AR711-Planning for Ecotourism

Tourism Circuits Report

By- S. Monika & Ritesh Singh, M. Arch., 1st Semester

National Circuit – The Golden Triangle

The golden triangle is a tourist circuit which connects the national capital Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The
Golden Triangle is so called because of the triangular shape formed by the locations of New Delhi,
Agra and Jaipur on a map.

The trips usually start in Delhi moving south to the site of Taj Mahal at Agra, then west, to the desert
landscapes of Rajasthan. The circuit is about 720 km by road. Each leg is about 4 to 6 hours of drive.
The Shatabdi express train also connects Delhi with Agra and Jaipur.

Hotspots
Delhi – India Gate, Humayun's Tomb, Qutab Minar, Red Fort, Akshardham Temple, Lotus Temple,
Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Agra – Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Akbar Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri.

Jaipur – Hawa Mahal, Amer Fort, City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort.

Tourism Activities
A visit in Delhi will let you experience the two sides of the city, one that has been preserving its
culture and heritage and the other which thrive to touch the sky with its modern skyscrapers. Delhi is
known to be a complete package, as it has heritages, museums, pilgrimage centres, variety of markets,
educational hubs, cultural centres, food centres.

Agra is known for its rich heritage and monuments from Mughal era, 50km west from Agra, Fatehpur
Sikri in known for Buland Darwaza which is another magnificent piece of Mughal Architecture. Taj
Mahotsav is organised every year in Agra where hundreds of artisans came to display there work of
art. This festival invokes the memories of the old Mughal era and nawabi style prevalent in Uttar
Pradesh in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Jaipur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, for both domestic and international
tourists. Jaipur attracts tourists for its historical forts, palaces, art and culture with its states slogan
'Padharo mahare desh'. Every third foreign tourist visiting India travels to Rajasthan as it is part of the
Golden Triangle for tourists visiting India.
STATE CIRCUIT – BRAJ CIRCUIT

The Braj Circuit, also known as Agra-Braj Corridor has rich historical, architectural and spiritual
importance.The towns identified for survey in the Braj Corridor are highly significant and due to their
association with the legends of Lord Krishna and his life. Braj has been the subject of poetry and
paintings in medieval and late medieval India. The living traditions of Braj are encompassed in its
unique dialect, folk dances and songs, and folk arts and crafts. Apart, from the legacy of Lord Krishna
it has the capital city of the Mughal Empire. The major hotspots of this circuit are:

Agra- Agra with its architectural marvels and rich history is one the most visited cities in India. Taj
Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and Taj Mahotsav are few tourist attractions of this city. The city
with its architecture, historical importance and its vicinity to the nation’s capital has been successful
in attracting the majority tourists visiting India. Further, the city has more things to explore like Agra
inlay works which are as well being promoted under Craft, Handloom & Textile tourism.

Mathura-It is one of the twin cities of the Braj and believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna,
with its mesmerizing culture, festivals, art, music, dance, Rasleela and temples contribute to the major
attractions of this city.

Vrindavan- It is historical city in Mathura district whwre Lord Krishna spent his childhood days.
This place has great architecture, temples, culture, festivals and poetry, the Braj holi are the
attractions. It is a center of Krishna worship and the area includes places like Govardhana and Gokul
that are associated with Krishna. Millions of devotees of Radha Krishna visit these places of
pilgrimage every year and participate in a number of festivals. Vrindavan, the land of Radharani and
the city of temples, has more than 1000 temples to showcase the pastimes of Radha and Krishna
which includes Rangaji temple, an amalgam of Rajput and South Indian architecture, is the largest
temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Bankey Bihari temple, Radha Madhav temple, Prem Mandir, Shri
Krishna Balaram temple and ISKCON temple are some of the examples of great architecture.

Gokul, Mahavan, Baldeo, Barsana, Nandgaon and Govardhan are other adjoining cities which have to
be developed as well along with this, in order to tap this potential in the Agra-Braj Corridor. These
places contribute the sacred places of Vaishnavism, which has followers not only from India but also,
a huge portion of foreigners from the entire world through the establishment of ISKON all over the
world.

The INTACH under its survey has covered 56 sites in Mathura, 61 sites in Vrindavan, 34 sites in
Gokul, 24 sites in Mahavan, 11 sites in Baldeo, 37 sites in Barsana, 38 sites in Nandgaon and 42 sites
in Govardhan of immense historic significance and are located along various parikrama routes and
include architectural, natural and intangible heritage of various typologies.