HOT-WATER SPRINGS OF INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT –PART-II

HOT-WATER SPRINGS OF INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT –PART-II.

We saw the geological reasons for the existence of HOT WATER SPRINGS  and the tell tale clock of Earth History due to the formation of Earth's crust and continental shelf and their drift. The movement of tectonic plates play a major role in Shaping livable area on Earth.

Now, Let us see some of HOT WATER WATER SPRINGS IN INDIAN SUBCONTINENT, Indian state wise:

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

There are two hot springs that exist In Arunachal Pradesh. The first one is in the Dirang region of Kameng district of Arunachal on  the edge of the river Dirang-chu.

The second is known as  the KITPI  hot spring located in the Greng Khar village in the Kitpi region of Tawang District of Arunachal and  is on the banks of the river Jong.

You can have Hot spring bath as well as the cold river bath.

ASSAM

The Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary as the name implies is due to the fact that a hot water springs exist. Apart from humans , it is  frequented by elephants. Now a huge wall has been created which denies the elephants a chance of playing and drinking  from the spring. 

Another hot spring is located near  Kopoli River is  now buried in the hydel project created there.

Recently obe more  hot spring that has been discovered is in the Ultapani forest range in the Samukha rivulet.

BIHAR

One of the famous Hot springs in Bihar is,  RAJGIR HOT SPRINGS located at the foot hills  of the Vaibhav Hill. People  believe that Lord Buddha used to take bath  in these waters. The source of this spring is said  to be from back of  the Saptarni Caves in the hills. Makar Sankranti,  attracts many devotees  to bathe in the waters. Other hot water springs that are  found are  in Rameshwar Kund, Rishikund & Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary.

CHATISGARH

 Sarguja district of Chatisgarh houses one known as Tapta Pani , which  is believed  to have medicinal properties, just like any other hot springs. One other hot spring is located near the Amarkantak Temple by the name of Dhuni Pani.

GUJARATH

In the midst of the famous  Gir Forest, the last abode of ASIATIC LIONS, the BEAUTIFUL TULSI SHYAM TEMPLE and the  TULSI SHYAM HOT WATER SPRINGS present a great opportunity for tourism in Gujarat state of India.  TULSI SHYAM ,poses with beautiful green hill , with caves showing Buddhist relics. The temple too is beautiful. Here are some views of Tulsi Shyam, a protected monument, with its Hot water sprngs and the view of the hills and its greenery.

 The  Unai hot springs near Vansda  too is popular with the tourists and locals. You also find near Godhra city  the, Tuva-Timba hot springs.

 

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Himachal’s  famous Vashisht Temple in Manali houses a hot water spring in which devotees take a holy dip. Manikaran too has a hot spring and this too is of religious significance. It is believed that after a devastating event, Manu created human life here again and hence devotees come here to offer their prayers. Yet another place is Tattapani which is in a valley near Shimla. Khir Ganga is in the Parvati Valley and devotees come here to take a holy dip while admiring the imposing peaks surrounding the hot water spring. Many hot water springs are found in the Kangra region too.

JHARKHAND

Jharkhand state is said to have many hot water springs. A few important hot springs in this state are: Surajkund, Sidpur, Numbil, Tapat, Raneshwar, Tharia Pani & Talaha Hot Spring. Supposedly it is said that Jharkand has more than 50 hot water springs.

Surajkund hot spring is claimed to be the hottest spring in India. Surajkund hot spring has a surface temperature of 87 °C (189 °F) and an average subsurface temperature of 165 °C (329 °F). According to recent assessment, India has a large potential of geothermal ENERGY, which can be gainfully utilized for power generation, Jharkhand possesses a good share of these. Of the total recorded sites numbering 340 in India , around 60 sites are in Jharkhand. Surajkund is among the most prospective sites. Other prospective sites in Jharkhand are: Tantolaya / Tantlol, in Santhal Paragana division, and Thatha / Konraha and Jarom in Palamu district.
There are five kunds or springs namely Surya Kund, Lakshman Kund, Brahm Kund, Ram Kund and Sita Kund. These are located in one place with water varying from very hot to cool. A Durga temple has been constructed in more recent years.
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
About  twenty  hot water springs have been reported from J&K, The most famous being the Panamik Hot Water Spring,  Chamuthang & Puga in Ladakh. Tattapani in Kalakot & Gurdashnag too has hot water springs.
An interesting spectacle in Ladakh is represented by hot springs and geysers roaring and throwing steaming hot water up to a height of 150 m and projecting fantastic rainbow colours. These fountains of water represent phenomenon in winter when the boiling water comes down in the shape of ice blocks with the impact of chilly winds and form mounds next to the geysers.
Tatta Pani in Padder Tehsil, in the KARGIL region, is a famous helth resort which abounds in hot springs.The main source of hot spring at Tatta Pani is a pond wherein boiling hot water gushes out.It is very hot in the pond where it is difficult for a peson to touch it.There are  other hot springs as well at Tatta Pani which range from very hot to luke warm water.In Marwa Tehsil hot spring is located near village Renai or Anjar. It is situated at aplendid place where people go from all over for a hot bath. Another hot spring is located on the right bank of Chandra Bhaga opposite of Padyarna.These hot springs have some peculiarities. People having rheumatic pains get relief by taking bath in the hot springs.

KARNATAKA

The only known thermal spring in the SOUTHERN INDIA  is in PUTTUR. The Bendru Teertha is like all hot springs, the waters are known to cure certain skin ailments.

MADHYA PRADESH

The place called Chavalpani is near Pachmarhi in the Mahadeo hill range. Dhuni Pani is a hot spring surrounded by a thick jungle. Tatapani is in the Surguja region. Others include Anhoni, Bemani, Sipari Anhonidhona & Salbandi.

MAHARASHTRA

The Vajreshwari hot springs located in the Bhivandi taluka of district Thane in Maharashtra State, India. Vajreshwari is known for its hot springs, the temple of Goddess Vajreshwari and the ashrams of Swami Muktananda and Swami Nityanand. There are around 21 hot water springs. VAJRA is DIAMOND , THUNDER BOLT. The GODDESS is named after that. There are 21 hot water springs and for a whole month, her statue is bathed in the hot spring water.

The Tural hot water springs located at Tural village in the Ratanagiri District of Maharashtra State, India. which is located 10 km north of Sangmeshwar, between Tural and Chiplun, on the banks of a tributary joining the Shastri river. Cement tanks are constructed around the hot springs

The Unapdev hot water springs is located at a distance of 6 kms from Adavad village in Shahada taluka of Nandurbar District in Maharashtra State, India. The word 'Unap' means hot water and in Khandesh's Ahirani language 'Vuna Dev' stands for the almighty that generated this fountain.

MEGHALAYA

The hot spring in Jakrem is situated 64km from Shillong. Tourists and locals alike come here to bathe in these waters to cure their ailments. Another place is Umngi which has two natural hot water springs. This too is fast gaining in popularity.  A place called Resubelpara, near Williamnagar has a hot spring.

ODISHA

The hot water springs in Atri attract locals who come to cure themselves. There is a Mahadev temple nearby where devotees worship and then bathe. Other hot springs are in Deulajhari (originating from a Shivling), Taptapani & Tarabalo.

RAJASTHAN

Two hot springs are known ; In Alwar there is the Talvriksh hot spring & Naraini is located near Jaipur.

SIKKIM

There are three well known hot springs in Sikkim; the Yumthang Hot Spring, the Reshi Hot Spring, and the Ralang Hot Spring, Borang, Yumey- Samdong and  Taram-Chu; some of which have a religious significance. Surrounded by extreme cold, it is a pleasure taking a hot water dip in these places.

TRPURA

A region called Unkoti which is yet to be explored, is of religious significance and abounds in natural beauty. There are numerous streams that snake through this region. It is here that a hot spring is found, which during certain religious occasions devotees come from far and wide to Unkoti and as a part of their rituals touch the waters of this spring.

WEST BENGAL

Bakreswar is where devotees flock due to a Shivling being present.

The word Bakreshwar (VAKRESHWAR- வக்றேஷ்வர் ) comes from the name of Lord Shiva worshipped in the locality. Bakra means bent or curved. Ishwar means God. Mythologically it is said that in Satya Yuga during the marriage ceremony of Lakshmi and Narayan, Astabakra Muni (then known as Subrata Muni) was insulted by Indra. The muni was so enraged that he developed 8 cripples in his body (Ashtabakra Muni means a sage with 8 curved cripples, probably kyphoscoliotic). Ashtabakra Muni was blessed by lord Shiva here after many years of Tapashya (meditation). This place is also famous as one of the 51 Shakti Pithas where there is a temple dedicated to Adi Shakti. This is a major pilgrimage spot for Hindus.

There are many hot springs here; supposedly nine of them. It is one of the Shakti Peethas in India. Another spring is near the border of Jharkand called the Tantloi spring.

Bakreshwar is also a place of geological interest with many hot springs. There are ten hot springs here. They are :

1. Paphara ganga.
2. Baitarini ganga.
3. Khar kunda : The water in this spring is of 66 degrees Celsius.
4. Bhairav kunda : The water in this spring is of 65 degrees Celsius.
5. Agni kunda : Agni means fire. The water in this spring is at 80 degrees Celsius. It is also rich in many minerals of sodium, potassium, calcium, silicates, chlorides, bicarbonates and sulphates which are said to have medicinal properties. It might also contain traces of radioactive elements.
6. Dudh kunda : Dudh means milk. The water of this spring attains a dull white hue during early morning probably due to ozone concentration. The water in this spring is at 66 degrees Celsius.
7. Surya kunda : Surya means sun.The water in this spring is of 61 degrees Celsius.
8. Shwet ganga.
9. Brahma kunda.
10. Amrita kunda.

HOT-WATER SPRINGS OF INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT –PART-I.

HOT-WATER SPRINGS OF INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT –PART-I.

Indian subcontinent started its northward journey from an island called JAMBHOODWEEPAM. Dweepam in Sanskrit means island. This island was a part of a land mass that stretches up to Australia known as GONDWANA. 

BEGINING OF EARTH

 

The young EARTH as a HOT FAST SPINNING BALL , cooled, cooled and cooled over years and then rained, rained and rained over many years creating OCEANS. Then the EARTH’s CRUST appeared as BUTTER floating on M ILK, Indians called it as NAVANEETHA KRISHNAN ((Navaneetha(butter) KRISNAN (dark earth))

 

What is more in the INDIAN Vedas and PURANAS(EPICS); they talk about the slow raising of solid crust , churning and floating in sea water as if  being pulled by a giant serpent. They also inductively promoted the origin of plants and Animals. According to the Indian ancients the COW, KAMADHENU (Giver of all that you desire) ushered the beginning of ANIMAL KINGDOM; and the tree KALPAKA VRUKSHAM (Producer of all that you desire) ushered the plant kingdom. According to these great philosophers , scientists , astrologers, the DEVAS represented good on earth and the ASURAS represented the bad on earth. Their wisdom is still helping us to discover NEW HORIZANS in all fields of KNOWLEDGE. THUS A BIG MASS OF EARTHS CRUST CALLED PANGEA CAME INTO EXISTENCE FLOATING ON LIQUID.

The island started its movement about 150 million years ago and collided with Asiatic continent about 75 million years ago. The collision gave raise to Vindhyas and Himalayas. Initially the Vindhya range had very tall mountains and cliffs. When HIMALAYAS rose again due to continental drift and due to the movement of tectonic plates, the vindhyas spread horizontally. ( The TAMILS say that Vindhyas bowed to sage Agastya, when he came down south) From then onwards the seismic activity has not ceased. Volcanic activity and Tremors are being frequently felt in the middle and northern part of Indian subcontinent.

Due to this seismic activity, the northern and central part of Indian subcontinent have several HOT WATER SPRINGS either flowing on stagnant , rising from the hot core of earth.

SURPRISINGLY MANY ARE VERY CLOSE TO RIVERS OR STREAMS THAT CARRY COLD WATER.

Based on observations over a period and scientific data, the world regions , GEOLOGISTS AND SEISMOLOGISTS , the scientists who STUDY OUR EARTH’S CRUST, have discovered a very VITAL but DISTURBING DISCOVERY in recent times.

The geologists who study the large scale movements of the EARTH’S CRUST have made this startling discovery.

They have found that there are two great lines of DISTURBANCES or MOVEMENT of EARTH’S CRUST , that meets to form a large shape like the LETTER  ‘T’  around the world.(See the diagram)

Nearly all the Earth quake prone regions, Volcanoes and mountain ranges are located within this area demarked as GREAT ‘T’.

NATURAL VENTS in FOLDED MOUNTAIN RANGE IN INDIA

The folded mountain ranges of the Indian Sub-continent such as HIMALAYAS and VINDHYAS , have vents through which hot water spews giving rise either streams of hot water or ponds of hot water. Our ancients have constructed walls to house some of these as tanks/ponds.

Let us see some of them, Indian state wise:

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Sciience andf Philosophy of EVOLUTION & ENVIRONMENT

EVOLUTION & ENVIRONMENT

The term ‘Evolution’ means gradual development. In biology, evolution signifies the process of development of more complicated forms of life form the earlier and simpler forms. CHANGE IS THE ONLY PERMANENT FEATURE IN THE UNIVERSE. Changes are the essence of life. It is also inevitable consequence of nature. The earth, in which complex organic life has evolved, began as a glowing mass of matter that might have separated from the sun. In the beginning the earth remained unfit to support life, as its temperature was so high. During the gradual cooling of the earth, earth’s crust was formed. In due course, earth’s substratum became fit enough to support and promote diversified organic life. The age of the earth is estimated to be 4.5 billion years.

 

One of the most intriguing but essential factors of the universe is LIFE. How did life originate? How so many different forms of life have come into existence? What happens to livings after the principle of life has left their body? What is the difference between chemical nature of the body of the living and the living itself? Are we alone in this vast universe?

    One can put as many questions as one can think of. Both philosophers and the scientists of the past and present are putting these questions day in and day out. But the answers came in bits and pieces, with more questions to ask and prove, and with awesome ambiguity. Neither the religious philosophers nor the rational scientists are satisfied with their findings. They continue to seek new knowledge to understand life and the universe it self. Perhaps a day would come when we say that

 “The total number of livings, however small or big, in the universe is constant. When one living form becomes extinct another living form comes into existence”

 just like the Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy.

One of the most famous English comics characters DENNIS the MENACE, shouted to his ripe old friend, " Hey!  Mr.WILSON, where did I come from? "

      The question is not just one of a childish prank or new, but a question every human being has been asking from time immemorial. Where have we come from? Where do we disappear? Who are we? Are we the body or Are we different from the body we are in?

 Is the egg first or the chick first?

       These questions force us to believe that there is indeed a very thin line between Science and Superstition AND Science and Religion. Being present in an age of Human organ TRANSPLANTATION; the answer to such questions become very complex. 

       Yet! An awareness of the origin of life similarity and diversity of life forms and its inseparable non - living counterparts are essential for us to understand the interdependence

     of life forms. Diversity of life forms among the diverse landforms of earth is one of the key factors in determining the evolution of life.  If there are no diverse landforms; then different habitats cannot exist. If different habitats don't exist diverse life forms cannot exist.  The fundamental equilibrium maintained by nature through the food web; food chain and prey predator relationship is the major key to the art of survival adaptation and subsequent evolution and speciation in plants and animals alike.

               Some of the steps of evolution and their deductions are given hereunder: 

             Accepted age of earth 4.5 billion years

             The earth, which was a ball of fire, cooled to form a single landmass

(Could this be the appearance of Maha meru and subsequent life farms? according to Samudra manthan - an Indian mythology)

(Could this be the time, life terminated in Mars and Venus and people tried to colonize on earth?)

(Could this be the legendary Jambhoo Dweepam  (island)?)

The initial hot lifeless period of earth was about 3.5 billion years.

  The oldest rock found was about 3.8 billion years

The oldest microfossil found was about 2.6 billion years.

The rise of Himalayas was roughly about 650 - 1000 million years back.

About 350 million years back India occupied high latitude and was close to the South Pole

 About 75 million years back India started moving towards north.

The last major face of northern movement of India occurred 15 million years ago, resulting a further elevation of land.

Prior to 570 million years the biomass consisted only of bacteria, algae and multicelluar organism of limited assemblage, diversities and quantity.

About 410 million ago higher plants emerged.

About 35 to 40 million years ago multicelluar animal life forms evolved.

      This deduction give us an idea of the long history of our planet and also tells us some of the stories of the past, like the elevation of mountains, are more story telling for of historical recordings. It is time we give it a scientific out look and derive the science in it . Perhaps we would have been the first to understand the formation of universe and the origin of life .

Science and Religion under no circumstances should be mixed . Both must strive to seek knowledge in their own special ways .

                  CHANGES THROUGH TIME:

      Why were there very large animals and trees long-long ago such as dinosaurs?  Why the Neanderthal men were larger than what we are now?  Why did the ancient stories talked

     about giants.  Our ancestors systematically worked to make the life of future generations easy. There is no need for them to lie or pull fast ones.  They would not have talked about Giants, without it being true?  There has to be some truth in the giant form of life in legends and fables.

     There was a time about 30 million years’ back, the percentage of Oxygen in the atmosphere was about 30%. Analysis of air samples trapped in amber has revealed the fact.  No wonder we had giant animals with least brain like the DINOSAURS existing at that time due to the high level of oxygen. Perhaps we can surmise that the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere contributed to the size of animals and plants in our biotic environment.

              With photosynthesis and respiration of the livings competing with each other the percentage of oxygen came down 20.94% to day and the BODY TO BRAIN SIZE RATIO IN ANIMALS started increasing till we had the modern man.

The body size decreasing and the brain size increasing , interesting isn’t it!.

      THUS WE SEE THAT NATURE ITSELF HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE REDUCTION IN THE OXYGEN LEVEL OF EARTH.

     Nature itself increases or changes the number of species OF ANIMALS and plants in the world AS TIME PROCEEDS.

  THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTION AND HELP WE HAVE DONE TO NATURE!  IS TO HASTEN THIS PROCESS.

  Thereby we had proved ourselves that we are smarter than nature.

                  ANIMAL EXTINCTION IS A NATURAL PROCESS.

     A number of species of animals have become extinct including some species of tigers.  We are now busy in saving the existing tigers.  What we actually do; is to discover ways of giving employment to our own species the human beings and perhaps DELAY THE PROCESS OF

                  NATURAL EXTINCTION.

               

  

                  THE PRINCIPLE OF NATURAL DEATH

    

  

Many an individual envisaged and brought out ingenious products and projects, which were new technologies at the time, they lived.  The future generations instead of going into the details of such technologies have failed even to maintain them.  Would we say the great monuments such as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, the architectural beauty of Greece, Rome, Tajmahal and the temples of Southern India are natural phenomenon that should proceed to Natural destruction. Our ancestors have failed to educate us appropriately either to manufacture or construct these marvels or at least the right knowledge to maintain them.  Or can we say that our generations have failed to imbibe their traits.

The answer lies with the adult citizens of today.