Things to see and do at Mori - 2

To get the most out of the valley, you have the option of pitching your own tent or putting up at an organized campsite on the sandy banks of the Tons River. The day begins with a wake-up call from the birds and the surreal sight of the entire valley bathed in the quiet of the first rays of the sun. The day brings options of rafting, cycling, trekking or simply lazing around by the riverside under the shade of the tallest pine tree in Asia. For people who like walking down the historical lane, a visit to the ancient temple built by the Pandavas is a must. The Tons Valley also boasts of the only Indian temple dedicated to Duryodhana.

If you are not the active type, you would still be persuaded to do the walk to Lunagad Creek. From the Aquaterra ventures campsite, it's just 30 minutes away, through a narrow gorge, fragrant pine forests and Gujjar huts, and at the end of it, there's a clear blue pool with a small waterfall. Just like in the movies - only, here you can be almost sure there are no prying eyes.

To-do trail:

The Tons Valley is a base for treks to Kedar Kantha, the gorgeous Har-ki-Dun Valley and the pristine, remote Ruinsara Tal. You could also trek to Kinnaur and on to the Yamuna and Bhagirathi water-sheds. Plus there are several trails suitable for mountain hiking.

There is also lots of trout in the Tons, but you need special permits from the office of the DFO at Purola if you plan to fishing in the river.

Rafting or kayaking down the river is highly recommended at Mori. If you do not have your own equipment, the camps here will arrange it. But be ready for some hard paddling - the crazy rapids do not allow for time to soak in the sights.

Warning: Check the boat before you step into it and make sure there are lifeboats on board. This stretch of the Ions River is not for unescorted beginners, so venture in only with professional guides.

Jaunsar ka raja:

The people of the Jaunsar-Bawar region venerate Duryodhana, the arch enemy of the Pandavas. Legend has it that the Kaurava king, travelling through Kashmir and Kullu, arrived in Hanol, where he was mesmerized by the natural beauty of Jaunsar. He decided this was just the place for him and so appealed to Lord Mahasu - the reigning deity in the area - for a boon.

Duryodhana wanted a piece of land in the lap of the Himalaya. Mahasu bestowed upon him this Jaunsar region, instructing him to look after the people carefully. Inhabitants of Har-ki-Dun believe that the great monarch's spirit still lingers in his beloved realm.

No surprise then that most of the Jaunsari villages have beautifully carved wooden temples to Duryodhana. However, the village of Jakhol occupies pride of place in this remarkable belt. It has the only Duryodhana temple which boasts an actual idol of the lord.

What is in it for kids:

The Tons Valley comes with an excitement guaranteed tag for children. They a can attempt rock-climbing, rappelling, even river-rafting, or choose from cricket, nature walks and birdwatching.

Related Links :

01. Museums and Art Gallaries of India : A Survey - 1
02. Museums of Jammu and Kashmir : Sri Pratap Singh Museum Srinagar - 2
03. Art Gallery Jammu :Dogra Art Gallery - 3
04. Himachal Pradesh : The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives Dharmshala - 4
05. Himachal Pradesh : Bhuri Singh Museum, Shimla - 5
06. Shimla State Museum - 6
07. The Nicholas Roerich Gallery, Shimla - 7
08. Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Summerhil, Shimla - 8
09. Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum, Naggar - 9
10. Punjab and Haryana : Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum, Amritsar - 10
11. Government Museum and Art Callery, Chandigarh - 11
12. The Chandigarh Architecture Museum - 12
13. The Natural History Museum, Chandigarh - 13
14. Anglo Sikh War Memorial Ferozeshah - 14
15. Art Gallery, Patiala - 15
16. Sanghol Museum, Chandigarh - 16
17. New Delhi : The National Museum - 17
18. The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi - 18
19. The Rail Museum - 19
20. The Nehru Memorial Museum, New Delhi - 20
21. The Gandhi Memorial Museum (Rajghat) and the Gandhi Smriti Museum (Tees January Marg) - 21
22. Tibet House Museum, New Delhi - 22
23. The Archaeological Museum at the Red Fort, New Delhi - 23
24. International Dolls Museum, New Delhi - 24
25. The Crafts Museum at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi - 25
26. Museum of Natural History, New Delhi - 26
27. Allahabad Museum, Uttar Pradesh - 27
28. Sarnath Archaeological Museum, Varansi, Uttar Pradesh - 28
29. Government Museum Mathura, Uttar Pradesh - 29
30. Bharat Kala Bhawan, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh - 30
31. Lucknow State Museum - 31
32. Rajasthan Government Museum, Ajmer, Rajasthan - 32
33. Government Museum, Alwar, Rajasthan - 33
34. Archaeological Museum, Ajmer, Rajasthan - 34
35. Virat Nagar Museum, Bairat - 35
36. Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum, Bikaner - 36
37. Government Museum, Bharatpur - 37
38. Fort Museum, Bikaner - 38
39. Fateh Prakash Palace Museum, Chittorgarh - 39
40. The Maharaj Sawai Madho Singh Museum, Jaipur - 40
41. Government Central Museum, Jaipur - 41
42. Juneja Art Gallery, Jaipur - 42
43. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh (II) Museum, Jaipur (1) - 43
44. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh (II) Museum, Jaipur (2) - 44
45. Museum of Indology, Jaipur - 45
46. Hawa Mahal Museum, Jaipur - 46
47. Folklore Museum, Jaisalmer - 47
48. Government Museum, Jaisalmer - 48
49. Government Museum, Jhalawar - 49
50. Government Museum, Jodhpur - 50
51. Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum, Jodhpur - 51
52. Government Museum, Kota - 52
53. Mehrangarh Fort Museum, Jodhpur - 53
54. City Palace Museum, Udaipur - 54
55. Shilp Gram, Udaipur - 55
56. Bhartiya Lok Kala Museum, Udaipur - 56
57. Calico Museum of Textile, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (1) - 57
58. Calico Museum of Textile, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (2) - 58
59. Archaeological Museum, Lothal - 59
60. Utensil Museum, Ahmedabad - 60
61. Vadodara Museum and Picture Gallery - 61
62. Government Archaeological Museum, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh - 62
63. The Gujari Mahal Museum, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh - 63
64. Central Museum, Indore, Madhya Pradesh - 64
65. Sarod Ghar, Gwalior - 65
66. Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, Maharashtra - 66
67. National Gallery of Modern art, Mumbai - 67
68. Chhaptrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya, Mumbai - 68
69. Mani Bhawan Gandhi Sangralaya, Mumbai - 69
70. Bhau Daji Lad Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum), Mumbai - 70
71. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Mumbai - 71
72. Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, Pune - 72
73. Sculpture Gallery, Goa - 73
74. Christian Art Gallery, Goa - 74
75. Banerji Art Gallery, Goa - 75
76. Religious Expression Gallery - 76
77. Cultural Anthropology Gallery, Goa - 77
78. Contemporary Art Gallery and Western Bronze Gallery, Goa - 78
79. Jalan Museum, Patna, Bihar - 79
80. Nalanda Archaeological Museum - 80
81. Patna Museum - 81
82. Assam State Museum, Gauhati - 82
83. Indian Museum, Kolkata, West Bengal - 83
84. Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art, Kolkata - 84
85. Victoria Memorial Museum, Kolkata - 85
86. Bangiya Sahita Parishad Chitrasala, Kolkata - 86
87. Birla Academy of Art and Culture Museum, Kolkata - 87
88. Crafts Museum, Kolkata - 88
89. Nehru Children’s Museum, Kolkata - 89
90. Rabindra Bharati Museum, Kolkata - 90
91. Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, Kolkata - 91
92. Asiatic Society Museum, Kolkata - 92
93. Kolkata Panorama at Town Hall - 93
94. Orissa State Museum, Bhubaneshwar - 94
95. Archaeological Museum, Konark - 95
96. Archaeological Museum, Amaravathi - 96
97. Bhagavan Mahavir Government Museum, Cuddapah - 97
98. Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad - 98
99. State Archaeological Museum, Hyderabad - 99
100. Kolanupaka Site Museum - 100
101. Nagarjunakonda Museum - 101
102. Victoria Jubilee Regional Museum, Vijaywada - 102
103. Sri Venketeswara Museum, Tirupati, Chittoor - 103
104. Archaeological Museum Badami and Aihole, Karnataka - 104
105. Archaeological Museum Halebid - 105
106. Karnataka Government Museum and Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore - 106
107. Technical Museum (Vishweshwaraiah Museum), Bangalore - 107
108. Gandhi Bhavan, (Kumara Krupa Road), Bangalore - 108
109. Hal Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum, Bangalore - 109
110. Archaeological Museum, Bijapur - 110
111. The Tipu Sultan Museum - 111
112. The Government Museum Ooty, Tamil Nadu - 112
113. The Government Museum, Vellore - 113
114. Silappathikara Art Gallery - 114
115. Government State Museum, Chennai - 115
116. Fort St. George Museum, Chennai - 116
117. Dakshinachitra, Chennai - 117
118. Sri Meenakshi Sundaresvara Temple Museum, Madurai - 118
119. Palace and Museum, Padmanabhapuram - 119
120. Pondicherry Museum - 120
121. The Government Museum, Padukkottai - 121
122. The Government Museum, Salem - 122
123. Hill Palace Museum, Kerala - 123
124. Priyadarshini Planetarium - 124
125. Science and Technology Museum - 125
126. Art Gallery and Krishna Menon Musuem, Calicut - 126
127. Kuthiramalika Palace Museum, Thiruvananthapuram - 127
128. Museum of Kerala History, Erunakulam - 128
129. Napier Museum, Thiruvananthapuram - 129
130. Sree Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram - 130
131. Anthropological Museum at Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 131
132. Samudrika (National Marine Museum) - 132
133. Forest Museum at Andman and Nicobar Island - 133
134. The Hills of Lansdowne : A Honeymoon Resort - 1
135. Things to see and do at Lansdowne : A Honeymoon Resort - 2
136. Where to stay and eat at Lansdowne : A Honeymoon Resort - 3
137. Pauri : An impressive welcome for Honeymoon Lovers - 1
138. Things to see and do at Pauri : A Honeymoon Place - 2
139. Where to stay and eat, Tourist Offices at Pauri : Honeymoon Place - 3
140. Auli : It is time to Ski - 1
141. Things to see and do at Auli - 2
142. Where to stay at Auli - 3
143. Where to eat at Auli - 4
144. Holidays in Chamba : The dominion of clouds - 1
145. Things to see and do at Chamba - 2
146. Where to stay and eat at Chamba - 3
147. Mori : Chill by the river - 1

Adventure India : Reppelling and Paragliding - 8

Guys just take a look on some Indian adventurous sports.

RAPPELLING :

Rappelling or abseiling (to rope down) is the process of descending a rope under control, used in rock climbing, mountaineering, caving and canyoneering; used to descend cliffs or slopes too steep to walk down.

A much safer adventure sport than mountain climbing. Anyone with normal fitness levels can participate in this activity. Though it sounds scary being a free fall where the rope hangs free not touching rocks or walls, the sport is not dangerous. It must, of course, be done under supervision. It is said, if you can walk, you can rappel too. Karnataka, HP and Uttaranchal offer some interesting sites.

Best Time : Mid May to Mid October

PARAGLIDING:

Paragliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport. A paraglider is a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing, whose shape is formed by the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing.

Famous for glaciers and snowcapped mountains and winter festival, Solang Valley and Deori Ghat provide just the right kind of slopes for paragliding during summer.

A combination of hang gliding and parachuting, India has immense paragliding possibilities with the Himalayas in the north and the Sahayadri ranges on the west coast. These sites have conditions for both ridge, thermal soaring, and ideal cross country routes almost all the year round, except during the monsoons. Distance world records have been set at international competitions held in India.

The gigantic Dhauladhar range extending for about 160 kms and rising to a height of approximately 4000 metres from the Kangra valley, provides an excellent launching pad for the thrilling sports or para and hang gliding.

Best Time : June to August

Following are the most famous paragliding sites in India:

01. Towerl Hill

Site Name: Tower Hill, Kamshet
Site Location: Tower hill is near Kamshet on Mumbai Pune highway.
(Tower hill paragliding site on google earth)
Height From Ground Level: 750 feet
Height From Sea Level: 2900 feet
Facing Towards: East
Approx Slope: 60 degrees to 80 degrees
Take-Off Point: Huge flat and less-slopy takeoff area
Landing Area: Agriculture and non argiculture plain fields. Lookout for electricity cables at two places.
Flying Season: October to February

Description: One of the best sites for paragliding in India. Huge take-off area and hours of ridge soaring will make your day. Good for east, north-east-east, and south-east-east winds. Please remember that winds conditions at the bottom of the hill be little different than the top of the hill. You can gain heights of upto 2000 feet from ground level.

02. Shelar Hill

Site Name: Shelar Hill
Site Location: 8 kms from Kamshet on Mumbai Pune highway (Shelar hill paragliding site on google earth)
Height From Ground Level: 270 feet
Height From Sea Level: 2600 feet
Facing Towards: West
Approx Slope: Slope below the takeoff is around 45 degrees. Slope above takeoff is around 85 degrees.
Take-Off Point: Not very big, but comfortable. Watch for a big rock on your left, while launching.
Landing Area: Plain agriculture fields.
Flying Season: February to May

Description: Very good flight site. Takeoff is not from the top of the hill, its only from at the height of 270 feets. But after takeoff you can use the ridge at your backside which has a slope of around 85 degrees. Very good site for soaring in west or north-west wind conditions.

03. Kanifnath

Site Name: Kanifnath (Kaneefnaath)
Site Location: 22 kms from Pune on Sholapur road. Near Hadapsar. (Kanifnath paragliding site on google earth)
Height From Ground Level: 1,000 feet.
Facing Towards: East and North East (two ridges)
Approx Slope: 65 degrees to 80 degrees.
Take-Off Point: Good take-off area
Landing Area: Open agriculture and non-agriculture plain fields.
Flying Season: October to February

Description: Site is good for ridge and thermal soaring. It is good for east and north east wind conditions. Thermal starts at around 10:30 AM and lasts till late evening. Some people have attemplted cross country flights from here and were successful. Some people even do paramotoring from kanifnath to Hadapsar Flying Club.

04. Pavna

Site Name: Pavna, Near Pavna Dam
Site Location: Pavna dam, near Kamshet on Mumbai Pune highway. (Pavna lake paragliding site on google earth)
Height From Ground Level: 300 feet
Facing Towards: West
Approx Slope: 30 degrees to 60 degrees
Take-Off Point: Big and easy takeoffs
Landing Area: Landing area is little away from the hill. Don't try to land near the hill as it has some fencing. Also lookout for electric poles at the left most point.
Flying Season: February to May

Description: This site is recently discovered by Temple Pilots club. Take off is easy. Avoid a galli on your left while taking off. If you are sinking much, head straight for landing, don't try much or you may end up landing in some fences.

Related Links :

01. Adventure Sports : Active India - The Real Adventure - 1
02. Adventure India : Land of Snow - 2
03. Adventure India : Rock Climbing - 3
04. Adventure India : Mountaineering - 4
05. Adventure India : Climbing Precautions in India - 5
06. Adventure India : Hang Gliding - 6
07. Adventure India : Mountain Biking - 7