• Nature's Wonders - Places

    Fast. Furious. Gokak

    Every trip has interesting unplanned detours. This time, for our 5-day Karnataka trip, we had kept the itinerary completely open. Only return tickets from Belgaum to Mumbai were booked. We had some broad idea of the places we want to visit, but ‘when’ and ‘how’ to visit were left to be decided during the trip. So, after Badami and nearby places, before hitting Belgaum, we decided to take a detour. We had the luxury of time. A long day on road with multiple modes of transport followed. Badami to Bagalkote by state transport bus. Bagalkote to Yaragatti again by bus.…

  • Arts & Culture - Heritage - History - Places

    Mahakuta, Badami

    An ancient temple complex at about 15 km from Badami, Mahakuta is part of the travel circuit of Badami–Aihole–Pattadakkal. Surrounded by hills with bushy forests, the complex was built by the Chalukyas and is the seat of Shaivite faith. The complex has a large number of small- and medium-sized temples scattered around a pond (or a small lake – Vishnu Pushkarni). Only one of the temples has daily poojas. Since we visited the place around mid-morning and not during any festivals, there was hardly anyone and was very peaceful. Some of the temple ruins were on the hill in the…

  • History - Nature's Wonders - Places

    The Chalukya Heartland – Badami

    Some times the history, the geography, the weather and the people of a place adds to the dynamics of a travel experience, often enriching it. That’s what happened to us at Badami. After being to Ajanta, Ellora, Kanheri, Pandavleni and the Elephanta cave temples, we have remained overawed by the sheer ability of human beings to ‘create.’ Intricate carvings, artworks, massive lifelike statues, astounding temples carved out of rock … all thousands of years back, without any sophisticated tools and technologies. Badami was no different and only added to that awe. The carvings were fuller and realistic, perhaps because of…