People often imagine big cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore, when they think of traveling there. However, despite the disorder of great cities is the small Indian town where real cultural essence of the country is preserved. These towns are obscured because of having more popular tourist hubs and however it was found that the traditions, festivals and even the crafts that are adopted by these towns are still in their purest form. There isn t any tourist attraction available in these towns but they offer the chance to get to know the true India, the one that is not in the postcards and memorials.
And with Question? brewshuvo production for the first quarter of the year 2020. With the right flight ticket in hand, quick flight booking can land you to these gems without trying too hard on your budget because there are a lot of cheap flight options to the nearby airports.
There is something different about India in general and its small towns in particular that could not leave any visitor indifferent.
1. Hannapet, Karnataka the Toy Town
Channapatna, southBeast Bengaluru, is a UNESCO-designated manufacturing centre of lacquered wood toys, also recognised as the Toy Town of India. The colorful toys are carved, polished, and painted by the hands of the artisans in the narrow streets of the city and the methods of making these toys have been transferred through generations.
Visitors are not only able to go shopping but also be a part of toy-making workshops. Imagine the experience of going to learn how to make your own spinning top or doll and then walking out with one as a memento of the trip.
Closest airport: Bengaluru (one can fly a short cheap flight to Bengaluru). A day trip can be arranged quite easily by making a speedy flight booking.
2. Bishnupur, West Buddha in West Bengal -Bishnupur Terracotta Art
Bishnupur is a small historical town which is popular due to its terracotta temples of the 17 th century. There are also lovely carvings on walls, telling some mythological stories, all it captures form and devotion.
However, that is not the only thing in Bishnupur as it is also the home to Bishnupur Gharana, an ancient school of classical music in India. You may be lucky to witness local performance that fits hundreds of years of tradition. You will not want to miss the imagined sarees weaving here, the Baluchari sarees or narratives of various stories through designs.
There is easy access to the place as you can book a cheap flight to Kolkata and drive to Bishnupur.
3. Raghurajpur, Odisha, Crafts Village
Raghurajpur is a heavenly destination of an art enthusiast. Hidden away in Puri, the village is renowned to have Pattachitra paintings- detailed scroll paintings which are a product of old style storytelling. The specialty of the visit is, almost every house in Raghurajpur, also serves as a studio.
Tourists have a chance to co-exist with artists and learn how to paint as well as purchase paintings by artists. In the festival such as Gotipua dance performances, the village itself as a whole comes to life.
Take a cheap flight ticket to Bhubaneswar and you are only a few hours way to this colourful craft village.
4. Orchha, Madhya Pradesh a Royal Town Frozen in Time
Orchha is probably small, but it punches beyond its weight. You feel you have accessed the lost book of history with palaces, cenotaphs, and fresco-decorated temples. The aarti that takes place in the evening at Ram Raja Temple is a unique occurrence of spirituality and the pinnacle of devotion all at the same time.
What is more than its architecture is the storytelling Orchha has. Tales of Bundela Kings are retold so passionately by local guides that you will experience the past as though it is new.
The nearest airport is Gwalior. A multiple booking within a short flight
5. Majuli, Assam- the largest river island in the world
Majuli is not only a place, it is a style of life. It is situated on a river island of Brahmaputra which has got unique Satras (monAstic establishments) of which art, dance, as well as music, are preserved with piety. The workshops of Samaguri Satra are especially interesting: they specialise in mask-making, producing emphatic masks that appear, in a traditional performance.
Majuli is a cultural paradise amidst slow life with green fields and the view of rivers.
Fly into Jorhat, take a ferry over to Majuli on a budget flight and then enjoy this unique mega-cultural trip.
6. Hodka village Kutch, Gujarat -Hospitality Meets Craft
The Rann of Kutch is a tourist destination because of their white desert festival but it is the small village of Hodka where you can really get the feel of the hospitality of the people of Kutch. Here villagers invoke their homes, or Bhungas, to welcome travelers, giving stays that are made up of colorful local crafts.
Mirror art, leatherwork, and hand embroidery are the most popular activities to practice by using the skill of an expert and you can also give a shot at them too. Nights typically culminate onto folk music and dancing with a starry sky.
A Bhuj flight on a low cost airline will land you in the vicinity of this experiential cultural abode.
7. Kalimpong, West Bengal- A Band of Himalaya with Monastic Charisma
Kalimpong is a calm Himalayan town where monasteries, colonial buildings and flower markets are the main determinants in the daily life. A Cultural and Religious Experience, the visits Zang Dhok Palri Monastery will provide cultural and spiritual enrichment due to preservation of rare scriptures in the monastery.
The local markets are filled with handicrafts, woolens and Tibetan art and the tea gardens present the best sneak preview of mountain life.
Closest airport: Bagdogra, which has frequent low cost flights into India.
The Question Why Visit Small Towns?
Although big cities might present you with the rapid development of India, only in small towns you will experience real life. In this place, culture is not set up in order to please tourists- it is everyday everyday life. Musical heritage in Tamil Nadu, Channapatna toy-making, mask-making in Majuli, embroidery in Kutch and so much more, these experiences give you a direct access to people and their traditions.
With convenient flight bookings, they are even more convenient to plan such trips. No matter whether you get a cheap flight to spend a weekend or a longer period of time, the cultural wealth of India is waiting not further than a shot flight ticket.
Final Thoughts
When you travel to small towns in India, it has a feeling of being inside a living museum but in this case, you are not merely a visitor. You are welcome to contribute, educate yourself and others to the traditions that have survived millennia. When you are booking your next flight look beyond the major cities. Get on that affordable flight to the closest airport and check out the heart of India in these small cities.
Because, once in a while the largest stories live in the smallest towns.