1.

KUNO NATIONAL PARK:

•(NEWS):Recommendation-holding and conservation breeding of cheetah in India-Cheetah
Reintroduction Project.
•Location-Sheopur district MP (Part of Katihar-Girl dry deciduous forests).
•Kuno River (Main tributaries of Chambal River), cuts across whole National Park division.

2. ORANG NATIONAL PARK (ASSAM):

Assam Government-Plan (Reintroduction of Gharial here).
Location-on northern bank of Bhramaputra River, is strategic to Kaziranga Orang Riverine
Landscape.
Tigers and Rhinos are known to use islands in this riverine landscape.

MORE SITES Places

Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary Madhya Pradesh
Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary Madhya Pradesh
Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary complex Madhya Pradesh
Shahgarh bulge (Jaisalmer) Rajasthan
Mukundara Tiger Reserve Rajasthan

3. GIR FOREST:
● Recent Reports- Lions numbers have now risen in Gir forest region.
● (Only natural habitat of Asiatic Lions).
● Major perennial rivers-(Hiran, Shetrunji, Datardi, Shingoda, Machhundri, and Raval).
● Location- Saurashtra of Gujarat.
● Largest compact tract of dry deciduous forests in semi-arid western part of India.
● Gir is often linked with "Maldharis" (who have survived through ages by having symbiotic
relationship with lion).

4. BILIGIRI RANGANATHASWAMY TEMPLE (BRT) TIGER RESERVE (KARNATAKA):

Location-in middle of bridge between Western and Eastern Ghats in South India.

5. Behali Reserve Forest (Assam): •Bordering Arunachal Pradesh.

•Connects (Kaziranga National Park and Nameri National Park).
•Homes to- (Rare capped langur. Endangered slow loris,Near-threatened Assamese macaque
and Rhesus macaque).

[Link] Wildlife Sanctuary:

•Only sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh with a population of Asian elephants.
•The sanctuary is covered by southern tropical dry deciduous and thorn forests.

[Link] Tiger Reserve, Telangana:

•This sanctuary is catchment for the rivers Godavari and Kadam.
•The sanctuary is one of the richest teak forests in the state.
•Has dense pristine areas free of human disturbance.
[Link] Wildlife Sanctuary:
•Freshwater wetland, Located near the coast of the Gulf of Kutch (Gujarat).
•Provides habitat for endangered Pallas's fish- eagle, vulnerable common pochard, Dalmatian
pelican, greylag goose, and common crane.

9. Chang Chenmo River:

•Tributary of Shyok River, part of Indus River system.
•At southern edge of disputed Aksai Chin region and north of Pangong Lake basin.
• Source is near Lanak Pass in Chinese- administered region of Kashmir.

10. River Siyom:

•Right tributary of Brahmaputra (Dihang or Siang) in Arunachal Pradesh.
•It rises on south of main ridge of Assam Himalaya not far from border with Tibet.

11. Mahakali River:

•It is trans-boundary/international River between India and Nepal also known as Kali, Sarda
along its course.
•Originating at Kalapani in the Trans Himalayan region,this River ultimately drains the region
through the Tarai plains of Uttar Pradesh.
•It joins Ghaghra River, a tributary of the Ganges.
•MoU between India and Nepal for construction of bridge over Mahakali River at Dharchula
(India) - Dharchula (Nepal).

12. Saraswati River:

•Haryana and Himachal Pradesh signed an MoU on plan to revive Saraswati river.
•Governments of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh signed an agreement to build a dam at Adi
Badri in Yamunanagar district.
•It is at the foothills of Shivalik Hills in Bhabar area, situated in northern part of Yamunanagar
district, of north Indian state of Haryana.

13. Char Chinari:

The iconic island Char Chinari in the middle of Dal Lake (Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir).
The island owes its name to chinar trees, as Char Chinari means four Chinars.

14. Siruvani Dam:

•Located in Palakkad District, Kerala.
•Built across the Siruvani river, a tributary of Bhavani River which forms part of the Cauvery
basin.
•It was constructed in 1984 for supplying drinking water to the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
•The catchment is in the reserve forests of both Kerala and Tamilnadu.
•Muthikulam hill is situated on the eastern side of the dam.
[Link] Betwa Link Project:
•This project involves transfer of water from the Ken river to the Betwa River.
•It aims to address the perennial water scarcity in the parched regions of Bundelkhand region,
spread across the states of MP and UP.
•Concerns-Daudhan dam, to be built on the Ken River will involve a submergence of about 7.6%
of the total Panna Tiger Reserve area.

16. Pangong Tso Lake:

•Pangong Tso, which means 'high grassland lake', is a long boomerang-shaped endorheic
(landlocked) lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet.
•World's highest saltwater lake.
•More than two-thirds is under Chinese control, while remaining one-third of Lake lies in India.
•NOT a Ramsar site yet but under process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention.
•Karakoram Mountain range ends at north bank of Pangong Tso.
•Khurnak Fort near halfway mark of lake and under Chinese control.

[Link]:
•Famous in Kashmir Valley region.
•Karewas are thick lacustrine deposits (deposits in lake) of glacial clay and other materials
embedded with moraines.
During the Pleistocene Period (2.6 million years to 11,700 years ago), due to the rise of Pir
Panjal, drainage was impounded and a lake (about 5000 sq. km) area was developed, forming a
basin in the Kashmir Valley.

18. Katchatheevu Island:

Uninhabited volcanic islet in the Palk Strait.
•In 1974, the island was ceded to Sri Lanka after an agreement was signed between the two
countries.
The agreement allows Indian fishermen "access to Katchatheevu for rest, for drying of nests
and for the annual St Anthony's festival" but it did not ensure the traditional fishing rights.

19. Chilika Lake:

•Brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam districts of Odisha, at the
Mouth of the Daya River.
•Biggest lake in India after Vembanad Lake. •The largest coastal lagoon in India and the largest
brackish water lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef.
It is the largest saltwater lake in India.
In 1981, was designated the 1st Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar
Convention. In 2002, it was taken out of the Montreux Record, in light of the improved
conditions of the lake.
Nalbana Island / Bird Sanctuary is the core area of the Ramsar designated wetlands of Chilika
Lake. The Irrawaddy dolphin is the flagship species of Chilika lake.
Home to green sea turtle (EN), dugong (VU), Irrawaddy dolphin (EN), Spoon-billed sandpiper
(CR), Chilika limbless skink (CR), and fishing cat (VU).
20. Chenab River:
•Formed by the union of 2 headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga.
•Which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal
Pradesh, India.
•Chenab flows through the Jammu region of J&K into the plains of Punjab, Pakistan, before
ultimately flowing into the Indus River.
•The waters of the Chenab were allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus
Waters Treaty.
•India is allowed non-consumptive uses such as power generation Dams on Chenab River:
•Baglihar Hydroelectric power project, Salal Dam, Dul Hasti Hydroelectric Plant and Ratle
Hydroelectric Plant.
•Recently PM inaugrated kwar project on chenab river at kishtawar district, J &K.

21. Munneru River:

•Illegal sand mining on the banks of the Munneru on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana
boundary bustle with activity degrading the ecosystem of river.
•Munneru is the last left tributary of the Krishna River.
•Originates in Warangal District of Telangana, India and flows in the districts of Khammam
District and Krishna District.
•River is named after Rishi Maudgalya.

22. Chumbi Valley: It is being reported that China is strengthening connectivity in Chumbi
valley.
•Location: It is situated at the corner of India-Bhutan-China tri-junction.
•Significance: It is close to Siliguri corridor that connects the northeast to the rest of
the country.

23. Nagavali River, Odisha:

•Also known as Langulya.
•One of main rivers of Southern Odisha and North Andhra States in India between Rushikulya
and Godavari basins.
•Origin- From a hill near Lakhbahal village in Thuamul Rampur block of Kalahandi District,
Odisha, in Eastern Ghats.

24. Chambal River:

•Origin- At Singar Chouri peak in northern slopes of Vindhya mountains (Indore, M.P).
•From Madhya Pradesh, it enters Rajasthan and then Uttar Pradesh.
•In UP it joins Yamuna River in Etawah District.
•Tributaries- (Banas, Kali Sindh, Sipra, Parbati, etc).
•Known for critically endangered Gharial.
•Power Projects/Dam- (Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam, Jawahar Sagar
Dam, and Kota Barrage).
25. National Chambal Sanctuary:
•Located along river Chambal on the tri junction of Rajasthan, M. P. and Uttar Pradesh.
•Known for- (critically endangered gharial, red-crowned roof turtle, and endangered
Ganges river dolphin).

26. Vembanad Lake:

•Longest lake in India and largest lake in state of Kerala.
•Situated at sea level and is separated from the Laccadive Sea by a narrow barrier island.
•Also known as Punnamada Lake (in Kuttanad) and Kochi Lake (in Kochi).
•In 2002, lake was declared as Ramsar Site.
•Second-largest Ramsar site in India, only after Sunderbans in West Bengal.
•Vallam Kali (a.k.a Nehru Trophy Boat Race) is a Snake Boat Race held every year in
Vembanad Lake.
•Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of lake.

[Link] Tunnel Project:

•Located in Arunachal Pradesh is a part of Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) Road.
•Key strategic projects near Chinese border.
•Once completed, it will become world's longest bi-lane road tunnel.
It will be a lifeline as it will provide all weather connectivity to Tawang.

[Link] Dam:
•It is on the Karnaphuli River.
•It displaced about 100,000 Chakmas from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh
(Then East Pakistan).

[Link] North - South Transport Corridor:

•India, Iran and Russia in 2000 signed INSTC agreement.
•To build a corridor to provide shortest multi-model transportation route linking Indian Ocean and
Persian Gulf to Caspian Sea via Iran and St. Petersburg.
•Regions involved: India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

[Link] of Actual Control (LAC):

•LAC is divided into three sectors.
(i)Western sector (Ladakh): •Boundary dispute in this sector pertains to Johnson Line proposed
by British in the 1860s that extended up to Kunlun Mountains and put Aksai Chin in the then
princely state of J& K. •India used Johnson Line and claimed Aksai Chin as its own.
China, however, doesn't recognise it and instead accepts McDonald Line which puts Aksai Chin
under its control.
(ii)Middle Sector (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand): LAC is the least controversial except for
the precise alignment to be followed in the Barahoti plains.
(iii)Eastern Sector (Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim): Disputed boundary in this sector is over the
McMahon Line (in Arunachal Pradesh) decided in 1914 in a meeting of representatives of
China, India, and Tibet in Shimla.

[Link] Creek:
It is a 96-km strip of water disputed between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch
marshlands.
Opens up in the Arabian Sea and roughly divides the Kutch region of Gujarat from the Sindh
Province of Pakistan.
Considered to be among the largest fishing grounds in Asia.
Presence of great oil and gas concentration under the sea, which are currently unexploited.

[Link] and Nicobar Islands (ANI):

•ANI are two groups of islands: Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, covering an area of
8,249 sq. km.
•India's only integrated tri-sen/ice command of the armed forces—the
Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC).
•Act as a physical barrier that secures busy Sea Lines of Communications (SLOC) by creating a
series of chokepoints:
•The Preparis Channel in the north; Ten Degree Channel between the Andaman And Nicobar
Island groups and; Six Degree Channel to the south.
• While the first two sea lanes are used infrequently by commercial shipping, all vessels that
pass through the Malacca Strait must traverse the Six Degree Channel.

33. Sohra- Home Minister launched "Green Sohra Afforestation Campaign' under Assam Rifles.
•Sohra, formerly called Cherrapunji, is located in East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya.
•Once credited as the wettest place of earth, the region has lost its tag due to deforestation and
indiscriminate tree feeling for development.

[Link]'s Kendrapara District- It is now India's only district to have all 3 species of
crocodilians - salt-water, gharial and mugger.
•Kendrapara district is crisscrossed by rivers, creeks, water inlets and claimed fame for its
successful conservation programme for saltwater or estuarine crocodiles at the Bhitarkanika
National Park.
•All 3 species are protected under Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act,
1972 and Appendix 1of CITES.
•IUCN status of crocodiles
oSaltwater- Least Concern
oGharial- Critical Endangered
oMugger- Vulnerable

35. Kalapani region/Kalapani Issue:

Kalapani territory is an area dispute between India and Nepal.
Under Indian administration in the Uttarakhand state.
It is wedged in between Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani.
The area is the largest territorial dispute between Nepal and India consisting of at least 37,000
hectares of land in the High Himalayas.

36. Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP):

•It aims to harvest surplus water available during rainy season in rivers in Southern Rajasthan
such as Chambal and its tributaries, including Kunnu, Parvati, Kalisindh.
Use this water in 13 south-eastern districts that face scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation
purposes.
ERCP is planned to meet drinking and industrial water needs of the southern and south eastern
Rajasthan, for humans and Livestock till the year 2051.
Recently, Rajasthan demanded National project status for ERCP (90% of funding will be given
by centre, on achieving this status).

37. Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal:

•Under-construction 214-kilometer long canal in India to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers.
The canal, once completed, will enable sharing of the waters of the rivers Ravi and Beas
between Haryana and Punjab.
•However, the proposal met obstacles and was referred to the Supreme Court of India.
•In 2020, SC directed the Chief Ministers of both states to negotiate and settle the SYL canal
issue at the highest political level to be mediated by the Centre.
•Water resources are under the State List, while the Parliament has the power to make laws
regarding inter-state rivers under the Union List.

38. Sutlej River:

•Ancient name is Parador's (Ancient Greek) Shutudri or Shatadru (Sanskrit).
•It is the longest of the five tributaries of the Indus River that give the Punjab (meaning "Five
Rivers") its name.
•Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej are main tributaries of Indus.
•It rises on the north slope of the Himalayas in Lake Rakshastal in southwestern Tibet.
•Luhri Stage-1 Hydro Electric Project is located on River Sutlej in Shimla and Kullu districts of
Himachal Pradesh.

39. Katrol Hill Fault, Kachchh region: Recent studies on sediment samples in Kachchh basin
highlighted changes in the landscape of KHF in last 30,000 years.
•The Katrol Hill Fault (KHF) is one of the E- W trending major intrabasinal faults located in the
central part of Mainland
•Kachchh.
•Among other seismically active faults of the region, viz. Kachchh Mainland Fault
(KMF), South Wagad Fault (SWF), Gedi Fault (GF), and Island Belt Fault (IBF), seismic activity
along KHF is not apparent.

40. The Kailash Range: The Karakoram Range ends on the northern side of the Pangong Tso.
•The Kailash Range originates from the southern bank and runs northwest to
southeast for over 60 km.
•The Kailash Ridge is characterised by rugged, broken terrain with heights
varying between 4,000-5,500m Mountain Ranges & River Systems of the Himalayan Region

41. Daulat Beg Oldie

•DBO is the northernmost corner of Indian territory in Ladakh, in the area better
known in Army parlance as Sub-Sector North.
•It has the world's highest airstrip, originally built during the 1962 war but abandoned
until 2008, when the Indian Air Force (IAF) revived it as one of its many Advanced Landing
Grounds (ALGs) along the LAC.
•DBO is less than 10 km west of the LAC at Aksai Chin.
•To the west of DBO is the region where China abuts Pakistan in the Gilgit-Baltistan
area, once a part of the erstwhile Kashmir principality.

[Link] Pass
•Baralacha Pass is a high mountain pass in Zanskar range.
•Connects Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh, situated
•along the Leh-Manali Highway.
•The pass also acts as a waterdivide between the Bhaga river and the Yunam
river

43. Coal sector in India

•Over 97 per cent of coal reserves occur in the valleys of Damodar, Sone, Mahanadi and
Godavari.
•India's state-run coal giant has been unable to meet growing demand despite abundant
resources.
•The South Asian nation depends on Coal India for more than 80 per cent of its domestic
production and the miner has consistently fallen short of production targets in the last few years.

44. Atal Tunnel- the World Book of Records has recently certified Atal Tunnel as the World's
Longest Highway Tunnel over 10,000 feet. It connects Manali to the Lahaul-Spiti Valley in all
weather conditions.

45. Chittagong Port, Bangladesh:

•Recently, Bangladesh has offered India the use of the Chittagong port to enhance connectivity
with the north eastern states.
•The Chittagong or Chhatogram port is one of the important seaports of Bangladesh, located in
the region of Chittagong hill tracts.

46. The death knells for the River Bhogdoi in Assam have been sounded by uncontrolled coal
mining activities in Nagaland, along with effluent discharges from tea farms and encroachment.

47. Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (Tamil Nadu)- KoSO, which is owned and operated by the
Indian Institute of Astrophysics (HA), Bengaluru, is one of the world's oldest observatories
studying the Sun. Kodaikanal in present-day Tamil Nadu was chosen for its high altitude and
dust-free environment.

49. Chabahar Port:

Located on the Makran coast. Chabahar in south-eastern Iran. Lies in Gulf of Oman.
Coast is a relatively underdeveloped compared to port of Bandar Abbas further west.
Consists of two separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti.
Chabahar port represents shortest route for Afghanistan to sea.

50. Polavaram Irrigation Project:

Under-construction multi-purpose irrigation National project on Godavari River in Andhra P.
Its reservoir also spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.
It will facilitate an inter-basin water transfer from Godavari River to Krishna river through its
Right canal.
Accorded national project status by union government in 2014.

51. Cheruthoni Dam, Idukki District, Kerala:

•138m tall concrete gravity dam.
•Cheruthoni is a town on banks of Cheruthoni River, a major tributary of Periyar River, second
longest river in Kerala state.
Constructed in 1976 as part of Idukki Hydroelectric Project along with two other dams Idukki and
Kulamavu

52. Vizhinjam Port: •Port under construction in Arabian Sea at Trivandrum in India. Proposed to
be a transhipment port.

53. Nalanda University:

Listed in 2002 as the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar in the
UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India list.
It is one of the famous universities of ancient India and historic center of higher learning.
It was founded by Kumaragupta (Shakraditya) of the Gupta dynasty in the early 5th century.
Flourished for 600 years until the 12th century and has been listed as an "Institute of National
Importance" by the government

54. Sabarimala Temple:

A temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala.
•Dedicated to a Hindu Brahmachari (Celibate) deity Ayyappan.
•The traditions of Sabarimala are a confluence of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and other Sramana
traditions.
•In 2018, the Supreme Court of India, in a 4-1 majority decision overturned the ban on the
entry of women.
•The temple is open for worship only during the days of Mandala Pooja, Makaravilakku
or Makar Sankranti and Maha Thirumal Sankranti.
55. Meenakshi Temple:
It is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of
Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
It is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareshwarar, a
form of Shiva.
•It is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai mentioned in the Tamil Sangam
literature.
It has 14 gopurams, Temple Tank and many mandapas (pillared-halls).
The Meenakshi temple has 2 separate shrines for the goddess Meenakshi (Parvati, Devi,
Amman) and god Sundaresvara (Shiva, Deva).

56. Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple:

•Dravidian Architecture.
•Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of
Andhra Pradesh, India.
•Dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared
here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga.
•Hence, the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntha and the Lord here is
referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.
•Also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji
Temple.

57. Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha:

•Dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Krishna, in Puri in the state of Odisha.
•Built by Anantavarman Deva, the first king of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
•The Puri temple is famous for its annual Ratha Yatra.
•It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites.
•Style-Kalinga Architecture.

58. Battle of Saraighat:

It was fought on banks of Brahmaputra in Guwahati in 1761.
National Defence Academy (NDA), confers best passing out cadet with Lachit Borphukan
(commander of Ahom kingdom) gold medal.

59. Chauri Chaura Incident:

• The incident (4th February, 1922) occurred at Chauri Chaura in the Gorakhpur district of
The United Province, (modern Uttar Pradesh) in British India.
•During this incident, a large group of protesters, participating in the Non cooperation
movement, clashed with police, who opened fire.
•The demonstrators attacked and set fire to a police station in retaliation, killing all of its
occupants.
•In response to this, Mahatma Gandhi halted the NCM on the national level on 12 Feb 1922.
•Recently, the Prime Minister paid tribute to the heroes of freedom struggle on
completion of the 100 years of Chauri Chaura incident.

60. Harappan city of Dholavira, Gujarat:

•40th Indian site on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
•UNESCO's announcement came just days after another site, Ramappa Temple in
Telangana, was admitted.
•The ancient city of Dholavira is one of the most remarkable and well-preserved urban
settlements in South Asia dating from the 3rd to mid-2nd millennium BCE (Before Common
Era).
•Discovered in 1968, the site is set apart by its unique characteristics, such as its water
management system, multi-layered defensive mechanisms, extensive use of stone in
construction and special burial structures.
•A range of artefacts of copper, shell, stone, jewellery, terracotta and ivory had been
found at the site.
•Dholavira is the larger of the two most remarkable excavations of the Indus Valley
Civilisation dating back to about 4,500 years ago.
•The city is believed to have had trade ties with Mesopotamia and the Oman peninsula.
•Spread over 70 hectares, the remains are encompassed within an outer fortification
and make for the fifth largest Harappan site after Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Rakhigarhi and
Ganweriwala and Gujarat's Rann of Kutch.

61. Pangong Tso Lake:

•Lake is located at an elevation of roughly more than 4,200 meters (13,800 ft) above sea level,
and it is a transborder lake spanning across eastern Ladakh and western Tibet, with a length of
more than 135 km.
•Recently, China has been building new bridges and other key military infrastructure
in and around the lake to facilitate the faster movement of its troops and cargo.
•Around 40% of the lake lies within the Indian territory, 50% in Tibet (China), and
the rest 10% is reportedly disputed between the two and is a de facto buffer zone.

62. Kshipra River:

Kshipra, also known as the Shipra, is a river in Madhya Pradesh state of central India, river rises
in the kakri bardi hills Vindhya Range north of Dhar, and flows north across the Malwa Plateau
to join the Chambal River.
The holy city of Ujjain is located on the right bank of the Shipra River. The famous Kumbha Mela
takes place in the ghats of this city, once every 12 years, a yearly celebration of the river
goddess Kshipra.
Recently, Prime Minister has inaugurated the Mahakaleshwar Corridor in Ujjaini.

63. Kuno National Park:

It is located in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
Kuno River is one of the major tributaries of Chambal River, Kuno park is known for the leopard,
Jackal, Chinkara, region is coming under tropical dry deciduous forest.
•Recently, Under the project Reintroduction of Cheetah in india, eight cheetahs arrived from
Namibia.

64. Pushkar:
Pushkar is a town in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located on the
western side of Aravalli mountains.
Pushkar Fair, renowned for being one of the world's largest cattle fair, Pushkar Fair is an annual
multi-day livestock and cultural fair that takes place on the banks of the Pushkar Lake in the
town of Pushkar (Rajasthan).
Recently, Union Ministry for Environment included the Pushkar lake as one of the lakes under
the National Lake Conservation Project (NLCP) for restoration.

65. Modhera:
•Modhera is a town in Mehsana district of Gujarat, India, the town is well known for the Sun
Temple of Chaulukya era.
•It becomes the Country first Solar Village - Modhera of Gujarat, most of the houses in Modhera
Surya Gram have started generating electricity from solar power.

66. Palkonda Range:

Palkonda Hills are a range of hills that form a part of the Eastern Ghats in the southern Indian
state of Andhra Pradesh.
Ranges is run along the n-w to s-e direction, culminating at the pilgrimage centre of Tirupati.
Punchu and Cheyyeru rivers joins and forms a gorge in the here between the Velikonda Range
and the Palkonda Hills.

67. Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS):

•INCOIS is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES),It is
located in Hyderabad & was established in 1999.
It's objective to provide the real time ocean information and advisory services to society,
industry, government agencies and the scientific community through sustained ocean
observations and constant improvement through systematic and focused research.

68. BANIHAL PASS:

•Banihal Pass-Banihal Pass is a mountain pass across the Pir Panjal Range at a
maximum elevation of 2,832 m. It connects the Kashmir Valley in the union territory of Jammu
and Kashmir to the outer Himalayas and the plains to the south.
Jawahar Tunnel is also called Banihal Tunnel or [Link] length of the tunnel is 2.85 km.

69. Shiva Samudram falls:

•It is the second biggest waterfall in India, which is present on the river Kaveri in Tamil
Nadu. •This waterfall is also known as "Niagra Falls of India." and is an attraction for tourists.
70. Dahej: a Village in Vagra Taluka in Bharuch District of Gujarat State.
•It is a port city in Gujrat state, recently petronet is building a new jetty that can also handle
propane and ethane cargoes, as well as more LNG storage tanks and bays for loading trucks.
•It is the largest LNG import facility in the world.

71. Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary:

•A freshwater marsh, Located in Sant Kabir Nagar district (UP).
•It is an "eco-sensitive zone", protected under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
•It provides habitat for endangered Egyptian vulture, vulnerable greater spotted eagle,
common pochard, wamp francolin, woolly necked stork.

72. Aravali Biodiversity Park.

•Located in Gurugram, declared as India's first Other Effective Area-Based Conservation
Measures (OECM).
•OECM tag is conferred upon areas of rich biodiversity, outside of protected areas like
national parks and sanctuaries, for effective in-situ conservation.
•The Biodiversity Park in Aravali range was once a mining site, left wasted and scarred
after mindless quarrying later rehabilitated with govt, people, corporates support.

73. Anjaw:
District in central Arunachal Pradesh.
A new mammal species found in the country - the White Cheeked Macaque.
While Macaque was first discovered in China in 2015, its existence was not known in India
before this.
Not included in the Wildlife Protection Act of India due to lack of data.

74. Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR): Located in the southern region of the Western Ghats in
Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Declared as a Sanctuary in 1950 and declared as Tiger Reserve in 1978.
River Periyar has its origin inside the reserve.
Mullaperiyar Dam is located within the PTR.
Flora, Tropical evergreen forests, semi evergreen forests, Moist deciduous Forests, Transitional
fringe ever green forests, grasslands and eucalyptus plantations.
Important elephant and tiger habitat.
Tribes - Paliyans, Mannans, Malayarayans, Mala Pandarams, Uralisand Ulladans.

75. Mouling National Park (Arunachal Pradesh):

•It is located in the right bank of river Siang.
•This park has been recognized as one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots.
•Dabung Waterfall and Nirbung Waterfall are two of the many attractive waterfalls inside
the sanctuary.
•Many endangered species like (takins, snow clouded leopard, golden languor, hornbill,
monal scalater, serrow are spotted here).
76. Sariska Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan): •It is famous for the Royal Bengal Tiger.
•Other important fauna includes (Leopard, Wild Dog, Jungle Cat, Hyena etc.)
•It is a wildlife sanctuary and a tiger reserve. •It is also famous for Kankarwadi fort,
Neelkanth temple and Pandupol hanuman temple.

77. Ranebennur Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka):

•Declared as a sanctuary mainly to protect blackbucks.
•It comprises two unconnected portions, an eastern and a western bit.
•Covered mainly by scrub forest and Eucalyptus plantations.
•Inhabited by the highly endangered great Indian bustard and the wolf.
•However, the great Indian bustard has not been sighted in the sanctuary since around
2002 and may be locally extinct.

[Link] Conservation Reserve:

Part of the plains of Deccan plateau and borders Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.
It is a patch of grassland with Eucalyptus and Acacia auriculiformis.
Largest contiguous population of blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) in Karnataka, apart from
Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary.

[Link] Tiger Reserve, Alipurduar district, West Bengal:

The northern boundary runs along the international border with Bhutan.
The Sinchula hill range lies all along the northern side and the Eastern boundary touches that of
the Assam State.
National Highway No.31 C roughly runs along its southern boundary.
The main rivers flowing across the Tiger Reserve are Sankosh, Raidak, Jayanti, Churnia,
Turturi, Phashkhawa, Dima and Nonani.
The fragile "Terai Ecosystem" constitutes a part of this reserve. The forests of the reserve can
be broadly classified as the 'Moist Tropical Forest'.
Fauna- Indian Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Hog badger, Jungle Cat etc.
Other Protected Areas in West Bengal- Gorumara National Park, Sundarbans National Park,
Neora Valley National Park, Singalila National Park, Jaldapara National Park.

80. Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (Karnataka):

•Lies on the bank of River Cauvery.

81. Desert National Park (DNP):

•It is situated near Jaisalmer and Barmer district of Rajasthan.
•Sand dunes comprise about 20% of the park.
•It is an excellent example of the ecosystem of the Thar Desert.
•The region is a haven for migratory and resident birds of the desert.
•Fauna- Great Indian Bustard, Desert Fox, Blackbuck.
•The Great Indian bustard (IUCN CE) is a magnificent bird found in relatively fair
numbers.
•Flora/ Forest Type- Sewan grass and shrub, thorns.
•Only place where [Rajasthan State Bird (Great Indian Bustard), State animal (Chinkara) and
State tree (Khejri) and State flower (Rohida)] are found naturally.

[Link]:
•A mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma, Brahmaputra and
Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal.
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Criteria: Natural), Ramsar Wetland.
•Despite these protections, the Indian Sundarbans were considered endangered in a
2020 assessment under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems framework.
•The Sundarbans mangrove forest covers an area of about 10,000 km2: Bangladesh (about
60% area) and India (about 40% area).
•The most abundant tree species are sundri (Heritiera fomes) and gewa (Excoecaria
agallocha).
•Important habitat for the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), jungle cat (Felis chaus),
fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), and leopard cat (P. bengalensis), olive ridley turtle, hawksbill
turtle, green turtle, etc.
Largest mangrove forest in the world
The Sunderbans was made a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987, and could become a
Ramsar site soon
Home to about 100 Royal Bengal tigers
43% Of India's mangrove cover is in the Sunderbans

83. Eastern Kolkata Wetlands:

•Complex of natural and human-made wetlands lying east of the city of Calcutta
(Kolkata), of West Bengal.
• Include salt marshes, and agricultural fields, sewage farms and settling ponds.
•Used to treat Kolkata's sewage, and the nutrients contained in the wastewater
sustain fish farms and agriculture.
•Ramsar site, Host the largest sewage fed aquaculture in the world.

84. Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary, Rajasthan:

•India's 52nd tiger reserve.
•Covering an area of about 252 square kilometres, acts as a buffer for the Ranthambore
National Park on the Bundi- Nainwa Road in Rajasthan.
•Home to the Indian Wolf, leopard, striped hyena, sloth bear, golden jackal, chinkara,
nilgai and fox.
•Rajasthan now has four tiger reserves -
•Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur district,
•Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota district and
•Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district.

[Link] Chhapar Sanctuary, Churu district, Rajasthan:

•Refuge of the blackbuck.
•It is a flat saline depression locally known as a "tai" that has a unique ecosystem in the heart
of the Thar Desert.

85. Great Himalayan National Park, Kullu region, Himachal Pradesh:

•UNSESCO World Heritage Site under the criterion of "outstanding significance for biodiversity
conservation".
•It is at the junction of world's two major biogeographic realms-
oThe Indomalayan realm to the south and
oThe Palearctic realm to the north.
•Fauna- Blue sheep, snow leopard, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan tahr, and musk deer
Flora: Pines, spruces, horse chestnuts, alpine meadows.
•Forest fire and Pine forest Iink-
oPine forests are especially vulnerable to forest fires because of the needles that pine
trees shed regularly.
oThe needles fall in immense quantities and take extremely long to decompose (about
560 days).

[Link] of Flowers National Park, Uttarakhand:

•Declared a National Park in 1982 and UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
•The valley today is home to over 600 flowering species, including some exotic varieties like
Brahmkamal, which is also the state flower of Uttarakhand.
•Blue poppy, described as the Queen of Flowers, can also be found here.
•It is located on a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar
and Great Himalaya.

[Link] Lamjao National Park, Manipur:

•It is 40 km2 in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an
integral part of Loktak Lake.
•The national park is characterised by floating decomposed plant material locally called
Phumdi at the south-eastern side of the Loktak Lake, which has been declared a Ramsar site
Hog Deer, Otter, a host of waterfowl and migratory birds are found here.
•Home to Manipur brow-antlered deer (Rucervus eldi eldi) also popularly known as
the Sangai (IUCN Status, Endangered).

89. Wayanad Sanctuary, Wayanad, Kerala:

•Extent of 344.44 km2 and four hill ranges namely Suithan Bathery, Muthanga, Kurichiat
and Tholpetty.
•A variety of large wild animals such as gaur, Asian elephant, deer and tiger are found
there.
•Established in 1973, the sanctuary is now an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
Indian peafowl tend to be very common in the area.
•Kabini River (a tributary of Cauvery River) flows through the sanctuary.
•Bounded by the protected area network of Nagarhole National Park and Bandipur
National Park in Karnataka in the northeast, and on the southeast by Mudumalai National Park
in Tamil Nadu.
•It comes under Protect Elephant.

[Link]- "the bird village", Rajasthan:

•Recognised as the "bird village" following community driven conservation efforts, Menar in
Udaipur district is set to be notified as Rajasthan's new wetland.
•This will pave the way for getting the Ramsar site status for this rural heartland of the
Mewar region.
•The two lakes in the village - the Brahma and Dhandh - play host to a large number of
migratory birds in the winter season.
•Currently, Rajasthan has two wetlands recognised as Ramsar sites namely Keoladeo
Ghana in Bharatpur district and Sambhar Salt Lake in Jaipur.

91. Singalila National Park:

•Location- Darjeeling district (West Bengal).
•Highest national park of West Bengal.
•In first re-wilding programme of red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) in India, Padmaja Naidu
Himalayan Zoological Park has started an ambitious programme to release 20 in Singalila
National Park.
•Will be country's first augmentation of endangered mammal in wild.
•Red Panda (IUCN Status- Endangered

[Link] Valley National Park:

•Location- Kalimpong district, West Bengal. Contiguous with Sikkim and Bhutan at its northern
and north-eastern boundaries respectively.
Links Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary in Sikkim and Toorsa Strict Reserve of Bhutan.
Integral part of Kanchenjunga Landscape.

[Link] Biosphere Reserve:

•Situated at southernmost end of Western Ghats.
Spread over two southern states Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Consisting mostly of tropical forest.
Unique genetic reservoir of cultivated plants, in particular (cardamom, jamune, nutmeg, pepper
and plantain).
Three wildlife sanctuaries- (Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar) and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger
reserve are its part.
Named after Agastya Mala peak that rises up to almost 1868 metres above sea level, in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
In 2016, included in World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO.
Home to Kani tribes- one of oldest surviving ancient tribes in world, from both TamilNadu and
Kerala, which number in total approximately 30,000 inhabitants.

[Link] Tiger Reserve:

•Located in Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu state at tri-junction of three states, viz, Karnataka,
Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
•Part ofNilgiri Biosphere Reserve (1st Biosphere Reserve in India) along with
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) in West, Bandipur National Park (Karnataka) in North,
Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley in South.
•Moyar River flows into it and serves as a natural boundary between Mudumalai and
Bandipur Sanctuary.
•Tall grasses known as "Elephant Grass" and timber species such as Teak and Rosewood
can be found in the Reserve.

[Link] Region
•Dandakaranya, a physiographic region in east central India.
•It includes the Abujhmar Hills in the west and borders the Eastern Ghats in the east.
Includes parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh States.

[Link] Mangrove, Tamil Nadu:

•World's second largest mangrove forest. Located between the estuaries of the Vellar and
Kollidam rivers.

[Link] Panchami coal block (West Bengal):

•Second-largest coal block in world and largest in India.
•The block has a thick coal seam trapped between equally thick layers of rocks, mostly basalt.
•Santhal tribe lives there.

98. Ketti Valley:

•One of the largest valleys in the world.
•7,000-ft-deep Ketti Valley extends from the plains of Coimbatore to the Mysore Plateau.
Known as Switzerland of Nilgiris.
Largest valley in the Nilgiris From Kattery dam.
It flows through the Kattery falls and eventually drains into Bhavani River downstream.
Ketti stream, which flows through the Ketti valley, is getting choked with plastic waste and glass
bottles being thrown into it.

[Link] Glacier:
•Ladakh's Zanskar Valley.
It is retreating due to increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation during winters, a
recent study has found.
Since 2015, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) at Dehradun, an autonomous
body under the Department of Science and Technology, has been working on various aspects
on glaciology.

[Link]-Alla Patna region:

•It is along the Nagamangala Schist Belt of Karnataka.
1,600 tonnes of lithium resources are found in the pegmatites (igneous rocks).
Australia is the world's biggest lithium supplier, with production from hard rock mines.
Lithium is a rare element not usually found in India.
Imported from Australia and processed in India's first lithium refinery set up in Gujrat.

101. Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar Lake:

•Himayat Sagar is an artificial lake near Hyderabad City in Telangana.
•It lies parallel to a larger artificial lake Osman Sagar.
Provide continuous water supply to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad until
recently.
Osman Sagar was created by damming the Musi River in 1920. Both lakes were constructed
during the reign of the last Nizam of Hyderabad State, Osman Ali Khan.

104. Gulf of Mannar:

It is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean.
It lies between the southeastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka, in the Coromandel
Coast region.
The chain of low islands and reefs known as Adam's Bridge (aka Rama Sethu), which includes
Mannar Island, separates the Gulf of Mannar from Palk Bay, which lies to the north between
India and Sri Lanka.
The estuaries of Thamirabarani River and Vaippar River of South India drain into the Gulf.
The dugong (sea cow) is found here.

105. Adam's Bridge / Rama's Bridge / Rama Setu:

It is a chain of natural limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram
Island, off the south¬ eastern coast of Tamil Nadu.
It separates the Gulf of Mannar (southwest) from the Palk Strait (northeast).

106. Aravalli Range:

•Eroded stub of ancient mountains, is believed to be the oldest range of fold mountains in India.
•Arguably the oldest geological feature on Earth, having its origin in the Proterozoic era.
•Approx. 670 km mountain range in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing
through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Gujarat.
•The highest peak is Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu at 1,722 metres.
•Rivers:Banas, Luni, Sakhi and Sabarmati.
•Rich in natural resources (including minerals) and serves as check to the growth of the western
desert.
•Consist of the Aravalli and Delhi fold belts, and are collectively known as the Aravalli-Delhi
orogenic belt.
•Malani Igneous Suite is the largest in India and third largest igneous suit in the world.

107. Saryu River:

•Originates at a ridge south of Nanda Kot mountain in Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand and
discharges into the Sharda River at Pancheshwar at the India-Nepal border.
•Sharda river (also known as Kali river) then flows into Ghaghara river in Sitapur District,
Uttar Pradesh.
•Lower Ghaghara is also popularly known as Sarayu in India.
•Especially while it flows through the city of Ayodhya.

108. Lidder River:

River situated in the Kashmir Valley of J&K.
It originates from the Kolahoi Glacier and feeds the Jhelum River.

109. Vindhyan Basin:

Proterozoic intercontinental basin in the central part of Indian shield.
Bounded by Son-Narmada Geofracture in the south, Great Boundary Fault in the west,
Monghyr-Saharsa Ridge in the east, and Bundelkhand Massif and Indo- Gangetic Plains in the
north.
It would be the ninth producing Basin of India and the eighth by ONGC.
Other are Bengal basin, Krishna- Godavari (KG), Mumbai Offshore, Assam Shelf, Rajasthan,
Cauvery, Assam- Arakan Fold Belt and Cambay.

110. Barbara Forest:

Located near Chilika Lake in Odisha.
Dubbed as Asia's largest teak and sal forest, the Barbara forest in Odisha is perhaps the only
forest in India guarded by CRPF.
Giant squirrels are found in great numbers making it a major contender to become a sanctuary
for giant squirrels.

114. Mawsynram and Cherrapunji, Meghalaya:

•They together get more rainfall in a day than entire country's average in June.
•Both Cherrapunji or Mawsynram lies on the Windward side of the Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills
district.
•It has immense rainfall from the South West Monsoon through the Bay of Bengal Branch as it
is in the Pathway of these winds.
The location is bordered by the 'hills on three sides'.
•The south-west winds are blocked by the mountains leaving the Bay of Bengal monsoons get
stuck to this place.

115. Mekedatu Dam Project:

•Deep gorge situated at the confluence of the rivers Cauvery and Arkavathi River, about 100 km
from Bengaluru, Karnataka.
•Meaning goat's leap, is a deep gorge situated at the confluence of the rivers Cauvery and its
tributary Arkavathi.
•In 2013, then Karnataka announced the construction of a multipurpose balancing reservoir
project for drinking water needs and electricity generation.
•The project aims to store and supply water for drinking purposes for the Bengaluru city and
generate power.
•Tamil Nadu objected against the project saying that the project would affect the flow of Cauvery
water to Tamil Nadu and also said that the project was in violation of the final award of the
Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

116. Konkala, Chushul Moldo, Demchok Hot Springs, Daulat Beg Oldi, Bottleneck and
•KK pass are Border areas in Ladakh region along Indo-China border.

117. Nathu La and Kongra La: • Passes in Sikkim.

118. Zoji La Pass: •Situated in Kargil district, Ladakh is a strategic link connecting Ladakh to
Srinagar and the rest of India.
•To provide all-weather connectivity to Ladakh, the Zojila Tunnel is being constructed.
•Once completed, at 14.15 km, it will be India's longest road tunnel, and Asia's longest
bi-directional tunnel.

119. Bum La and Wacha Damai: •Border points along the LAC in the Arunachal Pradesh.

120. Chenab bridge- The Chenab bridge is situated at a height of 359 m, making it taller than
the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which stands at 330 m.
•The Chenab bridge will pave the way for trains to run seamlessly along the
Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, connecting Kashmir to the rest of
India.
The plan is to run Vande Bharat trains along the stretch and also Vande Metro trains between
Jammu and Srinagar.
Running Vande Metro trains between Jammu and Srinagar will reduce the travelling time
between the two towns to 3.5 hours.

121 Mangarh Hillock: Adivasis' Jallianwala- he hillock, situated at the Gujarat-Rajasthan

border, is a site of a tribal uprising where a massacre of over 1500 Bhil tribal freedom fighters
took place in 1913.
The place is also known as the Adivasi Jallianwala.

122. Yaya Tso to become Ladakh's first biodiversity heritage site- It is located in Ladakh.
It is known as a birds' paradise for its beautiful lake located at an altitude of 4,820 metres.
The lake could be reached from Mahe monastery on the way to Tsomoriri lake after driving up to
the nunnery and then crossing a small mountain pass.
Significance: It is a nesting habitat for a large number of birds and animals, such as the
bar-headed goose, black-necked crane and brahminy duck.
It also has the distinction of being one of the highest breeding sites of the black-necked crane in
India.

123. Chamundi Hills- Chamundi Hill is located in Mysore, Karnataka. The famous
Chamundeswari Temple is located in the hills.
The temple was named after Chamundeshwari or, the fierce form of Shakti. It is believed that
Goddess Durga slayed the demon Mahishasura on the top of this hill which was ruled by him.
The place was later known as Mahishooru (Place of Mahisha). The British changed it to Mysore
and later Kannadized it into Mysuru.
Karanji lake is the most popular lake in Chamundi Hills. The lake is owned by the Mysore Zoo

124. Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary- The Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary
located on the eastern fringe of Guwahati, Assam, India. The sanctuary is known for hosting
rare and endangered birds and animals.[l] Amchang's habitat is dominated by tropical moist
deciduous forest with semi-evergreen forest in depressions and river-valleys. It is known for its
elephants which have become isolated with no movement with other elephant-populations.

125. Manchanabele Dam:

Built across the Arkavathi river in Karnataka. River originates from Nandi Hills of hikkaballapura
district. It is a tributary of the Kaveri.

126. Pancheshwar Project:

•Between India and Nepal, a multi-purpose hydro-electric project.
•It will submerge areas of Uttarakhand and Nepal.
•The project is to come up near the Pancheshwar temple, 2.5 km downstream of the confluence
of the Mahakali and Sarju rivers.
•It will have two dams for India and Nepal working in tandem.

127. Kuthiran Tunnel:

•It is Twin-tube tunnel at Kuthiran in Thrissur District of Kerala state in India.
•It is Kerala's first-ever tunnel for road transport and South India's Longest 6-lane road tunnel.
•The 1.6 km long tunnel is designed through Peechi- Vazahani wildlife sanctuary.
•Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary headquartered in Peechi, Thrissur
District of Kerala, India.

128. Deendayal Port / Kandla Port:

It is a seaport and town in the Kutch district of Gujarat state.
The Port of Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) was the first special economic zone to be
established in India and in Asia.
Established in 1965, the Port of Kandla SEZ is the biggest multiple-product SEZ in the country.
Kandla is the first Export Processing Zone in India.
It is the largest port in India by volume of cargo handled.
Kandla Port was renamed Deendayal Port in 2017.
Major imports entering the Port of Kandla are petroleum, chemicals, and iron and steel and iron
machinery, but it also handles salt, textiles, and grain.

129. Medaram:
It is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dandakaranya, the
largest surviving forest belt in the Mulugu, Telangana.
It is famous for Medaram Jatara or Sammakka Saralamma Jathara which is the largest tribal
religious congregation in the world.

130. Medaram Jatara:

It is the second-largest fair of India, after the Kumbh Mela celebrated by KOYA Tribe of
Telangana. It honours the fight of a mother and

131. Panruti town:

A town in Tamilnadu, Famous for Panruti Cashew, 'Panruti Jackfruit1 and 'Panruti Cashew
Apple'. Recently, Tamil Nadu Cashew Processors and Exporters Association (TNCPEA) has
applied for a Geographical Indication (Gl) tag for Panruti cashews.

132. Punaura Dham (Bihar):

•Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi district was included in Ramayana Circuit of Swadesh Darshan
scheme.
•Included in PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) scheme.
•Considered to be birthplace of Goddess Sita.
•Shrine compound has a Ram Janki temple, a pond called Sita Kund and a hall.

[Link] Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple, Mangalore, Karnataka:

This temple is situated on the banks of Shambhavi River.
The Goddess here is in the form of Linga and is believed to have emerged in conjunction of the
rivers Nandini and Shambhavi at the border of Mulki.
The temple has been believed to be built by a Muslim merchant from Kerala called Bappa Beary
with the help of Mulki Swantha (Jain ruler).

134. Golconda Fort:

•It is located in the western part of Hyderabad city.
•It was originally known as Mankal, and built on a hilltop in the year 1143.
•It was originally a mud fort under the reign of Rajah of Warangal.
•Later it was fortified between 14th and 17th centuries by the Bahmani Sultans and then
by the Qutub Shahi dynasty.
•Principal capital of the Qutub Shahi kings.
•Qutb Shahi Tombs are built in Persian, Hindu and Pathani styles of architecture.
•The tombs were planned and built by numerous monarchs who ruled the state during the 18th
century.
•The grandeur of the tombs is ensconced amidst the beautiful and picturesque landscape and
gardens of Ibrahim Bagh, and the tombs themselves are dedicated to the seven Qutub Shahi
kings who ruled Golconda for nearly 170 years.
•One of the most impressive tombs belongs to the founder of Hyderabad, Mohammed
Quli Qutub Shah which rises to a height of 42 meters.
135. Marikamba Temple: •It is in Karnataka that was built in 16th century by the Nayakas.
•Kote Marikamba Jatre, is a fair held once in two years. •People from all castes take part in the
event. •Muslims and Christians also offer harake, an offering to the deity for fulfilment of a wish.
•On this occasion, a high chariot carrying the image of goddess Marikamba Devi, is carried
out on a procession.

136. Pal-Dadhav Massacre:

100 years ago, Pal-Dadhvav massacre took place in the Pal-Chitariya and Dadhvaav villages of
Sabarkantha district part of Idar state (was princely state in Gujrat).
The movement was to protest against the land revenue tax (lagaan) imposed on the peasants
by the British and feudal lords.
British officer Major H.G. Sutton from Mewad Bhil Corps ordered to open fire at the innocent
tribal.

137. Lingraj Temple:

•Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Located in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.
•It was built by Somavanshi Dynasty King Jajati Keshari of in the 10th Century and completed
by King Lalatendu Keshari in the 11th Century.
• The main spire is 54 metres high Besides, there is a pillared hall, a dancing hall (Natya
Mandap) and a hall for serving offerings (Bhoga Mandap).
•The walled campus has about 50 smaller shrines, including one dedicated to Goddess
Parvati.
It is the biggest temple in Bhubaneswar.
This great temple represents the quintessence of the Kalinga type of architecture.
Lingaraj is referred to as 'Swayambhu.

138. Chennakeshava / Vijayanarayana Temple Belur, Karnataka:

•12th-century Hindu temple in State of Karnataka.
Commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana in 12th century CE, on the banks of the Yagachi River
in Belur also called Velapura, an early Hoysala Empire capital Chennakesava (lit, "handsome
Kesava") is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu.
Finest example of Hoysala architecture.

139. Asurgarh Fortified Settlement:

•Recently, Asurgarh fortified settlement (ninth century BC) in Odisha's Kalahandi
district, has been ascertained to be the oldest among the major fortified settlements with
radiocarbon technique.
•Only site in Odisha which shows highly skilled engineering of water management in
comparison to contemporary sites.
•Antiquities found include Beads of coral, lapis lazuli, carnelian, glass, jasper, garnet,
shell, agate, milky quartz, terracotta, kaolin, and soft stone, and circular discs made out of
potsherds and stone.
•Other early historic sites in Odisha include:
•Sisupalgarh (near Bhubaneswar);
•Jaugarh, a fortified settlement on the Rushikulya valley (Ganjam);
•Khalkattapatna (Puri); the port site of Manikpatna (Puri) etc.

140. Mahabodhi temple of Bodhygaya, Bihar:

•It was also listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India list in 2002.
Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment here, it is one of the four holy sites related to the life of
the Lord Buddha.
The other three are:
Lumbini (Birth) in Nepal,
Sarnath (Dharma-Chakra-Pravartana- 1st Sermon) and
Kushinagar (Mahaparinirvana- death) in Uttar Pradesh.
The original structure was built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka which was reconstructed
entirely in brick in late Gupta period.
The present temple dates from the 5th or 6th centuries.

141. Hazratbal Shrine, Srinagar:

•Popularly called Dargah Sharif is a Muslim shrine located in Hazratbal, Srinagar, J&K.
•Contains a relic, Moi-e-Muqqadas, which is widely believed to be the hair of the Islamic
prophet Muhammad.
•Situated on the northern bank of the Dal Lake in Srinagar.
•Considered to be Kashmir's holiest Muslim shrine.

142. Qutb Minar:

•Minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of
Delhi's oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by theTomar Rajput.
•UNESCO World Heritage Site.
•Example of synthesis of South Asian and Islamic Architecture.
•The Qutb Minar consists of five stories of red and gray sandstone.
•Named after Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki a 13th-century sufi saint, because lltutmish was a
devotee of him.
•Qutb-ud-din Aibak started construction of the Qutb Minar's first story in 1199.
•Aibak's successor lltutmish completed a further three stories.
•After a lightning strike in 1369 damaged the then top story, the ruler at the time, Firuz
Shah Tughlaq, replaced the damaged story and added one more.
•Sher Shah Suri also added an entrance while he was ruling and the Mughal emperor
Humayun was in exile.

143. Vizhinjam City:

•Vizhinjam is a region located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of
Kerala.
•The port at Vizhinjam has been mentioned in the work 'The Periplus of the Erythraean
Sea', a work of the 1st century AD.
•Here Vizhinjam has been called as Balita.
•The Portuguese and the Dutch had commercial establishments here.
•Adani Ports (APSEZ), India's biggest private port operator, is currently developing a
transhipment port in this area.

144. Phanigiri:
•Phanigiri is a Buddhist site in Telangana.
•Two large footprints in the complex are believed to belong to Gautama Buddha.
•Previously the name of the village is Dharmachakrapuram but later it is changed to Phanigir.

145. Attappady Hills:

•Several prehistoric artifacts and archaeological remains have been found on the banks of three
rivers flowing through the Attappady hills in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
•The archaeological discoveries were made from different places along the banks of the rivers
Bhavani, uvani, and Kodumkara Pallam or Anaikatti recently.
•Many stone tools, inhabited caves, menhirs, cisterns or burial chambers, stone circles, burial
urns, black and red pottery, terracotta images, stone carvings, and granite inscriptions in the
tribal area of Attappadi are found there.

146. Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India:

•The man-made pool on the site of the temple was completed by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru
Ram Das, in 1577.
•In 1604, Guru Arjan placed a copy of the Adi Granth in Harmandir Sahib.
•Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after founding the Sikh Empire, rebuilt it in marble and copper in 1809,
and overlaid the sanctum with gold leaf in 1830.
This has led to the name the Golden Temple.
Spiritually the most significant shrine in Sikhism.
Became a centre of the Singh Sabha Movement between 1883 and 1920s, and the Punjabi
Suba movement between 1947 and 1966.
The complex is a collection of buildings around the sanctum and the pool.
One of these is Akai Takht, the chief centre of religious authority of Sikhism.
The Gurdwara complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its
application is pending on the tentative list of UNESCOs.

147. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, UP:

•Dedicated to lord shiva stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga.
•Part of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples.
•The Manikarnika ghat on the banks of the Ganges near the temple is considered to be
a Shakti peeth.
•Mentioned in the Puranas like in the Kashi khanda of Skanda Purana.
•The archaeological excavations at Rajghat have evidence of the city dating back to the
9th-10th century BCE.
•Mentioned in the accounts of foreign travelers like Hieun Tsang.
•Oldest of the Vishwanath temple was destroyed by Qutb-Uddin Aibak's army (1194)when he
defeated the Raja of Kannauj.
•Later the temple was made and destroyed multiple time.
•Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque.

148. Bundelkand- Buxwaha diamond mining project will make Bundelkhand's water scarcity
worse.
About Bundelkhand -
oPart of central India, comprising 13 districts in Uttar Pradesh and six in Madhya Pradesh.
oComprises of Vindhya range and the region is mostly a dryland.
The Betwa River has been dammed and provides irrigation waters
Diamonds of good quality but small size are found in Panna.

149. Banni Grasslands: Gujarat

• Largest grassland of Asia.
• Location- in Bhuj taluka of Kutch district, Gujarat (Arid climate).
•Account for almost 45% of pastures in Gujarat.
•Two ecosystems- Wetlands and Grasslands.
•Has numerous natural wetlands, and largest one is Chhari-Dhandh wetland which is a
Conservation Reserve.
(NGT) Ordered all encroachments to be removed from Gujarat's Banni grasslands within six
months.
Directed a joint committee to prepare an action plan in a month.
oHeld that Maldharis will continue to hold right to conserve community forests in area, granted
to them as per provisions in Section 3 of Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Maldharis have rights under "Forest Management Rights" clause of FRA, 2006.

150. Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest, Tamil Nadu:

Originally a salt marsh now transformed into fresh water due to irrigation.
One of the largest urban wetlands in India.
Crucial step-point in Central Asian Flyway between birds who come from their breeding grounds
in far north like Russia to their winter habitat in South.

151. Pala wetland, Mizoram:

Largest natural wetland of Mizoram.
Revered by local Mara people and has a deep connection with their history.

152. Sakhya Sagar wetland, Madhya Pradesh:

•Located in Madhav National Park.
•Humanmade reservoir on outskirts of Shivpuri town.

153. Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Karnataka: On banks of River Cauvery.

Largest bird sanctuary in Karnataka. Declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1940 due to efforts of
ornithologist Salim Ali. Regarded as Pakshi Kashi of Karnataka.
Important nesting ground for several species of resident birds.
Most common bird species- (Painted Stork, Kingfishers, Cormorants, Darter, Herons, River Tern,
Indian Roller, Blackheaded Ibis, Spoonbill, Great Stone Plover, and Spot-billed Pelicans).
Recently, declared a Ramsar site making it first wetland in Karnataka to be designated as a
Ramsar site.

[Link] Site:
•India adds 11more wetlands to list of Ramsar sites.
•Total 75 Ramsar sites covering an area of 13, 26, 677 ha in the country.
•Being designated Ramsar Site-sites will be on global map for their importance in providing
ecological services.
•(Eleven Ramsar Sites added)

155. Tampara Lake (Odisha):

•Freshwater lake also called 'Tampara' as depression on ground.
•Gradually filled with rainwater from catchment flow.
•Important habitat for vulnerable species- Cyprinus carpio, common pochard (Aythyaferina),
and river tern (Sterna aurantia).

156. Hirakud Reservoir (Odisha):

•Largest earthen dam in Odisha started operating in 1957.
•Important for (livelihoods of fishermen, tourism, irrigation and Thane Creek (Maharastra)
•Provides important hydrological services by moderating floods in Mahanadi delta, ecological
and socio-economic hub of east coast of India.

[Link] Lake (Odisha, Cuttack district):

•Largest freshwater lake in Odisha situated in the Cuttack district.
•Oxbow lake formed by River Mahanadi.
•Provides a safe habitat to-
•(Three threatened bird species- Rynchops albicollis (EN), Sterna acuticauda (EN) and Sterna
aurantia (VU)).
•(Three threatened fish species- Clarias magur (Clariidae) (EN), Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae)
(VU) and Wallago attu (VU)).
•Major wintering ground for migratory birds.
•Also known for its scenic beauty.

158. Yashwant Sagar (Indore, Madhya Pradesh):

•Used for water supply and fish culture in city of Indore.
•Considered to be a stronghold of vulnerable Sarus Crane in central India.
•Due to its vast shallow reed beds, wetland is considered heaven to a large number of winter
migratory birds.

159. Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary (Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu):

•Ideal habitat for winter migratory birds.

160. Suchindram Theroor Wetland Complex (Kanya Kumari, Tamil Nadu):

•Part of Suchindram-Theroor Manakudi Conservation Reserve.
•Declared an Important Bird Area.
•Lies at southern tip of Central Asian flyway of migratory birds.
•Man-made, inland Tank and is perennial.

[Link] Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu):

•Large human-made irrigation tank and shelter for migratory birds.
•Provides support to species such as Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii during critical stages of
their life cycle.

[Link] Bird Sanctuary (Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu):

•Nesting site for several migratory heron species that roost in prominent growth of babul
trees there.
•Site qualifies as an IBA as threatened Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis breeds here.
•Supports IUCN Red List vulnerable avian species like Sterna aurantia (River Tern).

[Link] Creek (Maharashtra):

•Ulhas River- largest source of water for creek.
•Creek- (a narrow, sheltered waterway, especially an inlet in a shoreline or channel in a marsh).
•Declared as Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary.
•Important part of wetland complex of Central Asian Flyway of birds.
•Categorised as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

164. Hygam Wetland Conservation Reserve (Baramulla district, J&K):

•Falls within River Jhelum basin.
•Recognized as an Important Bird Area (IBA).
•Consequent to high rate of siltation.
•Hygam Wetland has lost its wetland characteristics to a large extent.
•In many places changed its profile into a landmass.

165. Shellbug Wetland Conservation Reserve (Sri Nagar, J&K):

•Has extensive reedbeds of Phragmites communis and Typha angustata, and rich growth of
Nymphaea candida and [Link]) on open water.
•Major role in natural control, amelioration or prevention of flooding.

166. Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary:

•Located in the Ladakhi Changthang plateau in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir.
•Highest lake on earth, Tso Moriri is located in this sanctuary.
•World's highest village, Korzok Village is also located in the sanctuary.
•Home to- (snow leopard, Kiang or Tibetan wild ass, Dark-necked crane, Tibetan wolf,
wild yak, bharal, brown bear the mormot).
167. Ranipur Tiger Reserve (RTR), Chitrakoot, U.P:
•State's fourth tiger reserve in Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS).
•Important corridor for the movement of tigers.
•Dry deciduous forest of Bamboo, Palash, Khair, Mahua, Dhau, Saal, Tendu, etc.
•Species like Blackduck, Chinkara, Sambar, Cheetal, Bear, Leopard, Wolf, Wild dog, Blue
bulls, etc. are found in this reserve.

[Link] Tiger Reserve:

•Nainital, Uttarakhand.
•Spans over an extent of 520 square km.
•Whole area comprises hills, marshy depressions, riverine belts, grasslands and a large lake.
•Rivers- (Ramganga, Kosi & Sonanadi).
•Established in 1936 as Hailey National Park after Malcolm Hailey, governor of the United
Province.
•Oldest national park of India.
•It is a part of larger Corbett Tiger Reserve,a Project Tiger Reserve.
•Project Tiger was first launched in 1973 in this national park.
•More than 75% of total area of Corbett is dominated by Sal forests.

169. Pakhro Tiger Safari- •Pakhro Range.

•Located in Pakhro Wildlife Sanctuary.
•Part of Corbett National Park.
•Situated in north of Pakhro river

[Link] Tiger Reserve:

Situated near Aravali hills and Vindhya plateau.
Famous for diurnal tigers.
Enclosed by Chambal River and Banas River from the two sides.
Includes the mighty Ranthambore Fort, Jogi Mahal, Raj bagh ruins along with many lakes like
Padam Talao, Malik Talao, Raj Bagh Talao.

[Link] Tiger Reserve: Alwar district, Rajasthan.

Part of the Aravalli Range.
Harbours- Neelkanth temple built in 6th century.
Pandupol Hanuman Temple.
Kankwadi fort.

[Link] Tiger Reserve, Bihar: Easternmost limit of the Himalayan Terai forests in
India.
Only tiger reserve of Bihar with a tiger population of 40.
Situated in the Gangetic Plains

[Link] Slender Loris Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu:

•Country's 1st Slender Loris Sanctuary notified by the state government under Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972.
•Slender Loris:
•Small nocturnal mammals that are arboreal in nature as they spend most of their life on trees
omnivorous creature and in order to prevent attack from toxic prey like some ants and beetles, it
uses venom.
•Found in tropical rainforests, scrub forests, semi-deciduous forests, and swamps.
•The species acts as a biological predator of pests in agricultural crops and benefits farmers.
•It has a wide range of ecological roles to play in the terrestrial ecosystem.
•IUCN- Endangered.
•WPA, 1972- Schedule I.
•CITES- Appendix II.

[Link] Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh:

MP Wildlife Board approved a new reserve for tigers of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR).
It will spread across Narsinghpur, Damoh and Sagar districts.
Other tiger reserves in MP- Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Pench, Satpura, Sanjay-Dubri.

175. Terai Elephant Reserve:

Centre has approved setting up Terai Elephant Reserve (TER) at Dudhwa-Pilibhit in U.P.
Created under Project Elephant, a centrally sponsored scheme launched in 1992.
Tamil Nadu and Assam have the highest number of elephant reserves with five each.
Asiatic Elephant (IUCN- Endangered) .
Recognized as a National Heritage Animal and has been given the highest degree of protection
under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Appendix I of CITES.
India has the largest population of Asian elephants with 30,000 wild and 3,600 captive ones.

176. Ranipur Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh:

•Become 53rd tiger reserve in India and 4th in Uttar Pradesh.
•Other tiger reserves in Uttar Pradesh include Dudhwa, Pilibhit, and Amangarh (a buffer of
Corbett Tiger Reserve).

177. Spanggur Tso:

•Also called Maindong Tso, Mendong Tso.
•Saltwater lake in Rutog County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

178. Drass Region:

•Hill station in Kargil district of union territory of Ladakh in India.
•On NH-1 between Zoji La pass and Kargil town.
•Gateway to Ladakh.
•Second Coldest Inhabited Place in World.
•Coldest place in India where temperatures can drop to less than -40°C.

179. Zoji La Pass.

•Zoji La is a high mountain pass located in Kargil district of Ladakh.
•Pass links Leh and Srinagar.
•Important link between Union Territories of Ladakh and Kashmir.

180. Kushiyara River:

•Distributary river in Bangladesh and Assam.
•Forms on India-Bangladesh border as a branch of Barak River.
•Waters of Kushiyara pick up tributaries from Manipur, Mizoram, and Assam.

181. Feni River:

•Forms part of India-Bangladesh border.
•Origin- in Tripura state and meets Bay of Bengal after it flows into Bangladesh.

182. Mahanadi River:

•Drains area of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, minor areas of Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and M P.
•Flanked on north by Central India hills, on south and east by Eastern Ghats, and on
west by Maikala range.
•Third largest of peninsular India after Godavari and Krishna.
•Largest river of Odisha.
•Source- In northern foothills of Dandakaranya in Raipur District of Chhattisgarh.
•One of most-active silt-depositing streams in Indian subcontinent.
•After receiving Seonath River, it turns east and enters Odisha.
•At Sambalpur, Hirakud Dam (one of largest dams in India) on river has formed a man made
lake 35 miles (55 km) long.
•Enters Odisha plains near Cuttack and enters Bay of Bengal at False Point by several
channels.
•Major Projects- Hirakud Dam, Ravishankar Sagar, Dudhawa Reservoir, Sondur Reservoir,
Hasdeo Bango and Tandula.
•Main tributaries- Seonath, Jonk, Hasdeo, Mand, lb, Ong and Tel. Mahanadi River Basin

183. Karakoram:
•Mountain range in Kashmir spanning across China, India, and Pakistan with northwest
extremity of range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
•Highest peak of Karakoram, 'K2' (located in Gilgit-Baltistan).
•Bounded on east by Aksai Chin plateau, and on northeast by edge of the Tibetan Plateau.
•Pamir mountain- at northwest corner.
•Southern boundary of Karakoram is formed, west to east, by Gilgit, Indus and Shyok rivers.
•Recently, China tested a short-range surface-to-air defence missile system in "Karakoram
plateau region" near India border in a high-altitude region above 4,500 m.
•(Karakoram Anomaly); Stability or anomalous growth of glaciers in central Karakoram.
•Contrast to retreat of glaciers in other mountainous ranges of world.

184. Hussainsagar Lake, Hyderabad, Telangana:

•Considered to be one of the largest man made lakes in the country.
•Built on a tributary of Musi River and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and
Secunderabad.
•Built by sufi saint Hussain Shah during the reign of Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah in 1562 AD.
•Recently, Hussainsagar lake in Hyderabad, Telangana filled with debris after immersion of
Ganesh idols.

185. Manasbal Lake, Kashmir:

•Mughal garden, called the Jaroka, (meaning bay window) built by Nur Jahan overlooks the
lake.

186. Periyar River:

•Longest river in the state of Kerala.
•Also known as 'Lifeline of Kerala' as it is one of the few perennial rivers in the state.
•Originates from Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats, in Tamil Nadu and flows through the Periyar
National Park.
•The main tributaries of Periyar are Muthirapuzha, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, Perinjankutti.

187. Lasko River, Uttarakhand:

•Recently, Cloudburst event took place here.
•Cloudbursts are sudden, violent and voluminous amounts of rain in a short duration that is local
in nature.

188. River Sukapaika:

•Originated from another river, the Mahanadi in Odisha.
In the 1950s, the Odisha State closed the Sukapaika river mouth enabling development of the
Taladanda Canal System, a major canal of the State.
This led to the river dying a painful death.
Recently, Following the directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), a small river which
stopped flowing 70 years ago in Odisha's Cuttack district is set to be rejuvenated

189. Morbi Bridge over Machchhu River, Morbi district, Gujarat:

•Originally built in 1879 by Waghji Thakor (Ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Morbi).
•Machchhu River, North flowing river of Saurashtra in Gujarat state.
•Source- Hills ranges of Jasdan (Sardar and Mandva in Rajkot district and Chotila in
Surendranagar district) , Gujarat.
•Right Bank Tributaries- Jamburi, Benia, Machhori and Maha.
•Left Bank Tributaries- Beti and Asoi.

190. Kosasthalaiyar River:

•lies partially in Andhra Pradesh and majorly in Tamil Nadu.
•Joins the sea at Ennore Creek.
•Ennore Creek:
•Backwater located in Ennore, Chennai along the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
•Located in the zone comprising lagoons with salt marshes and backwaters.
•Submerged under water during high tide and forming an arm of the sea with the opening to the
Bay of Bengal at the creek.

191. Sukhatal Lake, Nainital, Uttarakhand:

•Freshwater lake surrounded by dense pine and oak forests.
•Home to a number of migratory birds who visit this place from all over the globe.
•Earlier known as Khudariya Tai.
•Renamed as Sukha Tai because the entire water from this lake was drained in the extreme
region of the Nainital Lake.
•It is believed that Sukhatal is a feeder lake for Naini Lake.

192. Hyderabad, Telangana

•India's first open rock museum displaying different types of rocks.
•Gathered from different States of ages ranging from 3.3 billion years to around 55 million
years.
•It is in the campus of the C -National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI).

193. Bodi West hills:

•It is in Theni District of Tamil Nadu.
•Construction of an underground laboratory of India Based Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project.
•Biggest experimental particlephysics projects undertaken in India.

194. Sela Tunnel:

•The project, being executed by the Border Roads Organisation, includes two tunnels and a link
road.
•The total length of the project, including the tunnels, the approach and the link roads, will be
around 12 km.
•Sela Pass, located on the border between the Tawang and West Kameng districts in the Indian
state of Arunachal Pradesh.
•Elevation of 4170 m (13,700 ft) and connects the Indian Buddhist town of Tawang to Dirang
and Guwahati.
•The pass carries the National Highway 13 (previously NH 229), connecting Tawang with the
rest of India.

195. Chulliyar Dam, Kerala:

•Constructed in 1960, it is built across Chulliyar River, one of the tributaries of the river
Gayathripuzha.
•Gayathripuzha is one of the main tributaries of the Bharathapuzha River, the second- longest
river in Kerala, south India.
•The adjacent Nelliyampathy Mountains multiply the charm of this locality.

196. West Seti Power Project (Located in Nepal):

•India is going to take over West Seti hydropower project in Nepal nearly four years after China
withdrew from it.
•Planned on Seti river in Nepal's far west region.

197. Mullaperiyar Dam:

•Masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala.
•Located on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District
of Kerala.
•Constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick and also reached an
agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (presentday Tamil Nadu).
•The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir.
•Built at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar rivers.
•Located in Kerala on the river Periyar but is operated, owned and maintained by the
neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.

198. Rule Curve:

•Mullaperiyar is the first reservoir to have Rule Curve implemented in India.
•A rule curve or rule level specifies the storage or empty space to be maintained in a reservoir
during different times of the year.

199. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, Tamil Nadu:

•Largest nuclear power of India.
•Construction started in 2002.
•Scheduled to have six VVER-1000 reactors.
•Collaboration of Russian state company and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL).
•Reactors have the installed capacity of 6,000 MW of electricity.
•India and Russia started talk for constructing two units of nuclear plant at same site under the
General Framework Agreement (GFA).
GFA was signed in June 2017 for units five and six.
Recently, Russia started construction of fifth nuclear power unit at Kudankulam. It is going to be
India's first light water reactor.

[Link] Port, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh:

Ancient port town served as the settlement of European traders from the 16th century, and it
was a major trading port for the Portuguese, British, Dutch and French in the 17th century.
Town has existed since at least the 3rd century BCE (Satavahana period) when, according to
Ptolemy, it was known as Maisolos.
The foundation for the Machilipatnam Seaport was laid in 2008.
It is a proposed deep-sea port on the coast of Bay of Bengal.
The Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board (APMB) has planned to build the Port in two phases.

201. Jangi Thopan Powari Hydroelectricity Project, Himachal Pradesh:

Run of river type project proposed to harness hydel potential of river Satluj. Project envisages
construction of a concrete gravity dam of 48 m height.
Another major impact is connected to forest of Chilgoza pine, (which has a patchy distribution
across arid mountain valleys in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India).

202. Martand Temple, Kashmir:

•Built by King Lalitaditya of Karkota Dynasty of Kashmir (724 to 761 CE) in honour of Sun or
Martand in the 8th century.
•It is one among the oldest sun temples such as Konark, Almora, Modheraand Borsad Sun
Temple.
•Considered as an example of Kashmiri architectural skills built in a square field using limestone
and pillars in Greek Pattern.
•In 15th century it was destructed on order of Muslim ruler Sikander Butshikan.
•Today, it is a site of national importance (protected by ASI).
•After almost three decades, the auspicious Navgrah Ashtamangalam Pooja was held this
year.

203. Mayadevi Temple Nepal:

•Ancient Buddhist temple situated at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lumbini, Nepal and
very close to the Indo-Nepal border.
•Main temple at Lumbini, a site traditionally considered the birthplace of Gautama Buddha.
•Stands adjacent to a sacred pool (known as Puskarni) and a sacred garden.
•The archaeological remains at the site were previously dated to the third-century BCE brick
buildings constructed by Ashoka.

204. Lumbini, Nepal:

•World Heritage Site and bith place of Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha.
•Lumbini pillar inscription / Paderia inscription is written in Brahmi script.
•Categorized among the Minor Pillar Edicts of Ashoka.

205. Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal.

•World Heritage Site.
•It is located on the banks of the sacred Bagmati river.

206. Kanheri Caves, Maharastra:

•Comprises more than 110 different rock-cut monolithic excavations.
•One of the largest single excavations in the country primarily undertaken during the Hinayana
phase of Buddhism.
•It also has several examples of the Mahayana stylistic architecture as well as few printings
of the Vajrayana order.
•Flourished under the patronage of Satavahana, Traikutakas, Vakatakas and Silaharas and
through donations made by the wealthy merchants of the region.
•Mentioned in the travelogues of foreign travellers for example Fa-Hein who visited India during
399-411 CE.
•Only centre where a continuous progression of Buddhist faith and architecture is observed as
an unbroken legacy right from 2nd century CE (cave no. 2 stupa) to 9th century CE are
observed here.

207. Rakhigarhi Site, hissar, haryana:

•A village and an archaeological site belonging to the Indus Valley Civilisation , largest IVC Site.
•It was part of the mature phase of the Indus Valley Civilisation, dating to 2600-1900 BCE.
•The site is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra River plain.
•A young couple's grave found in the Rakhigarhi cemetery.

208. Mayiladumparai Excavations, Tamil Nadu:

•An important site with cultural material dating back between the Microlithic (30,000 BCE) and
Early Historic (600BCE) ages.
•Recently Carbon dating of excavated finds at Mayiladumparai, Tamil Nadu has pushed
evidence of iron being used in India back to 4,200 years ago.
•Microlithic, Neolithic, Iron Age, Early Historic and Historic are the five cultural sequences
identified based on ceramics, iron objects, rock art, memorial stones and inscriptions.
'
209. Kamakhya Temple (Assam):
•Ambubachi fair is celebrated here which marks the annual menstruation of the presiding
Goddess in the Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam.
•Located atop the Nilachal Hill, by the banks of the Brahmaputra river.
•One of 51 shakti peethas or holy sites for the followers of the Shakti cult, each representing a
body part of the Sati, Lord Shiva's companion.

210. Ahobilam (Andhra Pradesh):

•Ahobilam, or Singavezhkundram, one of the 108 divya desams, located in Kurnool district,
Andhra Pradesh.
•It consists of nine separate shrines for the deity that are divided into lower and upper Ahobilam,
some of which are located on a hilly terrain and a few amid thick forest.
•'Nava Narasimha' - A thematic dance production on the presiding deity of Ahobilam.

211. Sannati and Kanaganahalli Buddhist Sites:

•ASI will conserve Ancient Buddhist site on bank of Bhima River near Kanaganahalli (forming
part of Sannati site) in Kalaburagi district, Karnataka.

212. Ashokan Edict:

•A collection of more than thirty inscriptions on pillars, as well as boulders and cave walls.
• Attributed to Emperor Ashoka of Mauryan Empire who reigned from 268 BCE to 232 BCE.

213. Maha Stupa:

•A Maha Stupa discovered.
•Referred to as Adholoka Maha Chaitya (Great Stupa of netherworlds) in inscriptions.
•More significantly, stone-portrait of Emperor Ashoka, surrounded by his queens and female
attendants.
•Believed to have been developed in three constructional phases - Maurya,
Early Satavahana and Later Satavahana periods stretching from 3rd Century B.C. to 3rd
Century A.D. •Stupa- Believed to have been destroyed in an earthquake.

215. Alibagh, Maharashtra: •White Onion, only grown in Alibagh (Maharashtra) gets
Geographic Indication (Gl) tag. •Traditional methods and genuine seeds and Geo-climatic
conditions of region is the reason for uniquness.

216. Anang Tal Lake, Delhi:

•Situated to north of Jog Maya temple.
•Approximately 500 metres to northwest of Qutub Complex.
•Claimed to have been built by a Tomar King, Anangpal II in 1060 AD.
•Place of a general resort, but now it is dried up and used for cultivation.
•Recently, declared a monument of national importance by Ministry of Culture.
•Under Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, central
government declared ancient site and remains to be of national importance.
•Anangpal II, (Anangpal Tomar), belonged to Tomar dynasty.
•Founder of Dhillika Puri, eventually became Delhi.
•Multiple inscriptions and coins suggest Anangpal Tomar was ruler of present-day Delhi and
Haryana in between 8th-12th centuries.
•He had built city from ruins.
•Under his supervision, Anang Tai Baoli and Lal Kot were constructed.
•Anangpal Tomar II was succeeded by his grandson Prithviraj Chauhan.

217. Bada Imambara:

•Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
•Built by Asaf-ud-daula, son of suja-ud-daula (nawab-wazir of awadh) in 1784.
•Complex includes a large Asafi mosque, tomb of Asaf-ud-daula and a step-well.
•Architecture reflects maturation of Mughal design.
•Built to provide food to famine-stricken subjects of Nawab.
•Whole building- made of Lakhanui bricks, which are a bit small in size, and lime plaster.
•No wood or metal has been used in construction (Except for galleries in interior).

218. Hoysala Temples:

•Hoysaleswara temple or 'Halebidu' temple.
•Largest monument in Halebidu, a town in Karnataka and erstwhile capital of the
Hoysala Empire.
•This 12th-century temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, was sponsored by King Vishnuvardhana.
•Shows a basic Dravidian style, but also shows a strong influence of 'Bhumija', which is seen
in central India, along with 'Nagara' traditions of northern and western India.
•Follows the Shaivism tradition, but includes themes from Vaishnavism and Shaktism, too, along
with images from Jainism.
•The inside sculptures depict scenes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata
Purana.
•In the 14th century, Halebidu was plundered by the Delhi Sultanate, which resulted in its ruin
and neglect.
•Protected monuments of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which takes care of their
conservation and maintenance.
•Recently, Union Culture Ministry announced that the Hoysala Temples of Belur, Halebid
and Somnathapura in Karnataka are India's official nominations for the UNESCO World
Heritage List for the year 2022-2023.
Temple Major feature
ChennakesavaTemple •It is dedicated to Vishnavism.
•It is an EKAKUTA, i.e., a temple with one shrine.
•A stepped pond called Vasudev Tirtha was constructed to
the northwest of Chennakesava by Veer Ballala II.

Halebidu •Originally Halebidu was called Dwarasamudra

which refers to a large water reservoir.
•It is a DVIKUTA (temple with 2 shrines) and is dedicated
to Shiva.
•One shrine is dedicated to King Vishnuvardhan and the
other to his Queen Shantala, therefore it is called Shantaleshwara

Kesava Temple •Built under King Narasimha III and is dedicated to Vishnu.
•The temple is built from soapstone
•Known for its lathe turned pillars symmetrical architecture and
intricate sculptures

219. Vadakkupattu village, Chennai, Tamil Nadu:

•Recently, ASI found artefacts on the outskirts of Chennai at Vadakkupattu village which
12000-year-old continuous habitation in the region.
•These artefacts give evidence of continuous habitation dating from Mesolithic age to Pallava
period.
•Stone tools including handaxes, scrappers, clevers were found below the surface are from
the Mesolithic period Roman sherds, glass beads, gold ornaments, terracotta toys were
found in the upper layer are from Sangam era.
•From the surface Vishnu and Shivling sculptures indicated the early and late Pallava era.

220. Khalanga Mela, Dehradun, Uttarakhand:

•Organized every year in remembrance of the Gorkha warriors who defended the Khalanga fort
for over six weeks bravely against the British in the battle of Nalapani on the outskirts of in 1814,
the first battle of the Anglo-Nepalese War.
Khalanga War Memorial, dedicated to the memory of Gurkha soldiers.
Only monument in the history of warfare to have been erected by a victorious army for its
adversaries, as the British were reportedly impressed with the valor of the Gorkhas.

221. Rezang La or Rechin La:

•Mountain pass on the Line of Actual Control between Indian-administered Ladakh and the
Chinese-administered Spanggur Lake basin that is also claimed by India.
•Located on the eastern watershed ridge of the Chushul Valley that China claims as its
boundary. •It is at the head of the Rezang Lungpa valley, which houses a stream draining into
the Spanggur Lake.
•Dedicated to those who laid down their lives in the Battle of Rezang La during the 1962 war.