March 2008 Desktop Calendar Wallpaper

Friday, February 29, 2008

This month's calendar is of the views of distant hills in early morning fog.

Click on the image to get it in 1024x768



About the picture: This was shot from Nandi Hills near Bangalore a month ago.

Index to Hampi, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Here is the list of stories from my Hampi and Badami trip. You can also go to the first post and use the navigation to read all of them in sequence.

Also see:
* Images from Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal
* Images from Hampi
* Earlier trip report to Hampi

Hampi

* Arriving at Hampi
* The days in Hampi
* One evening, in Hampi
* Badami
* Banashankari
* Pattadakal
* Mahakoota
* Playing Cricket in Aihole..
* Aihole's temples
* Information: Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal


Mahakoota

Each of these places had plenty to offer, but if I were to pick a highlight of the whole trip, it will be Mahakoota.

William Dalrymple on Travel Writing

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

I have been reading Dalrymple's City of Djinns right now, and can't help but wonder how nicely written it is. Besides being a good book, the amount of homework and research he has done for the it becomes fairly obvious as I go through the pages. Sometimes, I did wonder how he can recollect some of the fine details. I got the answer to it today, as I stumbled upon Dalrymple's say on taking notes.

It's absolutely vital to have a notebook in your hands at all times, and to scribble constantly, not so much full sentences as lists of significant detail: the colour of a hillside, the shape of a tulip, the way a particular tree haunts a skyline. Creating the finely-crafted prose comes later, back at home in front of the computer. On the road - even in a rickety bus or a bumpy jeep - the key is to get down the raw material before it's lost to memory.

Read the full article on travel writing by William Dalrymple here.

Information: Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal

Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: A day in Aihole
+Go to the beginning of the series or index page

Badami was once the capital of Chalukya kings who ruled major part of the Deccan from 6th to 8th century AD. The Chalukyas experimented with various architectures which evolved into formal styles over the years, and this evolution is easy to observe in Aihole and Pattadakal. Aihole and Pattadakal are said to be the only places where northern rekhanagar style of construction(similar to ones seen in Konark) and southern dravidian structures are seen together in the same place. Some structures in Aihole, built during the stages of improvement are unique and have no similars anywhere. Aihole and Pattadakal have also seen some work from Rashtrakootas in later years. Badami is known for its four cave temples that are carved in a monolith hill. River Malaprabha flows next to Aihole and Pattadakal, which is known to make these places sacred.

Aihole and Pattadakal are small villages and don't have any accommodation. It is best to make Badami as a base to explore these places. Pattadakal is nearly 30 minutes from Badami, and Aihole another 20 more minutes.

How to reach: Badami can be accessed from Hubli, Gadag or Hospet from south, or from Bijapur in the north. Lot of people do Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal circuit along with Hampi. If you want to arrive from Hampi, take a bus to Ilkal(which is on Bijapur highway) from Hospet, and change over to Badami. Alternatively, you can go to Gadag and catch a bus to Badami. Both options should take you from 4 to 6 hours depending on how quickly you can find a bus. Don't be fooled, Hospet might look very close to Badami in the map, but takes at least three hours even if you are driving. KSRTC buses connect Badami with Bangalore. Badami has a train station, but is connected only with local passenger trains.


Banashankari is 5km from Badami and is connected by regular buses. Mahakoota is 12km from Badami. Buses are infrequent, but you might be able to take a shared rickshaw or hire one yourself.

If you are driving from Bangalore, take NH4(Tumkur Road) till Chitradurga, turn right before Chitradurga town and drive till Ilkal on this road via Hospet. You have to turn left at Ilkal and drive for an hour, passing many towns(there are plenty of signs) to reach Badami. It is a long drive, probably a good 500kms.

Book Review: A Hermit in the Himalayas

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Author: Paul Brunton
Publishers: Rider Books
Pages: 188

This book is in continuation with earlier book from Paul Brunton - 'A Search in Secret India', where Brunton travels around the country looking for a spiritual master. Having found one and learned from him, he sets off to isolation, now to practice.

'A Hermit in the Himalayas' describes Brunton's days living in a secluded place in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, away from rest of the world trying to meditate and learn to calm the mind. The book is mostly written like journal of his days of living in the mountains besides his reflection and attempts to meditate. He is not completely isolated from the world though, but has a servant to help him in his everyday activities, receives his letters regularly and responds to them and has some uninvited visitors, in all of which he finds things to write about, besides focusing on keeping his mind calm.

It would be difficult for the reader to perceive how one could write much sitting in a place isolated, but as one starts reading, it is evident that Brunton has enough to catch the attention. Read this as a continuation to 'A Search in Secret India'

A Day in Aihole

Monday, February 25, 2008

Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: The Cricket Hour in Aihole
+Next: Information: Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal
+Go to the beginning of the series or index page

As our shared Rickshaw made way to the edge of the village, I saw a couple of ancient temples near the road and familiar ASI-style signs. I thought of getting down there and walk further visiting the temples one after other, but I did not know how far more to go, and decided to continue to the village center. It was a kilometer ahead where the rickshaw dropped us.

It is a typical setup for a remote village turned tourist spot. There is an enclosure within which exist many ancient temples restored and managed by the ASI. And all around the enclosure are hawkers selling fruits, tender coconut and other edible stuff. A few tea shops sell some prepared food which gives you little choice, insisting you to eat what is available if you are hungry. And if you decide to have some tea(sorry, no coffee), be ready for a watery, sugary and ultra-strong concoction which can scare you off.


Durgi Temple, Aihole

I walked into the temple complex and went around it. It is all different, completely different from any ancient structure I have seen before. Each temple is different from other and the architects have let their imagination run wild when building them. Aihole's temples don't seem to have parallels anywhere in South India, or for that matter, anywhere in India or may be the whole world. A temple looks like it inspired the parliament building. Another temple has an entrance that immediately leads you to a fork where you have to choose your loyalty to one of the two deities inside. There are gopuras and carvings of all kind, and some temples completely devoid of any carvings. It reminds of all the modern out-of-place glass buildings back in Bangalore that appear like they are designed for a comedy show.



One of the experimental architecture of Aihole. The temple has entrance in the middle and two shrines


Remains of a temple complex

And no wonder, ASI is also confused in identifying these temples. My guide said most of the temples are named ad-hoc, as the deity inside were usually missing. For example, Lad Khan temple is named so because some guy called Lad Khan had lived inside that temple once; same goes with Gowda temple. Durgi gudi does not house goddess Durgi, but is called so because it is close to a compound wall or fort or 'durga'. A temple did have a shivalinga inside but ASI insists that it was not a temple but a conference hall, and someone later installed a linga there. I smell fish in that description; did ASI cook up the story to keep it away from those who want to worship and perform pooja everyday? Every theory has some possibilities in Aihole. And then as though all the ancient experiments were not enough, ASI has tried its bit while restoring the temples, making its own poor imitations of missing pieces in the temples.


ASI's restoration attempts in Aihole. No prices for guessing which one is original


Huchhimalli Temple

Aihole is a place where architectural styles were experimented and evolved. Over centuries, people tried, tested and perfected various models which probably got filtered into a few accepted styles that are seen in Pattadakal, and were eventually perfected by Hoysalas. ASI calls Aihole(or was it some historian?) as ‘cradle of Indian architecture’. The temples date from 6th century to 15th century, with constructions from Chalukya and Rashtrakuta dynasties.


A temple Gopura in Aihole, which doesn't affiliate to any standard architectural styles.


A house in the village, wonder if it is continuation of experiments in architecture in contemporary period!

Durgi Gudi and Lad Khan temple are in the main complex(called the museum) which get the attention of tourist buses and noisy crowds, but there are many many more where almost no one goes to. I like the way tourism happens; when something interesting exists and left on its own, no one cares much. You put a compound wall, levy an entry fee and tell people this is supposed to be important or pretty and suddenly bus loads start coming in! I headed out in search of dozens of temples littered all over the village and saw a variety that is unseen anywhere else. It surprises me why this is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site; if there is one place that simply fascinates the most uninterested too, it is Aihole, more than any other place.


Ravanaphadi is one of the two cave temples


Inside Ravanaphadi

I several styles and experiments during my walk. There is Huchhimalli temple constructed in a 'mature' northern or nagar style. Ravanaphadi is a cave temple in one end of the town with some carvings of deities inside, and to the other end of the town is another cave temple which is a Jain temple. Between them lie various temples but primarily worshiping forms of Shiva. Megoti temple is a jain temple on a hillock. Some of the temples still seem to have people living in or around them. There are temples all around the village, and Aihole is unique in every manner and unpredictable to any visitor.




The temple complexes are well maintained and clean. There are dustbins placed in each of these temples, and they are positioned rightly in a corner and as far from the temples as possible. How-ever, I only wish they had labeled it sensibly, like 'Use me' or something like that!

There are so many temples in Aihole, restoration work is not yet complete and might take ages to finish. Yet, one must appreciate all the effort put by ASI on refurbishing such a large array of temples.

Continued at: Information: Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal

Good travel writing on Journeys gone bad

Sunday, February 24, 2008

I was gallivanting on the internet reading some travel writing when I stumbled upon a few award winning write-ups. Interestingly, the awards had a 'Bad Trip Category' on the journeys that have gone bad. It was something new to me and caught my eye, and I ended up reading a couple of those stories. Indeed, these were well written pieces that were on travels that were eventually not-so-enjoyable. The story on Eiffel Tower is worth a read, and there are a few more.

In fact the Eiffel Tower story is a rather sad one, but sometimes bad experiences can make into hilarious reading, especially when they are harmless incidences like having to live up to a rat walking on your body in the middle of the night in your hotel or having to live with frequent visits to restroom for a day or two. And when it comes to such writings, it is Mark Moxon whom I remember. Read his stories on falling sick in Rajasthan or trying to find a seat on the train from Siliguri to Varanasi and you can't help but see yourself laughing out. Moxon's site is full of writings that is often funny and also insightful. Do take a look.

Book Review: A Search in Secret India

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Author: Paul Brunton
Publishers: Rider Books
Pages: 312

Brunton's book is a narration of his journeys across India with an important quest. He started from London to Bombay in spiritual quest, looking for a Guru. And he did this much before the Beetles came to Rishikesh or the flower children travelled to the east in big numbers looking for something they did not know what; the book is set in the pre-independence period.

'A Search in Secret India' takes the reader through the time he arrives in Bombay, travels south to plains of Deccan and again up north towards Benaras. On his way he meets many holy men, some genuine and some obviously fake. He also sees people who can perform actions that can't be explained by physics, like turning a seed into a plant in a minute and people who are not affected by poison. Of the former he discovers to be a mere magical trick while the later remains unexplained, attributed to Yogic power. He goes on to explain much more about the wise men whom he meets who are no mere showmen but are uplifted souls at a higher spiritual plane, and sometimes he ponders on accepting them for his Guru. His long journeys lead him through many fascinating experiences but he finally finds his destination in a place where he began his search - in the abode of Ramana Maharshi in Thiruvannamalai.

Brunton's descriptions are as fascinating as the people he meets and his narration holds the reader to go on. The book is mixed with his awe for the spiritual gurus but also portrays his English arrogance of the colonial period. It is a completely different travel book showing its reader of an India that is hardly known or written about.

The Cricket Hour

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: Mahakoota
+Next: Aihole
+Go to the beginning of the series or index page

I was walking along the only road in Aihole and exploring the endless number of temples dotting the village. There were temples everywhere - to my left, right and ahead, and there were temples that I had left behind. At some point I came to a fork and was wondering where next. As I looked around, I heard voices of children near the bend. One of them ran into me and asked me, with a beaming face -

"What is your name?"

I answered. A few more kids shouted the same question to me from behind a fence. They were playing cricket. The typical Indi-street cricket - with a rubber ball, a stick for the bat and a few bricks for wicket. I think they found me friendly enough, I was invited to join them for a game. I could have done with some break from all the temple trotting and readily jumped in. Nice guys they were, they let me bat.

Cricket is not my favourite game and it has been a few years since I have played. I fumbled and stumbled but picked up a bit after a few minutes. And let me admit, the kids were good and some of the deliveries zipped off taking me by surprise. But I had my time with the bat too. After sometime, I started feeling guilty about monopolizing the bat, and opted out and fielded a bit. I also had turn with the ball and shared a few overs with another kid.

I must have played for a good half hour before I decided it is time to leave. I patted some of them for their brilliance and walked out of the tiny ground. As I moved into the road, a man walking nearby greeted me, and started with the usual question of 'where am I coming from?' I started answering him and heard the kids shout from behind - "Watch out for him, he will ask you for money". In that last thirty minutes, we were friends already.

Next: Aihole

Mahakoota

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: Pattadakal
+Next: The Cricket Hour at Aihole
+Go to the beginning of the series or index page

Moving on from Pattadakal, I made a visit to the temple at Mahakoota. It was an impulsive decision - I had initially planned to spend a whole day in Pattadakal, but at some point changed my mind to go to Mahakoota. It turned out to be a good idea.

Unlike Pattadakal, Mahakoota's temple is still alive with a deity(Lord Shiva in the name of Mahakooteshwara) and pooja happens everyday. That also means a fair happens here once a year which brings in people in large numbers. When I arrived there a little after 2pm, I met with usual bus loads of school children. I walked around the temple and was pleasantly surprised with the interiors.



Unlike its neighbours, this is not a temple that is restored to its original shape and maintained neatly by ASI. On the contrary, sections of the temple are dusty and unmaintained while the main courtyard is in good shape. A few modern additions and restorations have happened to suit the need of the temple, but it still retains the old world charm. The best and most beautiful part of the temple are the ficus trees that don the interior and have spread their tentacles all around to block the sun. Some of the temple gopuras are completely enveloped be the leafy trees and gives them a charming look.





The real temptation of the temple is a little fresh water pond in the main courtyard, with a appealing mantapa in a corner of it, and covered by trees all around it. The water in the pond is continuously replaced by a spring emerging from the ground, which keeps it fresh and clean. When I arrived, many of the children were swimming and bathing in the pond. After walking around the temple for a few minutes, I settled down comfortably, watching the kids at play in the water.





In some time, the cool of the shaded and leafy courtyard had made me close my eyes without my knowledge. When I woke up and saw the time, it was nearly 3.30pm. The group of children in the pond had gone, and there were no visitors left in the temple. There was complete silence around and only people in the temple were a couple of staff who sat idly in a corner. The absolute silence in the pleasant atmosphere filled me with peace and held me to the place. I took another slow walk along the inner walls of the temple, visiting each of its shrines.



Mahakoota's temple has an attraction that I have not seen anywhere in its neighbouring counterparts. Roots hanging from ficus trees, leafy gopuras and the silence inside put me in a state of solitude and feeling of fulfillment I had always longed for. It is an experience I wish went on forever. Along with the all this, I spotted a Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - an unlikely guest in these parts - who hopped around the gopuras with me for a few minutes and went away. I wonder if he was here just to complete my experience.



Sometime later, I jumped into the fresh water pool and had it all for myself for almost an hour. Needless to say, it was pleasure at its best form. Mahakoota was the highlight of my visit to the region, I had the time of my life in those waters. I left Mahakoota unwillingly as the sun was about to set and had to return to my temporary abode at Badami. It is an experience not to forget.

Continued at: The Cricket Hour at Aihole

Book Review: The Nanda Devi Affair

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Author: Bill Aitken
Publishers: Penguin Books
Pages: 194

Those who are new to Bill Aitken might find his language of writing complicated, and at least initially, find it not very readable. But those who stick to him are the ones who are rewarded. Nanda Devi Affair is probably the finest book from Aitken portraying his love and passion for the mountains of Uttaranchal and is full of reverence to the goddess of the mountain in every page.

The book starts with Aitkens rambles about his love for mountains, and soon you will find him unable to stop raving about the beauty of Nanda Devi. As he explains the geography of the region, he walks the reader through his treks, sharing its beauty and talking about its lore mixed with little bit of history. His experiences of watching bharals(blue sheep) walk free, beauty of the high mountains and his ordeals of having to go through some difficult terrains and painful weather are all mixed with his greatest respect to what the mountain goddess has for him to offer. He also has plenty to talk about the mountain people of garhwal. An excellent book, and a must read for the mountain lovers.

Pattadakal

Monday, February 18, 2008

Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: Banasankari Temple
+Next: Mahakoota
+Go to the beginning of the series or index page

Buses from Badami to Pattadakal were not very frequent. Some one was standing at the edge of the bus stand and shouting 'Pattadakalla.. Pattadakalla..'. I went with him to a waiting matador, which started off only after a good half hour. By the time I reached there, it was nearly 9.30am.


A section of the temple complex

Like Badami and Aihole, Pattadakal also received bus loads of children on school excursions. It is a pattern I have got used to in the last couple of days. A bus comes in honking loudly and stops near the temples. Children rush out of the bus, not heeding much to the shouts of their teachers and run towards the temple complex. They group together at the gate and unwillingly assemble in a queue when the teachers shout at them. Once the entry tickets are bought, they walk in through the narrow gate and quickly break from the line into a few huddles of friends. Suddenly temples will be full of shouts and noises within no time. Smaller children run around quickly along the temples amusing themselves, the bigger ones walk in 'style' and get their photographs taken along with their best buddies. In a few minutes it is all over, especially if the group decides not to hire a guide. It is like a storm coming in suddenly and moving on as suddenly without causing any damage. Silence claims back its place once again in the temples.

It is slightly different when they hire guides. The ASI guide addresses a large gathering of various type of kids. The ones close to the guide listen to him with a clear expression of awe in their eyes. The backsiders are always trying to escape and looking for distraction, but are helplessly held by the glare of the teachers. The most studious once are easy to identify - they walk around with a note book in hand.


It gets as noisy as it can as long as the kids are around. But it is good to make them see these places - it definitely gives a good visual of our history and heritage; much better than just having to learn about them in the text books.

Pattadakal is a UNESCO world heritage site, and has a temple complex dating back to 8th century. It is said that a considerable amount of architecture in Southern India is borrowed from here, with Hoysalas and other dynasties taking cues from here and evolving further. I wonder if they had learning students coming into the temples in large loads those days too and make all sorts of noises, I don't know! The complex, restored by ASI has temples in various architectural forms, which sometime seem to be experimental. There are a few tiny temple like structures that are only a few feet high, and my guide explained them to be 'model temples' built before the big ones were made. It is also one of the few places where both southern(dravidian) and northern(nagar or rekhanagar) style of architectures are found in the same place.


Jambulingeshwara temple. In the background is Kadasiddheswara temple


Galaganatha temple with nagar style goupra is one of the prime attractions of Pattadakal


On the walls of Kadasiddheswara temple, which is built in rekhanagar style. Walls of Rekhanagar style temple are usually plane and you see very few or no carvings.

The temples are made of sandstone. The carvings have been fading and softening over the years on the external walls due to effect of sunlight. Besides, until ASI took over the area a few decades ago, people had occupied and lived in this temple and had imparted considerable damages over the years. But ASI's restoration work has been excellent.


Viroopaksha temple is built in Dravidian style and has many fine carvings on its walls and gopura


Carvings on a pillar of Viroopaksha temple

My guide took me around, showing me through Galaganatha, Mallikarjauna, Virupaksha temple among others. The temples with nagar architecture, like the Galaganatha temple are visibly distinct from the Dravidian architecture in the style of the Gopuras ans absence of intricate carvings along the temple walls. The Dravidian style temples consisted plenty of stories carved along its walls, primarily from Ramayana and Mahabharata, and some more on the lifestyles of those days and some erotica.


Malaprabha river with temples in the background

It took me a few hours of wandering along the temple complex, which is located right next to Malaprabha river. The location of the temples is said to be holy, since the river flows as Uttarabhimukhi(flowing from south to north), unlike most rivers that tend to flow east to west or west to east. Infact the same theory applies to Ganga in Varanasi. I walked crossed a bridge to get views of the temple from other side and spent some time there. I was planning to stay on till evening, but changed my mind sometime in the afternoon and headed to explore Mahakoota, another temple half-an-hour away from here.

Continued at: Mahakoota

Banashankari Temple

Friday, February 15, 2008

Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: Badami
+Next: Pattadakal
+Go to the beginning of the series or index page

While in Badami, I decided to check out the Banashankari temple which is a short 5km journey from the town. I set out on an afternoon after returning from the caves. There was a bus about to leave from the bus-stop, and it took me a little more than 10 minutes to make it to Banashankari.

I did not know much about the place, and went exploring on the village that was no more than a narrow strip on both sides of the main road. I walked forward and found tiny shops all along the road. Initially they were chai shops or make-shift restaurants, which gave way to shops selling pooja paraphernalia. Seeing the later kind, I presumed I must be close to the temple, and indeed the temple appeared soon. There was a large Kalyani(pond) in front of the temple, which caught my eye before I saw the temple itself. It first excited me - a medium sized square water body with pillars all around and an entrance to it near the main road, with a sit-out around the entrance. Getting closer and realizing that it was disappointingly dirty, I moved away and into the temple. I crossed few women on the way to temple, who walked around with food baskets that contained lunch packs for sale - Jolada Rotti(corn rotis?) and chutney, curd and a few other things - typical North Karnataka diet.

Looking at all the arrangements made for queues to contain and streamline people, the temple seemed to take in lot of visitors. But it was pretty much empty when I stepped in. I did not spend much time along the temple and walked back on the main road, where I decided to stop for sometime at a chai shop. My basic intent was to take a few pictures of the shop and its owner, and took excuse in a cup of tea to spend some time there.



It was a small but clean shop with its roof and walls made of tin sheets. Faded decorative color papers hung from the roof, which seemed to be put up many months ago. Film posters adorned the walls, mostly dominated by movies starring Ganesh, the most popular Kannada lead actor these days. I have always wondered on the association of tea stalls and movie posters and have not yet managed to figure the connection. There were no customers when I entered but a few unwashed cups indicated that there were people a little while ago. The shop-owner seemed to be a quiet and calm person who talked little and spent his time just staring out into the road. His forehead was ash-smeared, indicating his religious following. I asked for a cup of cha, and he acknowledged me by nodding his head. But he did not get up to make it or fetch it from inside but simply continued to stare outside. I looked around and took a few pictures. After a minute or so, he decided it is time to serve me and poured a cup for me from the kettle. It was sugary and strong - the way they like their tea in these parts - and I could hardly take in a sip or two. I started a conversation instead.


"Do you get lot of visitors here?"

"Yes", he said, "in large numbers, there is a fair happening next month and the whole place will be full of people."



That was sufficient to break the ice and he continued to talk. The standard questions - "Where are you from"? and "What do you do"? followed naturally. "I have a friend in Bangalore", he said excitedly, took out his mobile and asked me to note down his friend's number. I wasn't surprised at it, since it is normal for villagers to expect to make contact with people at the slightest excuse, and they generally expect everyone to know everyone from the same place. I note down the number for his sake, pretending interested. Then he asked me to dial the number from my phone, which got me a bit unhappy. But he explained quickly - "I want to talk to him, there is no currency left in my phone". I obliged and he has a short conversation, just exchanging greetings and making some casual talk. He returned me the phone beaming widely and said - "my friend wants to know when am I coming to meet him in Bangalore". I acknowledged him with a smile, and we talked for a few more minutes.

It was time for me to leave. I got up and asked him - "how much"?

"no.. no..", he said, "don't bother".

I pressed him to take his dues and he smiled and said - "I have made a call from your phone. I can't accept money from you now".

We repeated this conversation once again, and then I parted from him with a 'good bye'.

Continued at: Pattadakal

Behind the Curtains - Lonely Planet Writer Speaks

I always had this impression that writing a guidebook like Lonely Planet is the most painful task that anyone would have to do. Imagine being able to go to exotic(and also touristy) places on someone else's money, and while you are there, instead of having a ball you are expected to run around hotels and rate them, find out eating places in the town without just being able to eat at the best places, and figure what is pleasant and unpleasant for your readers than hangout where you want to. And your deadlines probably keep you on the tow all the time, making you keep running. After all they have to bring out a new edition every year(or two years). So you go to a great place, and what did you see, do, experience? Nothing but collecting data for others.

So when someone told me a year back that it would be nice to have an travel guide book for India with a perspective for Indians, and if I can consider working on such a book, I realized it is not my cup of tea and declined the offer. And today, I read from the horse's mouth - the ordeals of writing a guidebook - as told by a lonely planet author.

Some excerpts of an interview with Simon Sellars, a Lonely Planet author on travelhappy.info

It’s a good job but let’s be realistic: it’s more a case of being paid to collect brochures and bus timetable info — and to crack the ice-cold nerve of concierges the world over. We are info dumps: much of the job is gathering facts and figures and updating perishable and non-perishable information...

...I feel one of the biggest misconceptions about Lonely Planet is that the company pays its authors to swan around on holiday and then do a bit of writing as an afterthought. The reality is that you are on your feet for twelve hours a day, during torrential rain or baking heat or whatever testing conditions you’ve parachuted into: coups; insurgencies; dealing with the horror of warm beer in Britain. There’s very little time for actual sightseeing. It’s actually hard work.

via worldhum

Full feeds on India Travel Blog

Till now, I used to publish partial feeds of India Travel Blog. 'Come and read it on the webpages,' was the idea. But when I was browsing through a long list of feeds today, I found that very few of them were partial feeds. And couldn't help noticing that those partial feeds were a pain, having to leave the comfort of my feedreader and go elsewhere to read the posts, and then come back again. So that's it, the decision is taken, India Travel Blog now publishes full feeds.

A few small changes are likely to keep happening on India Travel Blog in the days to come. I have now cut down the number of posts on the index page, since most of the posts are laden with photos and can take time to load. The content column is widened fro 500 to 575 pixels to improve readability. I am also experimenting with the blog template to make it look more friendly and readable. It might be a few weeks of constant changes on India Travel Blog.

Badami - Cave temples and more

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Hampi >> Badmi >> Aihole >> Pattadakal
+Previous: At Hampi, One evening
+Next: Banashankari Temple
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I took a bus from Hampi(see previous post on Hampi) to Badami via Ilkal. I stayed there for next four days, using Badami as a base to go around Pattadakal and Aihole. While I was there, I also visited tiny temple villages - Banashankari and Mahakoota.

I arrived at Badami around 4.30 in the evening and immediately headed towards the caves. I was up for a surprise when I reached there. Thought I had seen many pictures of the caves, I was not ready for the size of the rocks and its deep colors. The giant rock in which the caves were carved are probably a good hundred meter tall from the ground. And the sandstone has a deep reddish color that looks very charming with the evening light. Agastyamuni or Agastya Lake was yet another surprise. It is a huge lake with rocky hills surrounding it on three sides and sandstone temples at the feet of these hills. It is worth being there in the mornings and evenings of winter.


Agastyamuni Lake


One of the cave temples


Inside the temple

Next morning, I woke up early and walked up to the top of the hill opposite to the cave temple, on the other side of the lake. I was on the top a few minutes before sunrise and sat down at a strategic point to witness sun coming up from the top.


Views from the top of the hill

A little later, I noticed a darga on the top of the hill, where a small bunch of people had already gathered early in the morning and cleaning up the premise, supervised by an old man. I walked across the Darga looking for a good place to sit and spend sometime. A few monkeys who inhabited the ficus tree next to the Darga seemed to be unhappy to see me approaching them, but nevertheless put up with me after grunting a bit. I sat far from the Darga, but at a distance where I could see them and occasionally when someone talked loudly, hear them. Prayers started sometime after eight and a priest started chanting. To my surprise, there was a mix of pooja to Hindu and Muslim gods and prayers switched between Sanskrit and Persian! The priest went on to the sound of a bell saying 'Om Namahshivaya' followed up with 'Om Ali Bhai Namah'(I hope I remember the name right), and after sometime, would switch to Persian. I was later to learn that a Hindu and Muslim saint stayed together in the premise, which explained the whole thing.



Terraces of Badami's houses, seen from the hill


One of the temples on the top of the hill



I spent a few more hours walking around the hill exploring the ancient temples on the hill and looking at the lake, cave temples in the opposite direction and getting a bird's eye view of Badami town. The way back to the town took me throw narrow gaps in the deep red sandstones, which is incredibly pretty.


Way to the hill from the town


Way to the hill from the town

That evening, I walked along the lake, along the Bhoothanatha(lord of demons - Shiva) temple complex and the ASI museum. I did not go into the museum, but the museum's structure is built nicely to complement the premise and the ancient structures of Badami, instead of the usual pale yellow government buildings. Bhoothanatha temple is on a majestic setup with a hill rising behind it and the grand Agastyamuni lake in front of it. I sat on the steps of the lake watching the U shaped hill, ancient Bhoothanatha temple and the cave temples till the sun went down.


The grand setup of Bhoothanatha temple

While I sat there, two brash young kids came into me and started a conversation. They lost interest in me in a few minutes and looked around for something to amuse themselves. A few goats were passing by, and one of them chased a goat with another one running right behind him. They caught the goat, pulled it to a side, laughing all the time and started milking it! A few se