Nilgiri Mountain Railway

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  The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the site then became known as "Mountain Railways of India." After it satisfied the necessary criteria, thus forcing abandonment of the modernisation plans. For the past several years diesel locomotives have taken over from steam on the section between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam. Local people and tourists have led a demand for steam locos to once again haul this section.

The famous Hindi song Chaiyya Chaiyya from the film "Dil Se" featuring Shahrukh Khan was shot on the roof top of NMR.

As of 2007, there is one train a day over the rack section, which starts from Mettupalayam at 07:10 and reaches Ooty at noon. The return train starts from Ooty at 14:00, and reaches Mettupalayam at 17:35. The train is scheduled to connect to the Nilgiri Express, which travels from Mettupalayam to Chennai via Coimbatore. A summer special service is also run during the months of April and May, starting from Mettupalayam at 09:30 and from Ooty at 12:15. Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam, there are four daily trains each way. 

The 'Nilagiri Passenger' train covers a distance of 26 mi (41.8 km), travels through 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and 250 bridges. The uphill journey takes around 290 minutes (4.8 hours), and the downhill journey takes 215 minutes (3.6 hours) It has the steepest track in Asia with a maximum gradient of 8.33%.

Nako, Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India

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* Nako is a small village in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India.

* It lies in the sensitive restricted zone along the border with Tibet, which requires an Inner Line Permit to travel through.

* That, coupled with its remote location and limited tourist infrastructure, makes it a little-visited but rewarding destination.

* It used to be prohibited to stay overnight anywhere within the restricted zone, but this is no longer the case, provided you have a valid permit.

* If you've just crossed the landslide from Spiti Valley, ask around at Malling Nullah for a bus or car that can take you to Nako (45 min), or catch a Reckong Peo-bound bus that can drop you at the turn off to Nako and advise you on a connecting ride.

* The area is known for its lake, Nako Lake which forms part of the border of the village.

* Picturesque Nako has paddy fields and the houses are traditional mud houses with flat roofs and the entire village is built around a lake.

* Early in the morning is the most scenic — if the water is still you get a beautiful reflection of the village and mountains in the lake.

* In winters it complete freeze out and some locals enjoy doing Ice Skating here.

* Nako Monastery is located in the village as well as several other Buddhist temples.

* The monastery at Nako with murals dating back to the 11th century is one of the important repositories of the ancient tradition of paintings in India.

* Nako also boasts of Saint Padmasambhavas (Guru Rinboche) footprints.

* Located high on a hillside (about 3600m above sea level), it receives tourists during the summer months.

* It is also called as the gateway to Buddhist pilgrimage and leads to Tashigang and Somang monasteries and a few mythical places.

Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

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is one of the largest forts in India.

The fort is situated 400 feet (122 m) above the city and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces known for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards. A winding road leads to and from the city below. The imprints of cannonball hits by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. To the left of the fort is the chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot defending the Mehrangarh fort.

There are seven gates, which include Jayapol (meaning 'victory'), built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol (also meaning 'victory') gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of the Mughals. The palm imprints upon these still attract much attention even today.

The museum in the Mehrangarh fort is one of the most well-stocked museums in Rajasthan. In one section of the fort museum there is a selection of old royal palanquins, including the elaborate domed gilt Mahadol palanquin which was won in a battle from the Governor of Gujarat in 1730. The museum exhibits the heritage of the Rathores in arms, costumes, paintings and decorated period rooms.

Mehrangarh Fort is also a favorite spot for Bollywood and Hollywood movies. Filming of the last installment of the Christopher Nolan directed Batman movie trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises(the fort can be seen in the background when Wayne escapes from the dungeon), began on 6 May 2011, at Mehrangarh Fort.

"Megalithic Dolmens", Marayur, Idukki District, Kerala, India

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* Marayur or Marayoor is a place in Kerala state, South India.

* 42 kilometers north of Munnar through the Udumalppetta route, Marayur is the only place in Kerala that has natural sandalwood forests.

* Ancient dolmens and rock paintings in Marayur date back to the Stone Age. 

* Also called Muniyaras, these dolmens belong to the Iron Age.

* The most probable meaning of the place name is the Uru (Village) of Maravars.

* A tribe lived in this area during the turn of Christian Era, who used to attack travelers for looting, hiding in the forest.

* There are various meaning of this word like 'People who hide', “the land of the mountains”, "land hidden by the mountains".

* Legend has it the great Pandavas of Mahabharata epic, had stayed in the area during their exile and so the place was named as ‘Maranjirunna ur’ or the land (they) hide. Later it became the land’s name “Marayur.

* Marayur claims to be a part of a Stone Age civilization that is as old as 10,000 B.C.

* Its is also home to a later period of large-scale dolmen-building.

* The land and its unique dolmens, caves, rock edicts and engravings declare its rich heritage.

* People migrated from Tamil Nadu to this area when the Madurai king Thirumalainaicker was defeated by Tippu Sultan, in the eighteenth century CE.

* Migrated people created five villages which are Kanthalloor, Keezhanthur, Karayur, Marayur and Kottakudi.

* These villages were called as ‘Anju nadu, literally meaning “five lands”.
* However these place names are very old and aboriginal tribes still live in these villages, with their unique customs.