8 Incredible Tales From India: From Swimming Camels To Man-Eating Tigers And Other Hidden Wonders

World's largest river island

Did you know that the world's largest river island is in Majuli, Assam? Situated on the Brahmaputra River, it covers 350 sq km. Unfortunately, this large island is gradually shrinking because of erosion. For 500 years, Majuli has been the cultural capital of Assam. The island's artisans have been creating pottery using a technique that can be traced back to the Harappan civilisation! With almost zero pollution and an abundance of animals and birds, it's not surprising that Majuli has become a nature lover's paradise.

Why can't you climb Kanchenjunga from the Sikkim side?

There are 14 mountains on earth that soar above 8,000m. Of these, 10 are situated in the Himalayan mountain range. Everyone knows that our planet's highest summit is Mount Everest. But did you know that Mount Kanchenjunga, lying between Sikkim and Nepal, was assumed to be the world's tallest mountain until 1852? Following a survey that confirmed Mount Everest's elevation at 8,848 meters, Kanchenjunga, standing at 8,586 meters, was reclassified as the third highest peak in the world. In 2001, the Sikkim government banned expeditions to the Kanchenjunga, as it is worshipped and is regarded as the abode of the gods by the people of Sikkim. However, mountaineers who wish to climb the peak can do so from the Nepal side!

Spot a deer in a floating national park

Loktak, a large freshwater lake known for its circular floating swamps, is quite popular among tourists visiting Manipur. The Keibul Lamjao National Park is afloat on the waters of the lake, making it the only floating national park in the world. The park is home to the endangered Sangai deer, also known as the dancing deer or Elds deer. This brow-antlered deer was once believed to be extinct! The park has three hills, where the animals often take refuge during the rainy season.

Of mangrove forests and man-eating tigers

The Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forests in the world, are located at the confluence of the Ganga and Brahmaputra basin. Spanning more than 10,000 sq km, the forest is spread over India (West Bengal) and Bangladesh. The Sunderbans is named after the Sundari tree, the dominant mangrove species found in the delta. The forest is home to the endangered Royal Bengal tiger, which is known to actively hunt out humans unlike tigers in other parts of the world.

Have you sent mail from a floating post office?

If Jammu and Kashmir is on your travel bucket list, you probably have added one of the most beautiful lakes to it: the Dal Lake. The floating markets and the floating gardens of the Dal are two of the most popular tourist attractions in Srinagar. Now, there is a floating post office, too. This post office operates from a shikara (houseboat) floating on the waters of the Dal! The floating post office, the first in the country, offers postal and banking services, and also houses a philately museum. The seal used by this post office has a special design of a boatman rowing a shikara. So, when you visit this unique post office, go ahead and post a letter the old-fashioned way!

Swimming camels of Kutch

Researchers have made a surprising discovery: the Thar Desert, covering 170,000 sq km, was once a huge tropical rainforest! What's more, 55 million years ago, the desert had a vast river network. The Thar is quite densely populated with 83 people per sq km, compared with the Sahara Desert, which has one person per sq km. Located in the desert is the Rann of Kutch, a saltwater marsh. Kutch is the home of the Kharai camels, the only camels known to swim! These camels swim over to the mangrove islands off the coast of Kutch in hordes and feed on the mangroves. After a few days, along with their owners, they return to their home in the desert.

A date with the past at fossil parks

There are many spectacular fossil parks in our country, but we have chosen two: one for the plant lovers and one for the animal lovers. The Shivalik Fossil Park in Himachal Pradesh and the Mandla Plant Fossils National Park in Madhya Pradesh are two protected areas maintained by the Geological Survey of India. The Shivalik Park has fossils, skeletons and life-size models of the vertebrates that existed in the Sivalik Hills about 1.52.5 million years ago, while the Mandla Park contains the fossil remains of a primordial forest, which existed more than 100 million years ago.

Majestic beauty of the Aravallis

More than 100 million years old, the Aravalli is a mountain range in northwestern India, stretching across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. This mountain range is believed to be older than the Himalayas. Several ancient civilisations flourished in this area, which is rich in natural resources. There is evidence that copper was mined in the hills in 4,000 BC, i.e., 6,000 years ago! Sadly, erosion, illegal mining and loss of forest cover are leading to the degradation of the majestic Aravallis.

BERTY ASHLEY IS A SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST AND A QUIZMASTER WITH A REGULAR QUIZ COLUMN IN THE HINDU.