SOUTHERN SOJOURN

SOUTHERN SOJOURN

 

Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation invited me to take up a whirlwind tour of Telengana and Andhra Pradesh sometime in December, 2013. I had set out on the tour with the purpose of having glimpses of the magical attractions of Hyderabad.

DINDI: My journey began with Dindi lying around 70 km from Rajahmundry in coastal Andhra Pradesh.

 

Hotel Haritha Resort, Dindi

 

I had stayed at Hotel Haritha Resort and moved on to Antarvedi sea beach, a mere 23 km drive. We enjoyed a beach stroll in the afternoon hours. 

 

Antarvedi Sea Beach, Dindi

 

The 3 km sea beach is a scenic spot where river Godavari meets Bay of Bengal. 

 

Antarvedi temple, Dindi:  

Antarvedi Temple, Dindi

 

The ancient shrine that belongs to the times of Sailavahana dynasty came up in 1745 AD, preserves the deity of swayambhu Lakshmi Narasimha Swami and as the temple priest puts forth that a fisher folk named Kopanadi Krishnamma was instrumental in building the shrine.

VIJAYAWADA: 

 

A view of Krishna river

The “City of Victory” on the banks of river Krishna is the largest city in Andhra Pradesh that has the Kanaka Durga temple as a pilgrim hotspot. 

 

Kanaka Durga temple

 An enchanting river cruise offers unending views of the river, Prakasam barrage and the Kanaka Durga temple snuggled on Indrakeeladri hill is the major attraction of the city. We had to climb a plethora of steps to reach the shrine that houses the deity in gold.

BHADRACHALAM

 

Sita Ramachandra Swamy Temple, Bhadrachalam

 

Our premier destination in Telengana was Bhadrachalam. The tranquil pilgrim resort on the banks of Godavari has the 17^th century pilgrim landmark-Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple. 

 

Carved walls of the temple

The white shrine houses the deity of Lord Rama popular as Chaturbhuj along with Sita. The shrine has been the creation of Bhakta Ramdas, the saint who was freed by Lord Rama.

  WARANGAL

Bhadrakali Temple, Warangal

The second largest city in Telengana, Warangal is a brilliant destination dating back to 850 years and is an ideal hotspot for those in holiday spirit. The city shot into prominence during the reign of Kakatiyas. We made our way to the 1,800-year-old Bhadrakali temple that fulfills the wishes of women folks.

KAKATIYA FORT

 

Kakatiya Fort, Warangal

 

Built by one-time powerful dynasty of Andhra Pradesh- the Kakatiyas, the fort has huge granite gateways that are profusely sculpted soaring 45 feet high.

1000-Pillar Temple, Warangal

1000 PILLAR TEMPLE 

 

 Set up in 1163 AD, the age-old shrine stands on a raised platform at a height of 1 metre from the ground. We entered the main shrine that has 6 foot high statue of Nandi and there are three temples devoted to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya.

HYDERABAD 

 

Resting on the Deccan plateau is the 400-year-old city of Hyderabad, better known as the “City of Charminar”. The fifth largest metro of India has scores of tourist attractions with its old city steeped in history. For me, the charm of Hyderabad lies in its four wonders- Charminar, Golconda Fort, Salar Jung Museum and Ramoji Film City.

CHARMINAR 

 

Charminar

 

A wondrous, towering edifice in the city hub is the symbol of Hyderabad with four graceful minarets rising to a height of 48.7 metres above the ground.

GOLCONDA FORT 

 

Interiors of the Golconda Fort

 

One of the most renowned forts of India, founded by Kakatiyas in 13^th century, the fort has a massive granite structure with walls and ramparts covering 7 km in circumference. The fort stands high in acoustics and palaces. It is the sound and light show that brings alive the glorious past and grandeur of the fort with magical sound and light effects.

SALAR JUNG MUSEUM 

 

Salar Jung Museum

 

The museum, a national pride boasts of the largest one-man collections across the world by Mir Yusuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, the Prime Minister of Nizam. Usually, it takes around two days to admire the fascinating collections.

 

Musical Clock, Salar Jung

 

The most attractive object is the Musical Clock that was made in England by Cooke & Elvey Co., and assembled in Calcutta. 

 

Mughal Glass Gallery at Salar Jung Museum

Displays at the Salar Jung

 

The galleries to look for are Indian sculpture gallery, Indian textile and Mughal glass gallery, Ivory room, Western art galley, Japanese gallery, Chinese, Egyptian and Syrian gallery. There are splendid statues in marble including Margaret and a veiled statue of Rebecca.

RAMOJI FILM CITY 

 

Ramoji Film City

 

The largest studio complex in the world sprawling over 1,000 acres of land in the outskirts of Hyderabad is even four times bigger than Hollywood. 

 

Shooting locales at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad

 

 

There are a wide range of attractive sets for shooting films and television serials. 

 

KARNATAKA

 

SRIRANGAPATNAM

 

The historic city of South India and once the strongholds of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, the huge fortified town of Srirangapatnam on the banks of river Cauvery in Mandya district of Karnataka is a mere 16 km drive from Mysore. Also known as Srirangapatna, the historic city was the bygone capital of Mysore during the reign of Tipu Sultan.

 

Srirangapatnam Fort

 

 The 550-year-old fort with four gateways displays Indo-Islamic architecture with Persian engravings.

RANGANATHSWAMY TEMPLE

 

Ranganathswamy Temple at Srirangapatnam

 

 

 The 800-year-old shrine dating back to 9^th century is the second largest shrine in South India and was the creation of Ganga dynasty. 

 

A closer view of Ranganathswamy Temple

 

Dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his consorts- Sri Devi and Bhu Devi, the shrine dominates the historic town.

GUMBAZ 

 

Gumbaz

 

The spectacular mausoleum built in 1799 A.D in the eastern part of the town and was established by Tipu Sultan in loving memory of his illustrious father, Haider Ali. There are cenotaphs of Haider Ali, his wife, Fakhr-un-Nisa and Tipu Sultan. The mausoleum rests on a stone plinth with polished granite black pillars and a huge dome representing typical Islamic architecture crowns the building structure.

 

Tipu’s Summer Palace

 

Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace

 

Well-known as Dariya Daulat, the Summer Palace came up in 1784 A.D and formed the summer resort of Tipu Sultan that offers info about the history of Mysore.

 

Tipu's Summer Palace entrance

 

 We admired the colourful paintings on the walls showcasing the Battle of Polilur or the Second Mysore War (1780-1782 A.D). We took time to gape at the mural paintings depicting the procession of Nizam of Hyderabad, the war procession of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan and the storming of Srirangapatnam. One comes across significant landmarks of Mysore including the victories of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. We had a chance to take a look at the rare royal treasures like gold coins, silver bowls, dress and furniture used by Tipu Sultan.

TAMIL NADU

 

COONOOR

 

Nilgiri Hills at Coonoor

 

An incredible journey into the little-known outpost of Coonoor soothes our tired minds and sipping a delightful cup of aromatic Nilgiri tea rejuvenates a weary traveller.

 

A lush tea garden in the Nilgiris

 

The Nilgiri destination of Coonoor at an altitude of 1,858 metres was the bygone summer capital of the Raj era, discovered in 19^th century and has lush tea gardens stretching over 5,000 acres of land, British-era bungalows and churches. 

A typical Toda dwelling

 

 Here we spotted typical dwellings of ancient tribes of Nilgiris like Todas and Kurumbas. 

 

A view of the Nilgiris from Lamb's Rock

 

The vantage points are Lamb’s Rock, Lady Canning’s Seat and Dolphin’s Nose.