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…
Category: Travel
Hampi chronicles: An inept king & an incredible temple ๐ (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 ๐
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 ๐
We are on a trail covering the sacred centre of Vijayanagar and after starting with the Virupaksha temple ๐Hampi chronicles: Charmed by the colonettes at Virupaksha temple ๐, 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 ๐
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 โ๏ธ
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 ๐ (Starting the Hampi trail๐ถ๐ปโโ๏ธ)
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 ๐โ๏ธ (๐ Fab books on Hampi ๏ผ๐)
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 ๐บ
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 ๐
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…
Stone compositions in Badami ๐
Cave 3 in Badami is the largest and the most elaborate among the four cave temples. An inscription on the wall of the cave details that the cave was created under the auspicious of the king’s (Kirttivarman I) brother Mangalesha Chalukya in 578 CE. The cave is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the sculptures and…
Looking back on a memorable stay at the Gateway Chikmagalur๐
We checked out of Gateway Chikmagalur and reached Hampi by evening and while having dinner at the new hotel, we were surprised by a call from the Taj staff asking if we reached our home safely !? That was nice !! It must be a SOP (standard operating procedure) for them, but we felt wowed…
Vishnu avatars in Badami ๐
The caves 2 & 3 in Badami are dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The pattern of the caves are the same as cave 1 – outer verandah, pillared hall and inner sanctuary. Cave 2 first. Boar is the symbol of the Chalukyas and here were are presented with a sculpture depicting the Varaha (Boar) the third…
Shiva stories from Badami ๐ฑ
Cave 1 in Badami is dedicated to Lord Shiva; it consists of a an open verandah, a pillared hall and an inner sanctuary. Our tour of Cave 1 in Badami began with the above spectacular sculpture of Shiva, the Lord of dance, in a cosmic dance pose. Shiva here is depicted with 18 arms, nine…
Badami: Stories sculpted in stone ๐
Badami (formerly Vatapi) was the capital of the Chalukyas who ruled the land between the 6th -8th century CE. The major monuments of interest in Badami are the 4 cave temples with their beautiful sculptures dating back to those periods. The lake in the middle called the Agastya lake divides the area into the South…
Hampi to Badami: Road trip ๐๐
Badami : 8 hours drive (to and fro) for 2 hours of sightseeing โ๏ธ It was on a Sunday that we decided to head out to Badami, a four hour drive from our hotel. While Hampi lies in the Bellary district of Karnataka, Badami is located in another district called Bagalkot. Badami, formerly called Vatapi, was…
Red Earth๐๐ณ (Part 2 of 2)
I had mentioned in Part 1 that we were staying at the Hyatt Place hotel which is located within a JSW residential layout in Toranagallu town of Bellary district in Karnataka ๐ Red Earth๐ณ๐ (Part 1 of 2). Our agenda here was to visit the nearby historic towns of Badami and Hampi. The residential layout…
Red Earth๐ณ๐ (Part 1 of 2)
In Chikmagalur, we woke up to sounds of birds chirping; in Hampi, we were awakened by the sounds of whistles from trains. Goods train most probably ferrying raw material and finished goods to and fro from the JSW Vijayanagar Steel Plant in the vicinity. Our hotel, the Hyatt Place was located in a town called…
Chikmagalur to Hampi๐ฉ: A scenic road trip from south to north Karnataka
Chikmagalur is along south west of Karnataka and Hampi is on the north eastern side. The change is scenery was dramatic. You’ll see !! 11: 00 am. From Chikmagalur we took the NH 173. It’s a 6 hour drive ๐๐จ Crossing Chitradurga, we were on NH 48, part of the Golden Quadrilateral for a short…
A peek at the tallest peak in Karnataka – Mullayanagiri: Chikmagalur โฐ
After the Jhari Falls, our next stop was Mullayanagiri. We reached the base by 5:00 pm, the roads are narrow and winding. The sights are spectacular !! The misty blue green mountains are a glorious sight. Mullayanagiri is the highest peak in Karnataka (approx. 6400ft). The mountain ranges are called Chandra Drona ranges due to…
Miles and smiles 
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