Beyond the Guidebooks: Curated Tours to India's Hidden Gems
India has a rich and unique tapestry in terms of culture, history, and landscapes. It remains a top preferred destination for travellers from all around the world who are seeking some unique experiences for their lifetime. While popular tourist attractions are consistent in drawing large crowds; there is a world of hidden gems that are yet waiting to be explored. Let us help you embark on an enchanting way to delve into the lesser-known parts of India. While you will wonder about their existence, these specially curated journeys are sure to take travellers towards an experience of an off-beaten path and reveal a side of India that most tourists escape.
Harvest festivals in India are celebrated around the country with much enthusiasm. Its rituals, as diverse as the communities practising them, are a reminder of the deep connection shared between the people and their land – owned not just by title but also by sweat and memory-making. Here, we showcase a few of the celebratory rituals that men, women and children come together to take part in, in celebration of a rich harvest.
One of the most prominent Indian harvest festivals is Lohri, celebrated to mark the end of the winter season in North India. The onset of longer days is welcomed with vibrant folk song and dance, around a bonfire that symbolizes the worship of Surya, the Sun god. Winter harvest, like sugarcane and mustard greens, is used to prepare local delicacies and to make offerings to the gods.
If there is one thing the pandemic has revealed to us, it’s how little importance we’ve placed on our health and wellness. It has opened our eyes to the unhealthy lifestyle we lead and how unprepared we were. Overnight, everybody started investing in health foods, food to boost immunity and organic food. Exercise and fitness also hit an all time high as the lockdown and self- isolation gave us enough of free time to invest in these activities.
It made us realize that all the wealth and success that we chase is irrelevant if we do not invest in good health. Around the same time, mental health also reared its ugly head. Stuck at home far from our families, friends and colleagues with limited physical contact, no socializing, except virtually, people were unable to handle the loneliness and inactivity.
Now more than ever, we need to invest in immunity building, physical and mental health and well-being. It is, therefore, imperative to focus on a healthy diet and regular exercises and to lead a healthy lifestyle through holistic measures.
In India, we offer traditional and alternative healing practices such as Ayurveda, Yoga and  Naturopathy . Some of India’s ancient practices like yoga have the ability to mitigate stress and keep the body and mind aligned. Spas and wellness centers also offer programs for de-stressing and relaxation.
This year, start investing in your health and check into one of the several wellness retreats scattered around India. You can choose to heal and rejuvenate by the mountains in the Himalayas or on the coasts of Kerala.
Come, discover India and the century old healing techniques and medicines of Ayurveda, the magical transformation of your mind, body and soul with the practice of yoga and meditation. Stay in an ashram and experience an unpretentious lifestyle or even a meditation session in a monastery.
India offers everything from luxury spas to Ayurvedic medical centers and wellness resorts all over India .
The Myth
According to Hindu mythology, the demi gods and the demons fought over the pot (kumbh) of immortality elixir (amrita) produced by the churning of the milky ocean.
Lord Vishnu whisked away the Kumbh to the heavens before the demons got their hands on it. As he flew the elixir heavenwards, a few drops fell on the four earthly sites : Haridwar on the River Ganges, Ujjain on the River Shipra, Nashik on the River Godavari, and Prayagraj, earlier known as Allahabad, at the confluence of the rivers Ganges, the Jamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati.
According to Hindu mythology, the demi gods and the demons fought over the pot (kumbh) of immortality elixir (amrita) produced by the churning of the milky ocean.
Lord Vishnu whisked away the Kumbh to the heavens before the demons got their hands on it. As he flew the elixir heavenwards, a few drops fell on the four earthly sites : Haridwar on the River Ganges, Ujjain on the River Shipra, Nashik on the River Godavari, and Prayagraj, earlier known as Allahabad, at the confluence of the rivers Ganges, the Jamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati.
