Cultural Tourism

Connexons, established in October 1995, is a comprehensive tourism company with its head office in New Delhi and major branch offices in Mumbai and Bangalore. Besides these offices we also have a network of over 30 (Thirty) representatives and agency offices located in all major tourist destinations in India / Nepal. So, throughout your travel across the length and breadth of India, we are merely a phone call away. We are proud of our professional team specializing in tour packaging – be it cultural tours, beach holidays, educational tours, adventure tours or ala carte tours designed for your specific needs. We have all this and more on offer. Lastly, we pride ourselves on our integrity and commitment to quality. We deliver what we assure……………………… Why Connexons: Our competitors offer the same hotels. However, we give you the best tour guides, the best cars and buses, and are at your services round the clock - all days of the week. Our tours include : » Tailor made programs to suit the needs of groups and FITs. » Adventure tours & safaris » Special interest and study tours- including wildlife, textiles, tribal tours, social studies and many more. » Classical / Historical tours » Hotels bookings – from Deluxe to budget hotels. » Air-conditioned and Non Air-conditioned Transport » Services of Professional Tour Directors and Guides. » Incentive Travel arrangements via innovative itineraries all over India and Nepal. » Conference/ Seminar arrangements in India.

Welcome to the Web site about Agra, a feather in the cap of “Incredible India” which also possesses the most precious jewel in the country’s crown the “Taj Mahal”. Agra with it’s glorious past has lots more to offer a discerning traveller besides the mystic and splendours of the Taj. This web site is a combined and sincere effort of the “Tourism Guild of Agra” to showcase the vibrant local culture with all the archaeological marvels, which are part of our rich Heritage. We hope that this web site would provide all the relevant information required for you to plan your next Holiday to Agra.

Garhwal is smack in the middle of the Himalayas, with Himachal Pradesh in the West and North-West; Tibet in the North; the plains of Western Uttar Pradesh in the South and Kumaon in the East. Historically, it has been described in the ancient text of Kedarkhand to extend from Gangadwar (modern day Hardwar) in the South to the high mountains in the North, and from the Tamsa (Tons) river in the in the West to Buddhachal (probably the Nanda Devi group of peaks between Garhwal and Kumaon) in the East. Today it is an administrative division of the raising state of Uttaranchal, comprising the districts of Chamoli, Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri and Uttarkashi. The history of Garhwal is older than that of the Ramayan and Maha- bharata. It is a land of popular myths, like that of Lord Shiva appearing as Kirat, of Urvashi, Shakuntala and the Kauravas and Pandavas. Worship of Lord Shiva is pre-dominant in this region. In earliest times, Garhwal was known as Kedarkhand, or the region of Kedarnath. Scriptural texts mention a number of tribes that inhabited the region, such as the Sakas, the Nagas, Khasas, Hunas and Kiratas. The Nagas were a mysterious race whose traces are still to be found in the Hills. The hooded snake was sacred to them, hence their name. (Naga-Snake). The Khasas were the dominant race in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas till the coming of the Rajputs and Brahmins from the plains. According to one version, Garhwal derives its name from the fifty two forts, ‘garhs,’ that had come together to form a loose confederacy. The first recorded name of this region was Kartipur. Later on, according to another tradition, since it was surrounded on all sides by mountains - it came to be known us "Giri - avil", which, by passage of time, got trans- formed into Garhwal. Bhanupratapa was the first known king and, later on, his son-in-law, Kanakpal took over. Their kingdom was known as Chandpur Garhi. King Kanakpal came to Garhwal from Rajasthan (Gujardesh) of the region Bagarh. He brought with him the Bagerhi language, therefore Garhwali and Bagerhi language, written and spoken, are very similar to each other.

Amazing legends of heroism and romance still resound from its equally amazing architecture, that still stands to narrate its tale of a bygone era. The magic of Rajasthan is unequalled in the world for its heritage, culture, safaris, sand dunes and lush green forests with its wildlife. Rajasthan is often expressed as huge open-air museum with relic so well preserved for the travelers and the curious of the day. It is action-packed with outdoors too; take a safari on horses, camels, elephants or even jeeps with the Aravalis - India's oldest mountain range in the backdrop, or caress your eyes on the sloppy sand dunes, or trail a tiger or just watch birds on wetland. Or you can choose to pamper yourself in the lavish heritage properties. Rajasthan has something for everyone, just choose your activity. The history of India dates back almost five thousand years, and Rajasthan plays a crucial and unique role, especially with regard to the development of Indian culture. Its impressive story reaches through a heroic past. Its extravagant splashes of bright hues against the desert landscape and the purity of its dry and sandy reaches, the miniature elegance of its small villages and impeccably maintained forts brings alive the story of the yore. The appearance of its grand forts perched on rocky hills still tell the story of the bravery of its men and the stoic sacrifice of its women, and the chivalrous old world manners of all.

Palakkad district has its own special characteristics. The fort of Hyder Ali tells us the story of Mysore invasions and the advent of the British to this part of the country. The Victoria College, started in 1886, marks the beginning of higher education in Malabar. The Jain temple near Chunnamputhara speaks of the magnanimity of the king of Palakkad who provided shelter to the people who escaped the religious persecutions. The ancient history of Palakkad is shrouded. According to William Logan, the author of the Malabar Manual, the Pallava dynasty of Kanchi might have invaded Malabar in the second or third centuary. One of their head quarters was a place called Palakada which could be the present –day Palakkad. Malabar had been invaded by many of the ancient South Indian rulers. For many centuries, it was ruled by the Perumals. They had under them some powerful Utayavars who held authority in their own respective territories. After the rule of the Perumals, the country was divided among these chieftans. The valluvakkonathiri (ruler of Valluvanad), the rulers of Vengunad (Kollengodu Rajas) andf Sekhari Varma ( Raja of Palakkad) were the prominent rulers of this region, after the Perumals. When the Zamorin of Kozhikode invaded Palakkad in 1757, the raja of Palakkad sought the help of Hyder Ali of Mysore. Hyder Ali’s help forced the Zamorin to retreat. Later Hyder Ali subjugated all territories in Palakkad which were under the possession of Zamorin. Thus the whole area possessed by the Raja of Palakkad passed into the hands of the Mysore rulers – Hyder Ali and his son Tippu Sultan. The war between Tippu and the East India Company ended with the treaty of 1872 and all the possessions of Tippu in Malabar were ceded to the British. Gradually these formed part of the Malabar district of the Madras Presidency.

There stands Francois Dupleix. Not too far away is Joan of Arc. It’s a trip down France as one crosses symmetrically aligned streets in Puducherry. The Portuguese have been here. So have the Dutch.. The Danes. The English And the French. By 18th century this tiny fishing village had turned into a grand port city. The French first set foot here in 1670 and left a part of them when their undisturbed rule finished in 1954. Not much has changed since. The history has become punctuated. The air filled with nostalgia and the present is living up to a heritage that speaks so much. A trip to Puducherry is like a journey in time with a vibrant present celebrating its interesting past. “History goes back to the Roman times, but factually started with the arrival of the French in 1963, who founded the town and built it in its present form, during the two and a half century they occupied it.” “Puducherry” is the French interpretation of the original name “Puducheri” meaning “new settlement”. Many pilgrims have shared the town’s hospitality on their way to the temple town of Rameshwaram, thus enriching its culture. Early Period The known history of Puducherry dates back to the beginning of our era. Puducherry also had a flourishing maritime history. Excavations at Arikamedu, about 7 kms to the south of the town, show that Romans came here to trade in the 1st Century AD. The trade included dyed textiles, pottery and semi-precious stones. The findings are now displayed in the Puducherry Museum. Ancient Roman scripts mention one of the trade centres along the Indian coast as Poduca or Poduke, which refers, historians affirm, only to the present Puducherry. Before this period nothing is known with certainty. The "Bahur Plates", issued in the 8th century speak of a Sanskrit University which was here from an earlier period. Legend has it that the sage Agastya established his Ashram here and the place was known as Agastiswaram. An inscription found near the Vedhapuriswara Temple hints at the credibility of this legend. History continues at the beginning of the fourth century A. D. when the Puducherry area is part of the Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram. During the next centuries Puducherry is occupied by different dynasties of the south: in the tenth century A.D. The Cholas of Tanjavur took over, only to be replaced by the Pandya Kingdom in the thirteenth century. After a brief invasion by the Muslim rulers of the North, who established the Sultanate of Madurai, the Vijayanagar Empire took control of almost all the South of India and lasted till 1638, when the Sultan of Bijapur began to rule over Gingee. Foreign contacts Unlike the Arab merchants, who had been sailing the coasts of India since times immemorable, the impact of European contact had far reaching consequences in terms of establishments and in the end the occupation of the entire Subcontinent. In 1497 the Portuguese discovered the route to India and began to expand their influence by occupying coastal areas and building harbour towns, which soon extended more than 12.000 miles of coast-line. The Portuguese established a factory in Puducherry at the beginning of the sixteenth century, but were compelled to leave a century later by the ruler of Gingee, who found them unfriendly. After that the Danes shortly set up an establishment, and likewise the Dutch. The latter set up trading posts in Porto Novo and Cuddalore. The French, who had trading centres in the North, Mahe and Madras were invited to open a trading centre in Puducherry by the new ruler of Gingee to compete with the Dutch. In 1673, February 4th, Bellanger, a French officer, took up residence in the Danish Lodge in Puducherry and the French Period of Puducherry began.In 1674 Francois Martin, the first Governor, started to build Puducherry and transformed it from a small fishing village into a flourishing port-town. In 1693 the Dutch took over and fortified the town considerably. But four years later Holland and France signed a peace treaty and the French regained Puducherry in 1699. In the 18th century the town was laid out on a grid pattern and grew considerably. Able Governors like Lenoir (1726-1735) and Dumas (1735-1741) and an ambitious Governor Dupleix (1742-1754) expanded the Puducherry area and made it a large and rich town. But ambition clashed with the English interests in India and the local kingdoms and a period of skirmishes and political intrigues began. Under the command of Bussy, Dupleix's army successfully controlled the area between Hyderabad and Cape Comorin. But then Robert Clive arrived in India, a dare-devil officer who dashed the hopes of Dupleix to create a French Colonial India. After a defeat and failed peace talks, Dupleix was recalled to France. In spite of a treaty between the English and French not to interfere in local politics, the intrigues continued. Subsequently France sent Lally Tollendal to regain the French losses and chase the English out of India. After an initial success they razed Fort St. David in Cuddalore to the ground, but stategic mistakes by Lally led to the loss of the Hyderabad region and the siege of Puducherry in 1760. In 1761 Puducherry was razed to the ground in revenge and lay in ruins for 4 years. The French had lost their hold in South India. In 1765 the town is returned to France after a peace treaty with England in Europe. Governor Law de Lauriston set to rebuild the town on the old foundations and after five months 200 European and 2000 Tamil houses had been erected. During the next 50 years Puducherry changed hands between France and England with the regularity of their wars and peace treaties. Only after 1816 the French regained permanent control of Puducherry, but the town had lost much of its former glory. Successive Governors improved infrastructure, industry, law and education over the next 138 years. In 1947 the English left India for good, but it lasted till 1954 when the French handed Puducherry over to an independent India. After Independent On November 1, 1954, the French possessions in India were de facto transferred to the Indian Union and Puducherry became a Union Territory. 280 years of French rule had come to an end. But only in 1963 Puducherry became officially an integral part of India after the French Parliament in Paris rattified the Treaty with India. Puducherry became a Union Territory, not a separate State. A Union Territory (UT) has its own government but falls directly under the Central Government in New Delhi. Though a UT also has an elected Chief Minister and cabinet members, laws and legislative regulations made in these areas have to get sanction or need to be ratified by the Central Government (Centre). The Centre is represented by the Lt. Governor, who resides at the Raj Nivas at the Park, the former palace of the French Governor.Puducherry still has a large number of Tamil residents with French passports, whose ancestors were in French Governmental service and who chose to remain French at the time of Independence. Apart from the monuments pertaining to the French Period, there is the French Consulate in Puducherry and several cultural organisation, and even the Foyer du Soldat for war veterans of the French Army. Of the cultural organisations the French Institute, the Alliance Francais and the Ecole Francais d'Extrème Orient are noteworthy.