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Achyutaraya Temple, Hampi – Paradise Lost
As one walks through the wide road that leads directly out of the Virupaksha Temple’s gopuram (entrance tower) towards the pavillion that houses the seated monolithic Nandi (the bull that is the divine steed of Siva), the single and two tiered ruins of Hampi Bazar bear silent witness to the start of the magical trek to Achyutaraya Temple. The Matanga hill that was a safe haven in the to the monkey king Sugreeva from the wrath of his brother Vali due to a curse in the epic of Ramayana, is visible to the right as one makes the climb from the Nandi and past the shrine. The humble shrine is…
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Bhangarh Fort- Mysteriously Magnificent!
The journey We started our journey to the Bhangarh Fort, considered the most haunted fort in India from Jaipur. Our plan was to visit the fort and then the Abhaneri step well before returning to Jaipur. The fort is about 70 km to 80 km, depending on the route from Jaipur. Of wizards and ghosts! On the way, our driver shared some interesting folklore about the Bhangarh Fort and the reason for its decimation. According to him, a wizard tried to court the princess of the fort, the legendary beauty Ratnavati, against her wish. Once, when the princess’ attendant went to the marketplace to get her perfume for her bath,…
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Gandikota – India’s Spectacular Gorge
We travelled to Gandikota from Chennai with a stopover at Nellore. The drive from Nellore to Gandikota is especially scenic. We stayed at the Haritha resort in Gandikota which was also close to the points-of-interest there. Gandikota is a small village which has seen the rule of different dynasties such as the Chalukyas, the Vijayanagara empire’s vassals and Golconda Sultanate before passing into British control over time. The first structure that you come upon is the barracks which open up on the Charminar. However, we could find no steps that led to the three tiers above the ground level and so it seems to be a more ornamental structure than…
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Jaipur’s Chhatriyans – Peace amongst chaos
The architectural marvels of India’s pink city are many. While places like Amer fort or Hawa Mahal are exquisite, we simply fell in love with the Cenotaphs or Chhatriyans of Jaipur. Read on to know why! Maharaniyon Ki Chhatriyan It was just because of sheer proximity that we chose Maharaniyon Ki Chatriyaan as our first place to visit. Our hotel was just a stone’s throw away and we thought we’d do something light after about 7 hours of travel and we were so glad we started with this lovely place!! This is located on Amer road after Jal Mahal as one travels from the lake palace to the city center…
