Indian wildlife heritage varies from Tiger reserves in Ranthambore, Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Corbett to butterflies in Namdapha Wildlife Sanctuary.

The wilder India includes tiger reserves, bird sanctuaries, fishing camps and national parks for elephants, lions, snow leopards, deers, Rhinoceros and many more.

Tiger and family covers the major part of national parks in India. Some of the major tiger reserves in India include Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Ranthambore national park in Rajasthan, Corbett national park and Bandhavgarh national park. While Dandeli wildlife sanctuary reserves Black Panther and hemis national park reserves snow leopard.

Elephant, Rhinoceros and birds comes next in Indian wildlife. Bird lovers have some great options to holiday in India that includes Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Sambhar salt lake, Chilika lake and Assan Barrage.

Gir forest and national park is the only famous reserve for Lions in India. Other wildlife getaways include Periyar, Rajaji national park and Nagarhole national park for elephants and kaziranga national park for Rhinoceros.

Check out some exclusive wildlife sanctuaries in India.

DLF Indian Premier League (IPL), the billion-dollar first-of-its-kind in cricket, is loosely modeled after the mega sporting events English Premier League (EPL) a football league in UK and MLB (Baseball league in North America). However, the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question is Will the much-hyped T league match EPL and MLB in magnitude or is this a gigantic bubble waiting to burst.

Each of IPL teams will play seven others in the fray on home and away basis. Name of the IPL Teams are Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings, Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians. The top four teams at the end of league stages will make it to semi-finals and bottom four will play classification ties. The inaugural event, involving ties, kicked-off on April, when Mallaya-owned Bangalore Royal Challengers take on Kolkata owned by Shahrukh Khan at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The franchise teams will battle it out for days for $m as the prize money.

The matches will be played in the most renowned grounds of Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mohali. There can be two or one match as per the schedule per day and this entertainment saga will run for nearly 45 days showcasing not only the war for honor of the states but also the battles between the best players in the world. The final will be played June end the semi finals May end. These matches will be in Mumbai (Wankhede Stadium). This was told by the IPL commissioner and Chairman Lalit Modi after a meeting with the eight franchise owners and representatives of the match staging associations.

See IPL Match Schedule and Timings

Check Regular updates on Travel Trends set by IPL Matches

May be each one of us are right in their own way. Rather we all are. God has created us differently with different capabilities & different mindsets. But this doesn't mean that argument is just natural to happen all the time. Rather it becomes unnatural when people keep fighting over every issue. So, that's the time when we all must realise that we NEED TIME & SPACE for ourselves.

We must give to time & space to ourself. But it seems Time is what we don't have!!! So what next? So we then start looking for time.....few simple things that made me take out little time for myself, might work for you as well:

- Let the first half an hour at your workplace be yours, when your mind can not only settle down in peace but plan for whole day as well. It's very important to give some breathing time to your mind when it changes physical environment. The day I don't give my mind some breathing space, it gets stressed! So I better do it.

- Cut down 10mins of your lunchtime to take a short walk or listen to music or may be dance away few steps. Our mind needs to relax & do whatever it feels like. Let it do whatever it feels like for those 10mins. Only then can it think of effective solutions to various problems, disconnects, even various arguements.

- Look at 'Best Fit' approach. I couldn't fit 'picking my niece from school' to anytime I wanted to but I could surely fit 'shopping for vegetables' in the evening, at the end of other jobs . This not only helped me to get groceries on time but also helped me take a chill out stroll for sometime in the evening when I'm tired after work & don't feel like doing heavy duty jobs. May be I need to look at my list of Do's everytime to find the 'Best Fit' everytime. Afterall, practice makes perfect.

These days, I'm into realisation mode. I now feel that I'm learning with time. May be that's what people call maturity or growing old with time!

Located at the southern tip of the India, Kanyakumari has a unique coastline. It's also the meeting point of three oceans-the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. As a child I possibly missed the multi-coloured sand, which is a unique feature of the beaches here. But this time I made it a point to check out the sand. I also noticed that now the place is dotted with many hotels & has newer stay options.

I'd put up in hotel Samudra near the temple, overlooking the sea. Every time I would skip a heartbeat when the endless ocean with its rough surging waves, crashed against the rocks. From the window of my room, the spectacular sunset was all the more engrossing. The scenic vista can actually keep you engaged for hours. Every evening I would go upto the beach & sit to watch the sun till it vanished behind the horizon. I was carrying my camera, but for some unknown reason I was feeling uneasy to take pictures. It seemed the moment I start clicking pictures, I'll lose this feeling of respite. May be I was rather too greedy to watch & absorb every moment of the beautiful evening.

After a day's relaxation, I pulled myself to visit the famous Vivekanand Rock Memorial, the Kanyakumari Temple & the Portuguese Church, which are other highlights of the city besides the ocean. The moment I boarded the jetty which would take me to the Vivekananda rock, I saw young kids jumping around as I did when I came here first time. This time I was composed & was going there to note the architecture & heritage of the rock. The memorial is a combination of some distinct styles of temple architecture. Next day I was only planning to visit the Kanyakumari temple & the famous church, but couldn't resist the temptation of seeing the Vattakottai Fort. The fort was erected as a symbol of military history of India which is small yet charming. The circular fort on the seashore, 6 kms away from Kanyakumari is an 18^th century fort.

Very true to its culture, Kanyakumari is often referred to as the Alexandria of the East. Many small & big shops dot the city. But there isn't much to buy from.

At the end of my second day, I was to return to Chennai & then board the Chennai mail to Kolkata. I skipped two working days at my office owing to this trip and was feeling somewhat guilty. But I'd lots of memories which came alive in last two days which made me quite happy & content to have come here.

The Desert Festival (19^th Feb 21^st Feb) is a 3-day extravaganza of colour, music and festivity, held at the golden city of Jaisalmer. Folk dances, exciting competitions & contests, especially the turban-tying contest, Mr. Desert contest and camel races enliven the festivities. Folk artists performing against the splendid backdrop of the famous Sam sand dunes on the full moon night and more make it a not-to-be missed event. The place swarms with thousands of visitors, decorated camels, cattles & the enthusiastic participants. The exotic delicacies, the vivid stalls, competitions, the spectacular fair ground, exotic food makes it a lifetime experience. The entire desert looks so full of life, colorful and vibrant. It's a must have experience!!!

Getting There

By Road - Varanasi, 10 kms; Bodh Gaya via Mohania, 240 kms

Nearest Railhead - Varanasi, 10 kms, and Mughal Sarai Junction, 16 kms. Both are well connected with Patna, Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras

Nearest Airport - Varanasi Airport at Babatpur, 22 kms from Varanasi

Five of us took a morning flight to Kolkata from where we boarded the Darjeeling mail in the evening for New Jalpaiguri. Thanks to our flight delay that we didn't get the time to move around as much in Kolkata as we'd expected. Before boarding the train, we loaded ourselves with food, snacks to help us survive till morning. After a longtime, we all were freaking out together, so the energy levels were pretty high. We chatted, gossiped, played cards until dawn. By 6.45am, we were having garam kachori's & jalebis at the NJP station while waiting for our booked gypsy. If you don't want to break journey so much, then one can drive from Kolkata to Kalimpong as well.

Nestled among the rolling mountains is the small hill station Kalimpong, between Siliguri and Gangtok, which we eagerly waited to see. Even though we hadn't slept all of last night, still we were fresh and beaming with excitement. We reached Kalimpong by around evening and parked ourselves into our rooms. Park Hotel, a decent stay option with fireplaces on offering, was really cozy.

Situated at an altitude of 1250 m above sea level, Kalimpong bears a name of historic significance. Once the headquarters of a Bhutanese Governor, the word 'Kalim' means King's Minister and ' pong' - the stronghold hence the stronghold of the King's minister.

The town is 1250 m above sea level and offers excellent views of the Mt.Kanchenjunga and the other Himalayan peaks. The nearest airport from Kalimpong is Bagdogra Airport is 80 km (3 hours). Kalimpong is also well connected by road with Siliguri, Gangtok, Darjeeling. The closest Railhead is at New Jalpaiguri which is around 77 km away from Kalimpong.

There weren't too many things to visit there, but still visit to Kalimpong requires ample time to get soaked in nature. The vast rolling meadows covered with a riot of wild flowers, the sparkling brooks and rivulets meandering lazily by the terraced fields are a feast for one's eyes.

Early in the morning, we all were ready to trek till the Durpin Dara. 3 kms from town, this place offers a breathtaking view of the mighty Himalayan ranges. The lush green valleys intersected by ice cold mountain rivers such as the Teesta, Relli and Riang on one side and the sight of the plains on the other provide a mesmeric view.

We also visited the Mangal Dhaam, a recently constructed place of worship & a marvellous piece of architecture, besides the numerous monateries. The monasteries in Kalimpong, date back to 1836 and tell a rich story not only of history but also of local art and culture. The Zong Dog Palri Fo-Brang Monastery, Pedong Monastery - situated about a kilometre from the Bhutanese fort of Damsong, Thongsha Gumpha, Tharpa Choling Monastery - situated at Tirpai hill around 2 kms from town & Lava Monastery - centre for Himalayan medicinal plants.

Kalimpong is a blaze of colour throughout the year owing to the richness of its stunning flora. The orchids of this region in particular are famous for their infinite variety as well as their delicate tints. Lava, 34 kms away from Kalimpong is a Biodiversity & Ecotourism Demonstration Project Hidden in the mist & clouds almost throughout the year. It stands against the backdrop of the Neora Valley National Park at a height of about 2350 mts (7755 ft). This National Park is at the junction of Sikkim, West Bengal and Bhutan.

If one wishes to, he can visit Darjeeling as well. The land of the muscatel flavoured Darjeeling tea is revered by connoisseurs across the globe. In this land of the world heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the century old miniature steam engine still chugs uphill vying for space with the fast disappearing Land Rovers. With ample time in hand, one can easily take a combo trip of Kolkata-Darjeeling-Kalimpong.

Last but not the least was the Kalimpong Market, which offers a unique experience. The weekly market days are Wednesday and Saturday and on these days the villagers turn up in their colourful traditional costumes to sell their wares. As usual, we couldn't have completed out trip without shopping hard. So did us, besides savoring nature's beauty.

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Orchha meaning "hidden place", was surrounded by dense forests and actually sheltered the Bundelas for ages. It still carries on the legacy of these rulers. The monuments, forts & temples built by the Bundela rulers, surely takes one back to the medieval times of rich culture & architectural beauty. Everything, almost the entire of Orchha, that's worth seeing lies within walk able distance. The Jehangir Mahal, the Ram Raja Mandir, the Chaturbhuj temple, the Laxminarayan Temple & the Chhatris on the bank of Betwa are all worth seeing.

The Jehangir Mahal, built by Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo in the 17th century to commemorate the visit of Emperor Jehangir to Orchha is the most admired palace. The counterbalance of the strong lines & the intricate chhatris and trellis work, embodies the spirit of Bundelis. The east-facing facade when you enter through the ornate royal gateway is coated with turquoise tiles. Two stone elephants on either side of the main gate, one holding bell & other holding flowers in their trunks to welcome the arrival of the Raja still stand tall. Three storeys of elegant hanging balconies, terraces, apartments and onion domes are piled around a central courtyard. The breath-taking view of the entire Orchha from the highest balcony & the chhatri, the historic setting is bound captivate a traveller's mind. The palace is also witness to a vivid combination of Hindu & Muslim architecture.

Unlike all over India, in Ram Raja temple the statue of Ramchandra, Sita & Laxman are all in black stone, which is something to watch out for as numerous stories pivoting this does rounds. Some say that, the then King wanted to worship Sri Krishna while the Maharani wanted to worship Ramchandra. The conflict finally ended when the chief priest advised both to worship their individual choice of God. So a second temple, the Chaturbhuj to enshrine Ramchandra was being built, while the first being dedicated to Krishna. But the idol of Rama had to be enshrined in the first temple as the Chaturbhuj temple was incomplete till then. Later on the idol of Rama remained in the Ram Raja Temple. Several versions of this story still keep the spirit of Bundelis alive.

Right next to the Raja Ram mandir, is the Chaturbhuj temple which is built upon a huge stone platform and a steep flight of steps take you right inside. Lotus emblems and other symbols of religious significance present the delicate exterior ornamentation, while the interior ceiling is simpler & high. Within, the sanctum is chastely plain with vaulted walls emphasizing its deep sanctity.

Next is the Laxminarayan temple, situated on a higher platform than ground level. The steeply rising path offers a grand view of the temple, an interesting combination of fort & temple styles. The most exquisite of Orchha's wall paintings lies in the interiors; covering the walls and ceiling of three halls, these murals are vibrant compositions on Rani Laxmi Bai, Lord Shiv, Vishnu & variety of other spiritual, secular & historical subjects.

The 14 Chhatris along the Kanchan Ghat of Betwa River stand erect in the memories of Bundelkhand's former rulers. Besides sight-seeing, walking down the lanes & bylanes of Orchha, during winters is also a good option.

In the heart of Bundelkhand, this fortified cluster of temples and shrines bears the testimony of the medieval legacy in stone, but they surely have been neglected overtime. Most of what is to be seen lie deserted & uncared for.

Find driving directions from Delhi to Orchha here.