Kashmir valley

Kashmir Valley
Perfection beyond this world makes Kashmir a paradise. The land of sparkling rivers and sleepy lakes, of startling gardens and regal Chinar trees, Kashmir boasts of some of the most beautiful flowering meadows and snow-capped peaks. The abundance of natural beauty has earned the valley a nickname of the 'Switzerland of the East'. It is mesmerizing to see how this endless beauty never fails to charm the viewers with its changing scenes from dazzling white snow of Winters to blooming fragrance of Spring. The sparkling greenery of Summers are welcome too as the flaming beauty of Autumn. The art house of the Seasons, the beauty of Kashmir is complete to the giggling girls with fair Indian complexion and rosy cheeks and the exquisite handicrafts of the area.
Kashmir's Topography
The high snow-capped ridges of the Himalayan range in the east and the Pir Panjal range in the west and south enclose Kashmir. Jhelum River glides across Srinagar and swiftly flow through the winding ways of the valley. The geologists have confirmed the truth behind the popular belief that Kashmir was once a huge lake called the Karewa, which was formed by the blocking of the Jhelum River. However, the river formed a deep gorge through the Pir Panjal range at Uri and carved out its new way. Thus, the waters of the Karewa gradually drained away, leaving behind the stunning valley of Kashmir. One can still find corals and other marine fossils in this region.

The Glorious Name
There have been different versions of the legend behind the name of Kashmir. It is said that the great saint Kashyap Rishi went on a pilgrimage to the place. When he reached Naukabandan near Kaunsarnag, at the request of the people he killed Bahudev, the giant of Satisar and let the water of the lake flow out near Baramulla. Thus, the place came to be known as Kashyapmar or the some other historians dispute that this valley was so called only when the people of Kash caste settled here permanently.

Natural Beauty
Kashmir is famous for its beautiful and natural scenery and varieties of flora and fauna throughout the world. It is also widely known for its different kinds of agricultural products, fruit, vegetables, saffron, herbs, minerals, precious stones and finest kind of embroidery on clothes.

Statue of liberty

statue of liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a huge sculpture that is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. This monument was a gift to the USA from the people of France in recognition of the French-American alliance during the American Revolution.

The formal name of the statue is "Liberty Enlightening the World." It pictures a woman who has escaping the chains of tyranny (the broken chains lie at her feet). Liberty's right hand holds a torch that is a symbol of liberty.

Liberty was designed by the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The hollow copper statue was built in France - it was finished in July, 1884. It was brought to the USA in 350 pieces on a French ship called the "Isere" (in June, 1885). The statue was re-assembled in the USA and was completed on October 28, 1886.
There are 354 steps inside the statue and its pedestal. There are 25 viewing windows in the crown. The seven rays of Liberty's crown symbolize the seven seas and seven continents of the world. Liberty holds a tablet in her left hand that reads "July 4, 1776" (in Roman numerals), Independence Day of the United States of America.

Petronas towers

petronas towers
Petronas Towers were completed in 1998 and at that time became the world's tallest buildings, just surpassing Sears Tower in Chicago, albeit because of the large spires. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, spires count, but antennae don't. Spires do not contain floors, but they are counted in the world's tallest building race for one architectural reason: they're nice to look at.

Petronas Towers reflect a unique blend of religion and economic prosperity. The $1.6 billion towers contain more than eight million square feet of shopping and entertainment facilities, underground parking for 4,500 cars, a petroleum museum, a symphony hall, a mosque, and a multimedia conference center.

Each tower's floor plan forms an eight-pointed star, a design inspired by traditional Malaysian Islamic patterns. The 88 story towers, joined by a flexible skybridge on the 42nd floor, have been described as two "cosmic pillars" spiraling endlessly towards the heavens.

The Petronas Twin Towers are acclaimed to be the tallest twin buildings of the world. Located at KLCC complex in Kuala Lumpur, Twin Towers undoubtedly are the pride of Malaysia. These buildings were constructed during 1992-1998 though were officially opened in 1999. They were assumed to be world's tallest structure from 1998 till 2004, however, the construction of Taipei 101 surpassed them with its additional 13 floors in 2004. Petronas, the national oil company of Malaysia, embarked to build the tallest building in the world.
Cesar Pelli, an Argentine-American architect, designed these towers that were tallest in the world on the date of completion. The 88-floor towers are raised mainly of reinforced concrete, with their façade crafted in steel and glass. Petronas Towers are a glistening example of modern hi-tech architecture and reverence of established religion, as the marvelous facade bears motifs found in Islamic art. Since the bedrock was deep, the buildings came to be known as the towers erected on the world's deepest foundations.

The 120-meter foundations called for huge amounts of concrete and were laid by Bachy Soletanche. Whilst Tower 1 was built by the South Korean multinational-Samsung Engineering & Construction, Hazama Corporation of Japan constructed the Tower 2. They were built on a cheaper radical design of high strength reinforced concrete as a consequence of lack of steel and massive cost of importing steel. However, this high-strength concrete made the building twofold heavy if compared with a steel building.

The Twin Towers make use of sophisticated structural system, supported by 23-by-23 meter concrete cores and an outer loop of widely-spaced super columns, which maintains their slender profile. This entire forecast now crafts 1300-2000 square meters of column-free space for office at each floor. Regarding the tenants, Tower One is utterly occupied by the Petronas and its subsidiaries and associate companies. In Tower Two, the office spaces are mainly obtainable for lease to other companies.

The towers encompass a skybridge, which was built by Kukdong Engineering & Construction. This skybridge lies between the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors, making itself the world's highest 2-story bridge. The bridge is 170 m above the ground, 58 m long and weighs 750 tons. The same floor is also called Podium because the visitors, wishing to go to the higher levels, have to change elevators here. It is open to all visitors, though entry is limited to 1700 people per day.

The skybridge also works as a safety device, seeing as in case of fire or other emergency in one tower, tenants can evacuate by crossing the bridge to the other tower. Up till 2004, Petronas Towers were the world's tallest buildings on measured from the main entrance to the structural top, the initial height reference used by the US-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat from 1969. Since the height computation reference is vague, at times, controversies have cropped up regarding the procedure.

somnath temple

somnath temple
Situated a little away from Veraval in the state of Gujarat, the Somnath temple has a rich historical past that dates back centuries. According to legend, the temple was built of gold by the Moon God (Somraj) himself and was subsequently replaced with a silver structure by Ravana, a wooden masterpiece by Krishna and the one made out of stone by Bhima. Also known as Deo Pattan, Prabhas Pattan and Pattan Somnath, the temple is especially revered as one of the twelve holy jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, spread across the country. The legendary fame of the place is believed to have been spread across the distant corners of the land and a huge bell plate was struck with a golden hammer signaling the commencement of prayers, a glorious ceremony which was attended by people coming here from all over the country.

The temple was attacked in 1025 by Mughal ruler Mahmud Ghazni and its wealth plundered. Somnath at that time was at its peak housing over 300 musicians, 500 dancing girls and 300 barbers to shave the heads of pilgrims. The Hindus rebuilt the temple in an even grander way but the event started a series of attacks with the temple being razed again several times in 1297, 1394 and 1704.
The present temple is believed to have been erected by the Vallabhi kings and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Once a place for an opulent rendezvous with the Indian culture, the temple entrance is east facing and believed to have once housed an enormous hall with three entrances. The exquisitely carved doorways, the beautifully sculpted statues of Nandi the bull and the murals of goddesses along with their female companions once adorned this holy structure. Restoration work on the present structure commenced soon after the country gained independence and was completed in 1995, signifying that the power of restoration is always greater than the power of destruction.

Attractions Around Somnath Temple
Veraval Beach
Just about 5 km away from the Somnath temple is the pleasant Veraval beach. The sprawling sands along with the swaying palm trees, the pleasant sound of the sea waves combine to provide a truly enchanting experience. The beach is situated at a distance of a few miles away from the city that lends it a secluded charm...a complete dose of refreshment for mind, body and soul.

Bakhla Tirth
A short distance from the temple is the place where Lord Krishna is believed to have been struck by an arrow from a tribal, thousands of years ago. The Lord is then said to have come to Somnath and prayed before departing for his heavenly abode. The place is known as the Bakhla tirth and is revered like a holy pilgrimage by the followers of the Hindu religion.

Numerous other temples and holy places have been built around Somnath, prominent among those being the Ahaleyshwar Mahadev Temple, Gita Mandir, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Baldev Gufa, Triveni Sangam, Sun Temple and the Shashibhushan Temple.

Accommodation facilities in the form of guest houses and dormitory are provided by the Somnath trust which can be availed by the pilgrims at affordable prices. The total number of rooms are in excess of two hundred.

The most convenient way to reach the place is to travel to Ahmedabad, at a distance of 465 km from Somnath and board a bus or hire a private taxi from there. Somnath is connected with Ahmedabad through rail and road transport. Another convenient access is to take a flight from Mumbai to Diu, which is situated at a distance of 95 Km from Somnath.

Great wall of china

great wall of china
Great wall of China was an ancient gigantic defensive project. It is one of the largest construction projects ever completed.

Great Wall of China is one of the greatest wonders of the world. It winds its way westward over the vast territory of China from the bank of the Yalu River and ends at the foot of snow-covered Qilianshan and Tianshan mountains. It is seldom that we see such a gigantic project in China or elsewhere in the world. The Chinese call it the Wall of 10,000 li. Its size is better seen on a map or from an aerial photograph. According to astronauts who looked back from the moon, of all projects built by man, the Great Wall of China is the most conspicuous seen in space.
Today, the Great wall has lost its strategic importance and has become a world-renowned tourist attraction. The laboring people of different dynasties demonstrated their intelligence and wisdom while building this great project. They left behind a precious heritage deserving our everlasting care. Badaling section, Juyong pass and Cloud Terrace were listed as important historical monuments under special preservation by the Chinese government in 1961. The Great Wall was listed by UNESCO in 1987 as one of the world heritages.

gateway of india

gateway of india
Bombay is the leading financial center of India and a major national commercial, transportation, and manufacturing hub. Bombay Harbor, a broad, sheltered bay located between the city and the mainland, is one of the world's greatest natural harbors. Built in the Indo-saracenic style, the Gateway of India is meant to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, prior to the Darbar in Delhi in December 1911. The Gateway of India was built by the British and designed by the architect George Wittet. The first stone was laid by the then Governor of Bombay on March 31st, 1913. The Gate was formally opened in 1924.
Through this gateway the last British viceroy departed in 1947, marking the termination of almost 350 years of official British presence in India. Mumbai's most famous monument, this is the starting point for most tourists who want to explore the city. It was built with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. Today this symbol of colonialism has got Indianised, drawing droves of local tourists and citizens.

Disneyland

disneyland
Disneyland The first Disney park, representing an investment of $17 million, opened in Anaheim, California, on July 17, 1955, to an invited audience, and to the public the next day. Walt Disney had enjoyed taking his two daughters to carnivals, zoos, and small amusement parks when they were young, but he found he was sitting on the bench eating popcorn while they rode the merry-go-round and they had all the fun. He wondered why a place could not be built where parents and kids could go together and all of them could have fun.

Eventually he put some designers on his own personal payroll and began coming up with some concepts. He first thought of building his park on a strip of land across Riverside Drive from the Disney Studio in Burbank, but when that space proved too small to hold all of his ideas, he hired the Stanford Research Institute to survey the possibilities for a site. SRI came up with the site in Anaheim, which was covered with orange groves and made up of parcels owned by 17 different people. By borrowing on his life insurance, selling his vacation home, and getting money from several companies, Walt was able to purchase an initial 160 acres and build Disneyland.

It opened with an elaborate live television special, but people were already primed to see it. Walt had used episodes of the weekly evening television show to present tantalizing glimpses of what the park would be like. After its opening, guests flocked to see what Walt Disney had built. The first guests through the turnstiles were Kristine Vess and her cousin Michael Schwartner, ages 5 and 7. The fame of Disneyland spread, and soon it was on the must-see lists for not only Americans but foreign tourists as well.

To keep people coming, Walt realized he had to keep improving Disneyland. At the opening, he said, "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world."

Over four decades now, Disneyland has continued to grow. New attractions have been added, sometimes carving out new space and sometimes replacing, attractions that had become dated or inefficient. Parades, celebrity guests, celebrations, and other events provide incentives for the local populace to make return visits.
As soon as Disneyland became a success, people throughout the world wanted Walt Disney to build a Disneyland in their town, but he bided his time until he had the park running smoothly. Only then did he start to listen to some of the entreaties, and his planning eventually led to his announcement of the Walt Disney World project in Florida shortly before he died. Disneyland was the first of its kind. Other parks have copied Disneyland since, but there will never be another like it. It is unique and continues to set the standard that all others have to follow.