Miraculous Cross at Nandgad (near Khanapur Belgaum )

It's before Belgaum,
(here to Belgaum 33kms)
 8 kms from Khanapur on  Goa -Belgaum Sector NH 4A
From Goa, its Panaji - Ponda - Mollem - Anmod - Ramnagar - Khanapur - Nandgad -Belgaum
Different Road to Nandgad hillock

Many Goans visit here during Lent - Way of the Cross etc
Many Goan names figured in the list of benefactors

From Panaji  its about 125km.
Take Belgaum bound Bus via Anmod and get down Nandgad just after Khanapur ( fare around Rs. 105)
and take road to Nandgad hillock - Road in muddy (not tarred) so avoid driving during monsoons.
Jeeps etc can go right on top
Others up to the gate from where about 15 mins walking / climbing uphill involved

Miraculous Cross at Nandgad
Estd. 1888
Pilgrim Centre declared  December 2000 by Bishop of Belgaum

 'Legend says – Deadly plague had been haunting the villages around Nandgad and had brought many deaths. Tired of these deadly occurring, the people here prayed and vowed to God that they would erect Christ’s cross on one of the hills. To everyone’s astonishment that the plague really disappeared and haunts them no more'

Our visit on 11th August, 2013

 

Some pics

 

Entrance Gate – Starting point.

Vehicles go upto here but jeeps etc can go right on top
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492834305/in/photostream/

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495631202/in/photostream/

 Road / Pathway uphill

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492828325/in/photostream/

 

Two kids resting on the bench midway (benches provided at regular intervals)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492822455/in/photostream/

 

14 boxed type stations of the Cross

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495615446/in/photostream/

 

 

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495415866/in/photostream

close-up view, frontal
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492621689/in/photostream/

a scenic view from above

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495426854/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492625003/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495434182/in/photostream/

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495430044/in/photostream/

 

The road up here is via the purple building (Auxilium Convent) you see here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492803783/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495586404/in/photostream/

 

A child lighting Candles

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492808033/in/photostream/

 The Main,  Holy Cross, altar place

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495436890/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492811857/in/photostream/

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9495593338/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9492797781/in/photostream/

Video - Miraculous Cross Shrine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uYM7mau6Ns

KRC Sky Bus Project

KRC Sky Bus Project, Margao, Goa

 

Defunct Sky Bus route about 1.6km long  from Rawanfond Junction to Margao old Rly Station.
It was commissioned around 2003,  test run carried out in Sept end 2004 but it went wrong, killing at least one person /Engineer.  It seems no other parties shown interest in reviving the project despite inviting global expression of interests and hence it is now decided (Aug. 2013) to scrap the project.  It is said, the cost of dismantling would be Rs.2 crore and revenue earned from scrap Rs. 5 crore. However, the project cost Rs.50 crore plus maintenance cost over the 9-10 years.

 Somehow I have predicted it’s fate, these pics and Video were taken on the 1st Aug. 2013 and the news about the scraping of the project came in 3 days later.

 Here are the pics - (Some pics taken in 2006 also shown in the end / below)

The 1.6 km long route

 


The Sky Bus Project: Timeline

Sky Bus project was a New year’s gift to Goa (2003) by then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee

October 15, 2003, Railways Minister Nitish Kumar launched the “Sky Bus Technology” in Margao.

Test Tracks commissioned  in January 2004

 The corporation had successfully tested the new technology at Margao in Goa on September 15, 2004 when the electric motor fitted coaches moved ahead and came back on 1.1 km test track at a speed of 40 km an hour

September 25, 2004 The Konkan Railway’s Skybus Manned Test run failed killing at least one and injuring at least two others.. A technician was flung out of one of the coaches when it went completely out of control

Resumed Test Runs Jan.7, 2005

Using a railway based manually-driven system, the skybus has resumed test runs in Goa

August 2013 - The  KRC Sky Bus Project was scrapped

No parties shown interest in reviving the project  despite inviting Global tenders

Near Rly Station

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453563810/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450868487/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450872797/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450876481/in/photostream/

 

Tracks / underneath

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453659776/in/photostream/

 

from Railway station / footbridge

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450883035/in/photostream/

 

Platform 1

skybus Station? attached to Madgaon Rly Station
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450899605/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453667562/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450890423/in/photostream/

 

 

Towards Rawalfond

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453567782/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450803237/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453571570/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453575166/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450799267/in/photostream/

 

Curve

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453587592/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450852785/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453636990/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450860135/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453644436/in/photostream/

 

 

the starting point

The skybus boggies
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450813619/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450819149/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453604850/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450829379/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450835401/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450845041/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450848679/in/photostream/

 

Stone plate

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450902653/in/photostream/

 

Towards Rajendra Prasad Stadium / Margao Cricket Club

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453686018/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453690730/in/photostream/

 

Terminating point

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453694830/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9453699540/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauk73/9450923057/in/photostream/

2006 pic Sky bus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauksix/331591279/sizes/o/in/photostream/

the route

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joegoauksix/331590740/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Video - 1.6km SkyBus route (Scrapped)
uploaded Oct. 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKnTsX5M-EE

Other similar projects abandoned in the world including skybus Goa

visit here

http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2016/01/abandoned-monorails-suspension-railways-railplanes-hovertrains/