1. Popular Holiday
Spots
(Weekend Report
Presentation)
Ritisha, Class-VI-C

2. Manali
Manali at an altitude of 2,050 m
(6,726 ft) in the
Beas River Valley is a beautiful hill
station nestled in the mountains of the Indian state of Himachal
Pradesh near the northern end of the Kullu Valley. It is located
about 270 km (168 mi) north of the state capital, Shimla. Manali
with a population of approx. 30,000 is administratively a part of
the Kullu district. The small town is the beginning of an ancient
trade route to Ladakh and from there over the Karakoram Pass on
to Yarkand and Khotan in the Tarim Basin. In ancient times, the
valley was sparsely populated by nomadic hunters known as
'rakshas'. The next arrivals were the shepherds who arrived from
the Kangra Valley and settled to take up agriculture. Some of the
earliest inhabitants of the region are the 'naur' or 'nar', which is a
caste unique to the Kullu valley. Only a few naur families are
known to exist now. A naur family in the village Soyal near
Haripur on the west bank of Manali was famous for the vast land
they owned and their practice of having 'rakshas' as their labourers.
The British introduced apple trees and trout, which were not native
to Manali flora and fauna. It is said that when apple trees were first
planted the fruits were so plentiful that often branches, unable to
bear the weight, would collapse. To this day, apple—along with
plum and pear—remains the best source of income for the majority
of its inhabitants.

3. Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer (Rajasthani: ), nicknamed
"The Golden city", is a
town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located 575 kilometres
(357 mi) west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as
Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone,
crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate
Jain temples. Many of the houses and temples are finely
sculptured. It lies in the heart of the Thar Desert (great Indian
desert) and has a population of about 78,000. It is the
administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer District. The majority of
the inhabitants of Jaisalmer are Bhati Rajputs, named for Bhati,
who was renowned as a warrior. This area was part of Gurjar -
Pratihara empire and until the 11th century was ruled by a
powerful Rajput Bargujar King. Deoraj, a famous prince of the
Bhati family, is esteemed the real founder of the Jaisalmer dynasty,
and with him the title of rawal commenced. In 1156 Rawal Jaisal,
[1] the sixth in succession from Deoraj, founded the fort and city
of Jaisalmer, and made it his capital as he moved from his former
capital at Lodhruva (which is situated about 15 km to the north-
west of Jaisalmer). In 1293, the Bhattis so enraged the emperor
Ala-ud-din Khilji that his army captured and sacked the fort and
city of Jaisalmer, so that for some time it was quite
deserted. Some Bhatti's from the Royal family migrated to Jaisal
(Now in Pakistan), a place near to Chiniot Distt and some migrated
to Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Distt. Nankana Sahib (Punjab,
Pakistan) and others settled in Larkana (in Sind, Pakistan)under the
name of Bhutto. In Nankana Sahib, the Bhatti Clan can be traced
from the lineage of Rai Bhoe and Rai Bular Bhatti.

4. Kovalam
Kovalam is a beach town by the
Arabian Sea in
Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India, located around 16 km
from the city center. Kovalam first received attention when
the Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore
constructed her beach resort, Halcyon Castle, here
towards the end of the 1920s. Thereafter the place was brought to
the public eye by her nephew the Maharaja of Travancore. The
European guests of the then Travancore kingdom discovered the
potentiality of Kovalam beach as a tourist destination in the 1930s.
However, Kovalam shot into limelight in the early
seventies with arrivals of the masses of hippies on their way to
Ceylon in the Hippie Trail. This exodus started the transformation
of a casual fishing village of Kerala into one of the most important
tourist destinations in all India. There are a large number of beach
resorts in and around Kovalam. The sea port of
Vizhinjam is about 3 km away and famous for its special varieties
of fish, old Hindu temples, big churches and a mosque. The
Proposed International Trans shipment Terminal at Vizhinjam is
also close to Kovalam. Kovalam was among the most prominent
tourist spots in India during the hippy era. It still has a high status
among tourists, who arrive mostly from Europe and
Israel.[citation needed] Kovalam is finding a new significance in
the light of several Ayurvedic salons, and recuperation and
regeneration resorts which provide a wide variety of Ayurvedic
treatments for tourists.

5. Ooty
Udhagamandalam sometimes
abbreviated to Udhagai
and better known as Ooty, is a town, a municipality and the district
capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It
is located 80 km north of Coimbatore. Ootacamund is a popular
hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills. Originally occupied by the
Todas, the area came under the rule of the East India Company at
the end of the 18th century. Today the town's economy is based on
tourism and agriculture, with manufacturing of
medicines and photographic film also present. The town is
connected to the rest of India by road and rail, and its
historic sites and natural beauty attract tourists. Ooty, which is
deep within the Nilgiri hills, is also known as The Blue Mountains.
It is unknown whether this name comes from the blue smoky haze
given off by the eucalyptus trees that cover the area, or because of
the kurunji flower, which blooms every twelve years giving the
slopes a bluish tinge.[4] Nilgiris in general was ruled by Ganga
kings and later by Hoysala kings, particularly Vishnuvardhana who
captured Wynad and Nilgiri area during the 11th century.[7] Tippu
Sultan was the first to extend his border by constructing a hideout
cave like structure.[8] It was originally a tribal land and was
occupied by the Todas along with other tribes who coexisted
through specialisation and trade. The major tribes of Nilgiri area
are Todas, Kotas, Badagas and Alu Kurumbas,[9] who also settled
in and around Ooty. The first reference of Todas in Nilgiri is found
in a record dated 1117 A.D.[7] Toda people are known for raising
water buffaloes and Badaga people are known for farming
activities.[8] Frederick price in his book Ootacamund, A History
states that the area which is now called as the 'Old Ooty' was
originally occupied by the Todas.

6. Shimla
Shimla formerly known as Simla, is
the capital city of the Indian state of
Himachal Pradesh, located in northern
India. It is bounded by Mandi and Kullu in the north, Kinnaur in
the east, the
state of Uttarakhand in the south-east, and Solan and Sirmaur to
the south. The elevation of the city ranges from
300 to 6000 metres.[clarification needed] Shimla is well known as
a hub for India's tourism sector. It is among the top 10 preferred
entrepreneurial locations in India. In 1864, Shimla was declared as
the summer capital of British India, succeeding Murree, northeast
of Rawalpindi. After independence, the city became the capital of
Punjab and was later named the capital of Himachal Pradesh.
Shimla came into existence from 1st Sept,1972 on the
reorganisation of the districts of the state. After the reorganisation,
the erstwhile Mahasu district and its major portion was merged
with Shimla. The history of the area that now constitutes Shimla
dates back to the time when the Indus valley civilisation flourished
between 2250 and 1750 BCE.[2] Tribes such as the
Koilis, Halis, Dagis, Dhaugris, Dasa, Khasas, Kinnars and Kirats
inhabited the region from pre-historic era. During the Vedic
period, several small republics known as "Janapada" existed which
were later conquered by the Gupta Empire.[3] After a brief
period of supremacy by King Harshavardhana, the region was once
again divided into several local powers headed by chieftains,
including some Rajput principalities.

7. Ooty
Udhagamandalam sometimes
abbreviated to Udhagai
and better known as Ooty, is a town, a municipality and the district
capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It
is located 80 km north of Coimbatore. Ootacamund is a popular
hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills. Originally occupied by the
Todas, the area came under the rule of the East India Company at
the end of the 18th century. Today the town's economy is based on
tourism and agriculture, with manufacturing of
medicines and photographic film also present. The town is
connected to the rest of India by road and rail, and its
historic sites and natural beauty attract tourists. Ooty, which is
deep within the Nilgiri hills, is also known as The Blue Mountains.
It is unknown whether this name comes from the blue smoky haze
given off by the eucalyptus trees that cover the area, or because of
the kurunji flower, which blooms every twelve years giving the
slopes a bluish tinge.[4] Nilgiris in general was ruled by Ganga
kings and later by Hoysala kings, particularly Vishnuvardhana who
captured Wynad and Nilgiri area during the 11th century.[7] Tippu
Sultan was the first to extend his border by constructing a hideout
cave like structure.[8] It was originally a tribal land and was
occupied by the Todas along with other tribes who coexisted
through specialisation and trade. The major tribes of Nilgiri area
are Todas, Kotas, Badagas and Alu Kurumbas,[9] who also settled
in and around Ooty. The first reference of Todas in Nilgiri is found
in a record dated 1117 A.D.[7] Toda people are known for raising
water buffaloes and Badaga people are known for farming
activities.[8] Frederick price in his book Ootacamund, A History
states that the area which is now called as the 'Old Ooty' was
originally occupied by the Todas.