Places in News Quiz (5 Questions)

DHAULIGANGA

LOCATION : Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand

TRIBUTARY : It is the left tributary of the Alaknanda, which is the headwater stream of the Ganga.

LENGTH : 82 km

ORIGIN : Dhauliganga arises on the Raikana glacier at an altitude of 4700 m.

CONFLUENCE : It flows through the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand and meets Alaknanda at Vishnuprayag.

At Reni, Dhauliganga takes the Rishiganga river from the left. Just before the estuary is the small town of Jyotirmath (Joshimath) on the river bank.

Dhauliganga river valley separates the Kamet group of mountains in the west from the Nanda Devi group of mountains in the east.

Tapovan which is famous for its hot sulfur springs is situated on the banks of Dhauliganga.

Dhauliganga meets Alaknanda at Vishnuprayag.

Vishnuprayag is the first Prayag of the Panch Prayag.

ALAKNANDA is joined by Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini and the last one is Bhagirathi, after which it becomes GANGA.

FIVE PRAYAGS OF GARHWAL HIMALAYAS

ALAKNANDA IS THE COMMON STREAM

Remember the order from 1 to 5.

1. VISHNU PRAYAG ➡️ ALAKNANDA + DHAULIGANGA

2. NAND PRAYAG ➡️ ALAKNANDA + NANDAKINI

3. KARNA PRAYAG ➡️ ALAKNANDA + PINDAR

4. RUDRA PRAYAG ➡️ ALAKNANDA + MANDAKINI

5. DEV PRAYAG ➡️ ALAKNANDA + BHAGIRATHI

All the five prayags can be visited on the way to Badrinath from Haridwar/Rishikesh.

The most famous of Prayags in India is Prayagraj where Ganga meets Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati river.

NANDA DEVI

Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India after Kangchenjunga.

Nanda Devi is the highest mountain located entirely within the country.

Kangchenjunga, which is higher, is not entirely within India. It is on the border of India (Sikkim) and Nepal.

Nanda devi is the 23rd-highest peak in the world.

It is part of the Garhwal Himalayas and is located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, between the Rishiganga valley on the west and the Goriganga valley on the east.

Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Nanda Devi is a two-peaked massif.

The western summit called Nanda Devi West, is India's second highest peak (Kanchenjunga is highest).

The eastern summit, called Nanda Devi East, locally known as Sunanda Devi is the lower one.

The main summit stands guarded by a barrier ring comprising some of the highest mountains in the Indian Himalayas, twelve of which exceed 6,400 m (21,000 ft) in height, further elevating its sacred status as the daughter of the Himalaya in Indian myth and folklore.

The interior of this almost insurmountable ring is the protected area known as the Nanda Devi National Park.

JOSHIMATH

Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath is located in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand.

Jyotirmath is one of the four cardinal pīthas established by Adi Shankaracharya, the others being at Shringeri, Puri and Dwarka.

According to the tradition initiated by Adi Shankara, this matha is in charge of the Atharvaveda.

Due to its proximity with the chardham shrine Badrinath, Jyotirmath is called the gateway to Badrinath.

It is one of the "Divya Desams", the 108 temples of Vishnu revered by the 12 tamil poet-saints or Alvars.

Valley of Flowers National Park is a meadow of endemic alpine flowers

Question 535.

NANDA DEVI AND VALLEY OF FLOWERS NATIONAL PARK, UTTARAKHAND

It comprises the catchment area of Rishi Ganga, an eastern tributary of Dhauli Ganga.

The park lies in Chamoli district, within the Garhwal Himalayas.

Its species diversity reflects the transition between the Eastern and Western Himalaya flora.

The diversity of threatened species of medicinal plants is higher than in other Indian Himalayan protected areas.

No people live in the park, which has remained more or less intact because of its inaccessibility.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a Biosphere Reserve.

It lies within the Western Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA).

Seven restricted-range bird species are endemic to this part of the EBA.

DID YOU KNOW ?

🏔️ Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve provides refuge to 7 important mammal species:

❄️ Snow leopard (vulnerable)

❄️ Himalayan brown bear (critically endangered)

❄️ Himalayan black bear (vulnerable)

❄️ Himalayan musk deer (endangered)

❄️ Bharal/blue sheep (Least Concern) - forms the major prey base of the snow leopard