School series lakes 25

 Lakes of India — 3

Chilika — Where the Lake Meets the Sea

On the coast of Odisha lies a lake that is neither completely a lake nor completely a sea.

Chilika Lake is a vast brackish-water lagoon, separated from the Bay of Bengal by a narrow stretch of land. Freshwater from rivers enters it, while seawater enters from the ocean.

The result is a remarkable meeting place of river, lake and sea.

But Chilika has another surprise.

Every winter, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds arrive here from distant parts of the world. For them, Chilika becomes a vast seasonal home.

And beneath its waters lives another unusual visitor—the Irrawaddy dolphin, a rare and endangered dolphin species.

Chilika is also a lifeline for thousands of fishermen whose lives are closely connected with its waters.

So this is much more than a beautiful lake.

Freshwater comes in.

Seawater comes in.

Birds come from distant lands.

Dolphins live beneath the surface.

And people make their living from its waters.

Chilika is a place where land, river, sea, wildlife and human life meet.

One lake. Many worlds.

School series lake 24

Lakes of India — 2

Loktak — The Lake That Floats

In the north-eastern state of Manipur lies a lake that seems to defy nature.

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the north-east of India. But its real wonder is not its size.

It floats.

Scattered across its surface are enormous floating masses called phumdis. They are made of vegetation, soil and organic matter held together naturally. Some are small, while others are large enough to support vegetation, houses and human activity.

And then comes the extraordinary part.

One of these floating formations is home to Keibul Lamjao National Park—the world's only floating national park.

It is also the last natural refuge of the sangai, the endangered brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur.

So here is a lake where:

The land floats.

The forest floats.

A national park floats.

And a rare deer walks upon floating earth.

Nature does not always make its wonders obvious.

Sometimes, even the land refuses to stay still.

Loktak — a lake where the impossible seems perfectly natural.

School series lake 23

 Lakes of India — 1

Lonar: The Lake That Came From Space

In Maharashtra lies a lake unlike almost any other in India.

It is Lonar Lake—and its story begins not on Earth, but in space.

About 50,000 years ago, a meteorite travelling at enormous speed struck the Deccan basalt rock of Maharashtra. The impact created a huge circular crater. Over time, rainwater collected in the depression and Lonar Lake was born.

What makes it even more remarkable is that the crater was formed in basalt, the hard volcanic rock of the Deccan Plateau.

The lake is also unusual chemically. Its water is saline and alkaline, creating an environment in which unusual microorganisms can survive.

Around the crater grew forests, temples and other signs of human settlement. So Lonar is not merely a geological wonder—it is also a place where nature, science and history meet.

And there is one more curiosity.

From above, Lonar looks almost like a perfect circular eye set into the Earth.

Imagine standing beside it and looking across the water:

You are looking into a scar left on Earth by something that came from space.

That is Lonar.

One lake. One meteorite. One extraordinary story.

Distributed.

108 divyadeshams

Divya Desams

Tamil Nadu

84

Kerala

11

Uttar Pradesh

4

Uttarakhand

3

Andhra Pradesh

2

Gujarat

1

Nepal

1

Celestial Divya Desams

2

Total

108

Further

The 84 in Tamil Nadu can be further divided according to the traditional Sri Vaishnava geographical classification:

Chola Nadu — 40

Thondai Nadu — 22

Pandya Nadu — 18

Nadu Nadu — 2

Malai Nadu — 2 within present-day Tamil Nadu

That makes 84.

Then the 11 Kerala Divya Desams constitute the remainder of traditional Malai Nadu, making 13 Malai Nadu Divya Desams altogether. 

And Vada Nadu — 11 comprises the northern Divya Desams: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, with Muktinath in Nepal traditionally included as well. 

Traditional classification:

Chola 40 → Thondai 22 → Pandya 18 → Malai 13 → Nadu 2 → Vada 11 → Vinnulagam 2.

Modern state-wise classification:

Tamil Nadu 84 → Kerala 11 → Uttar Pradesh 4 → Uttarakhand 3 → Andhra Pradesh 2 → Gujarat 1 → Nepal 1 → Vinnulagam 2.

Five type of sayana.

The five Śayana Tirukkolams—the five ways in which Perumal is seen reclining in the Divya Desams.

Śayana Tirukkolam

Meaning

Divya Desam / place

Deity

Ananta Śayanam

Reclining on Ādiśeṣa, the endless serpent

Tiruvananthapuram

Ananta Padmanabha

Bhujanga Śayanam

Serpentine reclining posture

Śrīraṅgam

Raṅganātha

Tala Śayanam

Reclining directly on the ground

Tirukadalmallai (Mahabalipuram)

Sthalasayana Perumal

Darbha Śayanam

Reclining on darbha grass

Tiruppullāṇi

Darbhaśayana Rāma

Vīra Śayanam

Majestic/heroic reclining posture

Tiruveḷḷūr (Tiruvallur)

Vīrarāghava Perumal

1. Ananta Śayanam — Tiruvananthapuram

Here the Lord reclines upon Ananta, the endless serpent, with His majestic form extending across the sanctum. This is the famous Ananta Padmanabha.

The very name tells us the idea: Ananta means endless, infinite. The Lord rests upon infinity itself.

2. Bhujanga Śayanam — Śrīraṅgam

At Śrīraṅgam, Lord Raṅganātha reclines upon Ādiśeṣa, facing south. This is perhaps the most celebrated reclining form of Vishnu.

Ādiśeṣa is not merely a serpent-bed. He is the Lord's eternal servant, providing the Lord with a bed, umbrella and throne.

3. Tala Śayanam — Tirukadalmallai

At Tirukadalmallai, the Lord is Sthalasayana Perumal.

Tala/Sthala conveys the idea of the ground or place. Here Perumal reclines directly upon the earth rather than upon the serpent.

The legend beautifully connects the form with Bhūmi Devi and the sage Pundarika.

4. Darbha Śayanam — Tiruppullāṇi

This is particularly associated with Sri Rama.

At Tiruppullāṇi, Rama is believed to have reclined upon darbha grass while praying to the ocean before his journey to Lanka.

Hence the Lord is Darbhaśayana Rāman.

It is a wonderful reminder that the Supreme Lord, though capable of commanding the universe, can also lie upon a simple bed of grass for the sake of His mission.

5. Vīra Śayanam — Tiruvallur

At Tiruvallur, Lord Vīrarāghava Perumal is seen reclining in a majestic posture.

Vīra means heroic, valiant. The posture therefore conveys not sleep or weakness, but the repose of the victorious Lord who is ever ready to protect His devotees.

The beautiful thought behind the five

The reclining Lord is never really asleep.

He appears to rest, but His protection never rests.

Whether He reclines on Ananta, the ground, the serpent, darbha grass or in heroic repose, the message remains the same:

The Lord may rest, but His grace is always awake.

Record.

 On August 13, 2026, Palwal, Haryana hosted a massive, historic Tiranga Yatra featuring a gigantic Indian Tricolour measuring 5 kilometres in length and 10 feet in width.

Announce arival

 https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Nj8yAoGAg/

Beautiful

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EqwekdyyX/