All About World Heritage Sites
Make traveling more meaningful
Made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, the Ghats have become increasingly vulnerable to serious ecological damage, threatening the sustenance of their people…
Source: Ecological ruin of Western Ghats likely behind flood fury in Kerala
Perhaps it’s time to update that travel bucket list with the best flower fields across the globe. Frolic away!
Source: 10 Eye-Popping Flower Fields You’ll Want To See In This Lifetime
The following are 10 of India’s greatest natural wonders, but visit now; with an evolving world climate, some of these sites may not exist for too long.
Source: Natural Wonders in India for Your World Travel Bucketlist
In a big triumph to the attempts to defend UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change…
Source: Forest ministry banishes construction and excavation in Western Ghats
The ministry prepared its notification after coming under fire from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for not finalising the ESA in the region.
Source: ESA tag on 57,000 sq km of Western Ghats in new draft notification
Explore Maharashtra’s famous Kaas Plateau and celebrate the festival of flowers. Know about how to plan a trip, best time to visit, things to do and essentials to carry on your tour.
Source: Relish the colourful hues of Maharashtra’s Kaas Plateau
Best places for holidaying in India during October. Popular things to do, different ways to celebrate festivals, top things to do during your trip in India.
Source: Best 20 Places to Visit in India in October | Holidays 2018
Maharashtra is a unique state of India which has so much under its wrap for world traveler. Read article to know more about this region and get some travel inspiration. These lesser known facts wil…
Source: Top 12 Unique & Travel inspiring Facts On Maharashtra For First Time Traveler
It figures in Lonely Planet’s collection of 10 of the best destinations in Asia.
Source: Western Ghats bags fourth best tourist spot in Lonely Planet’s best Asia destinations list
Read all about the highest and longest mountain ranges in India and find out about the Western Ghats, Vindhya Range, etc.
Being a part of nature, mountain ranges have equally contributed to the development of nature and the evolution of several species in the world. They have always been behind the abundant biodiversity in a country. Ever thought of visiting the highest and longest mountain ranges in India which have been standing strong and rich for thousands of years?
If not, here is your chance to know everything about these gigantic mountain ranges in India which showcase the flourished vegetation and prospered state of the country. Read on to learn about the exciting features of these ranges, eventually compelling you to plan a trip.
1) Himalayan Range
A cross-border range in Asia spread across the countries of Nepal, India, Bhutan, China and Pakistan, the Himalayan range is formed by the upliftment of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks under the effect of the geological process of subduction.
Source: Top 5 Mountain Ranges In India Which Are Way Beyond Comprehension
Once a bed of colourful flora, the famous Kaas plateau in Maharashtra is now witnessing less blooms, worrying officials, tourists and nature lovers alike. The plateau, recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a heritage site in 2012, is home to around 350 flowering plants, including some rare and endemic species.
With the flowering already going down, a couple of fire incidents last month in the area, causing a damage to the flora at the site in Satara district, has now set off alarm bells for the administration. The state government has thus decided to take up a slew of measures, like better guarding of the place and inviting researchers to study why this picturesque site in the Western Ghats is losing its blooms, which were a big tourist attraction. According to forest officials, human negligence, possibly lit cigarettes, could have caused the twin fires that gutted a portion of the world-famous plateau recently.
“The forest department, along with a joint management committee of forest officials and local villagers-turned-volunteers, has now decided to take certain safety measures to avoid incidents which could endanger the flora of the Kaas plateau,” the range forest officer, Sachin Dombale, said.
I love rains and the smell of wet earth but not when the sun is about to set and I am 45 km away from my destination, caught in a traffic jam. A heavy downpour set me back by three hours on a Friday evening and I dreaded driving up the ghat section to reach Banasura in north Wayanad. Most tourists stop at the southern tip — Lakkidi, the gateway to Wayanad — or at Vythiri, another eight km away on NH 212.
But I am in north Kerala to explore a non-touristy part of Wayanad.
Satara gets its name from the seven hills which surround the city. The city was established in the 16th century, and was the capital city of Chhatrapati Shahu who was the Raja of Satara. Looking at its wide history, the place was ruled by many dynasties and eventually fell into the hands of the British. The city is the base of the well-known tourist spots of Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kaas Plateau.
How To Reach & Best Time To Visit
Best Time To Visit: Satara is a year around destination; however, the monsoon months and the winter months are considered as the best time to visit the town. How To Reach Satara By Air: The nearest airport is the Pune Airport which is located at a distance of 100 km from here.
Kaas plateau is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Maharashtra. A UNESCO World Heritage site in Maharashtra, Kaas is known for its colorful wild flowers that make a wonderful sight. But do you know what’s the best time to visit Kaas plateau?
Known as the Valley of Flowers of Maharashtra, Kaas plateau in Satara is one of the most scenic places to visit in the state. It makes for an amazing getaway for people living in cities like Mumbai and Pune. Located near the popular hill station of Mahabaleshwar, the Kaas plateau, or Kaas pathar as it is called in Marathi, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The rains make the flowers bloom and the breathtaking landscape of the plateau comes to life making Kaas a popular attraction.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a biodiversity hotspot, the Western Ghats ecoregion is a storehouse of natural treasures found nowhere else in the world.
The Western Ghats is a mountain range running parallel to peninsular India’s western coast. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a biodiversity hotspot, the Western Ghats ecoregion is a storehouse of natural treasures found nowhere else in the world. The Western Ghats separates the eastern Konkan coastal region of India from the Deccan Plateau. 39 protected areas including national parks, reserve forests, and wildlife sanctuaries are present in the region
The Western Ghats is not only a biodiversity hotspot but also one of the “hottest” of its class because of the incredible biological diversity exhibited here.
The Western Ghats scattered from the mount of the river Tapi to the cape of kanyakumari for a distance of 1600 kms. Its average height is 1200 metres. It is not a real hill range; rather it is arift side in the peninsular plateau. The height of Western Ghats increases from north to south whereas height of Eastern Ghats increases from south to north. Western Ghats are also more continuous than Eastern Ghats.
Location of Western Ghats:
Facts about the Western Ghats:
1. The Western Ghats are scattered from the mount of the river Tapi to the cape of kanyakumari covering a distance of 1600 kms.
2. Its average height is 1200 metres.
3. The height of Western Ghats increases from north to south whereas height of Eastern Ghats increases from south to north.
4. Western Ghats are also more continuous than Eastern Ghats.
5. The Western Ghats Coastal Plain extends from Surat to Kanyakumari which is divided into four parts:
Source: What Entitles Western Ghats to Enter in the List of World Heritage Site?
A surgeon-ecologist duo lead conservation efforts in the Kaas plateau.
Some 25 km away from Satara in Maharashtra is a place which is as unique as it is beautiful. Locals call it Kas Pathar, while others know it as Kaas plateau. Kaas showcases nature in its magnificent glory, but this precious ecosystem is a fragile one, with heightened tourism in the last few years disturbing its ecology. NGOs, the government and locals have now chipped in to conserve Kaas.
Leading the conservation efforts are Satara-based gastrointestinal surgeon Dr Sandeep Shrotri and Dr Aparna Watve, an ecologist with Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Maharashtra’s Tuljapur. Their efforts proved fruitful when in 2012 Kaas was included among UNESCO’s 39 World Natural Heritage Sites along the Western Ghats.
Growing up in Satara, Shrotri’s love for nature manifested itself in cycling trips to nearby vales and mountains with school buddies, with him setting up the NGO Ranwata Nature and Environment Conservation Society in 2002.
Ayurvedic doctor Dr Sanjay Limaye sparked Shrotri’s interest in Kaas.
Source: Keepers of the Flora’s Faith
Maharashtra boasts of the ecologically rich Kaas plateau, which is akin to Uttaranchal’s Valley of Flowers. Gangadharan Menon documents the efforts of select conservationists who are trying to sensitise villagers and tourists to preserve Kaas
Kaas is considered to be Maharashtra’s own Valley of Flowers. But unlike its namesake in the Himalayas which is accessible only after an arduous trek, Kaas is at an easily motorable distance. Located just 300 km from Mumbai, and a mere 40 km from Satara, it is this easy accessibility, that’s also been the bane of this floral heaven.
And, it is in this context that the conservation efforts of people like Dr Sandeep Shrotri of Ranwata Society become extremely significant. Apart from getting Kaas included among the 39 World Natural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO along the Western Ghats, he and his team are working day in and day out to conserve the place by sensitising the visitors and the villagers.
The Western Ghats are 1,600 km long, and run through six states from Gujarat to the peninsular tip of India, and is considered by geologists to be older than the Himalayas.
