In the interest of public (जनहितार्थ)

Friday, 3 February 2012

Secret of Mumbai

Latest facts into the past
of Bombay...

This is possibly Mumbai'sbest-kept secret and most certainly the best shortcut to reach the Gateway, Churchgate or the Blue Gate from the St. Georges Hospital on P. DeMello Road.

Two Mumbai Mirror reporters on Thursday discovered an over 240-year-old tunnel tucked under the St Georges Hospital.

The 1.5 km tunnel, now full of muck and sea water, starts under Ward 5 of the hospital and has exitsat the Gateway, the Blue Gate and Churchgate.

1. PWD workers stand next to the trap door leading to the tunnel at St George’s Hospital at ward no. 5.

With its lone entrance, covered by a wooden hatch now, plonked right in the middle of the Swine Flu ward, the tunnel for many years has been a source of great curiosity and many unfounded stories in the hospital.

The wooden hatch on Thursday was raised and a ladder lowered into the tunnel to let the two reporters explore its depths. But they found that theycould not go beyond a few meters.

The tunnels, three-arms-wide, lay blocked with brick-and-mud walls. There was knee deep water in the tunnel and hospital staff said the level would rise as monsoon progresses.

2. Mumbai Mirror reporter, Sudhir Suryawanshi, uses a ladder to get down to the 1.5-km long tunnel at the hospital ward 5.

Historians say since the Dutch, the French and the Portuguese posed a constant threat, the Britishers built a network of tunnels starting from St. Georges Fort, currently St. Georges Hospital.
These tunnels were used to ferry injured soldiers, arms and ammunitions and also as escape routes in the event of an attack.

Urban historian, Sharada Dwivedi, said she had come across the St. Georges Hospital tunnel during her research on Mumbais' past. There are many tunnels from the British period which run through the Fort area.

St. Georges Hospital tunnel has the exit points at Churchgate, Gateway and Blue Gate areas.

The St. Georges hospital tunnel may be connected to Apollo Bunder (Gateway of India), Churchgate and Blue Gate. These secret passageways tell us a lot about our past and they need to be protected and preserved, she said. The tunnel has tiny skylights that also let some fresh air in, not enough though. The tunnel smells of rotten flesh, enough tomake anybody sick in a matter of minutes.
Former superintendent of St. Georges Hospital, Dr K. N. Varade, said he got the tunnel door opened once during his tenure.

The wooden plank covering the tunnels opening was damaged. I got it fixed. We did not talk about the tunnel because we didn't want the Archaeological Survey of Indiato step in and take over this part of the hospital, he said.

3. The 18th century tunnel below the ward has law arched ceilings with barely enough room for an adult to stand erect.

4. One of the exits of the tunnel, which is now partially submerged under sea water and muck, leads to St. George’s Fort that is next to the Blue Gate.

5. The ventilators that let light and fresh air to the tunnel.

Pakistan at its best

"Astola Island" [near Pasni Baluchistan 40 km from shore]. Astola is Pakistan's largest offshore island and the only significant offshore
island in the northern Arabian Sea.

"Arror Rock"
[near Rohri in Sindh]
The shape of rock was caused by unknown natural forces.
There is also a Shrine on the top.

This is an amazing view of a tunnel and bridge over a river on the railway track from "Rohri to Quetta".

This track passes through 20 tunnels and over 368 bridges.
It's the longest Railway gradient of world, and most scenic Railway ride of Asia.

Headmarala , Sialkot
Mountains of Jammu & Kashmir in the background.

Attabad Lake also known as Hunza Lake is a lake in the Hunza Valley of northern Pakistan.

The beautiful lake was formed due to a massive landslide at Attabad village in Gilgit-Baltistan, 9 miles (14 km) upstream (east)
of Karimabad that occurred on January 4, 2010

Is this Great Wall of China?

No. It's Wall of Sindh in Ranikot [3 hrs drive from Karachi].
It's the part of one of the Largest Fort in World, Fort of Ranikot.

Kalam Valley.
It is a valley along the upper reaches of the Swat River in Swat, Pakistan.
Kalam Valley is known for its waterfalls, lakes and lush green hills, and is a 270 km drive from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

Kachura Lake.
The Kachura Lakes are two lakes in the Skardu District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Northern Pakistan. The lakes, at 2,500 metres (8,200 ft)
in elevation, are Upper Kachura Lake and Lower Kachura Lake.

This is a 'Mud Volcano'.

In Pakistan there are more than 80 active mud volcanoes, all of them in Baluchistan province; there are about 10 locations
having clusters of mud volcanoes. In this region, the heights of mud volcanoes range between 800 to 1,550 feet
(243.8 to 472.4 m). The most famous is Chandaragup.

The Great Trango Tower, 6,286 m (20,608 ft).
The east face of the Great Trango Tower features the world's greatest nearly vertical drop. [aka Tallest vertical mountain of world]
Located in Gilgit-Baltistan Region of Pakistan. This is one of the most difficult mountains to climb.

Laila Peak, Hushe, Karakoram Range, Pakistan.
It has a distinctive spear-like shape. One of the most beautiful & scenic snow covered mountain of the world.
The Laila peak has been climbed only twice.

This is not Fox and Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand.
This is Biafo Glacier - which is a 63 km long glacier in the Karakoram Mountains, Pakistan meets the 49 km long Hispar Glacier
at an altitude of 5,128 m (16,824 feet) at Hispar La (Pass) to create the world's longest glacial system outside the polar regions.

Makran, Pakistan.
The present day Makran derived its name from Maka, a satrap of Achaemenid Empire. Maka was an important early eastern satrapy of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire.

K2.
It is the second-highest mountain on Earth, only after Mount Everest. It has a peak elevation of 8,611 m [28,251 feet]!!!

Concordia Base Camp, Pakistan.
This is the view from Concordia towards the valley of the Baltoro Glacier at dawn. On the left [Paiju peaks], middle ,[Trango towers] & on the right [Grand Cathedra].

The epic Lake Saiful Muluk.
It is located at the northern end of the Kaghan Valley (34隆茫52隆盲37.34隆氓N 73隆茫41隆盲37.71隆氓E) near Naran, Pakistan.
The clarity of the water comes from the multiple glaciers all around the high basin which feed the lake.

Village Halmet, Neelum Valley, Pakistan.
Neelum Valley is definitely another hidden pearl of Pakistan. No other valley in Kashmir can compare this valley and even
most of the Pakistanis know little about it and have little visited there.

Lansdowne Bridge of Rohri, Pakistan.
A marvel of nineteenth century engineering, the 'longest "rigid" girder bridge in the world' at that time, was begun in 1887.
Designed by Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel, the girder work weighing a massive 3,300 tons was erected by F.E. Robertson, and Hecquet.

Is this Grand Canyon or Texas?
No. It's Hingol National Park of Baluchistan, Pakistan. It got Mysterious Mud mountains, beautiful blue water Hingol river,
desert and deep blue Arabian sea. [3.5 hrs drive from Karachi on Makran coastal highway]

Cold Desert of Skardu in Pakistan.
This is one of the most beautiful tourists attraction of Northern areas of Pakistan. There are huge sand plains in Skardu.

Passu Peaks, Hunza, Pakistan.
Mysterious mountains stand like a wall between Hunza river and valley.

Uli Biaho Tower, Pakistan.
It is a peak near Trango Towers and Baltoro Glacier in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It consists of two main peaks,
Uli Biaho Tower (listed by Roskelley as 19,957 feet, and by Kopold as 6109 m (20,058 feet)); and
Uli Biaho Peak (Kopold: 6417 m), which as of 2006 was unclimbed.

Rakaposhi, Pakistan.
Rakaposhi is also known as Dumani [Mother of Mist]. It is situated in the Nagar valley.

Nanga Parbat.
It is the ninth highest mountain on Earth and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters (26,660 ft).
It is also an immense, dramatic peak that rises far above its surrounding terrain.

Karamber Lake.
Karambar Pass marks the boundary between the Chitral and Ishkoman Districts of Pakistan. The Karmabar Lake is almost 3 km long
approx and it is 4300 meters above sea level. The flowers of autumns are worth seeing on this lake.

Deosaid plains 篓C Skardu

Bara Pani 篓C Deosai

Dudiptsar Lake or Dudipat Lake is a lake encircled by snow clad peaks in Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park.
The lake lies in the extreme north of the Kaghan Valley