“Gold land” or “Swarnabhumi” is a term that dates back to the ancient times. It is associated with several places lying in the Southeast Asian region. Swarnabhumi finds its root in many Indian literary sources and Buddhist texts. There is much debate on the location of gold land or Swarnabhumi. It still remains a bit mysterious with too many opinions coming on the surface. Most scholars have come to two specific locations of the mystified Swarnabhumi: Insular Southeast Asia or southern India.That was all about the history of gold land and by delving into the history we now can come to this conclusion that Golden land is invariably connected with the mainland India, be it entire Indian peninsula or the southern part. But whatever is the exact location of the so called Swarnabhumi, India can fairly be referred to as "Gold Land"
To unravel this country of diverse cultures, heritages, sociology and cuisine you must be detail oriented with an eye for aesthetics. Travel becomes a monotonous affair if you just go to a place, spend half the day in the hotel and go sightseeing for the sake of your family. Whichever age group you might belong to India is never going to disappoint you. Starting from beaches to mountains to wildlife India's abundance can be felt in every aspect of hers. Since it’s not possible to cover entire India in a single blog, let's learn about two marvels of India which is easy to get to and not so heavy on your pocket: One is a beautiful district nested in the silent Himalayas, Darjeeling and other one is one of the smallest states in India, Sikkim.
Darjeeling
“Mountains are calling and I must go"
Which is the first place that flashes in front of your eyes? Is it not Darjeeling? Yeah...You don’t need a reason or a season to visit to this cloud capped hill station. Be it gorging on a plate full of extra pungent momo or slurping the soupy thukpas, Darjeeling is a backpacker's delight. Things to uncover in Darjeeling:
- Sunrise and sunset is way too clichéd but when it comes to catching the sunbeams at Tiger Hill only a few will answer in a negative. An iconic sunrise is an once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.
- Cruise past the lush tea gardens in a joyride in Darjeeling Himalayan railways, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A ride through the Batasia Loop is a bonus indeed. This beautiful garden along with the war memorial is a popular tourist attraction.
- Visit the Ghoom monastery, the oldest monastery in the area.
- There are numerous other iconic places to visit in Darjeeling: Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Padmaja Naidu zoological park.
Sikkim
Don’t you fancy travelling to the land of glacier with your crazy friends? Bone chilling cold with snowfall and an exotic market ambience(M.G Marg) sums up Sikkim for you. With easy transport facilities, Sikkim is great place for budget-friendly travellers. When it comes to pocket friendly travel destinations Sikkim is going to rank high.There is so much to do in the small state that you will be actually spoilt for choice. Consider these activities when planning a trip to Sikkim:
- Stroll through the M.G Marg and soak in the ambience which works as a detoxifying agent after a tiring weekend loaded with works and attending meetings.
- Stand by the picturesque Changu Lake and get clicked by your fellow traveller. Or just frame the colorful lake in your own camera.
- Visit Rumtek monastery, Buddha Park for a tryst with spirituality. Buddhism has an enormous power to calm you down in an unusual manner.
- Sikkim is a great place to try paragliding. This adventure sport is adventurous enough to have a reason to travel to the spectacular hilly state.
You may not strike gold in real life, but you will certainly strike gold with these amazingly serene locations in Gold land, i.e. India and that too, in the least budget.