the light baggage

Overview: Today was the day of forts, starting off with Reis Magos fort, which was unfortunately closed. However we explored the fort from the exterior. This was built in 1551 by the Portuguese, later occupied by the Marathas. The other two forts in the vicinity are Fort Aguada and Sinqeurim. Sinquerim Fort acts as the wall for Hotel Taj Aguada. From here we went to Aguada Fort, one of the most scenic forts in Goa. The entrance to the fort has a massive doorway, and the walls can be scaled by climbing a series of stairs. One can have a spectacular view of North Goa from this fort. Reis Magos Fort  Sinquerim Fort Fort Aguada  From Aguada, we proceeded towards Vagator beach in search of 'Shiva's Face', which we had seen on Google Maps. We parked our vehicle and climbed down towards the beach. Being monsoon, the beach wore a deserted look and the shacks were empty. We immediately spotted the image of Shiva carved on a rock. It was beautiful, with the serpent ...

Overview: Goa during monsoons is different then its normally imagined. Less touristy, green all around, deserted beaches. For experiencing a part of Konkan railway, we took the Bangalore City-Karwar express, covering the best of nature between Mangalore to Karwar on the Konkan line. Green fields, misty mountains and massive backwaters and rivers greeted us on the way. Along the Konkan Railway After reaching Madgaon late in the afternoon, we checked into our hotel near Colva beach. We spent the evening by the beach watching the beautiful sunset, and planning for the rest of the trip. We started early next morning, starting with Safa Masjid, built in 1560 by Ibrahim Adil Shah in Ponda. This is a small single chambered mosque with tiled roof having a flight of steps in the front entrance. To the south of the mosque, there is a 600 sqm water tank with Mihrab designs. The tank has a natural spring which keeps it filled with water throughout the year. This place is not to be miss...

Overview: After our visit to the Armamalai Caves, we decided to wrap up our day with a visit to the Vellore Fort and the Tomb of the last ruler from Kandy, Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The fort is surrounded by water from all sides, built in such a way to prevent the intruders from entering the area. The fort dates back to the 16th century, probably used by several dynasties including the Vijayanagara, Tipu Sultan and the British. The fort occupies a huge area of around 130 acres and houses a mosque, the St John's church and Jalakantheshwara temple. The mosque dates to the Nawabs of Arcot, the church was built by Robert Clive built in the 1800s. The Jalakantheshwara temple is a massive structure, typical architecture of the Vijayanagara kings. The temple was closed by the time we reached the place so unfortunately we missed the interior architecture of the temple. The fort also has 2 museums, which has artifacts from the entire district. Also within the fort is the Hyder Mahal and Tipu ...