Question

Preface for project on the topic
"Development of tourism in India "

Answer 1

India‟s glorious traditions and rich cultural heritage are closely related with the development of tourism. Its magnificent monuments attract a large number of tourists from all over the world. The natural surroundings, the architectural masterpieces, the music, dance, paintings, customs and languages all these go to make India as tourist paradise. In ancient India, there were no travel formalities for travelling in the period of Chandragupta - II, and that time the famous Chinese pilgrim Fa Hien travelled between A.D. 401 and 410 without a passport. But in the 3rd century B.C. a passport or mudra was essential, according to 27 Kautilya‟s Arthashastra, for all travelers. During the Vedic period, the tourists were accommodated at „dhams‟ or holy place of the country. There was a remarkable increase in the traveler coming to India, as a result of the discovery of the new sea route by Vasco - de - Gama. When Alexander the Great reached in India, he found well maintained roads lined with trees and wells, and rest houses. Along with the royal highway which is 1920 km long and 19 meters wide, men travelled in Chariots, palanquins, bullock- carts, on donkeys, horses, camels and elephants. During the British period, tourism in India becomes more organized. They built Dak Bungalows on the road side for the convenience of dak traveler. The finest of India‟s cuisines is as rich and diverse as its civilization. In Sanskrit literature the three famous words “Aththi Devo Bhava” means „the guest is truly god‟ are a dictum of hospitality in India. India is a storehouse of art, paintings; crafts appeared on pots found in the Indus valley civilization as early as the 3rd century B.C. The cave paintings of Ajanta and Ellora date back to the 1st to 5th century A.D. The British setup the Archaeological survey of India in the 19th century to document the wealth of material available in the country. Viewing Indian art and culture as an integral part of the century‟s heritage. India, a land of geographical diversity, blessed with a long history of rich civilization and culture. It is a potential tourism paradise with a wide variety of attractions ranging from beautiful beaches, hill stations, scenery, forts, monuments, fairs, festivals, art, crafts, culture, forest, wildlife, and religious centers etc. India has one of the world‟s richest natural heritage: 65,000 species of fauna including 350 of mammals 28 (7.6 per cent of the world‟s total), 408 of reptiles (6.2 per cent), 197 of amphibians (4.4 per cent), 1244 of birds (12.6 per cent), 2546 of fishes (11.7 per cent) and as well as 15000 species of flora (6 per cent) attract the tourists for the development of tourism. India‟s forest, rivers, streams are bursting with rich wildlife. In India, there are 80 national parks and 441 sanctuaries. The largest wildlife sanctuaries in Asia viz. Kanha National Park –Madhya Pradesh ( Tiger project), Jim Corbett National Park (Utter Pradesh) Gir (Gujarat) (Lion), Ranthambor (Rajasthan) (Peacock), Kaziranga (Assam) (Rihnosours) , Bandipore ( Karnataka) etc. The temples trails in India like Gurudwara in Amritsar, Tripati Balaji, Mathura, Ayodhya, Badrinath, Haridwara and Rishikesh. The hill stations like Simla, Kulu, Manali, and Massoorie in the north, Shilling and Darjeeling in the east, Ooty, Kodaicanal, and Munnar in the south and Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Chikaldara, and Amboli in the central. All these tourist places are most popular, which attract large number of tourists. The tourist organization of India had its beginning from the year 1945. A committee was appointed in 1945 under the Chairmanship of Sir John Sargent, Educational Advisor, and Government of India. The Sargent Committee submitted their interim report in October 1946, but implication of the suggestions given by this committee was implemented after independence. As per the report of Sargent Committee, Tourist Traffic Committee was appointed in 1948. On the recommendation a Tourist Traffic Branch was setup in 1949 with regional offices at Kolkata and Chennai.