Eternal India Encyclopedia

ETERNAL INDIA encyclopedia

A GREAT DESTINATION

Chatham Saw Mill : Asia's largest saw mill. Zoological park : Displays some of the rare species of birds and wildlife found on the island. Burmah Nallah : About 17km from Port Blair. Log extraction with the help of elephants can be seen here, in the midst of the jungle. Chiriya Tapu : Also known as Bird Island. This is the southern most tip of South Andaman. Has a picturesque beach. Abundance of bird life. Wandoor Beach : Crystal clear water with coral reef. Ideal for diving and fishing. Madhuban : Another place for watching elephants at work. Sunny, golden beach. Corbyn's Cove : Beach for bathing and picnicking. Known as the Kovalam of the Andamans. Sippighat Farm : 80 acre agricultural farm, 14km from Port Blair. Experiments undertaken on different spices like pepper, cloves, nutmeg etc can be witnessed. Ross Island : The administrative headquarters during British rule. Barren Island : Boiling water coming from an extinct valcano can be seen. The aquarium near Port Blair has a fine collection of marine animals and coral. More than 200 species of birds and over 40 species of snakes are found in the islands. Grub, Red Skin, Jolly Buoy, Boat, Snob and Cinque Islands: Picturesque, islands offering exotic coral and marine life. Sandy, Virgin beaches and crystal clear waters are ideal for snorkelling, diving and underwater photography.

DADRA

AND

NAGAR HAVELI

These two centrally-administered pockets lie near the west coast on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. Dadra is separated from Nagar Haveli by the territory of Gujarat. The Capital of the Terri- tory Silvassa is in Nagar Haveli. This was ruled by the Portuguese till 1954. In 1961 the territory was integrated with the Indian Union. Silvassa church was built by the Portuguese. Bal Udyam in the centre of Silvassa is a garden with water fountains. There is a mini zoo. The Vanganga lake has a Japanese garden in the centre. The Cacti garden has some rare varieties of flowering cacti. There is a tourist complex on the bank of the Sakrakot river. Dadra : Japanese Garden surrounded by pea-shaped lake. Paddle boats available for boating. Khanvel : Deer Park housing Albinos, Black Bucks, Albinos in their natural habitat. Forest Rest house, Cacti garden and Tribal Cultural Museum, Mahadeo temple, Brindaban : On the bank of river Sakartod.

DAMAN AND DIU

Daman and Diu were separated from Goa to become an inde- pendent Union territory when Goa was accorded full statehood in 1987. Daman lies on the Gujarat coast while Diu is an islet on the southern edge of the Kathiawar peninsula. Diu was the first landing port for the Parsis when they fled from Persia although they stayed there for only three years. Like Daman and Goa it was a Portuguese colony. Apart from sea, sandy beaches and palmgroves, Diu has places of historical interest. The 16h century Portuguese fort is a mammoth structure with elaborate arches and elegant stone carvings. It. is surrounded by the sea on three sides. The St. Paul's Church is another architectural marvel with beau- tiful carvings on Burma teak on the side altars and a main facade in the Gothic style. The Gangeswar with four Shivalingas is on the midst of the rocks on the sea shore. Diu airport is now operational. The Indian Tourism Develop- ment Corporation (ITDC) organised a beach camp on the Golden Nagoa beach from October 1992 to February 1993 for tourists. There are a number of interesting villages on the island. Fudam and Vanakbara have old churches.

CHANDIGARH

The capital city of Chandigarh was built in 1953 by French architect La Corbousier after the partition of India when Lahore, the capital of undivided Punjab, went to Pakistan. The city is divided into 47 sectors each self-complete. A major attraction of Chandigarh is Nekchand's Rock Garden constructed over the years from rocks, coloured pieces of stone and throwaway objects. Closeby is the Sukhna lake. The Zakir Gulab Bagh is Asia's biggest rose garden spread over 50 acres. Has 50,000 rose-plants of 1,600 species. Anandpur Sahib : Place of pilgrimage for Sikhs. Guru Govind Singh baptised the first five Sikhs here and initiated them into the Khalsa. Chattbir Zoo : Known for Bengal Tigers. Also a collection of Himalayan Black Bear and many Birds.

DELHI

New Delhi was built by the

British

who

moved

the

capital

to

the

new

city

from

Calcutta

in

1911. The history of Old Delhi