Karthik's explorations

2011-10-12T04:13:00.001+05:30

Munnar, escape from the corporate world.

I had been waiting for a chance to escape the city and head off into the hills. Not just to cool off, but to break away from the busy routine of the corporate world. The one destination we had been itching to visit was Munnar. The first thing I did was research on the destination, the driving route and homestay options around the area.

On reading I discovered the history behind the name “Munnar”. It is believed to be derived from the Malayalam words Muunu (three) and aaru (river), referring to the town’s strategic location at the confluence of the mountain streams of Muthirappuzha, Chanduvarai and Kundala.

As we began our journey, we drove along the winding roads to reach the top, and the sight that surrounded us was breath taking. The drive up the hills quite a sight, with the long green stretches of tea plantations and the roads cutting through them around every corner. Before hitting Munnar, we were hell bent on visiting the Lakkom waterfalls located on the way from Munnar to Udumalaipettai.

We did hike up the waterfall till we were right under it, feeling the water splash on us was refreshing. We also sat on the rocks for a while, taking photographs before hitting the road once again to head straight to Munnar and to our homestay. As we climb higher towards Munnar, we come across the Eravikulam national park that was famous for The Nilgiri Tahr population.

After checking in and exploring the property, we had a quick lunch at the homestay, a typical local kerala cuisine served with unpolished rice [they had option for normal boiled rice as well] and headed out into town. Munnar is a typical of a hill-station town, but has something for everyone- be it lazy strolls through the tea plantation, or river rappelling.

The one place that blew my mind away in Munnar was Mattupetty Dam. Mattupetty offers many fascinating sights to relish. Besides the lush green tea plantations, and the rolling grasslands, the Shola forests in and around Mattupetty are ideal for trekking and are habitat to a variety of birds. Rivulets and cascades crisscross the terrain here, which again adds more attraction to the place. The lake was the focal point, where one could relax or go on a relaxing boat ride- Speed launch, slow speedboat and motorboats are available on hire.

In Mattupetty, we also made sure to spend some time at the dairy farm, run by the Indo-Swiss Livestock Project. The dairy farm is a unique one of its kind with several varieties of high-yielding cattle being reared. What a beauty they were. I wish I dint have to leave all this beautiful scenery and the serenity.

2011-06-23T22:43:00.000+05:30

Murudeshwar

Murudeshwar is a small town on the sea-front of the western part of Karnataka which attracts both pilgrims and holiday-makers alike. It is situated on the NH 17 , 160 kms from the city of Mangalore.

Getting there

Murudeshwar is situated on the NH17, 160 kms north from the city of Mangalore.

By Road:

The roads are on of the best ones to drive on. Single lane though, but excellent roads in addition to the natural beauty all along the way from Mangalore to Murudeshwar.

By Car, the drive from Mangalore would take 2.5 hrs to 3 hrs. Though a speed of 100 kmph is possible, it is best to maintain a speed of 80 kmph on this stretch.

The buses would take a longer time (4 hrs) owing to stoppages and speed limitation.Most buses plying on the NH-17 between Mangalore and Mumbai stop at Murudeshwar. There are overnight buses also from Bangalore to Murudeshwar.

If you are travelling from Bangalore, you dont have to go to Mangalore to reach Murudeshwar. The route would be as follows

Bangalore - Tumkur - Arsikere - Shimoga - Sagar - Jog - Honnavar - Murudeshwar.

The roads on this route are good to drive on. The drive from Jog to Honnavar is a very scenic one. The river sharavati flowing down can be seen from a point on this road.

A brief patch in this section is under repair, which is the only thing to look out for.

By Rail:

Murudeshwar has a railway station adjoining the national highway. Many trains stop at this station. One of the most picturesque and memorable experience would be to reach Murudeshwar from Mangalore or Goa by Konkan Railway.

By Air:

The nearest airport is also at Mangalore. Daily flights operate from Bangalore to Mangalore.

Accomodation

Murudeshwar has lots of staying options to suit every budget, right from dormitories to lodges to hotels. The popular and one of the long-standing place is RNS guest house and RNS residency.

RNS residency is a relatively recent one and has rooms overlooks the sea on one side and the beach on the other.The temple is at a stone's throw distance. It also offers a good view of the sunset.

Food:

Murudeshwar being a popular destination, offers variety of options for the taste buds. Most of the eateries offer both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. For pure vegetarian option, Kamath and Naveen's beach restaurant are good ones. Naveen's beach restaurant is built on a pier on the beach and one can enjoy the meal with a sea-view.

Things to do

Most of the crowd that comes to Murudeshwar is a floating crowd. Murudeshwar being an important destination in the temple circuit of the western ghats, the pilgrims start to come in as early as 7 am , spend time on the beach , head to the temple, have a quick meal nearby, and back to beach till heart's content.

The temple

The Rajagopura at the entrance of the Temple is 249 feet tall. Inaugurated in May 2008, this mammoth structure is the latest addition to the Temple. The Gopura has 22 floors and is the only Gopura to be fitted with elevators. The ride to the top in the elevator costs Rs 10/- per head. The view from the top are not to be missed.

The huge shiva statue is visible from the highway when you are driving from Manki to Murudeshwar.

Besides the temple, there are numerous sculptures on the Kanduka hill. The Geetopadesha, Sun chariot, the sculpture of Lord Ganesh receiving the Atmalinga from Ravana in the form of a young boy, and others dot the landscape of the hill. On the very top is the Shiva statue. Beneath the statue is a cavern with impressive life-size sculptures depicting the story of Murudeshwar narrated through an impressive sound and light show.

The Beach

the beach is a major attraction here. There are a couple of options that one could do apart from having fun on the beach.

1) Take a ride on a speed-boat: Speed boat is a motor boat fitted with a powerful motor to ride the waves. The boats can accommodate 4-6 persons. Riding a motor-boat on a still water is totally different from riding a motor-boat on the sea. The "boatmen" are skilled and you can be rest assured that you are in safe hands. Adding to that , you would be strapped on to a life jacket before getting on board the boat.

2) Brave the waves on a water scooter: A water scooter similar to a boat , but the advantage is that its much faster than the motor-boat , which means it gives a greater feeling of adventure. Also, a maximum of 2 people can ride the water scooter. A ride for 2 costs 300 rupees.

The crowd begins to thin down as the sun goes down and by 8pm the small town of Murudeshwar becomes quiet and the only profound sound that can be heard is that of the waves. The lights come on the Temple facade and on the kanduka hill.

The town of murudeshwar pretty much shuts down at 8PM save for the eateries. One other option to exercise is to drive down thhe National Highway to the nearest town Bhatkal. Bhatkal is a good place if you are looking for imported stuff and clothes. The merchandise come here from Mumbai through ships. Bhatkal also provide decent options for food, both veg and non-veg.

A stay of 2 days would be ideal to explore and take in the beauty of the nature in Murudeshwar.

2011-06-06T22:00:00.000+05:30

Weekend in Coonoor
The last time I remember visiting Coonoor was when I was 10 years old (23 yrs back). Had been planning to visit again , but never really happened until last week, thanks to the accomodation provided friend's uncle.

Getting There
Coonoor is on the hills between Mettupalayam and Ooty. It is approx 70 kms from Coimbatore and takes close to 2 hrs to cover the entire distance.

The route is Coimbatore-Mettupalayam-Coonoor.
If you are travelling from Bangalore or Mysore then the route could be
1) Bangalore-Mysore-Gundlupet-Masinagudi-Ooty-Coonoor. The roads from Masinagudi to Ooty are not that great and would require some skillful and careful driving. This is the shorter route.
2) Bangalore-Hosur-Salem-Erode-Avinashi-Mettupalayam-Coonoor. Look out for the diversion towards mettupalayam from Avinashi. This route saves close to 40 kms. This is a longer route, however, the roads are wide upto Avinashi. From avinashi, its a single lane state highway.
The roads between Coimbatore and Mettupalayam are under widening, so the speed is restricted . The hills begin after Mettupalayam and its a wonderful drive all along to Coonoor, which is a distance of 35 odd kms.
There are 14 hairpin bends between Mettupalayam and Coonoor anoud the journey takes anywhere between an hour to 75 minutes. There are regular buses from Coimbatore to Ooty that pass through Coonoor. The approximate time in a bus would be close to 3 hrs .

Chugging up the hills

One of the interesting way to get to Coonoor "Toy" train. It is called the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. This was built by the Brits in the year 1908. This was declared as World Heritage site in 2005.

The train starts from Mettupalayam and terminates in Ooty. Mettupalayam to Ooty takes a cool 5 hrs for this train. The train ride offers a scenic ride all the way.

This train consists of 4 coaches which includes 1 First Class, 1 Reserved compartment, 1 General coach and 1 compartment which is divided for ladies and the guard of the train. The steam engine is attached at the back of the train and pushes the train forward. The train is powered by steam engine from Mettupalayam to coonoor. At Coonoor , the steam enigne is replaced by bio-diesel engine for the rest of the journey.

The climb from MTP to Coonoor is a steep one and to climb this incline the train uses a specially designed mechanism called the Rack railway. A line of teeth-like structure runs along the length of the line. The steam loco is specially fitted with an equipment to make use of this rack rails. Each compartment has its own braking mechanism in case of emergency.

Rack Rail

The train is crowded during the weekends. Its a good idea to book in advance. The tickets for this train can be booked online at www.irctc.co.in. (From MTP to UAM).

Food and Accomodation

Coonoor, though less crowded than Ooty, has a variety of staying options to suit every budget and purpose. If you are a traveller looking to go around and explore the place, there are lot of hotels/dorms where one can dump the bags, freshen up and get going. If you like to spend a relaxing time with family, taking things at your own pace, there are home-stays and cottages available. You could have an entire place for yourself and cook your own food as well.

There are quite a few restaurants in the town. The best place to have a good veg meal is Hotel Sri Lakshmi, which is close to the center of the town.

Things to do
Coonoor, compared to Ooty is less crowded and an ideal place to spend a relaxing time. There are a couple of attractions for sight seeing like SIMS Park, a small botanical garden where one can see a lot of flora and fauna. Lamb's Rock is one another place from where one can have a view of the plantations.
The best thing one can do here is to visit a tea plantation. Lots of greenery around and also you can get to know the process of tea making , right from the plucking of leaves to packaging for retail use.
If you want to break free from the hustle-bustle of the city and have a relaxing weekend, Coonoor is one of the places you can look forward to.

2011-05-31T07:57:00.000+05:30

Exploring Mangalore

Mangalore, one of the biggest cities in the western part of the state of Karnataka gets its name after the goddess Mangaladevi. The story behind goes along way in enriching the cultural heritage of Mangalore. . With an important port, this coastal town is a major commercial centre. It is a centre for the export of coffee and cashew nuts. The city has a modern port now. The major home industries are Beedi's, Tiles, Cashew , Coffee curing and Fishing. Mangalore is located near the backwaters formed by converging Netravati and Gurpur rivers.
Mangalore is approx 350 kms from the capital city of Bangalore.

Getting there

Rail : There are trains from Bangalore to Mangalore. The train route goes through scenic places and is best covered during the day.
Air: Flights from all major cities fly to Mangalore Bajpe airport.
Road : One of the best and faster means of transport is by road. Plenty of overnite buses ply from Bangalore to Mangalore

There are 2 main routes from Bangalore to Mangalore

Route 1: Bangalore - Nelamangala - CR Patna - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Uppinangadi - Mani - Bantwal- Mangalore
Route 2 : Bangalore - Hassan - Mudigere - Charmadi - Bantwal - Mangalore

The drive from Bangalore takes approximately 6 hours. Getting out of Bangalore is probably the biggest ordeal. After crossing Nelamangala, traffic eases out and its a breeze through Kunigal and CR Patna. 4-laning of the Bangalore-Hassan road is under progress in pockets. The road from Hassan to Sakleshpur is a 'single road' but very nice to drive on. The (shiradi) ghat section starts after Sakleshpur. The drive on shiradi ghat is slow but a nice one. The roads are patched up and its motor-able. Oncoming traffic and frequent curves make the going slow. Adding to this, road widening activities further slow down speed at places.

Shiradi ghat

The roads again smoothen out after shiradi ghat and the drive is much faster from here on. Watch out for the state transport buses on the ghats.

Accomodation

Mangalore had loads of staying options that suit every budget. One of the oldest hotels , The Woodlands, on Bunts hostel road, provides a decent budget option in the heart of the town. There are quite a few staying options on K.S.Rao road as well.

Places to eat
Hotel Woodlands is a good option for food as well. Probably the best place for vegetarian delicacies.

Things to do
One of the places of interest to visit in Mangalore is the temple after which it got its name , Mangala devi temple.

The best thing one could do is to spend time at the beach. To access beaches, one has to travel to Panambur beach (20 kms) or Ullal beach (13 km). To reach Ullal beach , take the Mangalore-Kasargod road and look out for the board for Ullal beach. This is also called Someshwara beach. The waves lashing out at the rocks in Ullal beach makes a good treat for the eyes.

Any visit to Mangalore would be incomplete without a visit to the Ideal ice cream parlour. The gadbad ice-cream is one of the favorite out over here.

Gadbad ice cream @Ideal

Also try out the Cashew Macroni from Komal's .

If you are visiting Mangalore for the first time, make sure you have allocate atleast 2 days for going around the place.

2011-04-02T13:37:00.001+05:30

Lost in Transit

This might not fit as a travel related blog, but chose to post it here since it was appropriate.

I will begin this by asking a question.

Where do you expect to find historical information about any place? and the answers could be any or all of the following.

Public Library,

Museum,

Govt offices and so on.

These are the first places that would come to our mind when we think of historical information that would be of value. Here is some information which is typically found in the places mentioned above.

"In the year 1895, Gandhiji had delivered a speech which outlined the atrocities that were done on Indians living in South Africa. He delivered this speech in various places in Chennai including Pachaiyappas college, Victoria building, Triplicane Esplanade."

The above piece of information is inscribed on a stone in the regional language (Tamil). Now, what is interesting is the place where this stone is installed. Any guesses?? I am sure the answer would be surprising.

The place where I found this stone was in Chennai central railway station in front of platform number 5. The last place one would ever expect such an interesting piece of information. I have been to chennai railway station many a times and in all these years , I hadnt noticed this stone.

The point is that someone installed this stone here with some intention. I am sure it was done with good intention, but somewhere that intention has not been met. The next time you visit chennai central station , do look out for the board. And for those who cant make it, here's a picture of the same :-)

Cheers

2010-08-24T22:07:00.001+05:30

Driving in the rains

Driving on the Chennai-Bangalore highway has always been a pleasure. This was the first ever highway that I drove on after I got my driving license. The existing 4 lane highway did not exist back at that time.

Today was yet another day when I had a chance to drive on this route which is not a neatly done 4 lane highway. I should say that today was a totally new experience and the first of its kind on this highway. My journey started at 11 in the morning from chennai. The sky was overcast and a slight drizzle had begun as I navigated my way out of chennai.

As I hit the highway after crossing Poonamalle, I set a target of 100 kms to be covered in an hour every hour. With that in mind , I pressed on the accelerator. The weather was pleasant with no sun , constant company of the rain in the form of a drizzle. The first hour of drive , I was able to clock 90 kms.

The interesting part started after crossing Vellore. As I crossed Vellore and headed towards Ambur, I noticed a big formation of cloud in front of me and I could make out that there were heavy rains battering the area where the clouds seemed to be. I pointed out saying "Its raining heavy over there". I hardly finished my sentence when the heavey downpour started hitting the windshield and I had no other option but to operate the whipers on full speed. From a 120kmph , I was forced to reduce the speed to 100 kmph and then on to 80kmph. At one point , it started to pour so much so that the visibility was almost 0. I had switched on all possible lights including the blinkers. I was reminded of the foggy December night in Delhi when we were returning after a friends wedding at 1AM where one could not see a hand in front of one's eyes.

This seemed like eternity. The going became slow , around 60kmph. And then as it had suddendly started , it abruptly ended. The heavy battering reduced to a drizzle and some time later it had stopped altogether. Looking back it was like being transported to a different place altogether (like Harry Potter stories) :-)

Some of the views were really awesome. Wish I could have captured those on cam. I did manage to shoot one from mobile. Better luck next time mate :-)

Cheers
K

2010-03-18T13:50:00.002+05:30

Weekend in Galibore

Galibore (pronounced as 'Gaali-bo-ray"),situated near Sangam, where Arkavathi meets Cauvery,is an ideal place to spend a relaxing weekend.

Getting there
Galibore is approximately 100 kms from Bangalore. The route is

Bangalore-Hosahalli-Kanakapura-Sangam-Galibore.

The roads are good to drive on. Though its not like the 4-laned Mysore highway, this 2-laned, divider-less road is a plaeasure to drive on.

There is a small stretch which seemingly is a ghat-section, where the tar's gone missing and its a mud road, nevertheless motorable.

Once you reach Sangam , there is the forest check-post where one need to pay the entry charges.
Soon after the check-post, the signboard for Galibore fishing camp can be seen. The ride from the check-post till the Galibore fishing camp is a good off-road experience.

The overall time to cover the distance from Bangalore to Galibore would be anywhere between 2 hrs to 2.5 hrs depending upon the breaks and speed variations. Driving during the rainy season may be a good challenge here (the last stretch especially).

Staying options

The accomodation offered by Jungle Lodges and Resort is the only acco available here. Booking in advance is a good idea.

Information about the packages available at the website
http://www.junglelodges.com/V2/Galibore.htm
The place is calm and scenic. The cottages are situated amongst lots of tree-cover.

The cottages are more of tent-cover over a concrete platform. Quite comfortable. The lack of proper electricity makes it a "close-to-nature" experience. During the nights, one has to use the lantern to find one's way. Good fun :-)

This stretch of place is known for fishing. Couple of fishing camps have been set up along the river. One being in Galibore and the other at Bheemeshwari. For those who are interested in angling, this is a perfect place to spend time in the waters. The major catch is "Mahaseer".

As a policy, once the fish is caught, you can pose with it for a photo and then leave it back into the water.

For the beginners or new-to-fishing people, you get to try your hand at joy-fishing, where you get to drop the line with the bait (Ragi balls). When the fish actually grabs the bait, its an experience to feel that pull. Initial attempts did not yield any results, but after a couple of attempts , we did manage to catch fish for a couple of occasions.

A short coracle ride take one across to the other bank.

During seasons where there is abundance of water, River-Rafting is also offered.

Early mornings is a good time to spot birds.

Food is included as a part of the package. We found it to be good. There are no other eateries/restaurants in this area. Hence if your food needs are something specific, make sure to carry them along.

Having fun with friends n family, or enjoying a book lying on the hammock or fishing in the river, whichever way one chooses to unwind, this is an ideal place and worth a visit.

2010-02-04T15:05:00.000+05:30

Walking around in Lalbagh

Bangalore is often referred to as the 'Garden City'. One landmark that stands testimony to this title is "Lalbagh Botanical Garden".

Established in the year 1760, this green cover situated in South Bangalore is spread across a sprawling 240 acres and is maintained by the horticultural department which also has a training center inside Lalbagh.

Lalbagh is situated in southern part of the city, close to areas like Basavanagudi, Jayanagar and Shanti nagar.

Lalbagh, needless to say is on the map of every tourist that comes to Bangalore.

For the locals , its an attraction of a different kind. Early morning, its a joggers/walkers paradise, people of all ages walking all around the place. If you are a person who is interested in observing people, this is THE place.
On weekends, apart from the walkers and joggers, there are a whole bunch of photographers with their sophisticated yet easy to use DSLR cameras, shooting away to glory.

The place is quiet in-spite of a hordes of activity going on. People walking, kids playing on the grass, sound of shutters clicking and the chitter-chatter of birds.

Lalbagh Flower show

The lalbagh flower show happens twice every year, once during Republic day and other during Independence day. It goes on for a week and one can get to see the creativity using flowers during this show.

The show is housed in the Glass house thats in the center of Lalbagh. During weekends and holidays, the crowd is at full strength. If you want to have a peaceful time at the flower show, its a good idea to visit during the weekends. Weekends , the pricing are higher than the normal weekdays.

Some pictures from the recent flower show

Click here to view the entire collection

Major attraction inside Lalbagh are

1) Lake : Quite a big one and one can find ducks and also Pelicans at times. One of the few lakes that are still alive in the city of Bangalore :-)

2) Rose Garden : Contains many varieties of roses in varying colors. A treat to watch when it is blooming season.

3) Clock : A working analog floral clock (not a wall clock though) on the ground , which is maintained by HMT

4. Lotus pond : A very interesting place. Not only can one see lotuses in different stages of bloom , but also one can spot birds delicately balancing themselves on leaves that float on the water :-)

There are many more attractions here. Every time I walk visit lalbagh, I get to see or experience something new.

I can go on writing about Lalbagh, but nothing like experiencing it first hand. Its a must-visit place if you are in Bangalore or visiting Bangalore.

Click here to view pics of Lalbagh photowalk

As all parks/gardens, you can spot love-birds here as well :-), but nothing that would disrupt a wonderful experience of this place.

2010-01-27T22:19:00.000+05:30

Kokkare Bellur - Of Pelicans and Painted Storks

Most of the times, getting to the destination is more interesting than the destination itself. I had one such experience while on the way to Kokkare Bellur.

I had been wanting to visit this place for a long time now. Every time I pass the sign-board on the highway , i vowed to make it the next time. The "next time" did not happen for a long time until a few days back when I had made up my mind to visit this place.

A brief about this place
Kokkare bellur is a small village , around 70 odd kms from Bangalore on Bangalore-Mysore highway. This village is well known for Pelicans and painted storks. Once you get off the highway , its a total different atmosphere all together. The noisy roads turn into calm and serene surroundings, lush green fields around and white birds all around .The calmness is broken by an occasional honk of the local bus ferrying people to and fro.

: There goes a pelican

Getting there
Kokkare Bellur is 12kms off the Bangalore-Mysore highway. A nice and short drive of about an hour.
The signboard is very easy to miss. Here's a tip as to when to look out for the signboard. After crossing the town of Chennapatna, and just before (5kms) the town of Maddur , a road branches towards the left and at the entrance of the road , you would see a small signboard mentioning this place.

The roads are decently motor-able with a few patches. I had a different kind of experience driving.
During the harvest season the "Raagi" straws are tied in bundles and they are laid down on the road. The reason is simple. The straws get thrashed under the wheels of the vehicles passing by. Thee bundles are removed and the fine particles are collected , refined and sent to the factory for further processing.

: Carpet of straws on the road

Driving on the "Raagi" bundles is a different experience,.General tendency is to speed up once you get on the bundle of ragi sticks. Might not be a good idea as there is not enough friction between the tyres and the bundle of sticks.
After what seemed an eternity, I finally reached the village of Kokkare bellur. If you are expecting to see a signboard which will point you to a "bird sanctuary" or similar, you would be disappointed. It took a while for me to realise that there is no designated place where you need to head to. I did see many cars go up and down the village trying to look for a "Park" where they would get to see pelicans. Finding none, all headed back. Not wanting to go back without seeing a few birds, I wandered into the village and parked in an open field.

As i stood wondering where to go, company came calling in the form of an 13 yr old boy who volunteered to guide me around :-) .

Thanks to him , I did get to see quite a number of Pelicans perched on a couple of tree tops. Did manage to get some close shots of the birds. As I was leaving, he asked me for a "blue pen". Luckily I found one in the car and gave it to him. The smile he had on seeing that was awesome. I left the place with a sense of fulfillment.

The best time to visit here is between Jan and March, when the painted storks arrive here as well. The Simha river which flows through this village is also a nice place to have some time off :-). If you pack enough eatables, you could spend the entire day in peace and tranquility here watching the birds or on the banks of the river. After spending some time here, I headed back again through the barrage of Raagi sticks on the road and by the time I hit the main road, I had collected enough of raagi sticks in the undercarriage of the car to make a meal for two :-)

2008-04-08T23:12:00.014+05:30

Yercaud

This place needs no introduction, but for the benefit of everyone, here’s a small one on that.
Yercaud is a quaint little hill station in the district of Salem in Tamil Nadu.This is often referred to as the “Poor man’s OOTY”. I cannot quite see the logic for this. Yercaud is not as crowded as Ooty, and at the same time, it offers all that is expected out of a hill station.

Facts
Yercaud is aprrox 235 kms from the city of Bangalore. The distance can be covered in 4.5 to 5 hrs. The route is Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Dharmapuri-Salem-Yercaud. The last stretch (Salem to Yercaud) is 30 kms out of which 25 kms are climbing the hill. This 25kms has 20 Hairpin bends , most of which(19) are near the top. The scenery is appealing as you travel along the winding roads.

After a 10 day long planning , the D-day came when we set off towards our destination. By the time we cud leave the traffic of the city behind it was well over 1.5 hrs since the time we had started. At the first chance where we could find a place to eat, we stopped. This place is just after leaving Hosur. A reliance petrol station that has a restaurant attached to it. With Reliance planning to shutdown all its petro outlets, am not sure how long the restaurant will last.

Having spent close to an hour at this place, we resumed the journey towards our destination. By the time we reached Salem it was 12 (midnight). Most of us had fallen asleep. After a refreshing cup of “chaai”, we set off for the last leg of the journey, the hill journey. As we climbed into the darkness, the first whiff of cold wind blew across as if welcoming us to the place.

A steady climb of 50 mins brought us to Yercaud at 1 AM. All one could think of was a good-night’s sleep.

A word about the accommodation. There are quite a few options up in Yercaud. Hotel Grand Palace (this is where we camped)

Hotel Tamilnadu
Hotel Shervaroy

It’s a good idea to book in advance especially if you are targeting the summer hols.
Yercaud is a place where one can have a perfectly relaxed weekend..
If you manage to get up early in the morning, take a walk around. Its refreshing to absorb the quietness of the place. The only sound that can be heard is of the birds and the gentle breeze.

If you are a kind of person who likes to go visiting places, there are a few places and things-to-do. Here are some of the things-to-do

One of the major attraction is the boating in the lake. One can enjoy a half hour ride on a row boat, taking in the nature’s beauty. Or if you want to have some fun on your own,
Pedal boat is a good option. If you rent out a 4-seater pedal boat, be sure of who’s gonna pedal out since you will not have the option of changing places once you set out.

”Lady’s seat”, is a viewpoint from where the winding roads that lead up to Yercaud can be seen. On a early morning, one can hear the honking of the vehicles far below.

Also there is a “telescope view”, a guided visual through a telescope (Ticket : Rs 5 per head)

Killiyur falls is the name of the water fall that is famous here. We could not find any water here, but the trek to half the way down was adventurous.

This seemed a way for the water to flow rather than a path for trekkers.

An interesting place to visit would be the old (85 yr old I think) school called Montford school, for the architecture. This is open to public only on Sundays and upon permission from the school authorities.

A word of suggestion

Yercaud is a nice place to go around cycling. If you can carry a bicycle along, I would recommend that. Frisbee and playing cards are a nice way to enhance the relaxing time.
Thats it from me for now.

See ya after.

2008-02-09T23:28:00.000+05:30

Garden city to Heritage city.

Wonder what this is? This is what the signboard reads as you start to head out ot Bangalore city towards Mysore.

Imagine this for a moment. Covering a distance of 120 kms in a little over 3 hrs. sounds interesting? Not quite right? Well.. this is how the Bangalore-Mysore road used to be couple of years back. A plethora of vehicles racing on the narrow 2 way stretch, and ofcourse the road-widening activity, the hold-ups etc. I always used to think twice, thrice before I got myself to drive down that road on weekends.

Then it all happened.

Well, it did not happen in a night, but when it happened, it happened for good. The narrow 2 way stretch gave way to wider, four-lane fast lane. What used to take a painstaking 3-3.5 hrs was considerably reduced. Now, one can cover the distance of 120 kms between the 2 cities in 2 hrs. Hows that ?

As a person who has traveled on this road many many times, I wouldn’t be doing justice If I do not acknowledge the effort.

The transformation is such that I frequently get on to this road, drive around 50 odd kms on a Saturday morning to have breakfast in the neighboring town of Ramanagaram.

So, where does it all begin ??

The Mysore road (the road apparent) starts right from the heart of Bangalore’s city market . You would be better off avoiding the city market during the day time when its bubbling with activity.
Depending on the location of one is coming from , you get on to Mysore road at different points.

When I need to get on to the Mysore road, I take the NICE road, part of which connects Kanakapura road to Mysore Road. This road takes you past all the traffic snarls of the city and puts you close to Kengeri.

For those who are wondering what NICE road is.. NICE is the name of the firm that developed the 4 lane highway that runs perpendicular to Mysore road and it connects Mysore road with Hosur road. Apparently this is the road (NICE) where I touched 180 in my Fiesta).

Once you get on to Mysore road , the going is smooth. The city traffic would be seen till you cross Bidadi. Once past Bidadi, you can begin to enjoy the drive. Since the whole area is a fertile land (this is a Cauvery basin, remember?), greenery all around meets the eye and combined with the mist of the early morning, it’s a real real pleasure to drive with your windows roll down. Of course if you are a person who is focused on “reaching the destination”, don’t bother to roll down your windows.

Driving along this road, the first town that you come across is Ramanagaram, or should I say , Ramgadh of SHOLAY. Yes, the shooting for the film SHOLAY was done here.

A short drive from Ramangaram, is a restaurant called Kamat Lokaruchi. I usually stop here for my meal (breakfast/lunch). Invariably this place is crowded whatever time it may be. It’s a nice place to take a break.

The good part (sometimes a irritating fact) is that there are lot of towns in between Bangalore and Mysore that serve as milestones. Advantage is that one does not feel the distance as there is a town almost every half an hour J. The irritation factor can be the town traffic/signals that slow down the otherwise smooth drive.

The list of towns that one comes across are Ramanagaram-Chennapatna-Maddur-Mandya-Srirangapatna and finally Mysuru.

Maddur is famous for ‘Maddur vada” and “Maddur Masala Dosa”. Remember to stop at Maddur Tiffany’s to grab a bit of the above 2 dishes.

Srirangapatna houses a bird sanctuary, a temple and Tipu’s resting place.

Most of the one-day-outing spots (picnic spots) and temples are located off this Bangalore-Mysore road. I would be writing about a couple of those places shortly.

In short,

Distance : 120 odd kms
Time it takes : 2 – 2.5 hrs
Best Time to travel : Any time is good
Meal Stops : Kamat Lokaruchi (Ramanagaram), Tiffany’s (Maddur), MTR (Maddur)

Happy driving!!!!

2007-11-03T23:45:00.000+05:30

NH7 – Bangalore to Chennai (and vice versa)

I had been thinking of writing this review for a long time now. Not sure of how to go about it. Not that I did not have ideas. On the contrary , I had many ideas but was not able to make a choice.

So here I am , having made my choice, presenting a review of the a”Road frequently traveled”.

The distance between Chennai and Bangalore is approx. 340 km (GPO to GPO, that’s how distances are measured, right?). There are 2 prominent routes between these 2 cities.

1) Via Hosur and

2) Via Chittoor

Route no 2, is supposedly shorter as compared to Route 1. However, its half the width of Route 1. If you had asked me around 3 yrs back, I would have suggested this route rather than the first one. So, what is it that has changed in the last 3 odd years?

Here’s the answer.

Route 1 which is a national highway is a part of the Golden Quadilateral that connects the four metro cities. So???

So, the advantage that this got is that the roads are broad and well-maintained.

The journey begins from Hosur road at the Silk board junction in Madiwala, Bangalore. Till the time you cross electronic city (15 odd kms from Silk Board), the journey is all but fast, thanks to the traffic.

The traffic eases out once the EC junction is crossed. From here till the border of Karnataka/Tamilnadu takes only 20 minutes. Before you realize , you hit the industrial town of Hosur. From here on , it’s a breeze. The stretch that I love the most is Hosur to Krishnagiri, which is a ghat section (not in the true sense, but relative). Its scenic and the best time to be driving on this stretch is in the early morning when the sun comes up in the horizon. From EC to Krishnagiri, it takes around an hour.( a distance of 70 kms).

Remember this is a toll road and there are 4 toll booths that one needs to cross (pay) to get to Chennai. The first toll is at Krishnagiri. Once you cross Krishnagiri, there is a deviation you need to take for Chennai(Dont worry, there are sign-boards). From here on , it’s the plains and one can just zip across comfortably at high speeds (I remember touching 150 on my Fiesta,later came down to 130 thanks to the stares from my family folks). The best part is that you would not want to take your foot off the gas pedal (accelerator), but at the same time , the landscape is too inviting not to stop. I remember stopping here and there to get a picture or two (some this-happens-only-in-india stuff too)

As you drive along , the small towns of Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Walajabad go past, until you reach the outskirts of Vellore. If you are tired , and want to take a break , you would find decent restaurant here to cool your heels off until they are ready to take on again. You might need to veer off the main highway and get into the city to find a decent restaurant.

Once past Vellore, comes Ranipet, where route no 1 and 2 merge. From here till Kanchipuram , is where you can catch up on lost time. From Kanchipuran the going gets a little slow till you reach Sriperumbudur and slower as u get to Poonamallee. Then on , it’s the city traffic. Welcome to Chennai J.

In short, the NH7 , is a great road to drive on . If you are driving non stop at a constant speed of 100-110, you should be able to reach Chennai outskirts in less than 4.5 hrs.

I can never forget the bus(Volvo) journey where the bus left Chennai at 12 and reached Bangalore (Silk board) at 4.45 AM. This was with a break of 10 min (to wake up the backup driver).

Summary :

Distance : 340 Kms
Time it takes : anywhere between 4.5 and 5 hrs (using the formula time=distance/speed)
Ideal speed : 100-110 (I cud maintain 130 in my Fiesta)
Best time to start : 5.30 AM if possible (latest by 6.15)
Meal Stops : Krishnagiri or Vellore or Kanchipuram

2007-10-01T00:04:00.000+05:30

Madurai at a glance

Whats the Prograaaaaaam??

Its been long time since I wanted to write abt this. Finally I get the chance. This is about a visit to the holy city , which is better known as the “City of Temples” , aka Madurai. The most famous temple which attracts tourist from all over the world is Meenakshi Temple.

Nestled in the southern part of Tamilnadu ,Madurai had been a centre of development activity. Its known for its rich history and also the patronage it received during the rule of the Pandyas and mighty Cholas. It was Cholas, notably Raja Raja Cholan who made a remarkable contribution both in the battle-field as well as in fostering the tamil literature (known as Sanga Tamizh). Most of the temple in Madurai were built during his reign. More detail about the history of this place can be found @ http://www.madurai.com/history.htm

How to get there?

Madurai is well connected by Road, Rail and Air.

Road: It’s a long way(450+ kms) off from Chennai and driving is not a sensible option over a weekend. If you want to try then the route is Chennai-Villupuram-Perambalur-Trichy-Dindigul-Madurai.

If you are travelling from bangalore, the route would be

Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Dindigul-Madurai

Rail: This is the best option and there are quite a few trains through the day and night to get you to Madurai from Chennai. The distance is covered in 8 hrs.

Direct train is available from Bangalore as well. The distance is covered in 12 hrs.

Air: Air deccan and Paramount airways operate flights in and out of Madurai.

Once you are in Madurai, there are a couple of decent hotels that offer rooms at a very reasonable price. For a detailed listing of the hotels, try http://www.madurai.com/hotel.htm

Places to see

The first place people know and will visit in Madurai is the famous Meenakshi Sundareshwarer temple . If its sounds complicated, Meenakshi temple will do just fine.

The temple is one of the landmark structures around which ancient Madurai was built. The walls of the temple are decorated with paintings depicting the marriage of Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwara (Shiva). One page would not be enough to describe this huge temple. The entire history of the temple is available at http://www.madurai.com/meena.htm

The next place of mention might not be as popular as the Meenakshi temple, but it is definitely worth a visit. This place is called Azhagar Kovil.

This place is located 21 kms from the town of Madurai is a Vishnu Temple on a picturesque wooded hill.

Here 'Vishnu' presides as Meenakshi's brother 'Azhgar'. As the place itself suggests, the temple is dedicated to Alagar who is popularly known as Sundararajar.

The temple is built on an extensive area in a very picturesque spot, surrounded by the ruins of a historic fort. The impressive main tower at the entrance, believed to have been built by the Pandyan Kings, has some beautiful sculptures depicting scenes from the epics.

Karuppannaswamy, the God of Kallars and the finely carved eighteen steps, are held in great reverence by the devotees. It is claimed that nobody will dare tell a lie at this spot.

Frequent buses operate to this place from Madurai. Taxis are also available. There are a few rest houses at Alagar koil, but it is advisable to stay at Madurai .

Other places near Azhagar kovil:

Palamudhirsolai, one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya is on the same hill, about 4 kms. above.

A natural spring called Nuburagangai where pilgrims bath, is located here. According to local tradition, this spring is said to have originated from the anklets of Maha Vishnu during His incarnation as Trivikrama. The 3 kms path on the hillock to the temple of the summit, where bathing facilities are available, offers some beautiful natural scenery to the visitors.

Most of the places in and around Madurai are religious places.It might not be of much interest to an avid traveler.Having said that, I should add that the places around Madurai offer a scenic and picturesque with a touch of the Indian countryside (so to say).

This place warrants a visit by one and all.

This write-up may be short , but I hope it serves the purpose of the essence that I wanted to convey.

Cheers

2007-05-31T15:09:00.001+05:30

Sadhupul - Bridge across the river.

How it all started

On a sunny Tuesday morning in the year 2003, sipping a cup of tea, 5 software engineers were involved in a serious discussion. Well, it was nothing technical. in fact It was all about spending a weekend away from the buzz of the capital city , Delhi. Suddenly, with a silence shattering boisterous voice, Sandeep (saroha) suggested Sadhupul.

For a minute , the others at the table were “what?? Is there a place like that? Where? What? Etc etc etc.”

The whole arrangement for the travel was done. Booking tickets et al. Finally the day arrived, rather night, when we were set to travel on the Delhi- Kalka mail till Kalka. There were 5 of us Ravi, Saroha, Naveen, Karthik and the bhishma pitamah, Ashok Khatri.(a young man of 38 at that time). The four of us (except Saroha) boarded the train and we were met in Panipat by Saroha. After a lot of gup-shup, we finally retired to our berths to the lullaby of the train’s sounds.

At 6 in the morning , we reached Chandigarh and helped ourselves to a cup of tea.
By the time we reached Kalka it was 7. We had some more ground to cover before we hit our final destination.

Once we reached Kalka, we scrambled to get a seat in the toy train. This toy train travels from Kalka to Simla, taking a painstaking 6 hrs to cover the entire journey, which by road could be done in 3 hrs. but the ride is worth it. The entire route of the train is a like a picture postcard coming alive. In this process, the train travels through as many as 22 tunnels, oh yes and there is one place where the train takes a turn such that the person in the last bogie can see the engine going on the bridge above his head. Before entering a long tunnel , the engine is cooled down by throwing water on it. The train was full and we hardly got a seat. Hence we decided to sit at the entrance.

After a 3 hr journey and a lot of stops in between, we finally reached Khandaghat. From here we had to hire a jeep to get us to Sadhupul, which was a 10 minute drive. The driver of the jeep helped us with the accommodation.

Sadhupul is a place less know to tourist (in 2003). Hence there was only one place where we could possibly stay and this was a 2 story building which had 2 rooms on the first floor and the ground floor served as a caretaker’s inn which also doubled up as kitchen.

We learnt that there was only one room available as the other was taken. So , we decided to scramble into the only room available. We dumped our luggages and spent some time taking in the beauty of the place.

Imagine a place where the water flows down the mountain amidst trees on either side of the it. A lone bridge that runs across the shores of the river and a lone house by the side of the river.. Well, That’s Sadhupul for u. Quite and calm and the only sound is from the river as it flows and the occasional honking of the passing vehicle.

After a quick tea, we headed to the river front, which was just a walk from our “hotel”. The sun was bright and the water was cold. Just the right kind of setting that was needed for us to take a plunge. We found a nice, huge rock and positioned ourselves comfortably with our legs in the water. Slowly one after the other, we got into the water. With our back against the rock , we sat down in the water., cooling ourselves. Quite some time had passed when we noticed that there were some dirty stuff that kept flowing from the river. And it started to increase, which is when we called it a day and got ready to leave. One of the locals there mentioned to us “Nadi Aa gayi” (the river has come). We just nodded our heads though we understood very little of what they said.

We scrambled back to our “hotel”, freshened up and headed down to the “restaurant” to grab some tea and snacks. It was around 5 PM , when we noticed the river’s color had changed to murky yellow and the level had risen and so had the flow. As time went by the color of the river was dark and we could see plastic bags, small logs of tree trunks flowing with the river. The force was enormous and the litlle rock that we were sitting on was not to be seen. This was when we realized the meaning of “Nadi Aa gayi”. Thank heavens; we scrambled out at the right time.

With nothing much to do and very little light, we had an early dinner and retired to bed early. By this time the other room was also available for us, so we could all sleep a good nights sleep. (We could still hear the river roar down the mountain).

As always, I was the first one to wake up in the morning. The first thing that I did was to step out of the room and look at nature. The river had calmed down and it was back to normal as if nothing had happened at all.

All of us were awake and ready for breakfast (Tea and bread toast) around 8. The agenda of the day was to trek upto Chail and then take a bus back to Kalka. We checked out from the hotel and started our journey to Chail by foot, enjoying the nature, pausing to pose for a pic or two. We had covered half way when one of us could go no further by foot. So we, decide to take a bus till Chail. Sandeep was detemined to come by foot all the way up to Chail. Seeing his enthu, Naveen also opted to walk. The other 3 of us decided to take a bus. So , we walked up till the bus stop ,waved bye to the other two and waited for the bus to arrive. It was 10 minutes before the bus arrived. It was loaded with people and we added to the existing crowd. We managed to find some space to stand in the front. The bus journey was very lively with the music system playing local Himachali songs. After around 30 minutes, we reached ‘Chail’.

We had to wait till the others arrived, hence we used up the time to look around in Chail. An hour later, we could see Sandeep Saroha climb the steps to the Queen’s palace, as fresh as a daffodil carrying both his and naveen’s luggage. Naveen was nowhere to be seen Finally after 15 minutes ,Naveen emerged panting heavily and profusely sweating.

We allowed the giuys to cool down for a while and then headed to the bus stop to take a bus back to Kalka.
We reached Kalka in approximately 2.5 hrs. We spent most of the time in the railway station pulling each other’s leg and planning for another outing. The train started at around 8.30 PM. Within few minutes, all of us were off to sleep…

Until next time……..

2007-02-09T14:02:00.001+05:30

Coorg - Coffee Country

Many a times I have come across people who tell me that they have visited Coorg and my first question would be "Where in Coorg?". "Cooorg" comes the answer. Well..not many people realise that Coorg (aka Kodagu) is actually a District, and the town Madikeri is its district headquarters.

Coorg is known for its coffee plantations primarily.But then there's a lot of other things one gets to see in Coorg.

Getting there

The town of Madikeri is around 230 kms from bangalore. The only mode of transport is through road and it takes abt 5 - 5.5hrs.

The first time we (Vijay and me) went there by KSRTC bus and it was then that we learnt it the hard way that having a own vehicle is the best way to get around,else you need to be at the mercy of the local auto-rickshaw fellows or the private bus operators.

The next time that we went there (Priyam, Krishna, CV and me), we drove down to Coorg.

Route : Take the four laned Mysore road till Ranganathittu and proceed till you hit the Hunsur road,then on to Hunsur, and to KushalNagar.

Madikeri is 40 kms from Kushal Nagar.

My personal opinion is to stay in Kushal Nagar rather than Madikeri for 2 reasons

Most of the places that one would visit are near to Kushal Nagar
It is less crowded than the town of Madikeri

Before I get on with the nitty-gritties of the "what-to-do", one word of advice "Ensure you have made arrangements for accomodation".

Orange County in Kushal nagar is a nice option if you are willing to shell out a decent amount of money.Other good option is Hotel Kannika International in Kushal nagar.

Madikeri has loads of options close to Bus stand.

Day I (Oct 30 2004)
We started from Bangalore early in the morning and as usual stopped at Kamat Lokaruchi for breakfast. After this , we proceeded to Srirangapatna ,10 kms before the city of Mysore, to visit the temple of Ranganatha swamy.

By the time we reached Kushal Nagar after the brief stops, it was around 2 PM when we checked into Kannika International.

We decided to take it easy for a couple of hours before we decided on an agenda for the evening.

In the evening, we decided to visit Bylakuppe , which houses the largest tibetian monastery in India. There is this Golden temple in the Namdroling monastry which is a must-see. Streams of monks wearing yellow and maroon robes can be seen all around this monastery.

Its a good idea to visit this place in the morning or when there is ample lighting. The walls of the prayer hall have colored glasses that let the natural lights into the hall.There are 3 statues , each of 40 ft high inside this temple.

The statues are of Padmasambhava, Buddha and Amitayus.

It was getting dark as we got out of the monastery and headed towards Kushal Nagar. With no specific agenda and time in hand, we decided to explore the place. We then headed towards Veerbhoomi, a place where one gets to see the cultural side of Karnataka with folk dancers performing while the dinner is served. The approach road was very bad and the experience inside also was not all that great for us.

After a long day , all we wanted to do was to have a good rest and gear up for the next day.

Day II

Coorg is said to be the place from where the river cauvery originates. So, we set out in the morning after a light breakfast to TalaCauvery, which is around 30 kms from the town of Madikeri. From Kushal nagar, it took us almost an hour and a half to reach as the roads were bad. The place of origin of cauvery is a small tank. We took a dip in the tank. The cold water was refreshing enough to beat the heat of the day.

From this place, steep steps lead to a hill top (Brahmagiri) from where one can have a bird's eye view of the whole area around.The climb is steep and there are no support railing to hold on. The view and the breeze are worth the climb.

On the way down from Talacauvery, there is a temple known as Bhagamandala. This temple resembles the temples of kerala in its structure.

After a brief stopover in the temple,we headed back to Madikeri for lunch. Madikeri has few options for vegetarians near the bus stand. One place that you would probably want to skip is Raja's Seat. Today this is just a park with a toy train for the kids amusement.

Since it was around noon that we landed in Madikeri , the Omkareshwara temple was closed.The architecture of this Shiva temple is muslim-like structure, with a central Dome and four minarets. A tank in front of the temple provide serenity to the temple.

Off we were, bidding farewell to Madikeri ,and heading towards Nisargadhama, a place where Cauvery has been diverted through. We spent close to an hour sitting on the rocks in the water and cooling our heels. The quite atmosphere adds to the calm. It was beginning to get dark and we decided to head back to the hotel.

Day III

This was the last day of the outing and we had saved this for Dubare , an elephant training camp ,around 8 kms from Kushal Nagar. The roads are narrow, but motorable except for the last stretch of 100 metres. Hang on, you are still not there yet.The last leg of the journey to the elephant camp has to be covered by boat across the cauvery.

As we were getting out of the boat, the first of the big visitor was on its way into the river. You get to spend time with the elephants, bathing them, feeding them with the specially-made food.

There is a doctor in the camp who explains all about elephants. Pretty interesting lecture. Finally the elephants get ready to give the visitors a ride on their back. All these activites are a part of a package that costs INR 150 per person.

If you are a person who is not fascinated by the huge creation of Mother Nature, then you could sit among the rocks in the river and enjoy the serene settings.All in all , this place has something to offer for everyone.

Plan to reach here as early as 7.30 or 8 in the morning so that you get to spend time with the elephants and also enjoy the nature sitting on the rocks.

Finally, the time had come for us to bid adieu and get back to rozi-roti. A long weekend well spent..

Last but not the least, the machine that helped us make it .... my fav.wagon

Until next time.........

2007-02-05T17:16:00.000+05:30

Hampi - Kingdom destroyed

About the place

HAMPI, the seat of the famed VIJAYANAGARA empire was the capital of the largest empire in post-mogul India, covering several states. The empire reigned supreme under Krishnadevaraya, the Emperor. The destruction of Vijayanagar by marauding Moghul invaders was sudden, shocking and absolute. They reduced the city to ruins .

The ruins of Hampi of the 14th Century lies scattered in about 26 sq. km area, amidst giant boulders and vegetation. Protected by the tempestuous river Tungabhadra in the north and rocky granite ridges on the other three sides, the ruins silently narrate the story of grandeur splendor and fabulous wealth. The splendid remains of palaces and gateways of the broken city tells a tale of men infinite talent and power of creativity together with his capacity for senseless destruction.

Getting there

Rail
The nearest railway station (13 kms) to Hampi is Hospet, which is around 350 kms from Bangalore. The best option would be to take the Hampi link express from Bangalore (Dep: 10.20 PM), reaches Hospet around 7.45 AM.

Road,
Hospet is well connected to major cities through national highways that pass thrugh Chitradurga and Bellary.

Places to stay
Hospet offers a decent variety of staying options. We stayed at Hotel Priyadarshini, a decent option that would fit most kinds of budget. Another option is Hotel Malligi.

Hotel Priyadarshini has 2 restaurants attached to it. One of them is a family restaurant with a bar :-). The other one is a normal darshini-type (*.Sagar) restaurant.

The appropriate time to visit Hampi is between October and February. We had been there in January and could already feel the day-time heat on us.

Places of interest

One would require 2 days to do justice to Hampi. A relatively small place but it has a lot to offer for every traveller. For local sight-seeing and getting around, a cab can be hired. Usually one can find many cabbies along the station road.

Here are some of the places that are worth visiting to put on that been-there-done-that thingie.. Oh, I almost forgot.. Its a very good idea to take along a tourist guide in Hampi.

A word of caution: We were approached by a person, Jathiah, who claimed to be a guide, but later we came to know that his license was barred. So, watch out for phony guides.

The drive to Hampi from Hospet is about half an hour. One of the first places that we came across was

Virupaksha Temple

The Virupaksha or the Pampapathi temple is the main center of pilgrimage at Hampi. It is fully intact, and it incorporates some earlier structures. This temple has three towers. The Eastern tower has been built such that an inverted shadow of this huge tower falls on the western wall of the temple through a small hole behind the sanctum.The presiding deity here is Virupaksheshwara or Pampapathi. The inner prakaram consists of shrines and pillars dating back to the 12th century.

In the vicinity of the Virupaksha temple are several dilapidated mandapams. In front of the temple was once an ancient shopping center lined with mandapams, the ruins of which stand today.

Achutaraya temple is on a small hillock besides the Virupaksha temple.

18 feet Ganesha

Hampi, being a small place does not involve much of travelling around

(well.. a lot of walking around is required). At a stone's throw distance from the Virupaksha temple is a temple of Ganesha. This Ganesha statue is 18 feet tall and is made of a monolithic rock. Since the statue is broken, there is no worship done here. Localites refer this Ganesha as "Kadale Kalu Ganesha"(Groundnut seed Ganesha)

Another Ganesha statues near the "kadale kalu ganesha" is called "Sasive Kalu Ganesha" (Mustard Seed Ganesha). It is in an open Mantapa or Pavilion. The 2.5 meters tall, four armed image holds "Ankusha" or Goad and "Pasha" or Noose in the upper hands. The lower right hand holds a Tusk, while the lower left, which is damaged, once held a sweet ball or "Modaka". The belly is tied with a snake. This Ganesha is fashioned out of a boulder in sitting position.

Another landmark temple in the erstwhile kingdom of Vijayanagar is the Vittala Temple. It is one of the largest temple of that period built by Devaraya II , and more addition were done by Krishnadevaraya later.

The composite pillars, which are designed as cluster of slendar pillars have been carved out of a single granite blocks. Some of them, when tapped gently, produce musical sounds. The ASI, has restricted public from touching the pillars, in the better interest of the structure.

The Stone chariot, at the entrance, is a reproduction of the processional wooden chariot. It is a stunning piece of art. It houses an image of Garuda, vehicle of Lord Vishnu.

Close-by to the temple, flows the Tungabhadra river, a river formed by the confluence of 2 rivers, Tunga and Bhadra. One can spend some time sitting on the rocks in the river, but beware, the rocks are slippery. Also, there are coracles available for hire.

TB Dam

As the name suggests, this is a dam built on the river Tungabhadra. As with every other dam, this is also a source of generating hydro-electric power.

Since this dam in on the western part, it forms a perfect setting for a sunset. One can watch the sun go “down under the water” .

This place also houses a garden and a park. There are musical fountain shows in the evening.
For young ones, there is a deer park near the TB dam.

Anegundi

Anegundi is around 30 kms from the town of hospet, on the other side of the river Tungabadra.

A temple dedicated to the Hanuman, is situated on top of a hill. The hill is worth the climb. The steps are aplenty, steep at some places. It should take not more than 20 minutes to climb up. Lots of monkeys roam around as u get close to the summit. The view from the top of this hill is worth the climb. You can get a overall understanding of the layout of the erstwhile Vijayanagar kingdom.

One place that is worth mentioning is "The Mango Tree". This is a restaurant of a different kind. This "restaurant" overlooks the river and is a nice place for relaxing. There are no conventional tables and chairs here. Its worth a visit here. Many local guides may discourage from going here, but personally I fell this is a great place to have food and relax :-). Here's a pic from that place.

A short drive from the temple is a resort , Kishkinda resort.

It is more of a kids amusement park than anything else. If you are ordering lunch here and have a big group, its a good idea to order first, take a stroll and by the time you return , the food would be on its way :-). Oh.. you need to pay an entry fee to this place. In my opinion , this place could be skipped.

One final word about Hampi is that its a place that has lots to offer in terms of architecture. The places that are mentioned here are some of the places that are must-visit to have that "been-there-done-that" list. There are lots of other places which we could not cover due to various reasons.The list of places could be got from any local tourist guide or web-sites.

Happy touring..

So long then..

Adios.

2006-10-25T21:15:00.000+05:30

Jungle mein Mangal

'Mudumalai',a quiet and peaceful place nestled in the Nilgiri range of mountains, far away from the hustle-bustle of the city life.

The best way, rather the only way to reach there is by Road. Take the newly done Mysore highway all the way past Mysore until Gundlupet via Nanjangud. The roads are good till you reach Gundlupet. Once you pass Gundlupet and get off the State highway, you hit the most worst road that one could ever come across and this road that passes through the Bandipur-Mudumalai sanctuary is supposedly a National Highway,but expect the unexpected.

After a bumpy and jumpy ride of about 30 odd kms, the sanctuary of Bandipur comes into sight.

Bandipur and Mudumalai are divided by the Moyar river gorge. Bandipur falls in Karnataka while Mudumalai is in Tamil Nadu. From Bandipur, you need to go further for about 30-40 minutes till you reach the village-town of Masinagudi.

The road (8 km stretch) get very narrow from Masinagudi. There are numerous resorts that have their boards with directions once you cross Masinagudi.

Jungle retreat is where we camped. Its one of the resorts that is in the interior and close to the forest area.Approach roads to this place is pretty bad, but the resort is a good one.

The rooms/cottages are spread over a wide area and it involves a lot of walking around to get around within the resort. There are no telephones to call for room service. Nor do the mobile's network reach . In all, its a totally isolated experience.

If you want to cool your heels off, this is an ideal place. Also one could go out on guided tour (safari) inside the sanctuary. Not much possibility of spotting a tiger, but you can do this if u need that been-there-done-that list.

Make sure that you have accomodations before you set out to this place.

Ciao mate,

Orcha - Kingdom Abandoned

2006-07-13T14:48:00.000+05:30

Located at a distance of 16 km from Jhansi, on banks of the river Betwa, sits this calm and quite village that was once upon a time the capital of the region, Bundelkhand. Time seems to have come to a stand-still in this village. The meaning of the name of this place is "Hidden". The place that is "hidden", abandoned BUT not forgotten is ORCHA.

About OrchaOrchha was founded in the 16th century by the Bundela Rajput chieftain Rudra Pratap who chose this stretch of land along the Betwa river as an ideal site for his capital. Among his successors , the most notable was Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo who built the exquisite Jehangir Mahal,
a tiered palace crowned by graceful chhatries. From here the view of soaring temple spires and cenotaphs (Chatris) is spectacular.The palaces are of impressive size and there are pleasant views of the countryside from their upper levels. Complementing the noble proportions of their exteriors and interiors which represent the finest flowering of the Bundela school of painting.

Getting there:Orchha lies on the Jhansi - Khajuraho road. Regular bus services connect Orchha with Jhansi. Autorickshaws are available on hire from Jhansi for a tour of all the tourist spots in Orchha. The best option is to take the Bhopal Shatabdi from N.Delhi to Jhansi. it starts at 6AM from N.Delhi and reaches Jhansi at 10.30. Alternately, once can also take the Tamilnadu express from N.delhi that starts at 10.30 PM and reaches Jhansi at 4.00 AM.

By Road, its a drive through Agra-Gwalior-Jhansi. From Jhansi, take the road to Khajuraho and follow the signs to get into Orcha.

Where to Stay

Not many options here with respect to staying. The ones that are available. MP tourism has a couple of hotels. One of them is Sheesh Mahal , a palace converted into a hotel and a pretty decent one too. The Royal suite at the top floor of the Mahal is spacious with a sit-out and a dining space. There is a restaurant attached with the hotel. Nearby the hotel is a local market which is home to a couple of small eat-outs that provide tasty food at a lower cost.

Places to seeOrchha also has a series of magnificent temples, dating back to the 17th century. They are still in use today and visited regularly devotees. The soaring spires of Ram Raja Temple and the well-preserved murals of the Lakshmi Naraya Temple are especially worth a visit.

Beautiful Chhattris (cenotaphs) are lined up on the banks of the river Betwa. Orcha is a small village that can be covered by foot.

Jehangir mahal is worth a visit. One can see the painting on the walls and ceiling here(murals). The view from the top of Jehangir Mahal is magnificent. The whole village of Orcha and the betwa river can be seen from here.

Raja Mahal, adjacent to Jehangir Mahal is also on similar terms. Both these monuments are protected property.

Almost the entire small town of Orcha assembles at the Ram Raja temple in the evening and its a pleasant experience to join in the evening gathering at the temple.

A quiet place to spend a relaxing weekend far way from the hustle bustle of the city. If history and architecture is of interest, then this place has a decent amount of each to offer.

Khajuraho - mark of india

2006-06-26T16:52:00.000+05:30

A much talked about, less visited place. Its a world-renowned place, recognised by Foreigners more than Indian authorities. A place that has given India a unique recognition, "Khajuraho" (Garden of Dates)

Khajuraho - A world heritage site

A mere mention of the name brings in a picture of erotic sculptures and perhaps one of the reason it has fewer local visitors. Khajuraho has much more to offer for every kind of visitor, a symbol of architectural brilliance and a rich history.

A brief history

One thousand years ago, under the generous and artistic patronage of the Chandela Rajput kings of Central India, 85 temples, magnificent in form and richly carved, came up on one site, near the village of Khajuraho. Today, of the original 85, only 22 have survived the ravages of time.

Another story about the place goes like this.

Hemavati, the beautiful young daughter of a Brahmin priest was seduced by the moon god while bathing in the Rati one evening. The child born of this union between a mortal and a god was a son, Chandravarman. Harassed by society, the unwed mother sought refuge in the dense forest of Central India where she was both mother and guru to her young son. The boy grew up to found the great Chandela dynasty. When he was established as a ruler, he had a dream-visitation from his mother, who implored him to build temples that would reveal human passions, and in doing so bring about a realization of the emptiness of human desire. Chandravarman began the construction of the first of the temples, successive rulers added to the fast growing complex.

Getting there

Khajuraho is well connected by Air and Road (Rail+Road).

By Air: Jet Airways flies one flight per day to Khajuraho from Delhi and back.

Road: This is the only other option as there are no direct rail connectivity to this place. From Delhi, the best option is to take a train till Jhansi, and then take a bus to Khajuraho, which is 4 hrs drive via Orcha and Chattarpur.

The best option is to take the Bhopal Shatabdi that starts at 6 AM in N.Delhi and reaches Jhansi at 10.30. There is a bus that co-incides with Shatabdi's arrival to take you to Khajuraho. This bus is not a luxurious one. It has a frame over the wheels with a few seats nailed down to the floor of the bus. It gets crowded as the bus proceeds and most of the crowd dismbarks at Chattarpur.

Also, be prepared for a bumpy ride here and there as the roads are not that great(forget the state of the bus ;-) )

Driving down from Delhi is not a wise option unless you have a couple of days off from work. The roads are supposed to be good as it is a part of the National Highway that passes through Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi.

Accomodation:

There are quite a few options in Khajuraho for staying ranging from luxury hotels to dormitories.A decent option to stay is Hotel Jhankar, run by MP tourism. One can make advance reservations by contacting MP tourism office in Bhopal.

Food is not a problem as there are lot of eateries. One place that is avoidable is a place called "Madras Tiffin house". There is nothing "madrasi" about it.

Places to see: Khajuraho is really a small place which could be covered in a day if you are just looking around to have the been-there-done-that tag :-). Though it is a small place and most of the heritage sites (temples) spread within a 8 km radius, it offers a lot of history and architecture to marvel at.

As mentioned earlier , there are only 22 temples out of the 85 temples that were constructed. They are divided as

Southern group
Eastern group
Western group

Temples of Khajuraho

Most of the eastern and Southern group temples have deteriorated, but still they are being renovated by the ASI.

The western group of temples are the one that are marked as world-heritage site. These were the temples that were initially started off by Chandravarman.

The moment you stand in front of the Western group of temples, you would be awed by the splendid sight that greets you. Its hard to describe in words. It needs to be experienced.

To get around to these places, you can hire a auto (for 300 Rs, or less depending upon the bargaining skills) , or if you want to explore the place at your own pace, the ideal thing is to hire bicycles and pedal along the roads of Khajuraho. To see all the temples, it would take 3-4 hrs.

The one thing that you dont want to miss is the "Sound and light show". This show talk about the history of Khajuraho , its temples and the story behind them. Its narrated by none other than Amitabh Bachan in his mesmerising voice. This show happens both in English and Hindi. There is a entrance fee associated for this (Rs.50 per head). This show happens in the evening.

Every year , "Khajuraho Dance festival" happens here and who's-who of the dance fraternity participate.

Panna national park is close to Khajuraho and could make a half-day for a visit.

2006-06-23T12:17:00.000+05:30

A Brewing experience

Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, lies this calm and serene place,Kemmanagundi.

About the place

Kemmanangundi is a great place to get away to at any time of the year - summer, winter and even the monsoons, a season that can be quite spectacular, with waterfalls gushing over and the trees on the hills wearing a sparkly rain-washed look. Driving up to Kemmanagundi, you are greeted by pleasing mountain scenery. The landscape is lush with forests and waterfalls that tumble down the rock face. One can find lots of walking trail through the woods that lead you to untrodden paths and quiet glens, where you can picnic, ramble and commune with nature.

This hill resort in the Baba Budan Hills was once the summer retreat of the Maharaja of Mysore, the Wodeyar King Krishnaraje Wodeyar IV, after whom the hill station is also named the K.R. Hill Station (KRHS).

Also it is believed that this was the place where Baba Budan planted the coffee seeds that he got from Afghanistan. One can find lot of coffee plantations as one drives up from Tarikere to Kemmanagundi.

Getting there: Kemmanagundi is 260 km from Bangalore, 225 km from Mangalore (the closest airport), and 55 km from Chikmaglur. Trains halt at Tarakere, the nearest railhead. State Transport buses come to Kemmanagundi from Bangalore, but the most convenient way to get here is to drive. Take the State highway 48 via Kunigal, Hassan , Chikamagalur. The roads are good with occassional rough patch. Once past Chikamagalur, the ascent starts. The roads are not that great,narrow at places but then the scenery is awesome since this route leads you through the Baba Budan Giri range. Its a good idea to avoid this route during the rainy season. Make sure your vehicle is sturdy and brakes are in good condition. I was glad/surprised that my Wagon handled it pretty well..

You would come across Sunflower fields on this route, where you can stop by and get your camera out:-)

The other route (the not-so-scenic) to kemmangundi is via Tarikere. Take the NH206 all the way thru Arsikere, Birur and Tarikere. After Tarikere, the ascent begins, but this is not a steep one as compared to the chikamagalur one. Roads are motorable here.

Best time: Kemmanagundi is pleasant throughout the year. As any other hill station summer is peak tourist season, while the crowds thin during the monsoons, making it a great time to be here.

Accommodation: The Horticulture Department's Guest House is the most popular place to stay. Make sure you carry enough food supplies as the food in this place is not great and there aren't any eateries around. Alternatively, you can stay at neighbouring Chikmaglur and Shimoga, which have a range of budget and deluxe hotels.

Places to see: Kemmanagundi is more a place to lie/sit back and relax. There aren't many places to visit/see here. If you are a avid hiker (or somewhere close to it), you can visit Z-point.

Z-point is about 8 kms from the guest house. You can take your vehicle upto Shanti Falls, which is 2 odd kms from the guest house. The rest of the journey to the Z-point has to be covered by foot. Make sure you have good shoes (Chappals are a strict no-no) as the path gets tougher and trickier as u ascend. Its also a good idea to do this trek early in the day when there is lot of light and remember, it gets dark in the hills sooner.:-)

Hebbe Falls is worth a visit. You cannot drive down in your vehicle, so you need to take the Jeep (available at the horticultural society's guest house), for a charge (Rs. 400-500).

At the top of the KRHS is the Raj Bhavan, from where you can have a panaromic view. Its a nice picnic spot with nice lawns.

Apart from that , there is a Rock Garden, which is a decent place to roam around, but dont expect too much.

So, the bottom line is that, if you want to come here to see places, 1 day is sufficient. On the other hand, if you want to relax and be close to nature, you can stay on for a longer time. Right now, its time I got back to work :-)

As usual, buzz me if you need more information on this, and dont forget to leave a comment/suggestion about this write-up

Ciao,
Ur-Travel-Mate

2005-07-29T11:15:00.000+05:30

Sharavati Beckons

This has been a long pending stuff from my side. Never got around to write about it. This is about a weekend trip to India's highest waterfalls, The Jog Falls.

Jog Falls is situated at a distance of 100 kms from the city of Shimoga. This is the place where the river Sharavati falls from a height of 292m forming a glorious waterfall. The river forms four different tracks (as seen in the picture) which are named 'Raja', 'Rani', 'Roarer' and 'Rocket'. On any normal day , one can go down to the bottom of the jog falls in 30-40 minutes. Be careful of leeches post-rainy season.

Best Season:
All round the year is a good season to go, except the rainy season. (mid July to September)

Getting there:

Jog falls is a good 450+ kms from Bangalore. The best option to reach is to take a overnight train from bangalore to Shimoga (6 hrs). From Shimoga , one can hire a taxi to Jog falls (approx 100kms/2 hrs). The other nearest train station is Talaguppa (around 35 kms), but there is only one train that runs from here to shimoga in the evening at 5.30 PM

Driving down by your car is also an option. Its a 7 hr drive from bangalore to shimoga through good roads (i mean motorable).

There are very few options for staying. KSTDC has hotels near Jog falls. A better option would be to stay in Shimoga. Shimoga offers a variety of options for staying. We stayed at the Jewel Rock hotel. Booking in advance is a good idea:-).

En route to Jog falls , one can find the Linganamakki Dam at Gajanur, which now limits the water to the jog falls. During rainy seasons, the water flows almost to the full capacity of the Dam.

One place that you would probably want to avoid is a Lion and Tiger Safari. Its more of a open environment Zoo, rather than anything close to natural habitat. You get to ride in a bus that takes u into the wilderness (so to say) and you can see the lion or tiger roaming around (inside the cage though). Not my cup of tea :-)

There are other places that are closer to Shimoga that warrant a visit. Some of them worth mentioning are

Honnemardu (for water sports)
Agumbe (for lovely sunsets)
Thirtahalli
Ambuthirta (the badravati river flows in abundance here)

If you ever plan a visit to this place and are looking for assistance, just ping me :-)

So long then..

Cheers
Ur-Travel-Mate