ELEPHANT

Also known as Panthera Tigris, Bengal Tiger is one of the most regal wildlife creations one can witness. The Royal Bengal Tiger is actually a sub-species of the tiger family and dwells in the regions of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and parts of Southern Tibet. In India, it is seen in large numbers in Pench Tiger Reserve. For its charm, beauty and power, India has also picked Royal Bengal Tiger as its ‘National Animal’.

PEACOCK

The striking birds that you associate with the label peacock are, in fact, male. Their majestic feathers are used to attract peahens, the females of the species, which are smaller and mostly brown and white, though with emerald necks and the same fabulous head crest. Peacocks Take Years to Develop Colorful Tail Feathers. Their Crests Are Actually Important Sensors.They Were Once Food for the Wealthy.

RED FORT

The banyan (Ficus benghalensis) is one of more than 750 species of fig trees, each of which is pollinated only by its own species of tiny wasps that breed only inside the figs of their partner trees. Banyans are the world’s biggest trees in terms of the area they cover. The biggest one alive today is in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It covers 1.9 hectares (4.7 acres) and can shelter 20,000 people.

HOCKEY

Hockey is one of the oldest games and was approved by the Indian Hockey Federation in 1925. The first international hockey tour for Indians was played against New Zealand, with 21 games, of which India won 18. These victories helped the Indian hockey team stand out and encouraged Indian citizens to play hockey. Hockey was popular from 1928 to 1956. This period was considered a golden era, as India won six consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games. This is why hockey was treated as the national game of India.

GANGES RIVER DOLPHIN

The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater and is essentially blind. They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind. They are frequently found alone or in small groups, and generally a mother and calf travel together. Calves are chocolate brown at birth and then have grey-brown smooth, hairless skin as adults. Females are larger than males and give birth once every two to three years to only one calf.

MANGO

The mango: a fleshy, oval, tropical fruit with a yellowish-red skin and hard stone in the middle, which is eaten ripe or used green in pickles and chutneys. There are hundreds maybe thousands of varieties of the fruit that never appear on our supermarket shelv. The wild mango is thought to have originated in the foothills of the Himalayas in India and Myanmar. The first known cultivation of the fruit was around 5,000 years ago in Southern India, Myanmar, and the Andaman Islands (an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal).

LOTUS

Lotus is India’s national flower. The ‘Lotus’ or water lily, an aquatic plant of the Nymphaea family, has the honour of being India’s National Flower. The large, appealing pink blossoms feature symmetrically arranged petals and broad floating petals that give the impression of serenity and elegance. They are regarded sacred by Hindus, who make up a large portion of the Indian population, and are thus surrounded by many legends, religious mythology, and folklore. It is considered to symbolise longevity, honour, good fortune, and victory.

THE BASILICA OF BOM JESUSU

It was a time period of 1632-1653 when Taj Mahal was built. Shah Jahan spent nearly 32 million rupees on the construction of what we now recognize as the epitome of love. Wondering what would be the value of money at present? Well, today the amount would be close to $1 Billion. About 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were used for adorning the Taj and they were sourced from Tibet, China, Sri Lanka and some parts of India. The Taj Mahal is recognized as one of the wonders of the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

KEDARNATH

It was originally known as “Qila-e-Mubarak”. This name simplifies to “The Blessed Fort”. Shah Jahan built this fort when he made a decision to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi. When the fort was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1648, it was white in colour built with sandstones. Not only did the name, but the colour of the fort was also changed to red. All of it took place at the behest of the British. The Red Fort was originally made of lime stones. It was when the white stone began chipping off, the British had to paint it with red.

DUDHSAGAR FALLS

With a height of around 310 metres, it is the fifth tallest waterfall in India. The name translates to Milky Lake and signifies the milky foam of the flowing water. It is located in Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary And Mollem National Park. The area is surrounded by deciduous forests with rich biodiversity. This waterfall is also known as Tambdi Surla to some of the local people. The falls are not particularly spectacular during the dry season but during the monsoon season, however, the falls are fed by rains and form a huge force of water.

BANYAN TREE

Kedarnath is considered a very special and holy place for Hindus, and is one of the most revered pilgrimage sites in India. Located in Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand, Kedarnath is a special place that attracts millions of visitors each year. Spirituality of Kedarnath, when combined with stunning natural beauty, makes it almost impossible to ignore. The town is home to the Kedarnath Temple, which is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. There is an ancient temple site that is believed to have been built by the Pandavas from the epic Mahabharata. The present-day Kedarnath temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century AD.

GANGA RIVER

Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa is one such impressive church that has its mark in the history of Christianity in India, and also is a Christian monument revered across the globe. Let us have a look at some of the interesting facts of the church that make it stand out among its counterparts. Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa is as old as 400 years! The foundation stone of the church was laid on November 24th, and was completed in 1605. This impressive church in Old Goa is one of the UNESCO World heritage sites of India. Being a 400 year old church, the church is not only among the oldest churches in Goa, it is also one of the oldest churches in the world

STATUE OF UNITY

At 182 metres, Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world. The statue faces the Narmada Dam and is located on a river island called Sadhu Bet near Rajpipla on Narmada River. It is located between the Satpura and the Vindhya mountain ranges near Kevadia town in Gujarat. Over 3,000 workers, including 300 engineers from Larsen & Toubro (L&T), built the statue within three-and-a-half years. Around 129 tonnes of iron implements were obtained from nearly 100 million farmers in 169,000 villages across all states for the statue. The statue will be able to withstand earthquakes and wind speed up to around 100 km per second.

HOWRAH BRIDGE

Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans over the Hooghly River in West Bengal. A cantilever bridge is the one built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. The bridge does not have nuts and bolts and was built by riveting the whole structure. At the time of its construction, it was the 3rd longest cantilever bridge. Now, it is the sixth-longest bridge of its type in the world! It carries a daily traffic of approximately 100,000 vehicles and possibly more than 150,000 pedestrians, making it one of the busiest cantilever bridges in the world. The first vehicle to use the bridge was a solitary tram.