Nagzira Wildlife Santuary
Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary
Popular for its biodiversity,
the Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Gondia district of
Maharashtra. The sanctuary is known for dense vegetation, picturesque
landscapes and the variety in its wildlife population. The sanctuary
serves as a green lung for adjoining human settlements and helps in
maintaining the environmental balance.
Spread over around 152.81 sq km, it was declared a wildlife sanctuary
in 1970. It is said that elephants once were found in large numbers and
were the reason behind naming the sanctuary.
The sanctuary has lush green vegetation. The sanctuary has nearly 200
tree species which includes economical, medical, aromatic and
ornamental plant species.
The sanctuary is also highly rich for the diverse fauna which
includes several species of fishes, 34 species of mammals, 166 species
of birds, 36 species of reptiles and four species of amphibians.
Among the mammals, tigers, panthers, jungle cats, small Indian
civets, sloth bears, four horned antelopes and many more can be spotted.
Decrease in the population of tigers led the state government to merge
the sanctuary with Navegaon National Park.
The avifauna is the most attractive feature of the sanctuary. It
houses 15 migratory birds and 42 species of local migrants. Among the
birds, the bar-headed goose is favourite among tourists. It migrates
during the winter months from Ladakh and Tibet.
One can also get to see reptiles such as Indian cobra, rock python,
russel’s viper and many more. The sanctuary is also home to four
amphibian species including the tree-frog and six-toed frog.
The sanctuary also serves as catchment area for several lakes within
the sanctuary. The Nagzira lake, Thadezeri lake, Chorkhamara lake and
other lakes are important for agricultural and fishing purposes.
Sravasti
Sravasti
Capital of ancient Kosala kingdom, Sravasti is located on the banks of Rapti river in Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the sacred Buddhist places and popular for its association with Gautam Buddha.
According to Mahabharata, legendary king Shravasta founded the city.
However, Buddhists believe the city was called as Savatthi as the sage
Savatthi lived in the city.
Gautam Buddha spent most of his monastic life in Sravasti. His first
visit to the city was at the invitation of Anthapindika. As per legend,
Buddha spent 25 seasons in the city, among them 19 seasons he spent in
Jetavana monastery and six years in Pubbarama monastery.
It is also the place where Gautam Buddha performed miracles to
silence his critics. These miracles include Buddha creating multiple
images of himself. One of the popular miracle include Buddha seated on a
thousand-petalled lotus, as fire and water emanated from his body.
Sravasti was also the place where Buddha gave the largest amount of
discourse and instructions. Renowned Chinese pilgrim and traveler
Xuanzang found the city in ruins, but recorded the sites of various
structures.
During Buddha years in Sravasti, several monasteries, stupas and
shrines were built. However, only a few have survived the vagaries of
nature.
The Jetavana monastery located in Saheth is one of the prime tourist
attractions. One gets to see remains of Gautam Buddha’s hut Anandakuti
and Gandhakuti in the monastery. Other attractions of the city are the
Anathapindika's (Sudatta), Angulimala’s stupa and Shobnath temple,
dedicated to the Jain Tirthankar Sambhavnath.
Buddhist monasteries constructed by Thailand, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and China at Sravasti are also worth a visit.
Buddha Purnima is celebrated on a grand scale in Sravasti.
Bahai Temple
Bahai Temple
The temple has become a landmark of Delhi and must visit for tourists to the national capital. With its distinctive design, the temple invites peoples of all religions and races to worship the creator of the universe. The temple serves as the Bahai House of Worship in the Indian subcontinent.
Visited by four million people annually; the temple is one of the major attractions in New Delhi. It is one of the most visited buildings in the world, surpassing even the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal.
The spectacle had been beautifully designed in 1986 by an Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba. The building was designed as a lotus as it is common to several religions including Hinduism and Buddhism. The building is considered one of the wonders of the 20th century and the architect has been honoured with several awards for his feat.
The temple represents the Bahai faith which is broad in its outlook and emphasizes the unity of all humankind. It signifies equality of all religions and emphasizes on elimination of prejudices.
One of the most remarkable things about the temple is that although it’s been made by the Bahai community, the temple is open to worshippers from all over the world irrespective of their religion, nationality, ethnicity or colour.
An exceptional feature about the temple is that it does not have any idols of any God. It just consists
of a prayer hall for meditation. Unique prayer sessions are held in the hall which recites teachings from all the religions.
The temple design is composed of 27 freestanding marble clad petals arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The prayer hall holds up to 2500 people. The surface of the House of Worship is made from white marble from Greece, which was also used for the other houses of worship of Bahai faith. Nine ponds surround the temple and it is set among lush green gardens and the whole property covers an expanse of 26 acres.
Sanjay Dutt is shooting with a calm heart
Dutt was asked to surrender in four weeks to serve his remaining term of about three-and-half years as he has already spent 18 months in jail.
"It's a very good thing and even today he is shooting with a calm heart and like a pure professional. He is not using any duplicate, he is doing fantastic action. I have not seen any person as professional as Sanjay.
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