Built in 2004, the Krzywy Domek was ranked first in the list of the 50 strangest buildings of the world published by the Village of Joy portal.

The Kanmun village is about 235 km west from Aizawl, the capital city of the state of Mizoram.

Created by Sharavati River, this 830 feet high waterfall consists of four different falls named Raja, Roarer, Rocket and Rani. The river Sharavati is said to have been formed by a stroke of Rama’s arrow during the times of Ramayana. Shara means arrow in Sanskrit and Kannada languages. This falls can be seen at its full potential with plenty of water during the peak monsoon season when rains lash the region between the months of June and September. Before the monsoon season, the falls will be nearly unrecognizable since there will not be much water flowing in the river.

Before India got independence from the British, the Sharavati river acted as a boundary between the British India and the kingdom of Mysore ruled by the Wodeyars. Mysore kingdom was at an advanced state, thanks to the efforts of the great Engineer Sir M Vishveshwariah and his famous projects. The result was, in those days,

The British ruled area near the Jog Falls was in pitch dark while the area belonging to Mysore kingdom was illuminated like we had never seen

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A cruise in the backwaters of Kerala in one of these houseboats is a remarkable experience with the slow moving huge boats passing through the sleepy villages, green edges, coconut trees and the blue water. These houseboats are not only economical for transport purposes but also the manual mode boats are environment friendly and non-polluting. Long bamboo poles are used to propel the boats and are usually steered by two persons.

Unlike the houseboats in Kashmir which are usually stationary, the houseboats of Kerala are always on the move, transporting people – tourists, locals or transporting material. The hull of the Kerala house boats are made of wooden planks that are held together by ropes of coconut fiber. The roof is made of bamboo poles and palm leaves. The exterior of the boat is painted with protective coats of cashew nut oil.

The idol of Sun had a diamond which would reflect the rays of the morning sun. Hence the name Konark (Kon means Ray and Arc means Sun in Sanskrit).

The huge magnet is said to have been removed by British or the Portuguese during the colonial invasion of India.

This is one of those rare idols which contains all the three Trimurti Gods – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

In 1888, Vivekananda became a Parivrajaka — a wandering monk. His sole possessions were a Parivrajaka (water pot), staff, and his two favorite books — The Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ. He travelled the length and breadth of India for five years, visiting important centers of learning, acquainting himself with the diverse religious traditions and different patterns of social life. This Photograph was taken when Swami Vivekananda visited Jaipur as a wandering monk.

(Text Source: Wikipedia)

The most prominent features of the Bayon temple are over 216 huge gigantic stone faces which are said to represent the faces of the king Jayavarman VII himself. However, some claim that the faces actually represent the Bodhisattva of compassion called Avalokitesvara or Lokesvara. But others regard both the hypothesis to be true. According to Angkor scholar George Coedes, Jayavarman believed in the tradition of the Khmer monarchs identifying themselves with the God – King being the same as God – Buddha and the Bodhisattva, just like how the earlier Hindu Khmer kings identified themselves with the Hindu God.

The faces in the temple were subsequently altered later when Jayavarman VIII during whose time the Khmer Empire reverted back to Hinduism and the faces were altered to represent Hindu beliefs. Then again when Theravada Buddhism became the dominant religion, the faces were altered again accordingly. And then with the decline of the Khmer empire, the temple and the faces became abandoned inside deep jungles. The temple was rediscovered inside the deep forests of Angkor only in late 19th century.

Information Source: Wikipedia & UNESCO

The temple is built based on the early southern Indian Hindu architecture with features like Jagati. The Angkorvat temple is one of the key tourist attractions of Cambodia and also appears on the national flag of Cambodia.

The original name of Angkor Vat was Preah Pisnulok derived from Vara Vishnuloka in Sanskrit, which was a title given to the founder of this marvelous structure, Suryavarman II.

Source: Wikipedia