The photographs you see in this article are of a centuries-old tamarind tree in Hyderabad that saved around 150 lives in 1908. It is remembered with respect by historians, environmentalists and knowledgeable citizens of Hyderabad, especially today the 28th of September. This tree is located on the left bank of River Musi in the park of Osmania General Hospital.
A devastating flood occurred in Hyderabad due to the swelling of River Musi on 28th September 1908, causing widespread devastation, and killing over 15,000 people, rendering 80,000 homeless and affecting another 6,00,00 people in some form or the other. And, during this flood situation, as people were getting washed away and getting drowned everywhere, around 150 people managed to clamber onto this 300-year-old tamarind tree and managed to hold on to it until the flood receded. This strong tree resisted the powerful flood and saved not only the lives of these 150 people but also many other lives that were dependent on them.
Every year on this day, this tamarind tree on the campus of Osmania General Hospital (OGH) becomes a pilgrimage spot where people assemble and recall the hoary past of Hyderabad, the devastating Musi floods of 1908 and how close to 150 desperate people saved their lives. And they pay homage to the tree and thousands who have lost their lives in this tragic flood.
A small wooden board hung to the tree’s trunk records the historical role it played - ‘This tree saved the lives of about 150 persons in the great Moosi Flood of 1908.’
Today is ‘World Tourism Day’. It is celebrated every year on 27th September. Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization has celebrated World Tourism Day on this day with different themes every year. At its Twelfth Session in Istanbul, Turkey, in October 1997, the UNWTO General Assembly decided to designate a host country each year to act as the Organization's partner in the celebration of World Tourism Day. The theme of this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD) is “Tourism and the Digital Transformation”, and this year’s host country is Hungary.
The purpose of World Tourism Day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community. Many people around the world celebrate the United Nations’ (UN) World Tourism Day. The day aims to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.
The United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) invites people worldwide to participate in World Tourism Day every year. The UNWTO Secretary-General annually sends out a message to the general public to mark the occasion. Many tourism enterprises and organizations, as well as government agencies with a special interest in tourism, celebrate the event with various special events and festivities.
Different types of competitions, such as photo competitions promoting tourism, as well as tourism award presentations in areas such as ecotourism, are held on World Tourism Day. Other activities include free entries, discounts or special offers for the general public to any site of tourism interest. Government and community leaders, as tourism business representatives, may make public announcements or offer special tours or fares to promote both their region and World Tourism Day on or around 27th September.
Tourism has experienced continued growth and deeper diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. Modern tourism is closely linked to development and includes more new destinations for tourists. These dynamics turned tourism into a key driver for socio-economic progress. Tourism has become one of the major players in international commerce and represents at the same time one of the main income sources for many developing countries.
About the theme “Tourism and the Digital Transformation” - We know that a digitally advanced tourism sector can improve entrepreneurship, inclusion, local community empowerment, and efficient resource management, amongst other important development objectives. This year’s WTD will help countries and businesses to further explore the opportunities provided to tourism by technological advances including big data, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms.
About the Host County - Hungary is a modern European country steeped in history, with a beautiful capital city and rich in exceptional natural resources and sites. Whether it is the country’s strong folk culture, spas, lakes and thermal baths, the cowboys of the “puszta”, the beautiful Parliament building, the spicy and hearty cuisine favouring paprika and the sparkling life of the capital, Budapest, in Hungary you are guaranteed to find authentic, impulsive and profound experiences. In 2017 Hungary welcomed almost 16 million international tourist arrivals, 50% more than in 2010, demonstrating the steady growth of tourism in the country backed by consistent policy support. The Hungarian Tourism Agency is responsible for the national management and coordination of tourism.
Coming to India - Tourism is important to our country's economy. And the good news is that it is growing rapidly. The World Travel and Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated ₹15.24 lakh crore (US$210 billion) or 9.4% of India's GDP in 2017 and supported 41.622 million jobs, 8% of its total employment. The sector is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 6.9% to ₹32.05 lakh crore (US$450 billion) by 2028 (9.9% of GDP). In October 2015, India's medical tourism sector was estimated to be worth US$3 billion, and it is projected to grow to US$7–8 billion by 2020. In 2014, 184,298 foreign patients traveled to India to seek medical treatment.
Over 10 million foreign tourists arrived in India in 2017 compared to 8.89 million in 2016, representing a growth of 15.6%. Domestic tourist visits to all states and union territories numbered 1,036.35 million in 2012, an increase of 16.5% from 2011. In 2014, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh were the most popular states for tourists. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Agra, and Jaipur were the five most visited cities of India by foreign tourists during the year 2015. Worldwide, Delhi is ranked 28th by the number of foreign tourist arrivals, while Mumbai is ranked 30th, Chennai 43rd, Agra 45th, Jaipur 52nd, and Kolkata 90th.
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report for the year 2017, ranked India 40th out of 136 countries overall. The report ranks the price competitiveness of India's tourism sector 10th out of 136 countries. It mentions that India has quite good air transport (ranked 32nd), particularly given the country's stage of development, and reasonable ground transport infrastructure (ranked 29th). The country also scores high on natural and cultural resources (ranked 9th).
Light and Sound Show at Thirumalai Nayak Palace - Video:
We visited the marvelous Thirumalai Nayak Palace very recently. We were there in the morning going around the entire Palace and in the evening we attended the beautiful Light and Sound Show. It was time well spent at the Palace, where royalty lived in grandeur and learning the history of the great King, Thirumalai Nayak, his Palace, and other Madurai Kings.
Thirumalai Nayak Palace also known as Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal is a 17th-century Palace erected in 1636 AD by King Thirumalai Nayak, a King of Madurai's Nayaka dynasty who ruled the Madurai Kingdom from 1623 to 1659, from the city of Madurai. This Palace is an artistic and classic blend of Dravidian, Rajput and Indo-Saracenic architecture. It was designed by an Italian architect. The building which can be seen today was the main Palace, in which the King lived. The original Palace Complex was four times bigger than the present structure. In its heyday, the Palace was considered to be one of the wonders of South India. This Palace is very close to the most sacred and popular Temple of Meenakshi Amman, at a distance of 1.2 km.
The attached photographs, videos and the pictures of the three Noticed Boards immediately below this article will give you further idea and information about the Palace.
HISTORY:
The Nayaks of Madurai ruled this former Kingdom from 1545 until the 1740s and Thirumalai Nayak (1623-1659) was one of their greatest Kings, notable for his great rule, contribution to fine arts, Madurai Temples and various buildings in and around Madurai. During the 17th century, the Madurai Kingdom had Portuguese, Dutch and other Europeans as traders, missionaries and visiting travelers. Over a span of 400 years, Madurai developed under these rulers. But over a period of time, many buildings have suffered destruction and damage due to wars and neglect. A few, however, were repaired to be converted into use as garrisons, granaries, store-houses, powder magazines, during the time of East India Company and the British rule. King Thirumalai Nayak’s grandson had demolished much of the fine structure and removed most of the jewels and woodcarvings in order to build his own Palace in Tiruchirapalli. However, Lord Napier, the Governor of Madras, had partially restored the Palace in 1866-72. And due to the subsequent restoration works carried out a few years ago, we get to see today the Entrance Gate, The Main Hall, and the Dance Hall.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION:
Built in 1636, as a focal point of his capital at Madurai, Thirumalai Nayak intended the Palace to be one of the grandest in South India. The design and architecture as mentioned above is a blend of Dravidian, Rajput and Indo-Saracenic styles. The Interior of the Palace surpasses many of its Indian contemporaries in scale. The interior is richly decorated whilst the exterior is treated in a more austere style.
During the 18th century, many structures that were part of this Palace were pulled down or incorporated into buildings in the adjacent streets. What remains is the enclosed court known as the Swarga Vilasam and a few adjoining buildings. The audience chamber of the Swarga Vilasam is a vast hall with arcades about 12 m high. The Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal is famous for its giant pillars, numbering 248.
COURTYARD:
Upon entering into the gates of the Palace, the visitor enters into the present day’s huge central courtyard measuring 3,700 sq.m (41,979 sq ft). The courtyard is surrounded by massive circular pillars. And outside the courtyard is a garden.
INTERIOR:
The Palace was divided into two major parts, namely Swarga Vilasam (Celestial Pavilion) and Ranga Vilasam. The royal residence, theatre, shrine, apartments, armory, palanquin place, royal bandstand, quarters, pond and garden were situated in these two portions. The courtyard and the dancing hall are the major centers of attractions of the Palace. The Celestial Pavilion (Swarga Vilasam) was used as the throne-room and has an arcaded octagon covered by a dome 60–70 feet high. The domed structure in the center is supported by stone ribs and is held up by massive circular columns topped and linked by pointed scalloped arches with an arcaded gallery opening into the nave above the side aisles.
MATERIALS USED:
The structure was constructed using foliated brickwork and the surface details and finish in exquisite stucco called chunnam using chunnam (shell lime) and mixed with egg white to obtain a smooth and glossy texture. The steps leading up to the hall were formerly flanked by two equestrian statues of excellent workmanship.
The pillars supporting the arches are 13m tall and are again joined by foliated brickwork that carries a valance and an entablature rising up to a height of 20 m. The decoration is done with shell lime. The pavilions topped with finials that were covered with gold are on either side of the courtyard.
PRESENT DAY:
After Independence, the Thirumalai Nayak Palace was declared as a National Monument and is now under the protection of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department. This Palace is open for visitors from 9 am to 5 pm and the entry ticket price is Rs.10. Additional charges have to be made for cameras and camcorders.
Many film shootings have taken place in the Palace mainly because of the big pillars. However, permission is no longer being given to prevent any damage to the ancient structure.
Notable films are Maniratnam's "Bombay" ("Kehna Hi Kya" song), "Guru" ("Tera Bina" song), Vikram starrer "Bheemaa" ("Ragasiya Kanavugal" song), etc.
This Palace is a must visit for history lovers and those who love to explore architectural fineness of bygone eras. The sound and light shows are conducted every evening at the Palace, making your trip to this Palace even more exciting.
LIGHT AND SOUND SHOWS:
The Palace is well equipped to perform Light & Sound shows depicting the story of the King and the Palace, both in English and Tamil in the evenings. The English show is from 6.45 pm to 7.35 pm and the Tamil show is from 8.00 pm to 8.50 pm.
:
A lovely
song filmed at the Thirumalai Nayak Palace:
Song - Tere Bina
Movie - Guru
Stars - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and
Abhishek Bachchan
:
Yet another lovely song shot at the
Thirumalai Nayak Palace:
