Basmati and Mustard fields - Jammu and Kashmir (India)

Jammu & Kashmir State is predominantly an agrarian economy with about 80% of its population engaged in agriculture and allied sectors. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is mainly comprises of three geographical regions, namely Jammu region, Kashmir region and Ladakh region lying north of the Indian Union comprise the extreme western part of the Himalayas. In Jammu region, the cultivation of rice extends from Jammu plains with an elevation of 200 m to the mid and high hills extending upto 2300 m altitude. In Kashmir valley the cultivation of rice extends from the area having altitude 1600m above the mean sea level to high hills 2300 m above msl. In Ladakh there is no cultivation of rice. Rice is grown only once in a year because of extreme climatic conditions. 

Cultivation of rice requires hot and moist climate. It is a Kharief crop and is sown in March-April and harvested in Autumn. Sufficient water must cover the fields. It is grown mostly in the valley of Kashmir at 2100 metres above sea level. 

Mustard, linseed, sesamum, toria, cottonseed are the chief varieties of oil-seeds. They require hot and moist climate. They are grown all over Kshmir province but the chief oil seed producing areas are Anantnag and Srinagar.

Jawahar Tunnel ( Banihal Tunnel ) - Jammu and Kashmir

Jawahar Tunnel or Banihal Tunnel has been operational since 22 December 1956. The length of tunnel is 2.85 km , its elevation is 2,194 m and it has one lane road in either direction. It is situated between Banihal and Qazigund on NH 1A . The tunnel facilitates round-the-year road connectivity from Srinagar to Jammu. After renovations, the tunnel now has a two-way ventilation system, pollution & temperature sensors, lighting system and with emergency phones for any assistance from Border Roads Organization. 

Bakarwal ( Bakharwal ) - Jammu and Kashmir

Bakarwal ( Bakharwal ) is a nomadic tribe based in the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountains of South Asia. They are mainly goatherds and shepherds. Bakarwals are spread throughout the northern part of the Himalayan Range. Bakarwals lead a lonely and tough life in the high-altitude meadows of the Himalayas and the Pir-Panjal. Every year, they take their sheep high into the mountains, above the tree-line to graze in the lush meadows. It may take them as many as sixty days to reach these meadows. During the summer, they move from one meadow to the other. They are accompanied by their dogs.

View from Srinagar Jammu National Highway 1A ( Jammu and Kashmir- India)

Srinagar Jammu National Highway 1A connects Srinagar (kashmir valley) with Jammu City. The distance between Jammu Tawi and Srinagar is 295 km.

View from Jammu Udhampur railway (Jammu and Kashmir, India)

The Kashmir Railway in India is being built to connect the state of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country. Officially termed the Jammu- Udhampur- Srinagar- Baramulla Railway Link, the railway line starts from Jammu and will travel for 345 km to Baramulla on the northwestern edge of the Kashmir Valley. The route crosses major earthquake zones, and is subjected to extreme temperatures of cold and heat and inhospitable terrain, making it an extremely challenging engineering project.

This project is, perhaps, the most difficult new railway line project undertaken on Indian subcontinent. The terrain passes through young Himalayas, which are full of geological surprises and numerous problems. This alignment requires construction of 62 important major bridges and minor bridges. The alignment also requires, interalia, construction of 35 no. of tunnels. 

To have a railway line connecting Udhampur to the Kashmir valley, the Chenab river need to be crossed. A mega bridge over river Chenab (1.315 km long) has been planned near Salal village. This bridge will have a steel main arch to cross the Chenab gorge and a viaduct with steel girders on concrete piers. The rail height from the river bed will be 359 mts. which will make it the tallest railway bridge in the world.

Indian village view from train - (Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh -India)

Indian Railways is an Indian state-owned enterprise, owned and operated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways.

Natural beauty of Konkan region through train journey (Karnataka,Goa,Maharashtra- India)

The Konkan Railway is a railway line which runs along the Konkan coast of India between Mumbai and Mangaluru. It was constructed and is operated by the Konkan Railway Corporation. It runs from Roha in Maharashtra till Thokur in Karnataka for a total distance of 741 km , along the west coast of India and Western Ghats

The Konkan Railway is one of  the most beautiful Train Routes in India. It  offers amazing natural beauty around the routes,which includes the majestic and magnificent Sahyadri mountain ranges, number of stunning curves, rivers  and bridges.

Kakkadampoyil (Malappuram, Kerala, India)

Kakkadampoyil - This rural settlement is about 24km from the Nilambur town and 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the city of Calicut (Kozhikode). There are many indigenous tribal groups in this area. It is set high on the Western Ghats, with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 m. Kakkadampoyil stands on the Western top of the Western Ghats with dense forest, and deep valleys. The Cherupuzha  is one of the important tributaries of Chaliyar River.

Places of Interest near Kakkadampoyil

Aripara Falls

Aripara Falls (alternate spelling: Arippara Falls) is a tourist spot in Anakkampoyil near Thiruvambady Town in Kozhikode district, Kerala. It is located on the Thiruvambady - Anakkampoyil route, 15 km from Thiruvambadi. The waterfall is a tributary of Iruvanjippuzha. 

Thusharagiri 

Thusharagiri is 48 km from Kozhikode and is one of the recently identified tourist centres. The waterfalls and streams amidst the hilly regions are really a feast to the eyes. Two streams originating from the Western Ghats meet here to form the Chalippuzha River. The river diverges into three waterfalls creating a snowy spray, which gives the name, 'Thusharagiri'. The word Thusharagiri means the snow capped mountain. Of the three, the highest waterfall is the Thenpara that falls from an altitude of 75 metres. The nearest town Kodencherry is around 11 kilometres  from Thusharagiri. The other main towns situated here are Thiruvambady which is 18 km away and Thamarassery which is 17 km away. One has to purchase all necessary things for trekking from here.

Nilambur

Nilambur is a municipality and a taluk in the Malappuram district of Kerala, South India. It is famous for its forests, especially its wildlife habitats, rivers, waterfalls and teak plantations. It is situated close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. It is about 40 kilometres from Malappuram city and 24 kilometres from Manjeri on the Kozhikode–Ooty road. Nilambur is also an Assembly Constituency.
Nilambur is also home to the oldest teak plantation in the world, called Conolly's Plot. It is claimed that the world's tallest or biggest teak tree is in the Nilambur Teak Preserve. Nilambur is also famous for its bamboos. The name "Nilambur" means 'Place of Nilimba' . This region is suitable for planting teak and grows well here. Teak grown here is having good quality and hence Nilambur Teak has good demand all over the world.