Did You Know?
Hill that defies gravity!
The illusion of the car moving uphill is caused by the lack of visible horizon lines
Here is a piece of interesting and amazing mind-boggling information. Tulsi Shyam, a temple, located in the Una sub-district of the Junagadh District, Gujarat is not just known for its scenic beauty and hot water springs. What attracts tourists to this place is its gravity hill!
Imagine a scenario. You have gone on a trip with your parents and the car is parked on the side with the engine turned off. And yet, the car appears to roll uphill! Yes, you read that right. Even with the car engine turned off, the car rolls up the hill!
Why it happens?
While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for this phenomenon, scientists believe that it is due to optical illusion. The gravity hill is located on a gentle slope. The road is surrounded by trees and hills, which create the illusion that the road is sloping downhill. When a car is parked on the hill, it appears to be rolling uphill because the horizon line is not visible.
Another factor that contributes to the optical illusion is the way that our brains perceive depth. When we look at a scene, our brains use a variety of cues to determine how far away objects are. These cues include the size of the objects, the amount of detail that is visible, and the relative positions of the objects.
In the case of the gravity hill, our brains are tricked by the way that the trees and hills frame the road. The trees and hills make it appear as if the road is sloping downhill, even though it is sloping uphill.
The experiment
The optical illusion can be so convincing that it can be difficult to convince people that the hills are not defying gravity. However, a simple experiment can be used to demonstrate that the phenomenon is caused by an optical illusion.
To experiment, simply place a ball on the road and roll it down the hill. The ball will roll downhill, even though it appears to be rolling uphill. This is because the ball is not affected by the optical illusion.
Not just Tulsi Shyam!
It is not the only place in India that has the gravity hill phenomenon. There are a few other places in India where this phenomenon can be observed, including: Magnetic Hill, Leh, Ladakh; Raigarh Fort, Nashik, Maharashtra; Ulta Pani Magnetic Hill, Mainpat, Chhattisgarh; Dewanpatpar Magnetic Hill, Kabirdham, Chhattisgarh and Kalo Dungar Magnetic Hill, Kutch, Gujarat.
Phenomenon is observed the world over
Here is a list of some of the most famous gravity hills:
1. Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz, California, US, there are seven more such spots
2. Magnetic Hill, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
3. Magnetic Hill, Orroroo, South Australia, Australia, there are three more such spots
4. MT-251 road between Cuiabá and Chapada Dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil, there are two more such spots
