Tourists from Europe and US avoid Allahabad, the Sangam City

Allahabad has lost its charm for foreign tourists from European countries and the United States and have to rely on foreign tourists from Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan. In fact, as per data released by the regional tourism office the number of foreign tourists visiting the city was at least 98,167 in 2010 which subsequently increased to 1,07,141 in 2014 because of the Kumbh Mela of 2013.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 10 October 2015.

At the time, the Sangam City had seen influx of foreign nationals go up to 3.87 lakh – that was nearly three times that of the previous year. Most of these tourists had arrived for the Kumbh mela area between January and March 2013. Incidentally, in the past five years, Allahabad has recorded only 2.5 per cent growth in the foreign tourist influx.
The main tourist attraction here are Sangam, Allahabad Fort, Allahabad Museum, Bharadwaj Ashram, Shringverpur etcetera.
The tourism department said that the data was compiled from hotels in the city and the departments where tourists register themselves after arriving in the country. Students who come from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Middle East and African countries for pursuing education in their desired courses in the city are considered as foreign tourists.
In addition, any foreign national who is invited to Allahabad for attending any seminar or lecture even for a few hours and putting up in a hotel are counted as tourists.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Stampede at Godavari Pushkaram festival in Rajahmundry leaves at least 17 dead

There was a major tragedy shortly after the beginning of `Godavari Pushkaram', the once in 144-year event dedicated to worshipping rivers in the two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. There was a stampede and 17 pilgrims, mostly women, died in the Rajahmundry Pushkar ghat on the occasion of the ‘Pushkaram' festival in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 14 July 2015.

The dead included at least 13 women and more than 20 others were injured and shifted to hospitals. The incident occurred when a large number of pilgrims rushed towards one of the gates of Kotagummam pushkar ghat on the banks of Godavari River to take the holy dip.
The 'Pushakaram' festival is a similar to the 'Kumbh Mela' that is held alongside rivers elsewhere in the country and taking a holy dip in the river is the main ritual of the festival.
It is possible that the toll may go up since some bodies were still believed to be lying at the spot.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

#kumbhmela #shirdi #saibaba #muktidham #trimbakeshwar #ajantaellora Till the mid-1960s, Nashik was a well-known place of pilgrimage but, its face has undergone an immense change thanks to the industrialization that began. It all started with the setting up of HAL, an aircraft manufacturing unit in the outskirts of the city. Before HAL started, the important activities were of the India Security Press that printed bank notes and the Government of India press that printed government stationary.
HAL gave a new impetus to Nashik and, soon, two separate industrial area were identified and small scale industries started there alongside a few big names like VIP, Victor Gaskets, Crompton Greaves, MICO, Mahindra & Mahindra etcetera.
Obviously, such major setups brought in with them people from other parts of the country. And, the identity of the city kept changing. Demands began to rise to cater to the new lifestyle, malls opened and, side by side, eating joints to meet the needs of the new urban folks. Instead of traditional Maharashtrian snacks like wada pau, sabudana wada and missal-pau outlets there sprouted outlets that offered pizzas, finger chips, chicken fries and other such snacks. The proximity of Nashik to Pune and Mumbai boosted the stock of travel companies. There are any number of buses that ply between the cities apart from cabs – ordinary as well as air-conditioned ones.
Moreover, a number of colleges added a new dimension to living in Nashik – there are colleges of engineering, and medicine apart from colleges that go in for normal academic streams.
All of a sudden, Nashik was a new look Nashik that could throw a challenge to any other city. A city that used to be looked on as a retreat for the retired suddenly shed its shell and towered over the rest demanding attention to get noticed for its variety of offerings.
The places to visit in and around the city during the Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 are the temples of Mukti Dham, Trimbakeshwar, Someshwar, the Coin Museum, and the Pandu Caves. The holy city of Shirdi is a two-hour journey by bus and the road is motorable. Similarly, the Ajanta and Ellora caves are also nearby.

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Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

#kumbhmela #india #nasik Kumbh Mela is a pilgrimage, a gathering of saints and holy people from all corners of India to a few specific places at intervals of 12-years and this year, the event would be held in Nashik. Accordingly, during this event, all roads would lead to Nashik and already preparations are in progress to welcome the guests and arrange for their stay in the city and its outskirts.
On this occasion thousands of people would arrive to participate in the celebrations and enjoy the sights of Nashik and its surrounding areas and well known tourist spots – this city used to once upon a time be known as a holy city of temples but, over the last half century, it has gradually transformed its look and is today one of the fast developing cities in Maharashtra.
Those who would arrive for the Kumbhmela would not just be pilgrims from far corners of the country but there would be the curious ones and they would come from foreign countries as they have been coming in the past.
Tourism websites have already set the ball rolling. As to the holy ones, they have their own sects and the administration is busy masking arrangement for their stay in specific sites or villages known as ‘sadhu gram’. And, in order to cater to these fresh inputs, the roads are being widened and new hotels are being built.
Regarding coming to Nashik – the city is well connected by road and rail. It has one of the longest flyovers in the country and air connectivity is also on the anvil. Hopefully it would become a reality by the time the real action kicks off.

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