Some words remain etched in my brain and the word Fuchsia is one in the list. I first heard of this colour from one of my older cousin sisters as she was describing the colour of her wedding sari, the manthrakodi – the colourful sari the bride wears for the wedding reception. The bride wears…
Tag: Travel
18 April: World Heritage Day ๐ – Forts of South India
Celebrated on 18 April, it started off as โInternational Day for Monuments and Sitesโ and after approval from UNESCO in 1983, it was made popular as World Heritage Day. 2021 World Heritage Day theme is “Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures” This would be the apt title for our Indian heritage – it’s complex! The history text…
Tourist in my city ๐
I never imagined I will call Bangalore as my city. Kochi has always been my city simply because it is where my home is – a house of my own. Hubs definition of home is different; he plays to the gallery. He was asked once in our family WhatsApp group by my cousins on his…
The perfect muse to (or not) travel ๐ง
I stumble into books; this one was an accidental discovery in an in-flight magazine; on their list of the five best books on travel and it was the first one the list. I remember watching Alain De Botton on YouTube once and I was very curious on what he has to say on travel. I…
Hampi Chronicles: Last glance ๐
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 & magic๐ช with stone๐ฅ (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 ๐
“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…
Hampi chronicles: Encounter with the magnificent Yali at the Achyutaraya temple๐ฆ
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 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…
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…
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