Welcome to Incredible India! A journey into mysticism through the land of the unexpected.

Bounded by the majestic Himalayan ranges in the north and edged by an endless stretch of golden beaches, India is a vivid kaleidoscope of landscapes, magnificent historical sites and royal cities, misty mountain retreats, colorful people, rich cultures and festivities. Modern India is home alike to the tribal with his anachronistic lifestyle and to the sophisticated urban jet-setter. It is a land where temple elephants exist amicably with the microchip. Its ancient monuments are the backdrop for the world's largest democracy.

Tourism in India can be broadly classified in to North India tourism, South India tourism, East India & West India travel and tourism. INDIA is considered as a richest Asian country of geographical beauty with smart, handsome and lovable people. Many tourists come to India for enjoying India tourism activities and getting a chance to study, learn, practice and also to explore Indian culture, traditions and lifestyle. Probably, Asia - the globally most bombastic and most thickly settled continent, is far-famed for the India travel and tourism. India, a land of diversity is the cradle for culture and tradition for over 7000 years. The tourism potential of India offers a diverse experience for any visitor or tourist of this huge nation with multitude of religions, culture, colors, terrain and geography. India travel tourism services and activities are far known throughout the world in travelers aspects. Most of the foreign tourist people who come to India really feel in their mind to stay here in this country for the rest of their life. That much precious facilities and fascinating attractions is the travel to India. Each part of India offers an easily identifiable difference from the rest of the nation. A tourist can enjoy beaches of Goa, Kochi, Kovalam, Rameswaram, Chennai & can move to the snow clad hill tours .

Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves are a network of sculpted caves located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri (literally "the city of caves") in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the east of the city of Mumbai in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The island, located on an arm of the Arabian Sea, consists of two groups of caves—the first is a large group of five Hindu caves, the second, a smaller group of two Buddhist caves. The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to the god Shiva.

The rock cut architecture of the caves has been dated to between the 5th and 8th centuries, although the identity of the original builders is still a subject of debate. The caves are hewn from solid basalt rock. All the caves were also originally painted in the past, but now only traces remain.

The island was called Gharapuri and was a Hindu place of worship until Portuguese rule began in 1534. The Portuguese called the island Elephanta on seeing its huge gigantic statue of an Elephant at the entrance. The Statue is now placed in the garden outside the Bhau Daji Lad (erstwhile Victoria & Albert) Museum at the Jijamata Udyan (erstwhile Victoria Gardens) at Byculla in Mumbai. This cave was renovated in the 1970s after years of neglect, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 to preserve the artwork. It is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Global Vipassana Pagoda

The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a notable monument in Mumbai, India. The pagoda is to serve as a monument of peace and harmony. This monument was inaugurated by Pratibha Patil, the President of India on 8 February 2009. It is located in the north of Mumbai in an area called Gorai and is built on donated land on a peninsula between Gorai creek and the Arabian Sea. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is built out of gratitude to the Buddha, his teaching and the community of monks practicing his teaching. Its traditional Burmese design is an expression of gratitude towards the country of Myanmar for preserving the practice of Vipassana. The shape of the pagoda is a copy of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. It is being built combining ancient Indian and modern technology to enable it to last for a thousand years

For more information about the pagoda please visit offcial website of Global Pagoda www.globalpagoda.org.

Gorai Beach

Gorai beach is a popular as a party venue among many youngsters. The shacks available for staying are reasonable and the sand at the beach is relatively clean for enjoying a game of sand volleyball or flying Frisbees. Save your merry-making exclusively for the week-end on the glorious suburban beach at a comfortable distance from the Marve beaches. Gorai beach is linked by the Gorai creek and can be reached in a span of 15 minutes as it is just 4 kilometres away from the creek. If you want a cool and clean dip or a sporty swim in the seawaters, the pastoral Gorai beach is just the place. Accompanied by groups of friends of family, spring up your excitement in multifold. An overnight stay at the beach could buck up your zeal. Once you set your foot on the beach you are besieged by picnic groups, kids and couples all over. Line-up your moments to get an eyeful of the sunrise and sunset from the low hills. Gorai beach is most famous for its fun-filled, night parties.

Other added fascinations situated close to Gorai beach are The Water Kingdom and Esselworld that can be a part of your excursion to Gorai beach. These spots are perfect for all age groups and can easily qualify for an adventurous trip. To get across to the park one can hire ferries for a nominal fare. Gorai beach is engulfed by villas, and touches outskirts of the nearby fishing village.

Iskcon Juhu

International Society for Krishna Consciousness, also popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement is a spiritual society founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in July 1966 in New York. ISKCON belongs to the Gaudiya-Vaishnava sampradaya, a monotheistic tradition within Vedic culture. Today ISKCON comprises of more than 400 temples, 40 rural communities and over 100 vegetarian restaurants. It also conducts special projects throughout the world, such as “Food for Life”, the only free vegetarian relief program in the world.

The aim of ISKCON is to acquaint all people of world with universal principles of self-realization and God consciousness so that they may derive the highest benefit of spiritual understanding, unity and peace. The Vedic literature recommend that in the present age of Kali-yuga the most effective means of achieving self-realization is always hear about, glorify, and remember the all-attractive Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore, it recommends the chanting of the Holy Names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This sublime chanting puts the chanter directly in touch with the Supreme Lord through the sound vibration of His Holy Name.

ISKCON follows the teachings of the Vedas and Vedic scriptures, including the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam which teach Vaishnavism or devotion to God (Krishna) in His Supreme Personal aspect of Sri Sri Radha Krishna.

These teachings are received through the preceptorial line known as the Brahma-Madhav-Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya. ISKCON is part of the disciplic succession which started with Lord Krishna Himself and continued with Srila Vyasadeva, Srila Madhavacharya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and in the present day His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his followers.

ISKCON’s teachings are non-sectarian, following the principle of sanatana dharma or eternal religion, which denotes the eternal activity of all living beings – loving devotional service (bhakti-yoga) to Supreme Personality of Godhead.

When Prabhupada began the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (in New York City in 1966), he formulated a clear mission statement. Thus the 7 Purposes of ISKCON are as follows: 

1. To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.

2. To propagate a consciousness of Krishna (God), as it is revealed in the great scriptures of India, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

3. To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna).

4. To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God, as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

5. To erect for the members and for society at large a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the personality of Krishna.

6. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler, natural way of life.

7. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings.

For more details visits : http://www.iskconmumbai.com

Kanheri Caves

The Kanheri Caves are a group of rock-cut monuments, located north of Borivali on the western outskirts of Mumbai, India, deep within the green forests of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It is 6 km from the National Park Main Gate & 7 km from Borivali Station. Tourists can go in after 7.30 a.m. Kanheri Caves are signs of Buddhist influence on art and culture in India. Kanheri comes from the Sanskrit word Krishnagiri meaning black mountain.They were chiseled out of a massive basaltic rock outcropping.

These caves date from 1st century BCE to 10th century CE. In total in the basalt there have been carved 109 caves. Unlike the elegant splendor of Elephanta Caves nearby, the earlier cells are spartan and unadorned. Each cave has a stone plinth for a bed. A congregation hall with huge stone pillars contains the stupa, a Buddhist shrine. Farther up the hill are the remains of an ancient water system, canals and cisterns that collected and channeled the rainwater into huge tanks. Once the caves became permanent monasteries, they began to be carved out of the rock with intricate reliefs of Buddha and the Bodhisattvas carved into the walls. Kanheri had become an important Buddhist settlement on the Konkan coast by the 3rd century A.D.

Vihara - prayer hall

Most of the caves are the Buddhist viharas meant for living, study, and meditation. The larger caves were chaityas, or halls for congregational worship, are lined with intricately carved Buddhist sculptures, reliefs and pillars, and contain rock-cut stupas for congregational worship. The Avalokiteshwara is the most distinctive figure. The large number of viharas obviously prove a well-organized existence of Buddhist monks' establishment, which was also connected with many trade centers such as the ports of Sopara, Kalyan, Nasik, Paithan and Ujjain. Kanheri was a University center by the time the area was under the rule of the Maurayan and Kushan empires. In the late 10th century, the Buddhist teacher Atisha (980-1054) came to the Krishnagiri Vihara to study Buddhist meditation under Rahulagupta.

Taraporewala Aquarium

Taraporewala Aquarium is the sole aquarium in the city of Mumbai, India. Built in 1951 at a cost of Rs 800,000, it hosts marine and freshwater fishes. The aquarium is located on the famous Marine Drive. The aquarium is named after a Parsee philanthropist who donated Rs. 200,000 for the construction. The aquarium is one of the tourist attractions of the city. There are 100 species of marine and fresh water fish including seven types of coral fish from the Lakshadweep Islands. Attractions include sharks, turtles, rays, moray eels, sea turtles, small starfish and stingrays. Exhibits offer a glimpse of the variety of marine life in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. There is also a room with fossils and preserved fish in bottles, along with rare sea shells.

Igatpuri

The beautiful wide spread of Sahayadri's most interesting and finest looking mountains are in "Igatpuri". One can see impressive looking high peeks like Kalsubhai, Ajoba, Ratnagad that are a challenge for rock climbers. The striking Bhandardara plateau view of Wilson dam on its lake. Mahuli Fort, a site where many fierce battles took place. Thus becomes a popular hiking place along with camel valley. Another place for which Igatpuri is famous for its vipsana meditation centre well known as Dhammagiri.

Igatpuri can be visited all the year around. During the monsoons & soon after, the destination is at its best with lush & green surroundings & picturesque waterfalls. During summer the nights are still cool & pleasant, sometimes even light woolens are required.

Igatpuri is surrounded by the highest peaks in Sahyaadri i.e. Western Ghats, most of them are forts built in Satavahana dynasty. It's heavenly for trekkers and hikers, Most bollywood movie outdoor scenes specially songs are shot in Igatpuri region. Geographically it is situated 20 N latitude and 74 E Longitude and altitude of 599 m above sea level 

RELIGIOUS SPOTS :
 

 Historical Place and Picnic Spots :

How to get there?

To get there by road, take the Mumbai-Nashik Highway (NH-3) Igatpuri is at a distance of 120 kms from Mumbai. Igatpuri is well connected by central railway on Mumbai -Delhi Line.

Lonavla

Lonavla or Lonavale is a city and a hill station Municipal Council in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is about 64 km away from the city of Pune, 96 km away from the city Mumbai. It is famous throughout India for the hard candy sweet known as chikki and is also a major stop on the rail line connecting Mumbai and Pune.For Mumbai suburbs local trains are available from Karjat It is also an important town on the Mumbai-Pune road link. Both the Mumbai-Pune Expressway as well as the Mumbai-Pune highway pass through Lonavla. Lonavla comes to life during the monsoon season as the countryside turns lush green with waterfalls and ponds.

Lonavla and the adjacent Khandala are twin hill stations 622 m. above sea level, in the Sahyadri ranges that demarcate the Deccan Plateau and the Konkan coast. The hill stations sprawl over an approximate area of 38 km² and are popular holiday destinations during the monsoons. People prefer visiting Lonavla and Khandala in the rainy season. Lonavla and Khandala were discovered in 1871 by Sir Elphinstone, the Governor of the Bombay Presidency. The name Lonavla is derived from the Sanskrit lonavli, which refers to the many caves like Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves and Bedsa that are close to Lonavla. A trip to Lonavla and Khandala can be combined with sight-seeing visits of Karla, Bhaja and Bedsa caves and also the two fortresses, Lohagad and Visapur. Another places of interest is the Tungi fort, one of the forts captured by Malik Ahmad near the village of Karjat and was known for its natural strength

Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar  is a city and a municipal council in Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a hill station located in the Western Ghats range. With one of the few evergreen forests of the world, it served as the summer capital of Bombay province during the British Raj.

Mahabaleshwar is located at 17°55′N 73°40′E / 17.92°N 73.67°E / 17.92; 73.67. It has an average elevation of 1,353 metres (4,439 ft).

Located about 120 km (75 mi) southwest of Pune and 285 km (177 mi) from Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar is a vast plateau measuring 150 km2 (58 sq mi), bound by valleys on all sides. It reaches a height of 1,438 m (4,718 ft) at its highest peak above sea level, known as Wilson/Sunrise Point.

Mahabaleshwar comprises three villages: Malcolm Peth, Old "Kshetra" Mahabaleshwar and part of the Shindola village.

Mahabaleshwar is the source of the Krishna River that flows across Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The legendary source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Old Mahabaleshwar. Legend has it that Krishna is Lord Vishnu himself as a result of a curse on the trimurtis by Savitri. Also, its tributaries Venna and Koyana are said to be Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma themselves. An interesting thing to notice is that 4 other rivers come out from the cow's mouth apart from Krishna and they all travel some distance before merging into Krishna. These rivers are the Koyana, Venna (Veni), Savitri, and Gayatri.

Matheran

Matheran is a city and a Hill Station municipal council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a hill station in Karjat Tahsil and is also the smallest hill station in India. It is located on the Western Ghats range at an elevation of around 800 m (2,625 feet) above sea level. It is located around 90 km from Mumbai, and 120 km from Pune. Matheran's proximity to the three Metros makes it a popular weekend getaway for urban residents. The name Matheran means "forest on the head" (of the mountain).

Matheran is an eco-sensitive region, declared by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India. It is one of the few places in the world where vehicles are not allowed, which makes the place different from others. Matheran takes you over a hundred years back in time when there were no vehicles.

Because of vehicles being banned in Matheran, the place is quite peaceful despite the thousands of visitors coming to visit throughout the year.

There are lots of lookout points that provide spectacular views of the surrounding hills and valleys. Matheran has a reasonably dense forest cover.

There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Panorma Point that provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and also the Neral town. From this point, the view of sunset and sunrise is breathtaking. The Louisa Point offers crystal clear view of the Prabal Fort. The other points are the One Tree Hill Point, Hart Point, Monkey Point, Porcupine Point, Rambgh Point, and more.

Matheran is located about 100 km from Mumbai, 120 km from Pune. and 320 km from Surat. It lies on the busy Mumbai-Pune rail link and the nearest train station is at Neral, approximately 11 km from Matheran. From Neral, one can either rent a taxi (60 rupees for a shared cab, 300 for the whole car) to the entrance of Matheran. From the taxi stop at Matheran, one can walk to the city center or rent a horse (150-200 rupees per horse).

Since October 11, 2008 a bus service has been started till Dasturi Park from Neral and Karjat.

Other Major Mumbai Picnic Spots.doc

Museum

Jehangir art gallery

Asiatic library

World Trade

Centre CST station

Azad maidan / Cross maidan

One day Picnic spots in mumbai - Tour no.2

Nariman point

Marine lines

Taraporewala Aquarium

Mani Bhavan

Girgaum chowpatty

Hanging gardens + Pheroze Shah Mehta Garden

Balganga Lake

Nepeansea Tracks

Babulnath Temple

One day Picnic spots in mumbai -Tour no .3

Mahalaxmi Temple

Haji ali

Mahalaxmi race course

Nehru planetorium and science centre

One day Picnic spots in mumbai -Tour no 4

Bandra-worli sea link

Bandra fort - bandstand

Juhu chowpatty

Harerama krsihna mandir

One day Picnic spots in mumbai -Tour no 5

Gorai beach - marve beach

uttan point

One day Picnic spots in mumbai -Tour no 6

Byculla zoo

museum

siddhivinayak temple

One day Picnic spots in mumbai -Tour no 7

Gorai beach

uttan point

One day Picnic spots in mumbai -Tour no 8

Borivali national park + kanheri caves

aarey milk colony

kashmir garden

boating lake

One day Picnic spots in mumbai -Tour no 9

Powai garden

gokarting

powai lake