India has a rich heritage of jungles and national parks. There is something so magical and exciting about being in a forest. Being in jungle is a different experience. Instead of poor infrastructural facilities, heat and humidity, Indian wildlife has always been a place an excitement and enthusiasm for Indian Travelers. The privilege of stepping into a pure and untouched world is a reward in itself.

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.

Indian Premier League (IPL), a brainchild of BCCI or to be more precise its vice-president Lalit Modi, is a Twenty- league sanctioned by ICC. Eight franchise teams owned by business tycoons, Bollywood stars and media magnets feature in the league. IPL is setting a prominent travel trend in India. IPL matches are affecting the travel patterns in the cities where matches is being held.

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

With the summer in full swing & the summer vacations coming close, it’s time to go for a holiday…its chill out time!!! Approaching summer vacation is a good reason to search vacation ideas for May and June. Most families are now hunting for Summer Holiday Destinations which can not only involve their kids but also for the two-some. Some of the Holiday Ideas to watch out for are:

For last couple of days, I've actually been quite caught up with various commitments at home & work. May be I was stressed out so much that I'd been into arguments more than normal. I kept trying to reason out where the problem lies for long until a self realisation dawned on me.

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!

Kanyakumari, is one of those destinations which I visited as a child for the first time. Recently I went for a wedding at Chennai, when I saw buses plying to Kanyakumari. I couldn’t resist revisiting the place where I’d been years back.

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.

This time of the year Jaisalmer, pulsates with the sights & sounds of Desert Festival celebrations. Located in the heart of Thar Desert, Jaisalmer stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone crowned by a fort. It’s also known as Golden City because the sand gives a golden-yellow touch to the city. It’s 864 kms from New Delhi & 558kms from Jaipur.  

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!!!

Sarnath, about 10 km from the holy city of Varanasi, is the place where Buddha chose to deliver his first sermon. Hundreds of years ago, the place used to be graced by Lord Buddha and the place echoed to the chants of the monks. But after Qutubuddin Aibak's attack Sarnath never rose again. A British archaeological team rediscovered Sarnath in 1834, opening the window of the forgotten period of India's ancient history.

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

With only a week’s leave from work, I & my friends were not very eager to engage in too much traveling. Rather the idea was to chill out and have a relaxing holiday. It was summer time, so, none of us disputed the idea of visiting a hill station. After three days of discussions, agreements and disagreements we decided to head for Kalimpong.

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.

Around 20kms south-east of Jhansi is the small town of Orchha. Settled besides the Betwa river, this town of the Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh was the seat of former princely state of Central India. It was founded by Bundela Rajput chieftain, Rudra Pratap with the aim of making it his capital.

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.