Rosy Pelicans

THE ROSY PELICANS

The great white pelican also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes. 

Scientific name: Pelecanus onocrotalus

PC - Amol Bhoir

Bharatpur, Rajasthan

NIKON GEARS

Feb 2020

Bronze-winged jacana (Bharatpur, Rajasthan)

Bronzed Winged Jacana (Juvenile). The Jacanas are a group of waders which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation. Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, November 2018.

Kaziranga National Park

Kaziranga National Park, which is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. A homeland of the endangered one horned rhinoceros, and spotting of few of these magnificent beasts roaming in the wilderness is guaranteed once you are there. @Elephant safari, Kaziranga Assam(December 2016)

PC - Nang Sukanya Rajkumar

#india #bharat #nature #flora #fauna #hindustan #nationalpark #rhino

Dhole

The most endangered Indian top predator of 2010, the dhole is on edge of extinction. Less than 2500 members of the species remain in the world.

Kumbhalgarh National Park

Kumbhalgarh, one of the well know wildlife sanctuaries of Rajasthan, has got a green signal from the government to be converted into a National Park.

The park will cover the areas of Pali, Udaipur and Rajsamand districts. The conversion aims to protect the wildlife and environment in the area covered by the park and it will also help in increasing tourism.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the cabinet held in Jaipur on November 28, presided by the Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot. He said, “Kumbhalgarh sanctuary is also a famous tourist destination of the adjacent districts due to Kumbhalgarh Fort and the Ranakpur Jain Temple.”

Bina Kak, the Tourism, Art and Culture Minister remarked, “The Kumbhalgarh sanctuary is a habitat of many wildlife and endangered species of fauna. The sanctuary is famous for Wolf, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Hyena, Jackal, Jungle Cat, Sambhar, Nilgai,Chausingha (the four horned antelope),Chinkara and hare.”

Forest of Kumbhalgarh is also a home to a variety of flora including many trees with herbal quality and it is an important Bird Site too.

The sanctuary encircles the fort of Kumbhalgarh and was named it. It is known for its high hills and narrow valleys that add to the scenic beauty of the area. The sanctuary also marks the division of two socio-cultural regions of Rajasthan, Mewar and Marwar, located either side of the Aravali Hills. Mewar is located to the east of the Aravali mountain range and Marwar to the west.

Amarkantak

Amarkantak is the highest elevation of Vindhya Ranges with an height of 1,048 m (3,438 ft), situated in the dense forest region of Madhya Pradesh. Amarkantak is also the meeting point of two major mountain ranges the Vindhyas and the Satpuras along with Maikal Hills range of f Chhattisgarh. Its is also emerging point of great and holy river the Narmada River, the Sone River and Johila River.

Mountain Peak:     Amarkantak

Mountain Range:  Vindhya Range

Elevation:                1,048 m (3,438 ft)

Location:                  Madhya Pradesh

Sinhagarh fort (Pune)

Sinhagarh fort, whose earlier name was Kondana or Kondhana, stands 20kms, south-west of Pune.  Perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range of the Sahyadri Mountains, its height above sea-level is 1380 metres.  Given natural protection by its very steep slopes, the walls and bastions were constructed at only key places; it has two gates – the Kalyan Darwaza in the south-east and the Pun Darwaza in the north-east

Sinhagarh has a long history.  It was captured from theKoli tribal chieftain, Nag Naik, by Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1328 AD.  Three centuries later, Chhatrapati shivaji Mahraj wrested it away by bribing the commander, by the Treaty of Purandar (1665 AD) had to cede the fort to the Mughals.  Sinhagarh was the scene of one of the most daring exploits in Maratha history when, in 1670 AD, it was recaptured by Shivjaji’s forces under Tanaji Malusare, who laid down his life in the battle.  On his death, a saddened Chhatrapati shivaji Mahraj said, “The fort is won, but the lion is gone!” Whereupon the fort got is new name:  Sinha (lion) gadha (fort).  Finally the British seized the fort from the Peshwas in 1818 AD, destroying its almost all ancient monuments.  Only the traditional gates and broken walls remain now.

The upper surface of the fort is undulating and retains few buildings, Ruins of temples, tombs and towers are scattered about.  Near the gorge is a monument (Samadhi) commemorating the bravery of Tanaji.  There is also a tiny tomb of Rajaram, Chhatrapati shivaji Mahraj’s son, who died here in 1700 AD. Also there are few bungalows, including that of Lokamanya Tilak.

In the Maratha period Sinhagarh played the crucial role of defending Pune.  The National Defence Academy (Kharakwalsa) trains its army cadet’s right under the shadows of Sinhagrah.

Cherrapunji (Meghalaya)

Cherrapunji in Meghalaya has several reasons to claim. It is the second wettest place on the planet and the only place in India to receive rain throughout the year. The town of Cherrapunji is nestled in the East Khasi Hills about 50 km southwest of state capital Shillong. The town is also known as Sohra and Churra. Cherrapunji, which means ‘the land of oranges’, is at an elevation of 4290 ft. One can see the plains of Bangladesh from the cliffs of Cherrapunji. Cherrapunji held the record for the wettest place on earth. However, Mawsynram, also in Meghalaya, holds the distinction of being the wettest place. Cherrapunji receives a staggering 11,777 mm of rainfall annually.

Monsoon clouds which blow inland from the Bay of Bengal are stopped from moving further by the ridges of Cherrapunji. The town receives both south-west and north-east monsoon.

Despite receiving excess rain, the town faces acute water shortage and the locals have to travel great distances to get fresh water. Another fall out of the relentless rain is the soil erosion which has denuded land of Cherrapunji and the surrounding valleys.

Cherrapunji is also famous for its live bridges, a result of bio-engineering practised by the locals. The bridges can bear 50 people at a time and are spectacular to watch.

Besides, enjoying the rains, Cherrapunji is also a good place for trekking. The most popular trekking route is that leads to Double Decker Living Root bridge in Nongriat village. It is advisable to hire a guide on your treks. Other activities to do in Cherrapunji are river canyoning from Nongthymmai to Mynteng steel rope bridge. Rock climbing and camping can also be indulged in Cherrapunji.

WHERE TO STAY

Cherrapunji offers several options when it comes to accomodation. From guest houses with basic amenities, resorts that offer better facilities, cottages, to homestays, you will be spoilt for choice.

WHERE TO EAT

In Cherrapunji, you can enjoy Khasi cuisine like pork rice. Eateries that sell pork and other red meat abound in the town. Sohra Pulao which is rice cooked with oil and vegetables without spices should not be missed.

You can also get Indian Chinese, Punjabi and Bengali cuisines in Cherrapunji. However, what you get here is the Khasi version of the cuisines. ‪#‎meghalaya‬ ‪#‎india‬ ‪#‎bharat‬ ‪#‎cherrapunji‬ ‪#‎nature‬ ‪#‎travel‬

Chandoli National Park

Chandoli National Park in Sangli District Maharashtra state, India, established in May 2004, Earlier it was a Wildlife Sanctuary declared in 1985. Chandoli Park is notable as the southern portion of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, with Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary forming the northern part of the reserve. Chandoli National Park is located near the Chandoli Dam between longitudes 73°40' and 73°53' E and latitudes 17°03' and 17°20'N near Sangli in Western Maharashtra. It is located at the junction of Sangli District, Kolhapur District, Satara District and Ratnagiri District. It lies between the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and Radhanagri Wildlife Sanctuary and forms the southern part of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

The historical places of the park include the 17th century Shivaji's Forts, Prachitgad and Bhairavgad, of the Maratha kings Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji Maharaj. Ruins of the Bhavani temples palatial buildings in Prachitigad and Kalavantin vihir depict the ancient glory of the Maratha Empire. Most of the protected area was used an open jail for the "prisoners of war" of the early Imperial Maratha Conquests during Shivaji Maharaj's rule. Sambhaji Maharaj used Prachitgad as an observation point and recreational place. The forest types seen here are a mix of Malabar Coast moist forests and North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests. In the dwarf evergreen forests, some tree species commonly seen here are the anjani ironwood tree, jamun, pisa (angustifolia), fig, Olea (diocia), katak spinous kino tree, nana or Crape myrtle (lanceolata), kinjal, kokum tree and phanasi false kelat (brachiata). Other trees dominating the landscape include asan wood or ain or Indian laurel, amla or Indian gooseberry, umbar or devil fig (hispida) and harra or chebulic myrobalan.

Grasses commonly seen here include bangala or bluestem grass sp., dongari or golden beard grass (fulvus), black spear grass, kalikusli or tangle grass, anjan grass or buffel grass, grader grass or karad or kangaroo grass (quadrivalvis) and grasses belonging to Poaceae family, like saphet-kusli or Aristida funiculata. Insectivorous plant species like sundews and bladderworts sp. are also found in this protected area. Nearly 23 species of mammals, 122 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians and reptiles are known to be resident in the forests of Chandoli.

Bengal Tigers, Indian leopards, Indian bison, leopard cats, sloth bears and Indian giant squirrels are quite conspicuous here.

Many prey species of ungulates such as barking deer, sambar deer, mouse deer and blackbuck are present. A census carried out in 2002 by the Forest Department showed a rise in the number of tigers, leopards, gaur, barking deer, mouse deer, sloth bears and blackbuck. A similar census carried out in 2004 showed a rise in gaur population in the Kolhapur Wildlife Division from 88 to 243. ‪#‎india‬ ‪#‎nationalpark‬ ‪#‎nature‬‪#‎bharat‬ ‪#‎flora‬ ‪#‎fauna‬