The second postcard received this year has travelled
7,857 km!
Its origin is Rajashtan, the largest state area in
India, and shows a vast magical place, the Thar Desert, also known as the Great
Indian Desert.
Thanks a million Kamran for letting us know about
Rajashtan’s folk music and some of its traditional instruments, like the Sindhi
Sarangi, an ancient bowed violin, and the traditional pies.
To know more about Rajashtan and its culture, visit our
section EXPLORING PLACES!
Rajashtan is located on the western side of India,
where it comprises most of the wide Thar Desert (also known as the "Rajasthan
Desert" and "Great Indian Desert") and shares a border with the
Pakistani provinces of Punjab to the northwest and Sindh to the west, along the
Sutlej-Indus river valley. Elsewhere it is bordered by the other Indian states:
Punjab to the north; Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast; Madhya Pradesh
to the southeast; and Gujarat to the southwest.
RAJASHTAN
IS FAMOUS FOR…
…its historical ruins: The Ruins of the Indus Valley
Civilization at Kalibanga; the Dilwara Temples, a Jain pilgrimage site at
Rajasthan's only hill station, Mount Abu, in the ancient Aravalli mountain
range.
…its natural parks: he Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur,
a World Heritage Site is very well known for its bird life. Rajasthan is also
home to two national tiger reserves, the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai
Madhopur and Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar.
…its capital city: Jaipur, also known as Pink City,
located on the state's eastern side. With a population of 3.1 million Jaipur is
the tenth most populous city in India. Other important cities in Rajashtan are
Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Kota and Ajmer.
Hawal Mahal (in English “Palace of Winds" or
"Palace of the Breeze") is a palace in Jaipur so named because it was
essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the royal household could
observe street festivals while unseen from the outside. Constructed of red and
pink sandstone, the palace sits on the edge of the City Palace, and extends to
the zenana, or women's chambers.
Amer Palace and Fort are located in Amer, a town located
11 kilometres from Jaipur. Constructed of red sandstone and marble up on a hill,
this opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. The Fort
built to protect the palace is known for its artistic Hindu style elements.
With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort
overlooks Maota Lake, the main source of
water for the Amer Palace.
Birla Mandir is a Hindu temple located in Jaipur and
is part of one of the several Birla mandirs located all around India. The grand
temple is located on an elevated ground at the base of Moti Dungari hill.
Mount Abu is a
popular hill station in the Aravalli Range near the border with Gujarat. The
mountain forms a distinct rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest
peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at 1,722 m and is often referred to as “an
oasis in the desert” as its heights are home to rivers, lakes, waterfalls and
evergreen forests.
This city has been acclaimed as the most romantic city
in the world. It is built around and on the Aravalli hills. Many lakes of the
city add to the beauty of the historical city.
LIFESTYLE
Rajasthan is culturally rich and has artistic and
cultural traditions which reflect the ancient Indian way of life. There is rich
and varied folk culture from villages which are often depicted and is symbolic
of the state. Highly cultivated classical music and dance with its own distinct
style is part of the cultural tradition of Rajasthan.
Rajasthan is known for its traditional, colourful art.
The block prints, tie and dye prints, Bagaru prints, Sanganer prints, and Zari
embroidery are major export products from Rajasthan. Handicraft items like
wooden furniture and crafts, carpets, and blue pottery are commonly found here.
Shopping reflects the colourful culture, Rajasthani clothes have a lot of
mirror work and embroidery.
The main religious festivals are Deepawali, Holi,
Gangaur, Teej, Gogaji, Shri Devnarayan Jayanti, Makar Sankranti and
Janmashtami, as the main religion is Hinduism. Rajasthan's desert festival is
held once a year during winter. Dressed in costumes, the people of the desert
dance and sing ballads. There are fairs with snake charmers, puppeteers,
acrobats and folk performers. Camels play a role in this festival.
We are thrilled to share this wonderful video created by the project
coordinator, Eva Pousa, which shows all the postcards received ever since we started
our Postcrossing journey!
It's simply amazing to see how postcards have arrived from so
many faraway places, bringing different people together and bridging such diverse cultures.
Hannover is a city found in Lower Saxony, Germany. It
is located 52.37 latitude and 9.73 longitude and it is situated at 57 meters above
sea level. Hannover has a population of 515,140 making it the
biggest city in Lower Saxony.
HANNOVER IS FAMOUR FOR…
... being the place where Hochdeutsch, the most standard German, is spoken.
... The CeBit, the largest and most internationally
represented computer expo.
Herrenhausen Gardens are Hannover’s most famous
attraction and have been a striking example of grand horticultural style for
more than 300 years.
The centrepiece, the “Great Garden”, is the most
important baroque garden in Europe and is a magnet for tourists from all over
the world. Just like the ladies and gentlemen of the court in centuries gone
by, visitors today can stroll around amidst opulently designed beds, splendid
sculptures and artistically clipped, illuminated hedges. Water features can be
heard babbling in hidden corners while the Great Fountain rises to an
impressive height of 70 metres. Originally created by Electress Sophia as the
“Grand Jardin de la Leine”, the Great Garden is one of the few baroque parks
which has retained its basic structure until today.
In the days before the Second World War there was a
large old town in the centre of Hannover with narrow lanes and many
half-timbered buildings from the Middle Ages. A lot of poor people lived there
under bad conditions. Ordinary Hannoverians stayed away from the old town
because they also considered it a place of crime and demimonde. The historic
value of the picturesque old buildings interested but a few.
The old town of Hannover extended from Steintor to
Aegidientorplatz and is today only recognizable by its elliptical shape. The
old main streets like Osterstraße, Schmiedestraße, Knochenhauerstraße,
Burgstraße, Leinestraße and others are linked by numerous lanes and join again
at the old gates as was common in German merchants' settlements in the Middle
Ages.
The Marktkirche - the church at the market place - was
built in the 14th century. The marketplace was at the very centre of urban
expansion in Hannover. Merchants and craftsmen used to live around here. In the
14th century, the Marktkirche ("The Church at the Marketplace") was
built here. Together with the Old Town Hall to the right they are considered to
be the southernmost specimens of the "North German neo-Gothic" style.
A historical building dating back to 1500 a.d. The old
Town Hall was built over a period of more than 100 years. The earliest part
(from 1410) overlooks the Schmiedestrasse (Blacksmith Street), the later wing
next to the market was erected on the foundations of the 13th century trade
hall. The adjacent wing in the Koebelinger Str. is called the "Chemists'
Wing ("Apothekenflügel"), because it was the location of the Town
Hall's pharmacy. This wing was later rebuilt in Italian Romanesque style, after
a citizen's "action group" led by a well known neo-Gothic architect,
Conrad Wilhelm Hase, managed to save the entire building from demolition in
1844. Hase was subsequently commissioned to renovate the remaining wings in
their original style of 1500, with its exceptional gothic gables and the
ornamental frieze.
Europe's largest city forest in the heart of Hannover.
At around 640 hectares, Hannover possesses the largest forest in the heart of a
city in Europe – even Hyde Park in London and the Bois de Bologne in Paris do
not compare. This green lung mostly lies close to the city centre in the
eastern part of Hannover. With a convenient web of pathways and hundreds of
benches for resting, with lakes, lawns for sunbathing, children's playgrounds
and forest inns, the Eilenriede fulfils many needs of citizens seeking
recreation.
LIFESTYLE
Hannover has plenty to offer: the highest quality of
life and an excellent environment for daily work and business growth. Renowned
universities, international trade fairs and strong high-tech industries make
Hannover one of the state-of-the-art locations in Germany. More than 1 million
people live here. Within a radius of 500 km, there are no less than 130 million
people, the four biggest European cargo ports, five capital cities and all of
Germany's major industrial centres.
Enjoy a Hannover timelapse image film - one day in the
vibrant city of Hannover in just 5 minutes!
Nova Scotia (New Scotland in English) is one of
Canada's three Maritime Provinces located on the Atlantic part of the country.
Its provincial capital is Halifax. In 2011, the population was 921,727 making
Nova Scotia the second most-densely populated province in Canada.
…its breathtaking scenery and coastline. Nova Scotia
has two national parks: Kejimkujik and Cape Breton Highlands, and many other
protected areas. The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world, and
the iconic Peggys Cove is internationally recognized and receives 600,000 plus
visitors a year.
… its musicians including Grammy Award winners Denny
Doherty (from The Mamas & the Papas), Anne Murray, and Sarah McLachlan.
Other Nova Scottish musicians are country singer Hank Snow, country singer
George Canyon, jazz singer Holly Cole, opera singers Portia White and Barbara
Hannigan, multi-Juno Award nominated rapper Classified, Rita MacNeil, Matt
Mays, Sloan, Feist, Todd Fancey, The Rankin Family, April Wine, Buck 65, Joel
Plaskett, Grand Dérangement, and country music singer Drake Jensen.
A must visit for everyone who wants to learn about the
effects of World II on Halifax, with incredible model ships and aircraft
that'll take you back in time. It includes the Titanic exhibit, where you can
see relics from the "unsinkable ship” like an intact medicine cabinet and
pieces of the Titanic's great staircase.
A look into The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia permanent
collection gives you a good summary of Halifax life and is a nice way to get to
know the city. From folk artist Maud Lewis's eclectic home to kids workshops
that nurture the youngest budding artists, The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
offers plenty of pleasing ways to spend a few hours as you peruse their
extensive and impressive collections.
For hundreds of thousands of immigrants who made
Canada their new home, Pier 21 is where they took their first steps on Canadian
soil. Today, Pier 21 is an immigration museum on Halifax's harbour where you
can stop by for interesting exhibits that reveal stories of the million people
who passed through the pier.
Fort Anne is a four-star fort built to protect the
harbour of Annapolis Royal. The fort repelled all French attacks during the early
stages of King George's War. Now designated a National Historic Site of Canada,
it houses a museum with exhibits about the fort's history and historic
artifacts from the area. A 1/2 km trail runs along the fort's earthen walls,
and provides a view of the Annapolis River and basin.
Located in Millbrook, the Centre offers an innovative
multimedia presentation of the rich history of the Mi’kmaw people, as Glooscap
guides you through their trials, tribulations and triumphs. Exhibits include
ancient artifacts; stunning quillwork and beadwork; and a giant statue of the
legendary Glooscap.
Situated in
Maitland Bridge in the Fundy Shore and Annapolis Valley region, it is the only
inland national park in the Maritimes. Visitors will find historic canoe
routes, portages and many beautiful hiking trails in the park. The park is 381
km² with abundant lakes and rivers ideal for canoeing and kayaking – the best
in Eastern Canada. The park’s lush
woodlands and gently rolling landscapes are home to a variety of wildlife.
Watch the video below to discover more about this
amazing Canadian province:
