Category: Reveal

Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain, India.
Coordinates 23°10′58″N 75°46′6″E

Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India , is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva , located on the banks of the River Shipra. The presiding deity, Lord Mahakaleshwar, is worshipped as the supreme ruler of time (Mahakaal).

There are two words contained in Mahakal, Maha and Kaal, in Sanskrit maha means “great” and Kaal means “Time and Death” and it is believed Lord Shiva is the God of death and time. Because of this, he is called Mahakaleshwar, and this temple is also known as Mahakal (Mandir) Temple.

The temple is world-famous for its Bhasma Aarti, performed daily in the pre-dawn hours (around 4 a.m.). This extraordinary ritual involves adorning the Shiva Lingam with sacred ash (bhasma), symbolizing the ultimate truth of life — that everything returns to ash.

It is also famous in the country and abroad due to the Simhastha fair (Kumbh Mela) held once in 12 years.

 

Those who found it before the hint:

• Martin de Bock
• Paul Voestermans
• Martin de Bock
• krenek
• Graham Hedley
• Arnav
• Lighthouse
• Garfield
• Zorro the Fox
• Bas van Limpt

And after the hint:

• Phil Ower
• Eloy Cano
• Bernd
• Angie CF

On November 21, 2014, Andrew posted the first of the contests that would define the “Andrew and Paul era” of WhereOnGoogleEarth. We felt that it would be appropriate to come full circle back to Nanisivik, Baffin Island, Canada.

Feel free to go back to his original reveal for that contest to see what was happening then. Clearly, the mine site is in a state of rehabilitation, but also clearly, there is a long way to go with that. Not going to dwell on this contest too much as this is about transition.

Those who found it before the hint:

• Lighthouse
• Phil Ower
• Garfield

And after the hint:

• Martin de Bock
• Zorro the Fox
• Paul Voestermans
• Graham Hedley

In our era, there have been:

638 contests (including 13 for #600, 13 for #700 and 26 for #800).
over 8000 comments, the vast majority correct answers from 350 unique usernames.
We had no contests with 0 responses before the hint, 3 with only 1 (498, 642, and 950) and 8 with only 2 (including #377, the infamous “12°34’56″N 12°34’56” W” post)
On the other side of the coin, we had #667 with 28 answers before the hint and #423 with 27 before the hint. (I didn’t include 600, 700, or 800 in my calculations because they were special).

We’ve been to 135 countries (somehow missed 85 others) for a total of 61% of the world’s countries. We’ve been from 71 degrees north to 78 degrees south, 177 degrees east to 177 degrees west (ok, that’s not that far apart, but you have to consider we went the long way around!!) We’ve been on top of mountains in the Himalayas and to the lowest places like the Dead Sea and Death Valley.

To our detriment, Andrew and I leaned heavily into the US (145 contests) and Canada (44). I’m quite pleased that our new admins are from diverse places and hopefully that North America centrism will diminish.

None of this would have been possible without you – the people who slog through maps and try to pick out minute details in hopes of finding the clue, that little hint, that takes you to the exact spot. From the bottoms of our hearts, we thank you for your time, your efforts, your patience and understanding. This has been a VERY FUN adventure, one that will define us for a very long time.

A couple of our distinguished and long time players are taking a stab at keeping the game going and interesting. Andrew and I completely trust them as they have showed time and time again that they know the planet we live in and can shepherd us all through glances of interesting spots on that globe.

I’ll add a few extra words to what Paul has said. I want to thank him for his support and friendship over the past ten plus years. It was great having a counterpart who would take over when it seemed like a lot of work to publish three posts a week. As Paul has said, we’ve transitioned the game over to two excellent players in Ashwini and Horvath who will take players to more weird and wonderful locations across this beautiful earth. Take care and keep playing!!

Just down the block from where John Lennon grew up was the site of an orphan’s home run by the Salvation Army. John loved spending time on the playground of the site and was often run off by the officials there. At some point, his Aunt told him that if he didn’t stop jumping the fence, they would hang him (hence the line from the song “…and nothing to get hung about”).

Once the song was released in 1967 and became a massive worldwide hit, the site became famous. The main house was demolished in 1973 due to structural problems and replaced with purpose-built units. The Children’s home was closed in 2005 and the site was used for training and storage by the Salvation Army.

In 2019, all the buildings were torn down in preparation for building an exhibition and tourism site that is there today. During the demolition, scenes for the film “Yesterday” were filmed there (when Hamesh Patel’s character visits Liverpool to try to recreate the feeling of the Beatles songs).

The visitors center that is there now is framed by a garden with subtle and not so subtle nods to the song.

The original gates were taken down and placed in the garden as well

And there is a statue which is a prayer to peace in Ukraine which will remain at Strawberry Field until it is safe to place in Ukraine.

Those who found this penultimate Andrew and Paul era contest before the hint:

• Garfield
• Lighthouse
• Paul Voestermans
• Martin de Bock
• Phil Ower
• Eloy Cano
• Graham Hedley

and after the hint:

• Zorro the Fox

And, yes, Graham and Garfield both identified the hint location as “Penny Lane” (Specifically the “Shelter in the middle of the roundabout” where the pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray) — I’ll leave it to the next stewards as to whether or not they want to grant a spare point for that (since they both got the 2 before the hint).

One of many, many claimants to be the original source of the Nile, this spot has a couple of things going for it: 1) it is further south than most of the others, and 2) it is on the “tenative” list to become an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1863, the source of the Nile was “conclusively solved” when John Peake (who carried on after Livingstone and Stanley stopped) declared to the world that it was Lake Victoria and no further exploration was necessary. The thing is that Lake Victoria gets its water from somewhere, right? So in 1937 the German explorer Burkhart Waldecker followed the Ruvyironza/Ruvubu river system to its humble beginning here. The pyramid replaced the original marker that he put on the nearby mountaintop and the spot where the spring sprung was tiled in.

Those who found it before the hint:

• Lighthouse

And after the hint:

• Paul Voestermans
• Garfield
• krenek
• Graham Hedley
• Martin de Bock
• Eloy Cano
• ZORRO THE FOX

And thus ends the last series that Andrew and I will be managing alone. We have 2 more contests after this and then hhgygy and Ashwini will take over.

The winners of this series, each with 19 points, were Paul Voestermans, Garfield, and Martin de Bock.

By Wetstew – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Part of the Angkor Temples complex (which includes Angkor Wat), Neak Pean was constructed in the 12th century CE as a center of health and healing. It was beleived that by traversing the ponds, representing the fundamental elements of earth, wind, fire, and water, that the body could regain balance, and thus vanquish disease.

Those who found it without the hint:

• Eloy Cano
• Martin de Bock
• Phil Ower
• Paul Voestermans
• Zorro the Fox
• Garfield
• hhgygy
• Angie CF
• Lighthouse

And after the hint (even with the horrible pun):

• bernd
• Graham Hedley

After a lengthy series in Canada, this week was close by in Bowdoin, Montana, USA. The structure seen are the foundations of the roundhouse built by the Great Northern Railroad in 1889 and in use until around 1920. This location was chosen as a staging point to provide water for the trains passing through, but in the end, the water was deemed too alkaline and the staging point was moved west to Havre, Montana.

Found before the hint:

• Martin de Bock
• Paul Voestermans
• Andy McConnell
• hhgygy
• zorro the fox
• Graham Hedley
• Eloy Cano
• Phil Ower
• Garfield
• Glenmorren
• Lighthouse

After the hint:

• Bernd

Last week’s contest was the final one in the Canada series that saw players visit every province and territory as well as a quick trip across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada House in London, England. The final contest was the northeastern tip of the Qaqulluit Island, Nunavut. The Qaqulluit National Wildlife Area was established in 2010 to protect Canada’s largest breeding colony of Northern Fulmar (estimated at about 27,000 pairs). Qaqulluit is the Inuktitut word for “fulmar”. Qaqulluit is a cultural important area for Inuit, which continues to be used for subsistence today. The NWA comprises the northeastern tip of the Qaqulluit Island and its surrounding waters extending to the territorial sea limit.

Found before the hint:

• Paul Voestermans
• hhgygy
• Phil Ower
• Garfield
• Martin de Bock
• Zorro the fox
• Graham Hedley

And just a reminder that Paul and Andrew will be retiring at the end of January 2026. If you are interested in running the game, rather than playing it, comment and we will get back to you.

This week in our Canada series was a visit to Nova Scotia and the 570 metre long, one-lock Canso Canal. Canso Strait separates Cape Breton Island from the rest of mainland Nova Scotia and the canal is there to allow ships to get from one side of the Canso Causeway to the other when there may be tidal height differences.

Found before the hint:

• Martin de Bock
• Eloy Cano
• hhgygy
• Graham Hedley
• Paul Voestermans
• Garfield
• ashwini agrawal
• Phil Ower
• zorro the fox
• Bernd
• Lighthouse

After the hint:

• Angie CF

This week was a visit to the famous Banff Springs Golf Course in Banff, Alberta, Canada and to be more specific, the 4th hole. A par 3 with an incredible view off the tee towards the east side of Mount Rundle, it’s just one of many spectacular holes at one of the more pricey golf courses in Canada. Opened in 1911 as a nine-hole course laid out by Bill Thomson, a Scottish expatriate who apprenticed under Old Tom Morris at St. Andrews, the Banff Springs Golf Course was expanded to an 18-hole course by Donald Ross in 1924. But it was Stanley Thompson, Canada’s most significant and successful golf architect, who created the layout as it plays today. The course demonstrates his appreciation of traditional links golf courses while emphasizing the subtleties of the mountain landscape. Money was no barrier for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and when unveiled in 1928, the Banff Springs Golf Course was the most expensive ever built.

Found before the hint:

• Phil Ower
• Martin de Bock
• Paul Voestermans
• Garfield
• Eloy Cano
• hhgygy
• Lighthouse
• zorro the fox
• Graham Hedley

We continued the Cabada series with a visit to Canada House in London, United Lingdom. Next to Trafalgar Square and just down a long block from Buckingham Oalace, it’s a home away from home for Canadians abroad.

It is the official High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom and functions as a diplomatic mission, cultural center, and hub for Canadian services in the UK, showcasing Canadian art, business, and diplomacy. The building is a Greek Revival structure dating back to 1827 and has served as the High Commission since 1925.

Found before the hint:

• Lighthouse
• Martin de Bock
• Paul Voestermans
• Graham Hedley
• Eloy Cano
• hhgygy
• Phil Ower
• zorro the fox
• Garfield

After the hint:

• Bernd