I have always been in awe of the Chola Empire. I credit this admiration to my high school history teacher who weaved stories around art and architecture of years gone by and she ensured all of us fell in love…
Pattadakal ~ Masterpieces of Chalukyan Architecture
After crossing the quiet Malaprabha river, the auto rolled by sunflower fields and bullock carts I asked the auto driver if we were indeed headed to Pattadakal or if he lost his way. It appeared that we were far away…
Surreal Bhoothnath Group of Temples in Badami
Everytime, I read about Badami or saw pictures of the place, my gaze stopped at that one picture of a temple next to a lake within deep sandstone ravines. I had also seen it in a movie “Guru” where the…
Around the 1500 Year Old Badami Caves
My last stop for the day was Badami. The caves in Badami were built around 6th century AD by the early Chalukyas. Badami, also known as Vatapi is a beautiful heritage town located in deep ravines in North Karnataka around…
Short Trek in Badami Fort and Shivalaya
The best way to see Badami is to trek up the Northern Hill through the pathway between the rocks and get a view of the caves and the temples on the hill. The southern hill is where the 4 rock…
Around the queen of fjords- Geirangerfjord, Norway
Fjord country Norway was on my travel list for a long time but turned into reality when I could convince a few friends to take a road trip through this breathtakingly beautiful country. I feel that the real beauty of…
Sky-Water-Earth – Glimpses of Rural Bengal, India
The rural areas in Eastern India are mostly green, uber green since they are river fed for most part of the year !! Standing in the far corner of the field you can watch the sky kiss the earth, or…
The Priest and his Mobile in Hampi Anjani Parvat,India
In the last decade, mobile connectivity seems to have slowly become indispensable in our daily lives !! While this has helped everyone to keep in touch but more often than not, it is actually a distraction or sometimes a loyal…
Inside a Stepwell- Rani Ki Vav in Patan, India
We were on our way to Patan, eager to visit the exquisite Rani ki Vav. I have seen many a monument built by a king in memory of his queen but this one where we were headed to was different, it…
7 Usual lessons Unusually learnt in Hampi Temple
We were in Hampi some time ago and decided to visit the Virupaksha Temple near the river side which is also the only functional temple for regular worship. A short walk along the path next to Tungabhadra River leads to…