Trekking Makalidurga, a small hillock (1,117m above sea level) almost 87KM from my home in Bangalore was always on my wishlist.
The wish evaded me though for some time until my friend called me and asked whether I would be in for the night trek to Makalidurga. I pounced on that opportunity without any second thought and the journey materialized.
Soon, a group of 5 members in no time got involved and decided to travel by car. Started our trip at 02 AM in the morning as we had multiple stop-overs to pick each one up. (By now, I understand the real pain of Uber Pool drivers) By the time we had everyone in the car, it was already 03:45 AM in the morning.
Google Maps promptly put forward its consideration that we would reach the destination around 05 AM in the morning and usually, he’s spot on. Another brownie to this trek is that it is well documented and the routes are pretty clear.
We navigated to the Makalidurga Parking lot and followed the below route.
Electronic City -> HAL -> ShivajiNagar -> Mekri Circle -> Yelahanka (Take a left here) -> Doddaballapura -> Makalidurga Parking Spot.
As soon as you reach Makalipura Parking, you could see the railway line crossing. There was even a forest official at the base of the trail. You could pre-book the tickets online on the Myecotrip portal (which by the way is a Karnataka Forest Department Website).
Temple at the Base – Starting PointSpell-Bound with the breeze here!!!
Makalidurga Hill
We crossed the railway line and started our trek at Muthurayaswamy Temple around 05 AM in the morning. It was pitch dark with no visibility and torches were our only saviors. The forest officials cautioned us to follow the painted arrow lines along the route to reach the fort and the temple at the top.
The route is pretty rugged and secluded. The vegetation was scarce and notably, there are no signs of animals or birds or even reptiles for that matter.
It was pitch dark and we started climbing. Initially, the route appeared pretty normal with no real sign of danger but as it progressed, we could sense the danger as it was pretty steep and wild. As we were progressing, I could sense visible changes in my breathing pattern and it was getting difficult but not alarming.
Pics taken downhill – thanks to the sunlight!!
There was no real support to hold on to anything and it was steep, but at the same time, it was not unattainable. It was pretty reasonable but my mundane lifestyle backed by my desk job made it look difficult.
Heard from the forest officials that this trek route uphill is almost 4 KM and it would take up to 2-3 hours depending on our ability. The only good thing to rejoice is that we were marching aggressively and completed this trek in less than 90 minutes. One primary reason being, we don’t want to miss the sunrise.
Hyper- Emotional !!!!!!!!!!
The walk got interesting with sun-rays slowly penetrating and the backdrop being an artistic lake. The view along with the lake was completely surreal and we continued to march forward.
First View of the Ruined Fort WallsProbably the Entrance!!!
I was now able to see the first glimpse of the ruined fort walls and told to my myself that we are near. A couple of fort walls along with a temple at the top is all it was there, but the sunrise is impeccable.
Beauty is – The sunrays penetrates directly and falls straight into Lord ShivaSmall temple structure raised atop for Lord Shiva
Had a good time with my buddies and we started descending around 8 PM and reached the base at 09:00 AM. Finished the trip with a nice sumptuous Karnataka styled breakfast at one of the road-side restaurants and ended this trip in style.
Overall a beautiful half day trek ended at 11:30 AM and back to my classical sofa ways, idling my way out in the other half of the day.
How many times do you get a chance to travel internationally ? Well, at least not that much to an middle class Indian like me 😉
I have read somewhere that young Indians are the most travel-deprived lot and that is true in many sense. We all have it in us to wayfaring and yet miss to take that one substantial step towards it, showing the company how much we love it and even going to an extent of making our company’s CEO precarious and edgy with his job title.
Why am i enlightened and sound like a monk ?
Nah, that ain’t me 😀
Okay, let me get straight to the point. I am all awakened by this thought and equally thrilled just by hearing that I am getting a chance to travel to this South-Asian Buddhist Island (Okay, an Hindu Ruler named Ashoka who later converted himself to Buddhism and then carved his Buddhist identity all over this tropical island) but still i got to give some Buddhist Yen touches in this article. The euphoria however was that we are all going for a trip in company’s expense (I know you all crave for this, but just that little coy to accept it – Yeah, I get it :D).
I always feel connected to this piece of land and the culture. Sri Lanka is a land of vibrant culture, a fusion of race and ethnicity, constantly battling itself between modernism and conservatism, flourishes mainly on tourism and with all one’s heart derives pride with its easy going and warm people.
It was a constricted weekend trip from Bengaluru and we started from our journey on Friday night. Both the airports (Bangalore and Colombo) had a queer co-incidence of five hour check-in time owing to its revamp and we all indubitably know the time we should be starting to the airport from the office (we joked how a day is lost thanks to the Bangalore traffic!!!).
Few Selfies and Free WiFi’s were the norm and that was how the day turned out to be.We finally boarded the flight around Sat 12:40 AM. It was a tolerable 90 minute flight and we reached the Bandaranaike International Airport around the wee hours. We were then escorted to the Taj Samudra Hotel in a cushy private bus.
Welcoming the guests in Sri Lankan Style, @Bandaranayake Airport, Colombo
I had a tug-of-war with my sleep as I do not want to miss what’s in store for us. I refused to close my eyes in the bus even though it is as early as 02:00 AM. I wanted to see how Sri Lanka is and what better chance than to gaze, sitting in the window seat and trying to capture and process every detail in my head.
With what I had seen, the roads are not wide but is free from traffic. It is well planned and the roads are almost straight and not as serpentine as in India.It is a relatively clean country with good roads (I am sure about the rest, but at least in Colombo). Its commercial establishments and housing structures are akin to India. We had a warm welcome at Taj Samudra.
Taj Samudra, Colombo
This is my first luxury hotel experience and to spice it up, things became aces. My room was not available at the moment i checked in and they offered me a suite room. I couldn’t believe my luck and I happily accepted the offer cosily and I headed straight to slumber.
Wow moment for me 🙂
I knew we did have a tight schedule and barely had time to explore. But little did i know that there are not much variety in Colombo.
We had a nice sumptuous breakfast at Taj and headed our way out around 10. We first visited Galle Face Beach which is right opposite our hotel. It was a bright and a sunny day (exactly as how they start the commentary in a cricket test match) and I was so much home (nostalgic of my Chennai Beaches and weather) and not quite understanding why others were constantly complaining about the sun.
Taj from Galle Face Road, ColomboNice and clean Beach, Opp our hotel 🙂Colombo Port Harbour , Galle FaceMust watch especially when the sun is happily playing hide and seek 🙂
We were then outside our hotel and were busy negotiating with an Tuk-Tuk guy and I tried my luck talking in Tamil. To my surprise, the auto driver agreed to guide us the city tour with half the cost – just because I am from India and I spoke in Tamil. I was little hesitant with the generous offer and was not comfortable riding a Tuk-Tuk in an unfamiliar city fear of getting ransacked popping in my mind, after all we are all biased with prejudice and took an Uber ride (who took 200 LKR) to the Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple patting myself on my back having taken a safer option.
There were constructions all along (with high rise buildings) and luxury hotels. Colombo is an aspiring global city with almost 5 million people. It was just a ten minute ride to the Gangaramaya temple and the journey was beautiful with colonial age buildings adding that extra bit of flavor. Right from the airport, Buddha is almost everywhere and welcomes us with his enchanting looks.
Buddha
One more, say Buddha
More Buddha
Another Buddha
Okay, Buddha again 😉
Omnipresent Buddha
Buddha everywhere 🙂
The entry ticket to the temple costs 300 LKR which includes (Gangaramaya Temple and Seema Malaka temple and the Park). We were posing for pics with Buddha and heard the locals suggesting us not to show our back to Buddha. The irony however is Buddha is present on all 8 sides and I cannot avoid showing my back and yet tried hard respecting their beliefs and dancing our way outside which might have looked funny to the on-goers.
Gangaramaya Temple, ColomboSneak Peak @ some random Photo Shoot, Colombo
We then visited the Seema Malaka temple which is situated inside the lake. The lake is polluted but the architecture and the statues were nothing short of brilliance. We could also enjoy a beautiful coast line view and a flurry of high rise buildings. It is mostly an assertion of economic race between China and India, both trying to establish their soft power over Sri Lanka.
Seema Malaka Temple, ColomboI Seriously thought, this building has collapsed :O. Checked twice to see if the building is doing alright 😉Hanging Bridge, Gangaramaya Park. Going to the park and seeing only couples around, boy that was a big mistake 😀
There is Pettah Floating Market and Gems Market, which I could not visit much because of the lack of time. It was around 1 clock in the afternoon and we had a official conference to attend. I had to come back to Taj and this time I made sure to correct my previous mistake. I hired a local auto guy. As soon as he heard us talking in Tamil, his eyes lit up and said he was very happy to meet us and escorted us back to the hotel. Even through the war is over and the nation is now peaceful, there is a visible grief among Sinhalese and Tamils and rightly so with the amount of human rights violations in the name of Civil War.
I made up my mind to visit the missing puzzles in my next visit. Viharamahadevi Park, National Museum of Colombo, National Zoo, Colombo Deutsch Museum, Couple of Casinos, Ponnambaleshwar Temple, and some other churches and mosques were on my itinerary and most importantly wanted to explore the Eastern and Nothern provinces of Sri Lanka.
After all the conference and Gala night at Taj Samudra, we packed our bags and headed to Bentota on a Sunday early morning, which is touted as the best water sport destination in Sri Lanka. It was a two hour drive from Colombo. We could literally experience the changes around us – with the city madness leaving behind and the rustic country charm creeping in, I know we are all for a treat.
We reached Palapittya and headed to Cinnamon Island via a ferry. Madu River was enchanting and it reminded me of my trips to the Kerala backwaters. The scene was no different either. We traversed the Mangrove swamps shaping the whole journey surreal. One amusing point in the boat ride was when we literally had to dodge the bridges each time the boat passes it. Some of the clicks were from my friends, and i hope they don’t mind publishing some of their wonderful pics.
Madu RiverLucky are those who live nearby this heaven 🙂Mangrove Swamps, Palapitaya
It was a quiet 20 minutes to the Cinnamon Island. We were shown how Cinnamon sticks were made in Sri Lanka and it was an interesting session for me to understand how it was all hand made with so much ease and perfection. Sri Lanka is an biggest exporter of Cinnamon and the best in-class cinnamon are exported while the third class products are consumed by the local market.
Kingfisher, Madu RiverNo captions can ever describe this bliss 🙂Cinnamon IslandScenic,Scenic and more Scenic 🙂
We then had our lunch at Golden Grill Restaurant en-route Bentota, which is again so Indian. We then reached the much hyped Bentota water sports club. I must say it had few little options to try (Jet Skiing, Banana Ride, Tube Ride) and I never thought twice to experience these rides.
Banana Boat RideGod knows why this name!!!
We then went to Kosgada Turtle Conservation Project where we i saw the mighty Olive Ridley Turtles (which is there only at Srilanka and the Eastern Coast of India (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa) for the first time in my life. I have heard about a similar conservation in Chennai around their breeding season but never got a chance to see it. There are so little turtles left and preserving is an absolute necessity. There are Green Turtles, Loggerheads, Hawksbill’s and Leatherback to name a few. All of them are endangered species and are at an brink of extinction.
F*ck the world…Let’s play.Nobody cared to ask my name, never mind 🙂220 Kilo Heavy Weight Champion, don’t mess with her 🙂Holding it First Time, and this guy already seems pissed off 😀
After a brief turtle study, we headed to the beach. The sand was pristine and the weather was perfect. It was quite a dream to be in that kind of a location. I was rendered speechless and was quick to settle at one empty portion, with my mind still as a clear water and was so sitting in peace.
May your feet take you where your heart want to go 🙂Tropical Beach, I must admit..sitting at the shore and enjoying the breeze…quite relaxing 🙂
We then followed it up with a stop to the local market in the middle of the highway to buy souvenirs and to do a bit of shopping. Once again the guide was reminding us for an early check-in and we had to start early to reach the Bandaranaike International Airport.
The willingness of the company to sponsor such a high paying trip and to top it all, being as one family irrespective of the position one holds is highly appreciable. The highlight of the tour was that we all went as a group of 190 people and returned as a family of one. We started and returned as INFA GCS.
Hail GCS..I am sandwiched somewhere, spot me and i will give you 1000 bucks 😀
For many of us, our Dad is our first hero. What if a man decides to follow his dad’s steps ? For a man, whose dad re-wrote the history books by capturing almost half of South Asia and built an engineering wonder, Is it possible for his son to match his charisma, yet add a personal signature to it, is that not a tough ask ? Even if he constructed such marvel, will it stand defying time ? This structure is a living testament to the rich legacies of a forgotten Chozha dynasty and about an Indian king called Rajendra Chozha 1 (1012 AD-1044 AD), son of Raja Raja Chozha who replicated the temple his father constructed in Tanjore.
Well, everyone who had travelled to the southern part of India called Tanjore, knows about 1000-year-old big temple called Brihadeeswarar Temple, but how many of us know that there is an exact replica of this temple situated very close to Tanjore. Yes, i am talking about a temple called Gangai Konda Chozhapuram. This temple along with its counterparts (Tanjore Big Temple and Darasuram Airavateswarar Temple) comes under the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as “Great Living Chola Temples”.
Myself along with my brother decided to go to some place to just kill away the time. He had completed his engineering and we went to his college for his convocation (Yes, my brother is no exception, he comes from India and doing an Engineering is an absolute compulsion – You throw a stone randomly in India and the chances are that it hits an engineer 9 out of 10 times). After the boring convocations, we both decided to travel to some random place we haven’t been to. We just took a local bus and moved along centers. We took a bus from Tanjore to Kumbakonam and from there took a local cab to reach Gangai Konda Chozhapuram.
The replica of the Tanjore Big Temple is now standing tall for almost close to 1000 years exactly like its peer and has an even more special history attached to it.
Chozhapuram Temple Premises – UNESCO World Heritage SiteGangai Konda Chozhapuram Temple
Chozhas in their golden time had controlled many parts in and around south India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, parts of Malaysia, now parts of Singapore,Cambodia and parts of Thailand (even today the Thai kings are crowned with hymns of Thevaram (a Tamil devotional song to Lord Shiva).
This grandeur temple is constructed by Rajendra Chozha at 1020-1025 AD and it took him 9 years to complete this architecture marvel. The stones and water are believed to be brought from Ganges basin and they built this temple as a symbolic gesture of their victory over the northern parts of India. Hence it got its name, Gangai Konda Chozhapuram (Triumph over Ganga by the Chozhas)
Notice the huge granite ball at the apex of this structure.Another View. The sunlight slowly evades us transforming itself to a wonderful night effect.
It is said that the granites all the way from North of India was brought to the South Of India through Elephants, Horses, and Donkeys. The majority of the constructions materials were shifted and moved by these animals as there were no transportations at that time.
Carvings made out of a Granite Block. Shows the intricate designs and the artistic skills
Situated at 10 km outside Jayamkondan town, lies this temple quite and untouched.It is quite hard to believe that this exact place thousand years ago was the epitome of trade,prosperity and was the capital city for Chozhas for more than 250 years.
Archaeological Society of India (ASI) record that there was a major catastrophe that hit this area several years ago brought down the civilization which led to the downfall of this region. This place was the capital of Chozhas at Rajendra Chozha’s time. The archaeological society of India has unearthed many sites around this temple town and villages surrounding Ariyalur. Recent excavations reveal major palaces leftovers and ruins that belong to the Chozha dynasty. Yet this great temple stood against nature and time. Only the outer gopuram (temple tower) has been destroyed and only the base of the structure remains now. The ruined stones were later sent to build the Anaicut nearby (which is a small check dam) across River Cauvery.
As soon as we enter, we can see the semi-destroyed temple tower. One can only imagine, how perfect it would have been if the tower has held good. Nevertheless, you can see the perfect line from outside. From outside, straight inside the temple gate, you can see the inner temple tower along with the Bull Statue followed by the main God (all in one straight line).
Main Entrance Temple TowerObserve the Straight Line – Pardon my lousy photography and disregard the crowd 😀
The main attraction is the huge Nandi Statue (Bull) and is made up of one single granite. I will give the size of this temple and leave it to your imagination. The temple is made by placing 153 blocks of granites (adjacent to each other) and is 175 feet high and 95 feet width.
Bull Statue – One single Granite rock.
Another View – Bull Statue
Similar to Brihadeeswara Temple, there is a huge granite monolith (which weighs several tonnes). It is said that the huge granite was moved atop by raising a slope and then moved to the top of the tower with the help of the elephants.
After the Bull Statue, at the entrance of the main sanctum, we can see a sculpture called as Dura Baragar who are the soldiers guarding the main deity. This statue is also made up of a single rock.
Sculptures in the Main Temple TowerAmazing Details shows their expertise
You can see a lot of Tamil and Brahmi inscription in the walls of the temple, but there is an interesting fact attached to it. The inscriptions display their valour, war strength, their culture, their generosity and other hero stones. It is also said in the inscription that there will not be any consecration for this temple and until today, it still holds good. It is said in the inscriptions that there would be re-incarnation of a Chozha king and once he is reincarnated, only then the consecration takes place.
Temple Blocks allocated for Hindu Gods.
It was getting dark and my phone was not good enough. So spare my photos 😀
To the north of the temple lies a huge Lion monolith called as Simhakeni (Lion Well). According to the history, this is a well and it is believed that Rajendra after the victory of the Ganges, brought water from Ganga and poured into this well to sanctify it. While some others say that this is also a subway to escape if there is a war. This subway is believed to be connected to the Big Temple in Tanjore and other routes to the coast in order to escape via sea.
Lion Faced Well. Some argue there is both a well and a subway. No Not the kind of “Subway” you are looking out for 😀
Chozhas were great patrons of art and architecture which is quite visible. The trademark Nataraja statue shows their skill, the Tanjore Arts and Museum justifies it, this temple acts as a testimony to it. It feels like I have travelled back time with some time machine and could very well understand how our ancestors would have once lived a rich life.
Dedicated Temple Blocks to each GodAnother ViewTemple Tower
The ancient civilizations still amaze me on how developed we were and how we had lost our uniqueness and ethos by trying to mimic the West.
Travel Tips –
By Location- about 10 KM from Jayamkondan village. 40 KM from Kumbakonam and 80 KM from Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Nearest Railway Station – Kumbakonam. There are cabs available outside Kumbakonam Railway Station and Bus Stand to Gangai Konda Chozhapuram.
Nearest Airport – Trichy International Airport. 110 KM to Gangai Konda Chozhapuram.
Nearest Metropolitan City – Chennai, formerly known as Madras is the capital of Tamil Nadu and is 255 KM far from Gangai Konda Chozhapuram.
Temperature can become very hot and sultry in the summer and hence wear light cotton clothing and keep yourself hydrated.
Travel with locals and experience the hospitality and don’t miss the traditional Tamil food served in a big plantain leaf.
You can collect souvenirs if you have a chance to visit Tanjore. Tanjore paintings and Tanjore Dolls and Tanjore Silk Sarees are quite famous. It is quite expensive as well and gives a run for its money. One local doll called Tanjore Thala Aati Bommai (dancing doll that moves its head the same way as a Bharatanatyam dancer) is a unique showpiece you can get and gift your friends back home.
Tanjore hosts a variety of places and you can combine your visit to nearby Tanjore and Kumbakonam. There are close to 100 big temples in and around this place. Tanjore also has the Asia’s oldest library,palaces,museum and art gallery. So head out and have a wonderful historical journey which is waiting for you.
Happy to be posting yet another trip on my spiritual journey. This time, i am moving towards the most famous temple in Karnataka,India. These temples are considered sacred and powerful among Hindus and how can i miss a chance to not visit these beautiful temples?
The history of this temple dates back to 800 years and this temple was built for Lord Shiva. Shiva is referred here as Manjunatha and that explains the temple’s name. Dharmasthala in Karnataka attracts more than 10,000 to 12,000 pilgrims on a normal day and more staggering numbers on festivals.
Sri Manjunatha Swamy Temple, Dharmasthala
This temple is different from the Dravidian architecture and has more of a Kerala type structures. This temple town is blessed with nature and is in the western ghats of India (which is one of the eight hot bio-diversities in the world by UNESCO). Netravati River adds to its charm and lure travellers like me and captivates us to visit more often.
I guess, you can sense the crowd here 😀OMG moment!!! Wonderful Kolam (drawing patterns in a rice flour) by an artist outside the temple.
Visiting Dharmasthala is not new for me and has now become quite a part of my life. Whenever i get a chance or an invitation from anyone, i never shy away from it.
It is an 5 hour journey from the IT capital of India (if you are wondering what is the IT capital, God save you :P). The drive is more pleasant with scenic mountains passing by. We need to be vigilant on roads as there are many blind curves and the roads are not that wide. I guess these roads are designed keeping in mind that the non-followers would soon become theist before reaching the temple (I must say, job well done !!!)
Much Hyped route that i was talking about!!!
Once you reach Dharmasthala, it is said to have a holy dip in Netravati before heading to the temple. I would advise otherwise.The water is cold and crystal clear but the river banks where we are allowed to bath are usually crowded and untidy. If you care about hygiene,skip this place and head straight to the temple.
One more highpoint for a foodie like me is the availability of free food within the temple round the clock (No,Not kidding). All you hear is “Oota ki banri..Oota ki banri” which is roughly translated as “Come and have your food”. I have been here for more than a time and at odd timings and i never had any problems with the food.
Dharmasthala is a living example of cultural harmony in India, which is sacred to both Hindus and Jains. There is Babubali Betta in Dharmasthala which is sacred to Jains and you could get to see a huge monolith of Gomateshwara.
Bahubali Betta (Holy Shrine for Jains)
There is also a museum and an aquarium in Dharmasthala which you could visit if you have the luxury of time.
Once Dharmasthala is done, you can head to Kukke Subramanya Swamy temple. Once you had visited the father and had his blessings, it’s time to visit his son and please him too. (Otherwise you know what happens)… Kukke Subramanya temple is 60 km from Dharmasthala which is a temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya (son of Lord Shiva).
Real Beauty of Western Ghats. It’s Green and green all the way 🙂
This temple overlooks Kumara Parvata mountain (a famous mountain for treks) and forms a picture perfect backdrop for this temple. This temple is nestled amongst deep forest and many say that it houses some of the dangerous cobras. It is also believed that there are some who have sighted the famous 5-headed cobras around this area, but we cannot verify its authenticity. Interestingly this temple is dedicated to the Lord Subramanya (who is the head of the serpents and is called as a god of serpents).
Temple View with Chariot,Kukke Subramanya Temple
Nature reveals herself in all her transparent beauty in the form of rivers, forests and mountains which these temples are surrounded by. Kumaradhara River offers a spectacular view and raw nature that it offers stays with your memories.
Western Ghats in India is one of the most important hotspots of biological diversity in this world and are home to at least 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species. These are lush green tropical forests with the most romantic weather throughout the year. Since it is lapped with nature, request all the devotees and nature lovers to not litter and be mindful of your footprints.
Some Quick Travel Info –
Dharmasthala is in the Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka and is near to major airports like Mangalore and Bangalore.
By Road – Dharmasthala is well connected from Bangalore and Mangalore. Many Government buses and private tourist bus ply from Bangalore till the temple. Many Tourist Packages are available from the rest of the country.
By Rail – Dharmasthala is not connected by rail, whereas Kukke Subramanya has a station. The service is limited but many autos and cabs are available from the station to the temple.
Climate – Moderate cold. It is advisable to carry jackets and windcheaters as it would be cold and sudden downpours.
There are some decent accommodation in both Dharmasthala and Kukke Subramanya but it is better to check the facilities before booking one.
Happy travel and see you guys in my next post. Until then, have a great day and stay safe 🙂
After a long time, I get to travel again.This time though, the spiritual mind took over me and we headed straight to Kotilingeshwara Temple (Temple with 10 million Shiv Lingas – Yes you read that right!!! don’t mistake me for a typo :P).
So I am going to start a new section from here on the mystic and unknown temples around India. India is a land of mysteries and cultures, hence we will discover these hidden treasures and try preserving its culture.
On a bright Saturday morning, i was on top of my voice asking people to get ready.This is just a one day trip from Bangalore and there are quite few places to cover nearby. The roads were in good shape (thanks to the Karnataka Govt.). The journey is two hours from Bangalore and slowly as the journey progresses, monotonous mornings and city madness steps out and peace and tranquility steps in.
Kolar or the “land of gold” famous for its gold fields holds a special place and a melting pot of cultures as it lies cross roads between three states. It is affectionately called as land of “silk,milk and gold”. I get to know many things about the gold fields and how locals still collect it from my cab driver. The Gold fields are now closed due to excessive mining. But the interesting part for me is when it rains, It rains gold for the locals. They use a special desilt technique to collect gold every time it rains and it is handy sum for their daily chores 🙂
Some temples worth mentioning here are Kolaramma Temple, Someshwara Temple, Kotilingeshwara Temple and Bangaru Tirupati.
We headed straight to Kotilingeshwara Temple. It was pretty amazing to witness the beauty in such a huge scale and I didn’t bother to count to authenticate the temple’s claim of 10 million (Kidding!!can never do that :P). It was so huge that I was awestruck and continued glancing one by one, finally stopped to see one huge monolith of Lord Shiva.
Huge ShivLinga Monolith 🙂Amazing Bull StatueWith my Sis,Mom and little champ 🙂Beautiful Landscape 🙂
Once Kotilingeshwara is done, we headed to ChikkaTirupati near Malur. From Kotilingeshwara we took the route of Tekal and then Malur and reached the destination.
The route was amazing, roads covered with lush green trees with sparse housing and lazy quaint villages. The clock seemed to slow down mercilessly on these villages and things seemed eternal.
Main Entrance, Chikkatirupati
Chikka in local language means small and this temple is a look alike the famous cash rich Tirupati. The surroundings were serene welcomed us with birds chirping along with some cool breeze. We visited this temple around noon ,but had a sizable crowd being a Saturday. This place had that rustic charm and the quiet villages around made this place even more intriguing 🙂
Chikka Tirupati, Malur, Karnataka
We headed home from there via Sarjapur. Good darshan and an awesome day to finish.
I feel like writing another post and this time again, let me post some of the untouched and offbeat mountains in South of India. This time I was going crazy with all the mundane stuff happening around and I badly wanted to escape the city life. Okay, the voice in my mind was crying “Come on… pack you bags to Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, India”.
This time I had to be extra careful and plan everything in advance. (I was travelling with my wife and I don’t want any embarrassments :P). We took a car and started from Erode, Tamil Nadu and then headed straight to Kolli hills, which is in the Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu.
It was a straight 2 hour journey. The roads were beautiful and to be very frank , I never expected the roads to be good, and as always I was pleasantly proven wrong. It was hot and humid throughout our journey till the base and I was very much skeptical whether I chose the right time to visit.
En Route Kolli 🙂
As soon as I came to the base of the hills, the entire scene changed. This is the best thing I like about the mountains. The scenario and the climate changes dramatically every second that we would be in total awe, how unpredictable the weather is. It became cold by every passing minute and yes the calm and soothing wind offered me bliss and the much needed therapy.
Amidst nature 🙂
The untouched mountains, serene atmosphere and the chirping of the birds makes this place an ideal spot. It was cold and windy and we could hear every bit of the wild. All these animals were secretly asking us (more of threatening us) on how on earth could you possibly enter our limits.
We reached Masila Falls by morning and had a nice bath over there. The water was so refreshing and was loaded with herbals. It is said that this hill is home to some of the very rare herbal and medicinal plants which are used as Siddha medicines.
yeah, I broke loose 😀
We reached Semmedu and 2 km from there and bang we could see the beautiful temple for Lord Shiva. Shiva is called as Arapaleeshwarar (here with his local name). I am no historian in any case, but still with my little sense of mind, I dated this temple could very easily be centuries old. As I searched some history, I understood that this temple was built in the 1st century A.D by a king named Valvin Ori. The Valvil Ori festival and the spring festivals are also known to draw huge crowds to the temple.
Arapaleeshwarar Temple (Source – Internet)
We offered some prayers and continued our journey to Agaya Gangai waterfalls. We need to trek downhill for some 2 km to reach this falls. There are steps nearby this temple which leads us to Agaya Gangai Waterfalls. We started our steep and treacherous journey and with 20-30 minutes of walking, we reached this beautiful spot.
I mean, I could have never really believed that there could be such a beautiful spot, until I reached here. The view itself was breath taking and i was really gasping for my breath. I had a nice good bath , but the force of the water was very high. The rails were put for a reason and i clanged onto that so tightly like an terrified monkey waiting to fall from a tree.
Hell Noo,I won’t leave that boulder
Then lies the bigger task – the most dreaded “uphill trek”, at least for my better half. She was like constantly asking each 100 steps, as how much more.. She would have obviously sweared a lot that day and even wondered how nice it would be if an auto ride would somehow magically take us above.
Alas and at last, we made it 😛
We reached the town that evening and we started shopping. There were flee markets all around Semmedu. We could see fresh jackfruits, pineapples, black pepper, spices and i gleefully loaded my bag with all of these. Being tired having travelled that entire day, we spent our night at a cozy resort and we decided to head back to the city the next day.
The entire trip was very fulfilling with unexpected surprises and loaded with happiness. I made a point that i will be back to this place very soon.
this is how I look after successfully completing my journey 😛
Some Useful Info –
Location – Kolli Hills, Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu, India.
Things to buy – Jackfruit, Honey, Pineapple, Black Pepper and Spices.
Temperature – Cold. (Max – 27 deg C and Min – 12 deg C)
Altitude – 1370 meter above sea level.
Places to Visit – Arapaleeshwarar Temple, Agaya Gangai Waterfalls, Seekupaarai View Point, Selur Nadu View Point, Masilla Aruvi, Boat House.
How to reach Kolli Hills – Kolli Hills is well connected by roads and rails. It is 360 kilometers from the metropolis of Chennai and 260 kilometers from the IT city of Bangalore. The nearest city is Salem.
Best Time to Visit– November to February.
See you all folks next time with my other blog, until then its me signing off. Bye and have a wonderful day.
Whispering Mountains... 