India is the 7th largest country in terms of area and the largest in terms of population. It is an ancient civilisation that is breaking constricting moulds to embrace the new.It is a great country with many fantabulous realities that are spectacular to experience and yet unbelievable when shared. Let’s take a look at some amazing facts about India
Number 10 on the list is the Chenab Bridge
It is the Highest Rail Bridge in the world and is currently being constructed in the Jammu & Kashmir region. Some 29 meters (over 95 feet) taller than the Eiffel Tower, the Chenab Bridge sits 359 meters (around 1,180 feet) above the Chenab River. After decades of construction, the bridge in northern India will be open to visitors by the end of December 2023 or January 2024. Construction of the bridge began in 2004, and once completed, commuters will be able to cross the Chenab River that lies between Bakkal and Kauri (via train) from 1,178 feet above. The views of the landscape range from the Chenab Bridge will surely take everyone’s breath away.
Number nine on our list is Mawlynnong, which is reputed to be the cleanest town in Asia
Mawlynnong, located in Meghalaya, is the cleanest village in India. Mawlynnong has gained a reputation for its tidiness, and Discover India named it the most sanitary town in Asia. There are nine hundred residents in the village, and the literacy rate is 90%. Pineapples, lychees, and betel nuts are the main crops of the Khasi people living there. The village, which holds to a matrilineal tradition, collects its waste in bamboo dustbins. That waste is then transferred to a pit and turned into manure. Smoking and polythene are banned, while rainwater harvesting is encouraged. Citizens are mandated to clean up the village, and this cleanliness has paid off. In 2017, the head of the village announced that tourism revenues had increased 60% as people came to see Asia’s tidiest town
8th on our list is the “Death Mountains” Road
One of the most dramatic drives in the world, the road is found in the Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu, the road has seventy hairpin bends, one after the other. Some of these bends are extremely narrow, preventing more than one vehicle at a time from taking the turn, hence the name.
An aerial view of the winding, twisting, labyrinthian road makes it clear how the path got its name. The Kolli Hills, also known as the Kolli Malai, are known for their natural beauty. The Hills are home to medicinal farms, botanical gardens, and waterfalls.
7th on the list is Shukavana Bird Home
Found in: Mysuru, it is another record-setter for Guinness Book of World Record.
The Shukavana Bird Sanctuary, has set the record for the most species in one aviary.
The aviary is 165 feet tall, and it is a “free flight” aviary where you can see its 2,100 colourful residents flittering about. Of those residents, there are 468 different species. Dr. Sri Swamiji, head of Mysuru’s Avadhoota Datta Peetham, founded the one-acre property to protect endangered birds. Dr. Swamiji feels strongly about conservation and animal welfare, and the aviary is attached to a large bird hospital, where the doctor and volunteers treat sick and injured birds of all species.
6th on the list is another Natural Marvel Found in India- World’s Only Floating Lake
The Loktak Lake, situated in Manipur, the floating lake has been an essential part of the town’s survival for hundreds of years. Not only have fishermen been exploiting its waters, but it also serves as Manipur’s main source of drinking water and, more recently, hydropower. The plentiful masses of decaying vegetation found within Loktak Lake have worked their way to the surface and formed small landmasses or phumdis. The largest of the lake’s phumdis, Keibul Lama National Park, is an incredible 15-square-miles, and the last place on Earth where the Brow-Antlered deer of Manipur still live in the wild.
5th on our list is Keibul Lamjao National Park
Also found in Manipur, it too is a famous part of Loktak Lake mentioned above. The Keibul Lamjao National Park is the world’s only floating park.
The national park has decomposed plant material, called phumdi, floating atop the surface of Loktak. It is a pride of local folklore in Manipur, and the area has been protected since the 1960s as a nature preserve.
The sanctuary status of Keibul Lamjao protects Eld’s deer, a brown-antlered deer that was thought to be extinct yet was rediscovered in the park. In 1995, the Eld’s deer population was 155. Now, thanks to the park, it is 260 as of 2016.
4th of our list is the famed ‘Magnetic Hill’
The Magnetic Hill is located in Ladakh and presents an optical illusion like no other.Magnetic Hill is a “gravity hill,” which means that the layout of the land surrounding it produces an optical illusion that makes a hill’s slopes look wonky.
This means that, though Magnetic Hill is a downhill road, it looks as though it is going uphill. Cars traversing the hill look as though they are in defiance of gravity, even though they’re actually going downhill. This mysterious, fascinating spot is one of many “gravity hills” that have fascinated people for thousands of years.
3rd on our list is the Living Roots Bridge
Commonly found in Meghalaya, this beautiful, natural sight is formed using tree shaping. Living root bridges are very common in Meghalaya, a Northeast Indian state. The Jaintia and Khasi peoples in this mountainous terrain hand make these bridges by shaping the aerial roots of Ficus elastica (rubber fig) trees into a living bridge. So long as the tree from which the roots grow remains healthy and well-cared-for, the bridge will grow in strength over time. New roots need to be pruned and shaped to make the bridge stronger. A fully-mature living root bridge can handle as many as fifty or more people crossing over it.
2nd on our list is World’s Highest Road, which is also found in India
The road lies in Eastern Ladakh and has been built to give people access to the world’s remotest location, smack dab in the heart of the Himalayas. It’s a section of the Ladakh Road that sits 19,300 feet above sea level — a distinction that makes it the highest road on the planet that’s accessible by car.
To put it in perspective, the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest is 29,035 feet high. Popular with adventure travellers, it enables tourists take their 4X4 and hatchbacks to visit remote villages on the way.
Topping our list at number#1 spot is the Mysterious Skeleton Lake
Found in the Himalayan Mountain range that hosts the tallest peaks in the world and several of the remotest lakes in the world. 16,470-feet above sea level, one of these lakes has a dark tale to tell. More than 300 skeletons were discovered near the shores of Roopkund (Skeleton Lake), and the remains belonged to three groups that lived in different periods. So, what happened to them?
Some scientists have theorized that a selection of those who were found beneath the surface of Skeleton Lake perished during a violent hailstorm in the 9th-century. However, that doesn’t explain how the few hundred other humans’ remains found in the lake’s shallow water met their demise. This might be one of the mysteries that remains as such forever.
