Drive to Devarayanadurga

During the week, my friend and I decided to drive out of town. Our destination was their farm and Devarayanadurga. On a beautiful Saturday, we began our journey from Bangalore drove via Dabbaspet to reach the farm, and later drove to Devarayanadurga, which is about 65 kilometers from Bangalore. The roads were good except in a few places. Yes, we saw birds; will post the list of birds later.

On this route, we stopped at Kamath for breakfast. There are several hotels and eatery joints on the entire stretch of Tumkur road. After a lazy breakfast, we headed straight to the farm. The farm was a soothing sight for a sore eye. Fruiting trees in plenty. Coconut and arcanut trees standing tall. A big buffalo shying away as we approached. Ferocious dogs barking at us! And a variety of birds merrily singing their songs. We drank tender coconut water, ate cherries, and smelt the freshly plucked mangoes, and chit-chatted. We clicked photos of birds. Yes, the greenery helps beat the accumulated stress (of city life)!

A shed of sorts

Ant nest, and fruits at farm

From the farm, we continued our journey towards Devarayanadurga. The traffic was manageable. Only word of caution is that honk wherever necessary; the vehicles can speed down the hilly roads. The forest looked dry; however, we heard chirping of a lot of birds. My friend said that a leopard and vultures were spotted near their farm. So, yes, the forest does have animals.

There are sign boards indicating the different tourist places. At the bottom of the hill is the Bhoganarasimha temple; at the top is the Yoganarasimha temple. People can either climb the stairs, or drive up to a point and then climb the last few steps. We chose the latter because the Sun was shining bright on our heads. The steps are well-laid. Vendors selling puja items, fruits, flowers, cool drinks, and other items welcome every one. Oh, there are plenty of monkeys trying to steal from people! Be careful. The view from the top of the hill is beautiful. On the opposite hills, one can see traveler bungalow or guest houses.

Stairs

Views from hilltop

Yoganarasimha temple complex

From the temple, we headed towards Namada Chilume. There is a deer park and Karnataka Forest department nursery of medicinal plants. Quoting from Wikipedia -

Myth has it that Sri Rama on his way to Lanka halted here. As he did not find water anywhere around to wet the "Nama" (a kind of paste Hindus apply on their forehead), he shot an arrow into the ground, and a spring sprang and thus the name (Rama)-Namada chilume. The spring can be still seen, and there is a foot impression of Lord Sri Rama near that.

We lost track of time admiring the deer, and were pleasantly surprised to see the non-captive Gray/Hanuman Langurs (with their young ones). The fig trees with fruits definitely attract birds. We sighted many barbets and sunbirds; however, getting a good photo was a challenge. During weekends and holidays, this place has visitors. During the weekdays, I am sure that the place will seem lonely. Ensure not to wander off. Stay safe.

Namada Chilume and Deers

It was time for us to drive back to Bangalore. This day-trip made my soul happy; thanks to my friend!

Regards,
Asha

My World - A joy ride

Bangalore never stops to amaze me, and I am glad that I'm a native of such an interesting place! 

One afternoon, we were driving on M G Road and saw a father-son duo riding a horse-driven cart and enjoying the lovely weather of Bangalore. What a fun ride that must have been!

Thought that the greenery of the park behind, the handsome horses, and father-son bonding in their cart would make a beautiful memory to capture. Clicked this photo with my smartphone, and attempted to freeze that serene moment. 

Enjoy your Monday!

I am participating in Meghana's 'My World Monday.' Please check out her Website for photos from other participants.

Regards,

Asha

Bangalore to Namakkal - Dec 2011

For year end (2011), we planned a road trip to Madurai and Kodaikanal. On the way, we decided to stop at Namakkal, and visit the temples. Our Mahindra Scorpio was serviced, and waiting to hit the road. We started early in the morning, drove on NH 7, and reached Namakkal by noon. In this blog, I will write about the Namakkal temples and post a few photos.

Santa accompanying us

Note: We usually carry 'Moo' on our journeys, but this time around, Santa accompanied us. :-)

Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple

My husband and in-laws had visited Namakkal about a decade (or more) ago; I would be visiting this place for the first time. My husband was anxious to see the changes that had occurred over the decades. First, the traffic was crazy. Second, the road leading to the Namakkal temple had evolved and was blocked for vehicles; had to search for a safe parking space. Third, the Anjaneyar temple seemed to have been renovated.

We went to the Anjaneyar temple first. As we walked towards the temple, we saw lovely Rangolis and flower stalls that were selling garlands made of betel and tulsi leaves. The Lord is visible from the road, and is the idol huge! The Lord is about 18 feet in height (and growing), and stands majestically with his hands folded. He is decorated with a crown, jewels, and sweet-scented garlands.

Rangoli

Garlands

We felt humble seeing such a gigantic deity receiving Abhishekam in the morning. The Lord is offered a variety of things - water, milk, honey, fruits, and so on. After the Abhishekam, the Lord is decorated with flowers. Pray to this Lord to bestow good sense and refined speech, health, courage, and prosperity. For a Shokla specific to this Lord, see http://panchamukhi.com/tn_04.aspx.

Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple

Namakkal Anjaneyar

Namagiri Lakshmi Narashimha Temple

The Lord Anjaneya faces the Lord Narashimha temple (8th century temple). This temple is at the Saligrama Cave Hill, and is open from 7:30 A.M to 1:00 P.M (IST) and later from 4:30 P.M to 8:30 P.M. The temple complex also includes the Goddess Lakshmi or Naama Giri Thaayar temple. One has to visit the goddess before visiting the Lord. The Lord Narashimha is stunning, and has Shiva on the right and Brahma on the left, and Surya and Chandra fanning the Lord Narashimha. One can also see Brahma's sons, Sanaka and Sanaathana inside the sanctum. For more information, see http://www.imsc.res.in/~rao/ramanujan/newnow/namagiriindex.htm.

Namagiri Narashimha Temple entrance

Lord Ganapathi at entrance

Damsel at entrance

One of the shrines

Lord Naga

One of the sides of the Lord's shrine

Tree on which people tie cloth cradle

Lord Naga and Lord Ganapathi

Lord Narashima's feet

Lord Narashima with Goddess Lakshmi

Unique colored gopuram

Beautiful birds

We missed to see the cave temple of Sri Ranganatha. This temple is on the eastern side of the Namakkal hill.

From our experience, we recommend that you visit the temples at Namakkal. Does not matter if one is unaware of the history or story associated with the temples. Being physical present in those temples can sooth the mind, body, and soul, and also makes one feel humble and human.

In the next blog, I shall write about Madurai, which was our next destination.

Regards,
Asha

Bangalore to Wayanad - Part 2

Continued from Part 1…

The vehicle opposite to ours was closer to the elephant than us. The driver being a native of the place, shut down the engine, and waited for the elephant to move. After a while, he grew a little impatient, and started making some signals to us. We just couldn’t decrypt this sign language; sat inside the vehicle and enjoyed watching the elephant have its breakfast. Come on, how many times do we get to see something like this in real?

The driver opened the vehicle door, and yelled something at us. We looked hither and thither for any other wild animals or something that seemed dangerous; nothing at all. What was the driver telling us, anyway? Hearing the driver’s voice, for a moment, the elephant stood still. That’s when the driver quickly closed the door, and sat still. Ha ha! We all sat wondering the direction in which the elephant would move.

I tell you that this elephant was such a teaser. When he finished uprooting the grass from one spot, he moved two steps towards us to eat the next bunch of grass. Hubby started the vehicle, and reversed a little; shut down the engine and waited. It’s comical when I imagine the whole situation now. An elephant relishing its breakfast without a care of its audience; its audience holding their breath and heart beat each time the elephant moved.

After a few minutes, the elephant was walking in the middle of the road towards us. We sat still, refusing to reverse the vehicle any further. Period. We were saved by another bunch of grass tempting the elephant. It moved a little off the road, but now faced the opposite vehicle. I told you that the elephant was a teaser. The driver started the vehicle; all set to either zoom in reverse or zoom towards the elephant. In all this drama, another vehicle came behind us. Hubby and I frantically waved our hands, signaling the vehicle to stop. Oh God, we didn’t want him to horn or overtake us, and crash into the elephant! He stopped; too shocked.

Heading towards us

Holding grass in it's trunk

One more bunch of grass!

Slowly, the driver inched the vehicle towards the elephant; we reversed our vehicle so that he gets enough distance to zoom through and not crash into us. After he had reached a confident distance, he zoomed past the elephant. He stopped to talk to us, and said he signaled us to come while he waits. He advised us to follow his stunt. And we did! If only the elephant had turned towards us, and waved its trunk to bid us good bye, we would be literally flying or rolling with our vehicle. Of course, the camera was rolling; but captured only blurred images of the elephant.

Stepped aside; only to come back later!

After we crossed the elephant, we waited for the other vehicle to come, but I guess the driver wanted some time to digest what he had seen. As we continued our journey, we saw herds of deer, with young ones. The young ones were delicate, and stuck to the herd. A deer was licking her young one, and yes I’ve captured it in my camera. Indeed a mother’s love is the most precious. The drive, through the forest, until we reached the resort was a gratifying experience.

Herd

Mother's love

Such a joy!

Handsome and curious!

Where did we stay at Wayanad? Ah, you have to read the next part of this blog!

Happy traveling!

Part 3...

Regards,

Asha 

Bangalore to Wayanad – Part 1

Date – May 2011

Destination – Wayanad, Kerala

Route from Bangalore – Bangalore > Mysore > Hunsur > Nagarhole > Kutta > Mananthavadi (Wayanad) > Kalpetta > Vythri > Lakkidi

Route from Wayanad – Lakkidi > Vythri > Sulthan Battery > Munthanga > Gundulpet > Mysore > Sriranga pattana > Bangalore

Vehicle – Mahindra Scorpio

This was a surprise trip to treat ourselves for the hard work done during the second quarter of 2011. And thanks to our travel agent who sends us updates about travel offers throughout the year! So, hubby had taken a printout of the routes from http://indica.co.in/bangalore-to-wayanad-by-road, and on a lovely Friday morning, we drove from Bangalore to Wayanad. We left Bangalore by 6:00 AM; didn’t take the NICE road because morning traffic is anyway less on the Mysore road. Pitied the state of the incomplete Metro work on the Mysore road; the iron structures are rusting!

Just after the NICE road joining the main road, a chain of vehicles slowed down to cross a speed-breaker. While we slowed down our vehicle, a taxi banged into us from back. Ah, what a start! My hubby jumped down from the vehicle, and gave a piece of his mind to the driver. It’s so sad that the driver hadn’t slept for hours, and was driving at a stretch. Cannot the passengers ask him to take a nap?

We continued our journey, munching the congress bun from V B Bakery and chitchatting. But, hey, what about coffee? Hubby needed his shot of caffeine. I don’t know why but he continued driving; probably, he sensed that there would be a lovely new café somewhere on the road. And I took a nap. When I woke up, I clicked a few photos, and that’s about it.

Paddy fields

On the State Highway (SH) 88, as we reached Hunsur, the highway forked, and that’s where a new café welcomed us. The café is called Café Coorg, and is almost a perfect imitation of Coffee Day; but the Café Coorg also serves South Indian breakfast. Something that caught our attention was the Ferrari that glided into the parking lot. Oh, what a beauty! Can you imagine this car glide on the spotless roads of Kerala?

Cafe Coorg

From this junction, we took a left turn to go through the Nagarhole forest. Would be our first visit to this forest, and we prayed that we could spot a few wild animals. While driving towards the forest check-post, the hub caps of one of the tires ran loose. Funny! Hubby picked it, and fixed it. Meanwhile, I clicked more photos of the clouds. Amazing sky!

Mystic Sky

When we reached the check-post, there were two cars in front of us – filled with kids and family. It’s interesting and amusing to listen to parents answer queries from kids. Kids, these days, smarter than we think! Anyway, we wrote the required details in the ledger, and since the cars refused to enter the forest, we drove past them. Officially, we had entered Nagarhole. The road was narrow but neat. Please remember that this road is open only from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM (IST).

Sign Board

Welcome Arch

Some ground rules when you drive through a forest:
1) Never get down from your vehicle; not even to pee.
2) Never tease animals or feed them.
3) Never play loud music or litter.
4) Never speed.
5) Never hit any animal either with your vehicle or something else.
6) Never use flash while clicking photos of animals.
7) Never panic. Only when you stay calm, can you think better.
8) Be alert.
9) Enjoy Nature.
10) Never stop your vehicle anywhere in the forest, or deviate from the normal route.

Green was the predominant color that masked our eyes. The trees and grass were clean due to recent rains. At some places, the sunlight never touched the ground. We heard melodies of birds, and spotted a few. Unfortunately, our camera isn’t equipped to capture the birds. We continued our journey; drove slowly, stopped at all the speed-breaker, and literally read all the sign boards. One board indicated that animals cross at that point, and that we must drive slowly.

We failed to spot any wild animals. I told the forest that we were its guest, and that they should greet us like good hosts do. That’s when we saw a beautiful deer. We were sure that the herd was behind the bushes; but were happy to spot one deer. Isn't it beautiful!

Deer

As we continued, we were totally surprised to see a tusker blocking the road. We were thrilled, but also wondering how to respond to such a situation. We reversed the car, shut down the engine, and sat watching the magnificent animal. The elephant seemed happy to see the lush grass, uprooted it, stuffed it in its mouth, and repeated all these steps several times. We waited for more than 30 minutes for the animal to clear the way. As we waited, from the opposite direction came a goods jeep (with three people inside). The driver, who didn’t expect the animal, hit the break and halted.

Tusker

What happened next? I'll narrate that in the next sequel.

Happy traveling!

Part 2...

Regards,
Asha

Bangalore to Chennai & Mahabalipuram

From fridge to frying pan – March 2011

Before summer heat waves hit the land, we decided that we visit Chennai and Mahabalipuram. In the wee hours of the morning, driving out of Bangalore is beautiful. Actually, the destination doesn't matter; it's the excitement of going on a holiday that lifts our spirit. A little before Hosur, the traffic was crazy, but eased later. We stopped at Adyar Anand Bhavan before Krishnagiri. I had packed upma for breakfast; we ate, drank coffee, and continued our journey. Have you see the Kamat hotels that are opened on the highway? We are yet to try.

At each toll gate, the police stopped the vehicles, checked the luggage and the car, and then let us go. We were wondering what's happening. Ah, only after we reached Chennai did we know that a vehicle from Banglore was smuggling money into Chennai (for elections)!

As we approached Vellore, we could feel the temperature difference; it could only get hotter. Parents had suggested we see the Golden Temple at Vellore; instead, we saw Ratnagiri, which is a temple dedicated to Lord Balamurugan. You can either drive to the top of the hill or climb the stairs. The temple is beautiful! I liked the gigantic pillars and decorations (or paintings) on the ceiling. Please note that the Maha Mangalaarathi is at noon; till then, the sacred curtains are drawn restricting you from seeing the Lord. 

Pillars - Ratnagiri

Ratnagiri Temple

Our final stop was Chennai. By the time we reached the hotel, we were tired due to heat and disorganized traffic. The drivers are unpredictable - left indicator, but moves right or traffic moves even though the signal is Red. And we were thinking Bangalore's traffic is the worst! At Bangalore, the traffic volume is high but a little discipline is maintained.

Anyway, we reached the hotel, and saw the place to be either filled with marriage parties or politicians. The election was fast approaching, and the most famous fashion statement was White-White-and-White - White dhoti, White shirt, and White Scorpios (with Amma's party flag). We dumped our bags at our room, went straight to the restaurant, and ate a good lunch. 

One of the evenings, we took an auto to the Kapaleeswara temple, Mylapore. The Panguni Masam 2011 celebrations were on, and what a celebration that was! Inside the temple, the Lord's procession was happening, and outside the temple, the fair was attracting almost everyone with a grand variety of merchandise! This celebration was a special gift to us because we weren't aware of the Panguni Masam. Of course, we enjoyed. We also bought temple jewelry from Sukra. I like that shop. If you haven't been there, you must. 

Lord Kapaleeshwara

How can we not visit T Nagar? I had to buy a few sarees, and we went to Kumaran Silks. I loved their collection, and Bangaloreans are treated special! The shop assistant showed lovely and modern sarees (appropriate for Bangaloreans, that's what he said). After that, we marched to GRT, and darn, I picked up something there also. Did I tell you that we tasted idlis at the Murugan Idli Shop? Excellent ones! On another day, we visited Ashtalakshmi temple; I loved that area. We met our dear friend for dinner at China Pearl; good service, food, and ambience. That's the place where we saw some posh cars and hi-tech crowd. ;-)    

Our drive to Mahabalipuram was smooth. Could see apartments being developed on the East Coast road; another concrete jungle was emerging. Just imagine how beautiful that place will be if lots of trees are planted. We went to the Shore temple and the Five Chariots. We were pleased to see how well these temples are maintained. And, oh, wherever we went, we were followed by school children. Have you see locus attacking fields? Hmm... That's exactly how it seemed when the children flooded all the temples. But their energy was contagious, and their smiles and laughter was pure! :-)

There are several people that sell stone scriptures. Beware of people that cheat; they quote a higher price than the shops, and emotionally blackmail you to buy from them. Hey, you must visit the awesome Radisson Resort. They had Holi celebrations, and bright-colored decorations hung all over the resort. The lunch buffet spread was tempting. The magician was a delight; he came to each table to perform some magic. Was fun talking to him!

This time around we didn't want to go to the beaches. The sun burns and salt water are never a good combination, for me. But we visited Spencer Mall; I have nothing much to talk about Malls. We had enough of Chennai and Mahabalipuram, and were ready to drive back home. Home is where the heart is, and our hearts are at Bangalore! :-)

Regards,

Asha