Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/iOi-BRZun6k
Location: “Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, Attakanitippa, Andhra Pradesh 524121”
“Sriharikota, Shar Project, Andhra Pradesh 524124”
References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulicat_Lake_Bird_Sanctuary
https://forests.ap.gov.in/pulicat.php
https://www.tamilnadutourism.tn.gov.in/destinations/pulicat-lake
Pulicate:
Pulicate
is a brackish water lagoon along the coast of Bay of Bengal in to which streams
drain. Its length is about 70 kms and width varies from 1 km to 20 kms. The
lake has 16 island villages and 30 villages adjoining the lake. The
people depend on the lake for their livelihood. The lake supports a colossal
number of flora and fauna adapted to this brackish water ecosystem.Pulicate
Lake Bird Sanctuary is a sanctuary for birds, 759 km2 (293 sq mi)
in area, located in the Tirupati district of Andhra
Pradesh and
a protected area of the Thiruvallur District of Tamil Nadu. Pulicat Lake is
the second largest brackish-water eco-system in
India after Chilka lake in Orissa.
The
lake is located on the seaward side of the Sriharikota island blockade, which
serves as a launch site for Indian rockets. It separates Pulicat Lake from the
Bay of Bengal, some 60 km north of Chennai.
This town
has an extensive history. Its history dates back to 300 BCE when it served as a
major port in the Bay of Bengal. As a British colonial town, it was also noted
for its fishing village and health resort. In reality, their primary habitation
ended up being in this Pulicat city. The British rulers were the final
conquerors to occupy
the town.
The lake
is the second largest brackish water eco-system in the Country supporting the
largest congregation of Flamingoes is Andhra Pradesh. Greater Flamingoes come
to Pulicat from Great Rann of Kutch (their breeding place), in the month of
October and return back in April.
This lake
is also the dwelling place of so many birds. You can see numerous migratory
birds there between October to March every year. Although many different bird
species are seen, the flamingos are notable because they populate the
marshlands next to the lake in great numbers. Pulicat is home to a cottage
industry where women make delicate products like jewellery boxes, masala boxes,
and pouches from palmary leaves. The neighbourhood Palmyra Leaf Co-operative
Society exports professional services and exquisite items created from palmyra
leaves.
Pulicat is also a thriving centre for seafood export along with white and Tiger
prawns, jellyfish, finfish, and live lagoons, The closest railhead and airport
are in Chennai. From Tirupati, it takes an hour and a half on the direct buses
to get there from Sullurupeta. Those travelling by car can get to the place by travelling
from Chennai to Nellore.
Important information about the
lake:
Pulicat Lake may disappear within 100
years by being filled up with silt.[7] Efforts
by government and private non-governmental organizations are working to halt
lake destruction. The Art & Architecture Research, Development and
Education (AARDE) Foundation does regular activities at Pazhaverkadu to create
awareness on the vanishing lagoon.
Sri Harikota
Sriharikota barrier island off the Bay of Bengal coast located in the Shar Project settlement
of Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It houses the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre, one of the
two satellite launch centres in India (the other being Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching
Station, Thiruvananthapuram). Sriharikota is partly located
in Sullurpeta mandal and partly located
in Tada mandal in Tirupati
District in Andhra Pradesh. The island separates Pulicat Lake from
the Bay of Bengal. A 16 km elevated road connects
Sriharikota to the mainland.
Tourist Operators:
Various
tourist operators do exist and take guided tours for Pulicate along with a
day’s tour for Sriharikota Space center.
For
Sriharikota, there is no restriction till the parking. After that to enter
SriHarikota, one need to get passes from the office there, which can be
instantly provided through a small formality. Please check once online about
the requirements once. On getting the pass, one can enter the main Sri Harikota
premises and have a walk through. Also the launching pad of the Satellites can
be visited when there is a launch too.
Sriharikota's Satish Dhawan Space
Centre (SDSC) Visitor Complex is open on weekdays (excluding holidays)
from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. For specific ISRO mission launch times, you'll
need to check ISRO's official website or news sources as they are announced
before each launch.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
·
Visitor
Complex:
The SDSC Visitor Complex, where you can see exhibits
about India's space program and potentially view launches from certain
galleries, has specific opening hours.
·
Launch
Times:
ISRO's launch schedules are announced in advance,
often several days or weeks before the actual launch. You can typically
find this information on ISRO's website, news outlets, or social
media. For example, the GSLV-F15 mission, scheduled for January 29, 2025,
at 6:23 AM IST, was announced well in advance.
·
Travel
to Sriharikota:
You can travel to Sriharikota from
Bangalore by bus. KSRTC (Karnataka) buses depart from Bangalore with the
first bus leaving at 10:00 AM, and the last bus leaving at 10:00 AM. The
journey takes about 7:15 hours. You can check bus schedules and book
tickets on sites like AbhiBus.
Timings:
Pulicate: Monday
to Sunday: 8am – 5pm
Sriharikota:
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM except holidays
How to reach:
By Road:
Pulicate Bird sanctuary is easily reachable by road through the Sriharikota
Road from National Highway 16, at the Holy Cross Circle. The roads are
brilliant for driving and direct route is available till the entry of SriHarikota.
Local buses are available from Chennai. Various modes like taxis and tourist
operators taking excusion to ISRO and pulicat are also available.
By Train:
The nearest railway station to pulicat is Sullurupeta which is around 10 KMs
from Pulicat and 17 KMs from SriHarikota. Nearest major railway station is
Chennai around 60 KMs
By Air:
Chennai is the nearest airport to pulicat and Sriharikota around 65-75 KMs
Nearby Places to visit:
1)
SriKalahasteeshwara
temple
2)
SriVedanarayanaSwamyTemple,
Nagalapuram
3)
SriValeeshwaraTemple.
Nagalapuram (RamagiriMurugan)
4)
Kalyana
Venkatesa Mandapam, Narayanavaram
5)
Lord
Shiva Temple, Puttur
6)
Tirupati
Venkateshwara Swamy Temple
7)
Papavinasam
Teertham
8)
Valluvar
Kottam
9)
Silathoranam
(natural rock formation in Tirumala Hills)
10) Mypadu Beach
11) Rockfort Temple
12) Shri Padmavati Ammavari Temple
13) Chandragiri Fort, Tirupati
14) Breezy Beach
15) Shri Ranganathaswamy Temple,
Nellore
16) Narasimha swamy temple, Nellore
17) Japali Teertham,
18) Nellapttu Bird Sanctuary
19) Elliot’s beach
20) Penchalakona Temple
21) Sri Govinda Raja swamy temple
22) Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Chennai
23) Kapila Teertham
24) Akasaganga Teertham
25) Venkatagiri Fort