beauty of India: April 2014

amchiii mumbai...... ;)

Mumbai is the capital of Maharastra State and the gateway to this beguiling subcontinent. Of the four great cities in India, Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan, spear heading India's move into the 21st century.

The word Mumbai is derived from Mumbadevi, the patron goddess of the Koli fisherfolk, the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai. The name Mumbai, in its final form, dates back to the 18 th century. For Portuguese, the name Bombay is Good Bay ("Bom" "Bay" Good Bay). Mumbai is a cluster of seven islands. These islands of no great value were ceded to Portuguese in 1534 by the Sultan of Gujarat. The Portuguese in turn given these islands to Englands's Chareless II as part of the wedding dowry of Catherine of Braganza when she married Englands's Charles II in 1661. In 1668, the British government leased the islands to the East India Company for 10 pounds per annum in the form of gold and Mumbai grew gradually to become centre of trade.

Ajanta caves...

The Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra are 30 rock-cut cave monuments and these splendid architectural wonders portray the rich heritage of India. The paintings and sculptures in these caves are supposed to be masterpieces of Buddhist religious art. The cave temples are positioned in a horse-shoe shaped cliff.

The cave temples of Ellora located in the Deccan Plateau were excavated between 600 AD and 900 AD. There are numerous Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples here and all of them are made from solid rock. The Kailas (heaven of Siva) temple in Ellora is one of the most interesting and attractive cave temples here. Ellora, also known as Ellooru, represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture.

DARJEELING.......

Darjeeling is fondly called the ''Queen of the Hills'' and is at an altitude of 2134 meters above mean sea level, nestled among the rolling mountains. Darjeeling produces most popular teas in the world and one can admire clear view of the world's third highest peak, Kanchenjunga from here. Darjeeling hosts some of the most popular hill resorts in India and the sight of sunrise is simply spectacular.