Tiger Trail Ranthambore National Park Package

https://www.thetajtours.com/tour/tiger-trail-ranthambore-national-park-package/

Day 1Drive From Delhi to Ranthambore (345 km, 6-7 hours)

Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires. It has been captured, ransacked and rebuilt several times, particularly during the medieval period, and modern Delhi is a cluster of a number of cities spread across the metropolitan region.
Today you will drive to Sawai Madhopur to visit Ranthambore National Park, which is world famous for its Tigers. Ranthambore National Park is a vast wildlife reserve near the town of Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan, northern India. It is a former royal hunting ground and home to tigers, leopards and marsh crocodiles. Its landmarks include the imposing 10th-century Ranthambore Fort, on a hilltop, and the Ganesh Mandir temple. Also in the park, Padam Talao Lake is known for its abundance of water lilies.
After arrival, transfer to your hotel in Ranthambore. Afternoon, you will go for your first Jeep safari in the Ranthambore National Park. In the evening return to the hotel. An overnight stay in Ranthambore.

Day 2Ranthambore Tour (Safari to Jungle with Jeep)

Your day will be dedicated for a jungle safari by jeep canter through Ranthambore National Park. You will be accompanied by a naturalist who can explain the wildlife, plants and other sites that you will see during the Safari. In late morning, you can visit the Ranthambore Fort, whose foundation was made 1000 years ago. You may encounter a tiger at the fort as they love to live in it during the hot hours of the day.
Afternoon again, you will go again for your Jeep safari in the Ranthambore National Park. In evening you will return to the hotel. An overnight stay in Ranthambore.

Day 3Drive From Ranthambore to Delhi (345 km, 6-7 hours)

After the breakfast, you will drive back to Delhi

How Raksha Bandhan symbolizes Unity in Diversity

https://www.thetajtours.com/how-raksha-bandhan-symbolizes-unity-in-diversity/

How Raksha Bandhan symbolizes Unity in Diversity

In 1535 India was ruled by Humanyun, the second Mughal emperor. At the same time Rani Karnavati was ruling from Chittor. After becoming widow, she became the reagent of her minor son. There were many rulers who wanted to take an advantage of this situation. One of them was Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, who started marching towards Chittor. The army of Rani Karnavati was not strong enough to face the threats from Gujarat. She sends a Rakhi to Humanyun, asking him to help her. It is said that he immediately marched to Chittor to help Rani. Due to his presence, Bhahadur Shah went back to Gujarat empty handed. Although, they both belonged to different communities but this thread tied them in the bond of trust.
In 1905, the partition of Bengal was declared by the mighty British Empire. Unfortunately, they divided the Bengal into Hindu and Muslim majority. The people of both the regions revolted against the decision of the British. And to show the unity among Hindus and Muslims, they tied Rakhi and promised that they will also protect each other no matter what. This bond not only created unity among Hindus and Muslimsbut also compelled the British to revoke their decision. In 1911, the British unified Bengal.
Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in India from time immemorial. Raksha Bandhan in Sanskrit means “knot of protection”. The word Raksha means protection, while Bandhan is to tie the knot. It is an ancient Hindu festival that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and their sisters. The sister performs a Rakhi ceremony, prays to express her love and her wish for the well being of her brother. In return, the brother ritually pledges to protect and take care of his sister under all circumstances. It is one of the several occasions in which family ties are affirmed in India. There are different stories like that of Indra Dev, Raja Bali and Goddess Laxmi, Santoshi maa, Krishna – Drapadi, and Yama- Yamuna. All of the stories mentions about the trust, unity, understanding, responsibility, love and affection.

Visit Taj Mahal during full Moon Night August 2018

https://www.thetajtours.com/visit-taj-mahal-during-full-moon-night-august-2018/

Visit Taj Mahal during full Moon Night August 2018

In the month of August 2018, the Taj Mahal will be open for the night viewing from 24th August to 28th August 2018. It is open two days before and two days after the full moon. The tickets are booked 24 hours in advance. The visitor is required to fill up a detailed form along with the copy of their passport.
Altogether, 400 tourists are permitted per night for the visit. The 400 tourists are divided into a batch of 50. There are only eight batches. The timings for the night view commences from 8:30 PM to 12:30 AM according to the Indian Standard Time.

WHAT IS NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE TAJ MAHAL
There are certain things which are not permitted inside the Taj Mahal. Any electronic gadget apart from your camera and mobile phone, eatables, wires, any sharp article like swiss knife, nail cutter, no religious books except travel guide books, match box, lighter, cigarette, liquor, and any promotional material.

HOW TO CLICK PHOTOGRAPHS DURING NIGHT VIEWING
The night viewing is one of the most breath taking, life time experience. The Taj is not lit up by artificial lights. It is the moonlight that lit up the entire structure. The time duration per batch is only 30 minutes, so normal photography will not be possible. In order to capture the moment, first change your camera or mobile to night vision mode. And then click the photographs. Another thing is that you will not be able to take selfie.
The Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World which is considered as the most photogenic destinations of India. It is one of the most exquisite structures ever built by any emperor. It was constructed by the fifth Mughal emperor in the fond memory of his favorite wife Mumtaj Mahal. The Taj Mahal in terms of architecture, is one of the most symmetrical structures in the world, constructed using pure white marble and adorned with precious and semi precious stones. The construction started in 1631 and got completed in 1653 AD; 20,000 workers worked day and night together for 22 years.

Incredible Reasons that made India Great

Incredible Reasons that made India Great

India is a country of great men and women, a country of rich cultural diversity, a country with plentiful natural and intellectual resources, and heart… so much heart. It’s no wonder that we’re one of the fastest growing economies in the world right now.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. India built Asia’s first nuclear reactor Apsara on August 4 1956. India currently has 21 nuclear reactors in operation in 7 nuclear power plants.
2. Indian Space Research Organization, successfully launched Mars Orbiter Mission to probe Mars. India became the fourth country to reach Mars orbit, after the Russia, United States, and the European Space Agency. It is the first nation in the world to accomplish it in its first attempt.
3. India successfully launched Chandrayaan in order to explore the surface of moon. The vehicle inserted into lunar orbit in its first attempt. On the greatest achievements of Chadrayaan was the discovery of the presence of water.
4. India designed first space satellite, Aryabhata after an Indian astronomer, in 1975.
5. India is lowest cost producer of nuclear energy.
6. India has one of the largest supplies of thorium in the world.
7. India is among the first country to develop satellite for domestic communication.
8. The Indian National Satellite System or INSAT is a series of satellites used of the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue operations.
9. India is among the five nations to send unmanned mission to moon.
10. India developed world’s lowest cost supercomputer.
11. In 2015, eleven Indian machines found a place in the latest list of the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers, including two in the top 100.
12. Saraswati – A supercluster of galaxies discovered by Indian researchers (2017)
13. India’s first uterus transplant successfully conducted in Pune (2017)

SPORTS

14. India has won a total of 26 Olympic medals. India won its first gold medal in men’s field hockey in the 1928 Olympic Games. Abhinav Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in shooting at the Olympic Games.
15. India’s Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run maker in Test cricket and also scored highest number of Test and ODI centuries.
16. India won cricket world cup twice.
17. India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni is ranked 23rd in the list of world’s highest paid athletes 2015.

ARMED FORCES

18. India is one of the four countries that refused to sign Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on matter of principle.
19. India successfully launched nuclear submarine called INS Arihant.
20. India is the only country to launch nuclear submarine after five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
21. India has the third largest army in the world with more than 1.3 million army personnel.

EDUCATION

22. The Mid-Day meal scheme of Government of India is the world’s largest scheme for kids serving 120,000,000 children in over 1,265,000 schools across the country.
23. India has 5600 different newspapers and 3500 different magazines with approximately 120 million readers every day.

ECONOMICS

24. India produces lowest cost producer of steel, aluminum, cement and fertilizer.
25. India has largest single location copper smelter.
26. India produces lowest cost delivery of wireless telephony.
27. India is currently the world’s second-largest telecommunications market.
28. Indian companies with Hero MotoCorp are the world’s largest manufacturer of two wheelers.
29. India has the largest single location oil refinery capacity nearly 70m tons in the world.
30. India is the second-largest consumer of gold.
31. 90 % of all diamonds polished and processed in India.
32. India’s Bombay Stock Exchange is world’s 11th largest stock exchange.
33. With 1, 55,618 post offices and over 5, 66,000 employees, India has the largest postal network in the world.
34. India has largest number of bank account holders.
35. India’s Mukesh Ambani holds 36th position in world’s richest people list.
36. India’s Shah Rukh Khan is ranked 86th in the list of world’s highest paid celebrities.
37. India’s Amitabh Bachchan got 71st position in 2015 in the list of world’s highest paid celebrities.
38. India has largest intra-country remittances.

TRANSPORTATION

39. The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi won the Best Airport award from the Airports Council International within 25–40 million annual passengers category in 2015.
40. Railway network in India was nationalized in 1951 and Indian Railways became one of the largest railway networks comprising 115,000 km (71,000 mi) of track over a route of 67,312 km (41,826 mi) and 7,112 stations.
41. Indian Railways carries more than 23 million passengers daily from one destination to another.
42. The Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai and the Mountain Railways of India is declared as World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

POLITICAL FRONT

43. India gave every adult Universal Adult Franchise from its first day of independence.
44. As many as 29 languages are spoken in India, by more than one million people each.
45. More than 1,650 dialects are spoken in India.
46. India witnessed 16 changes of power (Lok Sabha) at the Centre. It shows the strength of democratic values of the people of this country.
47. India has largest number of elected persons in the world, due to Panchayati Raj system across the country.
48. India has fundamental right to information.
49. India hosts Kumbh Mela, world’s largest religious congregation with 30 million pilgrims.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

50. India has one of the highest numbers of female politicians.
51. India is among the first countries to have woman (Indira Gandhi) head of state
52. Women have held high offices in India including that of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Leader of the Opposition. One of the five major states has women chief ministers.
53. Majority of candidates in these Panchayats are women. Currently 100 per cent of elected members in Kodassery Panchayat in Kerala are Women.
54. India’s Mary Kom is a five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.
55. India’s Sania Mirza is currently ranked No. 1 in the women’s doubles rankings.

AGRICULTURE

56. India is the world’s largest milk producer, with 18 percent of global production.
57. India is the largest producer, consumer and importer of pulses.
58. India is the second largest producer of sugar cane in the world.
59. India is the largest producer of cotton with production of 6.51 million tons of the fiber.
60. India is the second largest producer of rice and wheat.
61. India is the largest producer of ginger, safflower and okra.
62. India is the largest producer of banana, mango, papaya, lemon, jackfruit, guava and pomegranate.
63. India is the largest producer of wood fuel.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF INDIA

64. India has world’s highest motor able pass (Khardung La at 5600m).
65. India is the largest producer of films in the world and second oldest film industry in the world.
66. India’s Aryabhata invented the number ZERO.
67. A vast majority of the historian believes that Chess was invented in India.
68. India born Satya Nadella is the current CEO of Microsoft.
69. India’s Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Google.
70. India is a cradle of many religions of the world, and has set up best example of unity in diversity
71. India has never initiated war on any country.
72. Discovery of a new planet 600 light years away (2018)

JAI HIND

VANDE MATRAM

https://www.thetajtours.com/incredible-reasons-that-made-india-great/

Hike in monumental Entrance tickets

Hike in monumental Entrance tickets  

Tourists will have to pay more to visit Taj Mahal and other monuments, as the entry fees for these sites have been hiked for both domestic and foreign visitors. For Taj Mahal, there has been an increase by Rs 10 and Rs 100 respectively, from August 08, 2018. On August 1, the Ministry of Culture issued a notification stating that the foreign tourists will now have to shell out Rs 1100, including the Rs 500 toll tax collected by Agra Development Authority (ADA) while the domestic tourists will pay Rs 50 as against Rs 40.

On the other hand, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries’ visitors will pay Rs 540, including the Rs 500 toll tax charged by Agra Development Authority.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has hiked this fee as part of an entry ticket rate revision of 17 protected monuments. This list of monuments includes six world heritage sites in Agra and Delhi. Additionally, a hike of Rs. 10 has also been imposed on tourists from SAARC countries.

The ‘B’ category monuments’ entry fee has also been increased from Rs 15 to Rs 25 for Indians and from Rs 200 to Rs 300 for foreigners.

In Agra, the ‘A’ category monuments ticketed include Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort, while five ‘B’ category monuments are Akbar’s Tomb Sikandra, Mariyam Tomb, Ram Bagh, Itmad-ud-Daula and Mehtab Bagh.

Eight other monuments in Delhi have also seen a hike in ticket prices – Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomband Red Fort, Khan-i-Khana, Purana Qila, Tughluqabad Fort, Kotla Ferozshah, Jantar Mantar and Safdarjung Tomb.

Additionally, the Ministry of Culture has provided a discount for cashless payment. The domestic tourists will get a rebate of Rs 5 while the foreign tourists will enjoy Rs 50 discount per ticket in both A and B category monuments, only if tickets are booked online.

https://www.thetajtours.com/hike-in-monumental-entrance-tickets/

Who is the Real Architect of Taj Mahal?

Who is the Real Architect of Taj Mahal?

From time to time, different historians have been claiming that the real architect of the Taj Mahal was from Europe. By mid 19th century, Great Britain controlled much of the sub-continent.  While the Taj Mahal was duly noted as an architectural treasure, British scholars do not consider Shah Jahan and Ustad Ahmad’s contributions to its design, and argued that it had been heavily influenced by European classical architecture. In fact, one rumor put forth (and still clung to) by some Italian scholars is that an architect from Venice named Geronimo Veroneo deigned the Taj Mahal, and was murdered at Shah Jahan’s instructions after the project was finished. While this makes for an intriguing story and Veroneo did live in the area at the time of the project, there is no concrete evidence that he was in any way involved with it. (On a similar note, the story that Shan Jahan had all Taj Mahal architects murdered after its completion is most likely just a story).

The reality is that there was a team of architects whose joint efforts turned the Taj Mahal into the wonder of the world. At present we cannot give the entire credit to one person. Although, the contemporary historians specifically mentioned that Shah Jahan himself supervised the entire construction and from time to time he used to conduct the meetings of architects to get the desired result.

The historians mentioned that no other Mughal Emperor ever took such keen interest in architecture as it was done by Shah Jahan. Several designers and architects – thirty seven men in all – are mentioned by name in the official Mughal histories, and it is probable that they would have worked together to form the creative team that shaped the Taj Mahal: Ismail Afandi (a.k.a. Ismail Khan) who had worked for the great Ottomans in Turkey as a designer and builder of domes; Qazim Khan, a goldsmith from Lahore who cast the gold finial that crowns the dome; Chiranji Lal, a lapidary from Delhi chosen as the chief mosaicist; Amanat Khan from Shiraz, the master calligrapher whose signature is inscribed on the Taj gateway; Mohammed Hanif, Multan and Quandhar, master masons from Delhi; and Mukrimat Khan and Mir Abdul Karim from Shiraz, chief supervisors and administrators.

Some religious thinkers believe that the structure of the Taj Mahal exactly matches the heaven or Jannat mentioned in their religious books. According to them, Shah Jahan wanted his wife to rest peacefully in heaven, so he constructed the replica of heaven on Earth in the form of Taj Mahal.

Apart from the above mentioned details, there is also a story behind the structure of the Taj Mahal. It is believed that when Mumtaj Mahal was on her death bed after the birth of the 14th child, she wanted to tell Shah Jahan about a dream. She told her husband that once she was boating in river Yamuna near Agra fort. It was a full moon night and she was alone. While boating, her boat stuck near the right bank of the river. To her surprise, she suddenly saw a white structure coming out from the earth. Firstly dome and then minaret and then finally the whole of the structure appeared in front of her eyes. Out of curiosity, she stepped down from her boat and got inside this structure. While roaming around, she saw arches, calligraphy and walls were embedded with precious stones. While looking around, she saw a dead body wrapped in white cloth. And when she uncovered the dead body, she saw it was hers. It is also believed that Shah Jahan conceived the idea of Taj Mahal from his dying wife.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World which is considered as the most photogenic destinations of India. It is one of the most exquisite structures ever built by any emperor. It was constructed by the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the fond memory of his favorite wife Mumtaj Mahal. The Taj Mahal in terms of architecture, is one of the most symmetrical structures in the world, constructed using pure white marble and adorned with precious and semi precious stones. The construction started in 1631 and got completed in 1653 AD; 20,000 workers worked day and night together for 22 years.

https://www.thetajtours.com/who-is-the-real-architect-of-taj-mahal/