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History of Vadodara


Vadodara History   
            Formerly known as Baroda, Vadodara is the third largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat.  According to archeological survey history of Vadodara dates back to the 9th century when it was a small village named Ankottaka. During the early years of Christian era the region was under the rule of Gupta dynasty. Then it was Chalukyas who after several fierce battles captured the region and ruled it till the Solanki Rajputs annexed the region to their kingdom. Then the region came under the control of Delhi sultans who ruled it for long time before they were overthrown by the Mughal emperors.
              Baroda was formerly princely state in western India. Modern history of Baroda (Vadodara) dates back to the time of Maratha rule.  Pilaji Gaekwad a general of Maratha captured Songadh in Gujarat from Mughal in 1726. Pilaji Gaekwad brought the Maratha campaign in southern part of Gujarat and conquered Baroda from Babi Nawabs who were ruling there under the Mughal kingdom.  Baroda remained under the rule of Gaekwad from 1734 to 1948. Pilaji Gaekwad was originally assigned the work of collecting the revenue on Maratha’s behalf but he and his descendents went on to carve a separate state form themselves.  Finally they consolidated their rule and managed to become the most powerful kingdom in the region. The treaty with British made Baroda a princely state and permitted Maharajas of Baroda to have the internal political sovereignty with its foreign affairs being controlled by British. Thus a form of suzerainty was established in the kingdom of Baroda. Baroda state witnessed the golden days during the rule of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. He ruled Baroda state from 1875 to 1939 and during the period he made every effort to modernize Baroda. He made the primary education compulsory in the state. He also established a university and model textiles and other industrial factories. This helped Baroda to gain the image of modern industrial hub. For his great works the city of Baroda is also sometimes referred as Sayaji Nagari. 
             After the independence of India 1947, the princely state of Baroda was annexed to Indian republic. Earlier (after the independence) it was merged into Bombay state which was in 1960 divided into states namely Gujarat and Maharashtra with Gujarat retaining the region of Baroda. It was in 1974 that the name of Baroda was changed to Vadodara.
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Fair and Festivals in Shimla


Fair and Festivals in Shimla

Though having British lineages from the past the city of Shimla looks traditional when it comes to the celebration of fairs and festivals. The Pahadi people celebrate most of the Hindu festivals along with their own tribal festivals. Apart from all these traditional festivals the city of Shimla celebrates the onset of snow fall by holding snow sports
For the people of Shimla Diwali, Navratri and Christmas are the major events related to religious festivities. Like elsewhere in India these festivals are celebrated with much fun. They also celebrate harvest festivals lie Baisakhi, and Lohri. Baisakhi is called as Bissu here. Lohri marks the beginning of Rabi (crop) sowing. Rhyali festival is celebrated before the rains begin to please the rain God. 
Bhoj fair, Lavi fair and the Sipi fair are the fairs of Shimla. Bhoj fair is a tribal fair of Devata Bansor (the deity) held in November for three days. ‘Natti’ dance will be performed before the deity. Lavi fair is a business fair commemorating the trade between Tibet and the ancient Bushar rule. It is held usually in November and is called the fair of Rampur. Sipi festival is celebrated during May to please the Sip deity. This fair is celebrated with a variety of acrobats and Pahadi dance shows. 
Shimla celebrates two festivals related to seasonal changes: Summer festival and winter festival. The summer festival would be held in May and the winter festival will be organized in the winter months (December, January and February). Ice skating and skiing on snow clad slopes are the highlights of this festival.

Culture of Shimla


Culture of Shimla

        If we go through the history of Shimla we notice that the city was under the British influence for a long duration. As a result the lifestyle in the main parts of the city reflects the British influence. But, as we move in and around the hill station we get to see the Pahadi lifestyle. The people living in the main parts are modernized, speak Hindi and English. 
        The Pahadi life style is based on agriculture and livestock rearing. We can observe men and women with a cone shaped basket on their back working in the open field or in an apple orchard. People here are simple and friendly; are exposed to modernity. The Pahadi people practice either Buddhism or Hinduism. The Kayang dance is a part of their culture. Their music is accompanied by Chimta, Ghungaru, and Ektara. They still practice traditional forms of dance and music that is unique to their tradition. Shimla happens to be  a fine blend of tradition and modernity.

History of Shimla





Shimla is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh and also a popular hill station. The formation of Shimla city began during the British rule. The British take the credit of identifying many hill stations in India. One among them is Shimla.
To trace the history of the city, one would have to begin with the Gurkha occupation. The Gurkhas of Nepal had occupied this region for about a decade. Prithvi Narayan Shah of Nepal had occupied Shimla in 1806.  The region was just a small area which was known for the temple of Shyamala Devi. The time was around 1804. The people of Shimla asked the British to intervene in this matter to free their land from the Gurkha occupation. Around 1815, the British evacuated Gurkha occupation from Shimla and seized the territory. The pact of Sugauli confirmed the ownership of Shimla and the British officers started building their summer houses here.

The first officer to construct a house was Charles Kennedy in 1822. Gradually the region was formed into a proper city. Soon it became the summer capital of the British officers. The Kalka-Shimla railway line was built in 1906 comprising of more than 800 bridges and more than 100 tunnels. Shimla retains most of the British structures (the Auckland house, the Kennedy house and the Viceregal Lodge) intact. In 1972 Shimla was made a district and now it is a part of Himachal Pradesh State.
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Fair and Festival in Raipur


 Raipur, the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, is rich in its culture and tradition. Festivals celebrated in Raipur form an integral part of the culture of its people.   Like the rest part of the country Raipur celebrates all major national festivals such as Deepawali and Dussera with much pomp and show. Apart from these festivals Raipur also witnesses its people celebrating their own regional festivals which offer the insight of their rich traditional customs and rituals.

Hareli is an important festival of Raipur. The festival comes in the month of Shravan and is mostly celebrated in rural parts of Raipur. On the occasion of the festival farmers of Raipur worship cattle and farm equipments.  People place the branches of Belhwa trees into their fields and pray for the good crops. Leaves of Neem trees are also placed at the entrance of the house to ward off the seasonal diseases. Raipur also celebrates the festival of Pola. The festival is quite distinct among other festivals. On the occasion of the festival people worship the bulls which are made to toil in the fields for the rest time of the year. Pola is largely celebrated in rural parts of Raipur. Celebration of the festival also witnesses the fascinating event of bull race organized on the occasion.   Chaparana annual fair, Bhoramdeo festival, Ragim Locham festival are other prominent  fairs and festivals hosted in Raipur and its nearby places.

Culture of Raipur



Raipur is the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It also serves as the headquarter of Raipur district. Raipur boasts of having a rich cultural heritage. Though the urban parts of the Raipur have seen some modern trends influencing the traditional ways of living of the people, Raipur (especially rural parts of it) has successfully managed to conserve its vibrant culture and traditions till date.
Chhattisgarhi serves as the main communicating language of the people of Raipur. The language also enjoys the status of official language of the state of Chhattisgarh.

Dewar Nacha, Raut Nacha, Panthi and Sova are some of musical folk dramas of Raipur. These are still popular in rural parts of Raipur district. Sohar, Bihav and Pathoni are famous folk songs of Raipur. The people of rural Raipur like to wear their traditional outfits. Kachora, Lugada (typical manners of wearing saris), Polkha and a set of beautiful jewelry form the traditional attires of women of Raipur.  Fairs and festivals celebrated in Raipur also form an integral part of the culture and traditions of the people of Raipur. Surti, Gouri Goura, Hareli, Pola and Teeja are some of the prominent festivals celebrated in Raipur with much fanfare.


Culture in Kanyakumari


Kanyakumari Culture 

Kanyakumari is a coastal town in the southern edge of Indian Peninsula It has an uneven land mass around the town most of the commercial buildings and hotels are located on the higher places with local fishing peoples living in lower areas. The town has a 99% literacy rate with about 40% of the people being Graduates. Locals are mainly involved in fishing, Shell crafts or tourism related business. There are many tourist spots around Kanyakumari but Kanyakumari is famous for its sunrise and sunsets with its unique confluence of three seas providing a good view. On some cloudy full moon evenings one can observe sunset and moon rise at the same time. The Kanyakumari Temple is built at the sea shore and it attracts tourists from the world over throughout the year. The diamond nose ring adorned by the deity is visible from the sea as it shines so bright. There are two small island rocks just outside the Kanyakumari Temple on one a Vivekananda rock Memorial is built in 1977 and on the second a giant 133 feet high Thiruvalluvar statue is built in the year 2000. Ferries run regularly to and from these rock memorials.

 A Gandhi Memorial has been built on the spot where the urn containing ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were kept. A Hindu style temple is so designed that the on 2Nd October, the  birthday of Mahatma Gandhi  first rays of rising sun falls exactly at the spot where the urn containing the ashes were kept.  Kanyakumari has its own tourist attractions like evergreen forests, sea beaches, mountain valleys, deep interiors, rubber and clove plantations etc. all in a 50 Kms radius from the town. Other places of tourist interest are Mathur Aqueduct, Baywatch Amusement Park, Vivekananda memorial and Tiruvalluvar Rock, Western Ghats, Chothavilai beach at Nagercoil. Our Lady of Ransom Church, Vattakottai Fort, Suchindram.

History of Raipur




 Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh is considered to be built in the 14th century by Kalchuri King Ram Chandra. In ancient time the region was a part of Maurya dynasty. During 2nd and 3rd century the region was under the rule of Satvahana kingdom. Thereafter the region came under the control of Samudragupta dynasty which ruled it till 6th century.  Later on several kingdoms ruled the region until it came under the control of Kalchuri kings of Tumman. Ratnapur served as the capital place of Kalchuri kings. King Ram Chandra of Kalchuri during his rule established the city of Raipur. He also made Raipur the capital city of his kingdom. There is another story about the foundation of the city of Raipur. According to that the city was founded by Bramhadev Rai the son of Ram Chandra.  The city of Raipur is named after Bramhadev Rai. During his rule in 1402 AD the temple of Hatakeshwar Mahadev was constructed on the bank of Kharun River.

After the decline of Kalchuri kingdom Raipur again witnessed several rules of different dynasty until it came under the control of Bhosale kings. Bhosale kings ruled Raipur for long time before the region came under the rule of British in India. During the rule of British Raipur began to grow rapidly but it was only after the independence of India in 1947 that the city of Raipur witnessed a large scale development and now it has become a major industrial city  of India.


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History of Kanyakumari


Kanyakumari History
       The name Kanyakumari comes from the name of local deity Kumari Amman or Kanyakumari Temple. It is situated in the southernmost tip of Indian continent where the three seas Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet. The Travancore Census notes that the Paravars rulers governed the coast and built the Kanyakumari temple for their reverence to the Sea goddess. Epic stories attached to this town goes thus, An extension of Parvati mata, Kanya devi was to marry Lord Shiva, but the lord did not turn up on wedding day, the grains kept for wedding remained uncooked and eventually turned into sand spread on the sea shore. 

Kanya Devi is considered as virgin goddess who blesses the pilgrims and tourists who come to visit the town here. Second legend says that Lord Hanuman dropped a piece of earth while carrying the mountain with important life saving herb to Lanka during the Ram-Ravan war . This has caused the surrounding place to be full of medicinal herbs. Agatha Muni an herbal medicine expert is believed to have lived here. Agastheeswaram is a village near Kanyakumari where Agasthya Muni lived. This is why the nearby places and a small hill nearby have so many herbal plantations. Kanyakumari has been a great center for arts and culture since ages. The place also had good trade links in the past. Christianity and Islam entered here via sea and have a sizeable number of followers now. Jainism is one of the faiths which have contributed in the arts and architecture of the region.       
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