Caught on Camera : The Beauty Of White, Light and Cottony Clouds

Recently I was travelling to Sirsi on NH4. My hubby was busy in driving. I was getting bored. Could not eat my hubby's head also as he was driving. Suddenly a group of clouds caught my attention. I looked at them with a great curiosity. Those white, light, cottony clouds stretched across the broad sky appeared really beautiful. Clouds of different shape, size looked like nature's art. Taking a decent photo of beautiful cloud is not an easy task. I wanted to get down from the car and take clear photos of these natural portraits but my hubby didnt stop the car. So took some photos of fluffy clouds from inside the car. I enjoyed this cloud show throughout my journey. Afterall which is the best place to enjoy the clouds than National Highways?

After reaching home, I searched national Geographic's encyclopedia for some information on clouds. Clouds are visible accumulations of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the Earth’s atmosphere. They can appear thin and wispy, or bulky and lumpy. Scientists have identified three main group of clouds based on their size, shape,color and the altitude they form. Those three main groups are cirrus clouds, stratus clouds and cumulus clouds. I knew only two types of clouds. White cloud - Which dont bring rain and Black/Gray clouds - Which bring rain..hehehe :) I observed, compared and tried to identify clouds which were there in my photos with National Geographic's encyclopedia description. But failed to identify :) My effort to identify those clouds is still continuing :)

Sometime back somewhere I have read a mythological story on clouds. Airavata, a white elephant which resides in heaven used his trunk to reach into the underworld and withdraw water. Airavata then sprayed this water into the sky, creating clouds and making precipitation possible.
Whatever the stories behind it, these clouds made my journey beautiful, memorable, smooth and enjoyable.

Endless Memories of Holanagadde Beach, Kumta

Every beach has its unique and incredible beauty.  The best way to ease our troubled mind - walking down white sands, watching crash waves and watching the astonishing beauty of sunset. Our father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi has rightly said -  “When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator " - Very True. 

Holanagadde - A small village in Kumta Taluk of Uttara Kannada district. It falls on the west coast beach of Arabian sea.  Holanagadde has prestine beach that is not spoilt by tourists. 
Holanagadde beach has a special place in my life. I have spent most of my childhood on the bed of this beach. I used to spend my school holidays in my aunts house which is in Holanagdde. Summer holidays, Dasera holidays  and other holidays were spent in aunts house with my cousins. This beach was our play spot. Our gang - me and my four cousins used to wake up at 8 AM. After having breakfast we used to run to this beach which is just one km away from my aunt's house. We used to play many games and return only after sunset. 

I have learnt swimming in this beach. I have learnt cycling on the sands of this beach. We used to go with fishermen in their small boats for fishing. How can I forget chasing those small little crabs and catching them. How can I forget collecting those beautiful and colorful sea shells. How can I forget those waves which erased the wordings every time we wrote on the sand. How can I forget those small sparrow nests which we used to build with sand. How can I forget those endless arguments with cousins when they collected more sea shells than me.  And most important how can I forget my aunt's scoldings when we used to return home with wet cloths and sand all over the body :) Oh....endless memories like this endless beach....

Leaving behind those childhood memories, I came to Silicon City for higher education and in search of job opportunities. Since then my life has changed, my priorities have changed. Recently, after 10 years, I visited my aunts home and thought of visiting this beach where I had spent my childhood. This time my hubby was with me. My cousins are settled in cities and busy in their life. Beach looked so calm yet showing its majesty. Fishermen were returning home from their duties. Sun was also ready to set after finishing his routine work. I could see crabs running here n there.  I recollected my golden childhood days and completely lost in those memories. I woke up from those memories when waves touched my feet. Gone are those days...will never come again :(  Everything appeared same with this beach. Nothing has changed and there was no effect of time on this beach. I miss this beach but nature will never miss anybody and never waits for anybody.
As sun started setting, white sands turned golden. Moon appeared in the sky to perform his duty. I returned home with heavy heart and heavy steps. 

Kadavinakatta - A Holy Place of Goddess Durga Parameshwari and a Beautiful Dam

Kadavinakatta - A holy place of Goddess Durga Parameshwari, is a small village in Bhatkal Town of Uttara Kannada District. Kadavinakatta has a beautiful dam built across river Venkatapur. This dam is one of the major sources of water to entire Bhatkal Town. To enjoy the beauty of this reservoir, one should visit during monsoon. During rainy season dam will be in full splendour and the gushing water and the mist that envelops the air provide a spectacular sight for tourists. This dam is surrounded by green hills. Swimming in the reservoir is too dangerous and risky as there are many swirls. Many people have lost their lives. There is a warning board which shows the number of deaths so far.

On the bank of the dam there is a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga. People believe that Goddess Durga is very powerful. People from far away places will come and offer pooja here. They seek blessings from Durga Mata for each and every step of their life. It is better to say that devotees seek approval from Goddess to take major decisions of their life like constructing a house, marriage, buying vehicle etc. The method of seeking approval from Goddess is very interesting. For example,  a devotee wants to buy a land and he wants to take approval from Goddess. First, he puts his question whether to buy that land or not infront of the priest. Then priest puts it infront of Goddess. If flower falls from Goddess head it indicates that she has given approval and he can buy the land. If flower doesnt fall from her head then he will not dare to buy the land.  

Goddess Durga Parameshwari - Kadavinkatta

Traditions and beliefs apart. kadavinkatta dam offers spectacular sight for visitors. Dont forget to visit this dam and Durga temple if you are in Bhatkal.

How To reach Bhatkal : Bhatkal is situated on the West Coast National Highway 17 and well connected by buses and Konkan Railway.

How to reach Kadavinkatta : It takes almost 30 minutes to reach Kadavinkatta from Bhatkal town. There is no bus facility to Kadavinkatta. You have to hire an auto or go by own vehicle. The road towards Kadavinakatta is very narrow. Only one vehicle can pass at a time. Enjoy the lush green paddy fields on both sides of the road and forget the bad conditions of the road :)

Mango and Jackfruit Mela 2012 - Lalbagh, Bengaluru

This weekend Mango and Jackfruit called us back to Lalbagh which is holding "Mango and Jackfruit Mela - 2012". I was watching a local news channel and the news on Mango and Jacfruit Mela caught my attention. So decided to visit the mela once and buy delicious Mangoes and Jackfruit. My sister in law also happily agreed to join us. One of the main reasons to visit this mela is to buy chemical free fruits. Last year I had severe skin allergy and rashes on skin after eating chemical injected seadless jackfruit and doctor also had confirmed the same. It took almost a week for me to recover fully. Since then I didnt even touch Jackfruit and think twice before buying other fruits also. It is like inviting life threatening diseases by paying money. I really miss fresh and naturally ripened fruits and vegetables of my native village. So "Mango and Jackfruit Mela - 2012" provided a good platform for consumers to by chemical free fruits directly by farmers.

There were more than 100 stalls of Mngoes, Jackfruits and byproducts of these fruits like papad, pickle, juice etc. Most of the stalls were kept by farmers of Kolar district. Kolar is famous for Mango harvesting. One could see all varieties of Mangoes like Badam, Neelam, Sindhoora, Alphonso, Mallika, Malgoba etc.... varities in colors too...green, yello, greenish pink... wow ...it is a feast to eyes. Prices of these fruits in the mela were also cheap when compared to market prices as farmers were directly selling to consumers. No interference of agents here.

There was an exhibition on Mango and Jackfruit too. The purpose of this exhibition was to educate people on Mangoes and Jackfruits - their uses, health benefits, varities etc.
Out of curiosity, I asked a stall keeper whether these fruits are really chemical free... He said lalbagh authorities will not give permission to keep the stall if they found these fruits are ripened by using chemicals. All fruits were tested to know whether they are free of chemicals. Thanks a ton to lalbagh for organizing this Mela.

Me and My sister in law baught kgs of different varieties of Mangoes. We have Mango Rasayana fest at our home next weekend. All are welcome guys :)

An Evening in Lalbagh, Bengaluru

We were on the way to home after a tiresome day we spent in a mall. Suddenly my hubby stopped the car near Lalbagh Westgate, looked at me and smiled. I understood his intention and in next few minutes we were inside Lalbagh :) A few hours were left to dusk.Lalbagh - One of the main tourist attractions in Bengaluru is a famous botanical garden. Lalbagh has largest collection of Flora - Trees more than 100 years of old, a big Natural lake, an attractive Bonsai Garden, Aquarium, Glass House, Fountains, Kempegowda Tower etc covering an area of 240 acres. Lalbagh holds two flower shows in a year on Independence day and on Republic day. Lakhs of people visit during flower show. I will write about this flower show in my next post. Wikipedia says Lalbagh was originally commissioned by Hyder Ali the ruler of Mysore and later finished by his son Tippu Sultan in 1760.

Partial view of Glass house which holds flower show twice in a year

You call Lalbagh as Joggers Park, Lovers Spot, Birders Paradise, Picnic spot...everything holds true for this beautiful park. It wears a fresh look everyday. Though it was not my first visit to Lalbagh, everything appeared new to me.

Kempegowda Tower : We decided to spend some time near Kempegowda Tower which was built by Kemplegowda, founder of Bengaluru. This tower is on a huge rock which is on top of the hillock. It looks like a small temple. Bengaluru has four Kempegowda towers. This is one of them.

Kempegowda tower

Bonsai Garden : Then we decided to visit Bonsai Garden. Bonsai plants always attract me. These plants certainly have an oomph factor.  I always wanted to have a bonsai plant in my house and wanted to learn the art of bonsai. But considering my busy life as I cant maintain them and cant give sufficient time to take care of them, postponig the idea of having Bonsai plants at my home.
Entrance gate to the Bonsai garden is also very attractive. This 40 foot high gate is built in Chinese and Malaysian  Pagoda style. This gate really stands out in this huge garden.  Lalbagh Bonsai Garden is very beautiful. There are many bonsai plants which are more than 40 years old. Bonsai Garden has more than 1500 plants of different species. I was enthralled by seeing so many varieties of Bonsai plants at on place. This bonsai garden is recently opened and it certaily gave a royal touch to Lalbagh. Lalbagh also has many plants and trees which are native to different countries.

Pagoda style entrance gate to the Bonsai Garden

Lake : We moved towards lake. This is a natural lake with clean water and surrounding greenery reflecting into it. There is a neatly maintained path along the lake for morning walkers. This lake also has a small island in the middle. This lake is the source of water to those plants and trees in Lalbagh. You can also see birds like ducks, swans, geese, pelican etc in the lake.

A goose in the lake

Rose Garden : Sun was preparing to say bye to us. After spending some time near the lake we visited Rose Garden which is one of the attractions of Lalbagh. Rose Garden has an intoxicating beauty with colorful roses. This is neatly maintained. I felt like running towards those beautiful roses, touch and kiss them.  But entry into Rose garden is prohibited.

Lalbagh has many other attractions apart from these. 

Visiting Time : Lalbagh is open all days from 6 AM to 7 PM. Entry is free from 6AM to 7AM. 
There are direction boards everywhere for the benefit of  visitors. It is clean and neatly maintained. Dont through garbage and plastics anywhere and spoil the environment. There are dustbins everywhere, please use them. 
You can see lovers in every corner of Lalbagh who are busy in romance. They will be in their own world making visitors to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Whatever ... Shhhhhh..........dont disturb them :)

Lepakshi - A Lost Wonder : A treasure House of Rich Fine Arts and Sculpture

Hmmm...we were preparing for weekend one day trip recently. As usual, trouble started while deciding the place. This time I had my sister and brothers to join our trip.  They started suggesting places which failed to capture my attention. Finally my husband left the decision of selecting the place on me. I was waiting for this opportunity. "Lepakshi" was the next word I uttered and everybody agreed. Preparation started to visit Lepakshi next day, Sunday. I got up early, preapred delicious palav and masala curd, packed it. Around 9 AM we left from the house.
Lepakshi is situated in Ananthpura district of Andhra Pradesh. It is 120 Kms north of Bengaluru and 15 Kms from Hindupur.
Our route : NH 7:  Bengaluru ->Yalahanka ->Devanahalli->Chikkaballapur->Bagepalli (last town of Karnataka)->AP Border toll booth @ Kodikonda -> Left turn to Lepakshi (16 kms)
Road is excellent till left turn to Lepakshi. Driving was really a heaven :) with scenic beauty on both sides of the road. We reached Lepakshi at 11.20 AM.. in just 2 hours with 100 KM speed :)
We were welcomed by a huge Nandi bull made out of a single granite stone. This Nandi is one of the attractions of Lepakshi. Surroundings of this Nandi Sculpture is green with a pond full of lotus flowers, a stone carvings with the word "Lepakshi" on it and many decorative plants.

Nandi Sculpture

After spending some time near Nandi we headed towards temple which is just 5 mins away. After seeing the temple from outside my husband was furious and started shouting at me for selecting this place. But I was confident that this temple offers lot more than I expected.
We entered the temple and wow.. it was entirely a different world of stone sculptures. We were speechless. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Veerabhadra, Shiva, Vishnu and Goddess Papanasheshwari (Durga). We offered pooja and later came out to see temple complex.

Main Temple Area

We were mesmerised by the sculptures in the temple complex. Entire temple is built up in stone. These stone sculptures were created by artisans of Vijayanagara empire. So it has similaries to the sculptures of Hampi. Hats off to those artisans and their creativity. I really doubt modern day sculptors can create this magic. Wikipedia says Vishwakarma Amarashilpi Jakanachari took part in the planning the architecture of this temple.

Sculptures on the pillars

Pillars and walls of the temple are sculpted with stories of Mahabharatha, Ramayana, animals like elephants, flowers and chain like designs. Roof  has so many beautiful paitings done by natural colour mixtures.
Temple complex offers architectural wonders. There is a big Nagalinga which was carved out of a single stone by sculptors. And also a huge statue of  Lord Ganesha captures the attention of everyone. To the north-west side of the temple you can see a large unfinished Kalyana Mantapa (Wedding Hall) with many pillars.

Unfinished Kalyana Mantapa (Wedding Hall)

Nagalinga - Carved out of a single stone

I had completely lost in the world of sculptors and was busy in taking photos. Though it was Sunday tourists were less. One good thing is we are free to take photos anywhere here. It was 2 PM and my stomach started givin warnigs that it is hungry. We had to start our return journey though nobody had interset to come out of the temple. On the way of our return journey we stopped nearby a dry grassland and settled down under a big tree and had palav prepared by me. We reached Bengaluru around 5 PM. I am still in the hangover of those sculptures.

I have listed some of the main attractions of Lepakshi Temple :
1. Nandi
2. Main shrine of Lord Veerabhadra
3. Pillars of the temple and hanging pillar
4. A huge statue of Nagalinga
5. Statue of Lord Ganesha
6. Unfinished Kalyana Mantapa
7. Roof murals and many more sculptures

Paintings on the roof

History of Lepakshi :
It is said that Lord Rama found the mythical bird Jatayu lying wounded here, its wings were cut off by Ravana when he abducted Sita. According to locals, after Ravana had cut the wing of the bird, Lord Rama said "le pakshi"(rise bird) and the bird rose. Hence, this sacred place was named as Lepakshi (Source : Internet)
During the month of February a 10 day long celebration including the car festival is conducted in the temple. During the festival Lepakshi is packed with pilgrims from all over the country.

Best Time to visit Lepakshi : Temple is open on all days. If you are planning to visit Lepakshi in summer then better to carry an umbrella while exploring the temple complex. Sun and hot stones make impossible to stand and walk.
Hotels and food : It is hard to find good hotels in Lepakshi. Either carry home prepared food or settle down with small roadside shops which sell eatables.