Category Amazing Places

In the 1990s, the rise of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir affected tourism in Gulmarg. With the abatement of terrorism in the area, tourism started to recover in late 1990s. Work on the cable car project between Gulmarg and Apharwat Peak, which was commissioned in 1988 by Government of Jammu and Kashmir but was subsequently abandoned due to militancy in 1990, was resumed in 1998. In May 1998, Phase 1 of the project, between Gulmarg and Kongdori, began its commercial operation. In May 2005, Phase 2 of the project was also inaugurated making it one of the longest and highest rope ways of Asia. The chairlift installed as a part of Phase 3 of the project began its operations in 2011. The National Winter Games were held in Gulmarg in 1998, 2004 and 2008. In 2014, Government of Jammu and Kashmir drafted a Master Plan–2032 for Gulmarg. The plan includes development of a solid-waste treatment plant on 20 acres of land close to Gulmarg.

The first ever Khelo India Winter Games will begin from March 7 at Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. Around 900 participants will take part in the 5-day event. Organised by Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council in collaboration Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Games will be held in various sports disciplines at famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir from March 7 to 11.

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Victoria Falls also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya (‘smoke that thunders’), is a breathtaking waterfall located in Africa. A World Heritage Site, the waterfall is formed as the river Zambezi drops over the edge of a 100m deep chasm. One of the tourist attractions at the Victoria Falls is the Devil’s Pool.

The Devil’s Pool is a naturally formed pool located near the edge of the falls. Every year, when the dry season reduces the water level and makes the current safe, tourists take a dip in the pool and swim as close as possible to the edge of the waterfall.

The Devil’s Pool is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It takes a rocky walk and swim in the Zambezi to reach the pool before slipping into the adrenalin-pumping swimming hole. When people jump or step into the waters they face the terrifying prospect of being pulled by the water currents towards the edge before the rock wall stops them just a few feet away from the 100m fall!

The view from the edge is totally exhilarating as you feel the force of the Zambezi flowing past you and crashing down over the precipice; a hundred metre drop.

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    The Great Wall of China was built in the Third Century B.C. to keep out the raiding Tartars of Mongolia. It is 20 to 30 feet high and 15 to 25 feet wide at the top, with towers 60 feet high every few hundred yards.

   The wall stretches from Shamhaikwan on the yellow Sea to the borders of Kansu and Sinkiang in the west, crossing high mountains and deep valleys. Probably over 500,000 workers were employed to build it. Even today, the wall is in a wonderful state of preservation.

    This marvelous structure is constructed of brick and stones. The sides have battlements-parapets with openings or embrasures through which weapons could be discharged.

   All large cities of China were provided with similar walls, and the gates were closed at night to give the citizens protection against surprise attack. For China has been envied by her neighbors throughout history. Many times these neighbors have invaded the country, seized the capital and begun a new dynasty.

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          The great Flavian Amphitheatre, or Colosseum, was built between A.D. 69 and 81 by the Emperors Vespasian and Titus on the site of an artificial lake in the grounds of Nero’s palace, the Golden House. The name Colosseum was bestowed on it, because of its colossal size, sometime after the 8th century.

         In its full magnificence the Colosseum must have been one of the most imposing buildings in the Roman Empire, a gigantic oval measuring 620 feet by 513 feet with a height of 160 feet. Round the actual arena-287 feet by 180 feet-tiers of marble seats provided accommodation for 50,000 spectators.

          The building was constructed to the house gigantic spectacles organized by the authorities for the entertainment-and distraction-of the public. It became a scene of much bloodshed. Here were staged gladiatorial combats (fights to the death between men) and contests between wild beasts or between men and animals. And here, too, many of the early Christians met martyrdom with a courage that helped greatly to spread their faith.

        The highest tiers of seats and the fourth storey were rebuilt in the 3rd century, and the building was seriously damaged by lightning and earthquakes during Roman times and the middle ages. For hundreds of years this symbol of Roman power was used as a quarry. But even today its ruins form one of the most famous buildings in the world.

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In ancient legends about the Norsemen, Valhalla was the place where all the brave warriors went when they died.

     The kind of man they most admired was one who had great courage and a spirit of adventure. The warriors who went to Valhalla were supposed to lead a very happy life, eating boar’s meat daily and amusing themselves by fighting each other. They were supposed to live in Valhalla till Doomsday, led by Odin, father of the gods, they would march out of the 640 doors of the palace to fight against the giants.

               The Statue of Liberty which is one of the world’s tallest was built to celebrate the birth of the United States of America. It was a gift from the French people to the Americans symbolizing the spirit of liberty, friendship and fraternity. This Statue stands on Bedloe’s Island, now called Liberty Island, at the mouth of New York harbour. This was put here as desired by its sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.

               The plan for this monument was made by the famous French historian Edouard de Laboulaye after the American civil war. The cost of the statue was met by the French people, while the money for the 150 ft pedestal was raised in the United States. The statue was made of copper sheets. In 1885, the complete statue, 152 feet high and weighing 225 tons was shipped to New York City. It was put on the pedestal at Bedloe’s Island and dedicated to the nation by President Grover Cleveland on Oct. 28, 1886.

               The total height of this monument from the pedestal upto the torch is 305 feet. It represents a women wearing a robe and holding a burning torch aloft in her right hand. The left hand holds a tablet bearing the date of American Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776). At night the statue is floodlit and the torch shines with a powerful light. An elevator rises to the balcony level, and a spiral staircase leads to an observation platform in the figure’s crown.

               The statue was at first administered by the Lighthouse Board, because the illuminated torch was considered as a navigational aid. In 1901 the statue was transferred to the War Department. In 1924, it was declared a National monument. In 1956 Bedloe’s Island was renamed as Liberty Island.

               This colossal statue stands as a symbol of freedom and equality. The French people made this gift to the Americans on the 100th anniversary of US independence. 

Phan Thiet is a city on the coast in south eastern Vietnam. It is a place that is noted for its coastal attractions.

          Kyoto is a city located in the west-central part of the Honshu Island in Japan noted for its history and culture. It is the capital of the Kyoto Prefecture of the Kansai region and forms a major part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area. The city was once the imperial capital of Japan for over a thousand years and hence, is also called the thousand-year capital.

          Not much about the early history of Kyoto is known. But archaeological evidences suggest that human settlements in the region began in the Paleolithic Era. By around the 6th century AD, the Shimogamo Shrine was established here.

          At present, Kyoto is an important city in Japan. It is also a major tourist place noted for its architecture, gardens, and palaces. There are around 2000 religious places in Kyoto including 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. While the Katsura Imperial Villa in the suburbs of the city is regarded as a fine architectural treasure, the Shugaku-in Imperial Villa stands out as the best garden in the country. The city is a major centre for the manufacturing of Kimono, the traditional Japanese garment.

           The Santorini Island or Thera is an island on the southern Aegean Sea that lies about 200 kilometres southeast of Greece. It is part of an archipelago of the same name, and covers a total land area of around 90 square kilometres. The municipality of Santorini consists of the inhabited islands of Santorini and Therasia, and the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, and Christiana.

           It has been found that Santorini is geologically, the remaining eastern half of an exploded volcano. There is a central, rectangular lagoon that is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides. The main part of the island slopes downward to the sea.

           Experts hold that the site of the island has witnessed one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history. Known as the Minoan eruption or the Thera eruption, it took place some 3600 years ago at the height of the Minoan Civilization.

           History goes that the name of the island ‘Santorini’ had arisen in the 13th century, and is a reference to Saint Irene.