Top 10 Tourist Destinations in India

1.Agra

Agra’s Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahan’s favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of the world, and one of three World Heritage Sites in Agra.

Completed in 1653, the T?j Mahal was built by the Mughal king Sh?h Jah?n as the final resting place for his beloved wife, Mumt?z Mahal. Finished in marble, it is perhaps India’s most fascinating and beautiful monument. This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (1630-1652) of hard labour and 20,000 workers, masons and jewelers to build and is set amidst landscaped gardens.

2.Jaipur / Udaipur

Jaipur is also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Jaipur is a very famous tourist and education destination in India.

 

Lots of people flock to Jaipur to view the various forts and monuments in Jaipur which reflect its glorious past. Tourism is a significant part of Jaipur’s economy. Some of the world’s best hotels are located here.

Forts & Monuments

• Hawa Mahal
• Amber Fort
• Jaigarh Fort
• Nahargarh Fort
• City Palace
• Jantar Mantar
• Jal Mahal
• Rambagh Palace
• Chandra Mahal, The City Palace, Jaipur
• Diwan-e-Aam, City Palace
• Central Museum, (Albert Hall Museum)

3.Goa

Goa is Famous for its pristine beaches, infact 90% of all the tourism in Goa happens only for its beautiful beaches in Coastal Areas. Goa has two main tourist seasons: winter and summer. In the winter time, tourists from abroad (mainly Europe) come to Goa to enjoy the splendid climate. In the summertime (which, in Goa, is the rainy season), tourists from across India come to spend the holidays.

In 2008 there were more than three million tourists reported to have visited Goa, more than half million of whom were from Foreign visitors. Infact, many foreigners have made Goa as there home for its laid-back and relaxed lifestyle !

4.Kashmir

Kashmir was once called Heaven on Earth, and once of the most beautiful places in the world. However, in last couple of decades, terrorism has faded its charm – A place home to Himalayan Ranges.

The State of Jammu & Kashmir has main three geographical regions known as “The Lesser Himalayas” or the “Jhelum Valley” (Kashmir), “The Inner Himalayas” or “The Indus Valley” (Ladakh & Frontier areas) also called “Trans-Himalayas”, and “The Outer-Himalayas” or “The Southern mountain range” (Jammu). The area of Jammu & Kashmir is 2, 22,236 square kilometers.

5. Kanyakumari

Though there are several places of tourist-interest in the town and district, Kanyakumari is especially popular in India for its spectacular and unique sunrise and sunset. The confluence of three ocean bodies – the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea – makes the sunrise and sunset even more special. On balmy, full-moon evenings, one can also see the moon-rise and sunset at the same time – on either side of the horizon.

6.Kerala (Backwaters)

Kerala, situated on the lush and tropical Malabar Coast, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Named as one of the "ten paradises of the world" and "50 places of a lifetime" by the National Geographic Traveler magazine, Kerala is especially known for its ecotourism initiatives, Beautiful Backwaters and Alternative healing massages.

7. Old Delhi

Delhi, Capital of India has many attractions like mosques, forts and other monuments that represent India’s history. The important places in Old Delhi include the majestic Red Fort. New Delhi on the other hand houses many government buildings and embassies, apart from places of historical interest.

The Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb have been declared World Heritage Sites

8. Ajanta Ellora

Ajantha & Ellora are 28 – 30 rock-cut cave monuments created during the first century BC and 5th century AD, containing paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious art and universal pictorial art.

The caves are located just outside the village of Ajantha / Ellora in Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Since 1983, the Ajanta & Ellora Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

9. Darjeeling

Darjeeling in India owes’ its grandeur to its natural beauty, its clean fresh mountain air and above all, the smiling resilient people for whom it is a home. Known for its natural splendor, Darjeeling’s best gift to its’ visitors is the dawn of a new day. The mountains awaken first with a tentative peeking of the sun.

A steep ride, five kilometers from Ghoom, or an invigorating walk up a steep incline, leads sun worshippers to Tiger Hill. The air is chilly with darkness and damp. To the east, a dull orange sun emerged painting the sky with brilliant strokes of magenta, gold, orange and fuchsia. The snow capped Everest, Kabru, Kanchenjunga, Jannu and other peaks slowly emerge from slumber to start a new day. The sun worshippers gasp at the magnificent sight.

10. Mysore

Mysore is a tourism hot spot within the state of Karnataka and also acts as a base for other tourist places in the vicinity of the city. The city receives the maximum number of tourists during the period of the Dasara festival when festivities take place for a period of 10 days. One of the most visited monuments in India, the Ambavilas Palace (also known as Mysore Palace) is the center of the Dasara festivities.

Biscuits, cakes up womb cancer risk

London: Women who snack on biscuits and cakes regularly are at an increased risk of developing womb cancer, a new study has claimed.
The 10-year study that looked at the eating habits of more than 60,000 women in Sweden found that those who treated themselves two to three times a week were 33% more likely to suffer the disease. It also found that the risk of developing a tumour jumped by 42% among those who eat them more than three times a week, the Daily Mail reported.
Also known as endometrial cancer, the tumours in the womb affects around 6,400 women a year and kills an estimated 1,000 annually in the UK alone. The risks are known to increase with weight gain, but a team at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm wanted to see if there was a direct link between the amount of sweet foods eaten and the onset of cancer.
They studied data from thousands of women who completed questionnaires on diet, lifestyle, weight and general health in 1987. Ten years later, those still alive were given the same questions again. After comparing the data with those earlier findings, the researchers found a total of 729 women went on to develop the diseases in the 18 years from the start of the study.
They found little or no increase in risk from eating certain high-sugar items such as sweets, soft drinks, jam or marmalade. But women who frequently snacked on sweet cakes, buns or biscuits were up to 42% more likely to get cancer. PTI

Kids who use excess Facebook get low marks in school

Social networking websites like Facebook have negative effects on children, and those who frequently use such websites are more likely to get lower marks in school, says a new American study.

Such students are also likely to have behavioural problems and “narcissistic tendencies” from spending too much time logged on to such sites, according to the research by the California State University.

Psychology professor Larry Rosen said researchers watched as students spent 15 minutes studying something that was important to them.

The research team was left dumbfounded as the students’ concentration lapsed because of the need to check their Facebook page.

“What we found was mind-boggling. About every three minutes they are off-task. You’d think under these constraints, knowing that someone is observing you, that someone would be more on task,” Rosen was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

“The more media they consumed per day, the worse students they were. If they checked Facebook just once during 15 minutes, they were worse students.”

Rosen released the findings at the American Psychological Association in a speech titled “Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids”.

The negative effects of over-using social media include making students more prone to vain, aggressive and anti social behaviour, the report said.

Children under 13 who overuse social sites on a daily basis are also more likely to be prone to bouts of anxiety, depression, sleeping problems and stomach aches.

The study also found that social networking had some positive effects also. They helped shy children interact more.

7 Guidelines to a Healthy Heart

 Author: PonchoBoojo | Posted in Business

My purpose is to inspire and educate generations. In the process of educating others I normally research and find things that can help people live longer and better lives. I am certain that with enough inspiration people will move out of stress anxiety and depression which contributes to long lives. When they are educated about an area in a motivational context, the uptake of that subject will be a lot higher than with rules and regulations. In this article I explorer matters of the heart in its physical context not emotional arena. The longer your keep your heart, the longer you live to be inspired and motivated. When you become careless about your heart, you develop heart diseases and soon enough you take part in exiting this world. Heart disease accounts for a number of premature deaths the world over. Some die young because of ignorance while others are merely stubborn enough to think that not all advice should be taken up. I have taken an active interest in health matters because they are actually more important than wealth creation.

1. Watch your salt intake – One of the great fights that happen in my home is concerning salt. It has taken us a while to come to terms with this food component’s side effects. We had focussed so much on eliminating excessive sugar as we considered that more hazardous that salt. Salt actually causes high blood pressure. Recommendations are that one should not take more than 2 grams of sodium a day. By the way salt contains sodium or soda.

2. Watch that weight – You have to shed extra kilos by cutting down on calories. Many people have the thinking that weight gain is a sign of prosperity. To a certain extent yes, but how important is that compared to increasing your risk of heart failure. One question that comes would then be; what is the recommended weight. Body mass index is measure by dividing your weight (kg) by your height squared. Your body mass index should be between 18.5 and 25. Below 18.5 someone would be underweight. Over 25 you are considered overweight. The BMI however does not measure how much fat is in the body.

3. Watch you diet – One of the most daunting tasks is to find out the exact nature and types of foods that one must eat. In this century one has to watch and avoid genetically modified foods (GMO) and focus on natural food stuffs. I used to wonder how generations before me lived to hundreds until I realized that modernisation has created fast foods and tinned foods which have a lesser dietary benefit to the body yet tasty for tongue. Eat extra fruit, vegetables and low fat dairy. Eat food high in calcium, magnesium and potassium. Foods such as bananas, raisins, potatoes and so on.

4. Exercise – Workouts are not for body builders only. One has to workout for at least 30 minutes daily to keep the body revived and keep the heart pumping well. Join a local gym. I have resolved to exercise daily. Sometimes I deliberately take walks even when the car is working well. Modern world has added convenience where one can reach places while sitting down, go up building with many storeys while standing in one place (escalator or elevator). Such comfort has consequences where the body merely accumulates food and that food is converted to fat. Fat is what gives you heart disease.

5. Quit Smoking – smoking has negative effects on blood pressure. It is so addictive that when one starts it is hard to get out of it no matter how much teaching one gets to receive. My advice is that don’t even think of starting if you haven’t started. Work towards quitting if you are caught up in it. I am glad I have never had to think of quitting smoking because I never attempted it in the first place.

6. Quit Alcohol – Alcohol is harmful to the heart. What is even worse is that while under the control of intoxicating substances, your judgment is impaired hence you dietary needs and all the things you are supposed to watch for are ignored. I drank alcohol before. I know how this affected my health adversely. I am thankful that I have managed to overcome this addiction.

7. Use relaxation methods – Anxiety and stress have a negative effect on the heart. As far as possible you need to work towards ensuring that you are not stressed and depressed. Use relaxation methods such as prayer and meditation. Join support groups or special interest groups and counseling session.