Incredible India: My visit to Jabalpur

The Indian state of Madya Pradesh is quite famous in the whole world for its natural beauty and historical monuments. Tourists from across the planet flock here to explore and experience the rich flora and fauna besides peeping into the great history and heritage of the land.

There are several places in Madya Pradesh that will woo the soul of wanderlust. But in this article let me provide you some information about Jabalpur- the land of the marble rocks.

Jabalpur may be reached from anywhere of India by road or railway. I had availed the Shaktipunja Express from Howarh (Kolkata) that departs at 2.30 pm, covers a distance of 1152 kilometers and reaches Jabalpur at 3.45 pm the next day. The train passes through West Bengal, Bihar and then enters the rugged highlands of Madya Pradesh. The journey is quite enjoyable as you will come across several terrains and cultures.

Once you reach Jabalpur station, hire a rickshaw or an auto to take you to a hotel nearby. You may stay at Russel Chowk, or near the bus stand which are the main centres of cosmopolitan activities. The hotel tariff starts from Rs 500 onwards. Few of the good hotels to stay at are Hotel Prestige Queen, Hotel Siddharth, and Hotel Utsav. As the place is dominated by Jain culture, most of the restaurants serve only vegetarian food, but believe me you will get a lot of different delicious cuisines.

Keep one day for the city tour. Hire an auto and visit the Durgabati Museum. It has a very good collection of artifacts. You can visit this museum everyday except Monday which is the weekly closure.

After seeing the museum, now visit the Madan Mahal Fort at the outskirts of the city. Climb 200 steps in a rocky hill to reach the ruins of a beautiful fort. The architecture and some of the stone carvings that still remain today will make you travel to the days of the Maharajas and certainly will make you nostalgic. There are a couple of temples around, you may see them too.

Next visit the Jain Temple. Here too you will have to climb many steps to reach the main shrine. As you have to climb the marble steps bare footed, avoid it during the day time as the scorching sun will burn your feet. There is a huge statue of Lord Mahavira inside the temple complex that catches attention.

Keep the next day to witness the marble rocks and the magnificent Dhuadhar water falls. Hire an auto or book a car from the bus stand or your hotel to reach the Vedaghat at a distance of 23 kilometers from the main city. It is better that you first go to the Dhuadhar water falls early in the morning. I bet you will simply be amazed at the beauty of this water falls courtesy River Narmada that originates at Narmada Devi Temple at Amarkantak in the Vindhayas. The grandeur of the waterfall will charm your mind and soul. You may even bath here, a little upstream or downstream.

Experience the beauty from the Ropeway too for a little expenditure of Rs 70 per head. You may buy some memorabilia from the so many road side shops. Vijay Emporium has a huge collection of exotic marble made items from chess board, lamp shades to statues. Take your lunch at the roadside restaurant and now come to Panchabati Ghat. Enjoy a lifetime experience. The boat cruise amidst the marble rocks will take you to a joy ride which you will remember the whole life. A forty minute ride will cost Rs 40 per head. You may book a boat all for yourself too but that may cost you around about Rs 400. While on the cruise you may even remember Phil Collins singing “Another Day in Paradise…” Spend the whole day here and return back to your hotel in the evening. Walk down the streets of the city in the evening and have a glimpse of the lifestyle here.

Jabalpur will indeed make an everlasting impression in your mind. Now you may visit the other places in Madya Pradesh like Khajuraho, Gwalior, Mandu, Indore, Amarkantak, Kanha Forest or simply move to another state in this grand tour of  Incredible India…

Irritable Bowel Syndrome- An Analysis

The undisciplined ultra modern lifestyle and the race to survive in the rat race and to earn more money is the main cause to nervous stomach incidents. Though it is not a disease, but sour stomach now and then clearly indicates dysfunction of digestive system. Nervous Stomach may occur due to different reasons but every reason points out our bad eating habits undisciplined way of living. Stomach ulcers or Acid reflux disease may cause nervous stomach but the most common cause and which is experienced across the world is the IBS or Irritable bowel syndrome. It gives pain to our stomach or makes it upset.

Irritable bowel syndrome is very common in the urban population mostly in women and people above the age of 40 years. Vague pains in abdomen, acidity, nausea, vomiting, sleeplessness, loose stool or constipation are the main symptoms.

WHY DO IBS OCCUR?

We suffer from IBS from our own neglect towards health. We have no time to take care of our health because we are so busy in our job and keen in earning money and enjoy luxuries of life. Here is a list of the causes; you will see that most of us indeed do some of these things everyday…..

Overeating

Eating of spicy food

Hasty eating habits

Late night dinner

Excessive smoking

Lack of exercise

Stress of job

Depression

Emotional stress

Remember all types of stress are a major cause to Irritable bowel syndrome. It disrupts the normal coordination between the nerves linking the intestine to the brain, resulting to IBS.

IS THERE ANY TREATMENT OF IBS?

IBS needs a long tem treatment. It can’t be cured with any particular course of medicine. But rectifying or modifications to some eating habits may help to some extent. A change in lifestyle is the best remedy but for most of us it is never to happen. Thus the other options are the only help.

WHAT ARE THE REMEDIES?

Try to eat food at fixed times

Eat light meals at regular intervals

Avoid spicy and fatty foods, you may eat them in limited manner

Chew the food properly

Eat more cereals, green vegetables and fresh fruits

Avoid fruit juice or high acid fruits

Try to quit smoking and taking of alcohols

Exercise regularly. Yoga is best. You may take regular morning walks.

Follow Benjamin Franklin’s famous words- “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.”

IS THERE NO MEDICINE?

Well, there are no particular medicines that can cure Irritable bowel syndrome. Chewing a little ginger with lime may help in nausea. Drinking lot of water and taking ORS, while loose stool, will prevent dehydration. Anti-histamines may minimize the symptoms.

A latest research in the University of Adelaide in Australia has found that peppermint has the ability to activate an anti pain channel in the colon. It may give good relief of pain from inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and sooth the person suffering from Irritable bowel syndrome.

Being aware and taking care towards your health is all that you need.

Hotels in South Asia

Today the Indian Sub-Continent has been referred as South Asia. Those countries which lie between the mighty Himalayas and the Indian Ocean from North to South and between River Indus and Gangetic valley from West to East are called South Asian countries. They include Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. These countries share a common tradition and culture, Though languages, clothing and food habits differ still there are so many common features that sometimes it becomes difficult to identify one Nation from another, one individual from another. The natural gifts and the flora and fauna that South Asia enjoys have made the region a tourist destination. It may be rightly called a tourist’s paradise as one may explore snow capped mountains, tropical forests, green valleys, rugged plateaus, sandy beaches and even an active volcano at Barren Islands.

Tourism is an important activity and source of income for these South Asian nations. May it be the Kashmir Valley or sea resorts in Maldives, local people earn most of their living catering to the needs of the tourists. The respective Governments and the private sectors have joined hands to develop the infrastructure for tourism. The hotel industry is thus booming. Nowadays more and more star hotels are expanding their hospitality to new zones and new tourist spots.

The Oberoi Group of hotels and The Taj group have opened a chain of luxury 5 star hotels and resorts throughout the Sub Continent and are the most trustworthy destinations for international tourists.

The Oberoi Grroup founded in 1934 operates the luxury ”Oberoi” and 5 star “Trident” brands. These hotels have state of the art facilities and thus are ideal choice for business and leisure travelers. At present there are 8 Trident hotels in India. These are located in located in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Cochin, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur.

The Taj Hotels are famous all over the World for their hospitality and for their unique blend of ethnic and modern architecture. The Taj Palace in Mumbai is India’s pride. Taj Hotels are scattered all over India. Taj Exotica at Bentota in Sri Lanka and Taj Samudra in Colombo are quite popular to international tourists.

Other than the famous hotel chains there are Budget hotels located in every city or every tourist destination both by Public and Private sector. In India the state government tourism departments run luxury and budget hotels at all tourist spots. These hotels can be booked through online sites as well as through tourist offices located across the country.

In Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan more and more luxury hotels and resorts are coming up every year to cater to the needs of the ever growing tourists to this region.

Most hotels are listed in travel guide websites for online booking. Most of these hotels also arrange package tours for tourists to interiors and other destinations. They also organize adventure sports, trekking, jungle safari along with cultural festivals and fairs to highlight regional culture. These fairs and festivals also help the local people to sale their handicrafts and other products to foreigners. Often a few have also been chosen for international marketing. Thus these hotels of South Asia also preserve the rich regional culture and perform their social responsibilities quite well.