Bandhavgarh
If Kanha is Kipling's country, then Bandhavgarh is the jewel in Madhya Pradesh's crown. Situated at a distance of 195 km from Jabalpur and 225 km from Khajuraho, the Bandhavgarh National Park is a premier wildlife preserve in the Vindhya mountain range of Central India. It is a tiny park compared to Kanha but with nearly the same number of tigers and leopards, or at least that is the official figure. Besides tigers and leopards, Bandhavgarh is also extremely productive for medium-sized bison herds.
Bandhavgarh came into existence as a national park in 1968 with a core area of 105 sq. km, which was later extended to include two adjoining sal forests in 1986. Before becoming a national park, it was the game reserve of the Maharajas of Rewa. But due to loss of royal patronage, it remained neglected for a long time until the government declared it a national park to control rampant poaching in the area. Bandhavgarh has the highest density of tigers among all reserves in India and packs the same wealth of wildlife in a smaller area. It is famous as the original home of the white (albino) tiger, though this rare species has long become extinct here. Apart from tigers, Bandhavgarh is also famous for sloth bear sambar, chital, muntjac, nilgai, chinkara, and wild pigs. There are also interesting cave shrines scattered around the park, with Brahmi inscriptions dating from the first century B.C. You can visit the remains of the Bandhavgarh fort believed to be 2,000 years old. |
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| International Dialing Codes |
Country Code |
IDD prefix |
| Afghanistan |
93 |
00 |
| Albania |
355 |
00 |
| Algeria |
213 |
00~ |
| American Samoa |
684 |
00 |
| Andorra |
376 |
00 |
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244 |
00 |
| Anguilla |
264* |
011 |
| Antarctica |
672 |
|
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268* |
011 |
| Argentina |
54 |
00 |
| Armenia |
374 |
8~10 |
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297 |
00 |
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247 |
01 |
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61 |
0011 |
| Austria |
43 |
00 |
| Azerbaijan |
994 |
8~10 |
| Bahamas |
242* |
001 |
| Bahrain |
973 |
0 |
| Bangladesh |
880 |
00 |
| Barbados |
246* |
011 |
| Barbuda |
268* |
011 |
| Belarus |
375 |
8~10 |
| Belgium |
32 |
00 |
| Belize |
501 |
00 |
| Benin |
229 |
00 |
| Bermuda |
441* |
011 |
| Bhutan |
975 |
00 |
| Bolivia |
591 |
00 |
| Bosnia & Herzogovina |
387 |
00 |
| Botswana |
267 |
00 |
| Brazil |
55 |
00 |
| British Virgin Islands |
284* |
011 |
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673 |
00 |
| Bulgaria |
359 |
00 |
| Burkina Faso |
226 |
00 |
| Burma (Myanmar) |
95 |
0 |
| Burundi |
257 |
90 |
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855 |
00 |
| Cameroon |
237 |
00 |
| Canada |
1 |
011 |
| Cape Verde Islands |
238 |
0 |
| Cayman Islands |
345* |
011 |
| Central African Republic |
236 |
19 |
| Chad |
235 |
15 |
| Chatham Island (New Zealand) |
64 |
00 |
| Chile |
56 |
00 |
| China (PRC) |
86 |
00 |
| Christmas Island |
61 |
00 |
| Cocos-Keeling Islands |
61 |
0011 |
| Colombia |
57 |
90 |
| Comoros |
269 |
10 |
| Congo |
242 |
00 |
| Congo, Dem. Rep. of (former Zaire) |
243 |
00 |
| Cook Islands |
682 |
00 |
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506 |
00 |
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385 |
00 |
| Cuba |
53 |
119 |
| Cuba (Guantanamo Bay) |
5399 |
00 |
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357 |
00 |
| Czech Republic |
420 |
00 |
| Denmark |
45 |
00 |
| Diego Garcia |
246 |
00 |
| Djibouti |
253 |
00 |
| Dominica |
767* |
011 |
| Dominican Republic |
809* |
011 |
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56 |
00 |
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593 |
00 |
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20 |
00 |
| El Salvador |
503 |
0 |
| Equatorial Guinea |
240 |
00 |
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291 |
00 |
| Estonia |
372 |
8~00 |
| Ethiopia |
251 |
00 |
| Faeroe Islands |
298 |
009 |
| Falkland Islands |
500 |
0 |
| Fiji Islands |
679 |
05 |
| Finland |
358 |
00,990,994,999 |
| France |
33 |
00 |
| French Antilles |
596 |
00 |
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594 |
00 |
| French Polynesia |
689 |
00 |
| Gabon |
241 |
00 |
| Gambia |
220 |
00 |
| Georgia |
995 |
8~10 |
| Germany |
49 |
00 |
| Ghana |
233 |
00 |
| Gibraltar |
350 |
00 |
| Greece |
30 |
00 |
| Greenland |
299 |
009 |
| Grenada |
473* |
011 |
| Guadeloupe |
590 |
00 |
| Guam |
670* |
011 |
| Guantanamo Bay |
5399 |
00 |
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502 |
00 |
| Guinea-Bissau |
245 |
00 |
| Guinea (PRP) |
224 |
00 |
| Guyana |
592 |
001 |
| Haiti |
509 |
00 |
| Honduras |
504 |
00 |
| Hong Kong |
852 |
001 |
| Hungary |
36 |
00 |
| Iceland |
354 |
00 |
| India |
91 |
00 |
| Indonesia |
62 |
001,008 |
| Iran |
98 |
00 |
| Iraq |
964 |
00 |
| Ireland |
353 |
00 |
| Israel |
972 |
00 (Bezeq LTD); 012 (Golden Lines); 013 (Barak LTD); or 014 (Bezeq LTD) |
| Italy |
39 |
00 |
| Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) |
225 |
00 |
| Jamaica |
876* |
011 |
| Japan |
81 |
001 |
| Jordan |
962 |
00 |
| Kazakhstan |
7 |
8~10 |
| Kenya |
254 |
000 |
| Kiribati |
686 |
00 |
| Korea (North) |
850 |
00 |
| Korea (South) |
82 |
001 |
| Kuwait |
965 |
00 |
| Kyrgyz Republic |
996 |
8~10 |
| Laos |
856 |
14 |
| Latvia |
371 |
00 |
| Lebanon |
961 |
00 |
| Lesotho |
266 |
00 |
| Liberia |
231 |
00 |
| Libya |
218 |
00 |
| Liechtenstein |
41 |
00 |
| Lithuania |
370 |
8~10 |
| Luxembourg |
352 |
00 |
| Macau |
853 |
00 |
| Macedonia (former Yugoslav Rep.) |
389 |
00 |
| Madagascar |
261 |
00 |
| Malawi |
265 |
101 |
| Malaysia |
60 |
00 |
| Maldives |
960 |
00 |
| Mali Republic |
223 |
00 |
| Malta |
356 |
00 |
| Marshall Islands |
692 |
00 |
| Martinique |
596 |
00 |
| Mauritania |
222 |
00 |
| Mauritius |
230 |
00 |
| Mayotte Island |
269 |
10 |
| Mexico |
52 |
00 (01 for domestic calls) |
| Micronesia |
691 |
011 |
| Midway Island |
808 |
00 |
| Moldova |
373 |
8~10 |
| Monaco |
377 |
00 |
| Mongolia |
976 |
00 |
| Montserrat |
664* |
011 |
| Morocco |
212 |
00~ |
| Mozambique |
258 |
00 |
| Myanmar |
95 |
0 |
| Namibia |
264 |
09 |
| Nauru |
674 |
115 |
| Nepal |
977 |
00 |
| Netherlands |
31 |
00 |
| Netherlands Antilles |
599 |
00 |
| Nevis |
869 |
011 |
| New Caledonia |
687 |
00 |
| New Zealand |
64 |
00 |
| Nicaragua |
505 |
00 |
| Niger |
227 |
00 |
| Nigeria |
234 |
009 |
| Niue |
683 |
00 |
| Norfolk Island |
672 |
00 |
| North Korea |
850 |
00 |
| Norway |
47 |
00 |
| Oman |
968 |
00 |
| Pakistan |
92 |
00 |
| Palau |
680 |
00 |
| Panama |
507 |
0 |
| Papua New Guinea |
675 |
05 |
| Paraguay |
595 |
00 |
| Peru |
51 |
00 |
| Philippines |
63 |
00 |
| Poland |
48 |
0~0 |
| Portugal |
351 |
00 |
| Puerto Rico |
787* |
1 |
| Qatar |
974 |
0 |
| Réunion Island |
262 |
00 |
| Romania |
40 |
00 |
| Rota Island |
670 |
011 |
| Russia |
7 |
8~10 |
| Rwanda |
250 |
00 |
| St. Helena |
290 |
01 |
| St. Kitts/Nevis |
869* |
011 |
| St. Lucia |
758* |
011 |
| St. Pierre & Miquelon |
508 |
00 |
| St. Vincent & Grenadines |
809* |
011 |
| Saipan Island |
670* |
011 |
| San Marino |
378 |
00 |
| São Tomé and Principe |
239 |
00 |
| Saudi Arabia |
966 |
00 |
| Senegal |
221 |
00 |
| Serbia |
381 |
00 |
| Seychelles Islands |
248 |
00 |
| Sierra Leone |
232 |
00 |
| Singapore |
65 |
001 |
| Slovak Republic |
421 |
00 |
| Slovenia |
386 |
00 |
| Solomon Islands |
677 |
00 |
| Somalia |
252 |
19 |
| South Africa |
27 |
09 or 091 |
| South Korea |
82 |
001 |
| Spain |
34 |
00 |
| Sri Lanka |
94 |
00 |
| Sudan |
249 |
00 |
| Suriname |
597 |
00 |
| Swaziland |
268 |
00 |
| Sweden |
46 |
009 |
| Switzerland |
41 |
00 |
| Syria |
963 |
00 |
| Taiwan |
886 |
002 |
| Tajikistan |
7 |
8~10 |
| Tanzania |
255 |
00 |
| Thailand |
66 |
001 |
| Tinian Island |
670 |
011 |
| Togo |
228 |
00 |
| Tokelau |
690 |
00 |
| Tonga Islands |
676 |
00 |
| Trinidad & Tobago |
868* |
011 |
| Tunisia |
216 |
00 |
| Turkey |
90 |
00 |
| Turkmenistan |
993 |
8~10 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands |
649* |
011 |
| Tuvalu |
688 |
00 |
| Uganda |
256 |
00 |
| Ukraine |
380 |
8~10 |
| United Arab Emirates |
971 |
00 |
| United Kingdom |
44 |
00 |
| United States of America |
1 |
011 |
| US Virgin Islands |
1 |
011 |
| Uruguay |
598 |
00 |
| Uzbekistan |
998 |
8~10 |
| Vanuatu |
678 |
00 |
| Vatican City |
376 |
00 |
| Venezuela |
58 |
00 |
| Vietnam |
84 |
00 |
| Wake Island |
808 |
00 |
| Wallis and Futuna Islands |
681 |
19~ |
| Western Samoa |
685 |
0 |
| Yemen |
967 |
00 |
| Yugoslavia |
381 |
99 |
| Zambia |
260 |
00 |
| Zimbabwe |
263 |
00 |
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Varanasi
Varanasi, also popularly known as Benaras is one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus. The historical ghats of Varanasi on the banks of river Ganges attract devotees from all parts of the country and abroad. The ghats are many, but every ghat has a history of its own and some of them also find mention in the ancient scriptures. It is believed that a dip in the holy waters of the ghats cleanses all past sins. Another popular belief is that immersion of the ashes of the dead in the ghats grant their soul eternal peace. A perennial feature of the ghats are a variety of religious rituals held from morning till night.
Regarded as an eternal city by the Hindus, the known history of Varanasi dates back to about 3500 years. Here, we shall briefly discuss the most popular of Varanasi's myriad of ghats
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