October 26, 2024

Dudhwa National Park to offer safari by rail for an exciting experience

Filed under: News — admins @ 11:37 am

With a state-of-the-art special Vista dome tourist train that started running between Mailani and Bichhiya on Sunday, visitors and wildlife enthusiasts can now take in an immersive safari experience in the Dudhwa and Katarniaghat forests, complete with the trumpeting of elephants, the roaring of tigers, the graceful leaps of deer, and the playful antics of dolphins.

The train will travel 170 kilometers in roughly four hours and twenty-five minutes on Saturdays and Sundays, twice a week. Before arriving in Bichhiya at 10.30 am, it will depart from Mailani at 6:05 am and travel through Bhira, Palia, Dudhwa, Belrayaan, and other picturesque locations. After that, it will leave Bichhiya at 11.45 am and arrive back in Mailani at 4.10 pm. Each passenger on the Vistadome coach must pay Rs 265. There are 53 seats available on the train.

“This is a special move by the railways to promote tourism, especially for wildlife enthusiasts,” Lalit Kumar Verma, the field director of Dudhwa, told HT. This is a novel idea, and we hope it will be well received this time around. Both Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and Dudhwa National Park are currently closed for the monsoon season, but the park is expected to reopen on November 5 instead of November 15, according to Verma. “We anticipate that when the park reopens on November 5, visitors will love this new train service. Wildlife enthusiasts will be able to take in the region’s abundant biodiversity thanks to this early reopening, and the new train will enhance their journey,” he said.

With WiFi, music systems, and charging stations at each seat, the Vista dome coach provides a luxurious experience and is fully air-conditioned. The expansive windows offer sweeping views of the jungle. The experience is enhanced by the train’s design, which features paintings of forests and wildlife.

The rich biodiversity of Katarniaghat Forest is well-known. Along with hundreds of bird species, visitors can see rare vulture species like the Red-Headed King Vulture and Eurasian Griffon. A healthy population of crocodiles, tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses, and deer can also be found in the forest. Along with witnessing numerous rare birds that travel thousands of miles to visit the Geruwa River’s banks in the winter, tourists can also take in the fun of the dolphins in the river. The Amazon of Katarnia is the name given to the Geruwa River, which rises in Nepal and flows into the KWS through eight channels.

October 1, 2024

Before the day’s breakfast, six Victoria Crosses?

Filed under: Lucknowledge — admins @ 7:49 am

This event took place on November 16th, 1857, and it was the 93rd in India.

The history of the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders and of Britain as a whole was significantly impacted by the First War of Independence, also referred to as the Indian Mutiny or the Indian Uprising. India served as the center of the British Empire, and changes there had an effect on British trade and establishment. A common misconception is that the Uprising began when new cartridges lubricated with animal fat were introduced. These cartridges violated the religious beliefs of the native soldiers, or “sepoys.” This may have been the catalyst, but a growing suspicion of Britain and its intentions in India preceded it. The idea that British rule was trying to eradicate indigenous religions and the caste system led to a rise in mistrust of the authority held by the East India Company.

On September 20, 1857, the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders, diverted from their duties in China, landed in Calcutta. After that, they traveled 600 miles to Cawnpore. Rebels had massacred a large number of people in Cawnpore one month earlier; they then took refuge in the Governor’s Residence in Lucknow.

To liberate those under siege in the Residency, the 934-man Regiment assembled on November 14 south of Lucknow. The main attack began at six a.m. on November 16 against the Sikandar Bagh, a large mansion with a walled garden. The Sikandar Bagh was a vital site for the sepoys. The soldiers of the 93rd eventually succeeded in breaching the wall after more than an hour. Intense, close-quarters combat characterized by extreme violence on both sides ensued. Three o’clock was the end of the operation.

Victoria CrossSix members of the 93rd were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on November 16, 1857. Queen Victoria instituted this new award in 1856 for bravery “in the presence of the enemy,” and it was first presented in June of 1857. Because the day’s activities started early, there’s a common misconception that all six VCs were earned “before breakfast.”

  1. Captain William George Drummond Stewart
    “For outstanding bravery in leading an assault and seizing two guns in Lucknow, securing the position of the mess house.”
  2. Private Peter Grant
    “For extraordinary bravery on a personal level at the Sikandar Bagh, where he killed five enemy assailants trying to pursue Lieutenant Colonel Ewart while the latter was removing a captured color.”
  3. Private David Mackay
    “After facing extremely stubborn resistance at the Sikandar Bagh in Lucknow, for great personal gallantry in capturing an enemy’s color.” Later, during the Shah Najaf’s capture, he suffered serious injuries.
  4. Lance Corporal John Dunley
    Because he was the first person to enter one of the breaches in the Sikandar Bagh at Lucknow on November 16, 1857, with Captain Burroughs, whom he bravely backed up against overwhelming odds.
  5. Colour Sergeant James Munro
    For selfless bravery at the Sikandar Bagh, where he swiftly raced to save Captain Walsh of the same Corps from certain death after he was wounded. He transported Walsh to a safe haven, where the Sergeant was brought in moments later with serious injuries.
  6. Sergeant John Paton
    “For outstanding bravery at Lucknow when circling the Shah Najaf in the face of intense fire and finding a breach on the other side, to which he subsequently led the Regiment, enabling the taking of that crucial position.”