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The World s Wackiest Holidays

2011-04-24T16:52:00.000+05:30

The World's Wackiest Holidays

From the largest annual tomato fight in Spain, to Scotland's "Up Helly-Aa" fire festival, a look at those special days when people around the world go slightly nuts

Shetland Islands, Scotland: "Up Helly-Aa" Fire Festival

A tribute to the islands' Viking Past, Up Helly-Aa ("End of the Holy Days") culminates with the burning of a 32-ft. replica of a Viking longship.

Bobr, Belarus: Ivana Kupala Night

On the night of this pagan festival, celebrated on July 7, the Gregorian summer solstice, young women don wreathes and celebrants jump through fire and swim naked. The rites are connected to ancient beliefs about fertility and autopurification.

New Delhi, India: Holi, the Festival of Colors

Indian girls throw gulal (colored powder) on each other during a Hindi holiday which marks the onset of spring.

Bunyol, Spain: Tomatina

In late August, thousands of people pelt each other with over 250 lbs. of tomatoes in a span of 60 minutes in an event modestly described as the world's largest tomato fight.

Nobsa, Colombia: International Poncho Day

Designed to promote the work of local artisans who weave traditional wool ponchos, the parade and festival are a relatively new celebration.

Novgorod, Russia: Maslenitsa

In Orthodox countries, the week before Lent is marked with a series of celebrations, including a free-for-all boxing match in which there are no rules. In centuries past, the fight ended only when the participates were covered with blood and bereft of clothes.

Inazawa, Japan: Hadaka Matsuri, The Naked Festival

Hidden somewhere in the midst of all these men in loincloths is one fully naked man. Touching him is believed to bring good luck and happiness.

Lopburi province, Thailand: The Monkey Buffet

Every year, all of the province's approximately 600 monkeys are invited to eat fruits and vegetables during an annual feast held in honor of Rama, a hero of the Ramayana, who, it is said, rewarded his friend and ally, Hanuman the Monkey King, with the fiefdom of what is now Lopburi.

Lopburi province, Thailand: The Monkey Buffet

Organizers of the annual monkey buffet use more than 3,000 kg of fruits and vegetables for the festival.

Brockworth, England: Cheese Rolling Festival

In a dangerous tradition dating back to Roman times, competitors from all over the world run up a hill and then chase a 7 kg round cheese back down. The first who gets to it, keeps it.

Sabucedo, Spain: Rapa Das Bestas

Since the Bronze Age, Galicians have been taming wild horses. On the first weekend of the month of July, hundreds of wild horses are rounded up by expert stockbreeders, known as agarradores, then trimmed and groomed.

Reading, England: Festival of Falconry

Bird-of-prey handlers from Turkmenistan hold falcons at the first Festival of Falconry. Bird keepers from all over the world attended the event to highlight the popularity and importance of the sport worldwide.

Bedford Square Gardens, England: The Chap & Hendrick's Olympics
A series of tongue-in-cheek competitions for traditional gentlemen who are against the vulgarity of modern culture, this festival includes events such as mixing dry martinis, the three-trousered limbo and a pipe relay.

Dublin, Georgia: The Summer Redneck Games

L-bow, the official mascot of the Summer Redneck Games, poses next to the mud pit with the festival's ceremonial torch. Started in 1996 as a spoof of the summer Olympics held in Atlanta, the Games feature bobbing for pigs feet, hub cap hurling and the Redneck mud pit belly-flop contest.

New Delhi, India: Holi, The Festival of Colors

The word Holi comes from Holika, a scarf in Hindu mythology that prevented one of Lord Vishnu's followers from being burned on a pyre.

Ivrea, Italy: The Battle of Oranges

The origins of this festival are not well understood, particularly because oranges do not grow in the Alps of Italy, where the town is located. One legend has it that the Battle commemorates a popular rebellion of the 13th century, when the local poor deemed the largess of their feudal lord as inadequate, and threw it back in his face.

Boston, USA: Zombie March

For the third straight year, Bostonians dressed as zombies marched from Boston to Cambridge's Harvard Square in what organizers call a non-political, no-agenda good time.

Bunyol, Spain: Tomatina

Every year, over 30,000 tourists come to Bunyol for this festival. Rules of conduct keep the festivities from becoming a more dangerous brawl.

Eastern Island, Chile: Tapati Festival

A week-long festival begun in the 1970s in an effort to drum up more tourism, Tapati includes a triathlon in which native participates run around the lake of the Rano Raraku vulcano carrying a large bunch of bananas.

Wonderful Indian Temples Abroad Part 2

2009-10-21T10:06:00.000+05:30

Sri Venkateswara Temple, Bridgewater, NJ, US

Mother Temple of Besakih, Bali, Indonesia

Murugan Temple, Sydney, Australia

Venkateswara Swami temple, Riverdale near Atlanta, Georgia, US

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, Helensburgh, Sydney, Australia

Velmurugan Gnana Muneeswarar Temple, Rivervale Crescent Sengkang, Singapore

Sri Meenakshi Devasthanam - Pearland, Texas, US

Ekta Mandir, Irving, Texas, US

Sri Venkateshwara Temple - New Jersey, US

Sri Lakshmi Temple - Ashland, MA, US

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, Pittsburgh, US

Shiva Vishnu Temple of South Florida Inc, FL, US

Shiva - Vishnu Temple of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Sri Murugan Temple, London, UK

Quad City Hindu Temple , Rock Island, IL, US

Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swami Temple, Memphis, Tennessee, US

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple or Sri Perumal Temple, Little India, Serangoon Road, Singapore

Arulmigu Sri Raja Kaliamman Temple, Johor Baru, Malaysia - The only Hindu Glass Temple abroad

Wonderful Indian Temples Abroad

2009-10-20T22:07:00.000+05:30

Lord Venkateshwara Temple, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Malibu Hindu Temple, Malibu, California, US

Shiva-Vishnu Temple, Livermore, California, US

Lord Vishnu Temple, Angkor, Cambodia

The largest temple of the world, raised during the reign of Suryavarman-II in 12th century, is, in fact, located in Angkor, a major archaeological site of Cambodia. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is also one of the two temples intact in Angkor, Cambodia. The other is a Buddhist Temple. The largest temple of Lord Vishnu in Angkor is built according to Khmer architecture, original to Cambodia.

Prambanan Shiva Temple, Central Java, Indonesia

Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of Greater Chicago - Aurora, Illinois, United States

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir - Toronto, Canada

Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Washington DC, United States

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London (Neasden Temple), United States

Sri Murugan Temple Batu Caves, Penang, Malaysia

Ultimate SriLanka

2009-09-26T18:32:00.000+05:30

The island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean, to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. According to Hindu mythology, a land bridge to the Indian mainland, known as Rama's Bridge, was constructed during the time of Rama by the vanara architect Nala. Often referred to as Adam's Bridge, it now amounts to only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. According to colonial British reports, this is a natural causeway which was formerly complete, but was breached by a violent storm in 1480.The width of the Palk Strait is small enough for the coast of Sri Lanka to be visible from the furthest point near the Indian town of Rameswaram.[citation needed] The island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. Amongst these is the highest point Mount Pedro, reaching 2,524 metres (8,280 ft) above sea level.
The climate of Sri Lanka can be described as tropical and warm. Its position between 5 and 10 north latitude endows the country with a warm climate moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The mean temperature ranges from about 16 °C (61 °F) in the Central Highlands, where frost may occur for several days in the winter, to a maximum of approximately 33 °C (91 °F) in other low-altitude areas. The average yearly temperature ranges from 28 °C (82 °F) to nearly 31 °C (88 °F). Day and night temperatures may vary by 4 °C (7 °F) to 7 °C (13 °F). During the coldest days of January, many people wear coats and sweaters in the highlands and elsewhere. May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains. The rainfall pattern is influenced by monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal: as the winds encounter the mountain slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the slopes and the southwestern areas of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to 2,500 millimetres (98 in) of rain each month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain. Periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island. Between December to March, monsoon winds come from the northeast, bringing moisture from the Bay of Bengal. Humidity is typically higher in the southwest and mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal patterns of rainfall, and places like Colombo experience daytime humidity above 70% all year round, rising to almost 90% during the monsoon season in June. Anuradhapura experiences a daytime low of 60% during the monsoon month of March, but a high of 79% during the November and December rains. In the highlands, Kandy's daytime humidity usually ranges between 70% and 79%.

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

2009-09-26T17:28:00.000+05:30

Christ Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Great Wall of China,China

The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The Roman Colosseum,Rome, Italy

The Taj Mahal,Agra, India

Petra,Jordan

Machu Picchu,Peru

10 Craziest Hotels in the World

2009-09-08T23:13:00.000+05:30

Amazing Metro Station-Dubai

2009-07-02T23:03:00.000+05:30

St. Padre Pio - Incorrupt Body now on Display

2009-06-17T22:19:00.000+05:30

People are still being cured through his intercession in ways that cannot be explained by medicine or science.

More important, if less spectacular, are the spiritual healings that take place in all parts of the world! Padre Pio is a powerful intercessor!

Padre Pio's incorrupt body!

To see him resting so peacefully it's hard to believe that he died 40 years ago!

A Prayer to Padre Pio

Beloved Padre Pio, today I come to add my prayer to the thousands of prayers offered to you every day by those who love and venerate you in Jesus' name. They ask for cures and healings, earthly and spiritual blessings, and peace for body and mind. And because of your friendship with the Lord, he heals those you ask to be healed, and forgives those you ask be forgiven in Jesus' name. Through your visible wounds of the Crucified Jesus, which you bore for 50 years, you were chosen in our time to glorify the crucified Jesus. Because the Cross has been replaced by other symbols, please help us bring back the veneration of the wounds of Jesus Christ, for we acknowledge His Precious Blood as true a sign of salvation, cleansing and purifcation.

As we lovingly recall the wounds that pierced your hands, feet and side, like beloved Jesus Christ, we not only remember the blood He shed as you also shed in pain, along with your smile, and the invisible halo of sweet smelling flowers that surrounded your presence, certainly the Scent of The Lord, symbolic as the perfume of sanctity.

Padre Pio, may the healings of the sick become the testimony that the Lord has invited you to join the holy company of Saints. In your kindness, please help me with my own special request: (mention here your petition, and make the sign of the Cross). Bless me and my loved ones. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. In Memoriam J.S. The following quotes of Padre Pio tell how he looked after and loved his spiritual family:

'I love my Spiritual Children as much as my own soul and even more.'

'Once I take a soul on, I also take on their entire family as my spiritual children.'

'To my Spiritual Children, my prayers for you will never be lacking.'

'If one of my spiritual children ever goes astray, I shall leave my flock and seek him out.'

Children in Pakistan Part 2

2009-06-16T22:45:00.000+05:30

17 Girls watch through a hole in the kitchen tent to see when the food will be ready June 2, 2009 at Jalozai camp in Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

18 A girl stands next to her tent as wind and rain pound the massive tent city June 2, 2009 at Jalozai camp, 15km from Peshawar, Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

19 A boy uses a sheet as a sail during a blustery storm on June 2, 2009 at Jalozai camp in Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

20 Boys inflate their shalwar pants to help them float in a canal at the Chota Lahore refugee camp, at Swabi, in northwest Pakistan, Saturday, May 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

21 Children splash and play in a canal alongside a relief camp on May 18, 2009 in Swabi, Pakistan. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

22 A girl, who fled the Swat valley region, bites on a piece of fabric while standing with other children early morning at the UNHCR Yar Hussain camp in Swabi district in Pakistan on June 7, 2009. (REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro) #

23 A boy looks away as grieving family members and friends surround the casket of Umer Amin, age 23, at his funeral June 7, 2009 in the village of Phoolgrah, just outside of Islamabad, Pakistan. Amin was a security policeman killed during the previous night's bomb blast attacking a police emergency helpline. The suicide blast which killed two police officers and wounding 3 was the latest in a series of attacks on civilian and security targets seen as retribution by the Taliban for Pakistan's and on-going military operations. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

24 A displaced girl does the washing in a river next to her tent at the Chota Lahore refugee camp, at Swabi, in northwest Pakistan, Friday, May 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

25 Boys, wearing headbands inscribed with the shahada, the Muslim profession of faith "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the prophet of God," are photographed on the sidelines of an anti-U.S. demonstration organized by the Islamic political party Jamaat-e-Islami in Karachi, Pakistan on June 7, 2009. (REUTERS/Athar Hussain)

26 A boy covers his head with a cooking pot during a sand storm at the Chota Lahore refugee camp, at Swabi, in northwest Pakistan, Wednesday, June 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

27 A Pakistani girl is held by her mother as Doctor Adnan Khan listens to her chest at a medical tent June 2, 2009 at Jalozai camp, Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

28 Sameulllah Sahavzda, 13, recovers from injuries at a hospital in Peshawar, in northwest Pakistan, Saturday, May 16, 2009. The boy was injured by an air attack which hit his home in the Swat Valley. (AP Photo/Greg Baker) #

29 A Pakistani paramedic moves an injured child - a victim of a suicide bombing on a mosque the day before - onto a stretcher upon his arrival at a local hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, Saturday, June 6, 2009. An attacker wearing an explosive vest blew himself up inside a packed mosque during prayers, killing at least 33 people and wounding 40 more in Haya Gai village in Upper Dir, a district next to Swat. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

30 Bena, a 12-year-old internally displaced Sikh girl, fleeing military operations in the Swat valley region, bends over to kiss a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh faith, while seeking refuge in the Sikh temple Gurdwara Siri Punja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, Pakistan on May 31, 2009. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif)

31 A displaced girl collects water from a water truck in Shah Mansour refugee camp, in northwest Pakistan,Tuesday, June 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

32 A girl stands next to her tent as wind and rain pass through the tent city at Jalozai camp on June 2, 2009, 15km from Peshawar, Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

33 Displaced Pakistani boys and girls memorize the Quran, the Islamic holy book, in a madrassa in Shah Mansour refugee camp, in northwest Pakistan, Tuesday, June 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

34 A displaced boy from Swat valley sleeps under a mosquito net outside his tent at the Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

35 Displaced children give chase to a truck spraying insecticide through the UNHCR Sheikh Shahzad camp in Mardan, Pakistan on June 6, 2009. (REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)

36 Pakistani children wait for hours in line for dinner at the Yar Hussain camp June 1, 2009 in Swabi, Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

37 A girl peers out from a window in a Hindu neighborhood in Lyari, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Hindu families in the area are warning their daughters to stay indoors after Taliban extremists lured away a 12 year-old Hindu girl and converted her to Islam. The girl was later unable to return to the Hindu community, and was abandoned by the Muslim community. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

38 An internally displaced boy fleeing a military offensive in the Swat valley cools himself with water at an UNHCR camp in Mardan, Pakistan on May 23 2009.

Children in Pakistan

2009-06-16T22:32:00.000+05:30

Children in Pakistan

According to Pakistani authorities and the UN, at least 3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have now been registered as a result from recent fighting and on-going military operations against the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat, Buner, and Lower Dir districts. Refugee families are often made up of only women and children, the older men staying behind to care for their homes and crops. UN humanitarian chief John Holmes issued a desperate appeal for hundreds of millions of dollars to help those who have fled the war, warning that the U.N. can only sustain its current aid efforts for one month. Photographers in the area have captured many powerful images of those affected, some of the most striking focused on children,

Hamida, a six-year old internally displaced girl who fled a military offensive in the Swat valley region, sits outside the food distribution tent at the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) Yar Hussain camp in Swabi district, about 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Pakistan's capital Islamabad June 9, 2009. (REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)

2 Pakistani children wait for hours in line for dinner at the Yar Hussain camp June 1, 2009 in Swabi, Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images) #

3 Pakistani girls stand near their tents at night May 31, 2009 in Jalozai camp, 15 k from Peshawar, Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) #

4 A boy stands by as Pakistani men line up to register for ID cards at the Chota Lahore refugee camp, at Swabi, in northwest Pakistan, Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Greg Baker) #

5 Boys, internally displaced from the Pakistan Army's offensive against the Taliban, in Swat and Buner, play on a swing at a relief camp on May 18, 2009 in Swabi, Pakistan. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images) #

6 A young woman peers out from a torn curtain near her tent as the wind and dust blows making conditions in the massive tent city become more difficult May 31, 2009 in Jalozai camp, 15 k from Peshawar, Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) #

7 Internally displaced children scramble to get a piece of ice being handed out by aid workers at the Chota Lahore relief camp on May 20, 2009 in Swabi, Pakistan. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images) #

8 A Pakistani girl peers over part of a makeshift tent in Chota Lahore Refugee Camp in Swabi, Pakistan on Wednesday, May 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) #

9 Displaced Pakistani boys play on the ruins of a former Afghan refugee house in Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, June 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

10 Boys sit, silhouetted at sunset as women wearing burqas walk past at the UNHCR Yar Hussain camp in Swabi district, in Pakistan on June 2, 2009. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif) #

11 A displaced girl looks out from her tent in Shah Mansour refugee camp, in northwest Pakistan, Tuesday, June 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) #

12 Pakistani boys play in the dirt next to their tents in Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan, Monday, June 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

13 A young girl waits for her turn during a food distribution for internally displaced people organized by World Food Program in Mardan, in northwest Pakistan, Tuesday, June 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) #

14 Pakistani children relax in a playground at the Yar Hussain camp June 1, 2009 in Swabi, Pakistan. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images) #

15 An internally displaced girl from the Swat valley region wears a food bowl over her head while standing in line for curry and bread at the UNHCR Yar Hussain camp in Swabi district in Pakistan on June 2, 2009. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif)

16 Boys sell tomatoes while sitting roadside in Mardan, Pakistan on June 6, 2009. (REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)

Hey Frnds I Have Started New Business - Real Estate

2009-06-08T23:30:00.000+05:30

1. The Crooked House (Sopot, Poland)

Construction of the building started in in January 2003 and in December 2003 it was finished. House architecture is based on Jan Marcin Szancer (famous Polish drawer and child books illustrator) and Per Dahlberg (Swedish painter living in Sopot) pictures and paintings.

2. Forest Spiral - Hundertwasser Building (Darmstadt, Germany)

The Hundertwasser house “Waldspirale” (”Forest Spiral”) was built in Darmstadt between 1998 and 2000. Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the famous Austrian architect and painter, is widely renowned for his revolutionary, colourful architectural designs which incorporate irregular, organic forms, e.g. onion-shaped domes.

The structure with 105 apartments wraps around a landscaped courtyard with a running stream. Up in the turret at the southeast corner, there is a restaurant, including a cocktail bar.

3. The Torre Galatea Figueras (Spain)

4. Ferdinand Cheval Palace a.k.a Ideal Palace (France)

5. The Basket Building (Ohio, United States)

The Longaberger Basket Company building in Newark, Ohio might just be a strangest office building in the world. The 180,000-square- foot building, a replica of the company’s famous market basket, cost $30 million and took two years to complete. Many experts tried to persuade Dave Longaberger to alter his plans, but he wanted an exact replica of the real thing.

6. Kansas City Public Library (Missouri, United States)

This project, located in the heart of Kansas City, represents one of the pioneer projects behind the revitalization of downtown.

The people of Kansas City were asked to help pick highly influential books that represent Kansas City. Those titles were included as ‘bookbindings’ in the innovative design of the parking garage exterior, to inspire people to utilize the downtown Central Library.

7. Wonderworks (Pigeon Forge, TN, United States)

8. Habitat 67 (Montreal, Canada)

Expo 67, one of the world’s largest universal expositions was held in Montreal. Housing was one of the main themes of Expo 67.

The cube is the base, the mean and the finality of Habitat 67. In its material sense, the cube is a symbol of stability. As for its mystic meaning, the cube is symbol of wisdom, truth, moral perfection, at the origin itself of our civilization.

354 cubes of a magnificent grey-beige build up one on the other to form 146 residences nestled between sky and earth, between city and river, between greenery and light.

9. Cubic Houses (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

The original idea of these cubic houses came about in the 1970s. Piet Blom has developed a couple of these cubic houses that were built in Helmond.

The city of Rotterdam asked him to design housing on top of a pedestrian bridge and he decided to use the cubic houses idea. The concept behind these houses is that he tries to create a forest by each cube representing an abstract tree; therefore the whole village becomes a forest.

10. Hang Nga Guesthouse a.k.a Crazy House (Vietnam)

The house is owned by the daughter of the ex-president of Vietnam, who studied architecture in Moscow.

It does not comply with any convention about house building, has unexpected twists and turns, roofs and rooms. It looks like a fairy tale castle, it has enormous “animals” like a giraffe and a spider, no window is rectangular or round, and it can be visited like a museum.

11. Chapel in the Rock (Arizona, United States)

12. Dancing Building (Prague, Czech Republic)

13. Calakmul building a.k.a La Lavadora a.k.a The Washing Mashine (Mexico, Mexico)

14.. Kettle House (Texas, United States)

15. Manchester Civil Justice Centre (Manchester, UK)

16. Nakagin Capsule Tower (Tokyo, Japan)

17. Mind House (Barcelona, Spain)

18. Stone House (Guimarães, Portugal)

19. Shoe House (Pennsylvania, United States)

20. Weird House in Alps

21. The Ufo House (Sanjhih, Taiwan)

22. The Hole House (Texas, United States)

23. Ryugyong Hotel (Pyongyang, North Korea)

24. The National Library (Minsk, Belarus)

25. Grand Lisboa (Macao)

26. Wall House (Groningen, Netherlands)

27. Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain)

28. Bahá’í House of Worship a.k.a Lotus Temple (Delhi, India)

29. Container City (London, UK)

30. Erwin Wurm: House Attack (Viena, Austria)

31. Wooden Gagster House (Archangelsk, Russia)

32. Air Force Academy Chapel (Colorado, United States)

33. Solar Furnace (Odeillo, France)

34. Dome House (Florida, United States)

35.. Beijing National Stadium (Beijing, China)

36. Fashion Show Mall (Las Vegas, United States)

37. Luxor Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, United States)

38. Zenith Europe (Strasbourg, France)

39. Civic Center (Santa Monica)

40. Mammy’s Cupboard (Natchez, MS, United States)

41. Pickle Barrel House (Grand Marais, Michigan, United States)

42. The Egg (Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York, United States)

43. Gherkin Building (London, UK)

44. Nord LB building (Hannover, Germany)

45. Lloyd’s building (London, UK)

46. “Druzhba Holiday Center Hall (Yalta, Ukraine)

47. Fuji television building (Tokyo, Japan)

48. UCSD Geisel Library (San Diego, California, United States)

49. Ripley’s Building (Ontario, Canada)

50. The Bank of Asia a.k.a Robot Building (Bangkok, Thailand)

Beautiful Kashmir

2009-06-08T22:38:00.000+05:30

Huge Turbans

2009-05-28T22:58:00.000+05:30

Jats and Rajputs from the Indian state of Rajasthan wear distinctive turbans. Rajputs traditionally wear colored turbans whereas Jats wear white turbans. The Marwaris wear light colored turbans. Many styles of turbans are found in Rajasthan; it is said that the style of the turban changes with every 15 km you travel. In some areas, especially in Rajasthan the turban’s size may indicate the position of the person in society. ‘Royalty’ in different parts of India have distinctly different styles of turbans, as do the ‘peasants’, who often just wear a small piece of cloth wound around the head.

Most Incredible Desert Oases

2009-05-28T22:41:00.000+05:30

The yellow sand dunes stretch to infinity, whilst the scorching sun of the Sahel beats down on your head. You’re tired and you’re thirsty – you’ve been travelling for miles, searching for water. Yet nonetheless you are cautious: nothing is as it seems in this land of smokescreens and mirrors. “Water! Water!” you begin to scream. No… even imagination is playing tricks on you. But what if in the distance, past the undulating sand dunes, lay the waters of sand-locked lagoons and waterfalls surrounded by palm trees?

It is this vision of utopia, surrounded by barren wasteland that inspired us to catalogue some of the most incredible desert oases before they are devoured by the desert sands and become mirages themselves.

1. Ubari Lakes are part of Erg Awbari Oasis in the Sahara. Located near Fezzan and 30kms north of Germa in Libya, these salt water lakes are a central trading point for many locals, who gather at the edges of the lake selling souvenirs and other goods.

sfivat

Umm Al-Maa, meaning Mother of Water, is one of the largest lakes in the oasis but unfortunately, like all the lakes, the water table in the area is so low that the lakes are drying up.

As well as the waters being extremely dirty, the saline levels are now similar to the Dead Sea (which is great news if you like floating in crud). The abandoned city of Gebraoun is also relatively nearby with its impressive ruins, the settlement is testament to the life-sustaining qualities that the lakes once had.

10 Ninjas Steve

LucaG

2. Huacachina is a small oasis town in the Ica region of southwest Peru. This oasis, named ‘Oasis of Americas’, is a popular resort with local families and tourists. A legend says the lagoon was created when an inquisitive young hunter disturbed a beautiful princess bathing. She fled, leaving the pool of water behind which became the lagoon.

dwhaynes2214

kanjiroushi

Eric Bronder

3. Turpan, or Tulufan as it’s also known, is an oasis city in the Xinjiang Uygur Region in China. It is just 8km west of the ruined city of Jiaohe, a border garrison town destroyed by Genghis Khan during the Han dynasty.

wikimedia commons

4. We’re not entirely sure where this desert oasis is but we had to include it because, surely, this is what most people perceive as the typical oasis mirage? If anyone has been there, shoot us the location.

5. This wonderful desert lake is set within Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhao, Brasil. It forms part of a system of fresh water lagoons which fill up with rainwater during the first six months of the year and then gradually evaporate over time to be topped up again the following year. Some of the lakes within the park are dotted with palm trees. This lonely lake, however, has one solitary dry branch decorating its banks.

Ric e Ette

6. Crescent Lake in China’s Gobi Desert sits on the edge of an ancient city that once saw traders embark on their journey along the Silk Road to the West. Today it is drying up and has dropped more than 25 feet in the last 30 years, in part due to water being redirected for local farmers and a doubling of population, resulting in the slow disappearance of a lake that has existed for thousands of years.

Michael Zhao

7. The beautiful oasis of Chebika in Tunisia is probably one that most people know about without realizing it. It is where Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was filmed. The story goes that the oasis was actually named after one of the characters, Chewbacca.

Bartek Kuzia

Howard.Gees

8. This stunning image shows three men quenching their thirst at a small waterfall in the Saharan oasis of Timia, in Niger. It’s a picture perfect portrait of everyday oasis life for local desert dwellers.

nygus

9. There are always small enclaves or villages dispersed near bodies of water, no matter how small, and this image shows why. Even in desert areas wholes farms can exist with the life giving powers of water.

wikimedia commons

10. This remote desert lake, fringed by sand dunes is located in Khar Nuur, Mongolia. It’s a refreshing swimming spot for travelers who manage to venture into one of the world’s vast desert plains.

11. Nahal David is a quiet oasis found near Bethlehem, Israel’s Palestinian West Bank. It’s certainly a far cry from the war-torn images often associated with that part of the world.

12. This sprawling oasis is the village of Tinerhir, located at the foothills of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. Todra Gorge and oasis are about 14km away so travellers normally visit both oases on the one trip.

jon keegan

13. Ghardaia is the main town in M’zab oasis in northern Algeria. Founded in the 11th century, the city was built around a cave which was reputedly inhabited by the female saint Daïa, and is still revered by M’zabite women today. The oasis offers some wonderful examples of original Arabic medieval architecture and is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage site.

Addounya

Masen

14. This castle is part of an oasis on the western shore of the Persian Gulf in Saudi Arabia, called Qatif. The city dates back to 3,500 BC and was for many years the main town and port in the western Gulf, which meant it was a popular spot for invasion and take over by ruling powers through the ages. This resulted in an eclectic mix of architecture and the area now boasts some of the best archeological sites in the kingdom.

Alib_ahj

15. This oasis is hidden in the depths of the Oman desert, where a number of green oases dot the landscape. A few oases in the tiny Sultanate, on the corner of the Arabian Peninsula, are hotspots for botanical studies into agro-biodiversity where many of the ancient oasis are in rapid decline; researchers want to figure out why.

loufi

16. Nakhl Fort sits overlooking a lush, green date-palm oasis in Oman. These impressive forts were strategically placed across much of the Oman desert, like many places, to protect villagers from invasion.

17. This beautiful unnamed oasis is situated in Niger. If you have any further info, we’d love to hear about it in the comments section. Considering the recent unrest in the country it’s amazing to find places like this still.

18. The lush green carpet of shrubland and fields sit in stark contrast to the barren hills in the background of this typical oasis village. Any clues to where it is?

Discover The Egyp With Guru

2009-05-27T22:45:00.000+05:30

Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its estimated 76 million live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers, where the only arable agricultural land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt’s residents live in urban areas, with the majority spread across the densely-populated centers of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.

Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world’s most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx. The southern city of Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East.

Boat on the Nile

Pigeon houses at Mit Gahmr (Delta), Egypt

Pyramid of Sesostris II in El-Lahun, South of Fayoum, Egypt

Fox on a pyramid of Cairo, Egypt

Pyramid of king Snefrou, Egypt

Philae’s temple, dedicated to Isis, Egypt

Village of the ragmen in Cairo, Egypt

Abou Simbel's temple, Nasser lake, Egypt

Islands at Siwa oasis, Egypt

The oasis of Siwa was internationally famous long before Alexander the Great visited it in 331 bc, for it was the site of one of the biggest temples of Amen, the most powerful Egyptian god of the time. Its oracle was so renowned that the illustrious Macedonian conqueror crossed the Egyptian desert to consult it. According to legend, the priests confirmed his divine nature—a verdict that was convenient, as he had just been crowned pharaoh. During the Roman occupation, the temple of Amen fell into disuse, but the oasis remained. Its springs, famous for their medicinal properties, quenched the thirst of many a caravan on the way from the Mediterranean coast to central Africa. Today, many Egyptian, Roman, and medieval ruins survive in this area, which the Egyptian government would like to see added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list. This would earn it a grant toward the preservation of the archaeological site, which would no longer be solely Egypt’s responsibility but the shared responsibility of the organization’ s 175 member countries.

Ruins of the medieval citadel of Shali in the town of Siwa, Egypt

Founded in the thirteenth century, the citadel of Shali protected the inhabitants from pillagers for many years. But its walls built of kershef —salt bricks covered with clay and plaster—were no match for the violent rains of 1926. Three days of deluge left nothing but a mass of ruins, bearing witness to a vanishing style of architecture. Although some of the fortress’ houses are still inhabited, modern Siwa is chiefly built of concrete, clustering around its old town. Since 1998, the United Nations Human Settlements Program has encouraged young Siwa entrepreneurs to rediscover their cultural and architectural heritage. The region’s governor, who also would like to see this heritage preserved, has required all new buildings around the citadel of Shali to be built using traditional methods.

Adrere Amellal Ecolodge» hotel, Siwa oasis, Egypt

Barely distinguishable from the surrounding landscape of salt lakes at the oasis of Siwa at the foot of the white mountain,» the Ecolodge is a luxury hotel—even though guests have neither electricity nor air conditioning— in the arid Egyptian desert. To cope with the extreme environment, the building—which was completed in 1997—takes advantage of local techniques that have been developed over 2,500 years: walls of salt-bearing rock extracted from the beds of lakes burned by the sun, and roof, insulation, ventilation, plaster, furniture, and accessories designed and made by 150 local craftsmen using the oasis’ own resources. Economizing in the transport of materials and people minimized energy consumption, while the use of local human resources revived the region’s economy. Since the Ecolodge was built, almost 600 people make a living from the revival of interest in the architecture of Siwa.

Drying dates in a palm grove south of Cairo, Nile valley, Egypt

The Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan, Egypt

Wheat being bundled into sheaves by a fellah in the Nile valley, Egypt

Small boats caught in water hyacinths on the Nile, Egypt

Modern graves in a cemetery at Asyut, Nile valley, Egypt

Road interrupted by a sand dune, Nile Valley, Egypt

Outline of Birket Maraqi salt lake in the oasis of Siwa, Egypt

Under the burning sun of northwest Egypt, the evaporation of water from the shallower parts of this salt lake has cracked its bed of sand and mud, forming these extremely hard, rounded wrinkles. Here and there salt forms a white crust, tracing the outline of the bluish, stagnant pool. The salt concentration in the water is so high that no living organism can survive. However, the shores of these lakes are shaded by palm trees and olive trees, fed by the oasis’s 230 freshwater springs. Thus, Siwa’s 15,000 inhabitants grow 300,000 date palms and 70,000 olive trees. Fresh water is one of the scarcest resources on the planet, accounting for only 2.5 percent of the total volume of water on the Earth, and of that proportion, 77 percent is trapped as ice at the poles and in glaciers. Liquid fresh water is unequally distributed, being rare in the tropics but plentiful on the equator and in temperate regions. Even where it is abundant, it is still precious. Its quality is constantly deteriorating as a result of contamination from excess organic matter, fertilizers, and other chemicals released by agriculture, industry, and the general population.

Necropolis, South El Minya, Egypt

Abu Simbel, Nile Valley, Egypt

The archaeological site of Abu Simbel consists of two monumental temples of pink sandstone, built during the reign of Ramesses II (c. 1301-1235 B.C.). The facade of the larger one, facing toward the rising sun, holds four statues of the pharaoh that are 65 feet (20 m) tall and weigh 1,200 tons.

Italy

2009-03-15T16:09:00.000+05:30

THE STORY OF INDIA

2009-03-11T14:51:00.000+05:30

TAJ MAHAL

KERALA

LANGUAGE

RILIGION

INDUS VALLEY

FINE ARTS

GANGES RIVER

EDICTS OF ASHOKA

TAMILNADU

AGRICULTURE

TRADE

VARANASI

LITERATURE

PASHAWAR

ALLAHABAD

FATEHPUR SIKRI

SCIENCE MEDICINE

DELHI

AMRITSAR

PERFORMING ARTS

COLONIZATION

FESTIVELS

NON VIOLENCE

PARTITION INDEPENDENCE

BEAUTIFUL KONKAN

2009-03-06T23:50:00.000+05:30

Tirupati a holeplace in india

2009-02-15T22:03:00.000+05:30

About Sri Venkateswara Temple

The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the Tirupati Hill, and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini.

It is by the Lord’s presidency over Venkatachala, that He has received the appellation, Venkateswara (Lord of the Venkata Hill). He is also called the Lord of the Seven Hills.

The temple of Sri Venkateswara has acquired unique sanctity in Indian religious lore. The Sastras, Puranas, Sthala Mahatyams and Alwar hymns unequivocally declare that, in the Kali Yuga, one can attain mukti, only by worshipping Venkata Nayaka or Sri Venkateswara.

The benefits acquired by a piligrimage to Venkatachala are mentioned in the Rig Veda and Asthadasa Puranas. In these epics, Sri Venkateswara is described as the great bestower of boons. There are several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord at Tirumala.

The temple has its origins in Vaishnavism, an ancient sect which advocates the principles of equality and love, and prohibits animal sacrifice.

The sanctum sanctorum which houses the awe-inspiring idol of the Lord of the Seven Hills is situated in the main temple complex of Tirumala.

Lord Sri Venkateswara

Gopuram with Gold Finishing

Museum In Tirumala

Sri Vaari Padalu

God inside Golden Ratham During Bramhostavam

Silpa Thoranam

Tirumala Balaji Temple Arial view

LORD During Bramhostavam

Chandragiri Fort

Sri Kalahasti temple

Dwaraka Tirumala

Crowd During Bramhostavam

Akasa Ganga

Tirupati temple tour

Tirupati Venkateswara Swami abhishek secret video

The love park in thailand - Must See

2009-02-15T21:25:00.000+05:30

Uniquest Bridges

2009-02-06T21:57:00.033+05:30

Pedestrian Bridge, Texas

This beautiful arched bridge in Lake Austin was a private build by Miro Rivera Architects and is used to connect the client's main house to the smaller guest house on the other side of the water. The idea was to make the bridge seem as natural as possible within its surroundings and to do this they made the decking and reed-like hand rails as imperfect as possible. The result is a bridge that looks extremely fragile but definitely worth the risk.

Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Opened in May of this year, the Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge is a stunning x-shaped cable-stayed bridge that crosses thePinheiros River in Sao Paulo. It's design is unique in that the 2 curved decks of the bridge cross each other through its x-shaped supporting tower, an illuminated structure that stands 450ft tall and has attached to it 144 steel cables.

Kintaikyo, Iwakuni, Japan

The original Kintai Bridge was built in 1673 and didn't stand very long until it was damaged due to flooding. It was then rebuilt and survived for more than 200 years until a typhoon battered it to death in 1950. The bridge that stands now over the Nishiki Rivers the 3rd build and looks magnificent, it's 5 wooden arches displaying an incredible amount of detail and craftsmanship. Interesting fact: no nails or bolts have been used to build the arches, only clamps and wires.

Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Brasilia, Brazil

The JK Bridge in Brasilia is a lesson in elegant bridge design. The 3 huge arches diagonally hopping over the deck of the bridge give the structure an amazing visual fluidity and make the whole 1.2km bridge look effortlessly cool. Since being built the bridge has won awards for its design but is still massively under appreciated on a wider scale.

Rolling Bridge, London, UK

Thomas heatherwick' s award-winning rolling bridge is an ingenious addition to the grand union canal system in London and is unique in its design. Unlike regular movable canal bridges, the rolling bridge curls up on itself to form an octagon by way of hydraulics. It's an amazing sight and a reminder that a fresh perspective can produce great, innovative results, even when dealing with a structure as common as a bridge.

Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge, Guizhou, China

Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge in Guizhou is an enormous railway bridge that was built as part of the much larger 'Guizhou-Shuibai Railway Project'. Connecting 2 mountains over a deep ravine, at its highest point the bridge's deck sits 918ft above the ground (to compare, at its highest point the Millau viaduct's deck clears the river underneath by 890ft). The bridge has succeeded in connecting 2 of the country's poorest areas.

Henderson Waves, Southern Ridges, Singapore

'Henderson Waves' is Singapore's highest pedestrian bridge and can be found at the southern ridges, a beautiful 9km stretch of gardens and parks which has frequently drawn comparisons to New York's Central Park. The bridge itself is absolutely stunning. The deck is made from thousands of Balau wood slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a huge snaking, undulating shell cleverly forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve.

Pont Gustave Flaubert, Rouen, France

This is the incredible, brand new vertical lift bridge in Rouen, France, a beast of a structure whose 2 bridge spans weigh 1200tons each but can be hoisted 180ft vertically by the bridge's lifting mechanism in an impressive 12 minutes. Just the angular structures at the top of each tower weigh in at 450tons each, helping to support the lifting system as cruise ships sail through.

Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea

Technically, this is a bridge: it's a structure which spans a gorge. The only difference is, the bridge can't be used by humans due to the fact that its purpose is to support 2 pipelines - 1 gas, 1 oil - across the extremely high gap in Papua New Guinea. So high in fact that if this were to be officially recognized as a bridge it would rocket to the top of the 'world's highest bridge-span' list at an impressive height of 1290ft. By comparison, the current highest bridge span belongs to the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, hanging a mere 1053ft above ground level, while Manhattan's Chrysler Building measures 1047ft.

Water Car

2009-01-03T16:10:00.000+05:30

Amazing Mini World

2008-12-28T16:20:00.000+05:30

10 of the World's Smallest Animals

2008-12-22T23:31:00.000+05:30

1).Worlds Smallest Dog: 12.4 cm (4.9-inch) tall At 1.4 pounds and 4.9 inches tall, Ducky, a yappy short-coat Chihuahua from Charlton (Massachusetts, USA), holds the Guinness World Record for the world's smallest living dog (by height). Ducky succeeds Danka Kordak of Slovakia, a Chihuahua who measured 5.4 inches tall. The smallest dog ever, according to Guinness, was a dwarf Yorkshire terrier who stood 2.8 inches tall.

2).World's Smallest Snake: 10.1 cm (4-inch) long Leptotyphlops carlae is the world's smallest species of snake, with adults averaging just under four inches in length. Found on the Caribbean island of Barbados, the species --which is as thin as a spaghetti noodle and small enough to rest comfortably on a U.S. quarter-- was discovered by Blair Hedges.

3).Worlds Smallest Fish: 7.9 mm (0.3-inch) long On January 2006, the world's smallest fish was discovered on the Indonesian island of Sumatra: a member of the carp family of fish, the Paedocypris progenetica. It is the world's smallest vertebrate or backboned animal; only 7.9 mm (0.3 inches) long.

The title, however, is contested by 6.2 mm (0.2 in) long male anglerfish Photocorynus spiniceps (not technically a fish but a sexual parasite) and the 7 mm (0.27 in) long male stout infantfish Schindleria brevipinguis.

4). Worlds Smallest Horse: 43.18 cm (17-inch) tall The little horse was born to Paul and Kay Goessling, who specialize in breeding miniature horses, but even for the breed Thumbelina is particularly small: she is thought to be a dwarf-version of the breed. At just 60 lb and 17-inch tall, the five-year-old Thumbelina is the worlds smallest horse.

5).Worlds Smallest Cat: 15.5 cm (6.1-inch) high and 49 cm (19.2-inch) long Meet Mr. Peebles. He lives in central Illinois, is two years old, weighs about three pounds and is the world's smallest cat! The cat's small stature was verified by the Guinness Book of World Records on 2004.

6).World's Smallest Hamster: 2.5 cm (0.9-inch) tall Only slightly bigger than a 50p piece, PeeWee is the smallest hamster in the world. Weighing less than an ounce, the golden hamster stopped growing when he was three weeks old - his five brothers and sisters went on to measure between 4in and 5in.

7).World's Smallest Chameleon: 1.2 cm (0.5-inch) long The Brookesia Minima is the world's smallest species of chameleon. This one is just half an inch. Found on the rainforest floor of Nosy Be Island off the north-west coast of Madagascar, females tend to be larger than males.

8).World's Smallest Lizard: 16 mm (0.6-inch) long So small it can curl up on a dime or stretch out on a quarter, a typical adult of the species, whose scientific name is Sphaerodactylus ariasae is only about 16 millimeters long, or about three quarters of an inch, from the tip of the snout to the base of the tail. It shares the title of "smallest" with another lizard species named Sphaerodactylus parthenopion, discovered in 1965 in the British Virgin Islands.

9).Worlds Smallest Cattle: 81 cm (31-inch) height The worlds smallest cattle is a rare breed of an Indian zebu called the Vechur cow. The average height of this breed of cattle is 31 to 35 inches (81 to 91 cm). The photo above shows a 16 year old Vechur cattle as compared to a 6 year old HF cross-breed cow.

10).World's Smallest Seahorse: 16 mm (0.6-inch) long The creature, known as Hippocampus denise, is typically just 16 millimetres long - smaller than most fingernails. Some were found to be just 13 mm long. H.. denise lives in the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean, between 13 and 90 metres beneath the surface.

FUTURE PLAN OF MADINA City (SAUDI ARABIA)

2008-12-19T10:10:00.000+05:30

Disney land Paris

2008-12-18T21:59:00.000+05:30

Miss World 2008 !!! Showcase + 109 Contestants !!!

2008-12-16T23:11:00.000+05:30

Miss World 2008

Date: December 13, 2008

Venue: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

Miss World 2008 Showcase

Miss India, Parvathy Omanakuttan

Miss Norway, Lene Egeli

Russia's Kseniya Sukhinova

Miss Vietnam, Tran Thi Thuy

Miss Spain, Patricia Rodriquez

Miss France, Laura Tanguy

Miss Egypt, Sanee Ismail

Miss Brazil, Tamara Almeida Silva

Miss Malaysia, Wincci Soo

Miss Jamaica, Brittany Lyons

Miss Germany, Anne-Kathrin Walter

Miss England, Laura Mary

Miss Mexico, Espinoza Marroquin Anagabriela

Miss Zimbabwe, Cynthia Muvirimi

Miss Portugal Andreia Rodrigues Condesso

Miss Italy, Claudia Russo

Miss Lebanon, Rosarita Tawil

Miss United States, Merica Lane Lindell

Miss Scotland, Stephanie Willemse

Miss Venezuela, Hannely Zulami Qiuntero Ledezma

Miss Chile, Nataly Nadeska

109 contestants participated in this pageant.

Albania	Egla Harxhi	17	174	Tirana
Angola	Brigith dos Santos	-	177	Luanda
Argentina	Agustina Quinteros	17	175	La Pampa
Aruba	Christina Trejo	20	173	Tanki Flip
Australia	Katie Richardson	20	178	Albion Park
Austria	Kathrin Krafuss	23	177	Graz
Bahamas	Tinnyse Johnson	21	176	Nassau
Barbados	Natalie Olivia Griffith	19	160	Bridgetown
Belarus	Olga HiÅ¾inkova	21	184	Vitebsk
Belgium	AlizÃ©e Poulicek	21	175	Brussels
Belize	Charmaine Chinapen	21	163	Belize City
Bolivia	Jackelin Arias	18	177	Trinidad
Bosnia & Herzegovina	Tanja VujiÄ�iÄ‡	18	178	Mostar
Botswana	Itseng Kgomotso	18	-	Gaborone
Brazil	Tamara Almeida Silva	23	174	Ipatinga
Bulgaria	Julia Yurevich	19	177	Kozloduy
Canada	Leah Ryerse	20	178	Hamilton
Cayman Islands	Nicosia Lawson	25	-	George Town
Chile	Nataly Chilet	23	174	Santiago
China P.R.	Yan Ling Mei	24	180	Dalian
Chinese Taipei	Lin Jie Ming	-	-	Taipei
Colombia	Katherine Medina	17	180	MedellÃn
Congo D.R.	Christelle Ndila	18	-	Kinshasa
Costa Rica	Maria Amalia Matamoros	19	175	San Juan de Naranjo
Croatia	Josipa KusiÄ‡	20	182	Zagreb
CuraÃ§ao	Norayla Francisco	23	181	Willemstad
Cyprus	Iosifina Sechi	19	168	Limassol
Czech Republic	Zuzana JandovÃ¡	20	180	KarvinÃ¡
Denmark	Lisa Lents	21	177	Copenhagen
Dominican Republic	Nathali Montes de Oca	21	175	Santo Domingo
Ecuador	Marjorie Cevallos	22	183	Guayaquil
El Salvador	Gabriela Gavidia	18	173	La Libertad
England	Laura Coleman	22	175	Leicester
Ethiopia	Hibret Fekadu
Finland	Linda Wikstedt	19	174	Helsinki
France	Laura Tanguy	20	175	Angers
Georgia	Khatuna Skhirtladze	18	177	Tbilisi
Germany	Anne Katrin Walter	21	172	Dahme-Spreewald
Ghana	Frances Takyi-Mensah	22	180	Elmina
Gibraltar	Krystel Robba	22	178	Gibraltar
Greece	Angeliki Kalaitzi	24	172	Thessaloniki
Guadeloupe	FrÃ©dÃ©rika Charpentier	23	175	Basse-Terre
Guatemala	Ana Maribel Arana	23	174	Guatemala City
Guyana	Christa Simmons	23	173	Georgetown
Honduras	Gabriela Zavala Irias	22	-	San Pedro Sula
Hong Kong China	Edelweiss Cheung	22	181	Shantou
Hungary	Szilvia Freire	24	174	Budapest
Iceland	Alexandra Ã�varsdÃ³ttir	18	180	ReykjavÃk
India	Parvathy Omanakuttan	21	175	Kottayam
Indonesia	Sandra Angelia	22	167	Surabaya
Ireland	Sinead Noonan	21	175	County Meath
Israel	Tamar Ziskind	23	176	Haifa
Italy	Claudia Russo	25	178	Messina
Jamaica	Brittany Lyons	19	166	Kingston
Japan	Mizuki Kubodera	21	173	Kanagawa
Kazakhstan	Alfina Nassyrova	20	175	Almaty
Kenya	Ruth Nyambura Kinuthia	21	-	Nairobi
Korea	Bo-in Choi	22	169	Seoul
Kosovo	Yllka Berisha	20	176	Pristina
Latvia	Ina AvlasÄ“viÄ�a	20	-	Dobele
Lebanon	Rosarita Tawil	20	178	Beirut
Liberia	Bindu Parker	21	165	Monrovia
Lithuania	GabrielÄ— MartirosianaitÄ—	17	-	Kaunas
Macau	Ana Kuan Barroso	20	174	Macau
Malaysia	Soo Wincci	23	170	Selangor
Malta	Martha Fenech	17	170	St. Julian's
Martinique	Elodie Delor	18	182	Fort-de-France
Mauritius	Olivia Carey	19	169	Vacoas
Mexico	Anagabriela Espinoza	20	178	Monterrey
Moldova	Iana Varnacova	17	180	ChiÅŸinÄƒu
Mongolia	Anun Chinbat	23	173	Ulan Bator
Montenegro	Mariana MihajloviÄ‡	18	180	Plavnica
Namibia	Marelize Robberts	21	180	Windhoek
Netherlands	Carmen Kool	22	178	Arnhem
New Zealand	Kahurangi Taylor	17	180	Auckland
Nigeria	Adaeze Igwe	18	173	Awka
Northern Ireland	Judith Wilson	23	180	Enniskillen
Norway	Lene Egeli	21	177	Stavanger
Panama	Kathya SaldaÃ±a	20	172	Panama City
Paraguay	Gabriela Rejala	18	172	Ã‘emby
Peru	Annmarie Dehainaut	18	175	Lima
Philippines	Janina Miller San Miguel	17	180	Quezon City
Poland	Klaudia Ungerman	20	180	Wysieradz
Portugal	AndrÃ©ia Rodrigues	-	177	Lisbon
Puerto Rico	Ivonne Orsini	20	175	BayamÃ³n
Russia	Ksenia Sukhinova	21	178	Tyumen
Scotland	Stephanie Willemse	19	180	Glasgow
Serbia	Nevena Lipovac	19	-	Belgrade
Seychelles	Elena Angione	22	-	MahÃ©
Sierra Leone	Tyrilla Gouldson	24	182	Freetown
Singapore	Faraliza Tan	22	175	Singapore
Slovakia	Edita KreÅ¡akova	19	181	SeÅˆa
South Africa	Tansey Coetzee	23	174	Johannesburg
Spain	Patricia Yurena RodrÃguez	18	179	Granadilla de Abona
Sri Lanka	Rochelle Adriana Corea	24	180	Colombo
St. Lucia	Joy-Ann Biscette	22	-	Castries
Suriname	Mireille Nederbiel	24	-	Paramaribo
Swaziland	Tiffany Simelane	20	172	Mhlambanyatsi
Tanzania	Nasreem Karim Ndiye	22	-	Mwanza
Thailand	Ummarapas Julkasia	22	174	Bangkok
Trinidad & Tobago	Gabrielle Walcott	23	170	Petit Valley
Turkey	Leyla Lydia TuÄŸutlu	19	175	Istanbul
Uganda	Dora Mwima	18	-	Tororo
Ukraine	Irina Zhuravskaya	18	176	Kiev
Venezuela	Hannelly Quintero	22	176	Caracas
Wales	Chloe Beth Morgan	22	171	Cwmbran
Zambia	Winfridah Mofu	19	-	Lusaka
Zimbabwe	Cynthia Maideyi Muvirimi	25	169	Harare

NOKIA FACTORY

2008-12-07T00:24:00.000+05:30

Bugs With Man Faces

2008-12-01T23:13:00.000+05:30

7 Incredible Bugs With Man Faces

The insect world never ceases to amaze. These colorful bugs boast familiar patterns like faces or tribal masks on their shields. While potential predators waste prescious time wondering whether it's food, enemy or prey, the masked creatures plot their protection tactics or escape.

We take a look at seven of these insects that prove: Bug is beautiful!

These mini warriors have pretty smart warfare defences. Shield bugs, or stink bugs, have glands in their thorax (the part between the head and the abdomen) between their first and second pair of legs that produce a foul-smelling liquid, which is used for defense and released when the bug feels threatened.

SideView

This is a picture example of how the sheild pattern resembles a face. Like a huge sign saying "don't even think about it" to predators - including humans - the casperonian looks slightly grumpy, and for good reason. Just recently, scientists have discovered the nutritional value of edible stink bugs. They're a good source of protein, fat, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Stink bug stew, anyone?

Casperonian

In the photograph, this barca branca stink bug looks huge but it is only about 1 cm long in real life, making the markings on the mask all the more intricate.

Barca Branca

This too-sexy-to- be-eaten bug with his/her sunglasses is actually a crop pest. Known as cotton stainers, these bugs feed on cotton and get crushed with it during harvesting. Their red bodies leave stains, which are hard to remove.

Wesley Sng

These firebugs seem to huddle together to discuss their strategy. They are common in Europe and are also part of the cotton stainer family. Their scientific name is pyrrhocoris apterus.

Landersz

The Tomasz Gorny is another stink bug, also found in Europe, whose shield looks like it is made of leather.

Tomasz Gorny

This stink bug from Singapore looks like it's carrying a gorilla-mask on its back. Amazing, isn't it?

Antarctica :: the coldest beautiful place

2008-11-28T10:10:00.000+05:30

Antarctica is on average the coldest, driest and windiest place on Earth. 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice, which is on average 1,6 kilometers (1 mi) in thickness. As there is little precipitation, the interior of the continent is technically the largest desert in the world, but a frozen desert. As for the temperature, scientists recorded the world's lowest temperature: 89 C (129 F).

Though it's fifth-largest continent in area, its population is about 1000, at the same time there are no permanent human residents, only those conducting and supporting scientific research and other work on the continent. But there are lots of penguins, fur seals and cold-adapted plants. Maybe Antarctica is so beautiful, because there are not many people, it has no government and belongs to no country.

Enjoy beautiful pictures of the coldest place on Earth.

Biggest fire works in the history... Atlantis Opening

2008-11-27T23:20:00.000+05:30

Miss Philippines wins Miss Earth 2008 Pageant

2008-11-12T22:51:00.001+05:30

Miss Philippines Karla Henry reacts after she won the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant in Angeles City of Pampanga, north of Manila, the Philippines, November 9, 2008. Eight-five beauties from all over the world attended the contest and Miss Philippines Karla Henry won the title of Miss Earth. (Xinhua/Liu Hua)

Miss Philippines Karla Henry and Miss Earth

(from L to R) Miss Brazil Tatiane Kelen Alves, Miss Mexico Abigail Elizalde Romo, Miss Philippines Karla Henry, and Miss Tanzania Miriam Odemba, pose for a photo during the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant in Angeles City of Pampanga, north of Manila, Philippines, November 9, 2008. Eight-five beauties from all over the world attended the contest and Miss Philippines Karla Paula Henry won the title of Miss Earth. (Xinhua/Liu Hua)

Miss China Zhou Yingkun and Miss Macao Qian Wei Na attend the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant in Angeles City of Pampanga, north of Manila, Philippines, November 9, 2008. Eight-five beauties from all over the world attended the contest and Miss Philippines Karla Paula Henry won the title of Miss Earth. (Xinhua/Liu Hua)

Miss Philippines Karla Henry (C), 22, waves to her supporters after winning the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant at the Expo amphitheatre in Clark air base in Pampanga, north of Manila November 9, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Miss Philippines Karla Henry (2nd R), 22, poses for photographers after winning the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant at the Expo amphitheatre in Clark air base in Pampanga, north of Manila November 9, 2008.(Xinhua/ Reuters Photo)

Miss Philippines Karla Henry (C), 22, is congratulated by other beauty contestants after winning the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant at the Expo amphitheatre in Clark air base in Pampanga, north of Manila November 9, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters

Miss Philippines Karla Henry (C), 22, reacts after winning the Miss Earth 2008 beauty pageant at the Expo amphitheatre in Clark air base in Pampanga, north of Manila November 9, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Chinese movie star Gong Li smiles during a news conference about her movie "Shanghai" in Bangkok August 2, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo).

Harbin China

2008-11-11T10:06:00.000+05:30

BeautifuL Melting Glacier

2008-11-10T23:16:00.000+05:30

Dubai launches camel-milk chocolate

2008-10-29T00:23:00.000+05:30

The world's first camel-milk chocolate was launched in Dubai today.

The announcement of the chocolate, called Al Nassma - after the arabic word for a cool desert breeze - is a tremendous development for the UAE's camel milk industry as demand from the chocolate manufacturers will create a need for more camel milk.

Although a traditional staple for the Bedouin, camel milk is not produced on a large scale. There are currently two camel farms in the country and fresh camel milk is still very much a niche product.

The Al Nassma chocolate is produced from camel milk powder made from Dubai-based Camelicious, the brand's sole camel milk provider.

At the moment, the UAE is not allowed to export dairy, meat and other animal products into the European Union because the country, like many others in the region, has not been declared free of foot-and-mouth disease.

This may soon change as studies carried at Dubai's Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) have proven that one-humped camels, the variety native to the UAE, are resistant to the disease.

An Austrian company, HM Chocolate Holding, has a 50 per cent ownership in Al Nassma, which means that the UAE camel milk industry now has a powerful ally to aid its efforts to bring camel milk products to European markets.

Although camel milk is produced in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa, only Dubai has a facility which enables chocolate makers to produce a quality product, said Martin van Almsick, general manager of Al Nassma and former manager of the famous Cologne Chocolate Museum.

Mr Van Almsick's words were confirmed by Vienna-based Johann Georg Hochleitner, member of the company's board of directors, whose idea it was to create camel milk chocolate.

Mr Hochleitner, who has already created chocolate made out of sheep and goat milk, spent two years, travelling as far as Libya and Kazakhstan, to look for a suitable camel milk producer. After finding Dubai's Camelicious, it took another two years to develop the product line.

"We want to create a brand which has international importance," said Mr Hochleitner. "I believe this product has the power to become the sweet ambassador of Arabia born in Dubai"

"We have only the best ingredients," he said, explaining that the company does not use artificial flavours.

The honey, used in some of the flavours comes from Yemen, while the vanilla is from Madagascar.

Incredible Habitats Under the Sea

2008-10-26T22:53:00.000+05:30

Recently, hurricanes, floods and torrential rains have resulted in vast areas of land, sometimes whole villages and cities, being engulfed in water. The devastation is often catastrophic. People are left homeless and destitute, with little to call their own. The effects of these disasters leave their mark long after the waters have subsided. But what if there was a way out, an alternative? What if we fulfilled the dreams of Jules Verne, and many like him, and succeeded in living under the oceans. For a long time it was never thought truly possible, now it's quickly becoming a reality.

We look at five habitats underwater that show it is possible to live submerged beneath the waves.
1. Hydropolis Hotel, Dubai

Designed by Joachim Hauser, this futuristic hotel is currently being built 20m below the surface of the Persian Gulf, just off the coast of Dubai. Touted to be the world's first underwater luxury hotel, Hydropolis will include a marine biology research center but it's doubtful whether it will be oozing Eco credentials.

The logistics of these underwater habitats are intriguing; for one, where is the waste diverted to? Imagine gazing out at the underwater world, mesmerized by the vision beyond, amazed and in awe of the creation, when something floats by your panoramic window… and it's not a fish.

If it succeeds without ruining everything around it, as many predict, it could be a blueprint for sustainable designers and architects for the future.

2. Hilton Maldives Undersea Restaurant, Rangali Island

Built entirely off-site, in Singapore, this undersea restaurant in the Maldives was based on the success of the National Centre Aquarium's design in Kuala Lumpur. It proved to be more of a pain to construct than first thought, with many recalculations to check centers of gravity, weight distributions and tidal flows. If this small design required so much fiddling before it became a reality, how many complications must be occurring with the larger resorts?

Sitting 5m below sea level, the restaurant is able to serve 12 people at one sitting. Diners can sit back and enjoy watching life beyond the 5m wide viewing arch, which is made from acrylic and silicone sealed.

3. Poseidon Undersea Resort, Fiji

Although not exactly 20,000 leagues under the sea, the Poseidon Undersea Resort will sit 40 feet beneath the surface of a lagoon in Fiji. Plans for the resort have been underway since 2001 but there's no sign of it yet in the lagoon… that's because the hotel is being built in Portland, Oregon and will be transported to the site once completed. One can only imagine the carbon emissions totted up by that little trip.

Each room, or underwater pod, will be open to the water so guests can watch the marine world go by without getting wet, but at a cost of $30,000 per couple for a week's stay you would hope there was at least one dive included in the price!

4. Jules' Undersea Lodge, Florida

Initially an underwater research facility, used to explore the continental shelf off the coast of Puerto Rico, Jules' Undersea Lodge now sits motionless in Emerald Lagoon in Key Largo, spending its retirement showing guests the wonders of the underwater world.
Jules Verne sleeping

Accessed by scuba diving down 21 feet to a landing platform, Jules' Undersea Lodge is big enough to house six people at a time. It boasts two private rooms, a relatively spacious living area with kitchen and has huge windows in every room so guests can watch the fishes go by.

The chamber sits on stilts just five feet from the bottom of the Lagoon and compressed air prevents water from flooding the rooms.

5. Red Sea Star Restaurant, Israel

The underwater Red Sea Star Restaurant, in the Israeli resort of Eilat, offers another take on underwater establishments. Designed by Israeli husband and wife team, Ayala and Albi Serfaty of Aqua Creations, the underwater theme is carried throughout the design, which has been created to look like a reef. Chairs take the form of sea-urchins and jelly fish, lights are starfish shaped and sand lies under an epoxy bonded floor, even the menu reflects the underwater theme, which given the setting seems somewhat disturbing.

The view is not what most people would imagine as most of the reefs around Eilat are dead or dying. To recreate a reef system for diners, the restaurant management built an artificial reef from iron mesh and transferred various already broken species of coral onto it. Once in the water a new reef was born.

10 Most Incredible Waterfalls of Ice

2008-10-25T23:48:00.001+05:30

We're used to seeing stunning images of cascading waterfalls in all their fluid glory, but have you ever wondered how they would look if Jack Frost was let loose on them? Well, you need wait no longer as we have compiled a range of fantastic frozen waterfalls.

1. This enchanting image of an ice waterfall perfectly captures the force and flow of the water underneath the ice, making it hard to comprehend how it ever manages to freeze.

2. Ice climbers flock to The Fang in Vail, Colorado. The enormous ice pillar forms from the cascading waterfall only on exceptionally cold winters, and when it does the column can measure up to 50 meters high and has been known to have a base measuring 8 meters wide.

3. If you think climbing an ice waterfall is scary, imagine the fear factor when part of the cascade breaks off and collapses to the ground mere meters from you and your buddy. That's exactly what happened climbers Albert Leichtfried and Markus Bendler on their ascent of a frozen waterfall near Hokkaido, Japan. Their friend managed to capture the frightening moment on camera. Both climbers made it to safety soon after.

4. Thick layers of ice sit on St Louis Falls in Beauharnois, Quebec. The area is home to one of the largest hydroelectric generating stations in the world.

5. This fantastic shot shows the waterfall freezing from outside in; there's still a considerable waterfall flowing within the ice lume.

6. Undulating waves and nodules of ice give this waterfall in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois, such wonderful texture.

7. This random waterfall was discovered on the road side of a seldom travelled road near Hamilton, Canada.

8. The folds at the bottom of this waterfall demonstrate how slowly waterfalls can freeze, and are in stark contrast to the jagged, spiky icicles hanging from the edge of the rock.

9. This great image was taken in Oak Creek Canyon near a place called Temple of Mother Earth on the West Fork Trail, Sedona, Arizona.

10. A simply fabulous shot from the bottom of the ice waterfall looking up. Just look how the ice has built up from the spray on surrounding twigs. That's what you call natural beauty.

Ilakaka : Sapphire Mines

2008-10-21T22:38:00.001+05:30

The tiny village of Ilakaka, Madagascar had barely 40 residents before 1998. Then, a large deposit of sapphires was discovered along a nearby riverbed, and caught the eye of some Thai businessmen in the gem trade. Word got out, and Ilakaka swelled to tens of thousands of residents.

The center of a sapphire boom, today the source of nearly 50% of all the sapphires in the world. Illegal miners
mixed with large-scale operations, all operating under little or no regulation, in a wild-west atmosphere
of potential fortunes, lawlesness, violence and hardship.

In the years since, the easily-mined sapphire fields have been picked clean, and the remaining miners often work in deep holes, climbing far underground. Mining is also a family effort - according to an official study, of the 21,000 children living in the region, 19,000 belong to working families.

Tiger Temple-Thailand

2008-10-02T22:04:00.000+05:30

The tiger temple in thailand is a place where an extraordinary bond between man and the world's biggest cats has been formed. The tigers here are so peaceful…its almost as if they have accepted buddhism as their religion. In fact, they even sit for the meditating sessions with the monks and kneel down in front of them as it they are the gurus. The tigers are so docile that the monks have to sometimes train them to fight otherwise they would lose all their power of self protection.

The link started in 1999 when a sick baby tiger, orphaned after poachers shot its mother, was brought to the monks. Within a few years several other tiger cubs similarly orphaned by poachers had arrived. The most amazing thing is none of the cubs turned out ferocious on growing up. The monks believe that these tigers are none other than the former buddhist disciples who have taken rebirth in the same place.

A paradise for tiger lovers !

Shiva temple in Coimbatore

2008-09-29T21:27:00.000+05:30

Ethiopia. Tribe Murzi

2008-09-28T23:28:00.000+05:30

Cucumber Pickers of Belarus

2008-09-25T23:14:00.000+05:30

What do those people do? They implement new technology in agriculture. It consists of one tractor riding by the road in the middle of the cucumber field and carrying up to ten people by both sides of the thing that its towing. People lay on it and pick up cucumbers on the go then putting them on the moving transporter which collects cucumbers to the central storage.

Awseome Tornado in Siberia

2008-09-23T22:07:00.000+05:30

Tornado? Well, it's OK on Cuba, Haiti, in Florida, Louisiana or even Texas, but tornado in cold cold Siberia? Noway! But not in this year, already a few of the have been spotted slashing through Siberian woods. Something is changing in the climate, really.

Philippines Sinulog 2008

2008-09-22T21:19:00.001+05:30

The Sinulog is an annual festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City, Philippines. The festival honors the child Jesus, known as the Santo Niño, patron of the city of Cebu. It is a dance ritual that commemorates the Filipino people's pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.

The festival features a street parade with participants in bright-colored costumes dancing to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. Smaller versions of the festival are held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a "Sinulog sa Kabataan", performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the grand parade.

Recently, the festival has been promoted as a tourist attraction, with a contest featuring contingents from various parts of the country. The Sinulog Contest is usually held in the Cebu City Sports Complex.
source: (wikipedia)

Welcome to ICE PALAC

2008-09-20T10:06:00.000+05:30

Dudhsagar waterfalls

2008-09-19T22:55:00.001+05:30

A train moving on the railway bridge between the Dudhsagar waterfalls.The Dudhsagar waterfalls are amongst

the 100 highest waterfalls in the world.

Tourists enjoying the rain at Dudhsagar situated between the Karnataka and Goa border

The Dudhsagar railway station.

A goods train moving on the railway bridge' between the Dudhsagar waterfalls.

Myself taking a look at Dudhsagar waterfalls.

Frozen Fighter Jet

2008-09-19T10:17:00.000+05:30

Pictured: The frozen fighter jet tested in icy conditions.. . in South Korea !

Beneath its frozen shroud is the sleek shape of an old Phantom war jet.

The F-4E Phantom fighter stands in the climatic chamber of a £30million aerospace test centre in Seosan, South Korea.

Largely secret, the facility's doors were thrown open so South Korea could show off its advanced technology.

The equipment measures the operational capabilities of the country's military planes and vehicles in extreme weather conditions. The chamber's freezer bars can create the environment experienced by a plane at 40,000ft.

Visitors were invited to watch the process of a Snow and Freezing Rain Test at the 188,000-square- metre facility, after it was opened by Defence Minister Lee Sang-Hee today.

The £30million project to build the facility was established in 2003 with the help of Boeing, which offered related technology in accordance with its contract with Seoul on the sale of 40 F-15K fighter jets.

Most of South Korea's 700-strong air force, including their 80 F-4E fighter bombers, are American designed.

South Korea shares a hostile border with Communist-run North Korea. There has been long-standing animosity between the two regions following the Korean War from 1950-1953.

Although South Korea has the 25th largest population in the world, it has the sixth highest amount of active troops.

However, on October 4, 2007, former South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il signed an eight-point agreement on issues of permanent peace, high-level talks and economic co-operation.

Scientists were giving away no secrets with the aircraft, however. The F-4 Phantom first flew in 1958.

IT IS MY CITY AURANGABAD

2008-09-19T00:56:00.000+05:30

THIS IS KING'S CITY....

Hooooory!!!! !!! Enjoy by visiting

Above are few point left about Aurangabad.

Bhadra Maruti Temple

Bhadra Maruti Temple is a highly revered shrine located near Khuldabad in Aurangabad District of Maharashtra. It is on the way to Ellora, about 25 km from Aurangabad.

It is the only Maruti temple, where the idol of Maruti (Lord Hanuman) is in the sleeping position. There is belief that a visit to this shrine will fulfill the desire of a person.

The festivals held here during Shani Amavas and Hanuman Jayanti attracts devotees from great distances.

By road, Khultabad is well connected with Mumbai and Pune. Aurangabad Railway Station is the nearest railhead..

Khuldabad may be a small town in Aurangabad district, but it is worth including it in the list of must see places when you visit Aurangabad. The Bhadra Maruti temple here has made the place an important pilgrimage center. The view of this marble white painted temple from a distance is very inviting. No crowd of devotees was there, it was not yet aarati time and we had a relaxed darshan here too.

The temple is crowded on Saturdays with long serpentine queues for darshan, as it is considered to be an auspicious day to worship Lord Maruti (also called Hanuman). Devotees throng this place in thousands in the month of March, to celebrate Hanuman Jayanti. This temple is one of the two places where Lord Hanuman is in sleeping position. The other one is in Allahabad.

The temple was built by Rajarshi Bhadrsen. And the legend goes like this:

"Khuldabad previously known by the name of Badravati Nagar was ruled by King Bhadrasen, a kind and pious man. King Bhadrasen used to sit singing bhajans in praise of Lord Hanuman on the banks of Bhadrakund Talab.

One day while the King was singing the devotional songs, Lord Hanuman appeared in front of him. Listening to the captivating music, he fell asleep on the ground. Later, Lord Hanuman pleased by the astute devotion of King Bhadrasen, granted him a wish.

The good King desired that the Lord would stay there forever and fulfill the desires of all his devotees. Lord Hanuman granted the wish and disappeared. Much later, an idol of Lord Hanuman in a sleeping posture was found where he had stood. That's how the name Bhadra Maruti or 'Sleeping Hanuman'."

The interiors of the temple are in marble and the ceiling at the entrance had numerous designs and hymns written with painted mirrors.

OrgThe sleeping hanuman idol is covered with orange colored sheet and garlanded with a string of banyan leaves. Outside the temple there are rows of shops selling various puja articles and food items. Our next destination was the tomb of Aurangazeb in Khuldabad. Bhadravati Nagar was earlier called Ramapur and during the reign of Emperor Aurangazeb the town got its name Khuldabad.

Ajanta - Ellora Festival

India abounds in rich cultural heritage, art and handicrafts, tradition but if one has to experience the, 'Aura' of these, its to the, 'Aurangabad Festival' - a festival to showcase, promote and celebrate the rich local culture, talent, art and heritage of a city popularly known as, 'City of Gates', - Aurangabad.

'Aurangabad Festival', promises to offer to its viewers an experience of timelessness of art, past and present, merge for an everlasting moment. An environment, in which, the city will bear testimony to a long-standing tradition of culture. A panoramic insight into the city's rich local art, culture, heritage, through classical dance performances, popular songs, folk dances, Mushaira, Qawalli, Ghazals by India's well-known performing artistes.

The festival will also exhibit the local handlooms and handicrafts like Paithani Himroo, Bidri and Paperwork. The other attractions include, heritage walk for senior citizens, traditional bullock cart race, marathon, inter-school and inter-college competitions, etc.

The Place where Mercedes are manufactured

2008-09-15T10:10:00.000+05:30

Who is JESUS?

2008-09-14T10:10:00.000+05:30

IN CHEMISTRY, HE TURNED WATER TO WINE.

IN BIOLOGY, HE WAS BORN WITHOUT THE NORMAL CONCEPTION;

IN PHYSICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF GRAVITY WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN;

IN ECONOMICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURN BY FEEDING 5000 MEN WITH TWO FISHES 5 LOAVES OF BREAD;

IN MEDICINE, HE CURED THE SICK AND THE BLIND WITHOUT ADMINISTERING A SINGLE DOSE OF DRUGS,

IN HISTORY, HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END;

IN GOVERNMENT, HE SAID THAT HE SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, PRINCE OF PEACE

IN RELIGION, HE SAID NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM;

SO, WHO IS HE?

HE IS JESUS!

JOIN ME AND LET'S CELEBRATE HIM; HE IS WORTHY.

THE EYES BEHOLDING THIS MESSAGE SHALL NOT BEHOLD EVIL,

THE HAND THAT WILL SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYBODY SHALL NOT LABOR IN VAIN,

AND THE MOUTH SAYING AMEN TO THIS PRAYER SHALL SMILE FOREVER.

REMAIN IN GOD AND SEEK HIS FACE ALWAYS. AMEN

IN GOD I'VE FOUND EVERYTHING!

The Greatest Man in History Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer

He had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us!

Samundar Mantan at Thailand Airport

2008-09-13T23:14:00.000+05:30

Samudra Mathan - At Thailand Airport

In Bangkok, Thailand, there is new international airport called Suvarn-bhoomi. Very interesting to know that country surrounded by other major religion has such a huge display from the scripture of Devi Bhagavat and Vishnu Puran.

As is well known - majority of the population in Malaysia , Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia etc., etc., are not Hindus - but they have the culture of respecting their forefathers who were Hindus - and also the Hindu Sanatan Dharma which is unique and has no comparison.

Please see this beautiful exhibit - which is very meaningful and has a message to the Society.

When asked: Can we imagine putting up this kind of things in our Air Ports in India?

Someone answered: There will be protests from so called secularists, pseudo secularists etc. etc.

Gardening for Beijing Olympics

2008-09-10T23:01:00.000+05:30

10 Most Amazing Temples in the World Part2

2008-09-10T10:10:00.002+05:30

WChion-in Temple [wiki] was built in 1234 CE to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death in the very spot.

In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a massive ancient ruin deep in the jungles of Java. What they discovered was the complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m³) of stones. The temple has nearly 2,700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.

The Harmandir Sahib (meaning The Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple [wiki] in Punjab, India is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism.

The Temple of Srirangam (Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple [wiki]), in the Indian city of Tiruchirapalli (or Trichy), is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world (Ankor Wat is the largest of all temple, but it is currently non-functioning as a temple - see below).

Last but definitely not least is the largest temple in history and the inspiration to countless novels and action movies of Hollywood: Ankor Wat.