Tourism

Tourism secretary NN Sinha, who signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of the tourism sector in Ahmedabad during the `Travel and Tourism Fair' organised in Gujarat capital, said that both the states will support each other to develop tourism.

Lakhs of tourists from Gujarat, especially Jains, visit the Parasnath hills near Hazaribag to worship the 23rd Jain Tirthankara Shri Parsavnath. The MoU with Gujarat, he said, would enable a partnership between the two states provide more transport linkage to the tourist spot to ensure healthy flow of tourists from the western state and enhancement of infrastructure scenario at the spot.

Parasnath Hill located at a height of 4431 ft is the highest mountain south of the Himalayas. It was made accessible since the construction of a road in 1838. The Parasnath Hills hold special significance for the Jains which arises from the tradition of 23rd Tirthankar Parsva or Parsvanath, who is believed to have attained nirvana on the hill.

"This delegation (ministers, officials and leaders of religious bodies) which has come from the five nations, are all believers of Buddhism. We are showing them around and we hope that when they return to their countries, they would promote the places of Buddhism in Bihar. We hope that the number of tourists would increase," said Anjani Kumar Sinha, Secretary of Tourism Department.

The complete list of discounted services offered can be found on the festival's official site, www.hazajaro.hu (in Hungarian only, as the initiative is aimed primarily at Hungarians). Drop-down search forms make it easy to find participating towns and villages sorted by regions and counties. Of more than 1,400 discounted services offered, there are plenty for tourists of all ages, from young people and couples to families and the elderly.

In addition to staying at discounted accommodation, visitors will be able to participate in organized nature trips, taste honey and wine specialties, sift for gold in the Danube, and compete in unconventional sporting competitions. Among the sports at the latter will be horseshoe throwing, whip cracking and carrying water in kantas (a type of pitcher) and wheel barrows. Local specialties will be served in the Palócföld (northern Hungary), at Alföld csárdas and in Zala County restaurants. In addition, free wellness services will be offered in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, discounted jet ski rental in Hajdú-Bihar County as well as various horse riding and archery programs around the country. Programs for children will include kite flying and animal petting.

The aim of the nationwide event is to present the treasures of the Hungarian countryside to a wider audience and strengthen co-operation between countryside service providers and settlements. The festival is organized by the LEADER Center of Hungary, Hungarian Tourism Zrt, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Local Governments and Regional Development.

http://www.yatra.com/YT/index.html?refID=6235452

The emphasis will be on "spiritual" tourism that is "aimed at uplifting the soul and finding peace by following in the footsteps of the Buddha," said a top Indian tourism official, Amitabh Kant.

Despite its proximity to countries with sizeable Buddhist populations, such as Japan and Thailand, India has not been able to attract a large number of Buddhist tourists -- a fact widely attributed to bad air connections, potholed roads and inadequate hotels.

If the weatherman is to be believed, the month of May this year isn't going to be as hot as it was in previous years... not at least in Patna or, for that matter, Bihar and Jharkhand.

Surprisingly, all these antiquities are not catalogued in any of the records of the state archaeology department. These antiquities were kept in two separate dilapidated rooms located on the backyard of the Patna Museum building for the last several years.

These rooms are still locked from outside. Glasses and iron rods of the windows on the back side of the rooms are completely broken. Barring a few broken pillars and terracotta items on iron trays, nothing is left inside the rooms.

Jain, who belongs to Aligarh, said it was with the support of his family members that he became a music director and succeeded in this field.

He claimed to have a great fancy for music and added that he liked all types of songs, particularly Bhojpuri. Jain said he composed music for various hit serials like Ramayana, Sree Krishna and Jai Hanuman as well as for the hit film, Nadiya-Ke-Paar.

While praising the culture of Bihar, he urged the audience to adopt music in their lives as this could solve many problems.

On the request of the audience, he sang some songs, including Rajgir Ke Pawan Dharti -- Buddhmayee Hai. Some artists of Orissa and Bhojpuri singer Ajit Akela also presented songs which was appreciated by the audience greatly.