TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL TO INDIA

Visitors from 43 countries no longer have to queue up at local consulates, but can instead apply for their visas online and collect them at airports.

Most other foreigners had to wait several weeks before learning whether they would be allowed to enter India after submitting their applications at visa processing centers.

The new visa-on-arrival will be available at nine major airports in India. Bangalore,Chennai,Cochin,Delhi ,Goa, Hyderabad,Kolkata,Mumbai & Trivandrum

Visa on Arrival Facility is available for holders of passport of following countries
Australia,Brazil,Cambodia,Cook Islands,Djibouti,Fiji,Finland,Germany,Indonesia,Israel,Japan,Jordan,Kenya,Kiribati,
Laos,Luxembourg,Marshall Islands,Mauritius,Mexico,Micronesia,Myanmar,Nauru,New Zealand,Niue Island,Norway,
Oman,Palau,Palestine,Papua New Guinea,Philippines,Republic of Korea,Russia,Samoa,Singapore,Solomon Islands,
Thailand,Tonga,Tuvalu,UAE,Ukraine,USA,Vanuatu,Vietnam. 

Eligibility

• International Travellers whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation , sight seeing , casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit.
• Passport should have at least six months validity.
• International Travellers should have return ticket or onward journey ticket,with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.
• International Travellers having Pakistani Passport or Pakistani origin may please apply for regular Visa at Indian Mission.
• Not available to Diplomatic/Official Passport Holders.

Instructions for Tourist Visa on Arrival (Enabled by ETA)

• Applicants of the eligible countries may apply online minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 30 days. Example : If you are applying on 1st Sept then applicant can select arrival date from 5th Sept to 4th Oct.
• Recent front facing photograph with white background and photo page of Passport containing personal details like name,date of birth, nationality , expiry date etc. to be uploaded by the applicant. The application is liable to be rejected if the uploaded document and photograph are not clear and as per specification.
• Tourist visa on arrival (TVoA) fee is US$ 60/- per passenger excluding interchange charge for credit/debit cards.The fee must be paid 4 days before the expected date of travel filled by you otherwise application will not be processed.
• TVoA fee once submitted is non refundable.
• Applicant should carry a copy of ETA along with him/her at the time of travel.
• Biometric details of the applicant will be mandatorily captured at Immigration on arrival in India.
• The validity of visa will be 30 days from the date of arrival in India.
• Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is valid for entry through 9 designated Airports i.e. Bangalore,Chennai,Cochin,Delhi ,Goa, Hyderabad,Kolkata,Mumbai & Trivandrum .
• This facility is in addition to the existing Visa services.
• Tourist Visa On Arrival (TVoA) is allowed for a maximum of two visits in a calendar year.
• Tourist Visa On Arrival (TVoA) once issued on arrival is non-extendable , non-convertible & not valid for visiting Protected/Restricted and Cantonment Areas.
• Applicants can track the status of their application online by clicking visa status.
• For any assistance call 24 * 7 Visa support center at +91-11-24300666 or send email to indiatvoa@gov.in

The documents required for Tourist Visa On Arrival are :

• Scanned First Page of Passport.
  • Format -PDF
  • Size : Minimum 10 KB ,Maximum 300 KB

The digital photograph to be uploaded along with the Visa application should meet the following requirements:

• Format – JPEG
• Size
  • Minimum 10 KB
  • Maximum 1 MB
• The height and width of the Photo must be equal.
• Photo should present Full face, front view, eyes open.
• Center head within frame and present full head from top of hair to bottom of chin.
• Background should be plain light colored or white background.
• No shadows on the face or on the background.
• Without borders.

Source of information - https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

Courtesy - Government of India.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEE YOU SOON . WELCOME TO INDIA !

Kriya Yoga - Way to nirvana through Postures

It is said that Kriya Yoga has existed from the beginning of the creation, that it is the real meditation, the essence of life. May be we can say it is true, since Kriya simply means the breath, the life. When the body is born we start to breath, when the body dies the breath leaves the body. This is happening all the time, we are inhalation in and out. We inhale new life from the source, and we exhale that which is dead from the body. To realize who we are, our unity with life, we have to be intentionally connected to the source of life through the breath.

Kriya means action and yoga amalgamation. Kriya Yoga is action that leads to amalgamation, to the state of no conflict in the consciousness. In the Indian scripture Bhagavad Gita this theme is thoroughly illuminated. Here we read about the warrior Arjuna, who is the best bow man of his time, and whose life task is to fight for good against all challenges. However, staying at the battlefield Arjuna is paralysed by an inner conflict: he may have to kill family members as they side with his enemy. Arjuna is irresolute and miserable, and unable to take action until Krishna (Kriya Yoga) comes to help him. Arjuna's consciousness is lifted to the level of unity, where no conflicts exist. As a result, Arjuna is capable of fulfilling his divine mission in life.

Kriya Yoga is described in Patanjalis "Yoga Sutras" as an instrument through which the human development can be enhanced. The secret about higher states of consciousness is that it is closely related to the breath. The word yoga comes from Sanskrit yuj which means union – the union of the individual soul with Spirit

Those who devotedly and sincerely seek the Self, and who steadily receive the higher Kriya techniques, acquire insight into the deeper meaning of meditation. The source of knowledge is infinite, and the communication between the Self and life itself is vital to realize unity in the consciousness.

Kriya takes the mind to subtle levels in the consciousness.  Nearness to the breath brings us to the lotus flower of non-duality, to a level of deep inner Silence. In this way alertness and love are manifested as a state of consciousness. Neither the mental power nor the senses are able to bring us to this state. Only the breath, the life force, has the power to take us to the Self, the Divine.

HATHA YOGA

The word hatha means determined or persuasive. Hatha yoga refers to a set of substantial exercises (known as asanas or postures), and sequences of asanas, planned to align your skin, muscles, and bones. The postures are also designed to open the many channels of the body—mainly the main channel, the spine—so that vigor can flow freely.

Hatha is also translated as ha meaning "sun" and tha denotation "moon." This refers to the balance of masculine aspects—active, hot, sun—and womanly aspects—receptive, cool, moon—within all of us. Hatha yoga is a path toward creating balance and uniting opposites. In our substantial bodies we develop a balance of strength and flexibility. We also learn to balance our effort and surrender in each pose.

Hatha yoga is a powerful tool for self-transformation. It asks us to bring our attention to our breath, which helps us to still the fluctuations of the mind and be more present in the unfolding of each moment.

Khajuraho - The place of extreme Spiritual Power.

Khajuraho.

History

Khajuraho was known during ancient times as Vatsa, in medieval times as Jejakabhukti, and since the fourteenth century as Bundelkhand.

The Chandelas were originally local chieftains. By the middle of the tenth century, the Chandela family became independent, and stopped recognizing the overlordship of the Pratihara kings. At the height of Chandela power in the 11th cent, this territory was bounded on all four sides by the rivers: on the north lay the Yamuna, on the south the Narmada, on the east the Tamas, and on the west the Chambal.

The Chandela decorated their realm with tanks, forts, palaces which were mainly concentrated in the strongholds of Mahoba (ancient Mahotsava-nagara) and Kalinjar (Kalanjara) and Ajaygarh (Jayapura-durga) and to a lesser extent, in their towns of Dudhai, Chandpur, Madanpur and Deogarh in district Jhansi.

Khajuraho was definitely considered a special site and this is where the Chandelas concentrated their temple-building activity. Their earlier temples, built when they were still local ruler, were made of rough granite and constructed on the periphery of the site. Among these are the 64 Yogini temple and the Shiva temple, called Lalguan Mahadeva.

It was Yashovarman, who really established the Chandelas as an independent power. He acquired the prestigious Vaikuntha-Vishnu image from his Pratihara overlord Devpala, and announced his victory by building a splendid temple, the first in the Nagara style at Khajuraho. The Khajuraho temples were built over a period of 250 yrs. during the rule of the Chandela dynasty either by the rulers themselves or by their chiefs and Jain Merchants.

More than 65 inscriptions of the Chandelas, who ruled over in this area from 831 to 1308 AD, have been found.

Religious Background

The religion of Khajuraho was Tantric-Puranic. It was a composite and mixed religion with both Tantric and Puranic elements. By the tenth century AD, the Puranas, which had earlier the tantras, now accepted several Tantric elements such as mantras, yantras, and mandalas. The temples of Khajuraho are based on tantra based Vaishnavite and Shaivite order. Both systems believed in the role of Shakti or female Energy in the Creation and Dissolution of the Universe. The Supreme Being (Para-Vasudeva or Para-Shiva) is both transcendent and unmanifest, and also immanent and manifest in graded powers and elements.

The central purpose of religion-the attainment of the ultimate reality is expressed by representing the temple as cosmos. This is the internal logic of the iconic imagery of the temple, articulated while the designer was conscious of the central purpose of religion.

People from all works of life visited the temples. Religious aspirants as well as common people with mundane desire would worship according to their level of understanding and faith. But the temple served as more than just a place of worship. It was a socio-religious institution in the medieval period. In the halls of the temples, religious texts were recited, and the dance and music was performed. People even came to Khajuraho in search of magical cures for diseases.

One can imagine the bustling religious and artistic activities, with several priests conducting worship in different temples; royal priests supervising the construction of temples.

Art and Architecture

Chaturmukh-Mahadeva temple at Nachna, one of the earliest typical sikhara temples of north India, is even more important and constitutes a landmark in architecture, marking the transition between the Gupta and the medieval temple style. The building tradition was continued by the Imperial Pratiharas, who left in this region two of their finest temples, viz. the Jarai-Mata temple at Barwasagar, District Jhansi, and the Sun temple at Mankhera, District Tikamgarh, both assignable to circa 9th century.

The Khajuraho temples are built in the central Indian Nagara style of architecture. In this style, the spire (shikahra) is curvilinear in form. Although the temples are affiliated to different religious sects – Hindu and Jain – they have a cognate architectural style. They are unified structures consisting of four or five units: a cella or sanctum (grabhagriha), a vestibule (antarala), a large hall (mahamandapa), another hall (mandapa), and a porch (mukhamandapa). Most of the Khajuraho temples are erected on the east-west axis and therefore face the direct rays of the rising sun.

The grabhagriha, literally ‘womb chamber’, is the name given to the innermost sanctum in an Indian temple. The temple is conceived of as an abode of god, whose emblem or icon is installed in the innermost chamber. The sanctum is a dark, peaceful place, where the devotee is reborn to higher life. It is a hollow chamber resembling a cave (guha) and its centre is considered to be the centre of the universe. The temple’s spire rises exactly above the centre of the sanctum. The invisible axis joining the centre of the sanctum on the ground level and the finial of the superstructure above is conceived as the Cosmic Axis connecting earth and heaven.

The earlier temples in India, built in the fifth century AD, generally consisted of only the sanctum and an attached porch. Gradually, with changing requirements for rituals, more structures were added to this simple scheme. A hall for dance performances and another for food offerings to the deity were added and the original two- unit scheme was expanded to have four or five units.

The Indian temple is built according to the Vastushastra. These texts cover every aspect of architecture, from selection of the site to the construction of the temple from plinth to its spire. They give measurements and proportions for the different portions, images, and sculptural motifs and that adorn the walls, pillars, and other areas.

Adornment (alankara) is an important feature of Indian culture. Decoration is considered to be auspicious, and the temple is adorned with various sculptural motifs such as creepers, birds, apsaras, mithunas (couples), and vyalas. These are considered to be magico- protective motifs, and are supposed to bring good luck.

The Agni purana conceives the temple as Purusha, the humanized Supreme Being. The terminology of the human body is applied to the temple. Thus, the base of the temple is its foot (Pada), the wall is its thigh (Jangha), and the spire its head (mastaka or shikhara).

The Khajuraho temple has three main divisions on its elevation: the plinth or basal story (pitha), the wall (jangha), and the roof or spire (sikhara). In the tall platform (jagati) on which it stands, the temple has a high basal storey with a series of ornamental mouldings depicting human activities (narathara), mask of glory (grasapattika), and geometrical designs.

Above the plinth is the wall section, jangha, divided into two or three sculptural zones. It is here that we see lovely figural sculptures – apsaras, griffins, couples or mithunas, guardian deities of space (dikpalas), and so on.

The roof of the subordinate structures such as the porch and halls are pyramidal in shape, while over the sanctum is curvilinear, with graded peaks clustering around it.

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Holi - The festival of colors.

One of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar.

Holi festival may be celebrated with various names and people of different states might be following different traditions. But, what makes Holi so unique and special is the spirit of it which remains the same throughout the country and even across the globe, wherever it is celebrated. 

 Preparations
Entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration. Market places get abuzz with activity as frenzied shoppers start making preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of gulal and abeer can be seen on the roadside days before the festival. Pichkaris in innovative and modern design too come up every year to lure the children who wish to collect them as Holi memorabilia and of course, to drench everybody in the town.

Womenfolk too start making early preparations for the holi festival as they cook loads of gujiya, mathri and papri for the family and also for the relatives. At some places specially in the north women also make papads and potato chips at this time. 

Season of Bloom

Everybody gets delighted at the arrival of Holi as the season itself is so gay. Holi is also called the Spring Festival - as it marks the arrival of spring the season of hope and joy. The gloom of the winter goes as Holi promises of bright summer days. Nature too, it seems rejoices at the arrival of Holi and wears its best clothes. Fields get filled with crops promising a good harvest to the farmers and flowers bloom colouring the surroundings and filling fragrance in the air. 

Legends
A Hindu festival, Holi has various legends associated with it. The foremost is the legend of demon King Hiranyakashyap who demanded everybody in his kingdom to worship him but his pious son, Prahlad became a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap wanted his son to be killed. He asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap as Holika had a boon which made he immune to fire. Story goes that Prahlad was saved by lord himself for his extreme devotion and evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes, for her boon worked only when she entered the fire alone.

Since that time, people light a bonfire, called Holika on the eve of Holi festival and celebrate the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion to god. Children take special delight in the tradition and this has another legend attached to it. It says that there was once an ogress Dhundhi who used to trouble children in the kingdom of Prithu. She was chased away by children on the day of Holi. Therefore, children are allowed to play pranks at the time of 'Holika Dahan'. 

Some also celebrate the death of evil minded Pootana. The ogress tried to Lord Krishna as an infant by feeding it poisonous milk while executing the plan of Kansa, Krishna's devil uncle. However, Krishna sucked her blood and brought her end. Some who view the origin of festivals from seasonal cycles believe that Pootana represents winter and her death the cessation and end of winter.

In South India, people worship Kaamadeva- the god of love and passion for his extreme sacrifice. According to a legend, Kaamadeva shot his powerful love arrow on Lord Shiva to revoke his interest in the worldly affairs in the interest of the earth. However, Lord Shiva was enraged as he was in deep mediation and opened his third eye which reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. Though, later on the request of Rati, Kaamadeva's wife, Shiva was pleased to restore him back.

Holika Dahan
On the eve of Holi, called Chhoti or Small Holi people gather at important crossroads and light huge bonfires, the ceremony is called Holika Dahan. This tradition is also followed in Gujarat and Orissa. To render greatfulness to Agni, god of Fire, gram and stalks from the harvest are also offered to Agni with all humility. Ash left from this bonfire is also considered sacred and people apply it on their foreheads. People believe that the ash protects them from evil forces. 


Play of Colors

Great excitement can be seen in people on the next day when it is actually the time for the play of colours. Shops and offices remain closed for the day and people get all the time to get crazy and whacky. Bright colours of gulal and abeer fill the air and people take turns in pouring colour water over each other. Children take special delight in spraying colours on one another with their pichkaris and throwing water balloons and passers by. Women and senior citizen form groups called tolis and move in colonies - applying colours and exchanging greetings. Songs, dance on the rhythm of dholak and mouthwatering Holi delicacies are the other highlights of the day. 

Expression of Love
Lovers too long to apply colours on their beloved. This has a popular legend behind it. It is said that the naughty and mischievous Lord Krishna started the trend of playing colors. He applied colour on her beloved Radha to make her one like him. The trend soon gained popularity amongst the masses. No wonder, there is no match to the Holi of Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana - the places associated with the birth and childhood of Radha and Krishna. 

8 Day Yoga tour with Holi celebration &Taj under Full Moon only @ USD 999*/- 

Ecstasy of Bhang
There is also a tradition of consuming the very intoxicating bhang on this day to further enhance the spirit of Holi. It is so much fun to watch the otherwise sober people making a clown of themselves in full public display. Some, however, take bhang in excess and spoil the spirit. Caution should therefore be taken while consuming bhang delicacies. 

Sober Evening
After a funfilled and exciting day, the evenings the spent in sobriety when people meet friends and relatives and exchange sweets and festive greetings. 

It is said the spirit of Holi encourages the feeling of brotherhood in society and even the enemies turn friend on this day. People of all communities and even religions participate in this joyous and colorful festival and strengthen the secular fabric of the nation. 

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