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6 Best Places to celebrate Holi in India

4th February 2015Posted in SaffronStays DiariesTagged Best Places to celebrate Holi, Holi celebration in India, Holi in Goa, Holi in India, Holi in Jaipur, Holi in Kolkata, Holi in Kullu, Holi in Udaipur, Holi in Vrindavan, Homestays in Delhi, Jaipur heritage havelis, jaipur homestays, Kolkata Homestays, Kullu, Udaipur heritage havelis, Udaipur HomestaysLeave a comment

Holi, the festival of colour, is one of the major events in the Hindu calendar and is celebrated with much prompt all over India. It is no surprise that most of us begin a countdown to the festival days in advance. SaffronStays takes great pleasure in introducing you to some regions that celebrate Holi differently, where you can travel to make your Holi a little more festive this year.

Yes, Holi falls on a long weekend in 2016 and we think you should make the most of it!

1. A Royal Affair – Udaipur, Rajasthan

Holi is of particular importance to the people of Udaipur because of the special interest the members of the royal family take in bringing the festival of colour to their people. The first day of Holika Dahan is observed at the City Palace every year in the presence of Mewar’s Royal family. The customs of lighting the Holi pyre is traditionally performed by the current custodian of the Mewar dynasty. An elaborate function then takes place at the City Palace.

Click here to plan or book your stay in Udaipur

2. Elephant Festival – Jaipur, Rajasthan

What sets Holi in Jaipur apart from celebrations in any other part of the country is the Elephant Festival. Watch as elephant after elephant parades past you, bedecked in jewellery, anklets, bells and even elaborate head-plates specially designed for the procession. Elephants march into the Jaipur Polo Ground to the accompaniment of nagadas (Indian kettle drums) and bankiyas. Soon follow events which include elephant parades, elephant beauty contests, folk dances, and elephant tug-of-war. All of this makes for a beautiful Holi in Jaipur.

Note: The celebrations in Polo Ground have not included Elephants in the last 2 years. It would be advisable to check with the authorities in advance.

Click here to plan or book your stay in Jaipur

3. Carnival of Colors – Goa

Holi in Goa is celebrated as Shigmotsav, and is seen as a kind of fusion between the festival of colour and a full-fledged carnival. People from all religions and walks of life come together to drench each other in water and colour. Shigmotsav is celebrated over an entire fortnight, and the grand finale of the festival involves colourful parades and folk dances that are organised by the Goan locals. Of special mention are the artistically designed and beautifully lit floats that are taken out in Panaji and other places like Ponda, Vasco, Madgaon and Mapusa. The shimmering floats move along with the parade gripping the attention of a huge crowd that aligns the streets of Goa. It is a great time to experience a unique side of Goa.

Click here to plan or book your stay in Goa

4. 40 Days of Celebration – Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

The hill town of Kullu began Holi celebrations on the day of Basant Panchami in January. The festivities date back to 1660 AD when, Jagat Singh, the then King of Kullu, brought the idol of Lord Raghunath (Lord Rama) from Ayodhya and installed it at a temple in Sultanpur in Kullu. Since then, locals gather at the temple every year and apply gulaal or colors to the idol. Following a special ritual, the chariot of Lord Rama is wheeled to a festival ground, amidst the sound of drums and trumpets, where temporary camp is set up by devotees. Prayers and colors are offered for 40 days until the day of Holi. The festivities will definitely add to the charm of the snow-clad hill town, we think.

Click here to plan or book your stay in Kullu-Manali

5. Spring Festival – Shantiniketan, West Bengal

The renowned Poet Noble Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, began the tradition of celebrating Holi as Basant Utsav or Spring Festival in Shantiniketan. Every year, the students and faculty of Vishva Bharati Institute dress up in colors of spring and put together a cultural programme for visitors – with colors, folk dances and performances to Tagore’s songs and poems. An important part of Bengal’s history and culture, the celebration of Basant Utsav in Shantiniketan is definitely worth travelling for.

Santiniketan is about 160 km from Kolkata and you can make the city your base and take a day trip from there. Click here to plan or book your stay in Kolkata

6. Traditional Celebration – Vrindavan & Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

This list will perhaps be incomplete without the mention of Holi celebrations in Uttar Pradesh. The towns of Mathura, the birthplace of Krishna, and Vrindavan, where he spent his childhood, come alive with colour and zeal for a whole week during Holi. What is interesting is that the different temples of Lord Krishna celebrate Holi on different days while the celebrations at Shri Banke Bihari Mandir in Vrindavan go on for an entire week. If you’ve ever wanted to experience the local culture of Uttar Pradesh, this is the best time to do so.

Mathura is about 160 km from Delhi.

Click here to plan or book your stay in Delhi

Where will you be celebrating Holi this year? Share with us in your comments.

About the Authors:

Born and raised in Assam, Sarita Santoshini has been travelling around India and penning down her experiences over the past year. She currently works as the Content Editor for SaffronStays. You can read more of her travelogues on her blog-http://crumbsfromyourtale.wordpress.com.

Alaric Moras spends most of his time reading, writing and interning with industries that read and write. He aims to become a clinical psychologist, providing therapy and catching Freudian slips during the day, writing and reading through the night. He likes all manner of animals, the smell of books, and the oxford comma.

10 tips to choose the right Homestay

24th November 2014Posted in SaffronStays DiariesTagged Himachal Pradesh homestays, India homestays, jaipur homestays, Kerala homestays, Local food, Map search, Meghalaya home stays, Rajasthan homestays, Sikkim homestaysLeave a comment

In my last blog post (Read: 11 Reasons I choose a Homestay over a Hotel, everytime! ), I shared my insight about homestays and gave you reasons to choose one for your next vacation. Now, hoping I have tempted you enough, I arm you with 10 essentials for choosing the right homestay through our website.

Read on, get booking and keep your travel gears ready.

Tip # 1. Ask yourself what you want from your vacation

Keana home — Stay in this quaint cottage nesting in the Himalayas for a quiet vacation

Sikkim Homestays — Kewzing village in Sikkim is inhabited by the Bhutia community and offers a unique cultural experience to travellers

The first and foremost step is to decide the kind of experience you are seeking from your vacation. You could be looking for a quick weekend getaway to one of Coastal Maharashtra‘s unexplored beaches from Mumbai or to a hill station in Uttarakhand from Delhi. Some of you might want to experience what staying in a Haveli in Rajasthan or a Colonial Bungalow in the coffee plantation feels like, while others might prefer to stay with the Bhutia community in Sikkim or a weavers’ village in Meghalaya. Options are plenty and you can choose your stay in heritage homes, colonial Bungalows, tree houses, boat houses and tents.

Tip # 2. Look for hosts who match your interests

Homestays in Alleppey — A host in Alleppey, Natasha, provides dance and meditation classes to guests.

Most hosts add great value to your vacation by going that extra mile. Some of our hosts are professionals in the fields of bird-watching, wildlife and trekking, and can conduct some great trips for you. There are others who are great cooks and conduct live cooking sessions for guests on request. Some hosts would be happy to include you in their daily activities like a puja in the family temple or Diwali and Onam celebrations. At the very least, hosts are a treasure trove of the history and culture of the location and take immense pride in sharing stories of their home state and culture. So make the most of this.

Tip # 3. Who are you travelling with?

Homestays India — Homestays are the best option when travelling with family.

The people that you are travelling with largely determine where you should stay and what facilities you should look for. If you’re travelling with your family and have kids or elders along with you, you might want to look at the finer details. Not all homestays have lifts, air conditioners or western-style bathrooms. A few homestays, especially in remote regions, require a small trek that elders may find difficult to undertake. Many homestays allow you access to kitchen, so you can cook special meals for your parents and a simple suji kheer for your child. Do you have a pet and it breaks your heart to leave him/her in a kennel when you travel? Most hotels don’t allow dogs, but a lot of homestays do, so it’s advisable to check in advance. And if you’re travelling as an unmarried couple, check with the homestay if it’s okay with it.

Tip # 4. Make note of the amenities that your preferred homestay provides

Himachal homestays — If you’re staying in our host, Shezad’s homestay in Himachal, you definitely need a heater

Saffronstays Homestays — Click on the Filters tab to modify your search as per your exact requirements.

Depending on who you’re travelling with and when you’re travelling, check the amenities provided by the homestay. You might want to check for provision of air conditioners in a homestay in Rajasthan and for heaters in Srinagar. If you’re looking for city comforts, check the availability of laundry facilities, Cable TV, Wi-Fi and power backup.

Tip # 5. Check whether meals are available

Coorg Homestays — Pandi curry is a must try during your stay in a Coorg homestay.

Like we always say, the best part about staying in a homestay is undoubtedly the delicious home-cooked food. Most homestays have breakfast included in their tariff while others, especially the ones located in remote locations, with fewer eateries around, include all meals in their tariff. You might also want to check for the cuisines provided by the homestay and see if they’ll be happy to serve you local food. If you’re a strict vegetarian, you could specifically look for the many homestays that serve only veg food.

Tip # 6. Look for places of interest, landmark and transport facilities around the homestay

Homestay in Ladakh — Stay in a homestay beside the Lamayuru Monastery in Ladakh

We’ve curated few select places with top things to do. All you have to do is click on the “Map View” tab to enable the feature and watch the screen light up like a Christmas tree. It gives you a good idea of the distance from the nearest airport or train station and a perspective of whether you are in a shopping district or a party hub or some far flung suburb of Mumbai. If you know precisely what you want to do during your vacation, you might want to specifically search for homestays around the area. For example, Goa Sunburn is held in Vagator beach and if you want to stay close by, all you have to do is zoom into the beach on the map and you can view homestays in that particular area. It makes your search simpler, faster and easier!

Tip # 7. Have a look at reviews and ratings

Homestays in India — Look for these icons on our website

“Reputation is the currency of the online world“. We realize that you’re looking for reviews and ratings that you expect the homestays to have painstakingly acquired over the years. Given that we have recently come to the party, we decided to personally verify every homestay and even gather the homestay experience ourselves. How did we do that? We selected some top photographers and travel writers and offered them a once-in-a-lifetime sabbatical opportunity, our TravelNinja program. We gave them a circuit to follow, they researched for homestays and spoke to a hundred odd hosts there. In most cases, the homestay owners were warm enough to extend their hospitality to us and referred us to other hosts. A bit of luck and serendipity did the rest. We have taken the effort of curating content for the homestays and marked out a few as ‘Featured’ – these are homestays we believe are special, either in terms of the location, the host or the hospitality and facilities provided. We’d recommend you to rely on us, search within the featured homestays and enjoy your stay! Do not forget to come back and give us a review on our site. It will help the next traveller to make an informed decision.

Tip # 8. Talk to the host

Homestays in Udaipur — Our host in Udaipur, Shurveer, gladly answers guest queries and makes arrangement as per their requests

SaffronStays — Our chat feature “Talk to Host” allows guests to communicate directly with the host.

“I like your homestay and want to spend a weekend there with my partner. Could you arrange a special dinner for us?” “Do you have a caretaker who can cook special meals for my parents? Does my 6 year old kid need an extra bedding?” Have a number of such questions while booking and find yourself going in circles?

Through our new chat feature “Talk to Host” we now allow our guests to communicate with our hosts directly to have their queries answered. Likewise, the Host may ask you a few questions too. After all, you are going to be sharing the space in his/her personal home. It is important to be comfortable, accept each other and then make the booking.

Tip # 9. Use the Dreamstays feature to save and share your preferred homestays

SaffronStays DreamStays tab — Use the “DreamStays” tab to share your favourite homestays with loved ones

If you still aren’t sure about your choice and want a second opinion of your family (always helps to get the wife’s nod, right?), add your selections to the DreamStays tab and inbox them to your spouse/travel partner. It’s far easier than directing them with names, rows and columns on the site.

Tip # 10. Make easy payment and enjoy your stay.

Once you’ve made your decision, all you have to do is send a booking request and wait for the host to accept it. That done, you can easily make payment using your credit card, debit card, internet banking or Paypal.

All set to book a Homestay now? Visit our website.

About the author: Tejas Parulekar is a first generation entrepreneur who has (ad)ventured into a domain that is traditionally dominated by large hospitality chains and other travel portals. A Banker by experience and Chartered Accountant by training, she is aspiring to leave an imprint in the hospitality sector by bringing together the little fish (Homestays) to take on the mighty shark. Encourage her and her homestay hosts by booking your next stay on www.saffronstays.com.

A Cycling Introduction to the Pink City of Jaipur

29th October 2014Posted in History, Local culture, RajasthanTagged Ajmeri Gate, Bapu Bazar, Chaugan Stadium, City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Isar Lat, Jaipur, Jaipur history, jaipur homestays, Jantar Mantar, Local Jaipur, Nehru Bazar, Rajasthan homestays, Tripolia GateLeave a comment

By Bhavani

“The city was not always pink!” Raja, my guide, drawled in a voice that was laced with the smell and colour of pan. My guide was a cycle rickshaw driver. He had persuaded me to a quick tour around the walled city laced with many stories—all for Rs. 200.

“They say,” he continued, “that Queen Victoria was visiting long ago. The Maharaja believed that pink was the colour of hospitality. He ordered the entire city to be painted in pink!:

“What! I thought it was about the stones!” I exclaimed. He simply shrugged it away.

By then, we had reached the massive gates to enter the walled city… Centuries ago elephants would have passed through but today cars, autos and two-wheelers honk their impatient way into the heart of Jaipur.

Cycle rickshaw in Jaipur — Cycle rickshaws still ply inside the walled city and are a sustainable way to get around. I tend to tip big for the effort involved. Photo by Bhavani

Jaipur Sanganeri Gate — There are three gates along MI Road each as beautiful as the other. Photo by Bhavani

“You see, this was the first city in the plains, otherwise all the cities used to be in the hills. Maharaja Sawai Jaisingh II took double precautions to keep his kingdom safe. He had check-posts high in the hills to keep a lookout for an approaching enemy. And these walls are 3 metres thick and 6 metres high! There are seven gates though a couple were built later.”

We entered from the Ajmeri Gate, went along Nehru Bazaar and then Bapu Bazaar, both lined with a neat row of shops on either side, till we reached Sangameri Gate. “This is the famous Johari Bazaar,” he said. “Do you have money?”

“Huh?”

“This bazaar is famous for gold and silver jewellery. If you don’t have money you can buy some cheaper costume jewellery.”

“No, let’s continue,” I said, still shaken by the first question!

Jaipur Bazaar — A view of the bazaar from over my guide’s shoulders. Photo by Bhavani

Bazaars of Jaipur — The bazaars are quite organised and demarcated by the goods they specialise in! Photo by Bhavani

Cycling up Johari Bazaar, Raja pointed out the important landmarks…

“And there is LMB Sweet shop, don’t forget their famous ghewar before you leave the city. It will stay good for three to four days. Now keep looking to your left… You will see Jama Masjid… It’s pretty no? And now we have reached Badi Chaupar, the main square of Jaipur… there were underground pipes and people could get water through the year!”

Aqueducts, I thought. Wow, there were aqueducts here more than two hundred years ago. His voice trailed away as he continued cycling through this mad intersection of vehicles, people, noises and my thoughts!

Jama Masjid Jaipur — In a line of similar looking buildings squashed together, Jama Masjid stands out with its minarets and painted work shining against the pink. Photo by Bhavani

Before I knew it, we had reached Hawa Mahal. The facade of bright pink balcony like structures, each decorated and shimmering in the bright sun. It took my breath away.

“There are around 500 tiny windows they say, so the hawa (or breeze) is very nice inside. The Maharanis would peep down from those little windows and look onto the streets… they were not allowed to step out.”

I quickly looked up, looking for that Maharani but all I saw was design and beauty.

Hawa Mahal — It feels as dainty as a cardboard set, but has stood here for 200 odd years! The world goes on around it, but this monument stands as a testament to a more beautiful time. Photo by Bhavani

I was to come back later to soak it up at length, so Raja continued till we reached Tripolia Gate or the Triple Gate.

“You know, my father used to tell me that if a commoner used this gate, something bad would happen. This gate is only for the Royalty… you cannot enter from here!”

I looked at the light yellowish gate in front of me through my lens and suddenly there was an angry policeman waving his hands and shouting at me, “Arrey, what are you doing? Nahi nahi… no no… Don’t click photos here!”

Tripolia Gate Jaipur — This light yellow gate stands out against the pink surroundings. Photo by Bhavani

A short distance away, through a gate meant for commoners, was the City Palace and closeby, Jantar Mantar. But that was for later in the day. Instead Raja turned into a doorway, took an immediate left, continued till he stopped in front of a board that read Isar Lat. “Go up, you will see all of Jaipur. The tour is over Madam.”

“Where did you learn all the stories from?” I asked as I paid him.

“I pay attention to the guides when they come in my rickshaw. It’s not that difficult.”

An enterprising young man for sure! I thanked him, wished him well and bought myself an entrance ticket.

After a steep walk up, a breathless me reached the top of Isar Lat or the watch-tower. To each side spread the great city of Jaipur from the City Palace and Jantar Mantar, to Hawa Mahal and the tops of all the bazaars. On the hills surrounding Jaipur were the famous Nahargarh Fort and in the distance I could see the green grass of the Chaugan Stadium. I stood there taking in this silence of being far removed from the noise and chaos of the roads below. Peaceful. Silence… Reached into my pocket for my phone; instagram was my favourite travel companion. But it wasn’t there! I searched my jhola bag, camera bag… oh… and ran down, breathless again by the time I came out of the main entrance to Isar Lat.

Raja was leaning against his cycle rickshaw and talking to the security guard. He looked up and said calmly, “Arrey Madam, you left your phone on the seat?”

Isar Lat Jaipur — Reflections on the passage of time. Photo by Bhavani

Visit our website to book homestays in Jaipur and the rest of Rajasthan.

About the traveller: Bhavani is a traveller by choice, photographer by interest and writer by desire. She has crafted 12 heritage walking tours for Audio Compass and her articles have been published in Indian Express, Lonely Planet India, The Alternative and Unboxed Writers. She is in a dedicated relationship with chocolate, her husband and lower case – though confused about the order of preference! She blogs at merry to go around and tweets @bhavan1.