India's Largest Dam is in Bilaspur...

Bilaspur is a didtrict in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located in the Chhattisgarh region. It is the second-largest city in the state with a population of 16948,83.The Bilaspur city is approximately 400 years old. Bilaspur is located at 31.33° N 76.75° E. It has an elevation of 478 m. It lies near the reservoir of Govind Sagar on the Sutlej River.

Bilaspur district is surrounded by Koriya district in north, Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh in West , Raipur district in South and Korba ,Janjgir -Champa district in north-east. After the bifurcation of old Bilaspur district in three districts i.e.New Bilaspur, Korba and Janjgir-Champa District, the total area of Bilaspur is approximately 6,377 Sq.Km.

Ratanpur is situated approximately 25 km away from Bilaspur on the Katghora Road. This place had an importance in all the 4 yugs of Hinduism - Sat yug, Treta yug, Dwaapar yug and Kal yug.

Mallhar is approximately 14 Km. away from masturi block on the way of from Bialspur to Raigarh.The Pataleswar Kedar Temple, the Gomukhi shivling is the main attraction here.Talagram is famous for "Deorani-Jethani" temple and is situated appx. 25 Kms. from Bilaspur on Bhojpur-Dagori road.

The other places of interests are Bhakra Dam, Gobind Sagar Lake, Kandrour Bridge and many other..

The Land Of Gods------Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a state in the north of India. Shimla is the capital of the state. It is situated in the western himalayas. Himachal Pradesh means the Region of Mountains. It is also known as deva Bhumi meaning Land of gods. The state is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir in the North, and Uttar Pradesh in the South-East. Haryana is in the South and Punjab is in the West. It is located between 30"22' and 30"12' north latitude and between 75"47' and 79"4' east longitude. It has altitudes ranging from 350 to 7000 meters (1050 ft. to 21000 ft.) above the sea level. Geographically, Himachal Pradesh can be divided into three distinct regions, the Shivalik or outer Himalayas, middle Himalayas or inner Himalayas, and greater Himalayas or the alpine zone.

Himachal Pradesh has 12 districts: Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Mandi, Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan and Una.

It was initially a part of Punjab. In 1950 Himachal was declared as a Union territory. Thereafter in 1971, Himachal became the 18 state of the Indian Union after the Himachal Pradesh Act 1971.This state has many dams over the hilly rivers to generate electicity. The farmers of Punjab and Haryana use the power generated by these dams for their farmers. Not only the farmers, this power is also used by the industries in the northern plains. Hence, Himachal is known as a power house when it comes to hydro-electricity.

The culture of Himachal Pradesh is extremly rich. Actually it is a multi-religional, multicultural and multilingual state like most other Indian states. Though Hindi is the state language, many people speak Pahari.Around 90% of the population of Himachal Pradesh comprises of Hindus. Their main occupation is agriculture.

The typical house in Himachal Pradesh is constructed of clay bricks, with roofs being made of slate.The music and dancing is usually spontaneous during a village fair and is symbolic of the peace and joy of the people. The major dance of the state are the Rakshasa (demon) dance, the Kayang Dance, the Bakayang

dance, the Bnayangchu dance, the Jataru Kayang dance, Chohara dance, Shand and Shabu dances, Lang-dar-ma dance, Nati dance, Jhanjhar dance, Jhoor dance, Gi dance and Rasa dance. Its a very important part of its culture.The main festivals of this region are Holi, Dussehra and Diwali. Apart from these festivals there are also some local festivals which are also celebrated with great excitement.

The Coldest Dessert Of The World------Ladakh

Ladakh is the coldest dessert in the world. Ladakh is also known as the land of no other. Leh is the capital town of Laddakh. Ladakh is bounded by two of the the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the Karakoram. It lies at an altitude ranging from about 9,000 feet (2,750m) at Kargil to 25,170 feet (7,652m) at Saser Kangri in the Karakoram. Here you are at the roof of the world. At this altitude it seems forming a bridge between the earth and the sky. It is a land of freezing winds and burning hot sunlight. Its indeed true that one can experience frost bite and sun burn at the same time in Ladakh.

Ladakh is known for its unique culture, monuments, Buddhist monasteries, flora & fauna, trekking, mountain adventure, etc. Ladakh is completly different from the other parts of India. Even an Indian would find no similarities among them.

The culture of Ladakh is similar to the tibetian culture. Even the food here resembles a lot with that of the tibetian food. The special food of these people are thukpa, noodle soup; and tsampa, known in Ladakhi as ngampe, roasted barley flour. The speciality or can also be called as a Ladakhi dish is skyu, a heavy pasta dish with root vegetables. Tea here is made in a very traditional manner with a strong green tea in same butter and salt. Now even the sweet tea ,which we usually have made of milk and sugar has become common and is known as cha ngarmo. Apart from this an alcoholic drink is made of barley and then fermented to form the alcoholic drink for special occassions.

As I mentioned earlier, Leh is the prominent town of this place. The second most important town is Kargil.

It offers tremendous scope for adventure activities like trekking, mountaineering and river rafting. Hemis Gompa, Sankar Gompa, Shanti Stupa, Likir Monastery, Spituk Monastery, Thiksey Gompa, Shey Monastery, Stok Palace, Alchi Gompa, Leh Palace, Lamayuru Gompa, etc are prominent attractions of Ladakh Tourism.

So in this post, I have just given a brief idea about the beauty of Ladakh. In my next posts, I will mention each and every place of Ladakh in detail. I feel Laddakh is one of the best places on earth. No matter how much any one mentions about Ladakh it would always be less.

As we all know,

"Beauty as we feel it is something indescribable;

what it is or what it means can never be said".

Mindblowing Beauty Of Srinagar

The meaning of Srinagar, Sri meaning profusion and wealth and Nagar meaning a city. Srinagar city was founded over 2000 years ago by King Pravarasena-II .Srinagar is a romantic Kashmiri city located in the heart of the Kashmir valley at an altitude of 1,730 m above sea level, spread on both sides of the river Jhelum. It is a city of excellent landscapes and abundant natural beauty.The city at 876 km north of Delhi is famous for its nine ancient bridges, linking the two parts of the city.

                                 Srinagar is famous for its lakes and the charming rows of houseboats floating on them. It is also known for traditional Kashmiri handicrafts and dry fruits.The best time to visit Srinagar is during summers between April and June.

                                 The prime attraction of Srinagar is  the Dal Lake, it is an important tourist attraction of Srinagar. It is located on the eastern end of the city. The Dal Lake comprises of a series of lakes, including the Nagin Lake some 8 km from the city center.The lake  is popular for its Houseboats ,Shikaras and promenades and its a bird watchers paradise.

                                Another attraction of srinagar are the gardens like Mughal Garden, Nishath, Shallimar, which are feast for the eye with the variety of flora with terraced lawns, cascading fountains and paint-box-bright flowerbeds.

Other places to visit, the joy of rowing in a Shikara, hours together in the Dal Lake.You can also visit the shopping centre for Crewel embroided drapings, Woollen Shawls, Pherons, Kurtas, Dry fruits, Cherries, Straw Berries, Walnuts, Apples.

Across the Dal from Shalimar is the mosque of Hazratbal, made of white marble with a dome and a minaret. Its the only one of its kind architecturally in Kashmir.

One can also enjoy adventure here.'Water Trekking' is a very interesting sport. It takes a three to four day trip along the river to various lakes in a Shikara with all the camping gear. The lakes are also famous for water skiing.

The another important place to visit in Srinagar is The temple of Shankaracharya . It was built it in the 3rd century BC, by Jaluka,the son of emperor Ashoka.

Asia's one of the most famous Heli-skiing resort is at Gulmarg

It is well said for Kashmir"If there is paradise,its here its here, its here". Kashmir has really been a paradise for tourists. One of the prime loctions of Kashmir is gulmarg which I will be focussing on in this post.

It is located 56-km From Srinagar.It lies at an altitude 2,730 m above sea level. And the best time to visit visit Gulmarg is in Summer from May To September and in Winter from October To February.

                                        The meaning of Gulmarg is "The Meadow OF Flowers". Originally it was called "Gaurimarg",then in the 16th century Sultan Yusuf Shah named it "Gulmarg" as he was very much fascinated by its beauty and flowers.He collected 21 different variety of flowers from here.The valley of Gulmarg is about 3-sq-kms in area and stands at 2,730 metres. Gulmarg is not only a hill resort, but it also offers many opportunities for adventure seekers.

                                      
                                Tourists also enjoy skiing in Gulmarg as it is known to be one of the best skiing resorts in India. Both experienced as well as starters can enjoy skiing equally. You can go to Khilanmarg by pony, which is a famous skiing spot.It also offers a great view of the Kashmir valley and the Himalayan range. The longest ski run in Gulmarg is provided by the Gondola Cable Car,where skiers can swoosh down the slopes from the height of 2,213m.

                                      Another attraction of Gulmarg is the golf course.Gulmarg has the world's highest green golf courses. So, its worth enjoying.The golf club was started by the British who used Gulmarg as a holiday resort. Visitors can enjoy golf by obtaining a short-term membership at the Golf Club.

                                      Next you can also visit The Alpather Lake which is located across the Apharwat peak.This lake remains frozen till June. And .....yes, how can I forget to mention the the shrine of Baba Reshi, a Muslim mystic saint.Dont forget to visit it as you are on a tour to Gulmarg.The shrine is on the outer side of the Gulmarg and from there the view of the valley looks enchanting.

                                    You can also check out Nanga Parbat and Haramukh. Gulmarg is also the place for enjoying long walks. One can walk through woods, and green hills.