When is Holi Celebrated?

The festival marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. The day after the full moon in March each year. In West Bengal and Odisha, the festival falls on a day before. In some of the northern regions such as Mathura and Vrindavan, the festival is celebrated for a week long.

How is it celebrated?

At most of the places, people spend the day spreading colored powder and colored water on each other’s faces, having parties, having to get together, and dancing under water sprinklers. Many people consume drinks made from Bhang (AKA cannabis). In places, Mathura, Vrindavan, and surrounding areas, people celebrate the festival for over five days, during which along with throwing colors, ladies beat men with a stick. This is the festival full of fun, energy, and enthusiasm.

 Rituals of Holi

There is a story behind Holi. The word “Holi” has come from from “Holika”, the evil sister of demon king Hiranyakaship. Hiranyakaship was virtually immortal. Due to this power, he becomes arrogant and began to consider himself as god and asked everyone to worship him. However, Prahlada – Son of Hiranyakaship disagreed. He was the devotee to Lord Vishnu and continued to worship him only. So, in order to kill Prahlada, Holika – Prahlada’s evil aunt – tricked him into sitting on fire with her. As the fire roared, the cloak worn by Holika flew away from her and encased Prahlada. Eventually, Holika was burned, Prahlada survived. Therefore, the bonfire is the symbolic victory of good over evil. Holi is celebrated by burning of demoness Holika. On the eve of Holi day, a ritual named Holika Dahan, in which bon fire is created to burn away Holika and this process is believed to burn away all the negativity around. Along with this, a special puja is performed, people sing and dance around the fire, and walk around it three times.

In different parts of the country, this beautiful festival of colors is celebrated in different manners, however, the spirit remains the same. Holi is a very light-hearted festival that’s great fun to join. You’ll end up soaked in water, with colour all over your skin and clothes. Now-a-days, people use organic colours to play around during the festival. The whole idea is to have fun and saturate people with colours and love.

It’s a unique festival, which burns away the negativity and brings people closer. During this vibrant festival of colours, people forget about their grudges and pour their love in the form of colours. There is much more to the festival when is experienced.

Come, celebrate this vibrant festival of India. If you want to explore the amazing places where Holi is celebrated in a unique manner Destino’s India with being your partner to help you discover the Liveliness of this festival.

This city will provide you with serenity and sanctity in its true sense. The calmness of the city, its urban architecture attracts people from all over the globe.

If you are planning a trip to Pondicherry, you should definitely try out the things which we will be listing. The point is if you are going far for a vacation, make it count and make countless memories which you can reminisce for the rest of your life. There’s a lot more to do in Pondicherry other than sightseeing. One fact remains that irrespective of what you seek in this city, Pondicherry will never disappoint you!

And now, we will get to the list. There you go…

1. Boating at Chunnambar Backwater

Apart from the water sports at the beach, you can experience boating at the Chunnambar River. The Chunnambar Boathouse offers boat rides along the namesake river. You will have ab ethereal experience while boating through the serene backwaters. Your experience will be completed with a stunning view of the verdant beauty and exotic birds around the area. You will get both kinds of boats here – pedal and motor as well.

2. Scuba Diving

This city boasts of impressive water clarity and a wider range of marine life, and thus, one of the best places to go for scuba diving. You can plunge to depths of five to 40 meters, the sites of diving are perfect for both, newbies and pros. The divers will come across the finest sea creatures, including sea snakes, moray eels, manta rays, angelfish, and parrotfish, to name a few.

3. Explore French Colony on Two Wheels

Riding on two-wheelers is one of the best ways to explore Pondicherry. During the journey, you will see the diversity and rich cultural heritage and cycles through Tamil quarters, the French colonies, and Green quarters (Muslim quarters), followed by several historical and cultural places. You can also opt for the Heritage Walking Tour, which is given by English and French-speaking guides.

4. Pay Homage to the Valiant Soldiers at French War Memorial

French War Memorial, built-in 1971, is a tribute to all the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives in World War I. On July 14, every year, an annual remembrance is organized to honor the Bravehearts. You will see that this war memorial is one of the most impressive in our country.

5. Savor the Local Cuisine

Pondicherry is one of the best places for food lovers. The food scene, you will see is varied here, it is influenced by French, South India, European, and various other Western cuisines. Your trip will be incomplete if you won’t try its traditional South Indian fare and French cuisine.

6. Goubert Avenue

Pondicherry has a coastal location and the Goubert Avenue beach road is the perfect location for exciting and offbeat activities to do in Pondy, like strolling and leisure walking. You will see the seafront crowded with tourists, during sunrise and sunset. This is the best thing you can do for recreation, especially in the month of December when the weather is at its best. To ensure peaceful walking and hassle-free wandering for you, traffic is not allowed from 6:30 pm to 7:30 am.

Well, this was our list of things you should definitely try in Pondicherry. We hope you will have a great time there.

Have fun!

Spending time in Coorg means you get to enjoy and explore all the fun it has to offer. Planning a Coorg trip means you need not draw out an itinerary. The undulating green hills amidst the blue bright skies make Coorg a true Scotland of India. The region is scenic and is renowned for its coffee in high-quality. However, this ultimate guide to explore Coorg reveals that food connoisseurs, nature lovers, adventure enthusiasts, photographers, and culture vultures will also love to visit this place. There is nothing to stop from participating in interesting activities and here are a few best things that is worth doing in Coorg.
Visit South India

At Dubare Elephant Camp, bathe elephants
Taking care and playing with elephants in Coorg is one of the fun activities. In Dubare, the elephant camp has a large herd of elephants and they allow you to feed, bathe, and also ride. This is a perfect place located ideally on the river bank and it allows to cool off during summers. Visit in May and enjoy doing the best things you never imagined of.

At the Golden Temple Experience Tibetan culture
Coorg in Southern India is the only place having a Tibetan settlement. A Tibetan monastery is locally referred to as the Golden Temple. The stalls surrounding this monastery have Tibetan foods such as thupka and momos.

Abbey Falls Photograph
Coorg is full of nature’s bounty and photographing is the best things in Coorg. The location of the milky waterfall is in a scenic plantation of coffee and spice offering a wonderful view making it an ideal choice for a photograph. Head to Abbey falls and take some good pictures.

Trek through the hills and jungles
The Western Ghats verdant dot Coorg that offers ample opportunities for trekking and hiking. Some treks include Kodachadri, Brahmagiri, Tadiandamol, Mullayanagiri, and Kumara Parvatha. Trekking in Coorg is ideal in winters as the forests are dry green and is an ultimate guide to explore Coorg..

Coorg Cuisine
Coorg cuisine is completely different. It is predominantly non-vegetarian and they make use of the forest produce local ingredients such as meat, rice-based products, and rice. Eating pandi curry or pork is the favorite in Coorg. However, the vegetarians can relish akki roti, koovaleputtu, and nool puttu.

Walking in a coffee plantation
Coffee bean picking in Coorg is the best things and being the largest coffee producer and so finding spice and coffee plantation is possible easily as it is spread all over. The season of coffee picking season is from November to January. This ultimate guide to explore Coorg is to explore the plantation through nature walks on Coorg.

Plan a trip to Coorg

On-the-fly adjustments includes considering minor things to packing the accessory of seat comfort and this include taking traveling medicine as well.

Add Lumbar Support

The long flights are best with makeshift lumbar support. Even placing a blanket or a jacket rolled-up across the lower seatback supports your spine natural curve, particularly in a C-shaped way that the airplanes do not support. You can get a massage and adjust prior to taking a flight so that it reduces the neck and low back pain potential, to the extent that the long flight is comfortable.

Activate a Foot Rest

The best airplane travel hacks are accomplishedby easily carrying-on bag so that you get tokeep your feet up. Slip off shoes so that your feet do not swell. Slip-on fresh, soft socks as the simplest solution, it will make you feel cozier. You can typically get packable footrest as well and attach it to the arms of the tray table keeping it adjusted to the required height.

Use Seat Cushion

Another long flight travel hack is to eliminate lower back problems. This is possible with the seat cushion to be inflated. The non-slip material of the seat cushion will keep the whole flight in place and the self-inflates in the U-shape gives a turn such that you need not puff and huff.

Recline

Reclining in a plane seat helps in averting the neck issues that is induced due to airplane seats in the long flights. Neck pain is a common complaint after flights and you can use neck pillows to reduce the head flopping during flights.

Carry a spAIRTray

Travelers who are taller knock their knees with tray tables, and the passengers using laptops run quickly out of the area of tray-table surface. Here choosing a window seat is the best and to use handy spAIRTray, that is window-attached shelf offering enough room for your drinks, phone, or other small items. This is ideal for travelers who are mostly on the move on the plane and wish to get work done.

Carry a Massage Ball

Airplane seat hack includes carrying a massage ball to release tensed muscles during travel so that you can lean back on your shoulder while sitting. You can move the message ball that keeps your fingers moving and you can have a relaxing massage.

Pick a Window Seat

Sleeping in an airplane upright is a travel conundrum. The best is to support on the wall your head so that you are comfortable, avoiding a neck pillow. You may tuck up some spare sweater or even a soft towel over your shoulder. You can add to the armrest an airline pillow so that you catch up with a sleepy lean cushion. Of course, this does not ensure a deep sleep, but attempting to sleep and catching up with few hours of rest is better than no sleep.

It better to take certain precautions while taking long flight, so as to avoid unnecessary troubles and enjoy your trip fully

Travel options:

The best thing about Diwali is that on the 1^st day itself, most of the modes of transportation are sparsely filled. This ensures that if you want to travel to India, the 1^st day is one of the best options for you. Moreover, you will be able to easily get affordable tickets during this period of time as well. From the 2^nd and 3^rd day, however, the tourist the season begins. That is why, if you’re looking to travel during Diwali, the 1^st day is the one which you should be targeting.

What can you expect during the Diwali festival?

The festival of the Diwali however is a noisy period wherever you go. There is a ritual of bursting firecrackers during all the 3 days of Diwali. That is why you have to be ready for fireworks and firecrackers and a noisy atmosphere all around. Moreover, these are the 3 days when the pollution can increase significantly as well.

Safety measures to follow:

While generally, the atmosphere is pretty safe during Diwali but you need to keep in mind that in order to protect yourself from the high noise levels, ear plugs are always a better option. Also, it is a good idea to be aware of your surroundings all around; firecrackers are burst in the urban cities. That is why you have to move around pretty carefully. One thing however which you need to keep in mind is that the firecrackers are often burst during the evening and the night. Therefore, during the day you will be able to move around quite easily.

Things to keep in mind during Diwali:

Oftentimes, the local businesses are closed during Diwali. That is why it is a good idea to stock up the essentials ahead of Diwali.

In general, as long as you’re following basic normal commonsense while moving around in Diwali, there will be no problem at all.

This is one festivals which is celebrated all over the country in different ways.So if you are planning a trip to India during this time, keep a few days extra in your itinerary, so as to enjoy different faces of this beautiful, colorful and fun filled festival.  If you the safety measures in mind, you will surely be able to make your travel during Diwali memorable.

1. Getting accommodation right:

Ideally, when you’re traveling on business, either you should get the accommodation near your business meeting or you should get the accommodation near the airport. Both of these types of accommodations will actually help you in saving a lot of time. You have to keep this factor in mind. In the business district as well as near the airport, you will find plenty of business hotels as well. This will ensure that there is no problem of finding the right kind of accommodation.

2. Going to the business hotels:

The business hotel often understands that the timings of business travelers might be different as compared to theirs. That is why they are ready to accommodate you if you have any special request for a late checkout as well. As a result, you will be able to spend your time comfortably at the hotel without having to worry about the regular timings.

3. Knowing the peak hours in that city:

When it comes to business travelers, it is pretty swift and of shorter duration. That is why you do not have any time to waste. In order to ensure that you are utilizing your time efficiently, it is important for you to always know the peak timings in that particular city. When you are able to do that, you can largely avoid the traffic as well. Once you avoid the traffic, it will indeed become easier for you to reach your destination pretty swiftly.

4. Picking the early morning flights:

If you just want to attend the meeting or a seminar, it is a good idea to take the early morning flight and take the redeye flight out. This will ensure that instead of spending 24 hours in the city, you will be able to get in and out within 12 hours. This will actually save a significant amount of time for you in the longer term. This will also help you in minimizing the accommodation expenses on business trips.

5. Use Google maps Offline

If you are travelling to an unacquainted place, you can make the best use of Google Maps. Additionally, you can also save the screenshots offline, this will help you in at the places where the internet connective is not consistent.

Thus, when it comes to business travel, these are the 4 tips which you have to always keep in mind. Once you are able to keep these 4 things in mind, you will be able to plan your travel accordingly.

So the next time plan a business trip, you know how you can save time, space and money.

Book your business trip

We will today shed some light on some of the most popular hill stations in southern India.

1. Coorg:

Coorg is located in a mountain range. As a result, the scenic beauty of the place is worth viewing. If you’re a nature lover, this is the hill station which you should definitely visit. There are plenty of accommodation options when you’re heading over to this hill station. Some of the tourist attractions which you should definitely visit include:

• Abbey Falls
• Talacauvery
• Nagarhole National Park

The best thing about this hill station is that it is still not fully commercialized. That is why you can easily relax when you visit the hill station and it is not thronged by thousands of crowds as well. That is why it is a calm and beautiful hill station which you can visit in southern India.

Book a holiday in Coorg

2. Ooty:

Ooty is also known as the Queen of Hill stations. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in southern India. It is also a very popular honeymoon destination as well. It is surrounded by tourist attractions which are close to nature. As a result, if you want to experience a pleasant climate as well as be close to nature, this is the tourist destinations which you should definitely visit. Some of the tourist attractions which you can visit in this hill station include:

• Nilgiri Mountain Railway
• Ooty Lake
• Botanical Gardens

Ooty is a popular hill station which ensures that you will be able to get accommodation options in all budgets when you’re visiting this hill station. Moreover, it is well connected with the rest of India which ensures that reaching the tourist destination is also pretty easy.

Book a holiday in Ooty

3. Munnar:

Munnar is situated between 3 different rivers. It is famous for the tea estates as well as for the natural flora and fauna which is on display when you visit the hill station. It is a lesser-known hill station which ensures that you will be able to explore it without thousands of other tourists. This is one of the main reasons why you should visit this hill station when you’re in southern India. Some of the tourist attractions of this hill station include:

• Rose Garden
• Echo Point
• Elephant arrival spot

Book a holiday in Munnar
So, whenever you’re looking to explore the some of the mesmerizing views from the hill stations in southern India, these are the 3 stations which you should definitely visit. Each of these hill stations has its own charm and that is why they have become pretty famous all over India.

Discover every part of India with Destino’s India

According to Hindu calendar, Janmashtami is celebrated on the eighth day of Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhadrapad. While celebrations take place all over the country, few places deserve a special mention. The festival is primarily celebrated in Mathura and Vrindavan which is supposedly the birthplace of Lord Krishna, people celebrate his birth by singing songs, Bhajans and play Krishna Leela. On the day of Janmashtami, children are dressed as little Krishna who steals butter with his friends. An extravagant puja is done in temples and households to welcome Lord Krishna late in the evening.

Let’s take a look at the different places where this festival finds a special place in the heart of people.

1. Mathura-Gokul-Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh

These three places are associated with Krishna’s childhood – Mathura, Gokul, and Vrindavan these places are some of the best destinations if you plan to celebrate your Janmashtami away from home. Mathura, the birthplace of the lord has around 400 temples dedicated to Lord Krishna, all of which are decorated beautifully during Janamasthmi. Chanting of shlokas, performing Raas Leela, fireworks, and jhulotsava are some common ways to welcome Krishna at all these three places. Celebrations begin almost 10 days before the birthday and inflow of tourists increases considerably during this time of the year.

Book your holiday trip to India during Janmashtami 

2. Udupi, Karnataka

Just as north India does, the southern region of India also gets into the festive mood. Here raasLeelais called as Vittal Pindi. Earthen pots filled with curd (also known as DahiHandi) are hung on gopuras and later on broken by sticks. Hulivesha dancers are a huge attraction during the celebrations. Several contests are held where people dress up in ethnic costumes and perform traditional dance, making the festival vibrant and colorful.

Book your holiday trip to India during Janmashtami 

3. Mumbai-Pune, Maharashtra

Mumbai and Pune are the places where Janmashtami is celebrated in a very unique manner – a human pyramid is formed to reach and break the hung earthen pot filled with curd, milk, water, and fruits. The notion behind this is to rejoice the playful side of Lord Krishna who used to steal butter or curd from the hung pots. This event is held on a large scale in with huge cash prizes. Thousands of people gather to witness this grand and marvelous celebration of Janmashtami.

Book your holiday trip to India during Janmashtami 

Apart from these places, Janamashtmi is also celebrated vibrantly in Dwarka, Gujarat, Assam, and some parts of Tamil Nadu.

Undoubtedly India hosts of the best celebrations in the world through its festivals and fairs. Janmashtami is one of those colorful and fun-filled festivals that reflects the celebrating spirits of India.

Wishing everyone a wonderful time with your friends and family- from all of us at Destinos’sIndia.

Nowadays, this traditional festival has taken a form of fun-filled celebration, when sisters get dressed well, apply mehndi on their hands and buy colorful Rakhis (the sacred threads) for their brothers. On the other hand, brothers get them nice rakhi gifts to pamper them. The Rakhi symbolizes the love between the siblings.

The rituals start by performing traditional aarti and concludes with prayers for the wellbeing, prosperity and happiness). After the prayer, the sister applies a tilaka colorful mark on the forehead of the brother. After that, the brother pledges to guide and protect her throughout the life under all circumstances.

Both the siblings treat each other with sweets, then they hug and the larger family ritually toast the joyful celebration of brother-sister love and protection.

Background of the festival

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated since ages and has many myths and historic legends linked to it. The popular practice of Raksha Bandhan has its historical associations as well.

According to the mythology Raja Bali, who was such a great devotee of Lord Vishnu that Lord Indra felt insecure. Indra Dev worshipped Vishnu and asked the Lord to save his sovereignty.

Lord Vishnu accepted his prayer and defeated Bali. After a while, Bali worshiped Lord Vishnu and got the blessing of immortality. To keep his promise Lord Vishnu went to ‘Vaikunthdham’ to safeguard Bali’s kingdom. Later, Goddess Lakshmi (wife of Lord Vishnu), went to Raja Bali as a poor lady and asked him for shelter. She regarded Bali as her brother and tied a thread on to his wrist symbolizing the knot of protection on this auspicious day.

When Bali desired to give her some present, she told him, her true identity and the reason for her arrival. So, in place of the materialistic gift, she asked Bali to send Lord Vishnu back to Vaikunthdham.

Another story associated with Raksha Bandhan is from Rajputs. The rituals started from the ancient time by Rajput families, the Rajput queens practiced the custom of sending Rakhi threads to neighboring rulers as token of brotherhood.

Other than that, it is said that Rabindranath Tagore also organized a ceremony to rejoice Raksha Bandhan, so as to reinforce the bond of love and friendship between Hindus and Muslims of Bengal and encourage them to protest from the British Empire, together. He used the idea of Raksha Bandhan to spread the feeling of association.

Raksha Bandhan is widely celebrated by the Hindus, Jains, and most Sikhs. Though the festival is originated in India but is also celebrated in places like Nepal and Mauritius.

Discover More of India and its festivals by visiting the places.

1. Shirdi:

Shirdi is town situated in the state of Maharashtra. It is not a treasure to any particular religion. It receives pilgrims from all over the world spread across various different religions. Also, the devotees come in order to seek the blessings of Sai Baba. Also, the rush of the devotees increases significantly during the local festivals. The town of Shirdi is well connected to Mumbai and Nasik by road. It is also connected with the help of railways with the entire country.

2. Tirupati Balaji:

Tirupati houses the temple of Lord Venkateswara. Lord Venkateswara was believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple is visited by millions each and every year. Tirumala is the exact location of the temple. Tirumala is located atop a hill which is adjacent to Tirupati. Tirupati is well connected to entire India through roadways, railways, and Airlines. Also, the trust managing the Temple also runs affordable bus services in the town of Tirupati to help the pilgrims reach the Temple.

3. Rameswaram:

Rameswaram is famous for the Ramanathaswamy temple. It is also one among the 12 Jyotirlinga. As a result, it sees devotees from all over the world; the temple is situated on the island and is well connected by railway as well as roads.

4. Somnath and Dwarka:

Somnath temple houses one of the 12 Jyotirlinga due to which it is a famous pilgrimage destination. Dwarka is famous for the Dwarkadheesh Temple. It is a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. Dwarka is also one of the pilgrimages in the Char Dham yatra. Thus, the importance of Dwarka is immense when it comes to pilgrimage destinations. Needless to say, it is visited by millions of people each and every year.

5. Vaishno Devi:

Vaishno Devi is located in Jammu. The temple is situated in the hills. The height at which it is situated is 5300 feet. The devotees have to climb the mountains with the help of constructed pathways in order to reach the shrine. The number of devotees visiting the shrine goes up manifold during the Navratri festival. Also, the climb starts from katra. The devotees are allotted specific time zones to start their journey in order to control the crowds. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers in India.

India is land of cultural and religious diversity, although there are many more pilgrims across every nook and corner of the country, but these few most popular pilgrimages in India, one should definitely consider these visiting them. Other than that some places are simply known by their names and not just the temples situated there, such as Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kashi, Varanasi etc.

Discover the Pilgrims of India with Destino’s India. We create memorable experiences.