Narmada River flows through Marble Rocks

Photo: Narmada flows through Marble Rocks

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‘Marble Rocks’ is a gorge on the Narmada River in central India where the river narrows to a width of 10 meters and carves very deep through a large area of white marble, creating a beautiful gorge of about 3 km in length. The Marble Rocks is located near the city of Jabalpur in the Madhya Pradesh state of India. It is a very popular tourist destination.

The River Narmada originates from a small tank called Narmada Kund located on the Amarkantak hill at a height of 1,057 metres (3,467.8 ft) above sea level, in Anuppur District of Madhya Pradesh. The river descends from the Amarkantak hill range at the Kapildhara falls over a cliff and flows through rocks and islands up to the ruined palace of Ramnagar. Between Ramnagar and Mandla (25 km) the course is comparatively straight, and then it flows northeast in a narrow loop towards Jabalpur city.

Near Jabalpur, there is a fall of 9 metre (29.5 ft), called Dhuandhara (the fall of mist). From there it flows for 3 km (1.9 miles) through a deep narrow gorge in the magnesium limestone and basalt rocks called the Marble Rocks which has a width of about 90 metres (295.3 ft) at the top, narrowing down to 18 metres (59.1 ft) at the bottom of the gorge through which the river flows.

Considering its size, Marble Rocks is perhaps the only one place in the world where a river near its origin cuts through very hard marble and meanders around hills and gorges. At some places in the gorge, while you travel through the river in a boat, you can see interesting shapes and figures resembling artistic sculptures on the marble through which the river has cut and made the gorge in the course of centuries of flowing through the marble. Boats are available on hire for visitors at very reasonable rates.

While travelling from Jabalpur to Marble Rocks, visitors can also reach Dhuandhara and Chausath Yogini temple (temple of sixty four yoginis) which are on the way. The ancient temple situated on the top of a small hill houses the idols of sixty four yoginis, all of which are broken due to vandalism by invaders in the past. The broken pieces are kept by the side of the broken idols.

After Marble Rocks, Narmada river enters its first fertile basin and flows westwards over a length of 1,312 km (815.2 mi) before draining through the Gulf of Cambey (Khambat) into the Arabian Sea, 30 km (18.6 miles) west of Bharuch city of Gujarat. It is the largest west-flowing river and the only river in India that flows in a rift valley flowing west between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges, although the Tapti River and Mahi River also flow through rift valleys but between different ranges.

The Narmada River valley is extremely important for paleontological studies. Several dinosaur fossils have been found in the area including Titanosaurus indicus found in 1877 by Richard Lydekker and the recently discovered Rajasaurus narmadensis.

Kanha National Park located in the upper reaches of Narmada, about 18 km (11.2 miles) from Mandla, has several species of wild animals including tigers. Two tributaries of Narmada, Hallon and Banjar, flow through this park. It is one of the best National Parks of Asia which has been described vividly by Rudyard Kipling in his famous ‘Jungle Book’.

Jabalpur is well connected by road, rail and air. Jabalpur Airport, known as Dumna Airport, is about 20 km from the city. Jabalpur is connected by road to most of the Indian cities. Jabalpur is the headquarters of West Central Railways and is connected by trains from Mumbai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Kolkata, Vadodara, Patna, Lucknow, Chennai, Bangalore, Nagpur, Pune, Jaipur, Jammu, Hyderabad, Varanasi and Goa.

River Ganges at Haridwar

River Ganga (Ganges) in Haridwar, India, originally uploaded by click.man.

Here is one of the most beautiful photos of the River Ganges at Haridwar, a highly revered holly place in India. It is one of the most visited and cleanest places on the route of the meandering Ganga, a favourite destination for tourists from around the world and India. Haridwar is situated quite close to New Delhi with International Airports and many hotels for foreign tourists. From New Delhi Haridwar is just a few hours by taxi and other means of transport, and it is situated in the beautiful Himalayan foothills.

The Ganges Dolphin

Ganges Dolphin, originally uploaded by thomasb2.

Ganges River Dolphin (known as Soons by locals in India shushuk in Bangladesh) is a subspecies of river dolphins mainly found in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. A similar subspecies the Indus River Dolphin is found in Pakistan. These are found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries and the Indus River and its tributaries Beas River and Sutlej River. The Ganges river dolphin is recognized by the government of India as its National Aquatic Animal.

These river dolphins have long pointed noses like all river dolphins with their teeth visible in the upper and lower jaws even when the mouth is closed. Adult female dolphins are larger than male dolphins. The species feeds on a variety of shrimp and fish including carp and catfish.

These river dolphins have been adversely affected by the use of the river systems by humans in by polluting them intolerably. Pollution by fertilizers, pesticides and industrial and domestic effluents are responsible for the death of many fishes and dolphin populations. Though they are protected species, they are caught by fishermen and their oil and meat are used as a liniment, as an aphrodisiac and as bait for fishing. Both the subspecies are listed by the IUCN as endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species.

The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bhagalpur District of Bihar, India, a 50 km stretch of Ganges River from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon, is the only protected area for the Gangetic dolphins. Now only few hundreds of the river dolphins are remaining and half of Gangetic dolphins found here.

Classified as “endangered” in the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species & included Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, they are among the oldest creatures in the world along with crocodiles, sharks and some turtles.

The Buriganga in Bangladesh, Dhaka's lifeline from times immemorial and where Gangetic dolphins were abundant in the past, is now threatened by pollution and encroachment, with about 80% of Dhaka's sewage flowing into the river untreated. The flow of water in the Buriganga is very low except during the monsoon season, when it is flooded. Here when the water quality is not at its worst, river dolphins can still be sighted.

Houseboats

Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir are the two states in India famous for houseboats. Houseboats are commonly seen in the backwaters of Kerala. These are large exotic barges used for leisure trips and a major tourist attraction. A typical Kerala houseboat is 60 to 70 feet long and about 15 feet wide at the middle. The hull is wooden and the roof is made of bamboo poles and palm leaves. Most of these are rented out to tourists, and they provide all kinds of facilities, including food and beverages as in hotels.

The houseboats in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, are mostly stationary, in the Dal Lake and Nageen Lake, and rented out to tourists. Some of these house boats have up to three bedrooms, apart from living rooms and kitchens. They provide the unique experience of living in a freshwater lake, in cedar-paneled elegant bedrooms, with all the conveniences of a luxury hotel. About a thousand houseboats are moored along parts of the Dal Lake and Nagin Lake and the Jhelum River.

Like hotels, houseboats vary in the levels of luxury and they have been graded by the Department of Tourism. Luxury houseboats, like a luxury hotels, have fine furniture, good carpets and modern bathroom fittings, while the lowest category houseboats, like low-budget hotels, are cheaply furnished. All houseboats, regardless of category, have highly personalized service. The cost per day of hiring a houseboat includes all meals and free rides from the houseboat to the nearest jetty and back. A standard houseboat provides a balcony in the front, a lounge, dining room, pantry and three or more bedrooms with attached bathrooms. All houseboats not moored to the bank of the river or lakes provide a Shikara as a free service from the houseboat to the nearest jetty.

Jog waterfalls, the highest waterfalls in India

Jog Falls (also known as Gerusoppe Falls, Gersoppa Falls and Jogada Gundi), in Shimoga District of Karnataka State, created by the Sharavathi River, falling from a height of 253 meters (829 feet) is the highest plunge waterfall in India. These falls are a major tourist attraction.

There are many waterfalls in India and Asia which are of more heights. Unlike those waterfalls, Jog Falls is un-tiered, i.e., it drops directly to the bottom and does not stream on to rocks. So it is the highest un-tiered waterfalls in India.

Upstream the River Sharavathi is the Linganmakki Dam across River Sharavathi, and the 1200 MW hydro-electric power station, one of the largest hydro-electric stations in India and a significant source of electric power for Karnataka. The power station has been operational since 1949. The power station was previously named Krishna Rajendra hydro-electric project, after the King of Mysore at that time. The name was later changed to Mahatma Gandhi Hydro-electric Project. It was served by Hirebhaskara dam until 1960. After 1960, Linganmakki Dam, built across River Sharavathi is being used for power generation.

Before the onset of monsoon, when there is not much water in the Linganmakki dam, the Jog Falls, instead of the roar and the spray and the massive flow of water, has only a pair of thin streams of water trickling down the cliff. The local people would tell you that the authorities open the dam only during weekends to enhance the flow of water in the waterfalls, when there are a lot of tourists to view it.

August-December is best the season with the best flow to visit Jog Falls. Jog Falls is situated at 30 Kilometers (19 miles) away from Sagara, and 379 kilometers (235 miles) away from Bangalore. Nearest Bus Stations are Jog and Sagara. One can reach Jog by direct buses to Jog from Bangalore. Alternatively, take a direct bus to Sagara from Bangalore and local bus from Sagara to Jog. The distance is 379 kilometers (235 miles) from Bangalore, 102 kilometers (63 miles) from Shivamogga and 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Sagara. Nearest Train Station is Shimoga. One can board a train to Shimoga from Bangalore and can travel to Jog in buses from Shimoga. Bangalore Airport is the nearest airport. Another convenient airport is at Mangalore.

More details and photos (photo gallery) can be had from Wikipedia.

Trek from Gangotri to Gaumukh-view3

trek from Gangotri to Gaumukh-view3, originally uploaded by Piyush Dunagiri.

This photo was originally uploaded by Piyush Dunagiri on 22 Feb 07, 11.24PM PDT. He has a wonderful set of photos at http://flickr.com/photos/dunagiri/sets/72157605839778400/

Source of the Ganges, Gangotri Glacier, India

Source of the Ganges, Gangotri Glacier, India, originally uploaded by Ran Chakrabarti.

Hindu religion's prayer flags on the way to the face of the Gangotri Glacier beneath the towering peaks of Bhagirathi I, II and III. Photos of Gangotri and places around it are by Ran Chakrabarti. To view the original images and to get a glimpse of the wonderful works of Ran Chakrabarti, click on the photo.

Gangotri Glacier and the source of the Ganges

Gangotri Glacier and the source of the Ganges, originally uploaded by Ran Chakrabarti.

This picture shows the Gangotri Glacier from Tapovan meadow beneath the peaks of Bhagirathi I, II and III. The River Ganga (River Ganges) originates from here.