Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.

A Girl from Arunachal Pradesh.
Originally uploaded by arunchs.

Itanagar is situated at the foothills of Himalayas and is the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. The Nishi, also known as the Nishing, is the major tribe in Itanagar area. The city is named after the Itafort which dates back to the 15th century.

A beautiful yellow roofed Buddhist temple reflects the Tibetan influence and provides good view of Itanagar and the surrounding areas.

Guwahati, Assam

VIP Road revisited
Originally uploaded by skataria.

The gateway to the north-east part of the country, Guwahati is close to Dispur, the capital of the Indian state of Assam. The city is between the southern bank of Brahmaputra river and the foothills of the Shillong plateau. Guwahati was situated midway between two powerful kingdoms, the Ahom and the Koch kingdoms.

Today Guwahati is important because it is the commercial center of Assam and is also the hub that connects six other northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura. The city has a population of over 2.5 million people. The picture is of the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.

Patna, Bihar

Jalan Museum (Quila House), Patna
Originally uploaded by /jjj/.

Located on the Southern bank of Ganges, the modern city of Patna is the capital of the Indian State of Bihar. A bustling city of 1.2 million people, Patna was the famed Patliputra, the seat of power and nerve center of the sub-continent. From Patliputra, the mighty emperor Chandragupta Maurya ruled a vast empire, stretching from Bay of Bengal to Afghanistan. Early Mauryan Patliputra was mostly built with wooden structures. Emperor Ashoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, transformed the wooden capital into stone construction around 273 BC.

Muzaffarpur, Bihar

Shahi Litchees
Originally uploaded by scorius.

Muzaffarpur is famous for Litchis, a fruit found only in a few places in the world. This city is also known for a medical collage and an engineering collage. Muzaffarpur is a leading center of education and boasts of one of the oldest unversities of North Bihar.

Bodh Gaya, Bihar

Indosan Nipponji Buddha, Bodh Gaya
Originally uploaded by Jus Snaps.

Bodh Gaya complex is located about 96 kilometers from Patna in the state of Bihar. It contains Mahabodhi Temple, built over 2,500 years back, and is the place of Buddha's Enlightenment. Bodh Gaya is the most important pilgrimage site for Buddhists.

Prince Gautama Siddartha (Gautama Buddha), wandering as a monk, reached the banks of Falgu River near the city of Gaya. There he sat in meditation under a peepal tree and after three days and nights of meditation, Siddharta (Buddha) attained enlightenment.

Gaya, Bihar

P5140700
Originally uploaded by juicyrai.

Situated on the banks of Falgu River, Gaya is a place sanctified by both Hindu and the Buddhist religions. It was part of the ancient Magadh.

Documented history of Gaya dates back to the birth of Gautam Buddha. About 15 km from Gaya town is Bodh Gaya, the place where Lord Buddha got enlightenment.

Bhagalpur, Bihar

whitewashed
Originally uploaded by anokhisp.

Bhagalpur silk is well-known in India and abroad. The silk production in the city is hundreds of years old and a whole community exists that has been producing silk for generations. Bhagalpur has a silk institute to preserve this craft.

The city is located on the southern banks of Ganga river in the eastern state of Bihar. The snake queen (Nageen) is worshiped during "Vishaili Puja" and the tradition goes back hundreds of years.

Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Dawn in a village n India
Originally uploaded by flickerHS.

Raipur is the capital of the newly created State of Chhattisgarh. It was formarly a part of Madhya Pradesh. Located to the west of Mahanadi River, Raipur has a population of 600,000 people.

The city of Raipur is located near the centre of a large plain, sometimes referred to as the “rice bowl of India” - where hundreds of varieties of rice are grown.

The airport in Raipur is situated in the outskirts of the city, in the village of Mana. The airport is popularly known as Mana Airport. It is the sole commercially operating airport of Chattisgarh state.

Bhilai, Chhattisgarh

Bhilai Surya Vihar House
Originally uploaded by arnav_mishra.

The city of Bhilai Steel Plant is the second-largest in Chhattisgarh, with a population of over half a million people. The city is only 40 km from the state capital, Raipur. Amil Sana of Indian Idol fame hails from Bhilai.

Formerly a small town, Bhilai grew rapidly after the construction of one of the biggest steel plants in the country. The pace of development has increased since the formation of Chhattisgarh as a seperate state.

Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh

a hamlet called bilaspur
Originally uploaded by a c h a n.

Bilaspur town with a population 250,000 people is located on the banks of Arpa River, in the newly created state of Chhattisgarh. The town is known for its tasty and aromatic Doobraj rice and handloom woven colorful soft Kosa silk sarees.

Bilaspur is developing as a center of education for Chhattisgarh. Students from all over the state come to study engineering, medicine and administrative officers' competitive exams.

The downtown is called Goal (round) Bazaar and Sadar Bazaar.