Culture, recreation, and geology are some of the reasons people cite for visiting the Himalayas. You can literally get drenched in these topics in some of the waterfalls that the Northern Himalayas are home to. Read on to get the full scoop on places you can (and should!) visit. For the geeks among you, we have also explored a bit of the history and science behind it.

Bhagsunag Falls

McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, offers a rare transnational set up in the hills. While it is a capital of the Tibetan government in exile, the place has a sizeable Indian and Israeli population with a sprinkling of Europeans and Americans as well. A range of cafes, meditation centres, cooking and language classes besides nature trails, make this town a tourist hotspot. It is full of mythological tales, the most prominent of which takes you to a Lord Shiva temple at Bhagsunag around 2km away, which is linked to a fight between Raja Bhagsu and Nag devta (Lord of snakes).

Raja Bhagsu wanted to bring water to his drought-affected people. After a long search he reached the Nag devta's sacred lake, which was at a height of 18000 feet! Using magic, he filled the lake’s water in a small vessel to take back to his people but before he could do that, the devta who had learned about what the king had done, challenged him to a fight. Although the king was defeated, the devta mercifully spared him and also granted him a boon -- that the spot will be known by their joint name ‘Bhagsunag’.

There is a spring near the temple, and a swimming pool has been constructed at the spot for devotees to take a dip. A trek further up takes you to the waterfall, which is believed to be the spot where the king's vessel of water fell. Rows of Buddhist prayer flags further enhance the spot's spiritual quotient.

Relax on the side of the waterfall or the stream downhill while enjoying a steaming cup of tea and a bowl of 'Maggi'!

How to get there

McLeod Ganj is around 10km from Dharamshala, which is connected to Delhi and other cities via road. Bhagsunag is 2km away from the town.

Sahastradhara, Dehradun

Even the weakest of noses will pick up the pungent smell of the water at Sahastradhara. Literally meaning “a thousand springs”, Sahastradhara is a quaint little destination near Dehradun where you can get many a geology lesson.

It is surrounded by mountains full of caves formed due to the erosion of limestone rocks by water. Large hollow cavities have formed over millions of years as the water continues to drip through cave roofs. It is believed that Dronacharya, the teacher of the Pandavas, meditated in one of these!

Visitors bathe in the spring water, which apparently helps treat common skin ailments. The pungent smell is due to a chemical reaction, which converts dissolved sulphur into hydrogen sulphide. Devotees throng the ancient Shiva temple on the hill top that overlooks the water tank. A small marketplace surrounding the bathing spot offers a good variety of food and souvenirs to take home. 

How to get there

Sahastradhara is at about 11km from Dehradun, which is connected to all major cities via Delhi and Haridwar.

Kempty Falls

Kempty Falls, located at a height of 4,500 feet, was developed around 1835 by British officer John Mekinan. Around 15km away from Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, the Falls probably got its name from British officers holding a camp here to have tea parties.

This is a tourist hotspot for those visiting Dehradun and Mussoorie, evident from the large number of hotels, shops and resorts functioning here. The main spot, which had boulders and rocks, has now been renovated using tiles and concrete to make it easier for tourists to take a dip. While more accessible and possibly safer, it has taken away from the natural settings of a fall.

Smaller pools of water have been created downhill to enable boat rides. The Falls are so popular that it even has a postage stamp dedicated to it from 2003.

How to get there

Kempty Falls is around 43km from Dehradun, which is connected to major cities via Delhi and Haridwar.

Vibrant colourful clothes, spicy Punjabi food, a cacophany of sounds from the streets and then, serenity inside the Harmandir Sahib complex. Amritsar, a city of contrasts, and one that tests the senses constantly, is home to the holiest shrine of the Sikhs popularly known as the Golden Temple.

For everything that you might already know about Amritsar, did you know that it is, in fact, the pond which gave the city its name? 'Amrit' means the nectar of immortality and 'sar' or 'sarovar' means pond. Amritsar, which dates back to the 16th century was founded by Guru Raam Das, the fourth spiritual master of the Sikhs. It is thanks to him that the sarovar, which is supposed to have healing powers, was excavated. 

The power to transform

Water's properties, which let it cool down and heat up more slowly and gradually than solid building materials, is what lends a pleasant atmosphere to the Golden Temple complex throughout the year. With a perspective on design, the sarovar visually etherealises the building bulk of the shrine. Eminent architect Dr S S Bhatti who has written a book on the Golden Temple says that the shimmering reflection of the shrine signifies the importance of spiritual life within the material world. "A lifeless object takes on the pulsating sparkle of the subject and there is an instant transformation of the devotees' psycho-emotional make up", he writes. 

Surprisingly, this deep love with water does not leave any dampness on the shrine. “The foundation goes 16-17 feet deep. Since there was no cement at the time that it was built, lime mixture was used to plaster the walls built with slim Nanakshahi bricks. Lime is a very good material to guard against water, and this might be the reason that the shrine does not become damp," says Dr Bhatti.

Water supply to the sarovar

The sarovar, with a capacity of 31,000 gallons, was earlier dependent on rainwater and would dry up in the summers. During the British period, it was connected to the Upper Bari Doab canal of the Ravi river thus ensuring year-round water supply. A network of ingeniously-designed tunnels facilitates the easy and free flow of its water at all times. In addition, a part of the water supply comes from tubewells installed in the Golden Temple complex.

In 2004, a devotee donated a state-of-the-art water treatment and filtration plant for the sarovar. The water that flows into it is cleansed in this plant and aeration ducts which pump continuously, supply oxygen to the sarovar. Though the sarovar is lined by concrete today, its base is still untiled so that groundwater may naturally recharge. Different type of fish keep it free from algae. Wastewater from the washing of floors is disposed off into a drain, which earlier used to lead to city sewers but is now diverted to recharge wells.

A tourist hotspot

Harmandir Sahib gets more visitors than the Taj Mahal, crossing over 1 lakh visitors on weekdays alone. Though it is the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, people from all over the world, irrespective of their religion, pay their obeisance here and experience spiritual camaraderie. 

The grand community lunch, called 'langar', run by volunteers and open to everybody irrespective of class, creed or caste remains one of its main attractions. The 'karsewa' (voluntary work) also includes cleaning utensils, serving water and tending to shoes.
In addition to the Golden Temple, the vast gourmet culture of Amritsar and its proximity to the Pakistani border, bring tourists to the city.

The holy shrine

Harmandir Sahib was built between 1588 and 1604. However, due to its geographical location, Punjab continuously bore the brunt of foreign invaders. Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Abdali demolished the Harmandar Sahib seven times, the last of which was in 1764. It became popularly knows as the 'Golden Temple' when Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh covered its upper floors in gold-plated copper sheets in the 1830s. Regilding was done again in 1999 with the gold and money donated by devotees from all over the world. However, due to the increasing air pollution around the shrine, restoration has to be done every year to maintain the sheen.

The shrine is believed to be a true symbol of secularism with its four entrance doors, which signify that God exists everywhere and that no direction is purer than the other.

How to reach Amritsar

By Air
Amritsar's Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport has flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Srinagar.

By Train
Amritsar is well connected by rail to almost all major cities in India.

By Road
The city is located on the historic Grand Trunk Road and has good connectivity with Ambala, Patiala, Delhi, Chandigarh and Jammu.

Western Rajasthan is dotted by thousands of ponds, many of which are architectural wonders. Among these, Gadsisar (also called Gadisar) stands out. Besides its unparalleled expanse and architecture, the pond narrates tales of sacrifice, dedication and ingenuity but more importantly, it upholds water as being superior to any class and caste divide.

Numerous temples, domes and pavilions set in Jaisalmer’s signature yellow stone and decked with ornate carvings populate the pond. Initiated by Maharaja Rawal Ghadsi Singh in 1335, the pond’s development went on for years jointly managed by the king and his subjects. In fact, Ghadsi Singh himself is said to have done manual labour at the site. He was killed by political opponents while supervising the construction but the work did not stop. Instead of following the then prevalent tradition of entering the pyre of her husband, Maharani Vimla completed the wish of her husband and oversaw the construction.

The pond unites everyone

The water body spread over several kilometres gathered the affections of many who made contributions by either constructing new ghats, temples or rooms for travellers. It is said that a danseuse, Teelon, also wanted to show her love for Ghadsisar by building a beautiful gate but the king thought it would be against his stature to pass through a gate built by a danseuse. However, Teelon was quick witted enough to have a temple made on top of the gate and the king had to give in.

Over a period of time, schools also started operating and a special army unit was raised to protect the pond which supplied water to the whole town. Though the planners were not qualified engineers, they knew how to gather nature’s bounty. The vast catchment area diverted every rain drop falling on the ground towards Ghadsisar. The water which overflowed from the Ghadsisar, filled up nine other ponds located sequentially thus making the area with the lowest rainfall in India, water surplus. 

Now, just a tourist spot

Today, the Ghadsisar is in a sad state. A station of the Indian Air Force and several other structures have come up on the catchment area thus reducing the inflow. “The city gets its water supply from the Indira Gandhi canal and hence little attention is paid to Ghadsisar now. But given a chance, this pond can serve the whole city again,” says Anand Kumar Vasu, a local journalist, who frequents the place everyday to do his writings.

The pond with its vast blue expanse complemented by yellow stone structures still brightens up the scene thus attracting tourists and locals alike. Many of the families have been living on its banks for generations waking up to the sounds of conch shells and prayer bells from nearby temples. 

People visiting the ‘Golden City of India’ make a halt here before proceeding towards the Jaisalmer fort. Some take to boating, others feed the fish, while quite a sizeable number sits on its numerous pavilions embracing the scene. Ghadsisar may not be in its prime today but it remains the object of affection of a city which finds solace on its banks.

How to reach Jaisalmer

By Air

Jaisalmer is not directly connected by air. The nearest airport is 300 km away at Jodhpur, which is connected to all the major metros.

By Train

Direct trains from Jaisalmer are available to Jodhpur as well as Delhi.

By Road

Jaisalmer is well connected to other cities of the region. Deluxe and ordinary buses operate from Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Barmer, Mount Abu, Jalore and Ahmedabad. 

Chhatrapati Shivaji was the brave warrior king whose name is still synonymous with Maharashtra. A military genius par excellence, he launched guerrilla warfare (ambushes, surprise raids, and hit & run tactics) against the numerically superior but inert, traditional Mughal forces. To build on his speed, surprise & manoeuvrability, he constructed or repaired strategically placed forts across the rugged crest of the Western Ghats. One such magnificence is the Panhalgarh Fort (Panhala literally means 'home of serpents' and garh is ‘fort’), 20 km northwest of Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

A winding road slopes gently upwards to reach a stone fortification that towers across the landscape. Perched right at the edge of the hills are the ramparts of this fort. Giving a birds eye view to the open area around it, a steep precipice barely hangs from one end of the fort, while the other side is strengthened by massive stone walls that rise imposingly, in an enviable condition even today.

The fort protects

Believed to have been built in the late 12th century, the Panhalgarh fort was of strategic importance as it guarded the principal route through the Western Ghats. To defend itself against the enemy or long sieges during war, it stands simple and austere, a testimony to the tough times. The walls here are build of huge, gargantuan pieces of stone, mortared with lime and melted lead for increased strength and durability.

An existing entrance to the west is the impressive ‘teen darwaja’ ( three doors), which depicts a carving of a large tiger pinning down an elephant, and has 3 double walled gates to protect the fort entrance. The eastern entrance, called  ‘char darwaja’ was demolished by canon fire by the British in the 19th century. 

The presence of ample water & food storage inside the fort was a simple warfare strategy to survive. Panhalgarh’s strong defense line enabled Shivaji and his men to withstand a siege laid by the Adilshahi army that lasted for nearly 6 months.

Water flows through the fort

While there is an open water source in the compound wall, a three storied structure called Andhar Bav / Bavdi (Dark Well), cleverly camouflages a well inside the compound. As the third storey is flush with the road, both the well and the guards would have been invisible to the enemies during an attack. A 'hidden in plain sight' water source, it was thus protected against poisoning by the enemy and served the soldiers during times of duress. 

This 'baoli' or well taps the underground springs originating in nearby higher hill slopes. Peering through the iron bars, one can see the water shimmering even today, fenced off from public access. As per local lore, the water level stays constant & unchanged throughout the year. Recesses in the walls, were where soldiers were stationed for its protection. A long lost, hidden tunnel in the building is believed to be an escape route from the fort. 

Another double storied building, aptly named Sajja Kotho (‘Sajja’ means punishment & kotho/ kothi a ‘cell’), where Shivaji had imprisoned his errant and irresponsible son Sambhaji, oversees a breathtaking view.

No one goes hungry!

The food problem for the soldiers had a solution in the form of granary buildings known as the Amberkhana, which are 3 massive stone and cement granaries with sloped floors, named Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. Staircases on either sides lead to the terrace that has small square shaped air holes through which the grain was poured in.

The soldiers measured and hauled the grain through a pulley system in the attached verandahs of these stores. The storage capacity is said to be 25000 khandis of rice, which in today’s language equates to 125000 kg of grain. 

A dash of bravery & valour 

The story of Baji Prabhu Deshpande, has been immortalised in a statue at the outskirts of the fort. This heroic and loyal ‘sardar’ of Shivaji’s army, held the enemy at bay while Shivaji escaped safely after being imprisoned in this fort. Legends abound about this courageous man, who wielded a sword each from both his hands, and how even after his head was cut off, his body continued to swing around creating mayhem and killing the enemy! With his dress billowing in the wind and a ferocious look on his face, the statue seems to have captured his fluid motions and intentions beautifully.

Here, time seems to stand still, the imposing fort a testimony to the men and the battles fought in those turbulent times. Close your eyes, and you may hear the clash of swords, the shouts of an approaching enemy and maybe even the sound of the water flowing under the arched stonework.

How to reach there

By Train

Direct trains from Kolhapur are available to Mumbai, Pune as well as Delhi (once a week).

By Road

Kolhapur is well connected to other cities of the region. Deluxe and ordinary buses operate from both Pune and Mumbai. 

View more pictures of Panhalgarh Fort.

"Kangra Fort was so well guarded that it was safer to enter ‘leg first’", says the present scion of the erstwhile Katoch family ( Kat means sword, Unch means high, translated simply - one who is skillful with the sword), whose forefathers build and held this fort for many centuries. What he meant was that it was better to lose one's leg rather than their head while entering the fort, since in all possibility, a lurking guard would simply behead whoever entered. Legend has it that Lord Shiva killed the demon Jallandhar, whose ear is buried under the stones of this massive bulwarked fort and hence the the name 'Kangra', a distorted version of the ancient name 'Kangarh' (Kan means ear, and garh is fort).

‘He who holds the fort, holds the hills’ is an old saying in Kangra. Nestled between two rivers and edged by sheer cliffs, this fort seems impregnable even today. However, such was the lure of the fabled riches and jewels stored here that Alexander the Great, Mahmud Ghazni, the Mughal ruler Jahangir, Maharaja Ranjit and the British had all attempted to control it.

Rivers defend it

Two rivers -- the Ban Ganga and Manjhi (Patal Ganga) -- encompass the narrow strip of land where this strategic fort stands, while precipitous rock faced cliffs on the river's edge are an added safety measure. Inaccessible from three sides, it can be approached only through a winding, curved road that leads to a ridge barely 50m wide. A moat, which once connected the 2 rivers and was filled with its waters, cut through the rock at the fort's entrance providing added security, but is now overgrown with shrub. Narrow openings in the massive stone walls probably oozed hot oil on the unsuspecting enemy. Tales abound of how men with ropes tied to their waists, slithered on these cliff walls hacking away at bushes so that the enemy could not approach under stealth. The polished rock faces stand bare, the smooth slopes still threatening and unapproachable. 

Of royal baths

An open water tank, called the ‘go mukh’ greets you at the fort's ramparts. Beautifully carved with niches and engraved sculptures, it is flush with water even today. Straight run channels carry this water to another tank, from where the water flows out through a spout shaped like a man's head.

A broken, damaged building is all that remains of the ‘hamam’ (traditional steam bath or heat bath) next to the tank, possibly a bathing place for the royalty. It has underground steps that lead into a recess in the floor, as well as the remnants of the heating capillaries through which heated water flowed in the winters. The crumbling arches and dilapidated domes on the building stand testimony to how water was utilised and managed in a sustainable manner in this hilly region.

Water-rich fort

Imposing gates add to the allure of the fort. Also known as ‘phataks’ (doors), some open into small courtyards, others into passages that turn at very sharp angles barely wide enough for 2 men to stand. Among the 11 gates is the ‘Darshani Darwaza’, which is flanked by statues of the two river goddesses -- Ganga and Yamuna. Sadly, these are now defaced and scarred by some raiding marauder.

The steps that lead up to the fort have well-cut channels running along their side that directed rainwater to collection tanks. Stepping amongst the ruins, one can still see crumbling tanks with cut out steps reaching to the bottom. Once a celebrated palace, the stone pillars and ruins at the top of the hill boast of an open water tank, smack in the centre of the coutyard. Even the path up the fort is interspersed with wells, now covered and padlocked but still brimming with water.

Oh well!

In 1619, the Mughal army laid siege to the fort for nearly 14 months, for which as many as 52 unsuccessful attempts had been made in the past. For the first time in its history, the fort was overrun by an enemy force. And as Jehangir rode into the fort flushed with success, the Rajput queens flung themselves into a well inside the fort and died rather than be brought captive before the Mughal emperor. The well still stands today, it’s stones and still water a testimony to those tumultous, terrifying times.

Stories in stone

The ruins tell their story ably aided by the superb audio guide available at the gate. Here, locals would have you believe that if you see something glitter in between the stones, it could very well be a jewel since legend attributes the fort with 21 treasure wells, of which 13 were emptied by the Sultan of Ghazni and the British. So take a walk amidst the stones of the Kangra Fort, and you may well stumble onto one of the remaining 8 wells, and hopefully some treasure too!

How to get there

By Train

Kangra Town has a narrow guage railway station 3 km away from the fort. The closest broad gauge railway terminal is Pathankot, from where you can take the narrow gauge train to Kangra (94kms). Pathankot is connected to all the major cities.   

By Road

Kangra Fort can be reached by road from Kangra (6 km), Dalhousie (117 km) and McLeodganj (27 km). Private taxis and state transport buses are available from all these places. Regular state transport buses run from almost every corner of the state, Chandigarh, and Delhi. 

By Air

The nearest airport to is Gaggal Airport (8 km)  

View more pictures of Kangra Fort.

Ghiyas-ud-din-khilji is a man about whom history is confused. Contemporary records speak of 'a lover of peace, particular in his daily prayers'. Modern references invariably mention his (unsubstantiated) harem of 15,000 women. There is only one thing we can all agree on: Ghiyas-ud-din-khilji and his anonymous but talented architect built a marvellous structure somewhere around AD 1469-1501 -- the splendid Jahaz Mahal (Ship-Palace). 

But this is not all.

Light and darkness

In addition to these huge tanks, Jahaz Mahal boasts of several wells within the structure. The Andheri Baori (dark well), which is inside the palace, was used to cool it down. Today, 1500 people of Mandu use water from this baori.

Swimming under the stars

In addition to these functional aspects, there were some areas of the palace that were exclusively meant for fun and frolic. There are two beautiful pools on the roof and the ground floor of the palace with plenty of seating – a perfect place to relax from the hot sun. Incredibly, both the pools are filled with rainwater.

Designing with nature

There are several stories about other marvels within Jahaz Mahal such a mentions of steam baths and hot water pools, and of slides that led down to Kapur Talab from the roof of Jahaz Mahal. Little of these remain. 

More tragic than the loss of a heated swimming pool is the decline of our architectural aesthetics and knowledge, at least when it comes to what is today termed as passive solar architecture or designing a building in conjunction with the earth processes around it so that heating and cooling occur naturally. Jahaz Mahal has incorporated several of these principles such as site placement, use of rainwater, design of opening, and it has also done so with a mix of playfulness and elegance. Instead of being an 'add-on', wind and water are woven through the fabric of Jahaz Mahal. Whether interested in architecture or not, this place is a must-visit.  

How to reach Jahaz Mahal
By Air:
Indore's Devi Ahilya Bai Airport is the nearest airport, and is about a 100 kilometers away.

By Train/ Railways:
Nearest railway station is Indore Junction, about 95 kms from Mandu

By Bus / Roadways:
Mandu is close to the Agra-Mumbai highway.

Tucked away in a quiet by-lane of Delhi's busiest commercial centre Connaught Place, Agrasen or Ugrasen ki baoli waits imperially for a lost traveller to reach its steps.Called 'Ujar Saini Bauli' according to an archived colonial map dated 1893, this testimony of superb architectural craftsmanship and water security now stands amidst the tall, new fangled high rise buildings of Delhi but is, sadly, a tad too easy to miss. 

Legend has it that Maharaj Ugrasen/Agrasen, forefather of the Agrawal community, built this baoli or stepwell in the Mahabharat era primarily to meet the water needs of the area. The drawing plan of the monument shows a well in the north depicted as the circle, and a square domed structure that lies between the well shaft and the long flight of steps. These steps are further flanked by thick stone walls with two series of arched niches. At the opposite end of the circular well is a mosque that lies in ruins. The 'baoli' though completely waterless today, was not always so. A beautiful picture, by renowed photographer Raghu Rai, titled ‘Diving into Ugrasen Ki Baoli, a 14th century monument,’ shows how this baoli was brimming with water, till as late as 1971.

Walk into this picturesque, protected monument and step back in time to a place where people shared a common space and built a deeper connect with nature and each other--Ugrasen ki baoli in pictures.

How to reach

'Ugrasen ki baoli' is at Hailey Road near KG Marg, Connaught Place, New Delhi. The Metro is an easy way to reach it with the nearest metro Station being Barakhamba, which is at a walking distance of barely 1 km. Delhi is connected by rail, air and road to all parts of the country.

'Rajon ki baoli' also known as 'Rajon-ki-bain', is a picturesque 'baoli' or stepwell dating back to 1506 AD. With three storeys completely below ground level, it appears to emerge and unfold as one gets closer. The cool stone structure stands serene and silent under the blistering Delhi sun. Generally thought to be a stepwell for kings ('raja' means king), it's name is actually derived from 'rajbirs' or 'mistris'--the term for masons--that it got in the early 20th century due to the presence of masons who had moved in permanently into the deserted mosque. Believed to have been built in the Lodi era by Daulat Khan, the enclosure also includes a mosque and a tomb.

Deep steps lead down to the water from the North, while the East and West sides are enclosed by high walls with narrow sides that include a platform to walk on, and twelve pillars each side that encase arched niches. A rectangular shaped building, it consists of a deep well shaft that can be accessed through the large staircase. An open niche in the south wall acts as a passage and joins the well to the water tank. Alcoves in the walls used for burning lamps suggest that that it must have been a place for social, cultural gatherings, a public space frequented even during night times. 

How to reach

'Rajon ki baoli ' lies in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, Delhi, whose entrance is opposite the Lado Serai bus stop. The closest metro station is 'Saket', and both bus and auto services are availble from there. Delhi is connected by rail, air and road to all parts of the country.

View more pictures of 'Rajon-ki-baoli'.

Erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh, like its neighbours Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, is a land of tanks. The ‘Cheruvus’, ‘Eris’ and ‘Keres’, as they are known in the respective regional languages, are irrigation tanks dug centuries ago by kings and philanthropists to feed thousands of acres of thirsty paddy fields. 

The Kakatiyas who ruled over most of modern day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are responsible for decorating the landscape with irrigation tanks of varying sizes and shapes. Close to 5000 colossal tanks were commissioned during their reign, many of which are still in use even today. ‘Mission Kakatiya’ is the Telangana government’s ambitious project to rejuvenate all tanks and lakes in the state over the next five years. 

With mountains all around and paddy fields interspersed with turmeric patches in between, the drive from Warangal to Laknavaram is a sight to behold. Located at a distance of around 70 kilometres from Warangal town, Laknavaram is a slice of paradise nestled amidst the state’s extensive paddy landscape. Though not one among the focus tanks under Mission Kakatiya, Laknavaram is one of the state’s famed rain-fed irrigation tanks turned tourist paradise.

How to get there

The nearest airport is Hyderabad, around 130 kilometres away. Warangal is well connected by road and rail with daily services to and from Hyderabad.

If you have more than a couple of days in Warangal, make sure to visit the ruins of the Kakatiya Fort which now house the famed 'Kakatiya Kala Thoranam' or Warangal Gates, the official symbol of the Government of Telangana.

You could hop on a town bus or hire a taxi from Warangal town and visit Ramappa Gudi and Laknavaram and be back just in time to savour the sunset at the famed Thousand Pillared Temple in Hanamakonda, just outside Warangal.

The Red Fort, located along the western banks of the Yamuna, was built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan when he moved his capital to Delhi from Agra and laid the foundations of Shahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi. Since then, the river has changed course but it’s proximity to the fort ensured that there was abundant water supply as well as protection for the city. A world heritage site, it was previously known as ‘Qila-e-Mubarak’ or the Blessed Fort. 

The fort which is shaped like an octagon has massive red sandstone walls that run to 2.4 km, and is flanked by a moat on the western side that protected it from raiding invaders and external attacks. Moats on 3 sides and the Yamuna at the fourth, provided the much needed defence for the royal family. Tucked away inside is a magnificent 'baoli' or stepwell believed to be older than the fort and surprisingly in good condition. Unfortunately it remains locked to the public. 

This baoli is a unique structure. It has stairs from two sides, unlike the usual single staircases leading down to the bottom water tank. The two sets of stairs at 90 degrees, mirror each other, giving the 'baoli' an 'L' shape. At the deep end where the stairs meet, is an octagonal tank, which is connected to the adjoining covered well, at the southern end. 

Take a peek at this conveniently 'forgotten' structure inside the magnificent Red Fort. 

How to reach

Red Fort 'baoli' is inside the Red Fort area itself, and may be reached by Metro, with the nearest stop being Chandni Chowk (yellow line), at a walking distance of barely 1 km. Delhi is connected by rail, air and road to all parts of the country.

Forts and palaces of Rajasthan are well known for their water-based architecture, which sustained life and also kept out the extreme summer heat. Though mostly absent from travel itineraries, Deeg Palace in Bharatpur district scores over the big names when it comes to aquatic ingenunity. Historically referred to as Jal Mahal, it is also called 'Monsoon Palace' because of its sound and colour show which imitated the clouds and rain. Deeg, strategically located between Delhi and Agra, was the capital of the Jat rulers in the early 18th century before they shifted to Bharatpur.

The palace, which was turned into a summer resort for the royal family, has impressions of Rajput and Mughal architecture. Jat ruler Maharaja Suraj Mal was so impressed with Mughal palaces that on one of his conquests of Delhi, he got an entire marble building dismantled from the Red Fort and resinstalled at Deeg!  

The legend has it that in the year 1321-22, mystic and 14th century Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya began digging a stepwell or baoli around the same time the then Delhi ruler Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlaq was building his own splendid city, Tughlakabad. A feud arose between the two, and the Sultan forbade the labourers from working anywhere else but on his fort and palace buildings throughout the day. Undeterred, the labourers worked quietly on the stepwell for the saint at night under the flickering lights of oil lamps. The furious Sultan ordered that there be no sale of oil to Nizamuddin Auliya to ensure only his work progressed. The saint simply blessed the water; the lamps, fuelled by the water from the baoli, were lit and the work continued uninterrupted. The water from this baoli is considered to have miraculous powers and continues to be held in reverence.

The saint then went on to curse the emperor:"Ya rahe gujar ya rahe usar", meaning, his dream fort, on completion, would remain deserted or peopled by the nomadic Gujjar tribe . And as history tells us, the fort was abondoned, presumbaly, for lack of water.

The plan shows that the baoli, though rectangular in outward appearance, has a stepped circular tank at its centre, with a depth of about 80 feet below the ground level. It measures 123 ft by 53 ft internally, and is enclosed by walls on two sides on which buildings are erected. Steps lead down into the water tank that is fed by underground streams. A marbled floor, from the dargah or tomb shrine, where qawwalis are played, lead to this stepwell. Beautiful antique pictures of this holy water site exist in the form of drawings and old postcards. 

After some portions of the baoli collapsed in 2008, its conservation was taken up by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, and the debris, accumulated over 700 years, have been removed from the water tank. It was then realised that the waste disposal from the adjoining houses and wuzu (ablutions) water from the mosque were being drained into the baoli, contaminating its water. A sacred place of pilgrimage for believers across the world, it is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.  

Today the baoli, an integral part of the dargah, is a hub for social and religious activity.

How to reach

The 'baoli 'is within the Nizamuddin Dargah complex, in the Nizamuddin west area of Delhi, which is easily accessiable from Pragati Maidan, Indraprashtha, ITO and Jangpura stations of Delhi Metro. Delhi is connected by rail, air and road with all parts of the country.

The Madhya Simhastha Maha Kumbh festival, the religious extravaganza that happens once in every 12 years, was held in Ujjain from April 22-May 21, 2016. This year around, the cost to conduct the festival escalated to Rs 5000 crores; more than 15 times the cost incurred for the previous Simhastha held in 2004. 

In the year 2014-15, the water of the Kshipra river, where Simhastha is held, was contaminated with sewage and industrial waste and was not even fit for bathing. Kshipra is contaminated through multiple sources. There are around 11 drainage channels in Ujjain from where the sewage water enters Kshipra. The Kshipra water is also contaminated by the water from the Khan river that flows from Indore and joins Kshipra. More than 90 percent of the Indore’s untreated sewage and industrial effluents flow through Khan. This water is the main source of Kshipra’s pollution. The contaminated water has affected the river to such an extent that more than 90 percent of the fish in the river has died.

Looking good for Simhastha

The arrival of Simhastha this year and the need to provide clean water for the month-long religious extravaganza proved a major challenge for the Madhya Pradesh government. The government undertook many faulty measures to save its face. To start with, the government implemented the Khan diversion project to avoid further contamination of Kshipra. Instead of cleaning and rejuvenating the original Kshipra river, the government decided to spend more than Rs 430 crores on Narmada Kshipra Link Project and pumped Narmada water into Kshipra from its source near Indore to provide clean water for Simhastha.

“The way to revive Kshipra is to recharge upstream aquifers in the Kshipra basin and not linking Narmada with Kshipra. The Narmada Kshipra Link Project is not just to provide water for Simhastha. The larger objective is to provide water to the industries,” says Stockholm Water Prize winner, Rajendra Singh.

The government gave contracts to private companies to inject purifying oxygen into the Narmada’s reconstituted water in Ujjain and laid 1180-meter-long sewer line to divert the sewage from entering Kshipra. More than 810 million litres of Narmada’s water was pumped into Kshipra during Simhastha, which includes 161 million litres for drinking. The cost of Narmada’s water is more than Rs 50 per kilo litre (KL). An average of 27 million litres of water per day is needed for the religious act of royal bath or shahi snan.

Patch work is no solution to problems

Private companies were deployed to construct 46,000 toilets and installing 970 RO water units in the Simhastha area. Most of the infrastructure works were handed over to the private companies and the quality of work was not even checked properly. “After a storm on May 6, the temporary toilets were uprooted, sewage pipelines broke and the sewage water got mixed into Kshipra,” says Ravi Shrivastav, a resident of Ujjain. 

But these face-saving measures did not really serve the real purpose. The Hindu belief has it that the holy dip in Kshipra during Simhastha has the capacity to purify the human mind and soul. But during Simhastha, it was in Narmada’s water that the pilgrims took the holy dip. During Simhastha, 5000 litres of water from Narmada was pumped in every second to clear the water of Kshipra to ensure clean water for the festival. The tributaries of Kshipra were blocked or diverted, fearing sewage contamination. 

Government projects fail to satisfy locals

The Simhastha gaffe apart, the Khan river diversion project and the Narmada Kshipra Link Project have been a bone of contention between the government and the conservationists. In December 2014, the Madhya Pradesh high court issued show cause notices to the union and the state water resource ministries and the various departments to explain the irregularities pointed out in the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Satyanarayana Purohit against diverting the Khan river and linking it to Kshipra in Ujjain.

The PIL pointed out that the Khan river diversion project that cost Rs 2,719 crore violates the Constitutional Right of Property (under article 300A) of more than 100 farmers, 10,000 slum dwellers and would affect about 50 hectares of private arable land and 50 hectares of government land. During Simhastha, the livelihood of most of the farmers in the Narmada valley has affected and the farmers were not even compensated. 

The study conducted by South Asian Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) reveals that about 4 lakh litres of polluted water is entering the Kshipra river from Dewas city and the industries there, affecting not just the villages of Ujjain, Dewas and Indore, but the Hirli dam and the groundwater also. The Madhya Pradesh government has completely failed to curb the illegal dumping of polluted water. Now pouring this pipeline water to the polluted Kshipra water would only mean more pollution. 

To the larger population, it may seem like the government is taking measures to rectify this. But it gave contract to Purab logistic, a Gurgaon based private company to purify Kshipra’s water. The  company artificially inserted oxygen into the water and installed five electronic display boards on the main ghats to fool people into believing that they are maintaining the prescribed water quality norms set by the government for Kshipra. The display board showed that Kshipra’s water is fit for bathing and drinking but there has not been any study done or evidence collected to prove this claim.

The primary objective of Narmada Kshipra Link Project, according to the government, was to provide water to Simhastha. But the senior researchers of Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, a research centre in MP on water, and SANDRP argue that the hidden objective of the project is to provide water to Pithampur industrial area near Indore after Simhastha. The Madhya Pradesh government claimed that bringing Narmada to Ujjain would solve the water woes of Ujjain. Similar claims were made by the government in the past about supplying Narmada’s water to Dewas. The Dewas industrial water supply project claimed to provide Narmada water to industries in Dewas and enroute villages. But even after the implementation of the Dewas industrial water supply project, the water woes of Dewas failed to be solved. Instead, it only helped the industries in the area to procure water and prosper. 

In terms of water scarcity and drought, this year has been the worst for the country. Under such circumstances, reviving rivers should be the first priority of any government. But, instead of taking a scientific approach in reviving rivers, the government is more interested in the interlinking of the rivers that is not cost effective.

Following photographs will provide a glimpse to Simhastha.

See more pictures here.

Temples in India have always had a water body near its premises. Whether it is a natural pond, a free-flowing river or a man-made tank, the water inside them seem to imbibe the sacredness associated with the temples, thereby becoming an integral part of the cultural, social and religious landscape of that area. 

The Mahamaham tank in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, is one such tank in the heart of the Cauvery delta. There is no concrete evidence of when it was built, though the puranas (ancient texts) mention Lord Rama bathing in its water. It finds mention in old religious texts, and is adulated in verse by the famous 17th century Tamil poet and saint, Appar Tirunavukkarasar Nayanar. This is where the Mahamaham festival is held every 12 years. The festival is the southern equivalent of the Kumbh Mela held at the confluence of the Ganges at Prayag. Lakhs of pilgrims throng the tank to take a dip in its holy water. 

As per the ancient texts, the name of the city was Kudamukku (mouth or spout of a pot) from where the modern name, Kumbakonam, seems to have originated. The pot motif recurs in the myths associated with the Mahamaham tank. Kumba means pot and kona means crooked. As the legend goes, the celestial pot full of nectar holding the essence of life came to rest at this place after the deluge that follows every yug or era of human existence. Lord Shiva, disguised as a hunter, broke this pot with his arrow, thereby spilling its contents and rejuvenating life on earth. Mahamaham tank is that very place, where the pot was broken and the amrit (holy nectar) spilled on the earth. Of the broken piece of pot, Lord Shiva made a lingam and immersed himself in it. A temple here is named Adi Kumbeswara, which means ‘one who entered the kumba a long time ago’. Many claim that the city’s name is derived from here. Keeping with the belief that the lingam is made of sand or clay, no abhishekam or pouring of milk or water is done here as in the other Shiva temples. 

The tank itself covers an area of about six acres, and has a depth of about 10 feet. Since the early 20th century, however, the water level in the tank is reduced to a manageable two-feet depth before the onset of the festival to prevent any untoward incident. The tank is quadrilateral or pot-shaped; it has 20 holy wells, referred to as theerthams by the devotees, and are named after the holy rivers across the country and some Hindu deities. These wells were dug somewhere in the early 1900s, symbolising various theerthas or holy places. 

The tank is surrounded by 16 small mandapams or shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. The smaller shrines that abut these pavilions house the lingam, and are believed to have been added later. The king of Thanjavur is said to have constructed 16 mandapams and stone steps around this tank, under the guidance of his minister Govinda Dikshitar.

Going by the mythical stories that surround the tank, the holy rivers approached Lord Brahma to seek a way to purge themselves of the sins that had accumulated in their waters from the people who bathed in them. Brahma advised them to bathe in the Mahamaham tank at an auspicious, ordained time. To this date, people bathe in the tank water in the belief that all these sacred rivers are present in it during the festival, and a dip here is equivalent to bathing in all the rivers, and helps purge them of their sins.

The tank is said to be fed naturally from the underground springs. The locals rue that this has reduced due to the rise of umpteen borewells that have sprung up in the nearby areas. Before the Mahamaham festival in February this year, the tank was emptied, cleared of silt and then refilled with fresh water. A huge congregation of more than 40 lakh devotees from across the country took a holy dip here. The water in the tank may have been sourced from elsewhere or released from the faraway dams, but the devotees continue to believe that a plunge in the water of this sacred tank will wash away their sins.

How to reach

By air: Trichy is the closest airport , 96 km away from Kumbakonam. Travellers can also get down at Chennai International Airport, about 273 km from the town.

By rail: Kumbakonam is well connected by trains from Chennai, Rameshwaram, Kollam, Tirupati and other important cities in the country.

By road: Buses ply from Chidambaram, Bangalore, Thirunallar, Trichy, Chennai and other cities of Tamil Nadu.

References:

[1]Kumbakonam: the ritual topography of a sacred and royal city of South India; Vivek Nanda

The Bhoj wetland is situated in the heart of Bhopal district in Madhya Pradesh. The wetland consists of two man-made lakes--the upper lake and the lower lake. The upper lake, the oldest among large man-made lakes in central India, was created by king Bhoj in the 11th century by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans river and the lower lake was constructed nearly 200 years ago mostly from the seepage from the upper lake.

In 1995, the Madhya Pradesh government initiated a Rs 2.5 billion project for the conservation of the wetland with the money borrowed from the Japanese Bank For International Cooperation (JBIC). In 2002, the Bhoj wetland was recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention of 1971. 

As per a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the upper lake has reduced from the initial 30 sq km to 8 sq km now. The lower lake also got reduced from 8 sq km to 2 sq km in 2009. The total length of the lake was 38 km, but it got reduced to 5 km in 2009.

Importance of Bhoj wetland 

The upper lake in Bhopal is an important wetland which is home to more than 700 species of diverse flora like zooplankton, phytoplankton, etc. The wetland is also an important site of avian fauna with more than 150 species of both migratory and resident birds. This rich biodiversity of the wetland has, however, been affected adversely in the last few years due to various anthropogenic pressures and natural calamities, irregular rainfall during the last decade being one of them. 

The upper lake is the principal source of drinking water (40 percent) for the city of Bhopal; the lower lake meets out the requirement of raw water and enhances the beauty of the city. These lakes are ideal spots for watersports like kayaking, canoeing, parasailing and water skiing and attract tourists in hordes. The upper lake is a source of livelihood--both direct and indirect--for many communities including fishermen, boat owners and local vendors.

Problems the lakes face

The last six decades have seen rapid urbanisation near the Bhoj wetland resulting in various environmental problems. The water quality is getting deteriorated from the sewage inflow from urban areas, agricultural waste from rural areas and industrial effluents, apart from the flourishing growth of invasive aquatic plants, depletion of biodiversity and other anthropogenic activities.  

A 2012 survey report, Excreta Matters, released by the CSE says that out of the 193 MLD (Million Liters Per Day)  of sewage officially generated in Bhopal, only 39 MLD sewage gets treated. The remaining sewage goes into water sources like the upper lake which is also a source of drinking water for 40 percent of the Bhopal's population. The lower lake does not have any freshwater source; it receives seepage water from the upper lake and drainage from 28 sewage-filled nullahs. 

As per a study by Current World Environment, a journal on environmental science, the lower lake inhabited about 50 species of microflora and fauna during the year 2000 which was reduced to 31 species in 2011. However, another study conducted by IIT researchers in 2013 on the conservation plan of the upper lake reveals that there is an improvement in the water quality of upper lake after the government implemented the conservation plan over a decade ago.

A study by the Environmental Planning and Coordination organisation reports, “The Bhoj wetland is facing the twin problem of deteriorating or static water quality as well as reducing storage capacity. On the urban side, the water quality has been affected by the inflow of sewage, nutrients and toxins from catchment areas. It is estimated that 9.82 Million Gallons Per Day  (44 MLD) of sewage enters the upper lake daily. More than 80 percent of the catchment is rural and dominated by agriculture. Intensive chemical agriculture is practised in the catchment and chemical fertilisers and pesticides are used in the cultivation. The agriculture runoff from the rural catchment enters directly via streams into the lake, predominantly on the southwest side and flows from the west to the east. It affects the quality of water in the wetlands and is a long-term threat to the health of the lake. Finally, the bulk of the silt inflow takes place from the rural side of the catchment.”

Senior researchers and water experts like Subhash Panday and K. G. Vyas argue that the efforts made by the government are not enough to stop the inflow of sewage into the upper lake. The sewage problem of the colonies residing along the upper and lower lakes have not been addressed properly and stopping the domestic sewage from entering the upper lake from areas like Nehru Park, Gandhi Nagar, CTO, Noor Mahal, Malipura, etc calls for extra effort from the government and the people.

The way forward

To conserve the wetland ecology, there is a need to implement the Bhoj wetland conservation plan properly. Following are some of the main activities suggested by the environment scientists to improve the Bhoj wetlands:

• Dredging and de-silting are required to improve water quality.
• Treatment of catchment area.
• The government needs to develop a sewage treatment management scheme to stop sewage from entering the lakes.
• Solid waste management and other shoreline or fringe-area management activities besides deweeding, aquaculture and installation of floating fountains are also needed.

Read more recommendations here.

Lingaraj Jena is a worried man. At 86, he is one of the older fishermen in Berhampura village, an island on the Chilika lake in Odisha. Though he no longer goes for fishing due to old age, he is worried about the opening of new sea mouths; he knows it is not good news for the fishing communities he is a part of that depend on the Chilika for their livelihood. If the government did not act on the people's concern urgently, he believes it could spell doom to the fisherfolk.

The Chilika lagoon is situated on the east coast of India. It extends from the south-west corner of Puri and Khordha districts to the adjoining Ganjam district in Orissa. It is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia with estuarine character and the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowls on the Indian subcontinent. 

In 1981, Chilika became the first Ramsar site in India. It is a shallow lake with an average depth of 1.5 metres. It is connected to the Bay of Bengal by a 32-km-long, 1.5-km-wide outer channel and separated from it by a sandy ridge. The area of the lagoon varies between 1165 sq km and 906 sq km during monsoon and summer respectively. There are numerous islands like Mahisa, Berhampura, Nalabana, etc around the lake and the rich fishing grounds sustain the livelihood of more than 2,00,000 fisherfolk who live here. 

The Chilika lake is known to support biodiversity, including many endangered species. It is the wintering ground for more than 1,000,000 migratory birds and breeding and staging ground for nearly three dozen waterbird species. About 200 bird species have been identified of which about 100 are reportedly intercontinental migrants. There are around 225 species of fish and more than 500 other fauna species.

As per a report from the Planning Commission, several hundred fish species have been identified (including commercially important species) in the lake; 40 percent of them are reportedly dependent on seawater migration. Rare species include the Limbless skink (Barkudia Insularis) found only in Chilika and the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella Brevirostris). Nearly 400 species of flora have been identified with some having medicinal properties and others being used for human consumption, as fodder for the livestock, for thatching, as food for fish and birds and also as nesting material. 

Chilika changes with time

From the 1970s to 1990s, the Chilika experienced a drastic decline in salinity from the silt and sand choking its sea inlets, reducing the tidal inflow to a trickle. Freshwater flow from streams and rivers turned the Chilika into a freshwater lake. Invasive freshwater weeds proliferated and silt brought in by rivers made the lake even shallower. As a result, many commercial fish species disappeared and fishing dwindled. To restore the lake, the government of Odisha established Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in 1991. In 1993, the Ramsar site was declared as threatened wetland due to drastic ecological changes. The CDA commissioned various studies to understand the Chilika and it was found that the lake was suffering due to the closure of the sea mouth. 

Based on the findings of the study, in September 2000, the CDA dredged open the sea mouth between the Bay of Bengal and the lake. This resulted in the accumulated silt being flushed out to the sea, restoring the lake’s depth and salinity. The annual fish production increased significantly from 1600 tonnes to 13160 tonnes. The average annual fish catch in 2013 was 12,000 tonnes. The opening of the sea mouth has also resulted in the expansion of the Irrawaddy dolphin distribution in the Chilika. 

In 2002, with successful ecological restoration, the Chilika became the first and the only wetland in Asia to be removed from Montreux record of threatened wetlands with effect from November 11, 2003. In 2002, the CDA received the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award for “outstanding contributions to wetlands conservation and sustainable use” as well as the Evian Special Prize.

Since 2005, three new sea mouths opened naturally in the Chilika, changing the character of the lake once again. “Satisfied with the sustainable ecological restoration of the Chilika lake and the high-income levels of the communities depending on the lake, the CDA appears to have neglected the new mouths that opened,” says a geological study conducted by Dr R. Jagadiswara Rao. 

What the new sea mouths brought with them

“The financial situation of the fisherfolks in the region started deteriorating due to the decline in fish production from increased salinity of the Chilika. Many fisherfolks in the area are leaving their fishing business and opting for other jobs. The fish production dropped from an average of 12,000 tonnes per year to 9000 tonnes,” says 54-year-old Krushna Chandra Jena, a local leader of the fishing communities in the region.

The islands of the Chilika are still not very well connected. The only means of transportation is the boat. There are no medical facilities for the fishing communities and the other people living on the islands. Arsenic contaminates the drinking water in the region and safe drinking water is hardly available. “There are 15 hand pumps in Berhampura, but arsenic-free water is available only in two or three hand pumps. The Oxfam team conducted a water quality survey in the region and they shared this information with us,” says 35-year-old Tapan, a resident of Berhampura.

“Before the new sea mouths opened, the distance of the sea mouth from Berhampur was 20 km, but now it has reduced to only 5 km,” says a resident, Lingaraj Jena. The lake has also been subjected to very high sedimentation due to erosion in its catchment. Today, the deepest part of the lake is only about 1.5 metres while 30 to 40 years ago, it was three to six metres deep. This is the direct fallout of siltation due to sand from the coast and silt carried from the sea by tidal action, rivers from eastern ghats and the Mahanadi distributaries.

Mahanadi distributaries are the major contributors (75 percent) of the total sediments. Soil erosion is mainly contributed by overgrazing, illicit felling of trees and ruthless cutting, cultivation and clearance of vegetation for various purpose in the western catchment area. Siltation has led to the gradual reduction in the size of the lagoon. 

As per the local fisherfolks, many varieties of fish in the Chilika like Siba, Sunga, Konti, Karisa, Nahamo, have vanished due to increased salinity. The rivers that used to fill the Chilika are now running out of water due to industrial and domestic consumption.

As per the geological study conducted by Dr Rao, “A 4-km-stretch of the barrier island is already barren of vegetation with the number of naturally-formed mouths increasing from one to three. Moreover, the height of the mouths got reduced and the cumulative width increased. In the absence of scientific intervention by the CDA, there is a danger of the entire barrier island getting destroyed with the outer channel of the Chilika lake becoming part of the Bay of Bengal.”

What’s the way forward?

Experts in the field feel that there is an urgent need for scientific intervention to resolve the issues of environment and livelihood around the Chilika. The CDA has to take the initiative once again to restore the lake and the environment. 

There is a need to conduct an impact assessment study and develop an action plan. This is only possible when the government takes action, some of them being:

●Developing clear institutional guidelines for CDA

●Developing an effective restoration plan

●Preparing a drainage basin implementation plan

●Implementing the national guidelines for wetland conservation effectively

●Involving civil society in redeveloping policy and legislation frameworks for the conservation of wetlands

"Despite the CDA getting funds from the United Nations Environmental Programme to obtain the Chilika Lake Ecosystem Health Report Cards, both in 2012 and 2014, no effort has been made to study the degradation caused to the barrier island bordering the Chilika lake owing to the closure and the opening of the mouths," adds Dr Rao. 

You can read planning commission’s recommendations here.

Please see more Chilika photos here.

An aerospace engineer from IIT, Kharagpur, Siddharth Agarwal could have been drawing a fancy salary like any other 25-year-old if he hadn’t followed his passion. Born and bred in Kolkata, his curiosity of life around rivers and his interest in knowing it first hand to form the right perspective of it inspired him to undertake a 3000-km walk upstream of Ganga as a part of Veditum India Foundation's moving upstream project that is working to document and dynamically map India's rivers.

Siddharth loves to walk and has been experimenting with slow travel in the last couple of years. Slow travel, where he converses with people during the walks, has replaced his old perspectives on society, environment, and people with new ones. 

On June 6, 2016, he started his journey from Gangasagar at the mouth of Bay of Bengal in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, where the trail of the Ganga ends. On his way to Gaumukh from where the Ganga begins her journey, he will make his way through some major points of interest at Kolkata, Farakka, Patna, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Narora, Haridwar, and Tehri. After completing 2000 km in October 2016, he took a break due to his back injury. He is planning to resume the rest of his journey (1000 km) in February 2017. 

Siddharth has undertaken two similar journeys in the past as well. In 2014, he travelled 2120 km from Kolkata to Mumbai on his bicycle. This was followed by a 700-km-walk across Rajasthan to raise awareness about its dying architecture.

He shares his experiences of the Ganga walk with India Water Portal. 

What is the purpose of your walk?

Rivers have always interested me. They are the lifeline for not just the humans but also for many other life forms. My interest in exploring the stories around the Ganga, its forgotten people and the culture that existed over several centuries has motivated me to undertake this walk. I wanted to know how humans have affected the river, how the landscape around the river has changed over a period of time and what we have lost in the process. 

Why did you choose the Ganga?

I have had a fascination for the Ganga ever since my childhood. The more I learned about the Ganga, my quest for knowing the river only increased. The Ganga is one of the most famous rivers in India known for its purity. But unfortunately, its water is not even fit for domestic use in several places. I want to do something to conserve the river and to do that, I needed to explore the critical issues affecting the Ganga and its environment.

What are your key observations during your Ganga walk?

I found less open spaces around the Ganga throughout my journey. In the last few decades, the open spaces have been taken for residential, industrial and commercial purposes. Along the banks of the Ganga, I found massive environmental and ecological destruction. I also found a drastic decrease in the faith of the people about the river as a symbol of purity. It has been replaced by talks on the increasing pollution levels in the river.

What is the perception of the people regarding the Ganga?

The talk around the Ganga is mostly religious in its context. It is rarely about the science of the river’s ecosystem. For example, most of the time, the people talked about the Hindu scriptures and told me that it was Bhagirath Muni (sage) who brought the Ganga to the earth and shared many other religious stories about the river.

Though the rural folks still maintain a strong cultural relationship with the Ganga and show interest in reviving the river, the citizens in the urban areas have little interest in improving the health of the Ganga. 

Do people know about Clean Ganga Mission? 

Most of the people along the banks of the Ganga have heard about the government’s Clean Ganga mission, but the people are also apprehensive about how the government will clean the Ganga without stopping industries from functioning around it and the faecal and other waste from entering the river.

Do you see any efforts from the government to revive the Ganga?

So far I have not seen any substantial efforts from the government to protect the Ganga. Instead, by allowing innumerable constructions and industrialisation around the river, it has severely compromised the health of the river system. The government has also not taken any substantial or visible measures to control the contamination of the river by the industries and the sewage. It has displaced lakhs of people for the development of roads, bridges, dams, etc. on the Ganga and has failed to rehabilitate them.

Do you feel that your walk can improve the condition of the Ganga?

I don't know, but I am sure voices of the people can have an impact on the government to act and provide better solutions to the people.

A voyage in a traditional canoe or a houseboat through the picturesque Vembanad lake is enough to understand why the south Indian state of Kerala is called the “God’s own country’. 

A tiny island surrounded by the Vembanad backwater, Kakkathuruthu got listed in the National Geographic’s “Around the World in 24 Hours”--a photographic tour of the most beautiful places in the world. Thanks to this distinction, the island and the backwaters started receiving both national and international tourists in hordes. 

The thriving tourism brings in business opportunity--hoteliers, houseboat owners, tourist guides, tender coconut sellers, all seem to prosper. For 81-year-old fisherman Kumaran, however, a surge in tourism spells doom. “With the rise in tourism, our fish varieties go down. We fishermen are concerned about our livelihoods,” he says.

Plastic depletes fishes

Kumaran’s concerns have been scientifically validated by a study conducted by ATREE (Asoka Trust For Research in Ecology and Environment), an environment protection organisation based in Bengaluru which says that the fish species in the lake has declined from 61 to 45. Strangely, while two to three minutes was all it took for fishermen to net a catch earlier, it is an endless wait now. And all that they might find on their bait is a plastic bag or a bottle.

Consider this. Around 2500 houseboats voyage through Vembanad lake. Nobody knows the exact quantity of plastic waste being thrown into the lake from them. Nehru trophy boat race, the regatta extravaganza that attracts at least one lakh people, including foreign tourists, is known to result in heaps of plastic waste; last year 35 gunny bags of plastic waste were collected by the students of nearby colleges, the House Boat Owners Association and ATREE after the boat race.  

Taking a cue from this, Vembanad lake protection forums with the scientific assistance from the Community Environmental Resource Centre (CERC) of ATREE articulated a detailed action plan to clean the lake. A volunteer team consisting 30 fishermen observed 41-day long cleanup campaign and collected five quintals of plastic waste.

The increasing plastic waste in the lake is a huge threat to the fish population. “Plastic bags and sacks floating on the water reduces the oxygen in the water which makes it difficult for the fishes, clams, and mussels to sustain,” says T. D. Jojo, project coordinator, ATREE Vembanad conservation centre, Alappuzha. For the survival of fish, the level of oxygen in the lake should be around 4-5 ppm (parts per million) as against 2-3 ppm which is the case in the Vembanad lake now. The clam cultivation here saw a 20 percent decline in 2016 from the year before, according to Muhamma Clam Workers Cooperative Society.

Cloth bags as an alternative

Banning plastic could be the obvious solution to the situation. But that is not a sustainable one. President of Muhamma Gram Panchayat, Jayalal, a well-known environmentalist in the Alappuzha district believes banning would be a superfluous action that will create more hardship than good. He was looking for an alternative to plastic bags and found the right solution in cloth bags.

At present 48 women, mostly from the fishing community, are engaged in making cloth bags from two stitching units started for the purpose. Most of them were earlier engaged in clam cultivation but had to take up stitching since clam cultivation suffered due to lack of productivity. “In the coming days, all villagers will have to abandon plastic bags and start using eco-friendly bags made out of cloths,” says Vijayalakshami, one of the women engaged in the bag making.

Initial roadblocks included a dearth of waste clothes for bags. There was also the concern regarding changing the mindset of the people towards using cloth bags instead of plastic ones. The panchayat took the initiative. Through their “cloth bags instead of plastic” campaign started from the Muhamma AB government high school with assistance from ATREE scientists, panchayat members, teachers, parents and students, bundles of waste clothes were collected from various houses. 

“Muhamma cloth bags” are now a brand in itself in Kerala. An apt alternative to plastic bags and a commendable move towards sustainable tourism, Muhamma cloth bags have set an example we can now emulate. 

In a country as diverse as India where the mountain meets the ocean and deserts blend into forests, one hallmark of beauty that is often left out of the travel catalogues is the outstanding Loktak lake in Manipur. 

Spread over 469 sq. km. in the northeastern state of Manipur, the Loktak wetlands complex is the lifeline of the state. Being the largest freshwater lake in India, this wetland is teeming with life. Livelihoods of over 100,000 people of Manipur depend on resources that are found here. 

Incredibly enough, Loktak is a host to over 233 species of aquatic plants, over a hundred different species of migratory birds and several animal species, including the endangered Manipuri brow-antlered deer or the Sangai deer. This capacity to nurture a diverse bio-environment gives key economic significance to the Loktak complex. It also puts this lake on the map for another distinctive reason: The Phumdi. With its unique floating vegetation called Phumdi, the lake is known to be the only floating lake in the world. 

Phumdi is like floating mats of vegetation which is a characteristic feature of these wetlands that helps maintain the water quality by trapping nutrients present in the lake. Almost completely solid in its form, these floating mats act as surfaces for the locals to construct their homes over, run small shops and businesses out of. It is on these very Phumdis present on the lake that one would be able to visit the only floating National Park in the world--The Keibul Lamjao National Park. 

Like in the case of any well-preserved natural water body, it is the seasonal rising and falling of the water levels that are responsible for its existence. 

In recent years, a poor understanding of the seasonal flows of water and a narrow focus on hydropower generation have transformed the naturally fluctuating lake into a mere reservoir. Regulating the wetlands for hydropower generation has led to an alteration in the ecology of the lake’s ecosystem resulting in the long-term damage to the wetland. Compared to its thriving past, Loktak seems to be sitting on the very fringes of being transformed into a reservoir with relatively marginal to insignificant ecosystem existing within itself. 

‘Lets Invest in Nature’ (#LetsInvestInNature) is a special series of video stories designed by the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme. It is dedicated to estimating and mainstreaming the true economic value of biodiversity in business-related decisions and policy making. Watch this short video for more information. 

The Western Ghats is one of the eight hotspots of biological diversity in the world and is spread across six states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The forests in the Western Ghats are the water towers of peninsular India. As many as 58 major rivers originate here, including the sacred Godavari, the Cauvery and the Krishna. 

In the last six decades, the forest cover in the Western Ghats has been severely fragmented due to human activities. People started clearing the forest for growing tea and coffee and for teak plantations. With an increase in human activity and urbanisation, a whopping 40 percent of the original forests is lost in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.  

The ghats not only sustain 50 million people, but they are also home to about 4000 species of flowering plants, 645 species of evergreen trees, about 120 species of mammals, 500 species of birds and many reptiles, butterflies and fishes. 

To understand the worth of the forests in the ghats, a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai visited the forests and studied the villages in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. The results of their findings were astounding. Just one square km of forest in Uttara Kannada provides close to Rs 7.38 million worth of timber, about Rs 1.1 million worth of fuelwood and Rs 3.2 million worth of medicinal plants and fruits. Add to that, the recreational benefits from Dandeli and Anshi protected areas which are part of a tiger reserve are worth about Rs 11.37 billion. If all these benefits come from just a portion of the forest, then one can imagine the value of over 1,29,000 sq km of the Western Ghats!

Putting an economic value on goods and services provided by these forests will aid in their conservation as economic valuation is found to be a powerful tool to advocate and champion conservation.

Considering human lives are tightly interwoven with the ecosystem, planning any infrastructure or development projects without recognising them can be detrimental to human lives. 

‘Lets Invest in Nature’ (#LetsInvestInNature) is a special series of video stories designed by the Indo-German Biodiversity Programme. It is dedicated to estimating and mainstreaming the true economic value of biodiversity in business-related decisions and policy making. Watch this short video for more information.