Contd from Pàrt II
21. The Utterly Charming tribe – The Vadi tribe, Gujarat:
Image Source: Lian Chang – Flickr
India is a land of mysteries and myths and will continue to be so! The Vadi tribe from Gujarat is the best example for this. The Vadi tribes are the professional snake charmers whose tradition of snake charming dates way back to 10th century. One can see children as young as two sitting near a poisonous cobra and show no signs of fear or cringe when facing a deadly snake.
Image Source: Amin Buskan – Flickr
Official on-board training for these children begins at the age of two, and will be taught the ancient ways of snake charming until they are ready to take up their roles in the community. The children are taught how one can take away a snake from its natural habitat for a maximum of seven months and anymore will be a sheer disrespectful to the snake.
22. Shetpal – Strolling land of Snakes:
Image Source: PARSHOTAM LAL TANDON – Flickr
Of all the ancient practices and traditions of India, Snake worship is a prevalent religious practice. The snake, one of the gods of the Indian mythology, is associated with the lingam-the symbol of lord Siva. Shetpal, Sholapur district of Maharastra has a frightful custom where each house has a resting place for live Cobras in the rafters of their ceilings.
The village also adores a temple with a seven-hooded cobra made of copper over the Lord Shiva’s idol. No cases of cobra bites have been recorded in the village till date, in spite of kive cobras moving around the houses daily. It really is,incredible.
23. The Lonely Land of Gujrat – Little Rann of Kutch:
Image Source: Anurag Agnihotri – Flickr
Little Rann of Kutch is a unique place on earth with endless opportunity to explore. With numerous places to visit one can experience something they have never experienced before! The desolate, blindingly white land of Little Rann is nature at its harshest and most convincing. It is also home to India’s last refuge population of Khur – Asiatic wild ass and for it is for the conservation of Khur, that this has been declared as the “Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary”.
Image Source: Roshan Panjwani – Flickr
The wildlife sanctuary of Little Rann of Kutch is a wide-spread saline desert and has arid grasslands, rocky and thorn scrubs and lakes and marshes to add its rich biodiversity. Water birds like cranes, ducks, pelicans, flamingoes and land birds like sand grouse, frankolins and the Indian bustards are found in abundance here at the Rann of Kutch which make it one of the offbeat destinations in India.
24. Ponder into the panorama of Pangong Lake:
Image Source: Amit Rawat – Flickr
Pangong Lake is a beautiful lake situated at an altitude of 4350 meters. The chilling water and the clear sky, surrounded by the mountain ridges coved with snow looks picturesque! The water in Pangong Lake is the brackish; hence it makes the highest situated lake with salt water.
Image Source: ashokboghani – Flcikr
Pangong means extensive concavity and is 134 kilometer long, but it is only 5 kilometers wide at the widest points is a must visit if you want to discover best of India. More than 60% of the lake is spread over to Tibet. The topography is not just a tourist’s paradise but a geologist’s sphere of influence too but surely no fun for the army in the frozen temperature to take care of the tactical landscape.
25. Never seen before – The Rural Olympics at Kila Raipur:
Image Source: T Frey – Flickr
In 1933, philanthropist Inder Singh Grewal visualized an annual recreational meet for farmers of Kila and other farmers in the vicinity to get together and test their corporal endurance. This gave birth to the Kila’s undisputed “Rural Olympics” which make it one of the offbeat places in India. The Rural Olympics of Kila of Raipur each year in the month of February.
Image Source: T Frey – Flickr
Raipur becomes the destination for hundreds of sports buffs, including foreigners. People pour in to watch special breeds of bullocks, camels, dogs, mules and other animals competing in cutthroat competitions. Display of horse racing, tent pegging and even “Gatka” are held in high spirits. Other attractions of these Rural Olympics are Punjabi folklore and cultural festivities and in the process, the event almost transforms into an artistic ensemble.
26. The twinkling twin – Tale of Umri:
Mohammadpur Umri, a unique hamlet near the Air Force base at Bamrauli, near Allahabad and has a twinkling tale to flaunt. The total population of this tiny village is nearly 900. And interestingly there are almost sixty pairs of twins here. Going by scientific knowledge, even two pairs in a population of 600 is considered high.
The identical twin birth rate in this village is 300 times the national average population and probably the highest in the world. The most fascinating trivia about Umri is that this village is even believed to possess a paor of twin cows and buffaloes. Even the hens here lay eggs with double yolks!
27. The Haunted city ofBhangarh:
Source: Shahnawaz Sid – Flickr
One of the India’s spookiest and the haunted ruins lies in Bhangarh, Alwar district in the state of Rajasthan. The town of Bhangarh whose haunted status is attracting scores of tourists these days, lies beneath the Sariska forest in Rajasthan. The lost city is open only during the hours of daylight and is strictly prohibited after sunset.
Image Source: A Frequent Traveller – Flickr
The Archeological Survey of India doesn’t have an official office here though government regulations state that every historical site must have an office of the ASI. The myth has it that due to the curse of Guru Bala Nath, the whole town was vacated over night. The Guru Bala Nath forbidden blight devastated the whole town. The tomb of Guru Bala Nath is still found amongst the ruins. This is definitely not for the faint hearted and is one of the scariest places in India.
EAST INDIA
West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa comprise the Eastern Part of India.The intrinsically beautiful states of Assam and Orissa enhances it cultural and linguistic characteristics with its magnetic and mystical locales, cultural heritage, religious traditions, monuments and monasteries.
The Cherrapunji, wettest place on the world is out-of-the abode of natural as well as synthetic beauty; welcomes you to the inherently beautiful East Indian States. The virgin contiguous Seven Sister States – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim are truly one of the best India travel experiences.
28. Soak in with the nature at the Living Root Bridges – Cherrapunji:
Image Source: t.saldanha – Flickr
Situated at the north eastern part of India, Cherrapunji is blessed to be the wettest part of the world, where bridges are not built but grown! It’s Mother Earth’s gift to mankind. The Indian Rubber Tree is grown in abundance. These trees produce secondary roots from higher up its trunks and contentedly stretch to the top of huge boulders along the riverside.
Image Source: Ashwin Kumar – Flickr
These root bridges, as old as 500 years are so strong that they can easily resist fifty people at once! As these trees are alive and growing they become stronger by every passing day. Believe it or not, this place houses a double Decker bridge, one of its kind in the world, where two bridges are sacked one over the other and are called “Umshiang double Decker bridge Root Bridge.”.
29. Experience the DazzlingDzongu:
Dzongu, one of those strikingly beautiful places of northern part of Sikkim. Not far away from Mangan, the place looks sterilized and is a hamlet in the Himalayas of Sikkim. 70 kilometres away from Gangtok in North Sikkim is Dzongu which is solely reserved for the Lepchas, the original inhabitants of Sikkim.
[Trek on the tough terrain of Sikkim withSikkim Dzongri Trek]
The Lepchas Communities in Dzongu are totally isolated from the outside world with their own traditional practice and beliefs. The Seven Sisters waterfall near Dzongu, where one can witness seven waterfalls pouring down the cliffs along the captivating vista is a mesmerizing moment. Dzongu is enveloped with panoramic views of Mt. Khangchendzonga and is chiefly rich in flora and fauna.
30. Explore the enticing Cavesof Meghalaya:
Exploring the caves of Meghalaya triggers a sense of enthusiasm and thrill one cannot savor unless if they make their way through the dark, murky interiors. These many seem frightening, but they can be a lot of fun. The numerous natural caves all over Meghalaya are a kind of lure for tourists.
Few of the caves in this vicinity have been listed amongst the longest and deepest in the world. These caves are found in the East Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and the South Garo Hills. For all the resolute and courageous chaps out there, give vent to the explorer in you.
Contd.... Part IV
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