India – Delhi people and surroundings
- 18/02/2019
Kumbh Mela is a religious gathering of Hindu devotees along a holy river for bathing and prayers. The largest congregation on Earth is inscribed on the representative list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of India. It is held every 12 years at four places by rotation: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nasik and Ujjain. Each of these sites celebrate the occasion along a holy river- Ganga in Haridwar, Triveni Sangam- confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, Shipra in Ujjain and Godavari in Nasik. The mini versions of the event, Ardh Kumbh Mela is held at only two places, Haridwar and Allahabad, every sixth year between two Poorna Kumbha Melas.
The recent Ardh Kumbh Mela is all set to commence in 2019 on the holy banks of Triveni Sangam in Allahabad. The auspicious occasion falls in the month of Magh, according to Hindu calendar that is mostly between January-Februarys. According to astrological calculations the occurrence happens when Jupiter is in Aries, Sun and Moon in Capricorn; or Jupiter in Taurus and Sun in Capricorn. Also a Mini Kumbh Mela in the Hindu month of Magh (January- February) Mela is held every year in Allahabad only.
There is no concrete proof to the start of the Kumbh Mela. According to Hindu mythology, it dates back to the episode of Samudra Manthan, when Devas and Asuras churned the sea. From the event came forward a pot of Amrit (nectar of immortality). Both parties got involved and fought for 12 days. 1 day of the celestial beings were equated to 12 years in the human world, therefore Kumbh Melas are held after 12 years. During the struggle, few drops of nectar fell on Earth at these locations which are now deemed as holy spots. Ardh Kumbha Mela is held in 6 years in between two Purna Kumbha Melas, while the Maha Kumbha Mela comes in 144 years.
During the Kumbh Mela it is believed that the river waters at these holy sites are charged with divine powers. Therefore, ascetics, devotees and people from all walks of life take a dip in the river waters and cleanse their sins and ultimately attain salvation.
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC.
Classical Athens was a powerful city-state that emerged in conjunction with the seagoing development of the port of Piraeus, which had been a distinct city prior to its 5th century BC incorporation with Athens. A centre for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum, it is widely referred to as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, largely because of its cultural and political impact on the European continent, and in particular the Romans. In modern times, Athens is a large cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2012, Athens was ranked the world’s 39th richest city by purchasing power and the 67th most expensive in a UBS study.
Athens is a global city and one of the biggest economic centres in southeastern Europe. It has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the largest passenger port in Europe, and the second largest in the world. The Municipality of Athens (also City of Athens) had a population of 664,046 (in 2011) within its administrative limits, and a land area of 38.96 km2. The urban area of Athens (Greater Athens and Greater Piraeus) extends beyond its administrative municipal city limits, with a population of 3,090,508 (in 2011) over an area of 412 km2. According to Eurostat in 2011, the functional urban area (FUA) of Athens was the 9th most populous FUA in the European Union (the 6th most populous capital city of the EU), with a population of 3.8 million people. Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland.
Popeye Village Malta has grown from its days as a Film Set of the 1980 Musical Production ‘Popeye’ into one of the major tourist attractions on the Maltese Islands filled with a number of colorful fun activities for all young and young at heart. Open all year round we guarantee an enjoyable visit to all of our guests.
Opening Hours : Nov to Mar: 9.30 – 16.30 / Apr to Jun, Sep & Oct : 9.30 – 17.30 / Jul & Aug : 9.30- 19.00
Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The country covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi), with a population of just under 450,000, making it one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km2, is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area. Malta has two official languages which are Maltese and English. However, the Maltese language is also regarded as the national language of the island.
Malta’s location in the middle of the Mediterranean has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, and a succession of powers, including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French, and British have ruled the islands.
Annecy is the largest city of Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometers (22 mi) south of Geneva.
Nicknamed the “Pearl of French Alps” in Raoul Blanchard’s monograph describing its location between lake and mountains, the city controls the northern entrance to the lake gorge. Due to the lack of available land, its resident population has remained stagnant, with 52,029 inhabitants living within the city limits in 2013. However, its urban area, with 221,000 inhabitants, is on the 5th regional position, just behind the Geneva-Annemasse urban area, which counts 292,000 inhabitants in the northern department.
Switching from counts of Geneva’s dwelling in the 13th century, to counts of Savoy’s in the 14th century, the city became the capital of the Savoy province in 1434 during the prerogative of Genevois-Nemours until 1659. Its role increased in 1536, during the Calvinist Reformation of Geneva, while the bishop took refuge in Annecy. St Francis de Sales gave Annecy its role of advanced citadel of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. The annexation of Savoy will link the city to France in 1860.
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany with a population of about 220,000. In the south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain. A famous old German university town, and archiepiscopal seat, Freiburg was incorporated in the early twelfth century and developed into a major commercial, intellectual, and ecclesiastical center of the upper Rhine region. The city is known for its medieval minster and Renaissance university, as well as for its high standard of living and advanced environmental practices. The city is situated in the heart of the major Baden wine-growing region and serves as the primary tourist entry point to the scenic beauty of the Black Forest. According to meteorological statistics, the city is the sunniest and warmest in Germany and held the all-time German temperature record of 40.2 °C (104.4 °F) from 2003 to 2015.
Du cirque de Consolation à Saint Hippolyte, cette vallée très encaissée sépare le plateau de Belleherbe du plateau de Maîche-Le Russey.
Depuis la Roche du Prêtre qui surplombe de 350 mètres la reculée de Consolation, le Dessoubre suit, sur 30 kilomètres de son parcours, une combe parallèle aux gorges du Doubs et, après bien des méandres, la rivière finit par aboutir dans le Doubs à Saint Hippolyte, petite ville médiévale.
