10 Lesser Known Natural Wonders Around the World

10 Lesser Known Natural Wonders Around the World

From the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan to Wulingyuan National Park in China, here are little-known natural wonders

Take a look at ten lesser known natural wonders around the world. From mesmerizing craters ablaze for the past 40 years to an entire forest made of limestone needles in Madagascar which is so dense that’s its virtually impenetrable.

      

                                  

                    

TheGates of Hell in Turkmenistan

In tenth place is ‘The Gates of Hell' in Turkmenistan, which is a crater that has been ablaze non-stop for around 40 years, caused when natural gas was set on fire.

 

SouthwesternSlot Canyons in the United States
In ninth place is Southwestern Slot Canyons in the United States. Narrow fissures carved into rock by millennia of wind and water erosion. The longest, Buckskin Gulch stretches for 12 miles.

Tsingy ofBemaraha in Madagascar
In eighth place is Tsingy of Bemaraha in Madagascar. A forest made of limestone needles. It's so dense that it's virtually impenetrable to humans.

BelizeBarrier Reef

In seventh place is the Belize Barrier Reef which is the largest barrier reef in the Western hemisphere. 90 per cent of its species remain undiscovered.

GrandPrismatic Spring

In sixth place is the Grand Prismatic Spring. It is the third largest spring in the world and its remarkable colors are produced by algae and bacteria.

WulingyuanNational Park in China
In number five is Wulingyuan National Park in China. Home to over 3,000 gigantic sandstone columns, many over 200m high. This park used to be an ancient tropical sea floor.

Namib Desertin Namibia
Fourth is the Namib Desert in Namibia. It's thought to be the oldest desert in the world and is home to huge sand dunes, some measuring 380m high.

Salar DeUyuni in Bolivia

In third place is Salar De Uyuni in Bolivia, which is the world's largest salt flat, which measures 4,000 square miles.

 

RichatStructure in Mauritania
In second place is Richat Structure in Mauritania. A mysterious 50km-wide geological feature in the Sahara Desert and is believed to be caused by uplift and erosion rather than a meteor.

SocotraArchipelago in Yemen

At number one is Socotra Archipelago in Yemen. An extremely isolated landform, around 33 per cent of its plant life is found nowhere else on earth.

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Sringeri-the confluence of religion and beauty

Sringeri-theconfluence of religion and beauty

Sringeri is a temple town nestled in Chickmagalur district of Karnataka.

By Lakshmi Sharath

My earliest memory of Sringeri goes back to my childhood, when I was probably five years old. It starts with an old black and white photograph, with me in pony tails standing next to my grandparents, against the backdrop of the temples at Sringeri mutt. It was probably around the same time, I had heard about the story of Sringeri, narrated by my mother and she never tires of telling me the story again and again even today.

More than twelve centuries ago, Hindu seer and exponent of Advaita philosophy, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya had come to Sringeri. He saw an unusual sight on the banks of the Tunga that made him realize that this place was sacred. A cobra was seen spreading out its hood over a pregnant frog protecting it from the scorching sun. He was struck by the sanctity of the area which could bring two enemies together and infuse love between them. The acharya went on to establish his very first Mutt here and dedicated it to Goddess Saraswati. He had invoked the deity and had consecrated an idol of her, which was initially made of sandalwood. He later established the guru-shishya tradition that follows till date, as pilgrims visit the town to seek the blessings of the current Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Bharati Tirtha Swamigal.

As a child, I had made several trips to Sringeri and slowly the word ‘spiritual’ seemed to become synonymous with the place. The journey was long and arduous then. We used to drive down to Bangalore from Chennai and then take the long route via Tumkur and Arsikere to reach Hassan and then Chikmagalur. The winding roads of Malenadu painted a carpet of green coffee estates as we continued our journey to Sringeri from the hills. Sometimes, we used to take the picturesque Agumbe route, just to take in the views of the forests and sunsets. And every time, I used to lose myself in the journey.

Even today, I am lost as I drive through Malenadu, drenched in monsoons. Sringeri brings to the mind images of the long roads snaking across the green mountains, the heavy rains and squalls, the richly carved temples, the fish swimming in the serene Tunga, the rhythmic chanting from the various rituals and the bisi bisi saaru (rasam) on a rainy day.

My first stop in Sringeri is always at the banks of the River Tunga. Sitting on the steps and watching the fish nibble at the feet of people who are performing their evening rituals, I take in the scene. The sun lights the scales as they whisk their fins in and out of water. The forests border the banks of the river, while two temple elephants cross over to the other bank on the bridge.

The temples are not crowded. I stop by at the Sharadamba temple adorned with massive sculptures. It was reconstructed in the South Indian Dravidian style, after the earlier wooden temple had given way. After visiting several smaller temple complexes dedicated to various deities like Malayala Brahma,Torana Ganapathi, Kodandarama, Janardhana, Subramanya and other guardian gods and goddesses,  I enter my favourite shrine - the Vidyashankara Temple, standing tall at the entrance to the river , Tunga.

 

Standing in awe and gazing at every sculpture on the outer walls, I watch the sun shine on them. The twelve zodiac signs are carved on the pillars and it is indeed an architectural marvel in stone, a fusion between Hoysala, Vijayanagara and Chalukya styles in the 14th century. Dedicated to deities, Vidya Ganapati, Vidyashankara, Durga and the Trimurtis , it was built by pontiff Bharati Krishna Tirtha Acharya, as a tribute to his Guru, the 10th Acharya, Vidyatirtha. Another temple is said to be buried beneath this temple and there is a story around it.

Vidyatirtha was the reigning acharya in the 13th century when two brothers from Ekasilanagaram or today's Warangal came to meet him. Vidyatirtha wanted to meditate and he explained to one of the brothers Bharati Krishna Tirtha not to disturb him for twelve years.

An underground chamber was excavated near the bank of the river  where the seer meditated and instructed that the door remained closed  for twelve years .After three years, when the pontiff  was away, the attendants out of curiosity opened the chamber only to see that the body was replaced by a  a linga  .

Bharati Krishna Tirtha then received a divine message from his Guru to build the Vidyashankara temple.near the river. He later became the next Jagadguru and was followed by his brother, Vidyaranya, the founder of the Vijayanagara Empire and the Guru to the brothers, Harihara (Hakka) and Bukka.

The connection between Hampi and Sringeri is something I learnt afresh here. It is believed that the seer Sri Vidyaranya was meditating on Matanga Hill in modern day Hampi, when he met two brothers, Harihara and Bukka. Under his guidance, the brothers built a new capital, Vidyanagara and designed it in the form of a chakra with the Virupaksha Temple in the centre and nine gates surrounding it. The town soon became known as Vijaynagara or victory as the brothers established a new dynasty by defeating Delhi Sultans and the various rebelling feudatories.

It was already night fall as the stars came out and the moonlight drenched the waters of the Tunga. Hordes of devotees were crossing the bridge to reach the other side of the bank in time for the night puja of the Chandramouleshwara Temple, performed by the Shankaracharya. It is a surreal like experience as one crosses the Tunga on a star lit night and walks across rich vegetation in silence , listening to the crickets ,enters the portals of the shrine as the invigorating chants fill the air and vibrates across the river. It is at the moment, I truly grasp the meaning of spiritual.

    

Lets Go To Amazing Newzealand........!

The land of pure and perfect beaches engulfed by lustrous palm trees all over is the land of New Zealand, immensely rich with the natural habitats. New Zealand tour and New Zealand travel are famous in tourist world. Some say New Zealand is the ideal location for a vacation, unspoiled and untouched. Precisely, the other name of New Zealand for tourists is “heaven”. High mountains with flourishing green forests are some characteristics of this stunning land. Till date, the inhabitants of this place believe in agriculture, their main source of income. As a whole, New Zealand is a perfect tourist destination worth to be seen! Though there aren’t any single places in New Zealand one will feel like not visiting however, some most wanted sites amongst the tourists are given below which you can see on New Zealand tours and travelpackages  :

Fiord land National Park

Fiord land National Park was established in the year 1952 and covers an area of 1.2 hectares. This tropical rainforest is a vast stretch of land with every bit of beauty combined with mountains, fiord, and lakes. Milford Sound is the most famous destination in the whole of this national park. It view is so spectacular that Rudyard Kipling tagged it as the “seven wonders” of the world.

Queenstown

Queenstown is a small yet stunning town in Otago, located in the south western part of New Zealand’s popular Southern Island. Queenstown is the birth place of adventurous sports like Bungee jumping, skiing and rafting to name a few.

Rotorua

Rotorua is in the Bay of Plenty region and is the “land of volcanoes”, hot water springs, medicinal mud and geothermal reserves. Famed for its reserves like Whakarewarewa, Waimangu and Waiotapu and also for trekking.

Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands in the Northland region consists of about 150 islands, extensively renowned for its marine life, popular among the lovers of beach, golf and fishermen. This island comes as a whole package of everything that a tourist looks for relaxation and refreshment.

Mt. Cook National Park

The other name of this national park is Aoraki, covering 70,696 hectares of land, located in the middle of Southern Alps. Mt. Cook all around the world is well known for its highest peaks and gigantic glaciers.

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