Day 9
We started at 6 am from Kanyakumari. Initial diversion took additional 10 minutes from us. Journey to Bengaloru was in short plain, simple, lengthy and so tiring at the end part when traffic near ring road started giving fights for space. We reached door of my sister in law's door at 2:30 pm. We then had a wonderful lunch. Road condition is simply superb. We had 3 breaks for tea, breakfast and for another natural break.
We rest for another two days in Bengaloru enjoying hospitality of my co brother and SIL. I realise now writing those times now, that those two phases of rest was key to our successful trip. I salute and thank my wife for forcing these two stops on me.
Below are walk around shots inside a mall in Bengaluru.
Day 12
We started for Hampi in the early morning at 6 am. Roads are little less crowded and dark in Bengaloru that time. Asking a small truck driver worked good for us, he guide us to the NICE connector. Earlier I thought I will drive cutting through Bengaloru city to reach highway, but going through NICE, I realised that would have been a foolish act even if GPS will come for help. Toll of 130 seemed worth spending.
Road condition deteriorate the moment we enter NH 13 on Chitradurga. Pot holes, truck carrying heavy minerals or something else are two most dangerous obstacles I had to avoid. Add to that some dare devil cyclist, cows and childrens of some villages and yes auto-rickshaws . And how can I forget hundreds of Robinhoods riding motorcycles and considering us as some rich arrogant.
Road side view before Chitradurga.
View before Hampi shows us history.
We are close to Hampi.
At times, destination becomes less important. You stop on the road side even if you were in rhythm of driving, because you have seen something so beautiful and mesmerizing that you feel you have already seen part or whole journey in just one instance. You become numb in your heart, you bow your head, lower your ego, stop your watch, forget your surname, you start living with your actual world.
There, at that moment you feel but can't say loud that your experience of nature's beauty is now worth sharing. I do not know how much of what I just said can these three photo expressed, so I request once again, go out on the roads, see your self in your nature, in your own country.
We reached Humpi at around 11 am. We found us in a place full of school children utilizing year end holiday's. There is no room unless you pay at least 3200 rupees for a day for a non A/C room.
Going to a unkempt restaurant opens up a chance of a cheaper option by the river side. Superb it was as we were staying right inside the Hampi village residents.
Hampi was full of foreigners too.
First thing took my notice are those boulders shaped so many ways by natural wind in and around Hampi. Seeing temples within those boulders,
Hampi has different style of restaurants, but we will talk about that later as well. Post a fast lunch, we took a rickshaw to show us around. We did wrong, so let me tell you all those who will take their own car, please see Hampi with it. Take a map, then reach those places. All are quite nearby having enough places for parking.
Photo below ahowed mass dining table of Hampi. Bigger crater is for probably rice and the smaller one was most likely for vegetables, curd, daal. People used to serve walking through that canal I believe.
We walked towards Vithala temple through this road. Hampi is almost unaltered post its past. If there is not much tourist there, you may find yourself back in the history. all those raw nature with boulders of shapes that you hardly can imagine, horses idly enjoying little dry grasses, people (if any) are least bothered about you. In that circumstances, you will laugh inside happily enjoying walk in the garden of history.
I didn't care to know much about actual history, I wanted to be a kid again who wants to see history but do not want to remember statistical and alphabetical records. I wanted to make story of my own on history,
Presence of horses was unexpected to me, although kings at their time must have used horses for their daily life and survival fights. Yet the next shot actually put me in to a western movie, almost.
Some more photos of Vithala temple and around.
This alley was a shaded path in its time I believe.
This alley went a long way till entry gate of Vithala temple.
I will not be able to name these palaces, and their times. To me, they symbolise people, their time. Which ultimately become a symbol of faith, struggle, life to me.
Reader, I request you to go see these places in your own way. Intension of my whole process of these three part travelogue is to send you there. To feel India.
King's pedestal I believe.
We went back to bolders near centre temple of Hampi to see sunset. Sun left us some time sooner than I thought. The top of the boulders have again temples, many of them. And a beautiful scene of Hampi and beyond.
I still belong to Red dot photographers. That foreigner lady with a Red skirt among those stones, road stood as a sign of present time. Like the other visitor I can not help stare and shot the shot.
Biggest temple in Hampi at the centre of the city. that time, market for jewelry use to be nearby.
All of a sudden on bare plain open stone I saw below Shivalinga. Mason at their time play with viewer's mind. when languages are there to symbolize, repeat our feelings, these masons went ahead and express their faith and wishes and trust on god(s). Shivalinga, symbol of fertility, man-woman-birth suddenly became something more. I didn't find anyone out there to ask about it. So, made some meaning for myself and went along smiling.
This is a 22 feet statue, and at that time of post sunset, its gigantic presence was at least fearsome!
We entered centre temple in Hampi having Nandi with us. Local people were their with their stories, chitchats and observing eyes on tourists.
Moon was way to its full glory, I wish I could go back to Vithala then and enjoy moonlit past. But we all were tired by that time. Daughter had already got exhausted by long walks.
Ceiling of the temple.
Only light follows straight path and mind with curves in its path of logics, make beautiful objects to make the light and its effect more subtle, beautiful. I enjoyed the whole day of Hampi, but the temple was the best for its vast presence, some particular sounds and absence of noise and crowd and for its show of believe in god. All stones were showing their utmost belief in god when they were shaped for the temple.
Hindu religion with its practicality and using god and other way of control to maintain balance with nature make me happy. Except for some human being who use unquestioned trust of believers to their benefit (Brahmins I mean), Hinduis is surviving because of its maturity,
The village changed their buldings to suit their business. Hence narrow alley has lit up restaurants and dirt together. Some cases alleys are quite clean as well. The whole place is having vegetarian food only. Egg is acceptable.
This photo to me expressed my feeling about my trip. Here the ox, with a passing by bike, a little perplexed child (our daughter), Bob Marley and that quite illuminating Blue wall all together made a three dimensional photograph with a variety of life that only India can show. I was like a child with wide eye and open mind all through this trip as this shot make me open my eye and see it in detail for its super contrasting object, placement of colours and subjects.
Two children was closing their mobile shop, a cow was munching, night has started in Hampi. We and some other few were taking the whole place inside us with its wind, smell, colour and sound.
With some clouds on the sky and some cows on the street, the temple to me actually connects time through its presence being in between time and senses.
DAY 13: New year
Hampi was celebrating new year when we slept like stones. Morning greeted us with Rangoli and wishes written on stone, footpath, walls, everywhere.
We have decided to reach Badami today. See Badami on the second half and leave for Bombay next day. Our trip was coming to an end. I knew we can not see Aihole and Pattadhakal. Places that are in my view list for last so many years. So, what? It is good to be this way, I can drive down again to Karnataka, I needed a reason so I have it now.
I compare Hampi as a novel, where Badami is like a stiched collection of short stories. Hampi is like living in grandmother's lap. Badami is like listening to uncle telling his father's story in bits and pieces.
In Hampi, you will use your imagination as the place is large yet not in such a good condition. You will make the rest of the story yourself. But Hampi is pure with its time. New time, new architecture, our culture is not mixed there. It is like reading an old script.
Badami on the other hand let time and human being place themselves within its own story. You as a child have to find pages of your grandmother's diary searching in her room, searching in many places. And then you need to stitch them together. Actually they are placed in and around Badami. We could not do that for having less time. So, we concentrated on Badami caves, museum and Badami fort.
Like short stories, Badami left us thinking about it even now when I writing it,
We first went to Badami caves. In a half circle mountain here gave a wonderful defense system which kings use it to its full benefit. Religion found shelter there first. Kings captured and use rest of it. In four caves of Badami you can see Hindu and Jain sculptures. Those caves in those voluptuous mountain had wonderful view of a lake in the lap of the mountain. Various gods, goddesses and their usual accomplices share sides, ceilings of those caves. What attracted me most was the crucial devotion and love of those sculptors written all over those sculptures.
You can see present houses, mosques beside those mountains and caves in Badami. You can eat Chinese food looking at hose caves and be confused about time while in Badami. Or you can sit inside any of those caves, look at the lake below and lost yourself
Similarly this view gave me cave and multistory building in the same view.
Baraha avtar.
Corridor in cave 2(?), I do not remember corectly now.
Stone and story.
There are many Vishnu idols were sculpted there.
Museum in Badami does not allow photography inside. But one must not miss that. Specifically for some gate and a sculpture of goddess mother nature.
So, we continue our climb to see Badami fort.
Badami fort is heaven for landscape photographer. many abstract photos can be made there too. We reached late (or right) there as Sun was leaning towards West by that time. Light falling on the fort with its Golden cast. We were about to end our trip points that day. I was little sad yet content and happy seeing Badami. Hampi made me little unhappy as I did not read much about Hampi and had to imagine and look thoroughly to understand its true history. We could not get a proper guide there as well. Badami was straight way talking to us.
View of a temple inside fort in the mid level. This view is towards South-West.
Rocks made interesting stories there. You can understand what happened there through cuts, grooves, shapes of these rocks. Above all they make interesting forms to make your own composition with stories too.
Some photos here and in my earlier two posts may look over the top in terms of saturation, but I deliberately kept it that way to show exuberant joy they bring upon me. And in some cases I did it to support inherent colour forms they make.
I do not know whether these two stones were cut out or formed naturally. They look like formed by nature's wish and then the blank space in between seems just made out of the tree that is there in the photo above.
The fort has surprises in almost every turn. and when light plays such beautification to the place, who can stop collecting such images.
It is a heaven for landscape photographers. come, see and bring joy with you. See Badami.
Moon came out, sky was clear, we were running down as everybody else has already vacated the place. I was sort of recording the whole scene in my brain and hoping that someday, someday, I will again be walking on this path. Praying that Sun will have the same light on that day too!
The mountain you see on the back of the lonely treeis the whole fort. Perspctive error is due to a wide lens effect.
Temple at the lake.
Local residents cleaning their clothes. Sun already set some 30 or so minutes back. On the side of this big lake, having those caves on our left, fort and museum on our right we sat quiet for some more time. People of Badami were busy doing their regular work or chat. We were walking past through our journey in our mind and also enjoying sitting on these steps. Like driving, here too things were happening in front of us and we were just audiences. We had no control or say nor can we touch what was happening in front of us. Like all those intangible non-materialistic THINGS like pride, honour, sorrow, that evening was passing by us. Like our parents smile, it brings bubbling joy inside us. Deep, deep inside, I knew this view will be with me for a long-long time. A trip is not about names, history, kilometres. It is about those non materialistic happenings which remains with you. Like a poetry which touches you somewhere yet you can not touch neither the poetry or the place inside you where it touches you. Like poetry, all those good memories, happenings, fleeting moments, joy of life and joy of being human remain with us because of this trip. That will be our earning, our credit to carry.
DAY 14
We started from Badami for Bombay early in the morning at 0600 hrs. Narrow road, diversions, road block due to repair took us through non existent road (in GPS), through fog covered land till 0900 hrs. Fog hit us real bad at places. And we found unexpected help too at places. In the early morning among fields having a narrow road we all of a find a person who surprisingly knew Hindi and knew name of the place we want to reach. may be he worked somewhere up North or middle of India someday.
I want to finish this post with this photo as simplicity and cleanliness in villages in three states of South part of India amazed us.
Returning Baroda via Bombay (Thakurli) otherwise was non eventful. Roads outskirts of Pune on both side were full of pot wholes and diversions. Roads in Kalamboli and thakurli were awfully packed with all kind of vehicles.
Day 15
We started at 0900hrs from Thakurli and reached home at 1600 hrs.
Some interesting facts out of tour:-
We rode 5300 kilometres in total.
We paid nearly 10000 rupees in toll to and fro.
We did not have any hassles with police, in-fact they have helped us in finding directions, hotels for stay and even restaurants for food.
We did not had any mishaps. I did not hurt anyone by our car or by self. Only one swift touch the cars front left bumper and teared off two inches of colour from the bumper. It happened while going through Satara hills.
We pay 1100, 1000, 900 and 800 for rooms and in this order only. Room at Rameshwaram was the worst. Room at Kolhapure was the best.
We didn't pre-book any hotel and got hotel within half an hour of searching. At times, we took more time in hope for finding a better hotel.
Asking for anything with a smile works, always.
Honesty is there, at every working Indian.
People help you more if you let them help you.
Trust in your face will bring trust in others to help you.
We did not have a single puncture in the whole journey.
Mahindra Quanto constantly gave nearly 19~20 kmpl average with A/C on.
Pleasure of travelling on road in India alone is worth buying a car.
Start seeing India, start living like a nomad.
Below is one of my favourite shot in Badami fort.
We started at 6 am from Kanyakumari. Initial diversion took additional 10 minutes from us. Journey to Bengaloru was in short plain, simple, lengthy and so tiring at the end part when traffic near ring road started giving fights for space. We reached door of my sister in law's door at 2:30 pm. We then had a wonderful lunch. Road condition is simply superb. We had 3 breaks for tea, breakfast and for another natural break.
We rest for another two days in Bengaloru enjoying hospitality of my co brother and SIL. I realise now writing those times now, that those two phases of rest was key to our successful trip. I salute and thank my wife for forcing these two stops on me.
Below are walk around shots inside a mall in Bengaluru.
Day 12
We started for Hampi in the early morning at 6 am. Roads are little less crowded and dark in Bengaloru that time. Asking a small truck driver worked good for us, he guide us to the NICE connector. Earlier I thought I will drive cutting through Bengaloru city to reach highway, but going through NICE, I realised that would have been a foolish act even if GPS will come for help. Toll of 130 seemed worth spending.
Road condition deteriorate the moment we enter NH 13 on Chitradurga. Pot holes, truck carrying heavy minerals or something else are two most dangerous obstacles I had to avoid. Add to that some dare devil cyclist, cows and childrens of some villages and yes auto-rickshaws . And how can I forget hundreds of Robinhoods riding motorcycles and considering us as some rich arrogant.
Road side view before Chitradurga.
View before Hampi shows us history.
We are close to Hampi.
At times, destination becomes less important. You stop on the road side even if you were in rhythm of driving, because you have seen something so beautiful and mesmerizing that you feel you have already seen part or whole journey in just one instance. You become numb in your heart, you bow your head, lower your ego, stop your watch, forget your surname, you start living with your actual world.
There, at that moment you feel but can't say loud that your experience of nature's beauty is now worth sharing. I do not know how much of what I just said can these three photo expressed, so I request once again, go out on the roads, see your self in your nature, in your own country.
We reached Humpi at around 11 am. We found us in a place full of school children utilizing year end holiday's. There is no room unless you pay at least 3200 rupees for a day for a non A/C room.
Going to a unkempt restaurant opens up a chance of a cheaper option by the river side. Superb it was as we were staying right inside the Hampi village residents.
Hampi was full of foreigners too.
First thing took my notice are those boulders shaped so many ways by natural wind in and around Hampi. Seeing temples within those boulders,
Hampi has different style of restaurants, but we will talk about that later as well. Post a fast lunch, we took a rickshaw to show us around. We did wrong, so let me tell you all those who will take their own car, please see Hampi with it. Take a map, then reach those places. All are quite nearby having enough places for parking.
Photo below ahowed mass dining table of Hampi. Bigger crater is for probably rice and the smaller one was most likely for vegetables, curd, daal. People used to serve walking through that canal I believe.
We walked towards Vithala temple through this road. Hampi is almost unaltered post its past. If there is not much tourist there, you may find yourself back in the history. all those raw nature with boulders of shapes that you hardly can imagine, horses idly enjoying little dry grasses, people (if any) are least bothered about you. In that circumstances, you will laugh inside happily enjoying walk in the garden of history.
I didn't care to know much about actual history, I wanted to be a kid again who wants to see history but do not want to remember statistical and alphabetical records. I wanted to make story of my own on history,
Presence of horses was unexpected to me, although kings at their time must have used horses for their daily life and survival fights. Yet the next shot actually put me in to a western movie, almost.
Some more photos of Vithala temple and around.
This alley was a shaded path in its time I believe.
This alley went a long way till entry gate of Vithala temple.
I will not be able to name these palaces, and their times. To me, they symbolise people, their time. Which ultimately become a symbol of faith, struggle, life to me.
Reader, I request you to go see these places in your own way. Intension of my whole process of these three part travelogue is to send you there. To feel India.
This palace was for queen's beautification. It include bath too.
To me, the whole Hampi was for someone to be in her/himself with these stones shaped by human. Time and effort created stories in stone.
King's pedestal I believe.
We went back to bolders near centre temple of Hampi to see sunset. Sun left us some time sooner than I thought. The top of the boulders have again temples, many of them. And a beautiful scene of Hampi and beyond.
I still belong to Red dot photographers. That foreigner lady with a Red skirt among those stones, road stood as a sign of present time. Like the other visitor I can not help stare and shot the shot.
Biggest temple in Hampi at the centre of the city. that time, market for jewelry use to be nearby.
This is a 22 feet statue, and at that time of post sunset, its gigantic presence was at least fearsome!
We entered centre temple in Hampi having Nandi with us. Local people were their with their stories, chitchats and observing eyes on tourists.
Moon was way to its full glory, I wish I could go back to Vithala then and enjoy moonlit past. But we all were tired by that time. Daughter had already got exhausted by long walks.
Ceiling of the temple.
Only light follows straight path and mind with curves in its path of logics, make beautiful objects to make the light and its effect more subtle, beautiful. I enjoyed the whole day of Hampi, but the temple was the best for its vast presence, some particular sounds and absence of noise and crowd and for its show of believe in god. All stones were showing their utmost belief in god when they were shaped for the temple.
Hindu religion with its practicality and using god and other way of control to maintain balance with nature make me happy. Except for some human being who use unquestioned trust of believers to their benefit (Brahmins I mean), Hinduis is surviving because of its maturity,
The village changed their buldings to suit their business. Hence narrow alley has lit up restaurants and dirt together. Some cases alleys are quite clean as well. The whole place is having vegetarian food only. Egg is acceptable.
This photo to me expressed my feeling about my trip. Here the ox, with a passing by bike, a little perplexed child (our daughter), Bob Marley and that quite illuminating Blue wall all together made a three dimensional photograph with a variety of life that only India can show. I was like a child with wide eye and open mind all through this trip as this shot make me open my eye and see it in detail for its super contrasting object, placement of colours and subjects.
Two children was closing their mobile shop, a cow was munching, night has started in Hampi. We and some other few were taking the whole place inside us with its wind, smell, colour and sound.
With some clouds on the sky and some cows on the street, the temple to me actually connects time through its presence being in between time and senses.
Hampi was celebrating new year when we slept like stones. Morning greeted us with Rangoli and wishes written on stone, footpath, walls, everywhere.
I compare Hampi as a novel, where Badami is like a stiched collection of short stories. Hampi is like living in grandmother's lap. Badami is like listening to uncle telling his father's story in bits and pieces.
In Hampi, you will use your imagination as the place is large yet not in such a good condition. You will make the rest of the story yourself. But Hampi is pure with its time. New time, new architecture, our culture is not mixed there. It is like reading an old script.
Badami on the other hand let time and human being place themselves within its own story. You as a child have to find pages of your grandmother's diary searching in her room, searching in many places. And then you need to stitch them together. Actually they are placed in and around Badami. We could not do that for having less time. So, we concentrated on Badami caves, museum and Badami fort.
Like short stories, Badami left us thinking about it even now when I writing it,
We first went to Badami caves. In a half circle mountain here gave a wonderful defense system which kings use it to its full benefit. Religion found shelter there first. Kings captured and use rest of it. In four caves of Badami you can see Hindu and Jain sculptures. Those caves in those voluptuous mountain had wonderful view of a lake in the lap of the mountain. Various gods, goddesses and their usual accomplices share sides, ceilings of those caves. What attracted me most was the crucial devotion and love of those sculptors written all over those sculptures.
You can see present houses, mosques beside those mountains and caves in Badami. You can eat Chinese food looking at hose caves and be confused about time while in Badami. Or you can sit inside any of those caves, look at the lake below and lost yourself
Similarly this view gave me cave and multistory building in the same view.
Baraha avtar.
Corridor in cave 2(?), I do not remember corectly now.
Stone and story.
There are many Vishnu idols were sculpted there.
Museum in Badami does not allow photography inside. But one must not miss that. Specifically for some gate and a sculpture of goddess mother nature.
So, we continue our climb to see Badami fort.
Badami fort is heaven for landscape photographer. many abstract photos can be made there too. We reached late (or right) there as Sun was leaning towards West by that time. Light falling on the fort with its Golden cast. We were about to end our trip points that day. I was little sad yet content and happy seeing Badami. Hampi made me little unhappy as I did not read much about Hampi and had to imagine and look thoroughly to understand its true history. We could not get a proper guide there as well. Badami was straight way talking to us.
View of a temple inside fort in the mid level. This view is towards South-West.
Rocks made interesting stories there. You can understand what happened there through cuts, grooves, shapes of these rocks. Above all they make interesting forms to make your own composition with stories too.
Some photos here and in my earlier two posts may look over the top in terms of saturation, but I deliberately kept it that way to show exuberant joy they bring upon me. And in some cases I did it to support inherent colour forms they make.
I do not know whether these two stones were cut out or formed naturally. They look like formed by nature's wish and then the blank space in between seems just made out of the tree that is there in the photo above.
The fort has surprises in almost every turn. and when light plays such beautification to the place, who can stop collecting such images.
It is a heaven for landscape photographers. come, see and bring joy with you. See Badami.
Moon came out, sky was clear, we were running down as everybody else has already vacated the place. I was sort of recording the whole scene in my brain and hoping that someday, someday, I will again be walking on this path. Praying that Sun will have the same light on that day too!
The mountain you see on the back of the lonely treeis the whole fort. Perspctive error is due to a wide lens effect.
Temple at the lake.
Local residents cleaning their clothes. Sun already set some 30 or so minutes back. On the side of this big lake, having those caves on our left, fort and museum on our right we sat quiet for some more time. People of Badami were busy doing their regular work or chat. We were walking past through our journey in our mind and also enjoying sitting on these steps. Like driving, here too things were happening in front of us and we were just audiences. We had no control or say nor can we touch what was happening in front of us. Like all those intangible non-materialistic THINGS like pride, honour, sorrow, that evening was passing by us. Like our parents smile, it brings bubbling joy inside us. Deep, deep inside, I knew this view will be with me for a long-long time. A trip is not about names, history, kilometres. It is about those non materialistic happenings which remains with you. Like a poetry which touches you somewhere yet you can not touch neither the poetry or the place inside you where it touches you. Like poetry, all those good memories, happenings, fleeting moments, joy of life and joy of being human remain with us because of this trip. That will be our earning, our credit to carry.
DAY 14
We started from Badami for Bombay early in the morning at 0600 hrs. Narrow road, diversions, road block due to repair took us through non existent road (in GPS), through fog covered land till 0900 hrs. Fog hit us real bad at places. And we found unexpected help too at places. In the early morning among fields having a narrow road we all of a find a person who surprisingly knew Hindi and knew name of the place we want to reach. may be he worked somewhere up North or middle of India someday.
I want to finish this post with this photo as simplicity and cleanliness in villages in three states of South part of India amazed us.
Returning Baroda via Bombay (Thakurli) otherwise was non eventful. Roads outskirts of Pune on both side were full of pot wholes and diversions. Roads in Kalamboli and thakurli were awfully packed with all kind of vehicles.
Day 15
We started at 0900hrs from Thakurli and reached home at 1600 hrs.
Some interesting facts out of tour:-
We rode 5300 kilometres in total.
We paid nearly 10000 rupees in toll to and fro.
We did not have any hassles with police, in-fact they have helped us in finding directions, hotels for stay and even restaurants for food.
We did not had any mishaps. I did not hurt anyone by our car or by self. Only one swift touch the cars front left bumper and teared off two inches of colour from the bumper. It happened while going through Satara hills.
We pay 1100, 1000, 900 and 800 for rooms and in this order only. Room at Rameshwaram was the worst. Room at Kolhapure was the best.
We didn't pre-book any hotel and got hotel within half an hour of searching. At times, we took more time in hope for finding a better hotel.
Asking for anything with a smile works, always.
Honesty is there, at every working Indian.
People help you more if you let them help you.
Trust in your face will bring trust in others to help you.
We did not have a single puncture in the whole journey.
Mahindra Quanto constantly gave nearly 19~20 kmpl average with A/C on.
Pleasure of travelling on road in India alone is worth buying a car.
Start seeing India, start living like a nomad.
Below is one of my favourite shot in Badami fort.
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