A natural phenomenon is a non-artificial event that occurs in the physical sense; one that has not been produced by humans. There are many naturally occurring phenomenon that occur in India. Here are Top 10 Rare Indian Natural Phenomenon.
Columnar Basaltic Lava
St. Mary’s Islands are a set of four small islands in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Malpe in Udupi, Karnataka. When a volcano erupts and thick viscous basaltic lava is spewed out, it cools rapidly and contracts to form series of spider web like cracks. These cracks take the shape of hexagons and polygons when lava cools further. Left behind from this process are vertical columns of rock that very much look like they have been sculpted by human hands. These rock formations took shape during the formation of the Deccan traps more than 60 million years ago. They were probably taller, but subsequent erosion has reduced their size. The only way to get to the islands
The Disappearing Sea
The Chandipur Beach of Orissa is one of the most unique beaches in India. It is situated 200 km from Cuttack and 230 km from Bhubaneswar. Chandipur beach is one of the very few places in this world where there is a huge difference in low and high tides. The seawater recedes anywhere from 1 kilometer to 4 kilometers during the low tide and returns to the shoreline at the time of high-tide. Watching the sea vanish and then observe it return is a very rare site. You can walk more than a kilometer into the sea in its shallow depths when water is receded.
Magnetic Hill
The Magnetic Hill is located on the Leh-Kargil-Batalik National Highway, about 30 kms from Leh, at a height of 14,000 ft above sea level. The hill is said to have magnetic properties, which attracts metallic objects, making vehicles move up the slope at a speed of about 20 km/h with their engines off. In reality, it is an optical illusion. The most important factor contributing to the illusion is a completely or mostly obstructed horizon. Without a horizon, judging the slope of a surface is difficult as a reliable reference is missing. This is really a very slight downhill slope that appears to be an uphill slope.
Burning Coalfield
Jharia is home to one of the largest coal mine fires in the world. At least 70 different coal minefires now burn as one, dumping thousands of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. India is the fourth leading generator of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, and the burning coal mines are a major source of this pollution. Coal mining in Jharia has been going on since the late 1800s, and the first reported fire goes back to the 1920s. However, the problem really began in the 1970s when the coal mining companies switched from below-ground to above-ground practices, which leaves the coal exposed to oxygen when not properly closed—meaning it can easily be ignited. Soft coal can even spontaneously combust at temperatures as low as 40 Celsius (104 F). Once started, the coal fires are almost impossible to put out (and since there is no economic incentive for the mining companies to bother, little effort is made). As they advance, the fires erode the ground, which has led to entire houses and even railroads being swallowed: In 1995, a riverbank was compromised by an underground fire that caused the wall to collapse, flooded the mine, and killed 78 workers.
Floating Islands
Loktak Lake located in the state of Manipur is the largest freshwater lake in northeast India. It is also called the only floating lake in the world due to the floating phumdis. Phumdis are a mass of vegetation, soil and other organic matter that accumulate over a period of time that resemble a landmass that float freely in the lake. The largest floating island covers an area of 40 sq. km. and constitutes the world’s largest floating park, Keibul Lamjao National Park. The lake is a very unique tourist destination. There is also a tourist home built on top of a floating island.
Valley of Flowers
Valley of Flowers National Park is situated near Badrinath, in the state of Uttrakhand. It is at a height of 11,000 feet to 14,000 feet above sea level in the western Himalayas. This park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km². The entire Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve lies within the Western Himalayas Endemic Bird Area. This valley is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Apart from some community-based ecotourism to small portions of these parks, there has been no anthropogenic pressure in this area since 1983. This property therefore acts as a control site for the maintenance of natural processes, and is of high significance for long-term ecological monitoring in the Himalayas.
Luminous Beach
The bioluminescence in the waves is the product of a bioluminescent phytoplankton. Various species of phytoplankton are known to produce bioluminescence, and this phenomenon can be seen in oceans all around the world. The microorganisms emit light in response to stress, such as when a wave crashes into the shore, a surfboard slashes through the surf, or a kayaker’s paddle splashes the water. In India, they have been spotted multiple times in the Lakshadweep islands. Glowing phytoplanktons create clusters and filaments of light as they wash ashore in the above image that was captured by an Indian photographer visiting the kavaratti island of Lakshadweep. Here is his page on Google plus where he shared this image.
Mass Bird Suicides
The village of Jatinga in the Dima Hasao district of Assam has a population of around 2500. The village is world famous for its phenomenon of bird suicides. Most of the migratory birdsvisiting the area never leave the village and just drop to their death on the streets. The case gets even inscrutable in the sense that these birds plummet to their death precisely between 06:00 p.m. to 09:30 p.m. on the moonless nights of September and October. These mass suicides only occur on a specific 1 mile by 600 feet strip of land and this phenomenon is said to have occurred year after year without a break for more than a century. Many theories have been offered by scientists to explain this phenomenon, the most popular one being that these birds are attracted towards village lights that confuse them. Another theory that makes more sense is the presence of excessive magnetic field in the area that disorients them. Though more theories continue to arise, no one has yet been able to prove the exact explanation behind this phenomenon.
Chir Batti
Banni Grasslands Reserve lies on the southern edge of the salt flats of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. This is a seasonal marshy grassland that forms each year from monsoon rains. During night there have been frequent reports of an unexplained strange dancing light that locals refer to as Chir Batti. These lights are said to be as bright as mercury lamps that change in color from blue, red, yellow and resemble a pear shaped moving ball. They can move as fast as an arrow, but may also come to a standstill. According to local folklore Chir Batti has been a part of life in Banni Grasslands and has been witnessed for centuries. Some witnesses claim the light sometimes appears to follow them. Apart from locals, foreigners visiting the reserve and Border Security Force personnel too have reported seeing these lights. Scientists believe these lights are caused by oxidation of methane expelled from the marshes.
The Milky Way Galaxy
Milky Way is one of the most interesting naked eye sights in the night sky and it can be seen from many different places on earth. Most of the photographs that are available of the Milky Way Galaxy seen from India have been captured in the Himalayas. The above photo one was captured in Ladakh. The ideal conditions to view this cosmic spectacle are that there should be no clouds, no moonlight, no city lights, no headlights, basically as far as you can from any source of light pollution. The ideal time to view it is in late summer or winter evenings. A misty sky wouldn’t block it completely, nor would humidity. It would make it not as sharp, but still visible.
