World's 1000 beautiful tourist places

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Science city (Admission Rs 15, rides Rs 10 to 30): It is a science park housed in a series of giant domes. There's a ropeway, an aviary and various games and amusement park rides. Evolution park (Rs 10) with animatronic dinosaurs provides plenty of entertainment. The park is at Salt Lake city and buses are from outside the Indian museum (Rs 15, 45 minutes).

Nicco park : It is a colourful theme park near Science city with plenty of thrill rides, a rollercoaster, log flume and dodgems (Admission Rs 50, rides Rs 10 to 30).

Location : Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

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Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Charminar : Charminar, landmark of Hyderabad, was built by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the end of a devastating epidemic. Standing 56 m high and 30 m wide this four columned structure creates four arches facing the cardinal points. There's a minaret sitting atop each column.

There is a small mosque in the 2nd floor from which spiral staircase leads up the columns, which has a fine city view. Charminar is illuminated from 7 to 9 pm daily.

Laad bazaar : Located west of Charminar, has everything from the finest perfumes, fabrics and jewels to musical instruments and kitchen implements. You can see artists creating their works of fine bidri (inlaid silverware), large pots and musical instruments. It is the main centre of India's pearl trade.

Mecca masjid : One of the world's largest mosque, which can accommodate 10,000 worshippers. It is near Charminar and it's construction began in 1614, during Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah's reign. Several bricks above the gate are made with soil from Mecca, hence the name.

The colonnades and door arches, with the inscriptions from the Quran, are made from single slabs of granite that were quarried 11 km away and dragged here by a team of 1400 bullocks.

To the left of the mosque, an enclosure contains the tombs of Nizam Ali Khan and his successors.

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Salar Jung Museum : The huge collection, some of which are of 1 century, as put together by Mir Yusuf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III), the grand vizier of the seventh nizam, Osman Ali Khan. The 35,000 exhibits from every corner of the world include sculptures, wood carvings, devotional objects, Persian miniature paintings, illuminated manuscripts, weaponry etc. Admission Rs 10, Friday closed.

The spectacular Indo-Saracenic style High court and Osmania General Hospital buildings are nearby.

Golconda fort : The 16 century fortress (Rs 5, Monday closed) was the capital of Telangana state for nearly 80 years. The citadel was made on a 120 m high granite hill and surrounded by crenellated ramparts. The massive gates were studded with iron spikes to obstruct war elephants. A smallest sound from the Grand Portico would echo across the fort.

Tombs of Qutb Shahi kings : The domed tombs (admission Rs 10, camera Rs 20) with gardens lie 1.5 km from Golconda fort. The upper level of Mohammed Quli's tomb, reached via a narrow staircase, has good views of the area.

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Buddha statue & Hussain Sagar : Hyderabad has one of the world's largest freestanding stone Buddha statues. The 17.5 m high 350 tonne monolith was ferried to its place in the Hussain Sagar, the barge sank taking eight people with it. It was raised from water in 1992 and is on a plinth in the middle of the lake.

Boats operate from Lumbini park to the statue (Rs 25, 30 minute return trip). Admission fee for statue is Rs 2, Monday closed. From the Tankbund road has great views of Buddha statue.

State museum : Has a small collection of important archaeological finds from the area (Rs 10, Friday closed). Health museum is nearby.

Birla planetarium & science museum : Located near the secretariat on a hill (planetarium Rs 15, museum Rs 13). Planetarium has English shows at 11.30 am, 4 pm and 6 pm.

Birla Mandir : The white marble temple is on a rocky hill at southern end of Hussain Sagar near the Birla planetarium. It is a popular Hindu pilgrimage centre with excellent views over the city, especially at sunset.

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Nehru Zoological park : It spreads over 1.2 sq km of landscaped gardens (admission Rs 10, camera Rs 10, Monday closed). The zoo has around 3000 animals and the Lion safari is popular with tourists (Rs 15).

Ramoji film city : An 800 hectare movie making complex (admission Rs 300) having dance routines, gaudy fountains, flimsy film sets, wild west song & dance number, stunt show etc. is really a wonderland. Buses are from Women's college near Koti bus station (1 hour). www.Ramojifilmcity.com

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Chilka lake : Asia's largest brackish lagoon located in Orissa. The lake is separate from Bay of Bengal by a 60 km long sand bar called Rajhansa. Rajhansa has a pristine beach. The lake is note for the million plus migratory birds - osprey, grey legged geese, herons, cranes and flamingos - flock here in winter (from Nov to Mid Jan) from as far away as Siberia and Iran at the Nalabana island. Kalijai temple is nearby. Satapada is a small village from where most boat trips start. Irrawady dolphin sightseeing, seemouth visit and bird spoting are the main activities of Satapada (60 km from Puri).

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Bhopal

Taj ul Masjid : One of the largest and loveliest mosques in India. Fortress like terracotta walls surround two white domed minarets and three white domes towering over the main building (Closed to non Muslims on Fridays).

The Jama masjid built in 1837 has squat minarets topped with golden spikes rises up out of the frenzied bazaar that surrounds it.

Moti masjid is a smaller marble faced mosque with two dark red minarets and old spiked cupolas.

Other attractions of the city are Lakshmi Narayan temple and Birla museum at Arera hill, State museum (Rs 5, Camera Rs 20, Monday closed), Bharat Bhavan with tribal exhibits (Rs 10), Van Vihar Safari park and Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya. TT Nagar (3 km) and chowk are the main shopping areas.

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Bhimbetka cave paintings : A world Heritage centre 46 km from Bhopal. Over 600 rock shelters with pre-historic painting are located in a forest of teak and Sal. Only 15 are accessible and is linked by concrete path. By Itarsi bus get down for the caves. The caves are 3 km from the main road. You can visit the caves on one day tour conducted by MP Tourism.



Sanchi : Sanchi is a World heritage centre, 47 km from Bhopal. Archaeological museum (Friday closed).

Twenty three centuries ago, horrified by the slaughter he had inflicted on the people of Kalinga (now part of Orissa), Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, forsook war and embraced Buddhism. As penance he built his first stupa at Sanchi near the birthplace of his wife.

The 300 BC Great stupa, 16.4 m high and 36.5 m in diameter with 4 carved gateways, is a major Buddhist pilgrim centre. Few stupas, pillars and temples are nearby.

Vidisha (10 km) - Museum (3 m high Kuber statue, camera Rs 20), Heliodorous pillar (140 BC, worshiped by local fishermen), Udayagiri caves : Twenty Gupta caves dating from AD 320 to 606, of which 2 are Jain, the other 18 Hindus. Take an auto rickshaw from Vidisha to the caves (Rs 50, 5 km).

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Gwalior fort : The hilltop fort is 100 m above the town, having spectacular views. It has a length of 3 km and it's width varies from 1 km to less than 200 m protected by a 10 m high wall. From Gwalior gate it is 1 km uphill walk via 6 gates to the fort's entrance (admission Rs 20). Ticket for Man Singh Palace, Teli ka mandir and Sasbahu temples can be purchased from the counter near palace (Rs 5).

Rock sculptures : They are carved on the rock on the way from Gwalior gate. The most impressive are those on the route leading to Urvai gate (road access to the fort by taxi). The 15th century figures of Jain tirthankars are impressive (No 20 is 17 m sculpture of Adinath, No 22 is a sitting figure of Nemnath).

Man Singh Palace : The imperial palace is decorated with frieze of yellow ducks, mosaic tile of elephants, tigers and peacock in blue, yellow and green. The palace was built between 1486 and 1516 with two open courts surrounded by apartments on two levels. Below ground lie another two storeys constructed for hot weather connected by speaking tubes built into the walls. The palace museum has sculptures and carvings from around the fort.

During the Mughal period they were used as prison cells. Here Aurangzeb had his brother, Murad, imprisoned and later most cruelly done to death, slowly poisoned with opium, which sent him mad.

Teli ka mandir : This temple is in Indo-Aryan style. The whole temple is covered with sculptures and a Garuda tops the 5 m high doorway.

Sasbahu temple : The 9 th century temple of Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law temples are located near the eastern wall. Mother-in-law is dedicated to Vishnu with an ornately carved base and figures of deity over the entrances; four gigantic pillars support the heavy roof.
Daughter-in-law is dedicated to Shiva and is heavily adorned with sculptures.

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Other palaces on the fort are Karan palace, Jehangir Mahal and Shah Jahan Mahal and Jauhar Kund (a deep and large tank for jauhar). Rajput women of the harem committed jauhar (ritual mass suicide by immolation) here after the raja was defeated in 1232.

State Archaeological museum : It has a large collection of Hindu and Jain sculptures, including the famed Salabhanjika (an exceptionally carved female figure). It is located uphill west of Gwalior gate in Gujari Mahal (Admission Rs 5, camera Rs 20, Monday closed).

Jai vilas palace & Scindia museum : The 35 rooms of the palace form the museum. Bizarre items fill the rooms : Belgian cut glass furniture and a sizeable representation of the tiger population, shot, stuffed and now bursting at the seams. There is a neoclassical marble statue of Leda and swan in orgiastic coupling. The dining room has a silver train that carried after inner brandy and cigars around the table (Admission Rs 30, camera Rs 25, Wednesday closed).

The gold paint around the durbar hall is said to weigh 58 kg. Eight elephants were suspended from its ceiling to check that it could cope with two 12.5 m high chandeliers each holding 248 candles, and weighing 3.5 tonnes. The giant hall carpet, the largest in Asia, took local convicts 12 years to weave.

Tomb of Mohammed Gaus, a Muslim saint, and Tomb of Tansen (a singer admired by Emperor Akbar and held to be the father of Indian classi music) are at Old town (1.5 km from railway station near the Gwalior gate).