Archive for the 'Forests' Category
Travel India Chidambaram
Author: Binoy Gupta
Unique Temple of the Formless Shiva
I have visited Chidambaram several times for three reasons.
· To meander through the Mangrove Forests of Pichavaram to the beach beyond.
· To visit, attend or give lectures at the Annamalai University.
· And to visit the Chidambaram Temple.
read comments (8)Travel India Matheran – the pollution free resort
Author: Binoy Gupta
Matheran
Matheran is a no-vehicle zone… so go ahead and walk in the clouds at this hill-station.
Prized, protected: Rain clouds, dense mist
It is the only hill-station where any kind of public or private transport is prohibited by law; and the prohibition enforced effectively. Besides the buses, cars and other four-wheelers and two-wheelers such as motorbikes, even bicycles are not allowed inside Matheran. 
As for the plastic bottles and carry-bags littered by irresponsible tourists, this hill-station tackled the problem long ago. In November 2002, Prof H.Y. Mohan Ram, Chairman of a Government Expert Committee, declared Matheran clean and free of garbage, and the cleanest hill-station of India.
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Travel India Kodaikanal – the Gift of the Forest
Author: Binoy Gupta
Kodaikanal
The Tamil word Kodaikanal which means ‘Gift of the Forest’ aptly describes this quaint, little, hill station. No other name could describe this place better!
Nestling deep amidst thick forests, Kodaikanal is a unique hill station where you would love to spend a few days. You would love to walk through the wooded forests. Perhaps take a bath in one of the splashing waterfalls. Row in the lake. Try horse riding. Or simply admire the endless varieties of flaura and fauna.
Covering an area of 21.45 square kilometers, Kodaikanal is situated on the southern tip of upper Palani hills in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu at an altitude of about 2133 metres. Except during the monsoons, from October to December, when the monsoons really pour, the weather is fairly uniform throughout the year.
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Travel India Ranthambore – the land of the Tiger
Author: Binoy Gupta
An Amalgam of Antiquity and Nature
How about a vacation under the shadows of one of the oldest fort in India – with tigers for company at breakfast and tea ?
Ranthambore is the place I selected.
History
The magnificent Ranthambore Fort is one of the oldest forts in India. The Fort was built by the Kachhwaha Rajputs (Chauhans) but there is no certainty about the time and who the actual founder was. Some historians tell us that it was built by King Sapaldaksha in 944 A.D. Others historians say it was built by King Jayant of the same dynasty in 1110 A.D. There are other historians who give the credit to some one else.
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Travel India Yercaud – Lake amidst the Forests
Author: Binoy Gupta
Misnamed the Poor Man’s Ooty
The coffee is not an indigenous plant. Where did it came from?
Coffee was introduced into Yercaud from Arabia in the 1920s by Mr. M. D. Cockburn, then Collector of Salem. Yercaud is a small hill station perched on the Shevaroy Hills in Salem District of Tamil Nadu.
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Travel India Dandeli – An idyllic forest destination in India
Author: Binoy Gupta
Dandeli
a little known unique destination in South India
Dandeli is a little known, rustic hamlet, near the borders of Maharashtra and Goa in North Karnataka in South India.
Dandeli is the gate way into the dense virgin forests and is a wonderful get away place within motorable distance from Hubli, Dharwad, Belgaum, Goa, Bangalore and Mumbai.
Travel India Sunderban – Journey to nowhere
Author: Binoy Gupta
Land of the Royal Bengal Tiger
Largest Delta in the World
The two great rivers, Ganges 2,510 km. (1,560 miles) and Brahmaputra 2,900 km. (1,800 miles), are born in the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. On the last lap of their long journey, just before they enter the Bay of Bengal and merge with the oceans, they meander through the plains of Bangladesh and West Bengal (India) creating the largest delta in the world.
Travel India Ooty – the Queen of Hill Stations
Author: Binoy Gupta
Ooty
The Queen of Hill Stations
The Queen of Hill Stations in South India is Udhagamandalam or Ootacamund. I find both terms far too long and tongue twisting; and prefer the much shorter term Ooty.
Ooty is certainly the most popular hill station in South India.
Ooty, located in the Western ghats at a height of 2240 metres, is the headquarters of the Nilgiris district where the Eastern and Western ghats meet.
Flora and Fauna
Ooty is full of coffee estates and tea plantations. The dense forests around are full of connifers, eucalyptus, pine and wattle; numerous animals and birds.
Travel India Hogenakkal Falls – the smoking rocks
Author: Binoy Gupta
Hogenakkal Falls
The Cauvery River may be the bone of contention between politicians, but oblivious to all these earthly squabbles, the river passes though some of the most picturesque regions in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in South India.
Hogenakkal Falls is one such place. It is the finest waterfall in Tamil Nadu and one of those places which should not be missed.
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Travel India Lonavala and Khandala
Author: Binoy Gupta
The most popular week end get aways from Mumbai
Lonavala and Khandala are two twin hill stations in Maharashtra eight kilometres from each other. They are just over a hundred kilometres from Mumbai (Bombay). The National Highway No. 4 from Mumbai to Bangalore passes through these two hill stations offering travellers a most enjoyable two hour motoring from Mumbai.