The Travel Connection

My third visit to Goa. What can be said??. As this was with family there had to be a visit to a temple and an aquarium and the very touristy river cruise!!  The temple architecture in Goa is very unique. Its a combination of Hindu, Portuguese and Islamic architecture.The dome in place of Shikara immediately catches ones eyes. One of the reasons for this unique style is cause the same artisans were constructing both the temples and churches at the same time.The arched entrances, niches and pilasters that feature in most of temples of this period display a distinct European influence. The deepsthambhas of Mangeshi  with its white washed pillars and baroque decoration show unique synthesis of Hindu and Portuguese styles.The lamp towers were influence of Maratha temple architecture. A very unique style indeed. Well, the aquarium can be best avoided as there is not much to relish in dark musty place. Please run away from the noisy , loud irritating river cruise.The only sav...

Jambulinga temple , 7th century, Rekhanagar prasada style (North Indian) Horse shoe projection on the curvilinear gopuram! Pattadakal, a world heritage site is not prominent on a traveler's radar as it is comparatively far flung.This place had eluded me for  a very long time. We finally got a chance to visit the 8th century center of art and architecture as an offshoot of trip due to social reasons.  Pattadakal comprises of a group of monuments surrounded by well manicured lawns and  uttarabhimukhi ( flows from south to north) river  Malaprabha. The spic and span surroundings with all the hawkers and stalls at a distance transports you into the past without a second's delay. Wish all historical sites in India are maintained like Pattadakal.  Kada Siddeshwar Temple, 7th century ,Rekhanagara prasada style (North Indian) The severed sculptures on the front facade-A reminder of Muslim austerities The initial attempt in monument construct...

Soul stirring spell , Emotional connection, Cherished moment, Unforgettable memory!  Seeveli at Sri Krishna temple in Guruvayur is all of the above and more. Three caparisoned elephants circumambulating the internal court of the temple complex with devotees following them is a dramatic sight.The most majestic of the three elephants has the honor of carrying the deity. The elephants have on them three very stable well balanced young men each holding the tinseled silk parasols muttukuda,  swaying white tufts vencamaram and peacock feather fans alavattam. All of this is accompanied with an orchestra which  touched me almost instantaneously.  I cannot recall another event wherein I was under its spell so easily. The crescendo of different instruments is loud really loud but at the same time so musical that it touches your heart. I got to know later that the five piece orcestra is called panchavadyam and it includes Kombu, Edakka, Thimila, Illathalam and Maddalam ...

Blast from past! So my last trip of 2010. It was fitting finale with a trip to  the richest abode in the world - Tirumala Venkateshwara. What can i say which is not already be said about this famous temple town. Though i have made countless trip before it still delights me to go there in spite of the crazy crowds. We generally take the conducted tour from APSRTC from which the sheegrah darshan tickets are available even couple of days before you plan to go. So one can avoid the elaborate process of getting tickets well in advance from TTD. The tour starts around 8.30pm and with a short break for dinner, we are at Tirupathi by 5-6  hours.We are given rooms in the pilgrim amenities center for couple of hours and then set out very early in the morning to Padmavathi Temple. After the darshan and quick breakfast we head out to Tirumala and by 9.00 am. We are in the line for darshan. After the darshan, head back home and in Bangalore by 6.00pm. Previously the tour ...

 Blast from past! The best memory i had of the last trip to this town was that I had the best Rabdi and matka doodh from the street side stalls and  unfortunately missing out on the main temple as it was closed. With this in my mind,We started from Fatehpur Sikri and to save on road tax, our driver decided to take the side roads. This resulted in one of best road trip across the rural India.  Oh! By the way,We were on the way to Mathura, the birth place of Lord krishna. What can i say more but would suggest you enjoy the sights and hopefully get a sense of rustic like we did through some of the photographs. In case you are wondering why no shots of temple , cameras and cellphones are not allowed. I missed the Main Radha Krishna temple in nick of time. We entered the temple but the grabha griha was closed. Once again the sight of krishna had eluded me. In the rush to enter the temple, I...