ಭಾನುವಾರ, ಫೆಬ್ರವರಿ 15, 2009

CULTURAL TOURISM IN INDIA

CULTURAL TOURISM IN INDIA


“ANO BHADRA KRUTAVO YANTU VISHWATAHA”

This powerful verse of Rig-Veda tells the whole importance of Indian Culture and heritage. India is the only county in the world which holds the great historic and sacred approach towards its culture. There are many countries in the world which always says that India is a sacred land. It is land of sandalwood this is god’s own land and they are frequently visiting to India for better knowing about the culture of India. Then the question arrived that what is culture?

The term “culture” In Indian context has in-depth and infinite meaning. It is not possible to substantiate the meaning of culture in a sentence or in few. But we can say that culture is the traditions rituals believes and strong foundations of values ethics are called as the culture. In other words The Indian Culture is the lifestyle of an Individual.


Indian culture has its own dimensions and significance this is why the people from many countries are regularly visiting to India.


Coming to Tourism part, Cultural tourism is a Special element of tourism in India. We can define cultural tourism in general as “Special interest holidays essentially motivated by cultural interests such as trips and visits to historical sites and monuments, museums and galleries artistic performances and festivals as well as lifestyles of communities. In a broad sense including also activities with a cultural content as parts of trips and visits a combinations of pursuits.


Cultural tourism of India is in unique position. Many tourist destinations of our country are belongs to cultural significance and historical perspective. In India the importance of cultural tourism can be said to be of great merit because of its past civilization and its strong base of cultural tradition.

Cultural aspects for travelling India are more important motivating factor in comparison to other aspects. Tourism in India involves quite a large content of cultural background as no any foreigner visiting India can be unaffected with the culture of India. Historical and archeological monuments, lifestyle, religion and diversity found in Indian society continue to be the biggest thing in attracting tourists from each part of the world.

Tourism in Indian mindset is something unique and unexplainable. It was not at all been considered as tour in Indian mindset. It was “YAATRA” or “TEERTHAYATRA” to us. People use to travel the whole country in the name of “AASETHU HIMAACHALA YAATRA” that means from Kashmir to kannyakumari to support this point now we have a train called “HIMASAGARA EXPRESS” which is the longest distance train of India.

The great poet of India “KALIDASA” said in his book “RAGHUVANSHA” about Himalaya

“ASTUTTARASSYAM DISHIDEVATAATMA
HIMALAYA NAAMA NAGAADHIRAAJA”

He mentioned that the great Himalaya ranges are not only mountain for us its something unique It is the soul (Aatma) and center point of all gods and goddesses of our country it is the natural protection tool for us. This is our culture. We have a mindset that we pray and believe in a small bunch of grass also there for this powerful point attracts tourist to our country.



If we look at the world heritage sites of India there are 28 sites. In those 20 to 25 sites are related to cultural heritage of India.

India is most diversified country in terms of culture, traditions, rituals, languages, costumes everything. There are many things in India which can not be explained in a format in a systematic style. It is most peculiar country in the world the culture and tradition of India symbolizing in many ways.

We have many tourism products like Architectural monuments, sculpture, pilgrim sites like “12 Jyotirlingas” “Panchabhoota lingas” (Shiva lingas which are the symbol of elements of nature), 51 Shaktipeethas, Vishnudhamas, sacred char dhamas, places like Tirupati-Tirumala, Shabarimali, Performing arts and Visual arts like Dances, classical and folk, Indian classical Music Hindustani and Carnatic paintings and many festivals, fairs, handicrafts, trades, travel marts, exhibitions these are many things which come under in cultural aspects and this is the yardstick to attract tourist from many places to India.

And India has a background of great Indus civilization, Vedic literature, epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Bhagavad geeta, Upanishads, Puranas (Myths), Sacred Rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, saraswati, sindhu, Godavari, Krishna and kaveri. These are the powerful sources of cultural tourism in India.

The most important point is the Philosophy of India which attracts many people to visit India. Indian philosophy throughout the ages has had a tremendous impact on world thought, especially in the east. Following the Vedic period, various schools of philosophy, such as the many sects of Hinduism, have developed over the past 2500 years. However, India has also produced some of the oldest and most influential traditions of logic, rationalism, science, mathematics, materialism, agnosticism, etc., which are often overlooked due to the popular conception that India was and is a 'mystical' country.



Not only these much, there are many social reformers of India that they have created a new lifestyle among the people of this country like “sri Ramakrishna paramahansa and swami Vivekananda” and “sri Aurobindo and the mother” of Pondicherry,” raja ram mohanrai”, “Dayananda saraswati “, “Ramana maharshi” etc . These people have written many books and started a movement and that became a landmark in Indian history. To know and get practical experience of these philosophy people from many places visit India.

Likewise there many things which have immense background of cultural foundation which is attracting people to India. We believe in the continuity and dynamism of Indian cultural heritage and it is our endeavor to help people from world over get acquainted with same. And there can not be a better way to understand this than to experience it. Travel to India with our cultural tour packages and understand why this heritage has withstood thousands of years and still going strong.

Finally as responsible Tourism students we must have to understand the Indian culture and its diversifications so that we can promote culture as Tourism product even better.

VANDE BHARATA MATARAM



SANJEEV KUMAR SIRNOORKAR
MBA TOURISM I YEAR
PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY

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