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Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
The Nanda Devi National Park or Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, established in 1982 is a List of national parks of India, national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7816 m) in Chamoli district, Chamoli Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, in northern India. The entire park lies at an elevation of more than above mean sea level. The national park was inscribed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. It was later expanded and renamed as Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks in 2005. Within the park lies the ''Nanda Devi Sanctuary'', a glacial basin surrounded by a ring of peaks between and high, and drained by the Rishi Ganga through the Rishi Ganga Gorge, a steep, almost impassable, defile (geography), defile. The national park is embedded in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves in Asia and the Pacific#India, ''Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve'', which, in turn, is encompassed in the [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chamoli District
Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by China's Xizang Autonomous Region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh district, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar district, Bageshwar to the east, Almora district, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal district, Pauri Garhwal to the southwest, Rudraprayag district, Rudraprayag to the west, and Uttarkashi district, Uttarkashi to the northwest. The administrative headquarters of Chamoli district is in Gopeshwar. Chamoli hosts a variety of destinations of pilgrim and tourist interest including Badrinath, Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib, Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers National Park, Valley of Flowers. The Chipko movement was first started in Chamoli. Etymology The name "Chamoli" is derived from the Sanskrit word which stands for "One who wears the moon on his head" denoting the Hindu god Shiva. History The region covered by the district of Chamoli formed part of the Pauri Garhwal d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Survey Of India
The Survey of India is India's central engineering agency in charge of mapping and surveying.On 250th birthday, Survey of India wants to shed its cloak of secrecy , . Set up in 1767St. Peter Church Allahabad . to help consolidate the territories of the |
Himalayan Black Bear
The Himalayan black bear (''Ursus thibetanus laniger'') is a subspecies of the Asian black bear. It is distinguished from '' U. t. thibetanus'' by its longer, thicker fur and smaller, whiter chest mark. The species is considered an ecological indicator and a keystone species of the environment. The species plays a vital role as a primary seed disperser in maintaining the stability of the ecosystem. On average, they measure from nose to tail and weigh from , though they may weigh as much as in the fall, when they are fattening up for hibernation. The Himalayan black bear is typically nocturnal and elusive, although it has been observed during the day. It hibernates throughout the winter in the northwestern Himalayas, while it is usually active during the entire year in the eastern Himalayas. Distribution and habitat The species' fossilized remains were discovered in Germany and France, but currently, it only exists in Asia, mainly confined in the Himalayas of India, Bhutan, Nep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia'') is a species of large cat in the genus ''Panthera'' of the family Felidae. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and is expected to decline about 10% by 2040. It is mainly threatened by poaching and habitat destruction following infrastructural developments. It inhabits alpine and subalpine zones at elevations of , ranging from eastern Afghanistan, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China. In the northern part of its range, it also lives at lower elevations. Taxonomically, the snow leopard was long classified in the monotypic genus ''Uncia''. Since phylogenetic studies revealed the relationships among ''Panthera'' species, it has since been considered a member of that genus. Two subspecies were described based on morpho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Himalayan Goral
The Himalayan goral (''Naemorhedus goral'') or the gray goral, is a bovid species native to the Himalayas. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because the population is thought to be declining significantly due to habitat loss and hunting for meat. Characteristics The Himalayan goral is in length and weighs . It has a gray or gray-brown coat with tan legs, lighter patches on its throat, and a single dark stripe along its spine. Males have short manes on their necks. Both males and females have backward-curving horns which can grow up to in length. In addition to certain peculiarities in the form of the skull, gorals are chiefly distinguished from the closely related serows in that they do not possess preorbital glands below their eyes, nor corresponding depressions in their skulls. Distribution and habitat The Himalayan goral occurs in the Himalayas from Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, southern Tibet, and the states of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in India to possibl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Himalayan Tahr
The Himalayan tahr (''Hemitragus jemlahicus'') is a large even-toed ungulate native to the Himalayas in southern Tibet, northern India, western Bhutan and Nepal. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, as the population is declining due to hunting and habitat loss. The Himalayan tahr has been introduced to Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. Taxonomy and phylogeny Tahr belong to the subfamily Caprinae in the order Artiodactyla. Their closest relatives in the subfamily Caprinae are sheep and goats. A subspecies, the Eastern Himalayan tahr or shapi, was described in 1944. This classification is not considered valid anymore, and no subspecies are currently recognized. A recent phylogenetic analysis indicates that the genus ''Hemitragus'' is monospecific, and that the Himalayan tahr is a wild goat. Etymology The word "tahr," first used in English writings in 1835, is derived from the animal's local name in the Western Himalayas, which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mainland Serow
The mainland serow (''Capricornis sumatraensis'') is a species of serow native to the Himalayas, Southeast Asia and China. The mainland serow is related closely to the red serow. Taxonomy In 1831, Brian Houghton Hodgson first described a goat-like animal with short annulated horns occurring in montane regions between the Sutlej and Teesta Rivers under the name "Bubaline Antelope". As "Bubaline" was preoccupied, he gave it the scientific name ''Antelope thar'' a few months later. When William Ogilby described the genus '' Capricornis'' in 1838, he determined the Himalayan serow as type species of this genus. Teeth from ''C. sumatraensis'' were found in a dig from Khok Sung, estimated to originate from the Middle Pleistocene. Characteristics The mainland serow possesses guard hairs on its coat that are bristly or coarse and cover the layer of fur closest to its skin to varying degrees. The animal has a mane that runs from the horns to the middle of the dorsal aspect of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Himalayan Musk Deer
The white-bellied musk deer or Himalayan musk deer (''Moschus leucogaster'') is a musk deer species occurring in the Himalayas of Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and China. It is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List because of overexploitation resulting in a probable serious population decline. It was previously considered a subspecies of the Alpine musk deer, but was separated on the basis of different skull proportions. Characteristics White-bellied musk deer are very well adapted for high altitudes; they demonstrate such adaptations as well-developed dew claws, broad toes that provide increased stability on steep slopes, and a dense coat of coarse hairs with air-filled cells to insulate against the extreme temperature.Ultimate Ungulate (May, 2010)http://www.ultimateungulate.com/cetartiodactyla/moschidae.html. While they lack antlers, a trait notable among all musk deer, they do possess a pair of enlarged and easily broken canines that grow continuously. The maximum lengt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trisul
Trisul is a group of three Himalayan mountain peaks of western Kumaun, Uttarakhand, with the highest (Trisul I) reaching 7120m. The three peaks resemble a trident - in Sanskrit, Trishula, trident, is the weapon of Shiva. The Trishul group forms the southwest corner of the ring of peaks enclosing the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, about west-southwest of Nanda Devi itself. The main peak, Trisul I, was the first peak over to have ever been climbed, in 1907. Description of the massif and neighbouring peaks The three peaks are named Trisul I, Trisul II, and Trisul III. The massif is a north-south ridge, with Trisul I at the north end and Trisul III at the south. The massif runs roughly North-South, and hence appears compressed when viewed from the south (Ranikhet, Kausani), and more stretched out from the Southeast (Chamoli, Bedini Bugyal). Nanda Ghunti lies a few Kilometres to the northwest, while Mrigthuni is just to the southeast. Climbing history Trisul I T. G. Longstaff made ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom George Longstaff
Tom George Longstaff (15 January 1875 – 26 June 1964) was an English medical doctor, explorer and mountaineer, most famous for being the first person to climb a summit of over 7,000 metres in elevation, Trisul, in the India/Pakistan Himalayas in 1907. Reprinted 1987 by Diadem Books, He also made important explorations and climbs in Tibet, Nepal, the Karakoram, Spitsbergen, Greenland, and Baffin Island. He was a founding member of The Alpine Ski Club in 1908 and the Himalayan Club (1929), was elected as an Honorary Member of the Climbers Club in 1932 and was its President from 1933–1935 and was president of the (British) Alpine Club from 1947 to 1949. Early life Longstaff was the eldest son of Lt-Col. Llewellyn W. Longstaff OBE of Wimbledon, the first and most generous supporter of Captain Scott's National Antarctic Expedition. His brother was Frederick Longstaff and Katherine his sister married Felix Wedgwood, the author and mountaineer who was killed in action duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Changabang
Changabang is a mountain in the Garhwal Division, Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India. It is part of a group of peaks that form the northeast wall of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. It is a particularly steep and rocky peak, and all routes on it are serious undertakings. It has been the site of many significant climbs. It does not have a high topographic prominence, being slightly lower than its near neighbour Kalanka to the east, and lower than many other peaks in the immediate vicinity, but its steep rocky profile has made it a more attractive destination than its elevation would indicate. Changabang loosely translated means "shining mountain" in Hindi. Climbing ;First ascent Changabang was first climbed on 4 June 1974 by an expedition led by Lt. Col Balwant Sandhu and Chris Bonington, via the Southeast Face, leading to the East Ridge. This is the easiest route on the mountain, and one of the few that is primarily a snow/ice climb, as opposed to a rock climbing, rock climb with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dunagiri (mountain)
Dunagiri (7,066 m) is one of the high peaks of the Chamoli District Himalayas in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It lies at the northwest corner of the Sanctuary Wall, a ring of peaks surrounding Nanda Devi and enclosing the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. In Hindu mythology According to ''Ramayana'', Sanjeevani is a magical herb that has the power to cure serious nervous system problems. It was believed that medicines prepared from this herb could revive someone when death was almost certain. The herb is mentioned in the ''Ramayana'' when Ravana's son Indrajit (Meghnada) hurls a powerful weapon at Lakshmana. Lakshmana is badly wounded and is nearly killed. Hanuman was called upon to fetch this herb from Mount Dronagiri (Mahodaya) or the Gandhamardhan hills, far to the north of the Vindhyas on the slopes of the Himalayas. The mountain of herbs is identified as the Valley of Flowers near Badri in Uttarakhand on the slopes of the Himalayas. It is sometimes called Gandhamardan, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
