Akkalkot is yet another major place of interest located near the city of Solapur. Situated about 38 km away from Solapur, the town of Akkalkot is famous for its shrine of Akkalkot Swami. It is home to the Vatvriksha temple of Swami Samarth and Akkalkot Swami Math which are frequented by a large number of devotees from all over Maharashtra and other parts of the country as well.

Visakhapatnam is a coastal city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Also known as Vizag, the city of Visakhapatnam serves to be a major tourist destination in the state. Home to several prominent places of interest, Visakhapatnam is visited by a number of tourists throughout the year.

                                           Kailasgiri Park :

Kailasgiri Park located on the top of a small hill is a major tourist attraction in Visakhapatnam. Situated near the cost of Bay of Bengal, Kailasgiri hill offers panoramic views of the city and its beaches. The hill is known as Kailasgiri due to the presence of sacred statues of Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati. During night entire area is beautifully illuminated offering amazing spectacle when viewed from any part of the city. Rope-way facility has been provided there to reach the top of the hill. One can also enjoy the activity of paragliding which gives a thrilling  experience. 

                                           Borra Caves :

Famous for stalactite and stalagmite formation, Borra Caves situated at Anantgiri in Visakhapatnam is prominent historical site. Discovered in 1807, Borra Caves is an important archeological place in Andhra Pradesh state. Paleolithic implements found there are several thousand years old. The place also assumes religious significance as a Shivlinga and an idol of holy cow Kamdhenu have been placed deep in the caves. This historical and religious significance places is visited by a number of tourist and devotees throughout the year.

                                           Ramakrishna Beach :

Ramakrishna Beach is much frequented place in Visakhapatnam which lies just about 120 south of Srikakulam city, another major coastal city of Andhra Pradesh. It happens to be one of the most beautiful beaches located of the east coast of India.   Ramakrishna Beach serves to be a perfect place for the people of Visakhapatnam to relax and unwind. The beach derives its name from Ramakrishna Mission and is popularly called as R K Beach.

                                           Submarine Museum :

Many places of interest like Visakha Museum, war memorial and aquarium are located along this beach. Apart from the above mentioned places, Visakhapatnam houses many other places of interest in and around it.

How to reach Visakhapatnam :

 

By air:-  

 Visakhapatnam airport is the nearest and easiest airport to reach Visakhapatnam. It is located at 7 km away from the city. This airport is well link with other many Indian cities airport. Traveler can hire a taxi online prior to their arrival through recommended car rental services.

By train:-  

By road:-

Visakhapatnam, the port city of Andhra Pradesh state, is known for hosting several cultural events and festivals. Also known as Vizag, the city of Visakhapatnam is famous for its Visakha Utsav (festival). Visakha Utsav is a three day long festival organized by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department. The festival starts every year from third Friday of January and last for the next three days. To promote tourism in and around Visakhapatnam is the main purpose of hosting this cultural event. Folk dance, music, arts, crafts and cuisines are the main highlights of this festival. Rama Krishna beach serves to be the main venue of Visakha Utsav. A number of artists from different parts of Andhra Pradesh take part in the festival and display their arts and skills. Exhibition, fashion show and food fairs are other noteworthy features of Visakha festival
Chandana Yatra, also known as Chandanostavam, is major religious festival celebrated at Sri Varaha Laxminarasimha temple situated at Simachalam near Visakhapatnam. Held every year in the month of March-April, Chandanostavam witnesses a large number of devotees thronging there from all over Andhra Pradesh and some parts of neighboring states. On the occasion of the festival the idol of the main deity which is kept covered with sandal paste all the time is removed ceremoniously and is covered with new and fresh layer of sandalwood.
Rishikonda Beach Festival is another major cultural event of Visakhapatnam organized every year in the month of December. Exhibition stores, craft Bazaar and food shows are the key attractions of the festival. Another interesting festival of Visakhapatnam is Lumbini festival associated with Buddhism. Organized every year in the month of December, Lumbini festival is marked with various religious and cultural activities.

 

Known for its rich culture and tradition, Rajkot is the third largest city of Indian state of Gujarat.  The city is famous for hosting several cultural events and festivals. Rajkot is often referred as Rangilu Rajkot meaning colorful Rajkot and that could be seen in its colorful celebration of its festivals. Though Rajkot is rapidly growing into a multicultural city, it still continues to preserve its traditional customs and rituals. Festivals celebrated in Rajkot offers us insights of its rich cultures and tradition.

Navratri, the festival of nine nights, is the most charming festival of Gujarat. Being a part of Gujarat state, the city of Rajkot also celebrates Navratri with great fanfare. The festival is celebrated for nine days which witnesses daily prayers and other religious activities. The main attraction of Navratri festival is colorful Garba dance. Garba dance serves to be the main folk dance form of Gujarat state. It is mainly performed on the occasion of Navratri festival. People of all ages and different strata of society take part in this beautiful and charming Garba dance.

Kite festival is another prominent cultural event celebrated on the occasion of Makar Sankranti which usually falls on 14th January. On the occasion of festival people of Rajkot are seen flying there kites high in the sky. The blue sky of the city fills with thousand of colorful kites competing with each other.  Similar kind of festival are celebrated on large scale in Ahmedabad and other major cities of Gujarat. There are many other major festivals like holi, Dussera, and Deepawali which are celebrated in Rajkot with great religious fervor.

                                                     

Krishnapuram Palace:

Built in the 18th century, Krishnapuram Palace presents a beautiful architectural style of Kerala. This two storied historic structure was built by Marathnanda Varma, a king of Travancore. Crafted with typical Kerala feature of architecture including doomed windows, gabled windows and narrow corridor, the palace is mainly famous for its mural paintings. The palace has now been turned into a museum housing a fine collection of beautiful sculptures, paintings, antiques, bronzes and other artifacts.

Alleppey Beach:

Pathiramannal:

It is a small Island accessed by boat. The place is dotted with beautiful natural surroundings. It is an ideal place for the nature lover to explore beautiful surroundings. It also serves to be a perfect place for the bird watchers as numerous species of domestic and migratory birds can be spotted there.



St Andrew’s Church, Karumadi, Pandavan Rock, Edathua Church and Chavra Bhavan are other places of attraction situated in and around the town of Alleppey.

 How to get there:

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Guntur, the fourth largest city of the state of Andhra Pradesh, is known for its diverse culture. Festival is one of the vital parts of the culture and therefore the city of Guntur celebrates multi religious and multi-cultural festivals with equal zest. Along with the major festivals like Deepawali, Dussera, Holi etc Guntur also celebrates Id-ul-fitr and Christmas with great enthusiasm.  Apart from these important festivals Guntur also hosts some of its regional fairs and festivals with much pomp and show.

Mulathaneswaraswami Kalyanothsavam is five-day festival celebrated in the month of March-April at the temple of Tadikonda situated near Guntur. The festival is a prominent religious event and on the occasion of the festival devotees offers the coconut, flowers, fruits and betel leaves to the deity of the temple. Sri Narsimhaswami Kalyanothsavam is another major festival celebrated for 16 days in the month of March-April at Lakshami Narasimhaswami temple in Guntur. Hazart Sayed Bajit Shahi Aulia Urs is Muslim fair held every year in the month of Ramzan at Pedakani near Ramzan. The fair is visited by many Muslim devotees from far and wide. Sri Ramlingeswaraswami Lakshabilvarchana and Sri Ramakoti Mahothsvam are other major fairs and festivals celebrated full zest in Guntur.

Bikaner is a city in the state of Rajasthan, India. Rich in history and culture, the city of Bikaner serves to be a major tourist destination in the state. Bikaner is dotted with numerous historic forts, palaces, temples etc. These places of interest attract thousands of tourists from all over the globe. 

Junagarh Fort :
Built in 1593 by Raja Rai Singh, Junagarh Fort is key tourist attraction of Bikaner. The fort is perched at an altitude of about 700 ft and is easily visible from a distance. The fort wall measures about 987 m in length and it is fortified with 37 bastions. The fort also has a moat and two entrances.  Beautifully stone carving done in several palaces of the fort is the main highlight of this impressive structure. Anup Mahal, Rang Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Phool Mahal and Chandra Mahal are some of the palaces of Junagarh fort.


Lalgarh palace :
Lalgarh palace is another major attraction of Bikaner. It is located just 3 km away from Bikaner and is known for its beautiful architectural style and lattice work. This imposing structure was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh in memory of his father. A portion of this Palace has been turned in a heritage hotel by Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporations.



Mata Karni Temple :
Mata Karni Temple situated just 30 km south of Bikaner is a prominent place of worship in the region. It is over 600 year old temple and is dedicated to Mata Karni who is considered as one of the incarnations of goddess Durga. Camel research and breeding farm, Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum and Fort Museum are other places of attractions in Bikaner.

Rich in history and culture, the city of Jaisalmer is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state of Rajasthan, India. Famous for its several historic monuments, structures and picturesque sand dunes, Jaisalmer has another interesting facet that make the city a special place to visit. Fairs & festivals of Jaisalmer are known for their cultural extravaganza. Jaisalmer celebrates several prominent festivals with great fanfare.

Jaisalmer Desert festival is the most important cultural festival of Jaisalmer. The festival is organized by Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and is known for its myriads of cultural and entertainment activities. Jaisalmer Desert Festival serves to be a platform from where one can have the insights of rich culture and tradition of the people of the region. Beautifully adorned camels, colorful traditional attires of the people, attractive folk dance and songs are the main highlights of the desert festivals of Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer celebrates many other major festivals celebrated in other parts of Rajasthan. Among other festivals celebrated in Jaisalmer the festival of Gangaur is prominent one. Holi and Dussera are other major festivals of Jaisalmer celebrated with much pomp and show. Colorful festivals of Jaisalmer attract thousands of tourists from all over the globe.

Tiruchirapalli, shortly and popularly known as Trichy, is the fourth largest city of Indian southern state of Tamil Nadu. This historically and culturally rich city was built by Madurai Nayaks. Trichy is located at the geographic center of Tamil Nadu and is home to several places of attraction frequented by a large number of tourists round the year.  


Rock Fort Ganpati Temple :
Rock Fort Ganpati Temple is a key attraction of Trichy. The temple with its height of about 83m is perched on the top of the rock fort. The rock is one of oldest rocks in the world. The fort has historical importance as it helped British to strengthen their base in Tamil Nadu state. About 344 steps take you to the temple dedicated to Lord Ganapati. Rock Fort Ganpati Temple in Trichy is much frequented by both tourists and devotees.


Sri Rangam Ranga Nathar Temple :
Sri Rangam Ranga Nathar Temple is another major place of religious significance in Trichy, located just about 140 km north east of Madurai city which itself is home to many ancient temples and historic structures.  The temple dates back to the 14th century. There had been contributions of several kingdoms in the making of this majestic temple. Devoted to Lord Vishnu, the temple attracts thousands of devotees and tourists round the year.  One can also visit the temple museum housings several historic valuables. The temple also hosts and celebrates an annual festival of Vaikunda Ekadasi in the month of December.
There are many other places of tourist and religious importance which one can explore around city of Trichy.


Thanjavur :
Thanjavur is famous as tourist and pilgrimage destination in Tamil Nadu state. It is located just about 55 km away from city of Trichy and is visited by both tourists and devotees throughout the year. One can also take some time out to visit Government Museum located on Bharathidasan Road. The museum has rich collections of bronze and stone sculptures dating back to ancient and medieval age.

 
Trichy known for its rich culture and traditions celebrates several festivals and cultural events. Fairs and festivals celebrated in the city serve the occasions which offer the insights of traditional customs and rituals followed by the people of Trichy. Along with the major national festivals the city of Trichy celebrates its regional festivals with much fanfare. Pongal serves to be the most important festival of the state of  Tamil Nadu. Being a part of the state Trichy also celebrates the festivals with much pomp and show.

Samayapuram Mariamman Temple festivals are prominent religious events held in Trichy. Poochoriyal, Pancha Prakaram and Bramhostavam are famous festivals celebrated at the temple of Samyapuram. During these festivals Samayapuram temple witnesses the thousands of people thronging there from across the country. Jallikattu is another prominent cultural event organized in several villages near Trichy. Jallikattu is bull catching event organized mainly during the celebration of Pongal festival.  Allur Jallathiru Vizha and Vaikunta Ekadasi are other prominent festivals celebrated in Trichy with much fanfare.

Pinjore garden, International Doll Museum, Chattbir zoo, Cactus garden and Botanical garden are other places of interest to be visited in and around the city of Chandigarh.

How to reach

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By road:

Gadda Jatra, or Nandi Dhwaja (decorated bamboo pole) Procession is the main event of Solapur. This is a fair of the local tradition associated with a story of the spiritual leader Siddharameshwara. Siddarama who was influenced by the teachings of Basaveshwara of Kalyana (he was the person who propagated Veerashaiva Dharma) had lived here. The villagers consider him as a deity. A young girl of the village had wished to marry him. But, Siddeshwara asked her to marry one of his disciples. Siddeshwara conducted their marriage and the day is celebrated as the Gadda fair now.

The fair is celebrated for three days in the month of January around the Makara Sankranti festival.  A day before and after the Makara Sankranti festival are the festival days in Solapur. It is a Marriage ritual. Two Nandi Dhwajas will be taken out for procession symbolizing bride and groom and on the Sankranti day the marriage ritual would take place. A fifteen day cultural fair would be arranged on this occasion.

Other than the above said event, Solapur also celebrates festivities related to Tulaja Bhavani and the Vithoba of Pandharapur. Navaratri is the most favored festival here.