Kalavantin Durg - World's Most Dangerous Fortress

Kalavantin Durg (also known as Kelve Teen or Kalavantinicha Sulka) is located on the northern edge of the Prabal plateau between Matheran and Panvel in the Indian state of Maharashtra, at an elevation of 2,300 feet in the Western Ghats. It is also visible from the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway.

Image Credit: Rohit Gowaikar @ Flickr

According to legend, Kalavantin Durg is believed to have been built for a queen named Kalavantin during the time of Buddha or around or before 500 BCE.  

The fort is accessible through steps that were cut into the rock of the hill and looks quite impressive feat. Kalavantin Durg is also called the Climb to Heaven. No rail on the edge and no ropes on the wall, God forbid if you have vertigo. Worst of all, the hardest part is coming down. Kalavantin worthy Durg fort is considered the most dangerous in the world.

Since Kalavantin Durg is at such a height you can see the Peb, Chanderi, Matheran, Karnala, and Ershal forts and The City of Mumbai also visible.

On every Shimga Festival of Holi locals from Machi-Prabal Village dance on top of the fort and they consider it a part of their culture and heritage so a good time to visit this fort would be the Holi Season.

Source : myfuturetrips.com/ unbelievableinfo.com

The Borra Caves

Borra caves are located in the Ananthagiri hills of the Araku valley of the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Caves are said to have originated from Gosthani river which flows through this caves. The caves were created due to flow of river over the limestone area.

Images Credit: bharatdiscovery.org

Image Credit: panoramio.com

The Caves, one of the largest in the country, at an elevation of about 705 m (2,313.0 ft), filled with impressive speleothems ranging from very small to big and irregularly shaped stalactites and stalagmites formations. Karstic limestone structures inside the cave extending to a depth of 80 m (262.5 ft) which is considered as the deepest cave in India.

The caves were discovered by William King George of the Geological Survey of India in 1807. The tribals who inhabit the villages around the caves narrate several legends. The popular legend is that a cow, grazing on the top of the caves, dropped 60 m (196.9 ft), through a hole in the roof. Thecowherd while searching for the cow came across the caves. He found a stone inside the cave that resembled a Lingam. The village folks believed that the Lord Shiva protected the cow. Since then they have built a small temple for Lord Shiva outside the cave. 

Sources : ecoindia.com, en.wikipedia.org

The Flooded Desert in Brazil- Lençóis Maranhenses

The Lençóis Maranhenses, the most fascinating deserts with lagoons, located in Maranhão state, in northeastern Brazil. It is an area of low, flat, occasionally flooded land, overlaid with large, discrete sand dunes. It covers an area of more than 1000 square kilometers and despite abundant rain, supports almost no vegetation. In 1981 The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park was established with an intention of protecting the ecology of the area. 

It is situated outside the Amazon basin and get abundant of rainfall during the rainy season which cause weird phenomenon. The site of fresh water getting collected between near the valleys located between the sand dunes are often marked by blue and green lagoons all around the deserted land. They boom to their fullest in the months of July to September during the rainy months of the year. A large variety of fishes are noticed in the lagoons whose eggs are thought to be carried to this place from the sea by birds during the rainy months that disappear completely during the dry season.

credit:unbelievableinfo.com

The Pink Lake in Australia

Lake Hillier is a peculiar pink lake located in Middle Island Western Australia. The reason behind the lake´s intriguing pink color is still a mystery and remains under investigation.

Lake Hillier is a lake colored pink in Middle Island, the largest island of the other islands that make up the islands Recherche, Western Australia. The lake has water that pink color like bubble gum. The uniqueness that makes this lake is the main attraction for local and foreign tourists. Lake has an area of ​​600 meters along the sand and surrounded by a dense forest of eucalyptus trees. Dunes and a variety of plants that surround the lake is separates from the Southern Ocean.

The pink color of the lake is not a trick of the light. You can prove it by taking water and put it in the container. The pink color will still be visible because of settling permanently in the lake water.

The reason behing the Pink color is in Hillier Lake is still a mystery. However, speculation can be said that the color comes from dye produced Dunaliella salina and Halobacteria organisms that live in this lake. Another hypothesis, pink color appears because red halophilic bacteria and crust of salt contained in the water.

Amusing Planet page reported that Hillier Lake was discovered by Matthew Flinders, a British navigator and   hydrographer. In 1802, Flinders climbed the highest peak in the island (now known as Flinders peak) to                                                            survey the surrounding waters.