Mysterious Crooked Forest, Poland - Contains Approximately 400 Pine Trees With Bent Trunks

There is no shortage of wonders in this world. Not only human, but nature also surprise people with its amazing places from time to time. The Crooked forest of Poland is one of the main example of these natural wonders. This forest is completely different from the rest of the forests. Actually, It is a grove of oddly-shaped pine trees located outside Nowe Czarnowo, West Pomerania, Poland. The grove contains approximately 400 pine trees with bent trunks. These trees look quite interesting and mysterious. The crooked forest always remains in considerable discussion due to these mysterious trees. These trees of the forest are said to have been planted before the beginning of World War II. Everyone has different opinions about these trees.

It is believed that these trees were planted in the year 1930. Due to the bending of these trees, this forest has been named Crooked Forest. This place is very famous in Poland. It is believed that a particular type of technique or tool was used by humans to make these trees in such a way. But the method and motive are not currently known. The specialty of these trees is not only curved, but the stems of all the trees have turned towards the same direction. People are very surprised by looking at the shape of these trees. Currently, these trees are a mystery among the people.

Some locals say that it happens due to the force of gravity. But some people consider the role of creatures (Alien) that come from other planets in making such a shape of these trees as the main reason. But somewhere, it is also speculated that the trees may have been deformed to create naturally curved timber for use in furniture or boat building. Sometimes snowstorm is also blamed for this, which could have knocked the trees like this. By the way, the true reason for the bending of these trees is yet to be ascertained. Despite all the reasons, this place is fascinating to the people.

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Kufri, India - A Beautiful Hill Station in Shimla

Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful Indian state, which is located in North India. It has a unique natural beauty with its various beautiful landscapes. The beautiful valleys, culture, festivals and the affection of people here encourages everyone to come here again and again. It is situated in the lap of nature and is responsible for attracting tourists from all over the world. During the winter season, one of the best tourist spots, "kufri", gets covered with a ice sheet which looks amazing in that season. Kufri is a beautiful tiny hill station in Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh and located 20 km from Shimla. The name of this place is derived from the word 'kufr', which means 'lake' in its local language. It has an average elevation of 2,630 metres.

Due to the attractions associated with this place, tourists visit here throughout the year. Mahasu Peak, Himalayan Nature Park, and Fagu are some of the major tourist spots in Kufri. The Mahasu Peak is the highest point of the region kurfi. Fogu is located 6 km from Kufri, which is a popular destination among peace lovers. This place is also popular for various adventure activities like hiking, camping and trekking. During your stay in Kufri, adventure enthusiasts can enjoy various sports like skiing, tobogganing and horse riding. Although this place is a bit expensive, but you can enjoy a lot.

Kufri is also famous for its nature parks and picnic spots. It has a himalayan wild life zoo which hosts rare antelopes, felines and birds including the Himalayan monal, the state bird of Himachal Pradesh. But winters are very cold in Kufri and during this time temperatures may fall below zero. It is considered ideal to visit this place during the period between March and November. Otherwise It can be visited in any season of the year. But sometimes roads can be closed during heavy snowfall and tourists may have to face difficulties.

The closest airport to Kufri is Jubbarbhatti Airport near Shimla located at a distance of about 20 kms. Airport is connected to all major cities through regular flights. Kufri is connected to Shimla by a narrow gauge rail route, while a broad gauge railway station is at Kalka, located 100 kilometers from Kufri, connects all major cities of India with Shimla. Tourists who wish to travel by road can come directly from Shimla, Narkanda and Rampur buses.

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Gate Tower Building, Japan - Notable For A Highway That Passes Through The Building

Gate Tower Building is one of the most beautiful building structures of the world. It is the only building in the world through which the express highway passes. Actually, It is a 16 floor office building in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Japan, which is notable for the highway offramp at Umeda Exit that passes through the building. The Umeda Exit of the Ikeda Route of the Hanshin Expressway system passes through the fifth, sixth and seventh floors of the Gate Tower Building. Due to the use of the place, the administration pays the rent of these three floors to the building owner.

This building has been designed by Azusa Sekkei and Yamamoto-Nishihara Kenchiku Sekkei Jimushō. This building has a double core construction, with a circular cross section. The elevator does not stop at the three floors of the building through which the highway passes. The highway does not make contact with the building. It passes through as a bridge, held up by supports next to the building. A special structure is built around the highway, which prevents the noise and vibration of the vehicles from entering the building. A helipad is built on the roof of this building.

The story of this building is very interesting. The redevelopment of this area was approved in 1983. But the building permit was refused here. The reason is that there was already a plan to build the highway here. But the property rights holders of the building did not give up. Their controversy continued with the Hanshin Expressway corporation for five years. After this, in 1989 some changes were made in the city planning laws, city redevelopment laws and highway laws and this building was allowed to build here. This building was completed in 1992.

Gate Tower Building is the Japan's first building to have a highway pass through it. Normally, highways are still built underground in these cases, but passing through a building is an extremely rare occurrence. This building is a great example of Japanese engineering and is also a major tourist attraction in Japan.

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Ganvie Lake Village, Benin - A Unique Village With a Population of 20,000 Built Completely on the Lake

There is a village in Benin in West Africa that is completely built over the Lake Nokoué, near Cotonou. The name of this unique village is Ganvie. It has a population of 20,000. It is probably the largest lake village in Africa and is very popular among tourists. Tourists arrive from far away to see this village. The houses of most of the people are in the middle of the lake. Ganvie is sometimes called the Venice of Africa.

It is believed that this village was created in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries by the Tofinu people who decided to settle down here for self-protection from Fon warriors. The Fon warriors used to come there for capturing slaves for sale to European traders, but due to their religious beliefs, they do not enter into the water. Now for so many years, the Ganvie villagers have developed their culture over water and want to stay here even further.

All the houses, shops and restaurants in the village are built on wooden stilts several feet above the water. There is also a floating market over the lake. The community is self-sustainable, survives on fishing and various other sectors such as tourism, restaurants and souvenir shops. The villagers have a piece of land, where a school has been built. The village school is one of the few buildings which are not on stilts.

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Mysterious Sleepy Hollow Village, Kazakhstan - Where a Sleeping Sickness Causes People to Fall Unconscious for Many Days

In this world, there are many mysterious incidents happen every day, out of which, causes of few of them are obtained and the rest of the events remain a mystery. There are some similar incidents have been taking place in Kalachi village of Kazakhstan for the last few years. This village is suffering from a mysterious sleep disorder from the past few years. And the name of this sleeping disorder is sleepy hollow. It is a medical disease apparently only in humans causing them to sleep for days or weeks at a time. This disease has only been reported in a remote village of Kalachi in Kazakhstan. Anyone in this village sleeps suddenly while doing anything and their sleep can last for a few hours to several weeks. Due to this mysterious sleep disorder, this village has been called Sleepy Hollow.

In the village this disease was first reported in March, 2013 and since then, this disease is increasingly growing. The population of this village is around 680 and It was reported that almost a fifth of the population had been affected with this 'sleep disorder'. This disease causes vomiting, hallucination, nausea and disorientation other than excessive sleep. A person suffering from this disease is suddenly feel asleep. Sometimes this sleep is of few hours, but sometimes it lasts for few weeks. This disease affects all age groups. It is said that this disease was disappeared for some time but has re-emerged in mid 2015. But now the state is currently running an evacuation scheme, under which people should be given a place to live in a new place. The accurate reason behind this mysterious disease is still unknown and why it is spreading has not yet come to the attention of the scientists. But somewhere it is believed that the increased carbon monoxide levels from a nearby abandoned mine had caused oxygen levels in the town to fall, which is causing sleepy hollow.

In the research so far it has been found that the amount of fluid increases in the brains of patients suffering from this disease. But the reason why this fluid increases suddenly in the mind of a normal person is not understood yet. According to a scientific research report about this disease which states that carbon monoxide, along with other hydrocarbons as a result of a flood around the abandoned Soviet-era uranium mine nearby is causing Sleep Hollow which is spreading through the village's air. But still it does not explain all of the symptoms of Sleepy Hollow. But despite the continued efforts of many years, the scientists have not been able to discover the cause and diagnosis of this mysterious disease altogether.

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The Devil's Sea - The Mysterious Dragon's Triangle

You must have heard many stories of the Bermuda Triangle where the large number of ships and planes have been disappeared. But Bermuda Triangle is not the only place where such incidents occurred. There are also other mysterious places around the world where various ships and planes have disappeared. The Devil's Sea is one of these places. It is also known as the Dragon's Triangle. This is exactly the same kind of mystery in the Pacific Ocean, like Bermuda in the Atlantic. The Devil's Sea is a region of the Pacific around Miyake Island, about 100 km south of Tokyo. This area has also been called as the Pacific Bermuda Triangle. It is sometimes considered as a paranormal location. This area is said to be a danger zone on Japanese maps. Each year hundreds of fishing boats have been lost around this area. The Japanese government has now forbidden fishermen from fishing in this area.

It is said that some mysterious lights and objects have been seen there and people have disappeared in a mysterious way. According to Charles Berlitz's book, "The Dragon’s Triangle” in 1989. He said that during the period between 1952 to 1954, five Japanese military vessels were lost with over 700 people. Then Japanese government sent a research vessel named, Kaiyo Maru No 5 with over 100 scientists on board to study the devil's sea, and this ship also disappeared and finally the area was officially declared a danger zone. But according to Larry Kusche's book “The Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved" in 1995. He claimed that Berlitz’s military vessels were actually fishing vessels, and some of them were lost outside the Devil's Sea. He also wrote that the Japanese research vessel carried not 100 personnel, but only 31 and that an undersea volcano destroyed it on September 24, 1952. Some parts of the debris were later recovered. 

Somewhere it is believed that tha vast field of methane hydrates present on the bottom of the ocean in the Dragon’s Triangle area which is responsible for the sinking of ships. Methane hydrates gas are described as icelike deposites that break off from the bottom and rise, forming bubbles on the surface of the water. These gas eruptions have the ability to interrupt buoyancy which can easily sink the vessel by leaving no clue of debris. There is one more theory related to paranormal activity of Dragon's Traingle, which could be the undersea volcanoes that are very common in this area. Due to both volcanoes and seismic activity in the Dragon’s Triangle, small islands in the area frequently disappear and new islands appear.

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Gisborne Airport, New Zealand - One of the Few Airports in the World that has a Railway Line Crosses the Main Runway

Today we are talking about an airport, between which a railway track passes and where the plane and train are simultaneously operated. The name of this airport is Gisborne Airport, which is a regional airport on the outskirts of Gisborne on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Both the railway and the runway are busy between 6:30 in the morning and 8:30 at night. After that, the runway is closed till morning. Gisborne Airport is one of the few airports in the world, with the railway line, which crosses the main runway. The railway track passes through the middle of the runway. So mostly, trains or aircraft are stopped until the one of them does not move out of there.

The Gisborne Airport covers an area of around 160 hectares which has three grass runways and one main runway that is intersected by the Palmerston North-Gisborne Railway Line. The three grass runways are suitable for light aircraft. The convenient passenger amenities at Gisborne Airport include a cafe and bar. For your comfortable waiting, the arrangement of comfy couches, a big screen TV and several magazines are there for enjoy.

Throughout the day, the work to manage landing at the intersecting runway along the operational rail route remains very difficult for the airport authorities. More than 60 domestic flights are operated from this airport, and more than 150,0000 passengers travel through this airport throughout the year.

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Pripyat, Ukraine - A City of 50 Thousand People Now Turned Into A Ghost City

There are so many nuclear disasters have been recorded in the entire world so far. In which, the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 is one of the main example of nuclear disaster. It was a catastrophic nuclear accident and occurred on 25-26 April 1986 in the No. 4 light water graphite moderated reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the now-abandoned town of Pripyat. Pripyat is now considered as a ghost town which is situated in northern Ukraine. Pripyat was established on February 4, 1970 as the ninth nuclear city in the Soviet Union, to serve the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Ferris wheel of the Pripyat amusement park

There is a chernobyl exclusion zone, which is actually a 30 kilometre zone with a distance of two hours from Ukraine's capital city Kiev. It is counted among those few dangerous places of the world, where people can stay for a fixed period of time. The activities of the entire zone is managed by Ukraine's Ministry of Emergencies. It is designated exclusion zone around the site of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster. The area has returned to the forest extensively, and due to lack of competition with humans for space and resources, wildlife has become more than usual. Radiation levels are so high in this area even today. It is also believed that if the forests that have been contaminated by radioactive material catch on fire, they will spread the radioactive material further outwards in the smoke. According to Ukrainian officials, this area will not be safe for human life for another 20,000 years.

In 2011, Ukraine opened up the sealed zone around the Chernobyl reactor for those, who wanted to know more about the tragedy in 1986. But no one can easily reach this place. We have to be equipped with special permission and radiation monitoring equipment from the government to reach here. Thousands of people have been here since the opening of this place for tourists. The foreigners are also included in the travel list of this place. In such a situation, the government has already opened a new hostel within the exclusion zone, one of the most radioactive places on the planet. Here you can spend a night by just spending 500 rupees. The business of this 96-bed hostel is growing rapidly. The reasons are the tourists coming from US, New Zealand and Denmark.

Polissya hotel - The one of the tallest buildings in the abandoned city of Pripyat

Chernobyl travel experience is really awkward. Tourists have to go through the radiation check and have to face many problems. Children are not allowed to go here. Very strict rules have been made in Chernobyl regarding where you can go and what you can touch. The terms and conditions also tell us about what to eat, what to drink and smoking is allowed or not. Radiation check is done before going from this place. People who come here after failing that check may have to leave their shoes here too. But there is no effect on tourists who like the adventures of such warnings.

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La Tomatina Festival, Spain - The World's Biggest Tomato Fight

Everyone must have heard about La Tomatina which is a Tomato Fight festival held every year in Spain. It is a world famous festival and is very popular among the people. This festival is celebrated on the last Wednesday of August every year. It is held every year in the Valencian town of Buñol which is located in the east of Spain 30 kilometres from the Mediterranean. During this festival thousands of people gather in one place and throw tomatoes on each other. The participants involved in this tomato fight just play for entertainment purposes. Every year more than 40,000 people gather in the city to throw over 115,000 kilograms of tomatoes at each other. In 2015, it was estimated that almost 145000 kg of tomatoes were thrown. This festival has been held every year since 1945.

These tomatoes are brought from a nearby town of Extremadura, where they are also cheap and their taste is not as good. These tomatoes are of lower quality and can not be used as food. The beginning of this festival was started on the last Wednesday of August in 1945, when an annual parade of enormous figures with big heads was passing through the streets of Buñol. Some young boys decided to have a place in the parade. Unfortunately, the energy of these young people dropped a participant. The participant flew in the fit of anger and started to hit everything on his way. There was a market stall of vegetable that became a victim of a ruthless crowd. People began to hit each other with the tomatoes until the police arrived there and ended the fruit battle. Since that day, La Tomatina Festival is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday of August.

To participate in this biggest tomato fight you have to follow some simple rules. Before throwing tomatoes on someone, you have to squash it, otherwise it can hurt someone badly. T-shirts and clothes of each other are not allowed to tear off during this period. One more thing you should keep in mind that do not throw bottles or hard objects on each other and keep a safe distance from the trucks. Similar festivals are celebrated in many parts of the world whose appearance seems to be very much related to La Tomatina. La Tomatina festival involves people from all corners of the world. Since 2013 participation in the event has been restricted to the holders of paid tickets. In 2002, it was declared Festivity of International Tourist Interest. Due to its popularity, it has also been shown in many films. La Tomatina has been filmed in the 2011 Bollywood film 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'.

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Mini Taj Mahal, Bulandshahar - A Retired Postmaster Who Built A Taj Mahal For His Dead Wife

Everyone knows about the immortal symbol of love, the Taj Mahal, which was built by Shah Jahan for his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal in between 1631 and 1648 in Agra. But did anyone hear about the Mini Taj Mahal of Bulandshahar which was built by a retired postmaster for his dead wife? Yes, it is true, this Mini Taj Mahal is a replica of the historic Taj Mahal of Agra located in Kaser Kalan, a small village in Bulandshahar of Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by 81 years old a retired postmaster, Faizul Hasan Qadri in the memory of his dead wife Tajamulli Begum, who died due to throat cancer in 2011. The structure of this Mini Taj Mahal is very similar to the Taj Mahal, but it has a quite ordinary look because it has been prepared at a cost of just Rs 15 lakhs. It is officially known as Maqbara Yadgare Mohabbat Tajammuli Begum.

Faizul Hasan Qadri started the construction of mini taj mahal in 2011, when his wife died due to throat cancer. Before starting the work, he brought his local mason to the Taj Mahal so that they could understand the design well. After this, he started the work of Mini Taj Mahal in the empty place of his house. In the memory of his wife, he spent all his savings in the construction of a memorial at Kaser Kalan village. He had some money from the savings, but the rest of the money was arranged by selling his land and his wife's gold and silver jewellery. He sold a piece of his land for Rs 6 lakh and his wife's jewellery for Rs 1.5 lakh. Altogether, 13 lakh rupees were collected, with which just the structure of the 'makbara' (mausoleum) was constructed, but due to lack of money, the work had to be stopped. The people offered him help, but he refused to take financial help from anyone, as he wanted to build it from his saving.

Faizul Hasan Qadri has built his wife's tomb in the Mini Taj Mahal and has kept the people saying that after his death he should be buried next to his wife. He says that many people told me that I was spoiling my money. He said that both of us were married in a very early age and we never quarreled. He also said that my wife is dead and some day I will die too. The monument too might not stand forever. I just wish to see it complete before I die. Now, after the formation of the mini Taj Mahal, his village has become quite famous.

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Loktak Lake, Manipur - The Largest freshwater lake in Northeast India, Famous for its Floating Islands

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India. It is located near Moirang in Manipur state of India. It is also called the world's only floating lake, because small islands float in the water. These small islands are known as phumdis which are made of soil, trees and organic matter and are hardened like earth. These phumdis have covered a large portion of the lake. It is an amazing feeling to see this beautiful lake made of phumdis which can be experienced only at this place in the entire world. The largest of all the phumdis covers an area of 40 km2 and is situated on the southeastern shore of the lake. Keibul Lamjao National Park is the only floating national park in the world which is located on this phumdi. The rare species deer, named Sangai are also found in this park.

Loktak Lake is a major contributor to the economic development of Manipur. The water of this lake is used for hydropower generation, irrigation and drinking water supply. Apart from this, this is also the source of livelihood of fishermen living near this lake. These fishermen are called "phumshongs" in the local language. Phumdis are used by local people for fishing, making their own cottage and other uses. The fishery art of these fishermen is also very unique. Human activity has led to severe pressure on the lake ecosystem. You will be surprised to know that more than 100,000 people are dependent on this lake.

Due to the increasing deterioration of the phumdis and the increasing pressure of human activity, the lake has been divided mainly into the northern, central and southern zones. The Northern zone is separated from the central zone by large phumdis that stretches from the northwest to the southeast. In the middle of January to March these phumdis are burnt to make a place for construction of fish cum paddy farms. The central part is the main open part of the lake, where there was less phumdis as compared to earlier, but in the last few years the villagers made there artificial phumdis for fishing, which they called Athaphums. Artificial structures like these have proliferated choking the entire lake. The Southern Zone encompasses the Keibul Lamjao National Park.

Loktak Lake is also full of a rich biodiversity with habitat heterogeneity. The lake’s rich biological diversity comprises 233 species of aquatic macrophytes of emergent, submergent, free-floating and rooted floating leaf types. There are around 57 species of waterbirds, 14 species of wetland associated birds and 28 species of migratory waterfowl live in the lake. Apart from this, there are 425 species of animals, which include Indian python, sambhar and barking deer.

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Mawlynnong Village, Meghalaya (India) - The Cleanest Village in Asia (God’s Own Garden)

In the case of cleanliness, the situation of most of the villages, towns and cities of India is very bad, but still it is a pleasant surprise that Asia's cleanest village is present in India. And the name of this village is Mawlynnong. Mawlynnong is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya state in North East India, which is famous for its cleanliness and natural attraction. Due to its cleanliness, this beautiful village is also known as God's own garden. The village is located 90 km from Shillong, along the India-Bangladesh border. Along with cleanliness, this village is also good in education. The literacy rate here is 90%, that is, most of the people here are educated.

According to the calculation of the year 2014, there are about 95 households in Mawlynnong. The people residing in the community are Khasi people. Here agriculture is the chief occupation of the local population, cultivation of betel nut is the main means of livelihood. Here the waste is collected by people in the dustbins made of bamboo, directed to a pit and then used as manure.

Mawlynnong village became the cleanest place in Asia in 2003 and the most clean village of India in 2005. The biggest specialty of this village is that the villagers themselves do all the cleaning here, they are not dependent on any kind of administration for cleanliness. Smoking and use of polythene is banned while rainwater harvesting is encouraged. There are dustbins made of bamboo placed in every part of the entire village for cleanness. Any villager, whether she is a woman, a man or a child, where there they find garbage, they always ready for cleaning, even if it is morning, noon or evening.

The awareness of cleanliness can be based on the fact that if a villager looks at any garbage while walking on the road then he will stop and put it in the dustbin first and then go ahead. This habit separates this village from the rest of India where we depend on the administration for everything, we do not take any initiative ourselves. As is the tradition of the Khasi people, in Mawlynnong property and wealth are passed from the mother to the youngest of her daughters, who also keeps the mother's surname.

There are many amusing spots for tourists around this village, such as Waterfall, Rare Living Root Bridges and Balancing Rocks. Apart from this, which is another very famous tourist attraction, sitting on a 85 feet high tower which is made of bamboo and beholding the natural beauty of village from the top. Sky view is a vantage point and a popular attraction of Mawlynnong Village. Once you reach the top, you’ll be overwhelmed with the breath-taking views. You will not only get stunning views of just the village but also Bangladesh on the other side. It’s simply gorgeous.

To facilitate the many places in the village, the tea-stalls of the typical rural surroundings remains where you can enjoy tea. Apart from this there is also a restaurant where you can eat food. You can enjoy walking around Mawlynnong village but you should keep in mind that the beauty of the place should not be spoiled in some way by you.

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The Mysterious Initiation Well of Quinta da Regaleira, Portugal - One of the Best Tourist Attractions of Sintra

There are so many places in almost every part of the world which look mysterious at first glance. Despite such a progress in science, we have not been able to find any specific reason for the events happening there. There is such a place called Quinta da Regaleira, located near the Sintra of Portugal which is popular for its mysterious well. The well is named as Initiation Well. Quinta da Regaleira is an estate located near the historic center of Sintra. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra. The property consists of a luxurious park that includes lakes, grottoes, wells, benches and fountains. It also consists of a romantic palace. The palace is also known as "The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire". There are five floors in the palace, which include a ground floor, three upper floors, and a basement.

Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal

The Initiation well is 88 feet deep well located on the land of Quinta da Regaleira. The well was never served as water source. Actually, it was used for ceremonial purposes. In other words we can say, it was never used as a well at all. There is another small well near this well. Both these wells are connected by tunnels. The larger well contains a 27-meter spiral staircase with several small landings and the smaller well contains straight stairs that connect a series of ring-shaped floors to one another. The smaller well is also called the 'Unfinished Well'.

The depth of this larger well is equal to the four-storey building, which becomes narrower on going closer to the ground. It is believed that there is some kind of light comes out from the well inside the ground and comes outwards. Surprisingly, there is no system of light inside this well, then where from this light comes, it is the secret. Anyone who comes to visit here, always raises the question of where the light comes from inside the well? Till today this secret is unsolved. This well is also considered as a wishing well. People ask for a wish by putting coins in it. A structure similar to these wells can be found in the Pozzo di S. Patrizio in Italy.

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Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand - The Oldest National Park in India

Jim Corbett National Park is a paradise for wildlife lovers. This National Park is situated in the vast Himalayan foothills and is known for its green atmosphere. It is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand and was named after Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment. It is the oldest national park in India. The park was mainly established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. But it was renamed in 1955 as Ramganga National Park and was again renamed in 1957 as Corbett National Park. Famous for the Tiger Conservation, the population of tigers in Jim Corbett National Park is the highest in the world. India is famous for the highest population of wild tigers around the world, and Jim Corbett Park is home to about 215 tigers.

Corbett National Park has an area of 520.8 square kilometers which includes hills, riverine belts, marshy depressions, grasslands and a large lake. There are many other animals to be spotted here include several species of deer (barking deer, sambar deer, hog deer and chital), elephants, leopards, jungle cat, fishing cat, leopard cat, jackals, red foxes, black bear, sloth bear, and monkeys. The park also includes about 600 species of colorful birds, including peacocks, pheasants, pigeons, owls, hornbills, crested serpent eagle, blossom-headed parakeet and the red junglefowl. Apart from this, travelers can see 110 tree species here. The park is situated on the banks of river Ramganga river and tourists visit here for exciting tourist spots and adventurous safari. The park also include the Patli Dun valley formed by the Ramganga river.

The tourists who are planning to visit the deserted forests of Corbett National Park can also go to Dhikala, which is located at the fringes of Patli Dun valley. Dhikala is a well-known destination in the park. The picturesque view of the valley can be seen from Dhikala, which has Kanda ridge range in the background. On the way through Dhikala, you can get an opportunity to see wild elephants, deers and various species of birds. Going on trekking with an experienced guide is the popular activity here that can be enjoyed by tourists here. Kalagarh Dam is another place which is situated in the south-west of the wildlife sanctuary. This place offers great opportunities to see the birds. This is one of the best places for a bird watching tour. During winter migratory waterfowl can be seen here.

Tourists can also enjoy Corbett Falls which are located at an altitude of about 66 feet. The water falls is surrounded by dense forests and pin drop silence. This is an ideal place for a picnic or camp in the park. Kosi River provides great opportunity of rafting for tourists visiting Corbett National Park. Jungle Safari, which includes Jeep Safari, offers unlimited enjoyment to tourists. Tourists can enjoy fishing in the catchment area of Kosi river. There are many resorts that make the necessary arrangements for fishing. There is also a Garjiya Devi Temple which is sacred to Garjiya Devi and is mostly visited by the traveller during the Kartik Poornima.

Corbett Museum located in Kaladhungi is also a scenic spot. It is the Bungalow of the famous hunter Jim Corbett. Here are some rare pictures and some personal belongings of this specific person. Every season more than 70,000 visitors come to the park. Jim Corbett National Park is well connected by way of air, rail and road. Tourists are advised to visit this park during the summer and during the winter.

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Ajanta Caves, India - The Masterpiece of Buddhist Religious Art

Ajanta caves are 29 rock-cut Buddhist caves in the form of monuments located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state of India. These caves belong to the date from the second century BCE to about 480 CE. Ajanta Caves has always been a major center of tourist attraction. The beautiful paintings and sculptures here are not less than paradise for art lovers. These paintings and rock-cut sculptures described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art. The huge rocks, greenery, beautiful sculptures, and the river Waghur which flows here provide the complete beauty to this place. Waghur river falls from a height of 200 feet, resulting in a series of waterfalls. These flowing waterfalls can be easily seen in rocks. The Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1983.

The pictures found in the Ajanta caves are especially have different kind of beauty which offer emotions through gesture, posture and forms. According to UNESCO, these are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art that influenced the Indian art that followed. Ajanta caves are divided into two distinct periods based on their construction in which the first belonging to the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE, and a second period that followed several centuries later. The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India.

Although the ajanta caves are defined as ancient monasteries and worship-halls of different Buddhist traditions, besides this, it has also been the place to rest for traders and pilgrims of ancient India. The caves also present paintings depicting the past lives and rebirths of the Buddha, pictorial tales from Aryasura's Jatakamala, and rock-cut sculptures of Buddhist deities. Ajanta caves are one of the few historical places to preserve ancient Indian painting, where we can learn a lot about the art of ancient India, because there is no other historical place to provide information about it.

All thirty caves have been divided into Stupa halls and vihara halls. Each cave is preserved in the original structure. The other type of main hall architecture is the narrower rectangular plan with high arched ceiling type chaitya-griha - literally, "the house of stupa". The caves 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are known as chaitya halls, in which Lord was worshiped. The remaining caves are 'viharas; which generally refers to a Buddhist bhikkhu monastery. The term evolved into an architectural concept wherein it refers to living quarters for monks with an open shared space or courtyard, particularly in Buddhism.

Ajanta and Ellora Caves are the major tourist attraction of Maharashtra. Ellora caves are also one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments. If you are fond of moving around the world and are art lovers then Ajanta-Ellora is a good tourist destination for you. Beautiful painting and sculpture made in the caves here are unique in itself.

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Sigiriya (Lion Rock) - An Ancient Rock Fortress in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is one of the wonderful countries with a great history and Sigiriya is one of the most historical sites of Sri Lanka. This beautiful monument is actually an ancient rock fortress, which is located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is also known as Sinhagiri (Lion Rock). This historical monument is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres high. It was designed in the form of a huge stone lion, whose feet have survived up to today but the upper parts of the body were destroyed. The name of this place is derived from this structure - Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sigiriya is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It is believed that this site was chosen by King Kasyapa for his new capital and he built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes, during the 5th century. The Sigiriya site now contains the ruins of an upper palace located on the flat top of the rock, a mid-level terrace that includes the Lion Gate and the mirror wall with its frescoes, the lower palaces located behind the lavish lower gardens, and moats and ramparts which protected the citadel. There was a sculpted lion's head above the legs and paws flanking the entrance, but the head collapsed years ago.

There are five gates were placed at entrances. It is believed that the more elaborate western gate is reserved for the royals. According to John Still (John Still was a British archaeologist and author, known for his discoveries at Sigiriya and his book "The Jungle Tide"), "The whole face of the hill appears to have been a gigantic picture gallery, the largest picture in the world perhaps".

The paintings would have covered most of the western face of the rock, an area 140 metres long and 40 metres high. In these pictures 500 ladies have references in graffiti and much more frescoes, different from those on the rock face can be seen elsewhere. One of the most striking features of Sigiriya is its Mirror wall. This wall was so highly polished that the king could see himself whilst he walked alongside it. The mirror wall is now covered with inscriptions and poems written by the visitors of Sigiriya. The most ancient inscriptions are dated from the 8th century. But now further writing on the mirror wall has been strictly prohibited for the protection of the old writings.

The site was both a palace and a fortress. Due to its ancient palace and fortress complex, it is accepted by locals as the Eighth Wonder of the World. This historic site is responsible for attracting thousands of visitors every year. This is probably the most visited tourist destination in Sri Lanka.

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