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• Floating stones found in Rameshwaram temple
• Tourists flock to a spa in Tamil Nadu
• Jaipur zoo animals chill out with room coolers and fruits
• Tourists make a beeline for 'Queen of Hills'
• Himachal's Gurdwara Baba Vad Bagh Singh

Floating stones found in Rameshwaram temple

          Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu): Do stones float in water? The answer would be a certain no. But in the island of Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, stones, it seems, do float in water. Difficult to believe but it's a reality. Floating stones of Rameshwaram have a mythological twist to it. According to Hindu mythological epic Ramayana, Lord Rama and his army of monkeys used stones to build a bridge across the Palk Strait to link Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka. Legend as well as archaeological findings indicate the first signs of human inhabitation in Sri Lanka date back to the primitive age and it is assumed that the bridge's age is also almost equivalent.

           G Mohan Das, a local historian and caretaker of the stones in the temple, said that these stones could have been the kind used to build the bridge mentioned in the epic. "The history of these floating stones is that when Lord Rama made a bridge to trek to Lanka to bring back his consort Sita, these were the same stones used. But today people do not agree to it. They believe it is a coral. We believe there is no difference in these stones. Both the stones do not have air in them. The composition is the same and it has 40 kinds of chemicals," he said. Space images taken by NASA reveal a series of rock outcrops in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. Some historians say these could be the part of the mythological bridge linking Indian peninsula with the Sri Lankan island.
May 28, 2004

Tourists flock to a spa in Tamil Nadu (Go to Top)

          Kutralam (Tamil Nadu): A soothing oil massage and a rejuvenating bath under a natural waterfall and more fun - this is what Kutralam, known as spa of south India, offers for the tourists. With the onset of an early monsoon in south India, tourists flee the hot northern regions for the cool climes of Kutralam. "We have heard a lot about this place. It's a nice place to take bath. It's been a good experience to be away from the heat back home," said Hameed, a tourist from Gujarat. Kutralam' nine water falls - Old kutralam falls, Orchard falls, Sitraruvi falls, Shenbagadevi falls, Thenaruvi (honey falls), Puliaruvi (tiger falls) and Pudhu Aruvi, are the cynosure of all eyes. Body massage parlours and their professional masseurs are an added attraction of this tourist spot. "Before taking bath here, if you have an oil massage, the kind of refreshment, it gives you is irresistible. All the fatigue would be taken away by that. Everyone can enjoy. It's real fun," Shahul Hameed, a local tourist said. Kutralam attracts tourists from all over the world, the peak season being from June to September. But this year with the advancement of monsoon, the tourist inflow has increased. Though situated just 450 feet above sea-level, Kutralam has a high-altitude climate owing to the breeze that reaches there through a gap in the Western Ghats.
May 26, 2004

Jaipur zoo animals chill out with room coolers and fruits (Go to Top)

          Jaipur: As the mercury goes up and up a zoo in Jaipur is making elaborate arragements to help the animals beat the heat. Temperatures have already soared four to five degrees above normal in the Rajasthan where dry winds and cloudless sky add to the furnace heat. At the zoo, it is the cat family, their most treasured and amongst the most heat-sensitive, which gets top priority. So while the lions and leopards have separate room coolers installed in their cages the panthers have their keepers on their toes getting almost six to seven showers a day to keep them cool. For the monkeys and bears, sprinklers and sun shades made of natural reeds have been installed. "Lions, tigers and panthers need lower temperatures very essentially, we have put room coolers in their cages. For others we have put up "Khas" (a cooling grass) in their area and in the open cages we are manually going and giving the animals regular showers to help them beat the heat," Gopal Bihar Jhalani, the zoo superintendent, said. Jhalani added that all the animals had been put on a new summer diet, which included hefty doses of fruits like watermelons and mangoes, which have been an instant hit, especially with the monkeys. A veterinary doctor has also been put on round the clock duty and vitamins and electrolytes were being added to the food and drinking water to prevent dehydration.
May 23, 2004

Tourists make a beeline for 'Queen of Hills' (Go to Top)

          Shimla: A large number of domestic and foreign tourists are thronging India's northern hill stations as a severe heat wave sweeps across northern plains and southern peninsula. Temperatures have already soared 4 to 5 degrees above normal across large parts of the country. In Shimla, roads are already choked during daytime as tourists from New Delhi, Chandigarh and neighbouring states make a beeline for the 'queen of the hills' as schools are closed for summer vacations since the second week of May. Situated at 2,130 metres above sea level with temperatures rarely crossing 25 degrees during summers, Shimla is a favourite haunt of people from warmer parts of the country. But as popular hill stations get overcrowded during holidays, putting strains on civic amenities, more and more tourists are opting for camps set up in natural environs. "It's a wonderful place full of ice-capped mountains, surrounded by greenery and Beas river and we stayed in camps. It was wonderful. And we wish to come back again," said Subrato, a newly married young man, accompanied by his wife, from Kolkata.

           Shimla holds a variety of options in shopping, sports and entertainment and the local shops are doing brisk business. Officials hope that the tourists inflow would increase in the coming days. "During election time the tourist inflow was quite less. But it has picked up now. People from south, Gujarat and neighbouring states have started coming in large numbers. I hope it will inrease now," Devendea Jhalta, Manager of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Coporation, said. Four million tourists annually visit Shimla. This year the figure is expected to increase as it remains one of the few areas where temperatures are still low and has a pleasant climate. Meanwhile, Mussourie, another hill station in the neighbouring Uttaranchal, faces a crisis as the region has become unusually warm. Most of the tourists were unhappy that they had to seek shelters and shades under the scorching sun. "Not many people have come to this place this year. It's very hot here," Manish, a taxi, driver, said. India reels under an intense heat wave which starts early in April and continues till late June. The weather cools with the arrival of the monsoon in July.
May 19, 2004

Himachal's Gurdwara Baba Vad Bagh Singh (Go to Top)

          Shimla: The warrior-saints of Sikh history have been remembered through shrines in their name all over India, at sites depicting landmark moments of their lives. Many of them have a huge following to this day, as revered as the gurus themselves. One such Gurudwara is located in the hills of Himachal Pradesh. In all faith and belief they come from miles around, all parts of the country and abroad. In the serene foothills of the Himalayas, Una district of Himachal Pradesh, stands the Gurudwara Manji Sahib, monument to the heroism and devotion of a Sikh saint warrior.

          Legend has it that Baba Vad Bagh Singh came here after victory in several battles to lay down arms, to concentrate on spiritual up-liftment. His aura draws people of all religious faiths to this day. Swaranjit Singh, Chief Sewadar at Gurudwara Vad Bagh Singh, says, "For over 17 years and 8 months, Baba Vad Singh performed penance at this place. That is the place where gurudwara Manji Sahib is located. And a spot where a great saint has lived for so much time acquires a special sanctity, a special aura. And that penance was so glorious that as a result of it people of all religions come to this shrine and pay obeisance. Here the pilgrims join with the message of oneness given by the Gurus. Here we do not talk of any one religion. For in the verses of the Guru Granth Sahib, all religions are embraced as one." Babaji belonged to the Sodhi dynasty of the Sikh Gurus, the eight direct descendant of Guru Arjan Dev. He is known to have fought alongside Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru against the Mughals in the 18th century, before coming through the mountains to spend time in serene penance at this chosen spot.

          Baba Vad Bagh Singh is also remembered for his contribution to social causes, community teaching, medical facilities and the like, acts which deified him for posterity. The prakash at Dera Vad Bagh Singh Sahib is held at the exact spot where, it is believed, the warrior-saint had sat in penance. It holds a particular depth of devotion and belief for every devotee that draws him back again and again. Ardent devotee Puran Chand says, "There was a time when I was totally irreligious and a heavy drinker. Once my children they wanted to visit this shrine. I just told them we would go someday. Miraculously, within the next 3-4 days, I gave up liquor completely. I haven't touched it for the past 10 years. It occurred to me that if this was the result merely by saying that I would visit, what would happen if I did?" "Really, here I have so much peace and happiness. It might have been believed earlier that only the people who were afflicted by ghostly visions etc came here. That's all rubbish. Every devotee that comes here takes away a certain joy given to him by the Guru."The community meal, the traditional Sikh tradition of social service is seen here too. Besides, this Gurudwara also runs a trust working towards making more schools, hospitals and other facilities for the poorer sections of society.
May 7, 2004

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