A thrilling ride through Rayalaseema’s past – Part 4 – The Yaganti Temple

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The famous growing Nandi was right in front of me. It’s said that the stone of which the Nandi is made possesses unique properties, causing it to grow 1 inch every 20 years. Legend has it that once upon a time, people could comfortably walk around the Nandi. Today, however, it is touching the temple pillars on all sides. When I looked closely, it did appear to be slightly out of shape. The Nandi rock was probably indeed expanding. It would be fascinating to investigate this further and find out what is causing the expansion of the rock.

A Thrilling Ride Through Rayalaseema’s Past – Part 2 – The Penukonda Fort

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To my left stood the ruins of the Lakshmi-Narasimha temple. I climbed the steep stairs of the Gopuram and entered the temple premises. Though in ruins, the overall structure was quite intact: the Gopuram, the Mandapam, the Garbha-griha—everything was recognizable. A small Hanuman statue was placed at the entrance. The air was filled with a mystic silence, disrupted only by the slow wind blowing through the broken walls and pillars. It was quite an “another-world-like” moment.

A Thrilling Ride Through Rayalaseema’s Past – Part 1 – The Penukonda Palaces

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My first stop was Penukonda. This town was once the summer capital of the Vijaynagar empire of Hampi. Emperor Venkatapathi Rayalu, Krishnadevray’s successor, appointed Koneti Nayadu as the governor of Penukonda. Koneti Nayadu and his lineage ruled the region for several centuries. Following the catastrophic battle of Talikota, which saw the fall of Vijaynagar, Penukonda even became the capital of the remaining empire. Today, it’s a small town with historical monuments peppered throughout.

Beautiful Bali – Part 3 – The picturesque sunset of Uluwatu | नयनरम्य बाली – भाग ३ – उलूवातूचा रम्य सूर्यास्त

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पण उलूवातूचे मुख्य आकर्षण म्हणजे मंदिर नव्हतेच मुळी. ते होते त्या जागेचे सौंदर्य आणि तिथून दिसणारा सूर्यास्त. मंदिराच्या मागेच डोंगरकडा थेट समुद्रात कोसळत होता. जवळपास चार-पाचशे फूट असेल त्या डोंगरकडयाची उंची. खाली अथांग समुद्राच्या लाटा बेभान आदळत होत्या. मस्त वारा सुटला होता. आकाश सोनेरी-गुलाबी झाले होते. बालीच्या बेटाचा हा दक्षिणेतर भाग. हा तोच हिन्दी महासागर जो कधीतरी लहानपणी कन्याकुमारीला पाहिलेला. एखाद्या बालसवंगड्याची बर्‍याच वर्षांनी भेट व्हावी आणि ओळख पटल्यावर त्याच्याशी गळाभेट व्हावी तसं वाटत होतं.

Beautiful Bali – Part 2 – Garuda-Visnu-Kencana Park | नयनरम्य बाली – भाग २ – गरुडा-विष्णु-कांचना पार्क

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माझं
हॉस्टेल बालीच्या कुटा भागात होतं. हा भाग पार्टिंग आणि नाईटलाइफसाठी प्रसिद्ध आहे.
आजचा अर्धा दिवस तसाही गेलाच होता. मग आज जवळच असलेले बालीच्या दक्षिण भागातले समुद्रकिनारे, गरुडा-विष्णु-कांचना पार्क, आणि उलूवातूचे प्रसिद्ध मंदिर बघायचे ठरवले. निघे निघे पर्यन्त बारा वाजलेच. स्कूटर छानच पळत होती. मुख्य म्हणजे स्कूटरच्या हॅंडलवर फोनहोल्डर दिलेला होता. त्याला प्लॅस्टिकचे कवरही होते. ही एक फारच मस्त सोय होती. गुगल नकाशावर
जिंबरान बीचचे लोकेशन टाकले आणि स्कूटर चालू केली. आठवड्यातला मधला वार असल्याने रस्त्यावर फार गर्दी नव्हती. स्वच्छ ऊन पडलं होतं. हवा तशी गरम होती पण उकाडा जाणवत नव्हता. मुंबईत डिसेंबर महिन्यात असते तसे वातावरण होते.

Rangilo Rajasthan – Part 7- Chittorgarh – the land of valor and sacrifice

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The first was Vijaystambh – the victory tower. This eight storied tower is a symbol of Chittor. It was built by Rana Kumbha to commemorate his victory over Mahmud Shah Khalji in the year 1440. The tower has extensively carved interior and exterior, making it an architectural masterpiece. I went up to 3rd floor, but beyond this point, I felt claustrophobic as the stairs became extremely narrow and steep. I came down and clicked pictures from various angles. The carvings were truly mind blowing. Just besides the tower, was a small garden. According to my guide, this was the place were Jauhar (women sacrificing their lives to avoid falling in hands of the enemy) happened centuries ago. Today it looked like an ordinary garden. Thinking how it could have been in historic times just sent shivers down my body.