No other Indian food has as many stories to tell as biryani does. Rosogolla surfaces to public notice once in a while due to the age-old contention over its origin between two neighboring states: Bengal and Odisha, while biryani is the only food to enjoy pan-India attention throughout the year. The stories of biryani are as varied as the taste and flavor of the dish across the country. If lots of conversation or discussion happens over tea in India, many incidents occur over biryani. Biryani is not just a delightful treat but a bribe, bait and gift. It puts smiles on withered cheeks, brings a ray of hope amidst adverse circumstances, pushes campaigns forward, stimulates arguments and unites people.

Travel Beats, a community portal for Indian Diaspora by IndianEagle.com, curated the most interesting biryani stories from across India and abroad to make you understand the unbeatable power and popularity of biryani.

Biryani was a Silver Lining amidst Dark Clouds during Chennai Floods     

Biryani is no compromise under any circumstance! It was evident from the disappointment of some people for being served sambar rice not biryani during the Chennai floods 2015. When a group of volunteers reached out with packets of sambar rice and other relief materials to the people stuck amidst flood waters, braving the pouring rain and shoulder-leveled standing water, they met with disappointment for not serving biryani. Paradise Biryani, a most popular Hyderabadi biryani brand, sent the dish for them.

Actor’s Love for Biryani Inspired the Name of a Tamil Film    

One of the interesting biryani stories is sourced from the Tamil film industry. Among Tamil film stars, Ajith is so fond of biryani that he loves cooking it for everyone on the shooting spot. He has cooked biryani for the filming crew multiple times. It bears out to not only his penchant for biryani but his simplicity and down to earth nature. Moved by Ajith’s unfathomable love for biryani, director Venkat Prabhu named his black comedy film ‘Biriyani” in 2013. Biriyani is a thriller which was filmed in Chennai and Hyderabad.

Cockroach Biryani Led to a Munna Bhai Style Campaign in Kashmir

The story of ‘cockroach biryani’ in Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is among the most interesting Biryani stories in India. When a local dentist and his friends found cockroaches in the biryani served to them at a multi-cuisine restaurant at Hazratbal, one of the outlets owned by Hat Trick fast food manufacturer in Kashmir, they forced their way into the kitchen and found it unhygienic to their surprise. When the ‘cockroach biryani’ story went viral on social media, a group of young foodies launched a ‘Munna Bhai style’ campaign and sent 1000 ‘get well soon’ letters to the restaurant owner. The campaign caught attention of the Food Safety Department and led to sealing of the cockroach restaurant.

Homemade Biryani Forced Dhoni to Vacate Grand Kakatiya in Hyderabad  

One of the Hyderabadi biryani stories is related to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was captain of the Indian Cricket team in 2014. He along with his team vacated the 5 star Hotel Grand Kakatiya where 180 rooms were booked for the team and BCCI officials, and moved to Taj Krishna due to a fiasco over homemade Hyderabadi biryani. One of Dhoni’s teammates brought homemade biryani for the entire team, which Hotel Kakatiya refused to allow within the premises. Hyderabadi biryani is something exclusive to die for!

Biryani Entertains Participants in National Shooting Championships   

The 59^th National Shooting Championship held in Delhi in 2015 is a memorable event for mouthwatering biryani served to the participants. The shooters from all over India were served delicious biryani at a nominal cost. Nawabuddin is the man who cooked and served the dish to them. Popularly known as Nawab Bhai, he has been cooking biryani for all shooting competitions in Delhi for past 6 years. He himself is a shooter and has participated in twenty national shooting championships. Eminent shooters are fans of Nawab Bhai’s biryani.

Biryani Failed to Make Rajnikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan a Success

Do you know that biryani was used as a bait to make superstar Rajnikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan a success in 2013 in Bangalore? When the fans of Rajnikanth felt that the film was going to be a box office disaster, they organized a rally in Bangalore to promote the film and promised the locals free biryani for watching the film. However, biryani could not save Kochadaiiyaan from being a failure.

Biryani Got People Together for a Communal Work in Kerala    

One of the latest biryani stories is how biryani is used to motivate people for a communal work. Recently, IAS officer Prashant Nair promised platefuls of Malabar biryani to a group of people for cleaning of a 14-acre lake in Kozhikode, Kerala. Removing water hyacinth from the lake was a herculean task, but his promise of biryani made it a success.

Biryani Saved a Bride from Marrying a Wrong Groom      

Anything can happen over biryani in India. Marriages can be fixed or broken over biryani. In 2014 in Karnataka, a bride called off the wedding over the ruckus created by the groom party over the taste of biryani. Even the bride’s family sent 30kg of biryani to the groom’s house but it came back as the groom’s family was fond of mutton biryani.

Biryani Energized Political Workers during Elections in Hyderabad  

Some of the stories of biryani in India are politically interesting. You might wonder what biryani has to do with politics in India. During the parliamentarian elections in 2014, Hyderabad witnessed a boom in sales of biryani. Demand for chicken and mutton biryani was tremendously high across Hyderabad during the electoral period in 2014.

Biryani Brought Good Luck to DMK Party in Chennai in 2009

Biryani not only keeps political workers on the go during elections but also plays an active role in success of electoral campaigns. Chennai witnessed the power of biryani in 2009 when the DMK party won elections in Tamil Nadu. The winning party distributed biryani packets to voters during the campaigns apart from offering usual baits like liquor, clothes and mobile phones. The popularity of biryani was so utilized to tempt common people that the 2009 election in Chennai was notoriously nicknamed ‘Biryani Bypolls.’

Biryani was a Gift from Sania Mirza to Dilwale Team        

Biryani is not just taken advantage of as bait or bribe. It is a pretty gift too. When Sania Mirza visited Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan during the shooting of Dilwale in 2015, she carried a box of Hyderabadi biryani for them.

Two Indian Restaurants Locked their Horns over Biryani in USA

Not only India but also the United States has interesting biryani stories to tell. Two Indian businesses in the US – Paradise Biryani Pointe and Paradise Biryani Grill – locked their horns in a legal battle over biryani at a New Jersey court. Both of these Indian restaurants in New Jersey serve the dish. In 2011, Paradise Biryani Pointe moved the court against its rival Paradise Biryani Grill accusing the latter of infringing the former’s trademark and biryani recipe which the former claimed to have developed over 7 years.

Read More Interesting Food Stories and News

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Today is Hindi Day in India. The country celebrates Hindi as the official language of the Indian Union on September 14 every year. September 14 is the day when the Constituent Assembly declared Hindi as the official language for the Union of India in 1949. Hindi is often mistaken to be the national language of India. However, it was initially the official language of only nine Indian states and five union territories including Delhi. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the countrymen to enrich and preserve Hindi and other Indian languages, on the inaugural day of the World Hindi Conference in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

We at Indian Eagle celebrate the Hindi Day and share some interesting facts about Hindi language:

In 1950, there was a constitutional change in the recognition of Hindi language. The Constitution of India recognized Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the country. The educated class of the then society used to prefer English as a language of official communication even after independence of India. English was to be prohibited 15 years after the Constitution of India was formed on January 26, 1950. But the non-Hindi speaking population of South India, whose mother tongues are hardly similar to Hindi, opposed the proposal to ban the use of English. It forced the Parliament to bring into effect the Official Languages Act 1963, which recognized English as an official language of India. Today, English is the official language of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India.

Bihar was the first state of British India to have adopted Hindi as its sole official language and replacement of Urdu in the year 1881.

Today, about 40% of the total Indian population speaks Hindi in day-to-day life. Hindi is also spoken in a few foreign countries such as South Africa, Mauritius, New Zealand, Surinam, Fiji, Nepal, and Trinidad and Tobago.

180 million people are proud of Hindi as their mother tongue. It is the second language for almost 300 million people across the globe.

Hindi is often referred to as the “Language of Unity’ because of its wide use by the freedom fighters of India during the British Raj. Mahatma Gandhi, an eminent political figure and freedom fighter, encouraged the use of Hindi as the language of communication, the language of protest and the language of the nation’s collective voice.

The Oxford Dictionary has incorporated the Hindi word “Swadeshi”, which is a matter of pride for the Hindi-speaking Indians and the descendants of the freedom fighters who used the word “Swadeshi” as a sign of patriotism. Besides this, many Hindi words such as ‘Guru’, ‘Nirvana’, ‘Adda’, etc. are used in many parts of the world.

Hindi is mostly influenced by Sanskrit language, which dates back to nearly 5,000 BC. It owes its origin to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language group. The word “Hindi” came from the Persian word “Hind”, which means the “Land of the Indus River.” The river falls into Pakistan after passing through Tibet and northernmost part of India.

Hindi was called different names at different stages of its evolution in different eras. Hindi was known as Apabhramsa at its earliest stage. Kalidas, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and literary playwright in ancient India, composed a romantic play titled “Vikramorvashiyam” in Apabhramsa in 400 AD.

There are no articles in Hindi language as English has three articles: a, an, and the. One of the most interesting facts about Hindi is that every noun has its own gender, either masculine or feminine. Adjective and verb forms of a noun change according to the gender of the noun. That’s why learning Hindi language and grammar is a difficult task. On the other hand, Hindi is one of the easiest languages to read because words are pronounced as exactly as they are written.

Hindi language has borrowed many words from Arabic and Persian languages. The Mughals enriched the Hindi vocabulary with many Urdu words. Hindi was immensely influenced and modified by the Mughals. However, Hindi is the youngest of all Indian languages.

Hindi is also referred to as a link language as it has interconnected non-resident Indians living around the world. It is the fourth most popular language following Chinese, Spanish and English on the list of ten most widely spoken languages in the world.

George Bush, former President of the USA, had allocated a budget of $114 million to teaching of Hindi as a part of the curriculum from the kindergarten to the graduate level, considering the importance of Hindi as a common native language of Indian Americans during his tenure.

Hindi has found acceptance among South Indians of the present generation. Previously, Hindi was not welcome in this part of the country. Deve Gowda, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, spoke up in support of Hindi language in 1997. Later, former CM of Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi, recited a Hindi poem during a socio-political campaign. Even current CM of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha speaks in Hindi to reach out to the mass during campaigns.

A few other interesting facts about Hindi:

• “Udanta Martanda” was the first Hindi weekly from Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1826
• Gujarati poem Narmad proposed Hindi as the national language of India in the 1850s
• The term ‘Hindi’ was used for what is known as Urdu today till 1850
• “Samachar Sudhavarshan” was the first Hindi daily from Calcutta in 1854
• The “Bharatendu” period of modern Hindi literature began in 1886
• Raja Harishchandra, the first Hindi movie by Dadasaheb Phalke, was released in 1913
• Alam Ara, the first Hindi talkie in Indian Cinema, was released in 1931
• Hindi typewriters came to markets in the 1930s

Indian Eagle celebrates all important days of India in the USA, connecting Indian Americans with their respective native cultures. Indian Eagle books cheap air tickets to India for them, without compromising the quality of service. Search. Book. Fly.

Interesting Stories of India: 

• Interesting Facts about Sanskrit
• Interesting Facts about Delhi’s Hidden Heritage
• Interesting Facts about Meera Bai
• Interesting Facts about Lucknow City
• Interesting Facts about Rath Yatra Festival
• Interesting Facts about Kolkata Tram

The post Hindi Diwas 2020: Key Facts about Hindi, Mother Tongue of 180M People and Second Language of 300M People appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

India is gearing up for the Independence Day celebration. With 15^th August around the corner, Indians or Indian-origin communities across geographies have been preparing for blissful moments of hoisting the Tricolor with immense pride. When we look at the waving Tricolor, we hold our heads high and feel proud of our nationality irrespective of what corner of the world we are in. The Tricolor, India’s national flag is not just a piece of cloth. It is a fabric of peace, prosperity, patriotism, harmony, history, vigor and victory.

A small village in India has been weaving fabric for the Tricolor for years. The charkhas and handlooms at Tulasigeri in Bagalkot district of Karnataka are never at rest. They are always in use for weaving the khadi cloth required for making the national flag of India. The flags that are hoisted at the Red Fort in Delhi, and Indian government offices as well as Indian embassies across the world are weaved and stitched at Tulasigeri village in Karnataka.

The unit of khadi weavers in Tulasigeri village is known as Khadi Sangha. The Khadi Sangha apart, Karnataka houses India’s only authorized national flag manufacturing unit, the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangha. Located at Bengeri in Hubballi district, the national flag manufacturing unit is certified by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission of India. It operates in compliance with the parameters set by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

At the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangha, it is the women who have been manufacturing and supplying flags to the whole country since 2006. Though dissatisfied with the inadequate wages, the women relentlessly work throughout the year out of their immense pride in making the Indian national flag which Indian soldiers fight for and which millions of people respect.

In 1957, freedom fighter Venkatesh Magadi and his accomplices founded the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangha and brought several units of khadi weavers as affiliates under one roof. These khadi-weaving units, including the one in Tulasigeri village have been doing their best in promoting and popularizing khadi.

The Khadi Sangha of Tulasigeri village in Karnataka was assigned the responsibility of weaving cloth for the Tricolor in 2005 given its efforts in popularizing khadi. Since then, it has been handlooming the special khadi cloth for the national flag of India. It has woven cloth for about three crore flags for Indian government offices in the past 13 years.

The khadi cloth for the Tricolor is brought from Tulasigeri village to the national flag manufacturing unit at Bengeri in Hubballi, where the cloth undergoes a meticulous treatment for dyeing and screen printing before it is cut and stitched into what we salute. The Indian national flag is manufactured in nine sizes measuring from 0.5×0.3 feet (the smallest) to 21×14 feet (the biggest).

The women at the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangha in Bengeri unerringly adhere to the Flag Code of India 2002 and the guidelines framed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. They ensure the exact measurements, colors, size and thread count of flags. Any defect in any of the flags manufactured here is a legally punitive offence, which is subject to a hefty fine or imprisonment.

Bengeri Village in Hubli or Hubballi is one of the must-visit weekend getaways from Bengaluru City. Bengeri is a 7-hour road trip from Bengaluru International Airport. While in Bangalore or on a trip to Hampi, do visit Bengeri and take a walk through the making of Tricolor at India’s only official National Flag manufacturing firm.

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Dosa is a jack of all trades in India. Apart from being a common thread in the socio-cultural fabric of the country, dosa is an integral part of many rags-to-riches stories at home and abroad. Unlike other Indian food, dosa has evolved into hundreds of unique varieties including the one with edible gold leaves. ‘Deepika Padukone Dosa’ in the United States is one of the trending topics on the Internet. Dosa is omnipresent from temples in India to temple canteens in the US. Evidently, there are many interesting stories about dosa.

We at Travel Beats, a community portal for Indian Diaspora by Indian Eagle Travel, handpicked some of the interesting, inspiring, funny stories about dosa to serve on a palette to you.  

Deepika Padukone Dosa in Texas

There’s no denying that dishes named after celebrities sell like hot cakes. Several restaurants from India to the United States have named dosa after their favorite celebrities, including Deepika Padukone. Yes, one of the Indian restaurants in Austin, Texas serves ‘Deepika Padukone Dosa’. A recent epiphany to Deepika Padukone on Twitter, the dosa is described as the one “topped with fiery hot ghost chilli and stuffed with our potato mix.” Besides Deepika Padukone Dosa, Dosa Labs in Austin has given quirky names to some of the other dishes on the menu, like Mast Mast Cheez.

Fluffy Chiranjeevi Dosa with Zero Oil

One of the most interesting stories about dosa in India is the discovery of steamed dosa by none other than Telugu actor Chiranjeevi. While shooting for a film near Mysore, megastar Chiranjeevi stopped by a humble, roadside shop for a cup of filter coffee. He was served coffee with a plate of fluffy dosas, which he found very unlike popular dosa varieties such as masala dosa cooked in oil. On being denied the recipe of steamed dosa by the dhaba owner, Chiranjeevi sent his cook to Mysore to learn the art of making the dosa. After the cook returned from the unaccomplished mission, Chiranjeevi himself discovered a matching recipe by trial and error.

On his 60^th birthday bash, Chiranjeevi treated the guests to his zero-oil recipe of steamed dosa, which eventually came to be known as Chiru Dosa or Chiranjeevi Dosa. There are scores of fans for Chiru Dosa from different walks of life, including Rajinikanth, Sachin Tendulkar, and Richard Gere.

Dosa in Prem Ganapathy’s Rags to Riches Story

Among the interesting stories about dosa is the one of Prem Ganapathy, who journeyed from rags to riches selling varieties of dosa. The owner of Dosa Plaza outlets, Prem Ganapathy quitted studies in class 10 under the pressure of earning a living for his poverty-ridden family of six siblings in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district and moved to Chennai for some odd jobs. Promised a decent job in Mumbai by an acquaintance, Prem traveled to the city of dreams only to be robbed of the 200 rupees he had. Stranded in Mumbai, he managed to support himself with a monthly salary of Rs 150 for washing dishes at a bakery in 1990.

Prem Ganapathy built a Rs-30-crore empire of Dosa Plaza outlets from a handcart which he had rented for Rs 150 a month to sell dosa and idlis near Vashi Railway Station. The municipal authorities seized his cart many a time for his want of a trade license. Braving all odds and giving a tough competition to other roadside eateries, Prem opened the first restaurant in 1997. Named Prem Sagar Dosa Plaza, the restaurant served 26 dosa verities in the first year. His entrepreneurial journey continued from experimenting with different ingredients to innovate as many as 105 varieties of dosa to opening an outlet in Center One Mall to receiving requests for franchises. Today, Prem Ganapathy’s Dosa Plaza has 70 outlets across India, Dubai, Oman and New Zealand.

Azhagarkoil Dosa, a Unique Temple Food in Madurai 

Dosa is one of the unusual offerings to presiding deities at some temples in the southern states of India. At the Perumal Temple in Madurai, the deity is offering Azhagarkoil dosa as the evening ‘naivedhyam’, which is distributed as prasadam to devotees later on. Equally popular with tourists and pilgrims in Madurai City, Azhagarkoil dosa is also sold at a humble roadside shop run by 70-year-old TV Viswanathan, who has been selling this fried variety of Indian pancake for 35 years.

While working as a storekeeper for the kitchen at the Perumal Temple, TV Viswanathan learned the art of making Azhagarkoil dosa from the temple cook. He uses hand-pounded rice (only the samba variety) and coarsely-grounded urad dal to make the dosa batter. He has been consistently making and serving delectable Azhagarkoil dosa at reasonable prices. Evidently, Azhagarkoil dosa, a unique temple food is one of the things to eat in Madurai.

Pai Dosa in Kochi Serves 180 Unique Varieties 

Kochi has its own interesting stories about dosa, including the one of Pai Dosa. A most popular restaurant serving as many as 180 varieties of dosa in Kochi, Pai Dosa is known for Pai brothers’ consistent experimentation with unusual ingredients. The Pai Dosa menu features such varieties as Salt and Pepper dosa, Coconut Milkshake dosa, Cashew Masala dosa, Leaf dosa, Kanchipuram dosa, and Ruby Pai dosa named after their mother. Dundu dosa on the Pai Dosa menu in Kochi is a cocktail of vegetables, cheese, cashew, eggs and chocolate. It is a whole meal in itself. Kochi’s Pai brothers, who started from a roadside stall, run several outlets across the city today.

Gold Dosa is more Popular than Gold in India

Indians’ unfathomable love for gold does not cease to leave its mark on dosas with edible gold leaves. A few years ago, gold-plated dosa caught the imagination of South Indians. Brand restaurants in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Madurai and Mysore started selling gold-plated dosa and the dosa made of edible 23.5-carat-pure gold. Demand for gold dosa in South India is many times higher than that for the yellow metal itself on Akshaya Tritiya.

Dosa was Instrumental in Karnataka Elections 2018

Dosa is a jack of all trades just like biryani. During the Karnataka elections in May 2018, dosa was instrumental in encouraging youngsters to vote. Nisarga Grand Pure on Nrupathunga Road in Sampangiramanagar served free masala dosa to those who voted for the first time. Other voters were given coffee for free of cost. The move was apolitically intended to pique youngsters’ interest in exercising their right to vote.

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Needless to say, Rath Yatra Festival in honor of Puri’s Lord Jagannath is one of the biggest Indian festivals. It is a grand celebration, cultural extravaganza and stunning spectacle. Nicknamed the Festival of Chariots, it draws pouring crowds of devotees brimming with enthusiasm. Numerous legends of the Puri Jagannath Temple and the Rath Yatra Festival capture the imagination. Indian Eagle curates the most interesting facts of Puri Rath Yatra Festival in Odisha. 

1 The Jagannath Temple of Odisha is one of the few orthodox Hindu temples in India where only the followers of Hinduism are allowed to enter the premises and offer prayers. The people of other religious sects cannot catch a glimpse of the Lord as they get access till the doorstep of the premises no matter how ardent devotees they are, except on some special days. However, the door of the Puri Jagannath Temple is open to all, irrespective of caste and religion, during the Rath Yatra Festival. The people of different Indian communities can worship the Lord and get blessed.

2 Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra – the three deities of the Jagannath Temple – travel in three different chariots. That is why Ratha Yatra is also called the Festival of Chariots. Their chariots are named Nandighosha, Taladhwaja and Devadalana respectively. Lord Jagannath’s Chariot Nandighosha runs on as many as 18 wheels, while 16 wheels drive Lord Balaram’s Chariot Taladhwaja, and Subhadra’s Chariot Padmadhwaja has 14 wheels.

3 One of the most interesting facts of Rath Yatra is that the chariots of the deities are newly constructed every year. New materials including wood are used in construction. However, the model, structure, design and dimensions of the chariots remain invariable. Four wooden horses are attached to the front of each chariot.

4 The top of the chariots of Lord Jagannath and other two deities resembles the structure of a Hindu temple. The chariots are pulled with ropes by hundreds of devotees and pilgrims, which makes an inspirational spectacle of devotion and enthusiasm. Canopies for the chariots are made of almost 1200 meters of cloth. A team of 15 tailors make the canopies.

5 According to those who have been to the Rath Yatra Festival of Odisha and have pulled the chariots, Lord Jagannath seems to refuse moving initially when the festivity begins, no matter how many hundreds of people push from behind and pull from the front. Lord Jagannath’s Chariot seems to stand still despite massive push and pull. The Lord agrees to go ahead and His chariot starts moving only after a few hours of cosmic effort.  It sounds offbeat. If the onlookers are believed, it is incredibly true.

6 The monarchy system of India has faded into the past long back. But it is believed that the Majesty of Puri is there, and that Lord Jagannath walks out of temple for the ceremonious journey after the path is swept by the mythical king of Puri with a broom made of gold.

7 Lord Jagannath and His siblings take a halt on the way back to their own abode after a stay at the Gundicha Temple for 9 days. Poda Pitha, a popular dessert in Odisha, is a favorite of the Lords. They find it irresistible to have a bite of their favorite dish during the return journey.

8 Do you know why the main door of the Puri Jagannath Temple is kept shut for one week prior to the festival? The presiding deity Lord Jagannath is believed to catch high fever and, therefore, have rest at this time. That is why the sanctum sanctorum is not open to the public for this brief period. Once the period of rest is over, the Lord takes a break and travels to his maternal aunt’s house for a change.

9 The Puri Jagannath Temple of Odisha is one of the few Indian temples which the deities are taken out of during festivities. Lord Raghunath, the presiding deity of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, is brought from Sultanpur Temple in the palace of King of Kullu to the festival ground during the Dussehra Festival of Kullu. Similarly, the idols of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwarar are taken out of the Meenakshi Temple for a ceremonious boat ride across the lake on the King Thirumalai Nayak’s birth anniversary during the Float Festival of Madurai.

10 In 2007, the Rath Yatra festival was observed in a different way in Orissa’s Bargarh district. It was an unusual celebration having nothing to do with the traditional ceremonies. Herbal plants and saplings were put in place of the idols on chariots to spread awareness about the need to save environment and forests. It was the first Green Rath Yatra in India which was followed by plantation of saplings.

Indian Eagle, a leading international travel organization, connects Indian Diaspora with the culture and heritage of India through Travel Beats, a digital community portal for Indians Abroad. Check other interesting stories about Indian festivals at Travel Beats.

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The story of Chittorgarh Fort is one of the timeless stories of Royal India, spanning from the 7^th century till the British Raj. The eventful chronicle of the fort is an unforgettable episode in the Rajput history of Rajasthan. It has been immortalized in the memory of mankind by not only Rajput rulers’ valor but also Rajput women’s spirit of sacrifice. The tales of Rani Padmavati and Rani Karnavati embracing death on a pyre in order to save their dignity from the lecherous invaders like Allauddin Khilji are eternally associated with the bygone days of Chittorgarh Fort.

Inside the timeworn fort complex, one of the largest in India, are some structures including Kirti Stambha and Vijay Stambha that still stand tall. Then an impregnable edifice on a hilltop, Chittorgarh Fort suffered blows of invasion by Allauddin Khilji in 1303, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1534, and Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1567. But the Rajput rulers of the fort neither stooped nor gave in to the sultans of Delhi. Indian Eagle shares some interesting facts of Chittorgarh Fort through the infographic below:

How to reach Chittorgarh Fort 

Chittorgarh can be reached via roadway and air travel from Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan. Both Jaipur and Udaipur are a short domestic flight away from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. Indian Eagle books the cheapest flights to IGI Airport from the USA. Log on to IndianEagle.com and find the best itinerary from any major US city to New Delhi according to your travel dates. September to March is the best time to visit Chittorgarh.

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We at Indian Eagle are back to decode the science behind why fliers crave tomato juice at 35,000 feet above the ground, after revealing the mystery behind omnipresence of sweet tamarind candies in meals served on Jet Airways flights across the world.

The simplest and most common reason is that tomato juice tastes better on a plane than on the ground. Undeniably, food tastes different in the sky than in a non-flight environment. Mostly, the taste of sweet and salty foods changes completely during air travel, according to an Indian Eagle-led survey conducted among travelers on some US to India flights.

More gallons of tomato juice are served than beer in air travel cabins, according to Lufthansa Airlines which serves nearly 53,000 gallons of tomato juice on its flights the world over. What makes food taste change or fliers drink tomato juice on planes is nothing but a science.

Several external factors (outside our body) including low cabin pressure, low cabin humidity and high-decibel noise conspire together to make our olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) senses dull. The less sensitive odor and taste receptor in the human brain find it difficult to detect sweet and salty flavors of airplane food.

According to scientists, low pressure and low humidity decrease the influx of oxygen in our blood, thereby weakening our sense of taste which sends sweet and salty signals to the brain. Besides, changes in air pressure during flight cause mucus in our nasal cavities to expand, which makes it difficult for our taste buds to percept sweet and salty flavors of inflight meals.

Most airlines keep cabin humidity at 10 to 15 percent while flying at high altitudes. Low cabin humidity dehydrates the mouth and the nose to make sweets feel less sweet and salty food less salty on our taste buds. Why curries appeal to our sense of taste at 35,000 feet from above the ground, is a different story. In general, most inflight meals taste a bit dull.

If low pressure, low humidity and high-decibel noise make airplane food taste bland, why tomato juice tastes much better on planes? It is one of the interesting airline food facts.

According to scientists, tomatoes are rich in umami, a unique taste element which is intensified in a noisy environment and which is unaffected by low pressure at high altitudes. This savory flavor is felt intensely in tomato juice served on planes rather than on the ground. Besides, the sweet and salty flavors of tomato juice are enhanced with more spices than usual for consumption on airplanes. Other flavors like cardamom and lemon grass feel stronger on our taste buds during air travel.

For the same reason, airlines used to serve honey-roasted peanuts on planes during long-haul flights a few decades ago. It gave travelers extra sweet and salty flavors for a balanced taste. Tomato juice, a sweet and salty beverage, is a current version of the yesteryear’s honey-roasted peanuts.

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The post Do You Know Why Tomato Juice Tastes Better on Planes than on Ground appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

India is a land of eternal love stories defying the blows of Time for ages. One such timeless story is that of Meera Bai’s love for Lord Krishna. Born a Rajput princess of Merta in Rajasthan, Meera Bai ended up being a saint in love with her lord. The life of Meera Bai from the magnificence of a palace to the austerity of a hermitage is a manifestation of transcendental love between the Divine and the human, the heaven and the earth, the universe and the soul, the immortal and the mortal as well. Her unconditional, immeasurable, incomparable love for Krishna, who others worship as the Almighty, was honeyed with devotion and spirituality.

She used to spend her time in writing and humming devotional songs in praise of her lord out of ecstasy, which knew no religious bounds and social barriers. Like Rani Padmini and Rani Karnavati, Meera Bai was a bride of Chittor in Mewar province of Rajasthan. If Rani Padmini and Rani Karnavati are emblems of bravery that the Rajputs are known for, she is an embodiment of divine love. Today her devotional songs which evoke numinous feelings are popularly known as ‘Meerabai Poems’ or ‘Meerabai Bhajans’.

Being the greatest devotee of Lord Krishna, Meera Bai deserves a tribute on the occasion of Krishna Janmastami. IndianEagle shares interesting facts from “Meerabai biography” and depicts her life story through the following infographic:

About Merta City

Once upon a kingdom of the Rathore Rajputs, Merta City is a tourist destination in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Both Merta and Mewar were tied in a nuptial knot of Meera Bai and Bhoj Raj. Being the birthplace of Lord Krishna’s devotee, Merta is a holy place for Hindus. It has historical significance too as it was ruled by the Rajputs, the Marathas and the Mughals. Among the tourist attractions of Merta, the museum and the Charbhuja Temple are worth a visit. Pushkar where India’s largest camel fair is held in winter is only 60 km away from Merta.

How to Reach Merta City

Jaipur to Merta distance is only 206 km via road. Merta is an 8-hour drive from Delhi. Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is a short flight away from IGI Airport New Delhi. IndianEagle books cheap flights to Delhi from USA cities including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newark, Washington, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle and Detroit. You can also buy the cheapest air ticket to Jaipur from Delhi while booking your flight to New Delhi International Airport at Indian Eagle.

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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.

The post India’s First Underwater Restaurant in Ahmedabad Serves Food 20 Feet below Ground Level appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

The foundation stone of the new capital of Andhra Pradesh was ceremoniously laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday. The new capital city Amaravati is being referred to as people’s capital because soil and water from 16,000 villages in the state, prominent seats of pilgrimage from across the country, and some foreign countries were used for the foundation ceremony, attended by around 4 lakh people. Spread over 54,000 acres between Vijayawada and Guntur, Amaravati is easily accessible because of its central location. The upcoming capital of Andhra Pradesh holds lots of economic, geographic, cultural and historic value. We at Indian Eagle take a walk through the history, culture and religious value of Amaravati.

The History of Amaravati

The history of Amaravati or Amaravathi dates from the 2^nd century BC. If the 2000-year old history is believed, it was a thriving capital of the Satvahana Kingdom in ancient India just as Patliputra (modern-day Patna) was the capital of Magadh during the Maurya era. The rulers of the Satvahana dynasty were in power from 3^rd century BC to 2^nd CE between the Maurya and Gupta eras, which are considered golden times of India. Evidently, Amaravati has rich history for being the yesteryear capital city of the Satvahana Empire.

The history of Amaravathi continued till the fall of Nizams in the princely state of Hyderabad. After the fall of the Satvahana Kingdom, the Pallava Dynasty annexed the Krishna River valley where Amravati is located. Then the region was ruled by the Chalukyas and the Cholas subsequently till Amaravati was made part of the Telugu Empire by the Kakatiyas in the medieval times.

The rulers of several dynasties added to the history of Amaravati from the medieval times of India till the end of the Mughal era. The Delhi Sultanate, the Bahmani Sultanate, the Golconda Sultanate, the Vijayanagar Empire, and the Mughal Empire possessed Amaravathi successively till the first Nizam of Hyderabad occupied it. Even Hyder Ali of Mysore possessed it for a brief period. Amravati was colonized by the French in 1750 and by the British in 1759, too.

Among the foreign pilgrims to ancient India, Chinese traveler and Buddhist monk Hiuen Tsang visited Amaravati in 640 CE.

The Culture of Amaravati

Being part of several different dynasties over centuries, Amaravathi has a miscellaneous culture which is rich and diverse. It used to have great cultural impact on the people of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra during the post-Mauryan period. The Satvahana rulers preserved Hinduism and patronized Buddhism with equal care. It enriched the culture of Amaravati with enlightenment and rationality.

Many historical facts bear a testimony to the Buddhist influence on the culture of Amravati in the bygone years. The valley between the Krishna and the Godavari River had been a prominent site of Buddhism since before the Satvahana rose to power. A stupa and a monastery were built when Ashoka was the king of the Mauryan Empire in the 2^nd century BCE. It is said that the stupa at Amravati, measuring 50 meters in diameter and 27 meters in height, was one of the biggest Buddhist stupas in Andhra Pradesh. The panels carved on it depict the story of Lord Buddha.

Amaravati is known for its own school of architecture influenced by the Buddhist art and culture. The Amravati school of architecture has unique features, which is evident from the sculptural work on the Buddhist monastery of Amaravathi.

According to art historians and art critics, the Amaravati art is among the major three ancient schools of Indian art. Many works of the Amravati art are preserved at the Government Museum in Chennai and the British Museum in London. The Southeast Asian arts including the art of Sri Lanka are found to be influenced by it.

The Religious Value of Amaravati

According to some sources related to ‘Vajrayana Buddhism’, Lord Buddha himself visited Dharanikota, a place adjacent to Amaravathi, and preached there. If this legend is believed, the history of Amaravati dates back to the 500 BCE. After the Emperor Ashoka, the Satvahana rulers contributed to the development of Buddhist culture by building imposing stupas in the Krishna River valley.

The famous Amaravati Stupa is said to have been built in presence of presence of the great saint, Acharya Nagarjuna.  Besides, Amaravathi is home to some Buddhist relics dating 2000 years back. Evidently, the upcoming capital of Andhra Pradesh is an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists.

Amaravati is a seat of pilgrimage for not only Buddhists but also Hindus. It is home to several Lord Shiva temples, of which the most famous is Lord Amaralingeswara or Amareswara Swamy Temple. That is why the new capital of Andhra Pradesh is also known as Amararamam.

Of the legends of Amaravati, one says that when the demon Tarakasura was killed, a shivalingam in his throat broke into pieces which fell out of his mouth in five different spots. The most significant of the five spots is Amareswara at Amaravati, and this is the place where Indra and the other gods are said to have worshiped Lord Shiva.

Jainism used to coexist with Buddhism and Hinduism in Amaravathi during the bygone eras following the decline of the Satvahana Dynasty. Therefore, Amaravati is also known as ‘City of Tolerance’ or Sridhanyakataka. Being a center of pilgrimage for Hindus and Buddhism, Amaravati is also known as ‘Punyakshetra’ (holy land).

The upcoming capital of Andhra Pradesh is a 310-km road drive from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana. Major international airlines operate flights to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport of Hyderabad from the US and Canada. Indian Eagle books cheap flights to Hyderabad from major North American cities.

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