the light baggage

Kokkrebellur: A date with Pelicans Overview: There was a time when we could hear sparrows chirping in our gardens. But as our Bangalore gradually turned from green to concrete jungle, our birds also decided to leave this place for good. Talking of birds, we have a lot of birds migrating from overseas in our backyard. On a lovely Sunday we decided to pay a visit to these guests which had made Kokkrebellur their winter home. On the Bangalore-Mysore highway, there is a Karnataka tourism board showing directions for Kokkrebellur just after crossing Channapattana. Its around 12 kms from the Bangalore-Mysore state highway. The village roads leading to Kokkrebellur are very beautiful and scenic and if lucky we can spot a lot of endangered species of birds enroute to Kokkrebellur. Once we reach the Kokkrebellur circle, turn left and ask the locals about the migratory Pelicans. It is not a place where one can expect hills and river/lakes and spot the birds. The birds have actually chosen the...

Rayakottai: A lesser known hill fort Overview: Rayakottai(Tamil Nadu) is a small sleepy town near Hosur in Tamil Nadu. This is home to Tipu Sultan's one of the hill forts in the eastern side. The structures are in ruins but it is worth visiting. We started our day thinking where to go on a Sunday morning and suddenly I read about Rayakottai in the Krishnagiri tourism website and decided to visit this place. Started from Bangalore at around 10am and reached Rayakottai by 11:30am. At Rayakottai bus stand we asked a few locals about the fort. After asking a few people we got the directions for the fort. We parked our car at the fort entrance and saw a Archaeological Survey of India board. We started climbing the fort having no idea about the height of the hill. Base of the Rayakottai hill fort           At around half way (30 mins) we reached a small cave temple. Though no priest was present at the temple, we went into the cave and offered prayers.   W...