Highest bridge of the world: Baily Bridge

Baily is a 30 meters long bridge, built by Indian Army in August 1982, between the Dras and Suru rivers in Himalayan mountains of Ladakh valley. It is the highest bridge in the world, at the height of 18,379 ft above sea level.

The bridge has the capacity to carry 6 to 7 war tank at a time. And currently it's been used mainly for defense purpose.

BHARATAM SHRESHTAM

26 January - Indian Republic Day

Though India became a free nation on August 15, 1947, it declared itself a Sovereign, Democratic and Republic state with the adoption of the Constitution on January 26, 1950.

A salute of 21 guns and the unfurling of the Indian National Flag by Dr. Rajendra Prasad heralded the historic birth of the Indian Republic on that day. Thereafter 26^th of January was decreed a national holiday and was recognised as the Republic Day of India.

The Constitution gave the citizens of India the power to choose their own government and paved the way for democracy. Dr. Rajendra Prasad took oath as the first President of India at the Durbar Hall in Government House and this was followed by the Presidential drive along a five-mile route to the Irwin Stadium, where he unfurled the National Flag.

The seeds of a republican nation were sowed at the Lahore session of the Indian National Congress at the midnight of 31st December 1929. The session was held under the presidency of Pt. Jawarhar Lal Nehru. Those present in the meeting took a pledge to mark January 26 as "Independence Day" in order to march towards realizing the dream of complete independence from the British. The Lahore Session paved way to the Civil Disobedience movement. It was decided that January 26, 1930 would be observed as the Purna Swaraj (complete Independence) Day. Many Indian political parties and Indian revolutionaries from all over the country united to observe the day with honour and pride.

On Republic Day, flag hoisting ceremonies and parades by armed forces and school children are held in different parts of the country. The grandest and most important of these parades is held at Rajpath in New Delhi, which showcases a multi-hued image of the country's rich cultural heritage and military prowess.

This parade is presided over by the President of India(External website that opens in a new window). One of the main functions of the Republic Day Parade is to pay tribute to the martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for the country and to confer bravery awards on military persons, citizenry and children for showing courage in the face of adversity.

The Prime Minister of India first lays a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate, in memory of all members of the armed forces who gave up their life for the country. After that there is the 21 gun salute, unfurling of theNational Flag and singing of the National Anthem. Next, awards such as the Paramvir Chakra, Ashok Chakra and Vir Chakra are presented to gallantry award winners.

The parade begins with winners of gallantry awards saluting the President in open military jeeps, followed by the display of various tanks, missiles and other equipment added to the arsenal of the military. After this, is the march-past of different regiments of the armed forces, police, Home Guards and National Cadet Corps. The President of India, being the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute. This is followed by a vibrant parade comprising tableaux from different States and cultural dances by patriotic school children.

(External website that opens in a new window)

Children who have won National Bravery Awards ride past the spectators on colourfully decorated elephants. These children are honoured and awarded by the Indian Council for Child Welfare for performing outstanding deeds of bravery and selfless sacrifice.

The Republic Day Parade is concluded by dare devil motor cycle riding and a flypast by Indian Air Force fighter jets over Rajpath, as spectators look on with their hearts filled with pride.

January 30 is marked as Martyrs Day(External website that opens in a new window), to honour and pay homage to those martyrs who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom, welfare and progress of our beloved country. It was on January 30, 1948 when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. And, since then every year the nation pays homage to the Mahatma and other martyrs on this day.

The President(External website that opens in a new window), the Vice President(External website that opens in a new window), the Prime Minister(External website that opens in a new window), the Defence Minister, and the three service Chiefs gather at Rajghat and lay wreaths on the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, decorated with multi-colour flowers. The inter-services contingent reverses arms as a mark of respect to the martyrs. A religious prayer ceremony is held and Gandhiji's favourite bhajans are sung.

Ratangad Fort - Dare to trek?..... Take a chance.....

                                                               Ratangad fort

Ratangad fort is situated in Ratanwadi village under Bhandardara taluka, Maharashtra, India. Its a 2000 year old fort ruled by great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosle, the fort was his favorite and a his base during emergencies. The fort is at the height of 1200 m. The place is beautiful, full of waterfalls and rivers. The trekking to the fort begin with the blessing of lord Shiva's Amruteshwar temple. Move along with the river which is near the temple, but in its opposite direction, the trek starts from there and ends at  fort, where the River Amrutvahini starts. The river act as our natural guide, but if you need then human guide are available for our help. Every season will display a different picture of nature to us, but still monsoon will remain the best. At bottom you walk along the river, even we need to cross it, then at middle you have to pass by the waterfall and at the top there's only fog, it feels like gateway to heaven. The fort has four entrance of which only two are available for trekkers and tourist. There is a Devi Ma temple on the fort, few wells and carving of Hindu god and goddess on entrance and rocks.

Take a visit to this beautiful place, and enjoy a adventure with nature.

                                                              Amruteshwar Temple

                                                                   River Amrutvahini

BHARATAM SHRESHTAM

Ramoji Film City - Largest film studio in world

Set up by Ramoji rao, on the sprawling 2000 acre land in 1996. The studio is dream place of thousands, where world class film making facilities are available. Located in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana state of India, the studio has a picturesque avenues and some true believable sets of Vrindavan Garden, Mysore, Delhi's Mughal garden and many more such replicas are built here. Its been a popular tourist center for its natural and artificial attraction, which includes amusement park and some 4D films.
Many Indian and international films have been shoot here. It has been certified by Guinness world record as world's largest film studio.
Make a visit to feel the reel life of cinema

Udvada Beach

Located 20 km in Parsi colony from Udvada station, Gujarat, India. The beach is quiet place and always cool because of its constant wind flow. The beach carries fishing activities and a good tourist attraction. You can take a look at the Parsi lifestyle through their houses still in traditional style. Evening provides you with beautiful sunset view. You can enjoy horse ride or a boat ride at morning. You can even visit Iranshah Atash Behram, a Zoroastrian fire temple.

For Parsi's lots of hotels and lodge are available but others have to stay at hotels near railway station.

Kanheri caves

Located with in the forest of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, in north Borivali, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The caves demonstrate the Buddhist influence on the art and culture of India. The name Kanheri was derived from Sanskrit word Krishnagiri, which means black mountain.
109 caves have been carved from basalt. The caves were used Buddhist for living, studying and meditation. Nearly 51 legible inscriptions and 26 epigraphs are found at Kanheri. Cave number 34 has unfinished paintings of Buddha on the ceiling of the cave. Kanheri caves gives us a beautiful picture of nature. Monsoon is the best season to visit, because the area nourishes better from its origin. You can also enjoy small and large waterfalls from the hilly terrain of the caves.
The cave is located 6km inside Sanjay Gandhi National park, and the visitors have to pay a minimal entry fees at the entrance. Nearest Station is Borivali and regular bus and auto service is available to National park.
On the way to caves one can notice number of birds and animals of National Park.

   

Ajanta caves

The  Ajanta Caves are situated at a distance of 107 km north of Aurangabad, the district headquarters. The caves attained the name from a nearby village named Ajanta located about 12 km. These caves were discovered by an Army Officer in the Madras Regiment of the British Army in 1819 during one of his hunting expeditions. Instantly the discovery became very famous and Ajanta attained a very important tourist destination in the world. The caves, famous for its murals, are the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting.

These caves are excavated in horse–shoe shaped bend of rock surface nearly 76 m in height overlooking a narrow stream known as Waghora. The location of this valley provided a calm and serene environment for the Buddhist monks who retreated at these secluded places during the rainy seasons. This retreat also provided them with enough time for furthering their religious pursuits through intellectual discourses for a considerably longer period. The caves were excavated in different periods (circa. 2nd century B.C. to 6th century A.D.) according to the necessity. Each cave was connected to the stream by a flight of steps, which are now almost obliterated, albeit traces of some could be noticed at some places.

In all, total 30 excavations were hewn out of rock which also include an unfinished one. Out of these, five (cave no. 9, 10, 19, 26, and 29) are chaityagrihas and the rest are viharas. In date and style also, these caves can be divided into two broad groups. The earliest excavations belong to the Hinayana phase of Buddhism of which similar examples could also be seen at Bhaja, Kondane, Pitalkhora, Nasik, etc. In total, 5 caves at Ajanta belong to this phase, viz., 9 & 10 which are chaityagrihas and 8, 12, 13, & 15A which are viharas. These caves are datable to the pre-Christian era, the earliest among them being Cave 10 dating from the second century B.C. The object of worship is a stupa here and these caves exhibit the imitation of wooden construction to the extent that the rafters and beams are also sculpted even though they are non-functional.

The addition of new excavations could be noticed again during the period of Vakatakas, the contemporaries of the Imperial Guptas. The caves were caused to be excavated by royal patronage and the feudatories under the Vakatakas as illustrated by the inscriptions found in the caves. Varahadeva, the minister of Vakataka king Harishena (A.D. 475-500) dedicated Cave 16 to the Buddhist Sangha while Cave 17 was the gift of a prince (who subjugated Asmaka) feudatory to the same king. The flurry of activities at Ajanta was between mid 5th century A.D. to mid 6th century A.D. However, Hieun Tsang, the famous Chinese traveler who visited India during the first half of 7th century A.D. has left a vivid and graphic description of the flourishing Buddhist establishment here even though he did not visit the caves. A solitary Rashtrakuta inscription in cave no. 26 indicates its use during 8th – 9th centuries A.D. The second phase departs from the earlier one with the introduction of new pattern in layout as well as the centrality of Buddha image, both in sculpture as well as in paintings

The world famous paintings at Ajanta also fall into two broad phases. The earliest is noticed in the form of fragmentary specimens in cave nos. 9 & 10, which are datable to second century B.C. The headgear and other ornaments of the images in these paintings resemble the bas-relief sculpture of Sanchi and Bharhut.

The second phase of paintings started around 5th – 6th centuries A.D. and continued for the next two centuries. The specimen of these exemplary paintings of Vakataka period could be noticed in cave nos. 1, 2, 16 and 17. The variation in style and execution in these paintings also are noticed, mainly due to different authors of them. A decline in the execution is also noticed in some paintings as indicated by some rigid, mechanical and lifeless figures of Buddha in some later period paintings. The main theme of the paintings is the depiction of various Jataka stories, different incidents associated with the life of Buddha, and the contemporary events and social life also. The ceiling decoration invariably consists of decorative patterns, geometrical as well as floral.

The paintings were executed after elaborate preparation of the rock surface initially. The rock surface was left with chisel marks and grooves so that the layer applied over it can be held in an effective manner. The ground layer consists of a rough layer of ferruginous earth mixed with rock-grit or sand, vegetable fibers, paddy husk, grass and other fibrous material of organic origin on the rough surface of walls and ceilings. A second coat of mud and ferruginous earth mixed with fine rock-powder or sand and fine fibrous vegetable material was applied over the ground surface. Then the surface was finally finished with a thin coat of lime wash. Over this surface, outlines are drawn boldly, then the spaces are filled with requisite colors in different shades and tones to achieve the effect of rounded and plastic volumes. The colors and shades utilized also vary from red and yellow ochre, terra verte, to lime, kaolin, gypsum, lamp black and lapis lazuli. The chief binding material used here was glue. The paintings at Ajanta are not frescoes as they are painted with the aid of a binding agent, whereas in fresco the paintings are executed while the lime wash is still wet which, thereby acts as an intrinsic binding agent.

Open from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.

Closed on Monday

Entrance Fee:

Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) - Rs. 10 per head.

Others: US $ 5 or Indian Rs. 250/- per head

(children up to 15 years free)