Last weekend I visited Hampi with two of my friends who had recently shifted to Bangalore. Hampi is the land of architectural delight which has fascinated everyone who visited this mystic place. It is located about 370 km away from Bangalore and can be reached both by the rail and the bus. We decided to board Hampi Express from Bangalore at 22:30 and reached Hospet next morning. From here we took a bus to Hampi. The ride between Hampi and Hospet is of 30 minutes. The huge stone structures on both the sides of the road indicated that we had reached our destination.

Hampi is a UNESCO World heritage site. It is the land of ancient ruins which is surrounded by giant boulders and renowned for its unbelievingly architectural beauty. We started our sightseeing at around 9 am after having good breakfast. We also took sufficient amount of eatables with us and decided to explore this architectural land on foot.

Hampi is the city of fascinating ruins which was established by the 15th century Vijayanagara Empire. It is one of the richest heritage places of Karnataka which houses more than 500 historical monuments. The intricate theme based carvings of every monument of this place has its own story to utter that leaves lasting effect on visitors.

From the array of monuments we decided to visit only well known structures. First of all we visited the Vijaya Vittala Temple which is the most splendid monument of Hampi. This majestic architectural beauty is known for its intricate rock carvings. It is the most decorated temples of the Vijayanagar kingdom which was built by Krishnadeva Raya. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vittala who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The most staggering features of this temple are its 56 musical pillars which produce musical sounds on tapping. These pillars are popularly known as Musical Pillars or SaReGaMa pillars. We also tapped and the echoed sound that came out is beyond description. The main temple occupies the center and its complex is divided into three distinct sections called Ardhamantapa, Maha, Mantapa and Garbhagriha.

Another most fascinating attraction of this temple is its heavy stone chariot with movable wheels. Design, construction and sculpture of this imposing structure astounded us. We touched its wheel and tried to rotate it as if we wanted to unfold the enfolded history and mystery behind this magnificent structure.

The architectural grandiose of this temple consumed our whole day. But it is worth to spend. While returning we paid a short visit to House of Victory, Underground Temple, Chandramauleshwar Temple and Lotus Mahal.

After exploring the contemporary city Chennai, I was planning to visit some traditional place in south India where I could experience the deep roots of Indian culture still retaining the age old glory. Therefore, I headed for Kanchipuram – the city of thousand temples in Tamil Nadu. It is just 75 kms from Chennai, so I preferred traveling by a taxi. I was booked in Hotel Tamil Nadu, which is a Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation unit.

While escorting me to my room, the bellboy told me that Palar River adds to the beauty of the place. Earlier the city was the capital of the Cholas but later Pallavas established their supremacy here in the 6th century, followed by the Vijaynagar rulers. My exploration started with Ekambaranatha Temple, which boasts of being the largest temple in Kanchipuram (covering over 20 acres). Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple is famous for its 1000 Lingas. It exhibits true beauty and richness of the Dravadian style of architecture, which I captured in my camera also.

After spending an hour there, I stopped for a quick bite at a restaurant and enjoyed a lip smacking dosa. My next destinations were Kamakshi Amman Temple (dedicated to goddess Kamakshi or the incarnation of goddess Parvati) and Varadharaja Perumal Temple (built by the Cholas in 11th century).

Post lunch, I decided to spend a couple of hours in the colorful market streets of Kanchipuram. As the city is world famous for its hand-woven silk sarees with zari work, I decided to get a few for my mom and granny. I first visited Gandhi Road, which is famous for Silk Cooperative Society Showrooms. However, the variety of designs and colors available in cooperative societies is very limited but the best part is that these are less expensive because of being in government control. Contrary to this, the Mettu Street offers a much wider choice because of private merchants. As these merchants have a larger profit margin, their prices are always higher.

I honed my bargaining skills and dropped into one of the shops near the Varadaraja Temple. I bought a few sarees from Nalli, which is one of the famous and biggest shops in Kanchipuram. While wandering in these market streets I observed that shopping in Kanchipuram is not only about Silk Sarees. The shops were also loaded with decorative items, fruit baskets, jewelry boxes and idols of various Gods and Goddesses. This way, my trip to Kanchipuram was a great fun.

Kathakali Dance

“Then come the lights shining on you from above. You are a performer. You forget all you learned, the process of technique, the fear, the pain, you even forget who you are, you become one with the music, the lights, indeed one with the dance.” This wonderful quote by Shirley Maclaine raced through my mind while treating my senses with the mesmerizing Kathakali dance performance in Kerala. Elated, I was dancing too, but in my heart.

Kerala is popularly known as God’s Own Country. I would like to add something to it: Kerala is God’s Own Country and its dancers are God’s Own Artists. How beautifully these artists express human emotions such as laughter, tears, madness, fears, hopes, faith, anger and happiness through dance.

After exploring the fascinating beaches of Kerala, I reached the Cochin Cultural Center to see the famous classical dance form of South India, Kathakali. This dance drama originated in South India in the 16th century and there are more than 100 classical stories which are the themes of this dance form. Initially Kathakali was performed only in the temples and palaces. However now it is performed on several celebrations and for tourism purposes also. For enjoying the dance to its fullest I asked the guide about the story of the dance in advance.

From graceful dance movements to fabulous facial expressions, eye movements, colorful and unique costumes and heavy make-up, everything about this dance form is captivating. I simply loved their colorful and bright make-up. The guide told me that the artists spend more than 2 hours to apply such a make-up. What a challenging task! Here the dancers still use herbal and home-made cosmetics for make-up. I think it would be apt to say that the dancers paint their faces in a creative way. And it is done according to the role of the character. Each character was powerfully depicted, from protagonist to the villain. There is also a difference in the make-up of the positive characters and negative ones.
The show was divided into three parts: dancers perform prayer, English narration of the story and finally the drama. It lasted for an hour and I know that its memories will last forever. I had never seen such a fantastic dance performance.

“Architecture is a continuing dialogue between generations which creates an environment across time” is a quote by Vincent Scully which sits smug on the culturally rich city, Madurai. Among the temples that I have visited in South India, the Sri Meenakshi temple of Madurai has the most intense and striking atmosphere. It is probably one of the most interesting, exotic and fascinating temples of India, known for its outstanding and impressive architectural beauty.

The enormous temple complex is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known as Sundareshvara and his consort Parvati or Meenakshi that’s why it is called as Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple. It is known for its supreme architectural wonder showcasing the affluent Dravidian Culture. The temple is built in the lotus shaped city Madurai and the outer towers of the temple are the landmarks of this city. The temple is constructed within a high-walled enclosure, at the centre there are two sanctums, one for Meenakshi and the other for Sundareshwara. It is surrounded by a number of smaller shrines, grand pillared halls and twelve impressive gopurams. There are soaring towers in the temple which are decorated with stucco figures of deities, mythical animals and monsters painted in vivid colours.

The elaborate layout of the temple overwhelmed me. There are many things in the temple that captivated my attention. some of them are the 14 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The average height of these towers are between 45 to 50 meters. The towers are majestically adorned with the stone carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses, painted in brilliant colours.

Ashta Shakthi Mandapam which is located on the eastern entrance of the temple is truly beautiful. This hall derived its name from the eight statues of goddesses that are installed inside. Adjacent to this is the Meenakshi Nayak Mandapam, known for its sculptures on the pillars that portray the story of Lord Shiva’s Thiruvilayadals (miracles) and Meenakshi’s birth. This hall also has a lamp-holder with 1,008 lamps which are lit up during the festive occasions.

Orthamarai Kulam (Golden Lotus Tank) is a scared lake which is located inside the temple premises. On the western side of the lake are the Oonjal (swing) Mandapam and Killikoontu (parrot cage) Mandapam. On every Friday the idols of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are placed on the swing in the Oonjal Mandapam and mantras are chanted. Lord Sundareswarar’s shrine is situated to the north of Kilikoontu Mandapam. Here Sundareswarar is worshipped in the form of a linga along with his 64 bhootaganas, 32 lions and 8 elephants attendants.

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple celebrates at least one festival every month but the most important festival is the Chithirai Brahamostavam Festival or Meenakshi Thirukalyanam (The divine marriage of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar) which is celebrated in the month of April every year.

After visiting this magnificent temple I realised that this place is also the storehouse of Dravidian knowledge and culture. Inscriptions, sculptures, paintings and architectures are delicately interwoven with religious fervour which glorifies this historical marvel throughout the world and provides it an eminent place in India.

While sailing through the mesmerizing backwaters of Kerala  I felt as if mother nature was smiling at me. I was completely absorbed in the celestial beauty of nature, with sun brightly reflected by the water, the water gently rippling, the swaying palm trees dancing to the tune of refreshing wind and above all a feeling of being at peach with my own self and nature. No wonder water is such an expressive feature of nature.

We were at Alleppy backwaters enjoying nature at its best. Alleppy is a wonderful city of Kerala, which is famed for its breathtaking backwaters. It takes pride in its scenic beauty, lush paddy fields and enchanting backwaters. It is a big hit with tourists who come here for an exhilarating experience from across the globe.

I and my friends were cruising across the backwaters on a traditional houseboat. Available in different sizes, these houseboats are called Kettuvallams. Fitted with modern comforts and decorated in a traditional style, these houseboats are the perfect means of exploring backwaters. They are eco-friendly and are made of bamboo poles, coconut fiber, ropes, bamboo mats, carpets etc.

While cruising through the backwaters we sighted some beautiful birds such as kingfisher, darter and cormorant. Sighting such beautiful birds was an overwhelming experience.

We also enjoyed delicious lunch at the houseboat. We relished sambar dosa and idli, which was very tasty. We rounded off our hearty meal with a famous dessert of Kerala, Palppayasam. It is a sweet dish made of sugar, ghee, spices brewed in creamy white milk. It is served with ‘boli’, a golden yellow sweet pancake.

I was going through a study on lovely flamingoes by Dr. Salim Ali He observed that when the conditions are favorable and breeding has started, a sudden drop in water level provokes the flamingoes to desert their nests. The eggs rot and chicks die. Large scale deaths are not unknown. The study is about a less explored destination – Point Calemere Bird Sanctuary – in the district of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu. The place hosts a fair of flamingoes every year.

From where do the 60,000 flamingoes come to Point Calemere, and why do they desert the soda lakes? Do they return straight to their resting places or stop en route? What are the routes they take? Being a bird lover, I had countless questions. I picked a guide of Bombay Natural History Society and headed for this virgin forest land.

Point Calemere, covering over 17.29 sq km, was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1967. Mammals like blackbuck, chital, wild boar, porcupine etc. also inhabit the area. As I entered the dense forests, I observed that there is no source of fresh water in the sanctuary, and the wild animals have to quench their thirst with the saline water available in the area. As the vast saline marshes of Vedaranyam act as a sanctuary for water birds, it is known as the Vedaranyam Bird Sanctuary too. During winters, about 90 species of birds visit this area, of which a few also come from Soviet Union, Iran, Australia, England & northern India.

While exploring the virgin forests, I clicked some greater & lesser flamingoes, egrets, wild ducks, painted storks, pelicans and little stints. I also found a few snakes prowling in the saline waters. They had tails flattened like a paddle. A guide told me that Point Calemere has the largest congregation of flamingoes, second only to the one in the Great Rann of Kutch. The birds visit it for feeding. They do not breed here, but they do bring along their young. The best part with my trip to Point Calemere Sanctuary was when I spotted a greater flamingo, which was about 130 centimeters tall. It was whiter in color, and its wings coverts were more white and red than those of lesser flamingo. I clicked it lowering its slender neck between its legs and dipping its head completely under water. The design of its bill was also adapted to sieve food from mud or water. Its pointed bill was longer than its head. The guide told me that they usually stay here up to March every year.

On observing a painting in blue and pink in the sky, I asked my guide about that. To which he replied that these were thousands of flamingoes flying off together from a lake. They do so when fishermen arrive to cast their nets to catch fish. Point Calemere used to be a holiday resort for the British, but today it serves as a small village where life runs at a slower but fruitful pace.

Flipping through the pages of Srishti, my favorite nature

based magazine, I came across a beautiful quote. It reads, “Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes – every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.” No wonder Mother nature uplifts our souls through its wonderful attractions. I was more than happy as I was in a flight to God’s Own Country, Kerala. Undoubtedly this tourist destination of India needs no introduction. Everybody knows about it, but just knowing is not enough. One must visit this destination if one wishes to experience the beauty of a paradise.

I and my dear friends Shivani and Pallavi landed at Trivandrum airport in the afternoon. After covering a distance of 23 km from the airport I reached the Travancore Heritage Resort in the wonderful Kovalam. It is a beach town located on the western coast of India. It is one of the most famous tourist destinations of Kerala. Tourists from across the globe come here for rejuvenating holidays. There are three beautiful beaches in Kovalam- the Lighthouse beach, the Samudra beach and the Hawah beach.

We were booked in the beach grove guest room which offers overwhelming views of the sea. The resort is designed to blend in with the environment outside. After refreshing ourselves with some snacks and coffee, we set out for the Kovalam beach. As we reached the Lighthouse beach we were greeted by arresting waves, swaying palms, golden sand and cool breeze. What a wonderful feeling it was! Life was completely different here, simple yet sophisticated. And here the sophistication lies in the natural beauty. We enjoyed every moment at the beach. The beauty of sunset left me speechless.