The Deccan Odyssey

Our recent visit to Pune was just mind blowing. Pune is well known as the 'Queen of Deccan' due to its scenic beauty and rich natural resources. Pune city is known for its educational, research and development institutions. Pune is the most industrialized district in western Maharashtra and a famous IT hub in the country.

We started from Bangalore on 5th November by Udyan Express and reached Pune on 6th by around 4:30pm. We were received by relatives at the Pune railway station and we reached my relatives home and got refreshed. Then we planned to go to some nearby places like Lifestyle Mall, which was the nearest one from where we stayed, and just went through the stalls and had food from McDonald's. So the plan for next day was all set, an all were really excited to visit all the places in the list.

It was 7th November morning 4am, and everyone got up and got ready, and by 5:30am, we all left from Pune by a Qualis to Aurangabad; the northern part of Maharashtra. All were fresh and passed our time chatting, watching the sunrise through the grassy plateaus, Ranchan Gaon (where TATA, LG, Whirlpool etc factories can be seen on the roadside). And by 7:30am, reached an important city Ahmednagar and since all were hungry, had food from the Food mall which was about an hour drive from this city.



And at last we reached the most awaited city Aurangabad by 10:30am, and had to drive for about 10-15min searching MTDC rooms, which we had already booked. We loaded our luggage in the rooms, got refreshed and started our journey to Ellora by 11am.



Aurangabad, located in the northern part of Maharashtra is considered a city that preserves a rich cultural heritage. Aurangabad is generally referred as the gateway to the ancient caves of Ajanta and Ellora. Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who ruled the country from the place till his death, is credited of building many architectural gems that still adorn the landscape of this historical city of Maharashtra. Moreover, Aurangabad gets its name from Aurangzeb itself and is famous all over the country for the hand woven brocades of gold and silver known as Himroo.

On the way to Ellora, one can see Daulatabad fort, which was planned to be seen back the way from Ellora. Ellora caves were about 30km from the city and we had to climb several deccan plateaus to reach there. By about 11:30am, we reached the car parking area of Ellora caves. They mainly consist of rock-hewn temples and monasteries. In all, there are 34 cave temples, 12 Mahayana Buddhist caves (550-750 AD), 17 Hindu caves (600-875 AD) and 5 caves of the Jain faith (800-1000 AD) 22 more caves, dedicated to Lord Shiva, were recently discovered.



Kailas Temple (cave16), the central attraction at Ellora, is the most remarkable. Chiseled by hand from a single massive rock, it includes a gateway, pavilion, courtyard, vestibule, sanctum, sanctorum and tower which bear testimony to the excellence of Dravidian art. It is believed to have taken 7000 laborers, working in continuous shifts and 150 years to build. How amazing!



Cave nos. 2, 5, 10 & 12 are of the Buddhist group; Cave nos. 14, 15, 16, 21 & 29 are of the Brahmanical group and Caves 32 to 34 are of the Jaina group. Thus, by visiting these caves, one can have a glimpse of the representative art of Buddhism, Brahmanism and Jainism.



Since it was hot sunny day, walking all over these caves for about 2-3 hours, we were really tired and hungry and had Gujrathi thali from a nearby hotel, and then climbing down the deccan plateaus reached Daulatabad fort by 3pm. Once known as 'Devgiri', this magnificent 12th century fortress stands on a hill. It was given the name Daulatabad, the 'city of fortune', by Muhammad Tughlaq, Sultan of Delhi. It has been passed through the hands of several dynasties in the Deccan. One of the world's best preserved fort of medieval times, surviving virtually unaltered, Daulatabad yet displays the character that made it invincible.



A series of secret, quizzical, subterranean passages lie coiled like a python amidst the fort called the Bhoolbhulayayya where enemies could be trapped and there are guides to help you pass through these passages now. The Fort lies in the body of an steep hill – the sides at the base falling very sharply. The deep moat with mechanical drawbridges were once teemed with crocodiles. One would really feel that the pictures from the story books have come true.



The other notable monuments here are the Chand Minar and the Chini Mahal. The Chand Minar is a tower 210 ft high and 70 ft in circumference at the base, and was originally covered with beautiful Persian glazed tiles. The Chini Mahal, or China Palace, is the ruin of a building once of great beauty.

Since all were walking from morning, it was all for the day and we went back to our MTDC rooms and took rest. And the day was over with a wonderful dinner from a restaurant at MTDC itself.

It was 8th November and plan for the day was Ajantha caves, which was about 100km from Aurangabad. By 8:30am we started our journey and on the way we could see sugarcane, sunflower, cotton seed etc cultivations on both sides of the road. Also one could find several numbers of dhabas on the way. And by 10:30am, we reached the Ajantha caves car parking area, and from here we had to hire a bus to reach the caves.

The Ajanta Caves are a series of 29 Buddhist cave temples, some of which date from the 2nd century BC. Encompassing both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions, the Ajanta caves preserve some of the best masterpieces of Buddhist art in India. The caves are numbered from east to west, 1 through 29. Today, a terraced path connects the cave, but in ancient times each was independently accessed from the riverfront. I cannot imagine how people used to reach here, as we were all tired even using the shortest distance through the terraced path!!!



A viewing platform across the river affords an excellent view of the entire Ajanta site. The natural beauty of the area makes it clear why the monks chose the site for their spiritual pursuits.



The caves are divided into 'Chaitya-Grihas' (stupa halls) and 'Viharas' (dwelling halls). The caves 9, 10, 19, 26 and 29 are 'Chaitya-Grihas'. The rest of the caves are 'Sangharamas' or Viharas (monasteries). The viharas consisted of a broad verandah.The caves 1, 2, 16 and 17 are important from the art point of view. These caves have exotic paintings illustrating the life and incarnations of Buddha.



Above all, it is interesting to know that the enchanting Ajanta caves were discovered accidentally by a company of British soldiers in the 19th century. Before the excavation of these caves they were hidden under the thick vegetation for a long time.

Before hiring the bus back to car parking area, we had good lunch from the MTDC restaurant. We also did shopping from the small stalls near the car parking area like jute bags, single-stone craved candle stands, flower pots etc…

And the final place in the list was Bibi-ka-Maqbara. Bibi-ka-Maqbara, built by Prince Azam Shah, son of Emperor Aurangzeb, in the late 17th century as a loving tribute to his mother Rabia Durrani. The monument's name translates literally to 'Tomb of the Lady', but has earned the nickname 'poor man’s Taj' because it was made to rival the Taj Mahal. It is also known as “Taj of Deccan”. But since it was raining, we couldn’t enjoy its beauty.



While returning from these places, one would recall their school history classes, history teachers. and we finally realize India is incredible indeed!

Unforgettable Udagamandalam

Officially named Udagamandalam, Ooty or the "Queen of Hills" is the most popular hill station of the South and also one of the best known hill resort of India. So, we planned a trip to enjoy its extraordinary scenic beauty from Bangalore by car.

We started from Bangalore on 25th September at about 5am. Taking route through Mysore road, we entered the SH17, via Channapatna, Mandya, we reached Mysore ring road by about 7:15am.



Then via Nanjangud, we entered the Gundulpet town by 9am and take the NH67. The road from this point to Bandhipur National park was also unforgettable. And now onwards the journey is through the forest.



The forest saddles both Karnataka and Tamilnadu states across their border. On the Karnataka side the forest is called Bandipur National Park while the forest on the Tamilnadu side is called Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. Both are tiger reserves and National Parks of importance. And the whole forest falls in Western Ghats.



About 20 min drive, we cross the check posts and we entered Tamilnadu state and we were then at Madumala National Park by 9.40am. The board saying "Be a silent passer" can be seen on road sides. We could see spotted dears, peacock, elephants and gray langurs in these forests. After crossing the forest area, we reached a junction Theppakadu, from here there are two routes to Ooty. One via Masinagudi and the other via Gudalur.

We choose the route via Masinagudi, since this route is shorter and had about 36 hairpin curves. The scenic beauty of Western Ghats while climbing these hairpins is really a memorable one. I wished I had camera on my eyes so that I could snap each moment.



At last, we climbed the 36th curve and had to go a bit more to reach the Ooty town. By 11am, we reached Ooty town and had to search for a good hotel. And by 12pm, we hired a room at Queen Residency. This hotel was situated in between the carrot fields, so we could see ladies digging out the carrots and collecting them in a bag.



We had our lunch at the hotel and took rest. By 6pm, we planned to go out and see Ooty town. It was so cold outside that we had to wear the woollen dresses. We had dinner in the town and were back at room by 9pm and had a good sleep.

Next day, we got up and had our tea enjoying the scenic beauty and the cold, also we planned some places to visit for the day. So we set off by 9am, had breakfast and reached the Ooty lake, so we planned to go for boating before the sunny afternoon.

Ooty lake appears in an L-shape, and it was artificially formed by John Sullivan. We took the row boat and enjoyed the beauty of the blue hills, munching the fresh Ooty carrots. There are also lake gardens and toy train rides nearby.



The next nearby place was Thread Garden. It was a unique experience to see the colourful flowers exquisitely made from threads. It seems that the plants and flowers are entirely woven by hand without any help from machines; even needles have not been used in creating these wonders. The effects are so elaborate and natural that it is very hard to believe that they are artificial.



Then we set off to see the highest peak of Nilgiris and Tamilnadu. Again we had to climb through hills enjoying the beauty of tea estates, carrot, cabbage cultivations to reach the tourist spot "Dodabetta peak". The view of Ooty town from this peak was just awesome.



Then while climbing down from Dodabetta peak, we visited the "Tea factory and museum". It has an entry fee and they show the whole process of making tea from the tea leaves, we also bought some fresh tea powders. There are also homemade chocolate stalls nearby to this area.

The wax museum is also a spot to visit, which is just on the same route. Here the wax statues of personalities of Indian history are housed in a 142 year old bungalow.



The Ketti Valley also known as "Switzerland of Southern India" due to the year-round pleasant climatic conditions and the view point called "Valley View" is located on the route to Coonoor.



Tired of travelling and being hungry, we reached back to the town and had a fantastic SouthIndian Thali. With stomach-full, we thought of entering the Botanical Garden and take rest for a while. By then it was 3:30pm. It is an English styled terraced garden in an area about 22 hectares and has the most colourful collection of flora in Southern India. There are about 1000 varieties of plants, shrubs and trees. The beautifully maintained garden also has exotic varieties of orchids, rock plants, medicinal plants etc.



The Raj Bhavan is also located nearby. Walking around the garden takes hours and by 5:30pm we took almost a glance of the garden and came out. The Tibetian shops nearby this place are good for shopping.

That was the planned schedule for the day, and we had our dinner from Hotel Aryas in the Ooty town and were back to our room at Queens Residency to escape from the chilling cold outside.

Since we had to head back, schedule for the day was very short. We had to wait a bit for our breakfast in the Ooty Sarvanas, but never miss the delicious breakfast from this hotel.

Then by 9:30am, we reached the Rose Garden, the largest Rose Garden in India, perched on the lower slopes of Elk Hill and are over an area of 6 hectares, being landscaped over 5 terraces. There are several varieties of roses with each variety name being written, but since it was not the rose season, we could not enjoy the beauty of roses.



By 10:30am, we went to the Ooty Municipal Market to buy carrots, cabbages, sugarcanes and apples. They were so tasty and cheap.



And then it was time to start back to Bangalore, but I did feel that time didn’t permit me to visit many more places at Ooty like Pykara falls, Sim’s park etc. and by 12pm we took the same route to reach Bangalore. So next time have to plan a trip to Ooty for 1 week.

Bangalore - Waynad Tour

We planned a short tour to Waynad, the north-east part of God’s Own Country. The Folk etymology of the word “Waynad” says it is a combination of Vayal (paddy) and Naad (land), making it 'The Land of Paddy Fields'. Wayanad district stands on the southern top of the Deccan plateau and its chief glory is the majestic Western Ghats with lofty ridges interspersed with dense forest, tangled jungles and deep valleys, the terrain is rugged. Quite a large area of the district is covered by forest but the continued and indiscriminate exploitation of the natural resources point towards an imminent environmental crisis.

Our journey started from Bangalore on 19th September at around 5.00 am, took the route to Mysore by SH17 and reached Mysore by 7.00am. From Mysore, there are several routes to reach Waynad, but we chose the route Mysore – Gundulpet – Muthanga – Sultan Bathery.
From Mysore, we had to take NH212 to reach Gundulpet. First we reach Nanjangud, a small town which is about 23km from Mysore. By another 35km, we reach the town, Gundulpet. This is the last town in Karnataka in route to Ooty or Kozhikode.



From here, we enter the Bandhipur National park, which is one of India's best known protected areas and is an important Project Tiger reserve. It is located in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka in South India, and is contiguous with the Mudumalai National Park in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, the Wynad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, and the Nagarhole National Park to the northwest. It is home to around seventy tigers and over three thousand Asian elephants (as per the 1997 census), along with leopards, dholes, gaur and sloth bears. Bandipur is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

The rules inside the National park are – No Parking, No picnic, No horn. So our rest of journey is through the forest until we reach Kerala. Somewhere at the end of the forest, we can see the entrance to the Muthanga Wild life Sanctuary or the Waynad Sanctuary, which is famous for its project elephant site, where herds of elephants can be seen enjoying themselves in mud and water near the water holes. The sanctuary is a great place to just relax and listen to the uninterrupted sounds of nature.



We had to spend some time in the large queue of lorries at Muthanga. Finally, we got out o the queue and through Noolpuzha, Kottakunnu, we reached Sultan Bathery town. It was around 12.00pm, and so we planned to visit the most nearby place Edakkal Caves. We parked the car and had to wait half an hour to hire the jeep to reach the foot of the hill. From foot of the hill, we had to climb up till the caves. Edakkal Caves are two natural caves located 1000 metres high (4000 feet above sea level) on Ambukutty Mala.



The cave here is formed when a big stone fell onto the cliffs of two big stones. Inside the caves are pictorial writings believed to be from Neolithic man, evidence of the presence of a prehistoric civilisation existing in this region. Such stone age carvings are very rare and these are the only known examples in southern India. After exploring the caves and the beauty of waynad from top of hill, we climbed down by around 1.30pm. By then we were hungry and had our food.



On the route we had to visit our relative at Thrishillery via Meenangadi, Panamaram and Mananthavady through the paddy fields and coffee plantations. We had our tea and started to Kozhikode by about 5.30 in the evening. We took the Thamarasherry churam to reach down to Kozhikode. Passing through the hairpin bends, and the views offered are a prized experience for any traveller on the road.

By about 9 at night, we had reached our aunt’s house at Chevayur, where we had our dinner and had good sleep. So this trip was worth as we could meet and spend time with out relatives too. Next morning we had to again climb the Thamarasherry churam, and start our sightseeing for the day. Pookot lake was the nearest one in this route, so we reached there by 11:30am. It is a natural fresh water lake, brimmed with evergreen mountains. One can also enjoy the boat riding. A children’s park and a shopping centre for handicrafts and spices are some of the few attractions of the region, providing recreational facilities to the visitors.



Then the next spot for the day was Banasurasagar Dam, and the journey to the spot was passing via small villages like Pozhuthana, Aachoor; and through the tea estates and finally we reached by 1:30pm. This is the largest earth dam in India. The topography here is such that many islands will be formed in the upstream of the dam when the dam is full. These islands with the background of the Banasura hill will provide a hypnotising sight to tourists. The cool wind refreshes everyone.



And the final day arrives and our journey for the day started by going to Thirunelly temple, which is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu on the side of Brahmagiri hill. The spring and river near the temple is called Papanasini— meaning “washes away all sins”.



Finally, it was time to start back to Bangalore. But this time, we took another route. Again crossing through Waynad Wildlife Sanctuary, my mind was recollecting the wonderful places I had seen during these three days. We reached Tholpetty by around 1pm and then Kutta, a small town in Coorg district having coffee, spices, paddy estates, and we were going to enter Karnataka State.



Also, Kutta is the entry point to the Nagarhole National Park. Nagarhole National Park, also officially Rajiv Gandhi National Park , is special among other wildlife sanctuaries in the Nilgiri Biosphere , and it has significantly higher population of wildlife especially of tiger and huge elephant herds. We could also spot deer herds.





Thus, we entered the SH17 and reached Mysore, where we had our lunch by around 4 in the evening. And then reached Bangalore with lots of memories.