The magenta water lilies are in full bloom as far as eyes can see. They have covered the paddy fields and are a spectacular sight to behold !! And where is this? @Kottayam, Kerala. Early morning is the best time to visit this lovely scene and you can go amidst this bloom in a vallam…
Category: Travel
Bangalore Palace tour π°: Glimpse into the Wodeyars story – Part π
To continue with the historical timeline, the mighty Vijayanagar empire which ruled almost the whole of the south India, met its ruin in 1565 at the battle of Talikota π Hampi chronicles: Beginning with the end π (Starting the Hampi trailπΆπ»ββοΈ) After the disintegration of the Vijayanagara empire, the land was divided among the feudal…
Bangalore Palace tour π°: Glimpse into the Wodeyars story – Part π
Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka and Mysore is a weekend getaway from Bangalore, touted as the cultural capital of Karnataka, famous for the ten day Dasara festival held every October. The most famous landmark in Mysore is the Mysore Palace of the Wodeyars – the erstwhile rulers of the Mysore kingdom βοΈ. I have…
A Bangalore staycation @Hyatt Centric π΄
Bangalore weather is gorgeous and one perfect way to enjoy it is by the poolside at the Hyatt Centric; flanked by champa (frangipani) trees with its dark green foliage and speckles of pretty white fragrant flowers βand palm trees swaying in the cool breeze. With the pandemic still not over, the pool is closed for…
Itinerary for a weekend in downtown Bangalore π
There is no dearth of activities that you can partake in Bangalore and a weekend is hardly enough time for all indulgences. But given a weekend we managed to cram in a staycation, a walking trail, shopping, a fantastic restaurant and even tour a palace ! It was a welcome break from the homebound weekends…
Tabebuia bloom in Bangalore πΈπΈ
At first I thought they were Cherry Blossoms; but no, they are Tabebuia and more correctly Tabebuia rosea marked by the clusters of baby pink trumpet shaped flowersπΈ. And with each breeze they shower the sidewalks and the dividers along the roads, weaving a carpet of powdery pink. But the pink is so light that…
Hampi Chronicles: Last glance π
It was close to 5:00 pm by the time we finished with the sights at the Vitthala temple complex. There were buggy rides ferrying people from the Vitthala temple to the car park, driving along the length of the 1 km long bazaar or Chariot street. People were standing in queue waiting for the rides,…
Hampi chronicles: Music, myths & magicπͺ with stoneπ₯ (Vitthala temple and Stone chariot)
Sekhar says he is well versed with the history of the Vijayanagar empire and even more with the intricacies of the Vitthala temple. He claims to speak nine languages and that’s not even his talent, you’ll see ! It’s close to 4 pm by now, tired, we were at the last quarter in the sacred…
Hampi chronicles: Framed by boulders & filled with stories π
“The city of Bidjnagar( Vijayanagar) is such that the pupil of the eye has never seen a place like it and the ear of intelligence has never been informed that there existed anything to equal it in the world.” as recorded by Abdur Razzaq, the Persian envoy from the court of Shahrukh in Herat to…
POTD: Trail of Gold π (guest pic)
6:15 pm: View from the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty Sunset over the Vembanad lake π βββ Till next post, take care !!
Hampi chronicles: Encounter with the magnificent Yali at the Achyutaraya templeπ¦
While being spellbound by the sheer size of the entrance to the temple, you almost forget to notice the delicate carvings on the walls of stone !! Maybe the novelty of this temple entrance is that it is not in the usual pyramidal tower format like the Virupaksha temple. The base of the main entrance…
Hampi chronicles: An inept king & an incredible temple π (Achyutaraya temple)
A proclaimed glorious reign by any monarch always marks the beginning of the end of an empire and the story is no different for Vijaynagar. The Vijayanagar empire was at the peak of it’s prestige and power during the rule of Krishna Deva Raya (1509-1529). He was succeeded by his half-brother Achyuta, continuing the line…
Hampi chronicles: Bazaar and beyond π
The picture below helps to get an idea about the once thriving markets of Vijayanagar, which must have been glorious so as to be recorded by travellers. R K Narayan paints the picture beautifully for us in his book The Emerald Route ” One can let one’s imagination roam over the old bazaar street in…
Hampi chronicles: Hemakuta Hill – the Granite abode of Gods π
We are on a trail covering the sacred centre of Vijayanagar and after starting with the Virupaksha temple πHampi chronicles: Charmed by the colonettes at Virupaksha temple π, the next destination is the Hemakuta hill situated right next to and above the Virupaksha temple complex. The entrance to the Hemakuta hill is a majestic quadrilateral…
Hampi chronicles: Charmed by the colonettes at Virupaksha temple π
It’s good to have a view of the Virupaksha temple complex in it’s entirety before entering it. It gives you a sense of direction and you are able to place the towering gopurams above the entrances better! The tallest gopuram marks the eastern entrance from the Hampi bazaar and the second tallest marks the northern…
Hampi chronicles: The curse that saved a temple βοΈ
There are many stories leading to the origins of the Vijayanagar empire, too many in fact; but they all have some converging points. A broad outline of these narratives is aptly outlined by Srinivas Reddy in his book Raya stating ” It is a tale of two brothers, a sacred geography and one legendary sage.”…
Hampi chronicles: Beginning with the end π (Starting the Hampi trailπΆπ»ββοΈ)
The year was 1565; the Vijayanagar empire had Sadasiva as it’s namesake King while the real power lay with the three brothers – Rama Raya, Tirumala and Venkatadri. It was Rama Raya also called Aliyar Rama Raya, who wielded power. Rama Raya and Tirumala are believed to be son-in-law’s of the celebrated king Krishna Deva…
Hampi chronicles: Who’s telling the story πβοΈ (π Fab books on Hampi οΌπ)
The drive to Hampi from our hotel Hyatt Place was nearly an hour. We chose a weekday to visit Hampi, weekends are more crowded. As you get off the NH and drive through the winding SH into Hampi, a smile begins to form; a thrill of excitement and mystery overwhelms you (maybe it’s just me…
Nature walk in Chikmagalur πΊ
6:30 am was the reporting time for the Nature Walk from the hotel. The idea of a nature walk sounded good and exciting !! The scenery was going to be new and I like the tit bits of info that guides provide. Gireesh was our guide, an employee of the hotel. He handed us canes…
Jain dedication in Badami π
The fourth cave temple in Badami is a Jain temple and this was a total surprise. I know very little about the Jain religion. It’s my ignorance, but Karnataka has a rich history with respect to the Jain religion; Sravanabelagola in Karnataka is one of the most important centres of Jain religion being the home…
Miles and smiles 
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