We started ‘Footloose February‘ early this month as a daily series of posts on our facebook page, where we posted some interesting tidbits about well known tourist destinations. Here is more from the series we have posted. See all the entries at out facebook fan page.
- Tranquebar. 275km south of Chennai is this quiet village, also called Tarangambadi, which was once a bustling port owned by the Danes. They built a fort here and exported spices to Europe, until all the Danish settlements were transferred to the British in mid-19th century.
- Sri Lanka. This too-beautiful-to-be-true country was rated #1 destination for 2010 by New York Times. It has some of the best beaches in the world. Unawatuna beach was rated as one of the best 10 beaches in the world by the Discovery Channel.
- Konark. February is the month of celebrations in Konark with its annual Konark Dance & Music Festival. Started in 1986, 2010 marks the silver jubilee celebration of the festival. Lookout for the cultural extravaganza from 19th to 23rd February.
- Dharamshala. Add some archaeological wonders to your Himalayan rendezvous in Dharamshala. An hour away from Dharamshala are 15 rock-cut temples, with the main shrine dedicated to Rama, Lakshmana and Seeta. The temple premise also offers the view of snow clad Dhauladhar mountains.
- Chilka Lake. Chilka Lake is more known for its Olive Ridley Turtles than as a place to relax. But there is much more. It has a floating restaurant, a river cruise and a group of small islands at the southern end.
- Coorg. Coorg is not just about nature, it has a unique history with many stories of passion and intrigue. The remains of its history are two palaces – one in Madikeri that is now a government office. Another one is the Nalknad Palace in the remote village of Kakkabe.
- Nagaland. Touphema Tourist Village in Nagaland is a unique tourist center where people from each part of the village have setup an ethnic house with modern facilities for tourists to lodge. The village also boasts of organically grown foods. Come here to celebrate Angami Sekrenyi festival here during 25- 27th February every year.
- Cherrapunjee. The place that was once known for maximum annual rainfall has more natural wonders. See plants that consume insects and bridges across streams that were built not by humans, but trees! It can’t get more intriguing.
- Balasore/Balwswar. Balasore was an important maritime town in medieval times through the river Budhabalanga. Some portions of the town were occupied by the French and the Dutch and were named as “Farasidinga” and “Dinamardinga”. The ruins of the foreign possessions still exist.
- Vizag. The Submarine Museum, ‘Smritika’ set up near the Vishakapatanam port, is located at the serene beach named the Rama Krishna Beach. The museum, opened in 2001 was converted from INS Kusura, a Russian built submarine. It is only one of its kinds in India and Asian continent.
- Pachmarhi. The origins of Pachmarhi lies in the five ancient dwellings excavated in the sandstone rock in a low hill. Pachmarhi derives its name from these caves which, as the legend goes, once provided sanctuary to the five Pandav brothers. These caves are now protected monuments.
- Wankaner. The palace st Wankaner is a hidden gem located 220km from Ahmedabad. Outside this beautiful structure is a clock tower that had fallen during an earthquake with the clock stuck at the precise minute of the tremor. The elegance of the palace is well kept by the beautiful Maharani Vibha, wh…o has created a little haven for lady travelers in the women’s wing of the palace. Maharani Vibha has even converted some of the rooms into suites in shades of pink and blue.
- Badami, Lakkundi. A day-trip to Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal may charm you with its architectural splendours, but imagine seeing a dozens of monuments in a nearby place where you see no tourists! The small village of Lakkundi, about an hour’s drive from Badami has more than a dozen temples, most of them nearly 800 years old!
- Manali. An hour away from Manali is the small village of Naggar, which was home to famous Russian painter Nicholas Roerich. Roerich’s House is now a museum that showcase some of his finest paintings of the Himalayas. Naggar also has a 400-year old castle which is not a HPTDC Hotel.