Haven't
we all grown up listening to the witty stories of Tenali Raman and
the mighty emperor Krishnadevaraya? Well, let me introduce you to the
ruins of Hampi. Where even the ruins tell the glorious tales of the emperor.
And after reading it in story and history books, hasn't your curious mind began
to wonder, how would it be like to actually visit the place?
India has
thirty-two world heritage sites. Trust me, there are more, it may not be
"world heritage sites", but they are heritage sites and are really
beautiful and mesmerizing. The architecture spectacular and has a lot to
say to the one who seeks.
Ruins of Hampi dot an eerie landscape that
will leave you spellbound and amazed. You could see
the ruins and some well kept religious sites. The ruins attract a lot of tourists
every year. Though it is called a ruin, there are around 100 sites to visit, if
you haven’t visited at least ten, then
you haven’t visited Hampi at all.
You could picture Hampi as unreal and
enchanting, the forlorn ruins, heaps of giant boulders of terrain for miles in
a background jade-green plantation. That is Hampi for you. You gotta visit it
to experience it !
Then there is Badami too, which is
equally beautiful and filled with monkeys. Kepp your eatables safe. Don’t say I
did not warn you.
Being from Bangalore another heritage sites for me are these short trips from Bangalore for the weekend - Shravanabelagola, Belur and Halebeedu. Difficult to
pronounce eh? More beautiful to see!
Shravanabelagola covers two great religions - Jainism and Hindu, one state and one aroma –coffee. Coffee lovers, Hassan is your destination. Best part- good connectivity-roads.Yay! No jerks, very irritating, especially if you are taking a photo from the moving car.
So, start from Bangalore and reach Sravanbelagola to witness the great statue of standing Mahaveer where mahakumbabishekam is performed once in 12 years. Pack your energy to climb the numerous steps to reach the feet of the lord and witness yourself the ancient temple. Sorry guys, no power bank for this.
Once you finish admiring that great statue, it is short trip to Hassan and then on to Belur and Halebeedu - the land of Hoysalas. Yeah, the same Hoysalas that invaded our social science aka history books. Now you can aww or oh.
Visit the Channakeshava temple- incredible temple
and discover an architecture that you
will find nowhere else. Such intricate carvings and
in such detail that you will find the finger
nail in Garuda statue(just
one example). Go there to find many. Finger nails were beautiful, so I
remember. Other words- Breathtaking and exquisite. Experience it and hey don’t
forget to enjoy the aromatic Coffee from the motherland of coffee Sakleshpur,
Chikamagalur. Short distance from Hassan is Sakleshpur and the beginning of
western Ghats. Explore the area, if you have time and you will not
regret. And yeah, they are not heritage sites, Okay? But they are very
beautiful.
All in all, Karnataka
is the most hospitable state of India and of course cosmopolitan too. But wait,
I am an Indian!
P.S. No pictures today. You will have to visit it to know how
it looks and feels.
I changed my mind, bcause I don't want to change yours, so here are a few pictures, you will have to go there to find out which place it actually is.
I am participating in the #A-ZChallenge. My theme is A-Z of travelling in India.Come along and take the journey with me to experience incredible India.
Also linking it to day 9 of UBC