WORLD'S LARGEST HINDU TEMPLE

The Akshardham temple in New Delhi has been awarded the Guiness record for being the world's largest Hindu temple. The mammoth temple is spread over expansive lawns covering an area of 86,342 square feet. It is 356 feet long, 316 feet wide and 141 feet high. It was inaugurated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshardham Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) on November 6, 2005.
The grand, ancient style, ornately hand-carved stone temple has been built without structural steel within five years by 11,000 artisans and volunteers.
The Sanstha also holds the world record for creating and consecrating the maximum number of Hindu temples in the world. An internationally revered spiritual leader and head of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Pramukh Swami Maharaj has created the record for consecrating 713 Hindu temples, the largest number of temples consecrated ever by any individual. The temples are spread over five continents and have been created between April 1971 and November 2007. Earlier, the Guinness book had recognised the Pramukh’s record for sanctifying over 400 temples in 2001, the largest number of temples consecrated by anyone at the time.

WORLD'S FASTEST BIRD

Falcon species Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) found worldwide and historically also known as "Duck Hawk", Black Shaheen and Indian Shaheen is the world's fastest flying bird. Peregrines are large sized falcons, 13 – 19 in. (33 – 48 cm) long and grey above, with black-barred whitish underparts. About seventeen subspecies are recognized, which vary in appearance and range. They fly high and dive at tremendous speed (up to 175 mph, or 280 kph — the greatest speeds attained by any bird, and also any animal), striking with clenched talons and killing by impact. They usually nest in a scrape on a high cliff ledge near water, where bird prey is plentiful. Breeding programs have reintroduced the species into the wild and introduced it into urban areas, where it finds a cliff like habitat among skyscrapers and preys chiefly on the rock dove. Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon" and refer to the migratory habits of some populations of this widespread species.
The breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the Tropics. Essentially, this species can be found everywhere on Earth, including India, except in the polar regions, on very high mountains, in deserts, and most tropical rain forests making it the world's most widespread falcon, and in fact the most widespread bird of prey. It feeds almost exclusively on medium-sized birds, but will occasionally hunt small mammals. It reaches sexual maturity at one year, and mates for life. The Peregrine Falcon became an endangered species due to the use of pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the beginning of the 1970s onwards, the populations recovered, supported by large scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.