Tag Archives: travel

An easy guide to the Andamans

June 8, 2013 thelostlander 2 Comments

This should be an easy guide to anyone who wants to visit the Andamans.. I would say: please don’t plan your trip if it is not atleast a week’s holiday you are aiming at..

Day 1:

10.20.a.m- Depart from Chennai; 12.45.p.m- Check-in @ Port Blair

2.45.p.m- Quick walk through the Science Centre and proceed to Corbyn’s Cove beach

4.00.p.m- Leave for the Cellular jail. Walk around the historic memorial of brave martyrs- the backbone for Indian freedom movement

6.00.p.m- Sound & music show at the Cellular jail

07.30.p.m – A brisk walk through the Gandhi park

08.00.p.m- Water scooter ride @ Rajiv Gandhi sports complex, a speedy walk through the Traffic police park in the same premises

Day 2:

8.30.a.m- Board the ferry @Rajiv Gandhi sports complex jetty for 3 island tour with a seven harbour view

10.30.a.m- Alight for delight @ Ross island– the place of erstwhile British settlement which is now a live museum.

11.30.a.m- Off to Viper island with the gallows of imprisonment established before the cellular jail.

12.30.p.m- Arrive at North Bay island– go snorkelling, walk upto the light house and go SEA WALKING..!!

05.00.p.m- Reach Port Blair

06.00.p.m- Freshen up and leave for shopping at Aberdeen bazaar– the local market.

Day 3:

08.30.a.m- Arrive at Phoenix bay jetty

09.00.a.m- Aboard Makruzz(a Catamaran) to Havelock islands

11.00.a.m- Off to Radhanagar beach– Asia’s no.7 best beach.

12.00.p.m- Catch the ferry to Elephanta beach: one of the best dive sites in Andamans and home to world’s only snorkeling elephant- Rajan 🙂

02.00.p.m- Begin the explorations deep in the beds of the sea- SCUBA DIVING

04.00.p.m- Onboard Baratang- the government ferry from Havelock

Day 4:

07.30.a.m- Leave the confines of our nest for the day’s work- We’ve got lots to explore

09.00.a.m- Registration for the convoy at the forest checkpost. This is a must for anyone travelling on the Grand Trunk road through the Jarawa tribal reserve. Jarawas are one of the aboriginal tribal group out of the 6 tribes inhabiting in the island groups.

11.30.a.m- Aboard the govt. ferry at Middle Strait

11.45.a.m- Alight at Baratang island

12.00.p.m- Cruising on a motor boat through one of the best mangrove creeks I have ever been to.

12.30.p.m- End of the jungle trek- reaching the destiny. One of the 46 limestone caves in the Islands. A spellbinding experience..!!

1.00.p.m- An 8kms flight(read it jeep ride) to see the mud volcano

02.00.p.m- Back at Baratang jetty, ferry ride back to Middle strait.

06.00.p.m- Walk around Port Blair.

Day 5:

07.30.a.m- Sippighat horticultural farm visit.

08.00.am.- A quick turn-up at Wandoor beach

08.30.a.m- Walk around the Mahatma Gandhi museum

09.00.a.m- Off for a ride- An un-expressible journey to the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park

11.00.a.m.- Glass bottom boat ride, sun-bathing & SNORKELING in the crystal clear waters of Jolly Buoy island

01.00.p.m- A spicy walk through the Mongluton rubber & spices plantation. ‘Coconut Malai Sharbat’ is a must try drink there.

03.30.p.m- A super drive through a very different part of the Andamans- took us to ChidiyaTapu. We were the last people for the day to get entry into the mini zoo there.

04.00.p.m- I’m on one of the best beaches hitherto- backwaters of the tsunami affected area.. We did not even realise that we had walked over a kilometer deep into the sea- and the water level had not risen beyond our ankles.

04.30.p.m- Exploring the Chidiyatapu hills. An AMAZING place for the landscape photographers

05.00.p.m.- Sunset point – by far the BEST sunset I have witnessed on a seashore.

06.30.p.m- We are at Sagarika– the govt. emporium for shopping for souvenirs

Day 6:

09.00.a.m- Chawtham island– Asia’s biggest timber saw mill and forest museum

10.15.a.m- Samudrika– A museum maintained by the Indian Navy

11.00.a.m- Anthropological museum visit

12.00.p.m- Check out and arrive at Veer Savarkar airport.

This is the maximum number of places anyone could squeeze into the list for a Sunday to Sunday trip.. The islands has so much to explore that only a month long vacation can do justice 🙂 I’d suggest you take a 2hr motor boat ride from Havelock to South button island- the smallest national park in India for scuba diving known for its shallow waters Tropical coral reefs. You could add Mt. Harriet, Niel island, Cinque island, Barren island, Diglipur, Mayabunder, Rangat, Ross & smith island, Saddle peak etc. among the important places of Andamans. However, a trip to Nicobar islands has to be planned separately as it is special in its own way.

Words of caution:

Please adhere to your time schedule strictly because every ferry ride, every museum, every zoo runs/remains open only on a specified time frame.
The city remains awake only between 8.00.a.m and 08.00.p.m. Plan your entertainment well to keep yourself occupied.
If you are planning to eat out or take a coffee walk, it has to be before 7.00.p.m. All shops shut down after that.

Random rants

Fear of Travel? It is in your Mindset

May 22, 2013 thelostlander 17 Comments

Agoraphobia is considered the most incapacitating of anxiety disorders. To be more precise- The fear of travelling ALONE.. It is all in your mindset.. What do you think will happen to you if you go out alone? You will die of a road accident or a plane crash..? A bunch of trouble makers will harm you..? A group of bad men will molest you..?

People… Get a life.!! You need to just come out of your frame of mind.. Harm can be caused to you anytime. What will you do if the ground beneath your house sunk in.? What would you do if a bunch of people barged into your home with clubs and hoses ? Your trusted neighbor of several years might knock at your door for all wrong reasons one day.. Or what if your best friend / family member is battling for life in a distant place.. Will you still step back to remain in the safe confines of your home?

You ain’t doing anything worthwhile with your life if you hesitate to travel. Just step out and explore.. It is just a state of mind you want to leave unchanged.. Rather, think of adventures.. Such incidents may happen; but how you fight it out, what experience you gain out of it is more important. You can have so many stories to tell to your grandchildren when they grow up.. You should at least travel just to know how a car runs on gasoline, how a pull cart is fueled by the mechanical energy of a living being, how a train moves without tyres.. How will you measure the expanse of the sea.. How will you feel the snow on your hand..? You will never know the simple things of everyday life until and unless you travel.. And not always you will find a partner to travel.. At times you will find inner peace only by travelling alone.. It will help you to know yourself better, you will understand what your likes and dislikes are.. You will feel free without having to adjust to somebody else’s way of doing things.. So just get ready, pull up your socks, jump in and have a NICE trip ahead.. 🙂

Use these simple tips when you travel (alone or in a group):

Use public transport as much as possible: This is lighter on your pockets and there is a floating population which is much safer than hiring a private taxi.
Interact with the locals: It helps you to build your social network, learn about the culture, history etc.
Carry a pepper spray in your bag: It will come in handy at some point of time.
Always carry a candy/chocolate in your bag: It will help you to regain your strength when your blood sugar level drops and you get semi-conscious. Low-sugar can happen to any normal person at any time.
Learn 1 or 2 kicks and punches for self defense: It will come along a great way..!!

And this last paragraph goes to all those IDIOTS who poke their stinky dirty leaky noses in my travel affairs.. Ask me of what is the pleasure of traveling ? I first traveled alone when I was ten years old. A distance of 240 kms in a KSRTC bus. But of course, for several reasons, day travel it was.. My parents and friends are confident about me finding my way out of anywhere in this whole wide world.. What’s the problem with the rest of you to let me go..?? YOU are hesitant, YOU are scared, YOU get petrified, YOU are a loser, NOT ME..!! Let me go..!!

Festivals of India, Karnataka

The Kodava Hockey Festival

May 7, 2013 thelostlander 2 Comments

Army and Hockey runs in Kodava blood.. It is that time of the year again when the schools and colleges are closed for summer.. Bosses have approved the leave requests from their Kodava employees atleast a month in advance.. Schedule is out.. Flight tickets booked in time as a player /Techie/Banker working abroad has to make it for their family match.. Its the biggest and the maddest festival dedicated to a sport anywhere in the world… It’s the ‘Kodava Hockey Festival’ yet again…!!

Over 300 teams participate with players including people of all age groups- right from a 10yr old primary school kid to a 75 yrs old granma.. Anyone with a mere passion for the game are allowed to join the team, only to fight it out for the coveted trophy each year.. Only 2 rules apply to participate- #1. Be a Kodava and represent your family team #2. Play the game with passion.

One Kodava family volunteers to take the ownership to organise this huge event each year. This year- it was the ‘Madanda’ family. Hooked up with too much work, I couldn’t make it to this year’s tournament.

Hence, I’d like to make a mention of the last tournament I had attended- ‘The Iychettira Cup-2012’.

The Indian hockey team during the opening match

The opening ceremony was a gala event with some of the who’s who of the Indian VVIP league gracing the event.. It was followed by a nail biting, action packed, stiff fight during the exhibition match between the ‘Indian national team’ and the ‘Coorg XI’.. The men in blue(Oops.. in white) battled it out at the end though..

Palanganda vs Kaliyanda match in progress

During the 23 days long sporting fiesta, the family where I belong to- The Somayanda family, came through till the 5th round/the quarter finals, but failed to make it further.. The last day was the final fight between Palanganda and Kaliyanda.. The latter lost the cup inspite of a tough fight of 1-2.

Trophies lined up for the final presentation ceremony

One has to experience the madness sitting amidst the crowd cheering for their family teams atleast once in their lifetime.. All up there in the spectator gallery with just one thought in their mind and one feeling in their hearts- ‘HOCKEY’..!!

Picture courtesy: Iychettira cup website

Bangalore day trips, Karnataka

A farewell trek to Madhugiri

March 28, 2013 thelostlander 11 Comments

That’s what we call bidding farewell in style…

One of our friends was moving out of India and we thought it was good idea to send him off on a happy note; with something that he likes doing and something that he will cherish. With that, my group of friends hosted him for a dinner and then planned a trek to Madhugiri. Madhugiri is Asia’s second highest monolithic hill and has the ruins of an old fort at the top.

After a dinner party on a Friday night, we started to drive towards NH-4 in 2 cars and 2 bikes at 1.00.a.m. With a smooth highway road and bumpy country sides, we reached the guest house at the foothill of Madhugiri by around 4.00.a.m. The initial plan was to reach the peak for sunrise. But, on reaching the guesthouse, we were advised by the caretaker to start the hike after sunrise. There were recent cases of hikers attacked by bears reported on the hills. We waited in anticipation until sunrise.

From the foothills of Madhugiri - A view from our guest house — From the foothills of Madhugiri – A view from our guest house

It was 7.00.a.m by the time we started our ascent after a coffee break at a petty shop in front of the fort entrance. The start of the trek made me feel like it was going to be an easy climb. A well laid flight of concrete stairs took us to about 1/5 th of the total climb of the hill. However, the climb started to get tricky further from there. The hill seemed a little steep, the concrete stairs were replaced by steps carved out of the rock itself. With this stretch, we covered 2/5th of the total distance.

The steps disappeared in the next stretch. There was only a rod fixed firmly to the monolith with some barbed wire and the hill had become a little steeper. This was covering 3/5th of the ascent.

A view of the Madhugiri town after climbing the flight of stairs

And then the steps disappeared. There was only a rod fixed firmly to the monolith with some barbed wire and the hill had become a little more steeper. This was covering 3/5th of the ascent.

Somewhere in between, an old and ruined wall emerged out. This added to the climbing woes which gave us only limited space to place our footsteps and less grip to place our hand. And then, we had to jump across a crack in the monolith to get to the other side was the steep valley. Once we reached the other side, every structure that was man made suddenly disappeared. It was just one super steep hill stretching into the sky. we had to literally use all four limbs to scale this 4/5th of the hill.

And finally, there emerged the first glimpse of the Madhugiri fort- gritty, yet seemingly elegant. This was built by Raja Heere Gowda who owed allegiance to the Vijayanagara kings, which was later reinforced by Hyder Ali. It is believed that this fort was a comfortable hideout for many freedom fighters during the Independence struggle. Beehives on the ramparts of the fort were the only means of sustenance for them and that is said to have given the place its name – Madhu(honey)- Giri(hill).

We walked across the structure in its dilapidated form, where the view on the other side was a treat to our eyes and feast for our tired souls. Our joy knew no bounds when we found a puddle of rainwater, which tasted no less than nectar from a beehive.

We spent some time atop and started our descent so that we could reach the base before the scorching sun made his way. The descent was a rather difficult, with me losing my grip every now and then and having nothing to hold onto. I had to sit and slide down inch by inch at most places. And finally, Bang at 12.00. noon, we had reached the base…

Overall, it was an awesome trek and the last one with our friend.

Cheers..!!

P.S.: photo credits to Sam (I’d left my camera in the safe confines of my home)

Bangalore day trips, Karnataka

Love in the air- The Aero-India show

February 28, 2013 thelostlander 3 Comments

<10-Feb-13>

I have been tad busy at work with less time to post a thought.. February being a month of love, inspite of my hectic schedule at work, I’ve managed to make the most of my weekends spending quality time with my 1st love- “Traveling”. Every weekend will be posted separately in the days to come.. But, before the ‘month of love’ ends.. I wanted to ensure that the chronicle for the month ends with a love note on my 2nd crush – ‘The Aeroplanes’ 🙂

“Aero India” is a biennial event that happens only in Bangalore and is something that I have been religiously visiting since it’s inception.. I was there this year too.. But, compared to the previous years, it wasn’t a great show.. Unfortunately, the expectations set for the aero-enthusiasts by ‘The Russian Knights’ were too high to be met.!!

The 'Mirror Image' formation by the Flying Bulls — The ‘Mirror Image’ formation by the Flying Bulls

The Suryakirans were missed greatly, due to the passing away of 2 pilots in mid-air crashes 😥 The ‘Flying bulls’ and the Desi-team ‘Sarang’ were clearly the show stoppers.

<14-Feb-2009>

This takes me back to the show of 2009 – When there were too many participants with almost all the biggies in this business from around the world who had set up stalls. India was on a look out for 126 fighters for its mighty air-force. The F-16, F-18, Eurofighters, Rafael, Sukhoi etc etc. India’s LCA- Tejas made her 1st debut. There were many other contenders among the LCH-Choppers like Dhruv, Cheetah, Cobra; Cargo carriers like the C-130: Super Hercules, Omega tankers; Missiles and UAVs.

It was a day of dreams to several other aero-enthusiasts like me. Hopping from one stall to another understanding the latest technological developments in the industry, defence and warfare from across the world can happen only at one-stop-shows like these and not everytime or everyone gets such opportunities to learn.

Here, knowledge is accompanied with entertainment. Aerobatics by various teams from India and abroad, individual competitions that are related to flying or making scaled-down models, display of some vintage aircrafts, flight simulators, interactions with the personnel from major aviation companies are opportunities that every enthusiast looks forward for show after show. Aero-India 2009, being its biggest show ever, it was an amazing day… especially when it falls on 14-Feb..!!!

The 'Tango' formation by the Suryakirans — The ‘Tango’ formation by the Suryakirans

A great show put up by the SuryaKirans and the Sarang team..!!

It is a feeling of contentment that fills my heart when I come here for each show and a sense of sadness to think about waiting for 2 years for the next show.. It gives us a sense of pride when we say we are Bangaloreans and the Air show happens only here..

If you want me to write further, I can go on.. About every show and every machine there.. But i’d like to save some for the coming shows too.. So, I end it here with a ‘Love Note’ in the month of love and let the love spread in the world 😛

Festivals of India, Karnataka

Misty mountains and Madikeri Dasara

November 8, 2012 thelostlander Leave a comment

Very few people know of the grandeur of the Dasara celebrations in Madikeri. Considered next to Mysore Dasara in pomp and celebrations in Karnataka, it is a 9 days long event.

The festivities start off on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya with 4 karagas getting all set at a place called Pampina Kere. These Karagas represent the 4 Mariamma temples of the town: Dandina Mariamma, Kanchi Kamakshi, Kundurumotte Sri Chowti Mariamma and Kote Mariamma. The Vrathadharis or the Karaga holders travel across the town to all households through the next 6 days of Navarathri. They dance and perform a balancing act with the idols(Karaga) on their shaved heads with a knife in one hand and a club(Bettha) in the other.

Madikeri dasara Karaga — Karaga: Starting at Pampina kere

On the eighth day: people decorate their shops and vehicles to celebrate Ayudha Pooja. Also, vehicles are decorated and assembled at Gandhi Maidan where the best one is awarded in each category.

Madikeri dasara- tableau — Above: A tableau outside a shop; Below: A narrative decoration of a vehicle at Gandhi Maidan

The 9th night commemorates the last part of the Dasara celebrations where 10 tableaux or Dasha Mantapas are taken out across the main streets. These are one from each temple in Madikeri, and depict a story from one of the epics. Each tableau will be as long as 4-5 trailers connected to a tractor. This inturn, will have separate trucks loaded with sound systems and other backup.

The participating temples in this grand finale of Dasara are: mantapa of Kote Mahaganapathy temple, Sri Kanchikamakshi temple, Pete Sri Rama Mandira, Sri Kote Mariamma temple, Dechoor Sri Rama Mandira temple, Sri Chowdeshwari temple, Sri Dandina Mariamma temple, Sri Karavale Bhagavathi temple, Sri Kodanda Rama temple and Kundurumotte Sri Chowti Mariamma temple.

Madikeri dasara- dasha mantapa — The different tableaux at Madikeri Dasara

These mantapas will congregate at the center of the town in late night hours and put up a great show of colour, light, sound and an amazing display of creativity.. People flock to see this splendous show of efforts of over a 100 dedicated minds behind every tableau. The best tableau is awarded each year.. Finally, all the 10 tableaux proceed towards ‘Banni mantap’ and this brings the curtains down on the festivities and marks the dawn of a new day.

Karnataka, Time Travel

The Abbi Villa- A dreamy house of haunted thoughts

October 29, 2012 thelostlander 3 Comments

<23-Oct-12>

A venue for hundreds of family get-togethers, a reason for annual Dasara shops, a greenroom for hundreds of celebrities, a place where we got numerous forever family friends, a shelter to over a hundred families, a temple for annual pooja offerings, a dining area for hundreds of hungry villagers, a warehouse for all the farm equipments, a bedroom for all the tired souls- adjectives alike aren’t sufficient to describe what this little place once meant. A portico, 2 bedrooms, 1 hall, 1 kitchen, 4 labour quarters and above all- A one of its kind drying chamber for the spices.

A walkway lined by coffee plantations on either sides, dotted by coconut trees in between leads you to this little thatched house with mud smeared walls; just as you enter you are greeted by a stream of water that is diverted from the bigger waterfall, opens into a pond with blossoms of purple lilys and golden fishes and further narrows down running through a garden full of flowers overlooked by scenic hills all around. A matter of everyone’s envy–

This was ‘The Abbi Villa’ in brief.

This is where my grandpa spent most of his life- the busy days of his life- the peaceful moments of his life- This is the place which was home to his heart and his soul.

No doubt that the warmth of the place passed away with grandpa, but 2012 has showed its negative vibes with the year’s monsoons putting an end to all the glory that this place once boasted of. The Wall has finally given way.. Every bordering wall has collapsed: But when I stood infront of the rumbles- A cold chill ran down my spine. I did feel my grandpa’s presence there.. He stood right there holding on to the pillar and a part of the wall that divided his bedroom and his prayer room.. It was a helpless face that told me aloud to do something about the utter neglect that followed his departure; I looked back at him in utter helplessness too.. There is so much I need to do but very less ways I can put his dreams back in place and reconstruct the entire estate that today lies there vandalised and in the state of horrible negligence..

How I wish…. I could do something..!!! How I wish some miracle happened… How I wish…… The place was as heavenly as it once was….How I wish……

Work Life

Moving forward to go places- The TOYOTA way

September 23, 2012 thelostlander 1 Comment

<12-Sept-12>

“Let’s Go Places” evokes the forward-looking and optimistic momentum of Toyota in America. It invites consumers on a journey to see new places, discover new possibilities and dream big dreams together with Toyota. “Let’s Go Places” begins today to engage consumers to discover Toyota and will debut nationally on December 31, 2012, as part of the campaign for the radically new Avalon, the embodiment of Toyota’s new direction. “Let’s Go Places” replaces the previous Toyota tagline “Moving Forward.”

Toyota has changed its global tagline from “Moving forward” to “Let’s go places”. This has come much in the wake of my next trip.. It is a great sense of bonding I feel that I am able to relate the thought of my mind and the feeling of my heart with the new tagline 🙂

Just as I discovered a new group of travel minded friends, I have set a target for myself to go on atleast one expedition/adventure travel per month. This means, I am looking forward for a lot of trips to see new places, meet new people and explore new civilizations 🙂

The phrase conveys a dual meaning of physically going to places and taking off on an adventure, while also expressing optimism and the promise of exciting innovation that enriches people’s lives… Toyota and The Lost Lander together take off on a new phase of life- “The Travel Phase”

It’s just a great feeeellliiinggggg…..

I wish Toyota all the best in its journey ahead and I wish the Lost Lander to have many more pleasant landings and successful missions in future.. Toyota and I move forward for a new life with new ways of Quality Innovation… 🙂

Waku dokie………

Three Cheers..!!

Bangalore day trips, Indian Architecture, Karnataka

A Weekend Drive to Belur and Halebeedu

September 6, 2012 thelostlander 3 Comments

It was a Sunday morning and our family outing was fixed. We decided to take a day trip to Belur, Halebeedu and Shravanabelagola. These are places that I can NEVER get bored of visiting and can go over and over and over again. I prefer to write less in this post because I choose the pictures to speak for themselves.

‘Karnataka- is One State, many Worlds’.
-KSTDC, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation

As a part of an endless list of things that Karnataka has to offer to every traveler, are its unending list of historical and architectural monuments. With several kingdoms ruling over Karnataka at different points in history, the temple architecture in Karnataka doesn’t fail to get a ‘WOW’ even from a person not interested in art and history. And one such place that has always and always mesmerized me are the temples built by the Hoysalas. These temples are not as big in size as the grand Chola temples but aesthetically BRILLIANT and I run short of adjectives to describe their grandeur.

With the Hoysala style of architecture evolving over centuries, I take it quite seriously to visit and explore as many of these structures as possible.The erstwhile capital towns (now located in Hassan district) of the Hoysala empire hold the finest surviving examples of the Hoysala style today. Out of 900+ temples built across Central and South Karnataka, only around 400+ remain now many of which still need restoration and maintenance. Most of the now inexistent temples are believed to be destructed by the Delhi Sultanates in the 14th century and the remaining smaller ones bit into the dust due to apathy and negligence.

Our first place of visit for the day was Belur, or Velapura as it was called back in the time when it was the capital city of the Hoysalas. The Chennakeshava temple complex is a group of temples and the epitome of this style of art. This complex is located inside a walled fortress and has a tall Gopura at the entrance. For someone visiting it for the first time, the first look of the Gopura from the outside is quite deceitful of what is in store inside.

The Belur Chennakeshava temple complex — Hoysala structures within the Chennakeshava temple premises at Belur

Salient features of the Hoysala temples:
• Although the earliest Hoysala temples were made with the local sandstone, their finest temples are made by carving one of the hardest materials for making stone sculptures- the granite stone.
• The ceilings of the Hoysala temples have extremely intricate and multi-tiered mural designs.
• The pillars are lathe machined and mirror finished.

Murals at Chennakeshava temple complex — Friezes and murals at Chennakeshava temple, Belur

Fun Facts about the Hoysalas:
• Jakanachari is the revered master craftsman behind most of the marvelous temples of this era. Legend has it that he was however challenged by his own son, Dankanacharya about a possible flaw in the sculpture made by his father. Jakanacharilost the challenge when a toad and water emerged out of an idol made by him after which he cut-off his right hand as a symbol of submission to his son’s skill.
• Shantala, the wife of King Vishnuvardhana (One of the most prominent Hoysala ruler) was so mesmerised by the Sculptures of the dancing ladies carved here in different postures, it is believed that she used to dance with these Madalikes or ShilaBalikas in her dreams.

The capital of the Hoysalas was shifted from Belur to Halebeedu, then called Dwarasamudra. The Hoysaleshwara temple is the most prominent among all. The monolithic statue of Nandi here, is the sixth largest in the world.

The Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebeedu — Hoysala sculptural Art at Halebidu

Although our next destination is not a Hoysala hotspot, we decided to include it in our itinerary as it was just around. We headed towards Shravanabelagola, one of the most important pilgrimage sites for the Jains. Shravanabelagola has two hills- Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri. The twin hills offer a panoramic view of the surrounding plains. Chandragiri hill gets its name from Chandragupta, one of the greatest emperors of India who converted to Jainism, gave up all his worldly pleasures and is believed to have passed away on this hill. The statue of Bahubali/ Gomateshwara located on the Vindhyagiri hill is the largest monolithic stone statue in the World.

The statue of Gomateshwara at Shravanabelagola — The Gomateshwara Monolith statue

With this, I wind up with Part 1: of visiting the Hoysala temples. To put it in my words, I survived an ‘Art attack’ at Belur and Halebeedu.

Please do find a day to visit these places and you will not regret, trust me!

Bangalore day trips, Karnataka

A day out at Kaiwara

September 4, 2012 thelostlander 1 Comment

Our company has recently changed its working calendar and now, we have our weekly off on Wednesdays instead of Sundays. When I woke up this Wednesday morning, a weekend for me and when the rest of the world is working their asses off, halfway through their week… I sat wondering how I was going to kill the rest of the day amidst the four walls of my house, all jobless.

Then suddenly, I remembered a place that a friend had told me about, long ago. She had done her internship at ‘Kaiwara’ during the final year of her MBBS course. I jumped out of my bed and began to google for it. With lot of information available online, I was able to jort down a list of places to see in and around Kaiwara and with a quick route map. I dragged my mum along, pulled the car out of the garage and zooommm we went…….

List of Places covered:
Narayanapa Mutt; Bheemeshwara temple; Bheema baana Betta or Kaiwara Betta; Tapovana; Vaikunta betta; MahaKailasaGiri Betta; ChenaKeshava Cave Temple; Alambagiri Venkateshwara temple

The details:
It was around 09.00.a.m. when we started from Bangalore. We reached Devanahalli from where we took the Vijayapura bypass road. At an average speed of 60kmph, a drive of a good 45min from the Bengaluru airport is what it took us to reach Kaiwara.

As soon as one enters the Kaiwara town, a small lane on the left leads you to the Narayanappa ģMutt. This is where Saint Narayanappa attained ‘Jeeva Samadhi’ and the mutt is currently being managed by the M.S.Ramaiah trust. Half a kilometer away from the Mutt is the ‘Bheemeshwara temple’. This is where the mythology has it that Bheema killed Bakasura while the Pandavas were in exile. There is a group of small temples there, each named after the Pandavas within the same premises. Overlooking the Mutt is the Bheema baana Betta or Kaiwara Betta. We thought of skipping our visit there, considering the number of steps we had to climb up. Maybe a hike that I can plan for some other day.

We drove for one kilometer further and reached ‘Tapovana’, the place where Saint Narayanappa used to meditate, back in the days. There is a small garden around there, which can be given a miss if you wish. Few yards uphill from there, we reached the ‘Vaikunta Betta’. At the base of the hill is the ‘Amaranareyana Temple’ dedicated to Lord Vishnu built by the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana. With our climb upstairs, we reached the ‘Yoga Narasimha Temple’. The structure seemed to be ignored by the visitors. But we enjoyed the calm in this cave temple, believed to be the place where the Lord appeared in front of Narayanappa. The temple terrace had an excellent view of the entire town. A word of caution though: With too many monkeys around there, it was no monkey business.!!

A view from The Vaikunta temple — A view from the Vaikunta temple

We then commenced the best stretch of the drive. After an uphill drive of 5kilometers, we wondered how beautiful Mount Kailash (in the Himalayas) could be if the lesser known ‘MahaKailasaGiri Betta’ in Kaiwara was this beautiful. Atop the hill, is a set of newly chiseled man-made caves that houses 3 temples.

Unlimited food is provided to every pilgrim/visitor at KailasaGiri temple and the Mutt between 12.30.p.m and 3.00.p.m. So, we decided to hog some yummy temple food at Kailasa Giri itself. By this time, we had covered all the places I had enlisted in Kaiwara. But it was still 2.30.p.m and we had a lot of time left. While coming downhill, we decided to follow a signboard which indicated the way to ‘ChenaKeshava Cave Temple’. But it was quite a disappointment after reaching there. We could’ve probably skipped the visit to this place.

I then remembered someone mentioning about ‘Venkateshwara Temple’ in Alambagiri, located about 10kms from Kaiwara. The place is supposedly famous for Paper made handicrafts. So, we decided to explore this place too. But some renovation work in this ancient temple was in progress and there were absolutely no shops in that place (forget handicrafts stores). We were disappointed again by the unfruitful drive until there.

Alambagiri Venkateshwara temple (1) — Alambagiri Venkateshwara temple

As per google, there was ‘Ambaji Durga Cave temple’ 7kms away from Kaiwara, and we tried to enquire with a few locals about the place. But nobody seemed to have heard of it and hence, we thought of giving it a miss too. With this, we thought it was time for us to return back to where we belong to- The Bengaluru city.

Conclusion:

Kaiwara alone is a nice place to plan a drive with family or a group of biking friends. Though it was a small trip, it was a pleasant one.
Kaiwara is famous for silk rearing & weaving. You will come across several houses stacking up the cocoon rearing trays for most of your way. Maybe you should try to pick up some silk stuffs while you are there or get hands-on working experience at silk rearing.