Ooty

Udhagamandalam, better known as Ooty is the most popular hill station in the South. Located in the Western Ghats at a height of 2240m, Ooty is the headquarters of the Nilgiris district where the two Ghats ranges meet. 

Ooty is also called the Queen of Hill Stations. The reason for this name is because nature has been generous with this region, which makes it by far the most beautiful in the state. Apart from coffee and tea plantations, trees like conifers, eucalyptus, pine and wattle dot the hillside in Ooty and its encirons.

Ooty Lake:

Ooty Lake is located in Ooty in the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, India. The Boat house situated by the lake, which offers boating facilities to tourists, is a major tourist attraction in Ooty.

Pykara Falls:

The Pykara River flows over a series of waterfalls, the last two of 55 metres and 61 metres being known as Pykara Falls. A boat house on the Pykara reservoir is an added attraction for tourists. Pykara boasts of well protected fenced sholas, Toda settlements, large grassy meadows and good wildlife habitat. The Pykara Dam, falls and reservoir attract many tourists.

Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary:

The Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary also a declared Tiger Reserve, lies on the northwestern side of the  Nilgiri Hills , in Nilgiri District, about 67 kilometres of Mudumalai region of Tamil Nadu. It shares its boundaries with the states of Karnataka and Kerala. The sanctuary is divided into five ranges – Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota.

The protected area is home to several endangered and vulnerable species including Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, gaur and Indian. There are at least 266 species of birds in the sanctuary, including critically endangered Indian white-rumped vulture and long-billed vulture.

Salem

Salem is a city and a municipal corporation in Salem district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Salem is the fifth largest city in Tamil Nadu in terms of population, after Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchirappalli respectively, and fourth in terms of urbanization. Salem and the hilly regions around it were part of the Chera Dynasty and the city was ruled by kings known as the Kurunila Mannargal of ancient Tamil Nadu. The Kongu region was ruled by a series of twenty eight kings before being conquered by the Cholas of Tanjore.

HILL RANGES
YERCAUD

Yercaud is a hill station in Salem District, in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the Shevaroys range of hills in the Eastern Ghats;  It is situated at an altitude of 1515 metres (4970 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in Yercaud is the Servarayan temple, at 5,326 feet (1,623 m). It is so named owing to the abundance of trees categorised as a forest near the lake, the name signifying Lake Forest.As a popular tourist destination, Yercaud is also called as Jewel of the South. Yercaud is as enchanting and picturesque as the hill stations on the eastern ghats and trekking here can be one of the most pleasurable experiences.

SHEVAROY HILLS

The Servarayans are detached low mountain range, of the Eastern Ghats System. They cover an area of 400 square kilometres (99,000 acres), with plateaus from 4,000–5,000 feet (1,200–1,500 m) above sea-level.The Servarayan hills have several old coffee plantations, and a sanatorium.The major areas of tourist interest are the Yercaud Orchidarium of the Botanical Survey of India, and the old coffee estates.

CAUVERY RIVER

The origin of the river is traditionally placed at Talakaveri, Kodagu in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the southeastern lowlands, emptying into the Bay of Bengal.



WILD LIFE & BIRDS

• Bear
  
• Two toed sloth
• Star tortoise
• Parrots
• Pigeon
• Parakeet
• Pea fowl
• Egret
• Ruddy-breasted Crake
• Black Bittern
• Grey pelican
• grey heron
• Elephants

Thoothukudi

TUTICORIN

Tuticorin, also known as Thoothukudi is a port city and a Municipal Corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast off Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the headquarters of Thoothukudi District. It is also called as "Sea Gateway of Tamil Nadu".

The region, surrounding Thoothukudi is liberally dotted with rain fed tanks. Red soils found on the southern side of the Tuticroin town is composed quartz and variable quantities of fine red dry dust. The port is an all weather one. The bay formed by the Hare Island, Devils point and the main land gives ample protection to the lighters from monosonic weather.

Islands in Thoothukudi District

The Gulf of mannar is situated on the eastern side of the district. Five coral islands in the Gulf of Mannar fall within the administrative control of Thoothukudi district. Twenty islands in the Gulf are devided into four groups(i.e) the Thoothukudi group, Vembar group, Kilakarai group and Mandabam group.Pandiyan Theevu, Van Theevu, Koswari Theevu, Kariyashuli Theevu and Villangushuli Theevu are included in Thoothukudi group of islands.

THAMIRABARANI RIVER

The Thamirabarani River originates from the famous Agastyarkoodam peak in the hills of the Western Ghats above Papanasam in the Ambasamudram taluk and flows through Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts of the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. It was called the Tamraparni River in olden days, a name also associated with Sri Lanka. The old Tamil name of the river is Porunai. From the source to sea, the river is about 125 kilometres (78 mi) long.

WILDLIFE AND BIRDS

Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of Tamil Nadu in South India created for the protection of Blackbuck Antelope. Located on an isolated hillock in Vallanadu Village of Srivaikundam Taluk, it is the southernmost place in India where a natural population of Blackbuck exists.

WILDLIFE

• Black buck
• Spotted deer
• macaques 
• Jungle cat 
• Monkeys 
• Wild cat 
• Mongoose 
• Black naped Hare
• Scaly Ant eater- Pangolin
• Viper
• Rat snake live here.

The Blackbuck population is around 20-40. Thick acacia growth makes it difficult to determine a precise population count. The Blackbucks regularly come out of the scrubs and graze in wastelands on the eastern side of the sanctuary.

BIRDS

• Peacock
• Heron
• Stork
• Grey partridges
• Jungle Craws
• Common quails
• Pied crested Cuckoo 
• Crested-hawk Eagle
• Black-winged Kite
• Curlew
• Lapwing
• Nightjar
• Sparrows
• Horned owl.

Kurnool

KURNOOL

Kurnool is a city and municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Kurnool district, state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Kurnool is known as the Gateway to Rayalaseema. Kurnool lies on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. The Hundri and Neeva rivers also flow through the city. The K.C. Canal (Kurnool–Cuddapah) was built by the Dutch for transportation, but later used for irrigation.

THE NALLAMALA HILLS

The Nallamalas are a section of the Eastern Ghats which stretch primarily over Kurnool. They run in a nearly north-south alignment, parallel to the Coromandel Coast for close to 430 km between the rivers,Krishna and Pennar. Its northern boundaries are marked by the flat Palnadu basin while in the south it merges with the Tirupati hills. An extremely old system, the hills have been extensively weathered and eroded over the years. The average elevation today is about 520 m which reaches 1100 m at Bhairani Konda and 1048 m at Gundla Brahmeswara. Both of these peaks are in a north westerly direction from the town of Cumbum. There are also many other peaks above 800 m.

TUNGABHADRA RIVER

The Tungabhadra River is formed by the confluence of the Tunga River and the Bhadra River which flow down the eastern slope of the Western Ghats. Handri in Kurnool distriict is one of the main tributaries of the Tungabhadra. Many rivulets and streams join these tributaries. Flood protection walls are found along the banks of Tungabhadra river. At Sunkesula, about 25 km upstream from Kurnool, a barrage was constructed around 1860 by the British engineer, hailed as Bhagiratha for Andhras, Arthur Cotton. Originally it was intended to be used for navigation also. As the road and rail transportation increased it is now an irrigation project, for Kurnool and Kadapa districts, carrying water through the K. C. Canal. Recently the barrage was replaced by the Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy Project, a permanent dam. It impounds about 15,000,000,000 cubic feet (0.42 km³) of water and irrigates about 300,000 acres (1,200 km²) of land in Kurnool and Kadapa districts.

ROLLAPADU WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Known primarily as a habitat of the Great Indian Bustard, the species has suffered a drastic fall in its numbers in the sanctuary in recent years. it was established in 1988 to protect the Great Indian Bustard and the Lesser Florican and remains the only habitat in Andhra Pradesh for the Bustard which is a critically endangered species.Rollapadu is primarily a grassland ecosystem with mixed forests and thorny bushes. Cotton, tobacco and sunflower are cultivated in the agricultural lands that border the sanctuary.

• WILD LIFE
  
• Foxes, 
• Jackals, 
• Bonnet macaques, 
• Jungle cats, 
• Sloth bears
• Black bucks.
• Russell’s viper, Indian cobra and rattlesnakes. 
• 
  
• 
  
• BIRD SPECIES
• It also houses 132 bird species with the Alganur reservoir near the sanctuary being a haunt for migratory species. Some of the bird species spotted are 
• Bustard
  
• Florican 
• Indian rollers 
• Mynas
• Short toed snake eagles 
• Barheaded geese
• Demoiselle Cranes
• Greater Flamingos.

An increase in the blackbuck population at the sanctuary has been postulated as one of the reasons for the fall in numbers of the bustard and the florican there. Their feeding on the grasses has in turn led to a fall in the numbers of grasshoppers and locusts that constitute an important source of food for the two bird species besides also reducing the nesting area available to these ground nesting birds.

Trichy

TIRUCHIRAPPALLI'S ENVIRONMENT

Thiuchirappalli

Tiruchirappalli  is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation and the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state. Tiruchirappalli was a part of the Chola kingdom and has a number of exquisitely sculpted temples and fortresses, prominent one's being Rockfort temples and the Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam.

ROCKFORT

Considered one of the symbols of Tiruchirappalli, the Rockfort is a fortress which stands atop a 273-foot-high rock.It consists of a set of monolithic rocks accommodating many rock-cut cave temples. Originally built by the Pallavas, it was later reconstructed by the Madurai Nayaks and Vijayanagara rulers. The Rockfort is visible from almost every part of the city's north. The Teppakulam at the foot of the Rockfort is surrounded by bazaars. It has a mandapa at its centre and has facilities for boat riding

PACHAIMALAI HILLS

Pachaimalai hills is known as the green hill and it is the integral part of eastern ghats (Purva Ghar)of Tamilnadu. Eastern ghats are basically a noncontinuous chain of mountains situated  along the country's easterly seacoast. The hills acquired the name of pachaimalai hills as it is considered as the greenish hills in the region. The pachaimalai hills are spread over three districts. The popular veeraramar dan is situated in the pachaimalai hills across kallar river. Some of the water falls are Mythulu falls, Mangalam aruvi and Koraiyar falls.

VIRALIMALI

Viralimalai is a town located 30 km from Tiruchirappalli. The famous Lord Shanmuganathar temple is situated on the top of the granite hill at Viralimalai. The presence of an early Chola temple suggests that Viralimalai was a prosperous village as early as the 9th century AD.The sides of this hill are covered with non-thorny trees, mainly Wrightia. Peacocks are abundant in the region and Viralimalai forms a sanctuary for the birds. The town, Temple and Peacock Sanctuary have been declared and funded as a Heritage Place by order of the Governor.

RIVERS

CAUVERY RIVER

The origin of the river is traditionally placed at Talakaveri,Kodagu in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the southeastern lowlands, emptying into the Bay of Bengal. At thiruchirappalli river becomes wide, with a sandy bed, and flows in an eastern direction until it splits into two at upper Anicut about 14 kilometre west of Tiruchirappalli. The northern branch of the river is called the Kollidam while the southern branch retains the name Kaveri and then goes directly eastwards into Thanjavur District. These two rivers join again and form the Srirangam island which is a part of city of Tiruchirapalli. The water gets stored in the Kallanai dam.

KOLLIDAM RIVER

The Kollidam is a river in southeastern India. The Kollidam is the northern distributary of the Kaveri River as it flows through the delta of Thanjavur. It splits from the main branch of the Kaveri River at the island of Srirangam and flows eastward into the Bay of Bengal. The distribution system in Kollidam lies at Lower Anaicut which is an island of river Kollidam.

Other rivers passing through trichy are Sweata Nadi and Kallar River.

BIRDS

• Pond heron
• White duster water hen
• Spot-billed pelicans
• Spoonbills
• Painted storks
• Black winged stilts
• Spot-billed ducks
• Purple heron
• Grey heron
• Egrets
• White-breasted kingfisher.
• Karivetti bird sanctuary is in Trichy district. The different types of birds are Flying barheaded goose, long migrants like White stork and White necked stork, Grey pelican and Ibis. 16 species of ducks and 23 species of Waders have been recorded in the sanctuary.

Shillong - Meghalaya

Shillong

Shillong is the capital and hill station of Meghalaya. It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district, situated at an average altitude of 4,908 feet above sea level. It is said that the rolling hills around the town remind the European settlers of Scotland, hence it is known as the "Scotland of the East".

River:

• Brahmaputra - Also known as Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, it’s a trans-boundary river – one of the biggest in Asia. The river island formed by the Brahmaputra is called Majuli. It is situated in Assam. India. The river has its origin from the Angsi Glacier which is located in the northern side of the Himalayas, in Burang County of Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo River. It flows across southern Tibet, breaking through the Himalayas in great gorges and into Arunachal Pradesh, where it is known as Dihang or Siang.It flows south-west through Assam Valley as Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as Jamuna (not to be mistaken as India’s Yamuna). In the vast Ganges Delta it merges with Padma, the main distributary of the Ganges, then the Meghna before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. 

Lakes:

   
• Umiam Lake - It is a reservoir located in the hills 15 km to the North of Shillong. It was created by damming the Umiam river in the early 1960s. The principal catchment area of the lake and dam is spread over 220 square km.

• Wards Lake - It is locally known as Nan-Polok. Wards Lake is an artificial lake with garden and boating facilities.

Hill Range:

 

The view from the peak

• Shillong Peak – It is a picnic spot about 10 km away from the city. The peak is 1965m above sea level and offers a panoramic view of the scenic countryside. It is the highest point in the state. Respect is paid to U Shulong at the sanctum sanctorum at the peak's summit every spring time by the religious priest of Mylliem State.

• Elephant Falls- It’s about 12 km outside the city. The mountain stream descends through two successive falls set in dells of fern covered rocks.

Delhi

Delhi

Also known as the National Capital Territory of India is the capital city of India. It is the largest urban agglomeration in India, by land area and population. Delhi has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC. Through most of its history, Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires. It has been captured, ransacked and rebuilt several times, particularly during the medieval period, and modern Delhi is a cluster of a number of cities spread across the metropolitan region.

Hill Range:

  

  

Aravalli Range

• Aravalli Range - It literally means 'line of peaks'. Its a range of mountains in western India running approximately 800 km in a northeastern direction across Indian states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. It is also called Mewat hills locally.

Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sactuary

• Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary – It lies at the far southern edge of the city of Delhi, at Asola near Tughlaqabad in the Delhi, the National Capital Territory of India. This protected area contains one of the last surviving remnants of Delhi Ridge hill range, its semi arid forest habitat and its dependent wildlife, the northernmost extension of the Aravalli mountains that begin in the state of Rajasthan. Once this forested ridge area extended throughout the city of Delhi, but development has all but destroyed it. The reserve is found at the end of a rutted track that leads through a dusty unlicensed village

River:

Yamuna – Sometimes referred

Triveni Sangam, Allahabad
(notice the difference in the colours
of the two rivers)

to as Jamuna, It’s the largest tributary of the Ganges in the north. The river originates from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387m on the south-western slopes of the Banderpooch peaks in the uppermost region of the Lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand. Yamuna travels a total length of 1,376 km (855 mi) and has a drainage system of 366,223 square km (141,399 sq mi), 40.2% of the entire Ganges Basin, before merging with the Ganges at
Triveni Sangam, Allahabad.

Lakes:

Bhalswa Horseshoe Lake – Also known as Bhalswa Jheel, the lake is situated in northwest Delhi, India. It was originally shaped like a horseshoe however over the years half of the horseshoe was used as a landfill area, and now a low income housing colony. An extension of the nearby town of Bhalswa Jahangirpur has been built on it, destroying the once excellent wetland ecosystem and wildlife habitat of the region which once played host to scores of local and migratory wildlife species, especially water birds including waterfowl, storks and cranes.

Sanjay Lake - This is an artificial lake developed by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in Trilokpuri in East Delhi., adjoining Mayur Vihar II residential area. Spread over 170 acres it was developed in the 1970s. The lake also attracts some migratory birds and has many indigenous trees. A well-laid-out fitness track is very popular with walking enthusiasts.

Najafgarh Lake - Najafgarh Marsh or Najafgarh Jheel used to be a vast lake in the south west of Delhi near the town of Najafgarh from which it takes its name. It was connected to the river Yamuna by a natural shallow null

ah or drain called the Najafgarh nullah. However after the 1960s the Flood Control Department of Delhi kept widening the Najafgarh drain in the pretext of saving Delhi from floods and eventually quickly drained the once huge and ecologically rich Najafgarh lake completely. Rainwater accumulating in the Najafgarh lake or jheel basin had bee
n recorded to have occ
upied more than 300 square kilometres (120 sq mi) in many years before its unfortunate draining.

Keetham lake – It’s a scenic lake just outside Agra on the Agra - Delhi highway (NH 2). The Keetham lake is also known as the Sur Sarovar. It is a tranquil spot, ideal for a relaxed outing. A wide variety of fish and water-birds add to the lake's natural charm and beauty. This scenic lake, is about 20 KM from Agra and 12 km from Sikandra. It is located within the Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. Keetham Lake is linked by Railway track at Keetham Railway Station and was declared as National Bird Sanctuary in 27 March 1991 by U.P. Forest Department. The riverine belt of River Yamuna surrounds the area of Sur-Sarovar

Badkhal Lake – This was a natural lake situated in Faridabad, Haryana, about 32 kilometers from Delhi. It was a natural lake surrounded by hilly areas of the Aravali Range in Haryana. The lake is a almost completely dried up grassy terrain with unusually low rainfall. Certain mines surrounding the lake are also responsible for blockage of flow of water to the lake's reservoir. Some mineral water companies are responsible as well, for taking water from the lake for their purposes.