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Witness the Stunning Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong, Meghalaya






You must have heard or seen Cherry blossom festival being celebrated in other countries but did you know that this type of festival is also celebrated in India!  Yes, you read it right as the capital city of the state of Meghalaya 'Shillong' is hosting the kind of festival since last three year. 

 This year Shillong will host 4th edition of this 'Cherry Blossom festival' from 13th Nov to 16th Nov. 2019. The festival is being conducted by the Meghalaya tourism which is celebrate unique autumn blooming of Himalayan pink cherry tree blossoms.





 Thousands of visitors flock every year to Shillong to admire the beautiful pin blossoms and nature's wonder.  The festival is also a great opportunity to enjoy and experience several unique events of music and dance shows, beauty pageant, region's cuisines stalls, an amateur golf tournament [you can participate in it]. If you are going to this fest then this time you will get to see several Korean events such as Korean Barbeque, art stalls and K-pop music concert.

Few signature events in the Cherry Blossom Festival 2019  :


Day DateEvent
113-NovFashion Show | Unplugged Music | Nostalgia Music (Elvis and Beatles)
214-NovColours of North East | DJ Music (DJ Daffy) | LG XBOOM Karaoke Contest
315-NovCosplay | Miss Cherry Blossom | Mrs Shillong | Rock Show 
416-NovFootball | Korean Films | K-Pop (Jang Han-byul) -former vocalist of LEDApple 

[Schedule courtesy: India International Cherry Blossom Festival]


How to reach Shillong:



By Air:  Airport in Umroi is nearest airport to Shillong. It's about 25 km from Shillong. You can take a bus or taxi from Umroi to Shillong prior to your pick up or at arrival.


By Rail:  Guwahati railway station is nearest airport to Shillong. Buses and rental cabs are available from Guwahati railway station to Shillong.


By Road : Guwahati is well connected to Shillong by NH40. From here one can easily take a state's transport buses or private taxi or cab rental services to reach Shillong and various destinations in Meghalaya.


So let's pack your bag and plan to create priceless travel memories with Family or friends at Meghalaya.  






World's Largest Camel Fair at Pushkar Mela, Rajasthan


Image courtesy: wikipedia

  'Pushkar', a small town located about 20 km from Ajmer in Rajasthan, is one of the famous pilgrimage destination in India. The place is primary famous for two things, first is temple of 'Lord Brahma' and second is 'Camel fair'.

Lord Brahma's Only Temple in The World 


Image courtesy: wikimedia

 Contrary to the legends and various version of  “Why there is no Temple of Lord Brahma”, the temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan remains the most famous “Brahma” temple in the world. This temple is built with marble and  is decorated with silver coins and there is a silver turtle on the floor of the temple. 

 It is a Hindu Temple located near Pushkar lake having 52 Ghats in Rajasthan (India). On Kartik Poornima, a festival dedicated to Lord Brahma is held when large number of pilgrims visit the temple, after bathing in the sacred lake. 

World's Largest Camel Fair 


The place becomes tourist attraction for one more famous reason i.e “Pushkar Camel Fair- the largest Camel trade fair in the world” during this time. This colorful celebration in the golden sand of Thar , is the real mesmerizing experience for the tourist. Apart from trading in the livestock the fair also organizes various other competitions like bridal makeup contest, big mustaches contest and matka phode contest, a unique cricket match between the local team of Pushkar's residents and a foreign team.

There are around 500 Temples and various monuments in and around “Pushkar”. Tourist from various parts of the world gather here, to witness vivid colors of Rajasthan and splendid monuments. Every aspect of this experience would make you feel special.

A perfect & refreshing country side experience with large fairgrounds, mega crowd and herds of cattle all around, is the epic scene you witness when you are at the “Pushkar Camel Fair”.
An ancient tradition where around 30,000 Camel owners participate to show-off their camel's valour. One of the high rated travel experience where around 4,00,000 people mark their presence in this small town of  “Pushkar”.

Image courtesy: wikipedia

Though the first 2 days are considered auspicious for bathing in sacred lake, for the rest of the days various shows and contests are organized by Rajasthan Tourism. The major highlights of the events are Camel races, Dance, Folk and Fusion music concerts, spiritual and heritage walks, and local Arts an Crafts Bazaar.. but expect the rate to inflate because local vendors see this as an opportunity to gain windfall profit.Negotiate hard,if planning for local shopping.


Dates of Pushkar Camel Fair:

This year Pushkar fair schedule from 4th November to 12th November 2019. See more fair event schedule.

How to reach Pushkar- 


By Train: 

If you are planning to travel by train then to reach here Ajmer is the neartes railway station to Pushkar. From there a local connectivity is Ajmer-Pushkar Passenger which  departs Ajmer between  9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and arrives in Pushkar at 10.30 a.m. 

By Road:

From Ajmer you may also plan for a road journey which is 30 minutes drive. You can rent a chauffeur driven cab from around 300+ Indian cities to plan a road trip to Pushkar. 

By Air:

The air connectivity provided to “Pushkar” is through 2 places, one is Kishangarh which is 40 km from Ajmer and the second is Jaipur 146.5 km i.e around 3 hours journey.

Where to Stay

Due to great flow of people visiting during this period, the demand for accommodations  increase accordingly. The rates would be comparatively high therefore plan in advance and book guesthouses. If willing to shell out extra bugs go for luxury tented camps set up in the desert especially for the festival, heritage hotels, and farm stays.

So pack your bags and get ready to explore the vivid colors of Rajasthan in your next vacations!


Shri Krishna Janmashtami most popular place to experience the festival



 Birla Mandir, Delhi  (credit: Sushil Kumar Verma)

 The whole nation geared up the great devotion and enthusiasm for celebrating the Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna. The festival also known as Gokulashtami and devotees from around the nation celebrates it with much pomp and grandeur. Thousands of people visit the temple on this day to have the darshan of their worshipable Lord Shri Krishna. There also Dahi Handi or Gopal Kala a  popular ceremony celebrated on the second day of Janmashtami.

Here are few most popular and special places where large number of devotees throng during Janmashtami because these are the places where Shri Krishna had spent his life.

Mathura :

             Lord Shri Krishna Temple (credit: prasadsewa.com) 

 Mathura is a birthplace of Lord Krishna and it's a stronghold for Janmashtami celebration. It's a district place situated on the banks of river 'Yamuna' in north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. 

How to reach:- 

By air: 
Kheria Airport is the nearest airport to Mathura which is approxmitly 46 km away from Mathura. Taxi or cab are available from the airport to reach Mathura. 

By road:
 Mathura is well connected to the major cities (Agra, Lucknow, Delhi and Kanpur) by bus and private vehicle. 

By train:
Mathura is very well-connected to the country through Western and central rails.



Vrindavan: 


Prem Mandir (credit: commons.wikimedia.com)

 This holy place is situated in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh state. According to mythology it is the place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood days.

 How to reach:

By air:
Nearest aiport to Vrindavan is Kheria airport and it is about 72 km away from the city.


By train: 
Vrindavan has a small railway station but well connected to Mathura railway station.


By road:
 Vrindavan is good connected to Delhi and Mathura by bus as there are frequent buses and taxis are available from there.

Dwarka :


    Dwarakadheesh Temple (credit: bharatdarshan.info)
 Dwarka is considered as one of the seven most ancient cities in India. It is located in Jamnagar district in Gujarat state. Most famous Lord Krishna's Dwarkadhish temple is located at the heart of this city.

How to reach

By air : 

There is no airport in the town but the Jamnager and Porbandar is the nearest airport for it. 

By train: 
Dwarka is well and one of the popular railway station on the western railway line and has good connectivity with many of major cities of the country.

By road:
Visitor can easily reach to Dwarka by road as it has good road connectivity with the other tourist destination.


Apart from that Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi are also popular places for Krishna Janmashtami celebration.
 Every year numbers of devotees and tourists come to witness this celebration if you too want to visit then do make your plan properly and book really a quick and easy car rental services for your visit to these places.

Guru Nanak Jayanti


                                        Guru Nanak Jayanti


     The Guru Nanak Jayanti or we can say Guru Nanak Gurpurab is celebrated all over the world . This day is considered to be very religious and auspicious for the people. A 2 days long Akhand Paath - reading entire Guru Granth Sahib takes place before Gurpurab. A day before early morning processions called ‘prabhat pheri’ take place.  

The Nishan Sahib, a holy triangular flag bearing the symbol of Khalsa Panth is waved during these processions. As you can observe you can see Nishan Sahib hoisted on domes of Gurudwaras.

On the Guru Nanak Jayanti, bhajans are chanted and langar, food cooked in common kitchen and is served in Gurdwaras to all the visitors. To honour this great Guru, we write about the best Gurudwaras in India. 

The Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab. Sri Harmandir Sahib or Sri Darbar Sahib is famous in world for its striking appearance in gold. Visited all year round, the Gurudwara is a peaceful place for all worshipers. Golden Temple’s stunning architecture and grandeur certainly puts it on every traveler’s speech less.



     


Kashi Ganga Mahotsav

Kashi Ganga Mahotsav

                                                                    - festival of light and happiness

                                       

 

image credit: wikipedia

The name of Varanasi derives from the two tributaries of Ganga namely 'Varuna' and 'Assi' which stretches necklace shaped about 7kms with 84 ghats.

Ganga Mahotsav festival of light and happiness which is celebrated every year on the banks of holy river Ganga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and it is been organised by Mahotsav Samiti of the UP Tourism Department. The ancient name Originally known as Kashi in Sanskrit 'kas' meaning light.

The festival use to takes places at Sant Ravidas Ghat, commences on 'Prabodhini Ekadashi' and ends on 'Dev Deepawali' or 'Kartik Poornima' or the full moon day in the Hindu month of Kartik.

New name is been given to this mahotsav that is Kashi Ganga Mahotsav. The location, day, date of the mahotsav has been changed by the UP government. The Kashi Ganga Mahotsav will be organized on 21st Jan 2019 to 23rd Jan 2019 in Expatriate conference the event will take place on the 'Assai ghats' which is one of the famous ghats on the bank of river Ganga in Varanasi Utter Pradesh . 


  image credit: wikipedia


Government of Utter Pradesh took this effort to make this Ganga mahotsav memorable for the tourist by proving the best culture oriented performance by the artiest  in the various fields of arts, culture and cuisine. water Sports like boating, Ganga marathon,and wrestling are been organized by the Government officials. 

 So if you are planning to visit the place with your loved ones we will help you out to make it memorable.

If you are planning a road trip, then you can opt a cab/taxi services to this locations and make your trip memorable in affordable prices. 

Hampi Festival - a three day long music, art and cultural festival


Hampi festival, Karnataka

   Every year in November, Hampi a UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and a erstwhile capital city of a glorious Vijayanagara empire comes alive with fantastic classical & traditional dance performances, skits and dramas, fireworks, puppet shows, Light & Sound show and many more activities. The occasion is 'Hampi festival'.

   This Karnataka state government sponsored three day long festival is an opportunity to all music, art, culture and travel enthusiasts around the globe to relive and rejoice the glory of Vijayanagara empire

The festival attracts significant numbers of local and international visitors to this world's largest open air museum where national and internationally renowned artists are invited to perform their art. Whole atmosphere is not only exciting but also enthrall an entire audience. It also keep them excited to visit this place every year.

Hampi utsav/festival 2017 dates: 3rd November to 5th November 2017.

How to reach Hampi:

Nearest airport to Hampi

By Air:-   

Jindal Vijaynagar Airport in Toranagallu, Karnataka is about 37.6 km away from Hampi and connected daily to Hyderabad by Trujet airline.
Second nearest airport is Hubli airport which is located approx. 167.1 km from Hampi. Thereafter to reach Hampi from the airport you have to hire a car or take a bus.

nearest railway station to HampiBy Rail:- 

 Hospet is the closest railway station that is at a distance of just 13 km. from there you can easily take a chauffeur driven cab/taxi to reach Hampi. Book your car in advance if you want avoid any hassle. 

how to reach hampiBy Road:-

Hubli to Hampi is approx. 164 km, Distance between Hyderabad to Hampi is approx. 378 km via NH 167 and Bangalore to Hampi is 357 km.

Baisakhi a harvest festival of Punjab

 
Baisakhi festival celebration
[Image courtesy: wikimedia]
   Baisakhi or Vaisakhi is one of the important festival in North India, specially in Punjab. It has great historical as well as religious significance of celebration. Baisakhi is a spring festival that marks the Solar New Year and also the day on which tenth guru of Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh formed a 'Khalsa panth of warriors' in 1699. Usually the festival is celebrated on 13th or 14th April every year.

How it is celebrated ?

Farmers express their happiness while celebrating it with great joy and enthusiasm, on this day they wake up in the morning and go to temples and Gurudwara[ a place of worship for Sikhs] and thank God for the bountiful harvest. After the celebration Wheat harvesting begins in Punjab on Baisakhi.

Baisakhi is celebrated by the people of Punjab with vigor and joy. Gurdwaras are decorated and hold kirtans (religious hymns) and people gather to socialize and share festive foods. Devotees dress up in special colourful clothe and do into the traditional folk dance 'Bhangra' and 'Gidda'. 

Besides the Punjab, Bengalis mark it as 'Naba Barsha'[new year]. On this day People take ritual bath in the Ganga river and bedight their houses with rangoli.

The people in Bihar celebrate this day in April and November in honour of the Sun God, Surya at te place called Surajpur-Baragaon.
 

 
Vishu festival[Image courtesy: wikipedia]

In Kerala it is called as 'Vishu' and in Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as 'Puthandu'

This is day is also important for Buddists because Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment and Nirvana on this auspicious day.

So, what are you waiting for? when you begin to plan your next trip, come by us at Clear Car Rental. We can find the right travel plan to fit your budget. 

Goa Carnival - 4 days annual fun and frolic festival





Goa carnival
(Image credit: joel)

The Goa state tourism department organized four day long annual Goa Carnival which typically occur during month of February or early March, has been started on 25th Feb and it will continue till 28th Feb. The Carnival is being celebrated since the 18th century and it has an ancient history which date back to Portutuguese rule. This year location for this carnival are Panjim, Mapusa, Margoa and Vasco da Gama. In recent years it has been observed that the numbers of tourist for this carnival has increased.

Generally Goa carnival celebration is melange of music, dance and food. It is also a best opportunity for visitors to get glimpse of great goan culture and traditions of the state. Street parades, Live dancing troupes, floats parade, electrifying music and folk dancers are the main attractions of carnival. Float of 'King Momo' [a character derived from the Greek god Momus, who is the god of satire] led all the parades in all cities. 

It's never too early and late to start your holiday but if you missed the event then don't worry apart form this there are many Goa tour options for every travel enthusiast who seeks an option from relaxing to adventure holiday.


World Sacred Spirit Festival, Rajasthan


 

World sacred spirit festival conceived by the Mehrangarh museum trust is an annual music festival that takes place at Ahhichatragarh fort in Nagaur and Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. The festival is a perfect blend of natural ambiance and harmony. It took place almost every year and grew in size with the number of attendees.

The festival will have musicians from the Orient, Africa and India. The festival is celebrated with a aims at the conservation and continuation of Sufi/sacred traditions of India and the world.

The participant artist in this magnificent festival are sitar player Irshad Khan, folk singer, musician and storyteller Parvathy Baul and musician Mehdi Nassouli, Oud player and Composer Issa Murad, flute player Rishab Prasanna, tabla player Zuheb Ahmed Khan from Palestine, flute player Lingling Yu from China and musicians Samuel Cattiau and Quentin Dujardin.

This year's festival dates are :  14th Feb. to 15th Feb. at Nagaur and 17th Feb. to 19th Feb. in Jodhpur.
See the festival's website for more info about event tickets and program details.

Apart from the festival days you can take off some extra time to see other attractions of the state. The cultural and historical tours of Rajasthan offer an opportunity to get a glimpse of the exotic locales of the region.

Hemis Festival

Hemis Monastery Festival
Image credit:- Madhav Pai




Hemis festival - It is a famous annual festival is held in late June or early July every year at 'Hemis monastery' the largest and richest monastery in all of Ladakh. This year it'll be celebrated on 14th to 15th July 2016.

The ceremony of this two day festival begins on the 10th day of the Tibetan lunar month and commemorates the birth of lord 'Padmasambhava' (founder of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet). The local people of Leh Ladakh come to celebrate the festival in their traditional dresses.  The festival take place in the courtyards of monastery with Cham dance or masked dance, performed by the resident Lamas of the monastery on the music of cymbals, drums and long horns. The cham dance represents the victory of good over evil. 

Chams are essentially a part of Tantric tradition, performed only in the gompas that follow the Tantric Vajrayana teachings.

How to reach :


It is 40 kms away from the south-east of the main city of Leh in Ladhak district.

By air:- 

Nearest airport is Kushok Bakula Rimpochhe Airport at Leh. There are good avaibility of direct flights from Delhi, Srinagar and Jammu. From airport you can hire a cab in advance to reach Hemis monastery.

By train:- 

Chandigarh and Pathankot are the nearest railway station to Leh and Chandigarh to Leh and Panthankot to Leh distance are 750 kms and 772 kms  respectively. 

By Road:-  

You can reach Leh from Jammu, Kashmir and Manali by private vehicle or public buses.

If you haven't seen or visited this awesome destinations in India yet, then why not take a customized trip to here using our tour planner Now!

9 Colours of 9 Days of Navratri Festival in 2020


9 colors of 9 days of Navratri


Navratri's Nine Colours And Their Significance


  Navratri a nine days festival of worshiping Goddess Durga and her nine incarnations. Navratri is a combination of two words 'Nav' and 'Ratri' which literally means 'Nine Nights'. 

 Now the Navratri begins this year from October 17, 2020 and everyone is getting busy with purchasing the best combinations of colors to immersed in festival fever and pandal hopping for Garba and Dandiya with family and friends by following the Government issued SOPs. If you are planning to head to visit your desired Pandal or place and want to be a part of celebration then go ahead with on time and affordable car rental services in your city.

This year, Navratri celebration won't be the same because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be a smaller celebrations yet the spirit shall remain the same. People are looking out on traditional way of celebrating festivals.

During this festival mostly devotees are excited to wear nine different colours of dress which signify that particular form of the deity on each day of the festival.  Here is the list of nine different colours that are supposed to wear on different days of Navratri. 

 Day First: Gray colour   

First day of Navratri is called as 'Ghatasthapana'. The day is dedicated to Goddess Shailaputri and the colour to wear on the first day for devotees is "Gray"


Day Second: Orange colour

Second day of Navratri is called as Dwitiya and on this day 'Goddess Brahmachari' is worshipped. the colour to wear on the second day for devotees is "Orange"

Day Third: White colour
Third day of Navratri or Tritiya is dedicated to 'Devi Chandraghanta' she symbolizes spirituality and meditation and the colour to wear on this day for devotees is "White"

Day Fourth: Red colour   

On the fourth day, the crator of the universe 'Godess Kushmanda' is worshipped. The colour to wear on this day is "Red". 


Day Fifth: Royal Blue colour  

'Goddess Skandamata' is worshipped on the fifth day of Navratri. The colour to wear on forth day of navratri is "Royal Blue"

Day Sixth: Yellow colour  

Goddess Katyayani the sixth incarnations of Devi Durga, worshipped on the seventh day of Navrartri and "Yellow" is the customary colour of the eighth day of Navaratri.  

 Day Seventh: Green colour 

'Goddess Kaalratri' seventh incarnations of Godess Durga is worshiped on this day of Navratri and the colour to wear on is "Green

 Day Eight: Purple colour 

Goddess of kindness and morality known as 'Devi Maha Gauri' is worshipped on the Eighth day of Navratri and "Purple" color to be worn on the day.

 Day Nine: Peacock green colour 

Goddess of supernatural power 'Devi Siddhidatri' is worshipped on the Ninth day of Navratri and the colour to wear on the first day for devotees is "Peacock green".


5 Famous Ganpati Idols to Visit in Pune During Ganesh Festival


  Ganesha Chaturthi also known as 'Vinayak Chaturthi' is the important Hindu Festival celebrated in honour of Lord Ganesha. The celebration has a long history and roots since the days of Maratha rulers. Indian freedom fighter and social reformer Lokmanya Tilak initiated this festival as a public festival in 1894 with a view to uniting citizens and strengthen the patriotic fervour in Indians.
While it is celebrated all over India, Pune is said to have it's own traditions to celebrating this festival with great pomp and gaiety where the festival actually started.

 The city has the five Manache (Respective) Ganesh idols where you have must visit during Ganesh Utsav.

1. Kasba Ganapti : 

        Kasba Ganpati  
         ( image credit: flickr)
                                                               
image credit:
image credit:
Located in the heart of city at Kasaba Peth, it is also known as Gram Devta of Pune and the temple was built by 'Shivaji Maharaj' and 'Jijabai Bhosale'.

2. Tambdi Jogeshwari :

  Tambdi Jogeshwari
( image credit: google)

It is supposed to be a oldest temple in Pune, established in 1893. It stands second privileged Ganpati idol of Pune after Kasba Ganpati Mandal.

3. Guruji Talim :

Guruji Talim
               (image credit: plus.googleapis.com)

It is the third respective Ganapti idol in pune Located at Laxmi Road. the Guruji Talim Ganpati mandal was started by two Hindu and two Muslim families in 1887 even before Lokmanya Tilak started this Sarvajanik Ganesh utsav and hence it's considered as a symbol of Hindu Muslim unity.

4. Tulsibaug :

         Tulsibaug Ganesh Idol
     (image credit: wikipedia.org)

 It is fourth respective Ganpati idol in Pune Located at Tulshibaug. which was established in 1901. This mandal is amongst the first who Glass establishing Fiber statue since 1975.

5. Kesariwada Ganesh Mandal :


Kesariwada Ganesh
   (image credit: wikipedia.org)

 Lokmanya Tilak established this idol in year 1893 in Narayan Peth, Pune. It is revered of known as fifth respective Ganapati idol in Pune. Lokmanya Tilak started this festival with the motive of to enhance the sense of belongingness as well as togetherness among the citizens and still the mandol takes large cultural and educational events and concentrates more on social work.

Along with these you can also visit Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati idol the richest Ganesh Mandal in the city which was established in the year 1893.
   Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati idol
(Image Credit: bhaskar.com)

How to reach Pune :-


Pune is well connected by air, rail and road to other major cities in India.

    Nearest Airport :- 

     Lohegaon airport where you can get a transfer taxi to reach the city.

    Nearest Railway station :-  

    Pune junction is an important station of Central Railway Zone. 

    Bus Stand:- 

    Shivajinagar and Swargate bus stand. The city is easily accessible by state transport buses or rental cars from major cities such include Ahmadnagar, Aurangabad and Mumbai.


     If you are planning to visit to Pune to experience immense fun then we suggest that there’s best way to rent a car for the utmost convenience and safety travel to Ganesh festival.

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