai
gateway of india mumbai, adventure tours300 years ago, the area occupied by this great metropolis was seven islands inhabited by Koli men (from we have the world "coolies") and their families. With land reclamation the islands were connected, so that now Bombay occupies a narrow isthmus. The British acquired these marshy and malarial islands for a pittance. Mumbadevi or Mumbai (from which Bombay get its name), was part of Catherine of Braganza's marriage dowry when she married Charles II in 1661. Four years later, the British took possession of the remaining islands and neighboring mainland area and in 1668 the East India Company leased the whole are for pound 10 sterling per year, which was paid for nearly fifty years.

Goa
goa church, adventure toursGoa is the old world portugues charm continues to woo both international and domestic tourist destination. Goa is one of the frontrunner in terms of tourist arrivals. It focuses mostly eco-tourism such as medical and wellness as well as heritage tourism. Here Roman Catholicism still remains orthodox, good food and good wine still grace the humblest of tables, life is still full of song and dance and merriment to the liting beat of guitar and drum. Goa is for holiday makers who is seeking sun and sand and wine. But for all Goa's enthusiasm for tourism.