the light baggage

Overview: I had an opportunity to visit the beautiful coastal town of Alleppy or Allapuzha, known for the meandering waterways, old temples and churches. We stayed at the Kayaloram resort, located on the banks of Lake Vembanad, the longest freshwater lake in India. Starting with the resort, the facilities are great, with lake facing cottages, and a swimming pool facing serene waters. The food served is also good, taking inputs from the guests. The vast lake covers 3 districts of Allapuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam. The cruise on the river also takes us to Kuttanad, where farming is carried out below the sea level. An advantage of this cultivation is that the place is called the Rice Bowl of Kerala.     Coming to Alleppy town, one of the main attractions here are Mullakkal Rajajrajeshwari Temple, built over 500 years ago during King Devanarayana of Chembagasery. Another popular temple in Alleppy is Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple, built in 15th – 17th AD by the local ruler Ch

Overview: Though Bengaluru may not feature in many heritage locations in India, the city and district has been witness to several kingdoms from the 2nd century AD, and some of the monuments can still be seen all across the city. Capturing these heritage monuments right from the Gangas (6th century) to the Hoysalas (12th century) in the first of the two parts. 1. Begur: The 9th century inscription found in Begur bears the name ‘Bengalooru’ which was not deciphered until the late 16th century. The Panchalingeshwara temple in Begur was built by the Cholas.     2. Manne: The Gangas had their capital at Manne, which was earlier called Manyapura, not far from Nelamangala, from where they administered Bangalore. Several ruins of the Ganga dynasty temples can be seen at Manne today.     3. Kodigehalli/Thindlu: An inscription was discovered in Kodigehalli which talks about Veera Ballala III ruling from Thiruvannamalai, in present Tamil Nadu. The ancient Veerabhadraswamy temple in Thindlu