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Showing posts from July, 2016

Hulhumale, North Male Atoll, Maldives

Hulhumalé or Hulhulemale is a reclaimed island located in the south of North Male Atoll, Maldives. The artificial island was reclaimed to establish a new land mass required to meet the existing and future housing, industrial and commercial development demands of the Malé region. The official settlement was inaugurated by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on May 12, 2004. The development and management of the island is undertaken by a government-owned corporation called Housing Development Corporation which was incorporated on March 23, 2005.

Leh District, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Leh was the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh, now the Leh district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Leh district, with an area of 45,110 km2, is the second largest district in the country, after Kutch, Gujarat (in terms of area). The town is dominated by the ruined Leh Palace, the former mansion of the royal family of Ladakh, built in the same style and about the same time as the Potala Palace-the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, during the 1959 Tibetan uprising. Leh is at an altitude of 3524 metres (11,562 ft), and connects via National Highway 1D to Srinagar in the southwest and to Manali in the south via the Leh-Manali Highway. In 2010, Leh was sorely damaged by the sudden floods caused by a cloud burst. Leh, a high-desert city in the Himalayas, is the capital of the Leh region in northern India’s Jammu and Kashmir state. Originally a stop for trading caravans, Leh is now known for its Buddhist si

Seven Sisters Falls, Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya, India

Seven Sisters Falls located 1 kilometer south of Mawsmai village in East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya, the Seven Sisters Falls have the reputation of being the fourth highest waterfalls in India. Also known as Nohsngithiang Falls, they form a seven-segmented waterfall, which plunges over the top of limestone cliffs of the Khasi Hills. The falls only flow during the rainy season. The vibrant colors of the setting sun make for a great sight. Seven Sisters Falls have become synonymous with Meghalaya which is renowned as one of the wettest place on earth. The falls are a great tourist attraction during the monsoon season and must definitely feature on your northeast India itinerary. A visit to the Seven Sisters Falls can be combined with other attractions like the Mawsmai caves and the Nohkalikai Falls.

Sagarmatha National Park, Solukhumbu District, Nepal

The Sagarmāthā National Park is a protected area in the Himalayas of eastern Nepal that is dominated by Mount Everest. It encompasses an area of 1,148 km2 (443 sq mi) in the Solukhumbu District and ranges in elevation from 2,845 m (9,334 ft) to 8,848 m (29,029 ft) at the summit of Mount Everest. In the north, it shares the international border with the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve of Tibet and extends to the Dudh Kosi river in the south. Adjacent to the east is the Makalu Barun National Park. Sagarmāthā is a Nepali word derived from सगर् sagar meaning "sky" and माथा māthā meaning "head". The protected area has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International and is included in the Sacred Himalayan Landscape.

Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka, India

Chikkamagaluru is a district in the state of Karnataka. Coffee was first cultivated in India in Chikkamagalur. The mountains in Chikkamagaluru which are a part of the Western Ghats are the source of rivers like Tunga and Bhadra. Mullayanagiri, which is the highest peak in Karnataka is located in the district. It is also a tourist's paradise containing hill stations like Kemmanagundi and Kudremukh and waterfalls like Manikyadhara, Hebbe, Kallathigiri. Chikkamagaluru district has a rich history as is seen in the Hoysala temple at Amrithapura. Wildlife enthusiasts would be interested in the Kudremukh National Park and Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary present in this district. Kuduremukha is a mountain range and name of a peak located in Chikkamagaluru district, in Karnataka, India. It is also the name of a small hill station cum mining town situated near the mountain, about 48 kilometres from Karkala and around 20 kilometres from Kalasa. The name Kuduremukha literally means 

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States

Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500-sq.-mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho too. Yellowstone features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful. It's also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope. The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin.Grand Prismatic Spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration. Its colors match the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first lar

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

The Lower Lake or Chhota Talaab is a lake in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state of India. Along with the Upper Lake, it forms the Bhoj Wetland. The lake was built by creating in 1794 to beautify the city. The construction was commissioned by Chote Khan, a minister of Nawab Hayat Muhammad Khan Bahadur. A number of earlier wells were merged in this lake. The bridge that separates the Lower Lake and the Upper Lake is called "Pul Pukhta" or Lower Lake bridge. The lower lake has also been mentioned as "Pukhta-Pul Talao" in literature.

City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

City Palace, Jaipur, which includes the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal palaces and other buildings, is a palace complex in Jaipur, the capital of the Rajasthan state, India. It was the seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur, the head of the Kachwaha Rajput clan. The Chandra Mahal palace now houses a museum but the greatest part of it is still a royal residence. The palace complex, located northeast of the centre of the grid-patterned Jaipur city, incorporates an impressive and vast array of courtyards, gardens and buildings. The palace was built between 1729 and 1732, initially by Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber. He planned and built the outer walls, and later additions were made by successive rulers continuing up to the 20th century.  The credit for the urban layout of the city and its structures is attributed to two architects namely, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, the chief architect in the royal court and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, apart from the Sawai himself who was a ke

Pune, Maharashtra, India

Pune, a sprawling city in the Indian state of Maharashtra, was once the base of the peshwas (prime ministers) of the Maratha Empire. It's known for the grand Aga Khan Palace, built in 1892 and now a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, whose ashes are preserved in the garden. The 8th-century Pataleshwar Cave Temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The Aga Khan Palace was built by Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III in Pune, India. Built in 1892, it is one of the biggest landmarks in Indian history. Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple in Pune is dedicated to the Hindu God Ganesh. The temple is popular in Maharashtra and is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. Parvati Hill is a hillock in Pune, India. The hillock rises to 2,100 feet above sea level. Atop the hillock is the Parvati Temple, one of the most scenic locations in Pune. The Pataleshwar Cave Temple is a rock-cut cave temple, carved out in the 8th century in the Rashtrakuta period.

Assam, India

Assam is a state in northeastern India known for its wildlife, archeological sites and tea plantations. In the west, Guwahati, Assam’s largest city, features silk bazaars and the hilltop Kamakhya Temple. Umananda Temple sits on Peacock Island in the Brahmaputra river. The state capital, Dispur, is a suburb of Guwahati. The ancient pilgrimage site of Hajo and Madan Kamdev, the ruins of a temple complex, lie nearby. Dipor Bil, also spelt Deepor Beel, is located to the south-west of Guwahati city, in Kamrup district of Assam, India It is a permanent freshwater lake, in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River, to the south of the main river. Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses is a World Heritage Site. Assam tea is manufactured specifically from the plant Camellia sinensis var. assamica (Masters). Th

Munnar, Kerala, India

Munnar is a town in the Western Ghats mountains in India’s Kerala state. Munnar, a hill  station and former resort for the British Raj elite, is set within rolling hills dotted with tea  plantations established in the 19th century. Eravikulam National Park, home to the  endangered mountain goat Nilgiri tahr, is a seasonal trekking destination encompassing  the Lakkam Waterfalls and 2,695m-tall Anamudi Peak. Attukal Waterfalls, situated in between Munnar and Pallivasal, is an idyllic spot  surrounded by verdant rolling hills. This is a favourite location for trekkers. Attukal  Waterfalls gathers its real beauty soon after the monsoon months of June, July and  August. Ana Mudi or Anai Mudi is a mountain located in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the  highest peak in the Western Ghats and South India, at an elevation of 2,695 metres, and  a topographic prominence of 2,479 metres. Devikulam is a small hill station about 5 kilometres from Munnar in the Idukki

Diu, Gujarat, India

Diu is a town in Diu district in the union territory of Daman and Diu, India. Diu District is the tenth least populated district of India. The town of Diu lies at the eastern end of Diu Island, and is known for its fortress and old Portuguese Cathedral. It is also a fishing town. Diu has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission. Diu Fort was built in 1535 and maintained an active garrison until 1960. The Diu fort is the most visited landmarks in the district. The Diu fort and the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa were chosen as the two wonders from India, among the seven from across the world, out of a list of 27 monuments built in 16 countries during the Portuguese rule. Fort is built on a hillock next to the sea. There are only remains of the fort now but the fort in itself must have been a very romantic place once upon a time. There are three Portuguese Baroque