Indian government has released new 100 rupee notes which feature a motif of ‘Rani ki Vav’ stepwell on the reverse side. One of the most historic and best tourist attractions in Gujarat, Rani ki Vav is a unique architectural wonder. It was built as an inverted temple as homage to the sanctity of water.

Those who have watched Amol Palekar’s Paheli do remember the stepwell scene in Rajasthan featuring Rani Mukherjee as a newlywed bride who halts on the way to her in-laws and feels a mystic presence around herself. There are many stepwells in Gujarat and Rajasthan, the Rajputana states of India. But, Rani Ki Vav stepwell is more exquisite, magnificent and marvelous than other stepwells. In 2014,UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in India incorporated Rani Ki Vav, which is also known as Queen’s Stepwell.

UNESCO recognized Rani Ki Vav as a masterpiece of technological excellence in ground water management in the 11th century. This stepwell is an age-old model of how ground water was preserved and utilized in those days. In addition to this, Rani Ki Vav is a work of Indian subterranean architecture with ornamental sculptures. The stepwell is a seven-storied structure underground. It measures about 64 meters in length, 20 meters in width and 27 meters in depth.

Also Check: Gujarat Temple Offers Divine Pens to School Students for Success

As the history goes, Patan where the stepwell is located was the capital of Gujarat when King Siddharja Jaysingh was in power. Then, it was known as Anhilpur Patan. The construction of Rani Ki Vav was commissioned in the Solanki or Chalukya regime. It is said that the stepwell was built as a tribute to Bhimdev the First whose father had founded the Solanki dynasty in 1050 AD. The construction was proposed by the queen Udayamati, wife of Bhimdev the First.

Also Check: Gujarat’s Airport-themed Crematorium Puts Souls on Flights

Sculptural beauty is the mainstay of Rani Ki Vav as a historic attraction for tourists. The inner walls, pillars and columns are intricately sculpture. Most of the sculptures represent the incarnations of Lord Vishnu Rama, Krishna, Narasimha, Varah, Baman, Matsya, and Kalki. The other sculptures are shaped as beautiful dancing women of the Heaven including Nagkanya, Yogini and Urvasi. There are nearly 1000 sculptures. A carving of Lord Vishnu resting on the thousand-hooded serpent named Sheshnag is found at the water level.

After years of its construction, the stepwell was flooded by the Saraswati River and filled with silt. It remained covered with silt till the late 1980s. Then, the Archeological Survey of India discovered and excavated it. Rani Ki Vav with most of the carvings in pristine condition is an interface between a stepwell and a temple. It resembles a subterranean temple with carvings of deities in stone, which symbolizes the age-old faith in sanctity of water. Such stepwells were the sites for not only water preservation and distribution but also worship and socialization in the bygone eras.

The steps lead to the deepest bottom through several pillared pavilions. The lowermost step ends at a small gate which opens to a 30-km tunnel. It is supposed to have been used as an escape to the nearby town Sidhpur in times of invasion by enemies. The World Heritage Site status has made Rani Ki Vav the queen of stepwells in India, for its sheer magnificence, intricate carvings, celestial sculptures, and water-preserving technology.

‘Rani Ki Vav’ stepwell in Patan district of Gujarat is a 125-km long drive from Ahmadabad and 118 kms away from Gandhinagar. Modhera, the ancient Sun Temple, is another must-visit tourist attraction on the way. These days cheap flights to Ahmedabad International Airport are available for online booking throughout the year.

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Among the festivals of India, Holi is the only festival which celebrates love and harmony, friendship and brotherhood with various colors. The celebration of Holi is a common thread of unity in the socio-cultural diversity of India. The festival of colors is celebrated in different ways but with equal enthusiasm across the country, which will leave you surprised. Somewhere it is traditional, while somewhere it is trendy. Somewhere it is a color chaos, while somewhere it is a colorful extravaganza. Somewhere Holi is a genuine celebration of age-old folk cultures, whereas somewhere it is a sinful frenzy of urbanites. You can soak in flamboyance of colors, no matter which part of India you visit this time.

We at Indian Eagle handpicked five places from across India and explored what makes them the best destinations for fun-filled, spectacular Holi celebrations.

Shantiniketan

Holi is a cultural festival celebrated with an aura of sophistication in Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan, an international seat of learning and literature in Bengal. Though Holi is known as Dol Yatra all over the state, the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore introduced it as Vasanta Utsav attributing a cultural dimension to it. Dressed in shades of yellow, orange and green, boys and girls choreograph the celebration in rhythmic fashions – singing and dancing. In Shantiniketan, the atmosphere of the day is a miasma of colorfulness and literary fervor as the students of Vishva Bharati University celebrate the festival through the poems and songs, composed by the Bard of Bengal himself.

Shantiniketan, which is also famous for its age-old Pous Mela, is a nearly 4-hour train journey or road trip from Kolkata. Know how to save big on flights to Kolkata, India.  

Delhi

In Delhi, the cosmopolitan ways of Holi celebration are unique to the capital’s multicultural milieu. Holi celebration is not less musical and crazy than a DJ party with foot-tapping numbers from Bollywood movies. The Delhites who are Page 3 celebrities throw parties in resorts and farm houses. The temperature of the atmosphere soars so high that they cool off themselves with sips of bhang lassi and thandai. Delhi is also famous for the Holi Cow Festival, an organized event of music and madness. Do watch the video of the song, “Balam pitchkari jo tune mujhe mari” from the music album of the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani to get a hang of how madly Delhites celebrate the festival of colors.

Delhi has global air connectivity. Especially, Air India operates several nonstop flights to Delhi IGI Airport from USA, UK and other parts of the world.  

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is the best place to celebrate this spring festival in Gujarat. Be the festival Holi or Navratri, Gujarati celebrates it traditionally. Holi is a cultural extravaganza in the capital of Gujarat. The celebration begins with the breaking of earthen pots of buttermilk hung from a rope in the streets after the joyous procession of menfolk through lanes and alleys comes to an end. This ceremony is observed in honor of Lord Krishna who used to steal the pots of butter and buttermilk from Gopis’ houses. In some parts of the city, Gujarati belles wearing ghagra with mirror work and the men wearing colorful turbans play dandiya to spread euphoria all around. Haryana celebrates Holi in the same fashion.

Ahmedabad, India’s first UNESCO World heritage city is well-connected with the rest of India. Cheap airfare deals for flights to Ahmedabad from USA will leave you amazed. 

Mathura & Vrindavan

Mathura and Vrindavan are the best places to celebrate Holi in North India. These two destinations for pilgrims and tourists are mythically associated with the legends of Krishnaleela or Rasleela. It is said that the zest the Brajwasis (people of Vrindavan) play Holi with is not felt in the rest of India during the festival. Their festive spirit is so high that the celebration begins 40 days prior to the day of Holi. Boys are dressed like Krishna, and girls dress themselves like Gopis (female admirers of Krishna). The Lathmar Holi of Barsana, the village of Sri Radha, is the main attraction. The boys of Vrindavan play colors with the girls of Barsana in a flirtatious manner. They drench each other with colored water and sprinkle gulal in the air.

You can reach Mathura and Vrindavan by road from New Delhi Airport in nearly 3 hours. Check the interesting facts of the world’s tallest temple, Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir which is currently under construction in Mathura for a whopping cost of INR 700 crores (USD 102 million).  

Manipur

The way Manipur celebrates the Holi Festival is culturally unique, Northeast India. The festivity begins on the Full Moon day of Phalguna and spans for six days. The age-old Yaosang Festival of the state was merged with Holi celebration during the rise of Vaishnavism. The tradition of celebrating Holi through cultural performances including folk dance forms and songs has been replaced with the trend – music band culture. Setting fire to a thatched hut of hay and twigs marks the beginning of the festivity. The boys and girls play gulal, the following day. The sight of devotees wearing white & yellow turbans, dancing in front of the Krishna temple and offering gulal to the obedience of the Lord is a wonderful spectacle to witness. The celebration ends with a religious procession to the capital city, Imphal.

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The Independence Day of India (August 15) is the day to recall sacrifices by the freedom fighters that made evergreen history for generations. The map of India is dotted with multiple sights and spots of freedom struggle as the freedom movement had spread like wild fire across the country. Some of our customers who are flying to India in the second week of August this year approached us with a request to recommend the best places to visit on Independence Day in India. Indian Eagle picks up the following:

Cellular Jail, the Andamans

The Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands tops the list of the places to visit on the Independence Day of India. It is a living witness to the brutal treatment of the freedom fighters behind the bars. The Cellular Jail reminds generations of the solitary confinement that the heroes of the National Freedom Movement were sentenced to suffer for years during the colonial rule. An important chapter in the history of British India, the Cellular Jail was declared a national memorial in 1969. On display are the sculptures silently retelling the stories of atrocity that the prison inmates were subjected to.

Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar

Jallianwala Bagh is a must visit in Punjab. Located near the Golden Temple, it is the site where General Dyer shed the blood of thousands who had assembled for a meeting in protest against the Rowlatt Act in 1919. The massacre of 1919 which Jallianwala Bagh has been bearing witness to in form of bullet marks on inside of the wall is one of the most condemnable British acts during the colonial times of India. Jallianwala Bagh is a must stop during Punjab travel at any time of the year.

Indian Coffee House, Kolkata

If you are in Kolkata this Independence Day, do visit Coffee House nearby Presidency University on College Street, have a cup of brewing coffee, and take a walk down the memory lane to the bygone decades when the College Street Coffee House used to be a hotbed of debates on politics, art, music, cinema and culture in the then Calcutta. A favorite haunt of the elite, the literati, and intellectuals of Bengal, including Satyajit Ray, Amartya Sen, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Samaresh Majumdar, Sunil Ganguly and likes, Coffee House was also frequented by the then political revolutionaries. In the post-independence era, Kolkatas College Street Coffee House witnessed to several mass agitations and movements in the changing socio-political landscape of Bengal. Integral to the cultural history of Bengal, Indian Coffee House in Kolkata is one of the best places to visit on the Independence Day of India.

Also Check: Proposed Museum on History of College Street and Coffee House

Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram

The Sabarmati Ashram was Mahatma Gandhijis workplace for social activism and his activities for National Freedom Movement. He spent 12 years of his life here. The ashram is the place where Satyagraha, Civil Disobedience Movement and Swadeshi Movement had gathered momentum at. Situated on the bank of the Sabarmati River, the ashram is one of the best places to visit in Ahmedabad.Gandhijis Dandi March to disobey the Salt Act implemented by the British began from the ashram in 1930. The Sabarmati Ashram introduces visitors to Gandhijis values, philosophy, vision and support for self-reliance.

India Gate, New Delhi

The India Gate, one of the most popular Delhi attractions, is not just a monumental architecture but also a war memorial. Also known as the All India War Memorial, the India Gate has been carrying the names of nearly 70, 000 soldiers who fought and died in the First World War, and the names of some 12, 516 Indian soldiers who embraced martyrdom on the North-west Frontier. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the India Gate and the Flame of the Immortal Soldier under the archway stand for the martyrs of India. It is a must see during Independence Day celebrations on August 15.

Santi Institute Library, Kolkata

A most significant among the age-old, red-brick buildings in Kolkatas Bowbazar is the Santi Institute. The 100-year-old building of the Santi Institute is not just an iconic library of 41000 books of various genres but also a lesser-known historical place. Founded as a haven of peaceful reading after the First World War, the library was started with just 27 books and 21 young members. Gradually, it grew into a hub of stimulating discussions and animated debates among the then liberals, revolutionaries and freedom fighters. A favorite of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the Santi Institute Library in Bowbazar was also frequented by Bipin Behari Ganguli, Surendranath Banerjee, the educationist Triguna Sen, the historian Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, and the the famous lawyer Radhabinod Pal.

Agra Fort, Agra

The Agra Fort, an integral part of the Mughal history of India, is associated with the history of British India as well. One of the world heritage sites recognized by UNESCO, the Agra Fort was the site of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, it was the first seed of the National Freedom Movement. Located by the Yamuna River, the fort features a unique blend of Hindu and Islamic styles in construction as well as design.

Netaji Bhawan, Kolkata

Netaji Bhawan or Netaji Shubhash Chandra Boses residence in Kolkata City is among the places that remind of British India, freedom fighters and national movement. It is the place where he was put under house arrest and where he escaped from to Berlin in 1941. A part of Netajis life, struggle and mission for freedom of India, the house has got a museum and a library today.

Viceregal Lodge, Shimla

Viceregal Lodge, a splendid English Renaissance architecture of colonial times in India, is not just a tourist attraction of Shimla but also a historic place. Viceregal Lodge was the summer residence of Lord Dufferin, the Viceroy of British India, and the place where discussions on the most fateful India-Pakistan partition were held. Also known as Rashtrapati Niwas, this colossal landmark in Shimla houses a museum exhibiting some stories of Indian freedom movement.

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The walled city of Ahmedabad is on cloud nine. After Ahmedabad was recognized as India’s first UNESCO World Heritage city in 2017, Ahmedabad International Airport is declared the Most Improved Airport in the Asia Pacific region.

The Airport Council International’s Airport Service Quality Awards 2017 named Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport as the Most Improved Airport for scoring high on the index of service to passengers at the airport. The ‘Most Improved Airport’ award is Ahmedabad’s first international achievement in aviation, giving testimony to the airport’s continuous growth and improvement.

The eighth busiest Indian airport in terms of annual air traffic volume, Ahmedabad Airport (AMD) has been connected with many parts of the world, including the United States, the Middle East and the United Kingdom by major international airlines over the past few years. Newark to Ahmedabad is one of the busiest routes for US to India flights at Indian Eagle, a leading air ticketing agency.

India’s Most Improved Airport, Sardar Vallabhbhai Int. Airport handles over 200 flight movements daily, whereas the world’s number 1 airport for the fourth time, Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi Airport records over 400 flight operations every day. A metro rail is currently under construction to link the airport with Ahmedabad City and Gandhinagar for smooth commute.

Since Sardar Vallabhbhai Airport (AMD) is just a short flight away from Delhi and Mumbai, those traveling to Ahmedabad prefer Air India’s nonstop flights to Mumbai and Delhi from the USA as per the stats of Indian Eagle’s booking of cheap flights to Ahmedabad in economy and business. Besides, Air India connects Ahmedabad with New York JFK and Newark Liberty (EWR) airports via London Heathrow.

Ahmedabad is a prime destination for the Gujarati diaspora and global business communities. Being a thriving business and tourism hub in West India, Ahmedabad has been witnessing a steadily increasing number of inbound and outbound air travelers. Hence, Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport is likely to be replaced by Dholera International Airport with passenger-handling capacity for over 10 million a year.

Currently Ahmedabad Airport (AMD) has four terminals including a domestic one (T1) and an international one (T2). The infrastructure of T2 is modeled on that of Singapore Changi Airport’s international terminal. It has four aerobridges and a half-kilometer-long moving walkway. It has got a premium lounge for those taking business flights to Ahmedabad, India.

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13-year-old Aanya Soni from Gujarat is the only Indian to leave for the Antarctica Expedition 2018 and create awareness on climate change. An 8^th grader in Ahmedabad, Aanya Soni is the youngest of all 80 members who have been selected from across the world for the South Pole expedition in 2018. This expedition is held every year aiming to motivate the selected participants to make communities aware of climate change and its adverse impact in their respective countries. Led by Robert Charles Swan, the ClimateForce: Antarctica Expedition 2018 will take place from February 28 to March 12.

What inspired Ahmedabad-based Aanya Soni to join a global force of change is A1 Gore’s documentary titled An Inconvenience Truth, which put her in the mind of Robert Charles Swan, a leading advocate of the protection of Antarctica and renewable energy. The world’s first man to walk to the North Pole and the South Pole; Robert Swan is a polar explorer on the mission of promoting energy innovation. Since a 50-year treaty which prohibits any sort of exploration in the Antarctica will end in 2041, he started the 2041 Foundation to create a global force for preservation of the Antarctica beyond the treaty.

Tanisha Arora (another Indian girl), who was a member of the 2017 Antarctica expedition, is the other source of inspiration for Aanya Soni to have got selected for Robert Swan’s ClimateForce: Antarctica Expedition 2018.

Aanya Soni is also a member of the Kids4aCause team which is committed towards environment. Since the formation, the Kids4aCause has been conducting waste recycling drives to save the environment from detrimental effects of mounting wastage levels. They sell recycled products to raise funds for various non-profit organizations like IMDAD during natural calamities. In 2016, the proceeds from the sale of recycled materials were donated to the National Indian Association for providing free textbooks to underprivileged girls of class 12, according to Aanya Soni.

Aanya Soni is also a budding environment activist in her school, Sahyadri. She, along with her classmates, does every possible bit to take care of the environment. They save electricity and paper. They do gardening and grow vegetables within the school boundaries. They share their textbooks and donate old ones to the needy. Aanya and her friends keep the school premises and surroundings clean and pollution free in every possible way. She believes that every little effort such as tree plantation, the least use of plastic, garbage segregation and recycling of household waste counts towards a greater cause.

Home is where Aanya’s love for the environment was sown just as charity begins at home. Her father is employed at Ecolibrium Energy, and he helps big and medium-size industries with sustainable energy. His work encouraged Aanya to develop affinity for the environment.

A resident of Ahmedabad, Aanya Sony is brimming with excitement about the ClimateForce: Antarctica Expedition 2018. At the same time, she is a little worried about the unforeseen course of adventure in the South Pole. However, there is no looking back since she is eagerly looking forward to having all pleasant and unpleasant experiences that the expedition has in store for her.

The ClimateForce: Antarctica Expedition 2018 will cost her INR 28, 00,000 or USD 43,000, out of which Aanya is falling short of INR 2 lakh. You can contribute to make this expedition happen to her here. On return from the expedition, Aanya Soni will be a mascot of Robert Swan’s 2041 Foundation and responsible for promoting environmental sustainability based on her observations and experiences in the expedition.

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Despite having UNESCO World Heritage sites, no Indian city was recognized as a World Heritage City by UNESCO until the walled city of Ahmedabad was declared India’s first UNESCO World Heritage city on Saturday night (IST), July 8. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the declaration of 600-year-old Ahmedabad as a world heritage city by UNESCO as “a matter of immense joy for India.”

Founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah in the 15^th century, Ahmedabad is the former capital of Gujarat and the sixth largest Indian city. With the ‘UNESCO World Heritage City’ tag, Ahmedabad joined the ranks of Paris, Rome, Vienna, Edinburgh, Cairo and Brussels. Ahmedabad is also one of the hundred Indian cities selected for the Government of India’s project, Smart Cities Mission.

Heritage conservation and sustainable development are among the whys Ahmedabad became a UNESCO World Heritage city in India. From the Sultanate period, the city has been a prominent hub of Indo-Islamic architecture and Hindu-Muslim art. There are as many as 2600 heritage sites and 26 ASI protected monuments in Ahmedabad, according to the city’s municipal commissioner.

Located on the eastern banks of the Sabarmati River, India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City Ahmedabad was a thriving center of trade during the regime of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Ahmedabad was where the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan spent the prime period of his life, commissioning the construction of Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug.

From the Sultanate period till the independence of India, Ahmedabad witnessed the rise and fall of several dynasties including the Mughal, the Maratha, and the British. It was the provincial headquarters of the Mughal Empire until the Maratha power took control of it. Ahmedabad became home to a thriving textile industry during the British Raj in India. Since then, India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City has been nicknamed “Manchester of the East.”

Some of the best places to visit in Ahmedabad are associated with the life of Mahatma Gandhi and the history of Indian Independence Movement. The National Freedom Movement gained momentum in Ahmedabad City when Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Dandi Salt March from his Satyagraha Ashram (now Sabarmati Ashram) in 1930. The city is a must visit during the international kites flying festival and Navaratri in Gujarat.

Both historically and culturally, India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City Ahmedabad is a happening tourist destination in Asia. The Rani ki Vav stepwell, a UNESCO World Heritage site; the Vadodara Palace, the Girnar, and the Champaner-Pavagadh archaeological park, a UNESCO World Heritage site are some of the tourist places near Ahmedabad City in Gujarat.

India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City Ahmedabad has good air connectivity with some of major cities in the United States and other countries through international flights from and to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD), the eighth busiest airport in India. Cheap Air India flights connect New Jersey and New York with Ahmedabad via London Heathrow.

UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage cities incorporated Ahmedabad in 2011. Ahmedabad was in competition with Mumbai and New Delhi for this prestigious title. Being India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, it expects a lift in the number of foreign tourist arrivals.

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Air India will operate the extended service along its existing Ahmedabad-London route up to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey this August 15. Air India has restored its London to New York route and joined it with the Ahmedabad-London route, thereby making it a direct service from Newark, New Jersey and New York to Ahmedabad.

From August 15 onwards, Air India flights will be operated between Ahmedabad City (AMD) and Newark (EWR) via London Heathrow Airport. The airline will deploy Boeing 787 Dreamliner with business class and economy class for this extended route.

Scheduled to be operated thrice a week, Air India’s Ahmedabad-London-Newark route will also give access to and from New York City since Newark Liberty International Airport is only 15 miles from New York City. Evidently, Indians from the New York Metropolitan Area can board Air India’s Ahmedabad flights from Newark.

Air India restored the London-New York route and extended the Ahmedabad-London route in response to the demand of the Gujarati Indian community in USA and India.

According to the new schedule, Air India flights from Ahmedabad to London will be operated to Newark Liberty airport on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Air India’s flights from Newark to Ahmedabad on the return will take a halt at London Heathrow every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The same aircraft will fly to Ahmedabad.

The extension of Air India’s Ahmedabad-London route is in keeping with the airline’s expansion strategy for the US market. The launch of direct Air India flights from San Francisco to New Delhi in 2015 was part of the same strategy.

IndianEagle is a US-based leading international travel organization for the Indian Community in USA. Book the cheapest flight from anywhere in USA to anywhere in India at IndianEagle.

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The Indian hospitality sector has turned over a new leaf with portable hotels in Gujarat. Ushering a new era of sustainable, eco-friendly hospitality, India’s first portable hotel project titled Beetle Smartotels is the brainchild of an Ahmedabad-based entrepreneur Tanmay Bathwal who owns and runs Hirise Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

Launched in Mundra-Sez in Kutch district of Gujarat, the portable hotel consists of discarded shipping containers as rooms which can be moved to any corner of India. Such an environmentally conducive venture is ideal for hassle-free hospitality in remote locations, venues with huge mass gatherings like Kumbh Mela and industry places where new construction is not feasible.

According to Tanmay Bathwal, India’s first portable hotel with discarded shipping containers in Gujarat will have posh interior décor, plush upholstery, safe lockers and fool-proof security systems. He is looking to add 2,000 portable hotel rooms to the existing hospitality infrastructure in India by 2018. Multi-storey room installation is the next phase of his plan.

“Unlike brick and mortar hotels which require minimum 3 to 4 years for construction, a portable hotel can be developed in only 3 months. The concept of Smartotels is based on recycling and sustainability. What it requires is the base support for containers. We will create an inventory of such ready-to-move rooms so that we can transport them to wherever and whenever there is a demand,” says Tanmay Bathwal.

India’s first portable hotel with 141 rooms across 7 acres in Mundra cost INR 20 crore. Each of the rooms cost INR 15 lakh for interior décor, furnishing, amenities and facilities. With three-layered insulation at bottom and top, the portable rooms are sound-proof and have AC cooling inside. One container consists of three rooms with a dimension of 13 x 8 feet each. It is as comfy and luxurious as a plush hotel room.

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India got its first underwater restaurant in Ahmedabad. A new attraction on the list of tourist places to visit in Ahmedabad City! Named the Real Poseidon, the underwater restaurant is a must-visit destination for an altogether different dining experience in the city. The first underwater restaurant in Ahmedabad is the latest sensation among the theme-based restaurants across India.

Bharat Bhatt, an Ahmedabad businessman, put India on the list of countries including Singapore, China, Paris, the Maldives, the Philippines, the UAE, and the United States with underwater restaurants. The Real Poseidon operates in the thick of waters 20 feet below the ground level.

The underwater restaurant in Ahmedabad can accommodate 32 diners at a time, in a tunnel-shaped hall of 1200 square feet, which is surrounded by a colossal aquarium containing 1,50, 000 liters of water. The aquarium contains 4000 different species of fish adding to the amazement of dining at the Real Poseidon. It creates a colorful view to marvel at.

Visitors or foodies need not dive into the restaurant. A staircase leads to the dining hall. While the ambience marvels, the food mesmerizes at the Real Poseidon Underwater Restaurant in Ahmedabad. The restaurant serves an exclusive menu of vegetarian dishes from the Indian, Chinese, Thai and Mexican cuisines. It has its own signature dishes too.

With a different menu on the table every day, there is no room to get bored of the restaurant. If the Monday menu offers paneer butter masala, the Tuesday menu stands out with paneer toofani, the Wednesday menu distinguishes itself with paneer tikka angara, and the Thursday menu tantalizes taste buds with angoori kofta. Each of seven days sees a different kaleidoscope of dishes from four different cuisines at the Real Poseidon.

The first underwater restaurant in Ahmedabad accepts booking requests over the phone and online at the website www.realposeidon.com. Booking should be made 3 days in advance. It offers 50% refund against cancellation requested and done two days before the confirmed date of reservation for dining. No cancellation request is entertained just a day before.

Evidently the culinary landscape of India turned over a new leaf with the first underwater restaurant in Ahmedabad.

Read More Things to See & Do in Ahmedabad

Travel Beats is a culture & entertainment portal for Indian diaspora by IndianEagle, a U.S. based international travel organization booking best flights to Ahmedabad and other Indian cities. It publishes interesting stories of India, USA, Canada, NRIs, aviation and tourist places.

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The government of India took another step towards the ambitious project “Make In India” by inking a 98K crore INR deal with Japan for the first bullet train. The first bullet train in India will be plying between Ahmedabad and Mumbai as per the project which got the official nod on Wednesday. It will be publicly announced when Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be present in India this week.

India’s first bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on the west coast is supposed to be the world’s cheapest high-speed train service. Initially, the fare model of the Japanese bullet train with AC coaches was the roadblock for this project in India. The feasibility of the project in terms of fares to be afforded by Indians has been worked out.

According to the current fare model, a one-way trip on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train will cost 2800 INR, a little more than 1895 INR, the fare of traveling in the first class AC coach on the same route. Currently, the Ahmedabad-Mumbai trains in service take approximately 8 hours to cover 534 kilometers on one way. But, the first bullet in India will reportedly take less than 2 hours for the same distance.

India’s bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be the cheapest of all the fastest trains in the world, including Japan’s Maglev Bullet Train, China’s Shanghai Maglev, China’s Harmony CRH380A, France’s TGV Reseau, Spain’s Siemens Velaro E/AVS 103 and Talgo 350. A 713-km ride on Japan’s Tohoku Shinkansen charges 8K INR and a ride in the second class of China’s Jinghu High Speed Railway costs INR 5000 on the Beijing-Shanghai route.     

The first bullet train in India will run at a speed of 320 km per hour. At present, the Delhi-Agra Gatimaan Express running at a speed of 160 km per hour is the fastest train in India. The bullet train will hit the track between Ahmedabad and Mumbai by 2023, and the project will be commissioned in 2017. The bullet train corridor will have around 10 stations. As per the initial estimates, more or less 40,000 people will ride the bullet train every day on completion in 2023.

Questions have been raised about usefulness of the first bullet train in India in the context of decreasing fares for domestic flights between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Some opine that the estimated fare INR 2800 for one-way ride on the bullet train may be equal to the future cost of one-way flight ticket for the same route.

Travel Beats is a news, cultural and entertainment portal by IndianEagle for the Indian diaspora. It publishes the latest news and stories about India, USA, Canada and NRIs.

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