June 2015

Pangong Tso , Tibetan for "long, narrow, enchanted lake", also referred to as Pangong Lake, is a lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft). It is 134 km (83 mi) long and extends from India to Tibet. Approximately 60% of the length of the lake lies in Tibet. The lake is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point. All together it covers 604 km. During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water. It is not part of Indus river basin area and geographically a separate land locked river basin.
The brackish water of the lake has very low micro-vegetation. Guides report that there are no fish or other aquatic life in the lake, except for some small crustaceans. On the other hand, visitors see numerous ducks and gulls over and on the lake surface. There are some species of scrub and perennial herbs that grow in the marshes around the lake.

The Chang La (el. 5,360 m or 17,590 ft) is a high mountain pass in Ladakh, India. It is the second highest motorable road in the world. Chang La is approached from Leh via kharu and sekti village by a black top road. The climb is very steep and requires a careful drive. The descent from Chang La towards Tangtse or Darbuk is again very steep. The place is a must go for nature lovers.

The Chang La is on the route to Pangong Lake from Leh. The name literally means "Pass towards the South" or "Pass in the South" (Chang = south, La = Pass).

This road is usually open all year, but it can be closed anytime when the access is not cleared of snow. The Changla Pass is the main gateway for the Changthang Plateau situated in the Himalayas. The pass is located on the 134 km-long (83 mi) road between the Pangong Lake and Leh.

Leh has a cold desert climate with long, harsh winters from October to early March, with minimum temperatures well below freezing for most of the winter. The city gets occasional snowfall during winter. The weather in the remaining months is generally fine and warm during the day. Average annual rainfall is only 102 mm (4.02 inches). The temperature can range from -42 °C (-43.6 °F) in winter to 33 °C (91.4 °F) in summer.

The Likir Monastery or gompa is one of the oldest and well maintained monasteries in Ladakh district in Jammu and Kashmir. The monastery is located in Likir village is believed to have been in existence since 11th century.

Likir Monastery or Likir Gompa (Klud-kyil) is located approximately 52 kilometres (32 mi) west of Leh. It is picturesquely situated on a little hill in the valley near the Indus River and the village of Saspol about 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) north of the Srinigar to Leh highway.

The monastery was enclosed by the bodies of the two great serpent spirits or the naga- rajas, Nanda and Taksako. Because of this, the name of the monastery became Likir or the Naga encircled. Initially, the monastery was associated with the Kadampa sect, however, the year 1470 saw a conversion by a central Tibetan monk Lawang Lotos. This coversion resulted in the monastery being brought under the Gelukspa Order of the great Lama Tsongkhapa.

Throughout the year certain public processions takes place in the complex. These processions, held on auspicious days usually start behind the main temple in the open court around the Stupa, which often symbolize gateways before start of a journey. The procession path goes around the structures to finally reach the main temple court.

Festivals
The Likir Monastery celebrates its annual festival from the 27th to 29th of 12th Tibetan month. The festival sees votive offerings known as Dosmochey apart from the performance of the sacred dances. The festival will next be celebrated on February 15-16 2007.

Alchi is a village and monastery in the Leh district of Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, situated on the bank of Indus River 70 km downstream from the capital in Leh. Unlike the other gompas in Ladakh, Alchi is situated on lowland, not on a hilltop.

The village is famous for the existence of one of the oldest monasteries in Ladakh (a national heritage) Alchi Monastery, mainly known for its magnificent, and well-preserved 11th- or 12th-century wall paintings, all in an Indo-Himalayan style.

Alchi is a small village with several tourist homestays, most offering modern conveniences for overnight stays, The best time to visit is from June to September.

The Nimoo Bazgo power project is a run-of-the-river power project on the Indus River situated at village Alchi,. The project was conceived on July 1, 2001 and approved on June 8, 2005, and construction began on June 9, 2005.

Spituk Monastery, also better as Spituk Gompa or Pethup Gompa, is a Buddhist monastery in Leh district, Ladakh, northern India, 8 kilometres from Leh. The monastery contains 100 monks and a giant statue of Kali (unveiled during the annual Spitok festival).Founded in the late 14th century as See-Thub (‘Exemplary’) Monastery, impressive Spituk Gompa is incongruously perched overlooking Leh’s airport runway around 5km from town.

Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the two cities of Howrah and Kolkata (Calcutta). On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu after the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel laureate. It is still popularly known as the Howrah Bridge.

The bridge is one of two on the Hooghly River and is a famous symbol of Kolkata and West Bengal. It weathers the storms of the Bay of Bengal region, carrying a daily traffic of approximately 100,000 vehicles and possibly more than 150,000 pedestrians, easily making it the busiest cantilever bridge in the world. The third-longest cantilever bridge at the time of its construction, the Howrah Bridge is the sixth-longest bridge of its type in the world.

Places around Howrah Bridge:
Kolkata Port is India's only riverine port with two dock systems - Kolkata Dock System at Kolkata with the oil wharves at Baj Baj, Anchorages at Diamond Harbour, Kulpi, Sagar and Sandheads and a deep water dock system at Haldia Dock Complex, Haldia . It has the most sophisticated port facilities with extensive storage facility for diverse cargo.

The Howrah Railway Station was set up in 1906, is one of the largest in the world with rail connections dispersing to all major Indian cities and towns. Howrah Station also serves as an important terminus for the suburban railway services of the Eastern and the South Eastern Railway.

Vidyasagar Setu also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge is a toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata (previously known as Calcutta).

With a total length of 823 metres (2,700 ft), Vidyasagar Setu is the longest cable–stayed bridge in India and one of the longest in Asia. It was the second bridge to be built across the Hooghly River; 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) to the north. Named after the educationist reformer Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, it cost ₹3.88 billion to build. The project was a joint effort between the public and private sectors, under the control of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC).

The foundation stone for the bridge was laid by Indira Gandhi on 20 May 1972. The bridge took more than 22 years to complete. Work on the cable-stayed bridge started with the construction of the well curb on the Calcutta bank end on 3 July 1979, and commissioned on October 10, 1992.

Sukhna Lake is a beautiful lake that lies in the foothills of Shivalik range. The unique thing about Sukhna is that it is a manmade lake. It is a 3 km long lake that was created in the year 1958.

It was done by damming the Sukhna Choe, which is a seasonal stream flowing down from the Shivalik hills. . Originally the seasonal flow entered the lake directly causing heavy siltation. To check the inflow of silt, land measuring 2542 hectares was acquired in the catchments area and put under vegetation. The curvilinear profile of the promenade along the banks of Sukhna hums with activity from dawn to dusk, reflecting changing moods of the day.

Sukhna is an inseparable part of the city. Le Corbusier had foreseen that the residents of the city would be drawn towards it for the 'care of the body and spirit'.

People visit this place in the morning to enjoy the cool breeze and the beauty of nature. Chandigarh Sukhna Lake serves as a great picnic spot and an apt place for pursuing water sport activities like boating, yachting and water skiing etc. The atmosphere over here is very serene and thus apt for meditating. Also, you can savor the melodious humming of birds. People come here in the evening time to forget their worries and relax for a while. So, if you want to rejuvenate yourself, then Sukhna Lake is the perfect destination for you.

Sukhna is a sanctuary for many exotic migratory birds like the Siberian duck, Storks and Cranes, during the winter months. The Lake has been declared as a protected national wetland by the Government of India.

During summers, there are streams of men, women and children from all walks of life offering voluntary service to desilt the lake bed for about three months. This annual ritual has been a regular feature since long.

All of us have had an encounter with a ghost or heard an eerie ghost story. The village of Kuldhara is a ghost village that has been abandoned since 1800s. It is said to carry a curse of the villagers who migrated to other places.

Kuldhara lies about 15 Km west of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan(India).No one lives in Kuldhara, as it is are believed to be cursed. The village now lies in ruins. The first sight of Kuldhara village sends one imagination running to the time it may have been inhabited.

According to folklore, Salim Singh, the minister of the state, once visiting this village fell for the beautiful daughter of chieftain (Paliwal Brahmin) and wanted to marry her. The minister threatened the villagers that if they did not marry the girl to him, he would levy huge taxes. The chief of the village with those of other 83 adjoining villages decided to abandon and migrate elsewhere as against marrying the girl to Salim Singh. Nobody saw them leave nor did anyone figure where they went, they simply vanished.