the light baggage

   Please Click here to read the main post Overview: The state road from NH7 to Kadiri is very scenic with boulders of different shapes to see and the winding roads made the drive more exciting.      We reached Kadiri at around 8:30am and the temple complex was quite impressive. This place is most revered by the people across the state and the nearby states and it is believed to be the place where Lord Narasimhaswamy was worshipped by the Gods after he slayed the demon Hiranyakashyap at Tirumala hills. The legend behind the name of the place comes from the word Khadri denoting a place with a hill representing the feet of God Vishnu. Another Legend says that the idol of the Lord was found under the roots of the Khadri tree or Acacia Catechu. It is also believed that Vedavyas imparted lessons to his disciples. The temple is enclosed in a 500ft square high walled compound with 4 entrances having a gopuram at each entrance. The temple is facing east with th...

  Please Click here to read the main post Overview: This was a welcome surprise for us early in the morning on the way to Kadiri. We could see an ancient temple on the left side of the road and decided to explore it. The Madhavarayaswamy temple is a 15th century structure built by the Vijayanagara rulers. It consists of a small shrine chamber, large central hall, and a pillared mantapa in front. The pillars of the temples are carved with base relief sculptors representing scenes from the Ramayana and the Puranas. There is also a big tank adjacent to the temple which is undergoing some maintenance work.                 How to reach: Bus: From Bangalore, there are direct buses to Gorantla. Car/Bike: From Bangalore, head on NH7 towards Hyderabad road and on entering the AP state, watch out for a signboard indicating directions for Kadiri and Puttaparthi. This road leads to Gorantla which is around 10 kms from N...

  Overview: Having heard a lot about the scenic landscape of the Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh, we made a dash towards some good places in AP. Being quite some distance away from Bangalore, I decided to club the places to make it a 2-day trip. I finalised the following itinerary: Day 1: 1) Gorantla (B) 2) Kadiri (C) 3) Gandikota (D) Day 2: 1) Yaganti (F) 2) Owk Reservoir (G) 3) Belum Caves (H)   Trip Timelines: Place Distance Day Arrival Departure Remarks Bangalore 128 km – about 2 hours 45 mins 1   04:15:00 AM   Gorantla 50 km – about 1 hour 5 mins 1 07:05:00 AM 07:20:00 AM Have Breakfast Kadiri 113 km – about 2 hour 15 mins 1 08:25:00 AM 12:35:00 PM Have Lunch at the temple Gandikota 75.2 km – about 1 hour 45 mins 1 02:50:00 PM 04:30:00 PM   Banaganapalli   1 06:05:00 PM   Dinner at Banaganapalli Banaganapalli 13 km – about 20 mins 2   06:35:00 AM   Yaganti 35.4 km – ab...

  This Post is a part of the Hoysala Diary. Please Click here to read the main post Overview: Done this during the trip to Kambadahalli near Nagamangala. This is a tiny village and the temple can be reached on the route between Mandya and Nagamangala. Its a small temple dedicated to Lord Mallikarjuna. The temple architecture reflects the Hoysala style with the emblem on the top. The pillars and Gopurams have intricate carvings of Gods and elephants as well. The temple was locked when we went there but the priest's house was nearby so they opened the gates for us. Inside the inner garbhagrihas are the sculptors of serpent God and the Sun God sculptor. The outer carvings on the walls match with those of Halebid.             References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basaralu How to Reach: To reach Basaralu, travel along Mysore road, at Mandya, turn right towards Nagamangala. Enroute is Basaralu. Buses are available from Mandy...

  This Post is a part of the Chalukya Trail. Please Click here to read the main post Overview: We set off from Davangere at around 6:30am on Saturday morning and the first place was Rattihalli which is around 62 kms from Davangere. As we entered the Hirekerur Taluk, we were welcomed by a board mentioning that it is the native place of the great Kannada poet Sarvajna. Driving through the beautiful countryside, we reached Rattihalli at around 08:00am. The Kadambeshwara temple in Rattihalli was built by the Kadambas but later taken over by the Chalukyas. It was a simple Shiva temple with not much carvings. It had an old and charming look like the typical Kadamba temples. This was built by the Kadambas of Banavasi and the Rashtrakutas named it Rashtrapalli. The river Kumdavati flows besides the temple completing the picture. This is a little known place and also was off the National Highway so it was calm and quite all around.          ...