You must visit Khajuraho & Orchha.. Here’s why..

The second part of our heritage trip across MP took us to Khajuraho and Orchha.

This stretch can be covered by road if coming from Gwalior. Orchha is a 2-3hr drive from Gwalior via Jhansi. Khajuraho is another 3hrs away. We had originally not planned for Khajuraho, but our driver for the Morena trip offered to take us there and said we can do it, it could be a bit of a long day, but will be worth it! And boy were we glad we stretched a bit.

Day 1 – We started early and headed for Khajuraho. Khajuraho is a 5hr drive from Gwalior. We reached there around 1pm. Khajuraho houses some amazing temples and is a UNESCO heritage site. It is visited every year by millions of foreigners who come to admire its architecture. Khajuraho set of monuments are clustered on the Western and Eastern side. If you are short on time, visit the Western side which has most of the prominent ones. Set in a beautiful, clean complex, surrounded by greenery, the temples are a photographer’s delight. There is an entry ticket to be purchased – ASI has a QR code which can be scanned to purchase them online. If you have time, a guide is highly recommended to understand the significance and intricacies of the carvings. While Khajuraho is known for the erotic sculptures, these comprise less than 10% of all the sculptures in the temples. The Lakshmanan temple is the major one, whose pics you would have seen. As you walk around stop and admire the detailing on the sculptors. The temple right behind it is the Mahadev temple which is the second most important one. You will see a few other temples which resemble the Lakshmanan temple in structure. The temple next to the Lakshmanan temple houses a Shivaling which is said to grow everyyear. It will easily take 1-2hrs to see the entire complex; more if its with a guide.

We pit stopped for lunch at Badri Seth Bhojanalay for their thali. The food is sumptuous and tasty.

Eastern side – this set of 3 temples (Vamana temple, Dulhadeo and Chaturbhuj temple) are not in the same complex and are about a 5mins drive from each other. Having a car is helpful. You don’t need a guide here as there are ASI people who manage the place and are happy to give you some understanding of the sculptors. Some of them have very unique figurines like Narasimha depicted as a lady and Ardhanarishwar (Dulhadeo temple), sculpture with face of Shiva, body of Brahma and legs of Krishna (Chaturbhuj temple) etc.

Vamana temple

Chaturbhuj Temple

Orchha – we left Khajuraho around 5pm to head to Orchha, straight to our hotel to crash since it was a long day. We stayed at the MPT Sheesh Mahal which is located in the Orchha fort complex.

MPT Sheesh Mahal

MPT Sheesh Mahal

Day 2 – Orchha sightseeing.

The best thing about Orchha is that being a small town all sights are accessible by foot. You can walk around or take a electric auto (some even driven by women). Both Khajuraho and Orchha cater to a lot of foreign tourists so it’s very well organized and safe. Here are the top highlights of Orchha –

Orchha Fort Complex –

The biggest attraction in Orchha is the Fort complex comprising of 3 forts – Raja Mahal, Jehangir mahal and Rani Pravin Mahal. We bought our tickets at the entrance to the fort; an audio guide is available near the counter for those who want to explore it leisurely. Started with the Raja Mahal. Be prepared to be blown away by the size and intricacy of this fort. This is one of the best preserved fort in the country and is a stellar example of Bundeli architecture. This fort doesn’t have domes which is a significant piece of their architecture. Climb up to the top of the fort for a stunning view of the Chaturbhuj temple on one side and the Chattris and betwa river on the other. Infact from one of the windows you can see the deity of the Chaturbhuj temple. This was done so that the King and Queen can get a direct view to worship. Proceed then to Jehangir mahal built by Raja Bir Singh Deo for Jehangir whom he considered a friend. This is similar in structure to the Raja Mahal. Behind the Jehangir Mahal (or rather, near the main entrance) is Rani Pravin Mahal. This is a bit remotely located and we chose to see it from outside only.

Raja Mahal

Chaturbhuj temple –

This magnificent temple is the home to Gods Vishnu, Krishna, Ram and Sita. While you should go in to offer prayers, look to the right to see stairs to climb up to the top. This is actually called a Bhulbhulaiyya (Maze). You will realise since there are multiple stairs which lead to dead ends. Also the stairs are very high to climb so wear appropriate shoes and clothes. There are small kids who take the tourists through this maze to the top. Ask the guard at the base (near the deity) and he will guide you.

View of Chaturbhuj temple from Orchha fort

Orchha Chattris –

This was my highlight in Orchha. Had seen so many pictures of the Cenotaphs that I was looking forward to this. Cenotaph (Chattris) are memorials built for the rulers of Orchha. These are not burial places but memorials. The unique shape of the chattris adds to their majestic feel. Recommend viewing the Chattris at sunset against the bank of the river Betwa. There is a bridge which crosses the river and its a great photo point to view the Chattris with the sun at the back and reflection in the river. Walk a few meters from the bridge to go explore the chattris from inside.

View of the Chattris from the bridge

Raja Ram Temple –

This is perhaps the ONLY temple in India where Lord Ram is worshiped as a King. Legend has it that he was coming from Ayodhya and decided to rest here. The main aarti at the temple happens 4 times a day and it ends with a Gun Salute. Sometimes the gun is fired sometimes it isn’t. Check with the hotel for the timings. The temple is also well guarded with police.

Raja Ram temple

Places to Stay –

Khajuraho – while we didn’t stay at Khajuraho, there are a number of hotels available. MP Tourism has 2-3 properties, Ramada and another 7 star hotel ( incase you want to break the journey and rest).

Orchha – has 2 MP Tourism (MPT) properties. We stayed at MPT Sheesh Mahal to indulge in royalty. This is located in the fort complex and was the King’s Guesthouse, now converted into a hotel. The room was spacious and beautiful and service very good too! Not too expensive either! Number of rooms are limited though to 5-6 and get sold out on weekends and holidays.

The other option would be the MPT Betwa retreat located near the Chattris and betwa river. We chose the Sheesh Mahal since we wanted to experience the royal stay and it is located in the center of all tourist attractions.

Places to eat –

Khajuraho – Badri Seth bhojanalay – try their thali. Can be shared by 2.

Orchha – the restaurant at MPT Sheesh Mahal – the food is quite good.

Cafe No-mads – for a hippie vibe and continental and italian food incase you want a change from Indian. The pizza and cold coffee is good. Service is a little slow given the laid back vibes.

Orchha darbar restaurant – we had the Indian food and it was good. Try the daal roti and paneer. Again service was slow but food was tasty.

Pro-tips –

1. Get your tickets at the Orchha fort and that can be used for all the sights at Orchha. Make sure to keep it safely.. for a fee of Rs 10, it is definitely a steal.

2. Most sites close by 6pm and last entry is around 5/5:30pm. They have summer and winter closing times so do check before you go.

3. The Orchha fort, Chaturbhuj temple have a LOT of climbing in terms of stairs. So wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Some passages are narrow and the stairs are quite tall in height.

4. Food service in restaurants is slightly slow so do account for it. Orchha is a laid back town so do expect things to move slowly.

5. We did find Khajuraho and Orchha to be quite safe and people were around on the streets until about 8/8:30pm. But do exercise caution and not go towards the bridge or Chattris post sunset since it gets lonely.

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All that you can see in and around Gwalior in 2 Days!

Gwalior, nestled in Central India is a very interesting city to visit if you love history and architecture. Gwalior is easily accessible by train or flight or road. You can take a train from Delhi (3hrs) or a flight from other cities like Bangalore, Mumbai etc.

We reached Gwalior around noon, checked into our Hotel (Clarks Inn), freshened up and set out to explore the city.

Gwalior Fort Complex area –

The main attraction of Gwalior is the humongous fort built in the city! Keep atleast about 3-4hrs of you want to have a detailed look at the fort complex. In the Gwalior Fort complex you can visit the Gwalior Fort and palaces, Saas-Bahu Temple, Teli ka Mandir and the Gurudwara.

Getting there – There are 2 ways to get to the Fort. Take an auto, that drops you to the foot of the hill and you can either take a shared taxi for about 50-100Rs per person which climbs up the hill and drops you at the entrance of the fort. We, however, decided to walk up. The incline is quite steep and would recommend only if you have some level of fitness – its like a easy-moderate trek.

While going up, you will see a few Jain statues on the left. This is the Gopalchal rock cut Jain monuments. These Jain Tirthankaras have been carved out of the same mountain rock. There are caves as well with the Tirthankaras in sitting and standing position. You can visit this only by foot i.e. climbing up to the fort. A Tourist guide won’t cover this and neither will the cab stop here. Do spend some time admiring this beautiful piece of history.

Gopalchal Rock cut monuments

After a climb of about 20-30 mins we reached the fort. We wanted to understand a bit about the history and hired a guide for about 300 Rs to take us through the place (after bargaining). The Gwalior fort comprises of the main palace which is Man Singh Palace who was the last ruler of the Rajputs; a smaller palace for his son Vikram and the Joharkund. Man Mandir is a beautiful palace with intricate architecture and carvings in every corner. The highlight, though, was the underground palace cum prison. This was built for the king’s last wife who was the only one who had a child (son-Vikram) and was also used to hide/imprison her. It does give you the feeling of a maze as there are multiple points of entry/exit to it. Another significant story behind the fort is that, legend has it that Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi came to Gwalior while fighting the British and jumped off the fort to sacrifice her life.

Outside the Man Mandir palace you can visit the smaller palaces. Do not miss out on the impressive views of Gwalior city from here. Do walk up to Johar Kund then. This is the place where the Rajput women of the king performed Johar (suicide by jumping into the fire) when the King lost the battle against the invader Iltutmish. The fort complex has 2 such Johar Kunds.

Johor Kund

Next, take a electric auto to the Saas-Bahu temple.. yes you read it right. This twin temples were built for a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo to pray to their respective Gods. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, this temple has some amazing architecture and is also a good sunset view point. A few yards away is Teli ka Mandir named after a merchant who used to sell oil. Again you will be bowled over by the size and the intricacy of it. You can also visit a Gurudwara that is in the fort complex. This was built by the King for a Sikh guru he had captured. All 3 sites are a little far away from the temple and one may need to take the electric auto.

Saas Bahu temple

Saas Bahu temple

Day trip to Morena –

Our day 2 in Gwalior, we decided to take a taxi to Morena which is about 30km (1hr) drive from Gwalior. Morena, located in Chambal area (don’t worry, we didn’t see any dacoits) has the ancient temple ruins of Mitawali, Padhavali and Bateshwar which are worth the visit. We took the taxi through our hotel. He charged us Rs 3000 for the day including taking us to the Sun temple, Gwalior in the evening and some street food places. Tired from our previous day, we started late, close to 10:30am and were back to Gwalior around 4pm.

64 Yogini temple of Mitawali – We first headed to the 64 yogini temple of Mitawali. This is a circular temple perched on a hill, and you need to climb up some steep steps to get there. The structure/design of our Indian Parliament was inspired by this temple. The temple has a number of Shivalingas along the circumference of the temple. Do not miss out on the bird’s eye view of the gorgeous landscapes from the top.

Padavali temple – We then drove 5mins to the temple of Padavali. Again the architecture is superb and the carvings are amazing. This is a temple which was part of a fort and you see 2 lions at the bottom of the stairs. Do spend some time marveling at the 3D architecture at the entrance porch – just gorgeous.

Bateshwar temples – We then headed to Bateshwar which are temple shrines of Shiva and Vishnu with the complex lined with multiple small Shivalings. These temples were underground for years and have been slowly excavated by the ASI. Some of them were plundered by the dacoits who lived in these areas and some are very well preserved too. This is a beautiful place to spend sometime in peace, admiring the ruins.

Mitawali temple

Mustard fields en-route

Bateshwar temple ruins

Padavali temple

Other sites in Gwalior – Sun temple – this is inspired by the Konark temple in Orissa. The temple is made of sandstone and is beautiful at sunset. You can also visit the Jai Vilas Palace museum which is also the residence of the Scindia family. This is closed on Mondays. You can visit the memorial of Tansen and Jhansi ki Rani as well. Evenings can be spent visiting Sarafa bazaar, Naya bazaar etc to shop and try the local cuisines and chaats.

Sun temple

Places we ate at & recommendations –

Kwality restaurant – kind of fine dining – good Indian cuisine. Lunch preferable as it was less crowded.

Shree Ram sweets in Dal Bazaar– for their chaats and street food. The quality was quite good!

Dilli Parathawala in Sarafa bazaar – it isn’t a gastronomical delight, but if you are not from Delhi, it does provide a glimpse of the flavours. Choices of parathas were limited though.

Pro-Tips –

1. The climb to the fort is quite tough so take a call whether to take the car or walk up. Autos don’t go to the top. Shared-Taxis are available at the base of the fort; but you might miss the Gopalchal rock cut sculptures if you take a taxi.

2. Avoid going to the Fort on Sundays/Weekends since localites throng there to enjoy the day off. Hence quite crowded. If you dont have a choice, then go early in the morning.

3. Hiring a taxi to Morena is the most convenient way to visit. Ola outstation cabs were also an option but we preferred one through the hotel due to reliability.

4. You can also explore hotel options by MPT (MP Tourism). The hotels in other cities were good and some even have a taxi booking office on the premises.

5. Digital modes of payment are accepted at most places. However, when you book cab/auto on Ola/Uber, better to select cash option and then do a Paytm/Gpay to the driver. Most have a QR code.

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Madhya Pradesh in 7 days – the Itinerary

Hindustan ka dil dekho tagline kept ringing in my ears for years.. I was met with a lot of questions on holiday in MP? What’s there to see.. my answer to them .. you’ll be surprised!

What struck me when we started planning a trip across MP is the sheer size of it! Obviously given its one of the biggest states in India! You can look to have a lot of different kind of experiences –

Heritage and Culture – trace the history of Rajputs and Bundelkhand; exploring some stunning forts and temples – Gwalior, Orchha, Khajuraho, Sanchi, Ujjain etc.

Nature and Wildlife – some of the best wildlife sanctuaries to spot tigers and other wildlife is in MP – Bandavgarh, Kanha, Pench, Satpura etc. Some amazing waterfalls like Bhedaghat, Marble rocks, Dauladhar etc and hill stations like Pachmarhi.

We chose to do a culture and heritage tour from the north to south of MP. The route we finalised – Gwalior-Khajuraho-Orchha-Bhopal. We wanted to cover Indore and Ujjain (for the temple) but were short of days.

Here is how our 7 days were distributed across MP –

Day 1 – landed in Gwalior and covered the Gwalior fort. Its huge!! Easily takes 4-5hrs. Other sites to see – Tansen’s memorial, Jaivilas palace museum, Sarafa bazaar, Sun temple etx. Stay: Clarks Inn. You can also explore the MP Tourism hotels, we stayed at a few in other cities and it was great.

Gwalior Fort

Day 2 – Day trip to Morena – we hired a car for the day through a contact from the hotel to drive to Morena to see temples of Miatwali, Padavali, Bateshwar and a Shani temple. We returned around 4pm and even covered a few sites in Gwalior like the Sun Temple.

Bateshwar Temples

Day 3 – Gwalior to Orchha via Khajuraho – We continued with the same car and driver to visit Khajuraho and a drop to Orchha. Gwalior to Khajuraho is a 4-5hr drive. Khajuraho to Orchha about 2-3hr. Mind you, this is a long day. Stay: MPT Sheesh Mahal, Orchha. Its located in the Orchha fort complex and was awesome. Another option is to stay at Khajuraho for a night and drive to Orchha the next morning. MPT has multiple options in Khajuraho as well along with other properties like Ramada.

Khajuraho

Day 4 – Orchha – explore the fort(s), Chaturbhuj temple, Raja Ram temple (the only temple where Lord Ram is viewed as a King and gets a gun salute), Chattris – and their gorgeous view!

Orchha Chattris

Day 5 – Orchha to Bhopal – This would be a long drive if you take a car (7-8hr drive). We instead explored train options from the nearest station which is Jhansi. Being at the border of UP we took a taxi from Orchha to Jhansi – easily available and costs 800 Rs. Autos also available and cost 400Rs. Then a train from Jhansi to Bhopal (~3hrs) to see sights around Bhopal. Stay: MPT Palash Residency, Bhopal.

Day 6 – Sightseeing around Bhopal – From Bhopal you can do a day trip covering Sanchi Stupa, Udaygiri caves, Bhimbetka rock shelters and Tropic of Cancer. You can also split this into 2 days since Bhimbetka is to the south of Bhopal and Sanchi and Udaygiri to the east. If covering this in a single day, start early (max 9am) to end by 7pm. We took a taxi from the MPT booking office located on the same premises as our hotel.

Sanchi Stupa

Day 7 – took it a bit easy and explored sights within Bhopal. Upper lake, lower lake, new market, Van Vihar National Park.

Van Vihar National Park

Check out the other MP blogs for a day wise log at the various cities to see what all to explore, what to miss, and places to eat!

Planning Tips –

1. Some days can be hectic but you do have the option to break it up. If a day seems hectic, take it easy the next day.

2. Most places – forts and temples across MP have a lot of history behind the carvings and inscriptions. If you would like to hear the story, a guide is recommended. However it would easily take 2-3 hrs so it is a trade off of time.

3. The forts and temples are full of staircases which are high and narrow. Pack clothes and shoes accordingly.

4. To travel to some places like Morena, Khajuraho, Orchha etc it is convenient to hire a car for the day. It optimises on time but may cost a little more.

6. The drive from Gwalior to Khajuraho has a newly built/in construction highway and the road is good. Takes lesser time. However, If taking long drives between cities try to reach the hotel by sunset if travelling solo or in a small group. The highways get lonely post sunset.

7. MP Tourism is very well organized and has multiple stay options in every city. The properties are well maintained and the food and service is good too! They also offer taxi for day trips around. Rates are reasonable.

8. Digital wallets like Paytm and Phonepe/GPay worked almost everywhere including autos and taxis. You just need to ask 🙂

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Srinagar to Doodhpatri – A day trip

Day 4, we wanted to take it a bit light. We were exhausted from the adventures of the previous days and visiting Doodhpatri was perfect.

Translating to the Valley of Milk, Doodhpatri is a hidden gem and hasn’t yet been discovered as a tourist heaven. It hence provides some un-matched views of lovely landscapes against the back drop of the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas.

Situated at a 2hr drive from Srinagar, we started around 9:30 am and the plan was to get there and roll around on the meadow. The road to Doodhpatri isn’t the best and it took us a while navigating the potholes. We reached around 11:45am to see a huge cultural function organised by the Army – Doodhpatri 2021. We were invited, very warmly, to come watch the show. We got chatting with a few of the jawaans and found out that this was organized to promote the destination among locals and school kids to come visit and enjoy nature.

We got a front row seat to watch the various dance and music performance, many of which were performed by the jawaans. We had never been to any Army function and this felt like our moment of being on Jai Jawaan. We thoroughly enjoyed the show, clicked a few pics and then headed off further inside Doodhpatri.

We drove down the winding mountain path to another section, where you can take a horse and ride up to a waterfall. We were done with our share of horse rides especially after Pahalgam and just walked around absorbing the sheer beauty of nature and the place. It just felt so serene, so open and free. The side of the valley is also dotted with huts called Dhoks where the tribes reside. They move down to the town once the winter sets in.

After spending a while there, we got back into our car and started back to Srinagar, biding our good-byes to the jawaans we had be-friended.

We stopped at the base or entry point of Doodhpatri and grabbed lunch. There a few shops that we saw as soon as we entered the Doodhpatri checkpoint while coming and we had decided to stop there for our meal on our return.

Got back to Srinagar, shopped a bit and then called it an early evening to get back to the houseboat and enjoy the sunset at Dal Lake; reminiscing a really great day. We were thinking of dropping Doodhpatri, but we were so glad we went. Be it the Army program or even if it wasn’t there, the purity of the place is something you should experience.

Things to keep in mind –

1. There is no mobile network or places to eat/drink at Doodhpatri.
2. Eateries are only at the entry point at the base of the mountain. Not even small tents serving food on the meadows.
3. There are no washrooms available either.
4. It is an ideal place for a Picnic – Bring your own food and spend a morning or afternoon here.

Tomorrow, our last day, to check out Srinagar (will cover the places we shopped in that).

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Srinagar to Pahalgam – A day trip

Day 3 was a trip to the beauty that is Pahalgam. Pahalgam is situated at an altitude of 8900ft and is a 2 to 2.5hr drive from Srinagar. It is also the other starting point for the Amarnath yatra. Its not just in Pahalgam, but there are some amazing things to experience en-route.

Don’t miss on the Highway – We started around 9:30 am (we were late, recommend starting earlier) and an hour away drove past Saffron fields. Kashmir is known for its saffron and if you are visiting around end october/november you will see the purple bloom of the saffron flowers on either side of the highway NH1. This is the main highway that Our Ex-PM Mr Atal Vajpayee had built to connect Kashmir to Kanyakumari. You will also see the highway near Pulwama dotted with multiple shops selling dry fruits and saffron. We stopped here on our way back to make some purchases.

Saffron fields

As we sped further away from Srinagar and towards Anantnag district, you will notice a lot of Cricket Bat Shops and Factories on either side of the highway. Another specialty of Kashmir is the Willow Cricket Bat made from the willow tree wood. These bats are manufactured at these factories.

Cricket Bat Factory

Apple Valley – the thing you must-do at Anantnag is visiting the Apple Orchards and having the freshest apple juice ever. The entire place is called Apple Valley and we were delighted just at the sight of the apples hanging from the trees. We spent a sometime in the orchard, managing to pluck an apple from the tree and eat it – so fresh, so juicy! Most orchards have a small stall making fresh juice and selling apples. Highly recommend trying the apple juice – its delicious – very sweet and refreshing.

Apple Orchards

Fresh Apple juice being made

Pahalgam – We left from the apple orchards and an hour later reached the main Pahalgam market and parked at the tourist taxi stand. There are a number of things to do at Pahalgam and you can cover it in a day (provided you reach Pahalgam at 11am) or even spend a night at a hotel on the side of the Lidder river, giving you 2 days to take it all in.

Pahalgam

Here is what all you can do at Pahalgam –

Baisaran – This is a beautiful meadow situated at the top of a hill. You can hire a horse near the tourist taxi stand and go there; takes about 2-2.5hrs round trip. Remember to bargain hard with the guides. The climb up to Baisaran is VERY steep and it had rained the previous two nights so the pathway was extremely slushy. The incline that the horse has to climb is also very steep … honestly, it was quite scary. The horse slipped a number of times in the slush and loose gravel. If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have signed up to do this. Bharath decided to walk instead and the slush wasn’t helping. He slipped and his foot went into the slush and he lost his shoes! Returned bare foot down the hill while I continued up the hill with the help of the guide. After a lot of heart stopping escapades and prayers, reached the meadow of Baisaran to be greeted by some gorgeous views! Lush green meadows, pine and deodar trees dotting the mountains, simply breathtaking. Also, this was one of the sights where the movie Bajrangi Bhaijaan was shot. I spent some time absorbing the views, clicking pictures and then started the even more scarier descent. If that guide (Prince bhai) didn’t help me down all the way, couldn’t have made it. Finally reached the base to find Bharath waiting without shoes and half his trousers covered in mud; but overall he was okay. Thank God! What an adventure this was! Tip: No one tells you how the path is – its quite a steep climb and if it has rained the previous night, wouldn’t recommend the climb.

Ride a horse to Baisaran

Baisaran

We came back to the taxi stand to grab lunch and calm ourselves down after that adventure. The Punjabi Rasoi is a popular place and even at 2:45pm had a long queue outside the restaurant. We waited for 15mins, but still weren’t close to getting a seat. We were famished and went to another place called Hotel Palestine. The food was good and the quantity was a LOT. Two of us couldn’t finish the Veg Biryani. By the time we wrapped lunch it was a little past 4pm; leaving us almost no time to explore other places. We chose to give it a miss and decided to start back to Srinagar.

Other sites to explore in Pahalgam – Aru Valley, Betaab valley and Chandanwari – At the tourist taxi stand of Pahalgam market you can hire a taxi to see all these places starting at 1800 Rs. There are set rates for the various sights irrespective of the time duration for which you take the taxi. Aru and Betaab valley would have taken us about 2hrs to cover and hence we gave it a miss. Aru valley is the starting point of many treks and said to offer some views as you drive across. Betaab valley’s name comes from the movie Betaab which was shot there. Going to the valley is a 12km trek, however the view is from the top! Ask the driver to stop at the Betaab valley view point; you can skip going to the valley itself. Chandanwari also offers some great views.

Since we decided to start back to Srinagar giving Aru valley etc a miss, we stopped at multiple places along the Lidder river to get some great pics of the mountains and the landscapes. You can ask the driver to stop at the view points you want to see or he would also know spots which are good. It was a 3hr drive back to Srinagar along with the pit-stop to buy dry fruits and saffron at Pulwama highway, leaving us exhausted but carrying some great memories of the adventurous day!

Tomorrow, we got to take it light at DoodhPathri!

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Srinagar to Gulmarg – A day trip

Day 2 was a day trip to the most awaited town of Gulmarg. While I had just planned to ride the gondola and back, we were in for an awesome surprise ahead.

Gulmarg is a 1.5hr drive from Srinagar and we left around 9am. Our houseboat owner has recommended to take a guide (their own person) at the tourist taxi stand and we were hesitant given our experience with the horses in Sonmarg turned out to be expensive. He also mentioned to ask the guide to take us to a lake, if we were okay to trek. Being the curious us, we spent the previous night reading up about the famous lake of Alphatar (that he was mentioning) but we couldn’t go there. Read on and you will know why.

Gulmarg

Things to do in Gulmarg –

1. TREK – We reached Gulmarg around 10:30 am and met our guide Mansoor bhai at the stand. He quoted 900 Rs for the entire day, to take us to places around Gulmarg and we agreed. (Also being conscious that Kashmir runs only on tourism and all their livelihoods had been impacted with covid). At the entry point of Gulmarg, we were asked to take a covid test, but with the help of our driver Tahir bhai and Mansoor bhai, we showed our RTPCR reports and we were good to do. Mansoor bhai then got into the car, turned to us and said, “ Ajaz bhai (The Houseboat owner) told me you guys can trek”. We said yes and 10 mins later he stopped the car and told us we would be trekking from there to the ticketing office of the Gondola. I looked up at the rudimentary path and steep incline and wondered.. how??

The view of the road from where we climbed

We started the steep climb, slipping a bit, catching my breathe due to the altitude and lack of fitness and finally reached a point where there was a flat path. We walked on it, climbing around fallen trees, with some amazing views of the valley, and about an hour and a half or so later reached the ticketing office. We were the only ones on that path and it felt so serene.. so peaceful.. just the trees and us.

Trekking views

Trekking views

Tip – this trek wasn’t a known trail. We would have never found it on our own if it wasn’t for a local. We were the only ones on that path and hence this truly was the off-beaten route. Wouldn’t recommend it if you suffer from breathing difficulties. This needs some level of fitness since the distance is almost 3-4kms.

2. BUTA PHATRI We reached the gondola ticket centre around 12:30pm to find it highly crowded and long queues to ride it. Mansoor bhai then recommended visiting Buta Phatri which was another site. We hadn’t planned for this but it did sound quite cool and decided to see it. One thing to note – all the taxis from Srinagar or anywhere else only go to the entry point of the town eg: Gulmarg. To sightsee within Gulmarg you need to hire their local taxi. All the taxi drivers have a union and quote rates of 4000-5000Rs for the 15mins drive to Buta Phatri. We bargained with our guide and kept a final price of 3000 Rs. He got us a cab and we set off.

Why visit Buta Phatri? Buta Phatri is the last village on the India side situated about 3kms from the LOC. This is completely controlled by the Army and was closed for tourists for almost 22+yrs. It has recently opened up and invites a lot of tourists coming to Gulmarg. You will continue to see heavy army presence through the hair pin turns unto the entry point. You need to deposit a Govt ID proof at the entry point and collect it on your return.

Buta Phatri

When we reached Buta Phatri, the view that meets the eye is indescribable! Stand aside Switzerland, this place this sheer, untouched beauty. To go around Buta Phatri you can hire a horse; they will tell you it’s 3km etc; but we just decided to walk and its hardly 1or 2kms round about. The natural beauty of Kashmir is here – the green meadows, the pine trees on the mountains, simply magical. You will see the landscapes dotted with huts of the Gujjar tribes. Across the mountain is Pakistan and we could see a station on a mountain and were told Pakistan starts from there. Given Buta Phatri is an army training area you can also hear the firing of gunshots echoing through the valley. Pictures are prohibited close to the army base. Any Mobile network does not work in Buta Phatri.

Buta Phatri

Buta Phatri

We spent some time walking around, clicking pics and then started back to the gondola rocker centre. En-route we stopped to climb a small hill to find a lake on top of it. No one knows how the water got there.

Lake

3. Gondola ride – The gondola is a cable car which connects two mountains in phase 1 and phase 2. This 10-15mins ride to each phase provides some stunning views of Gulmarg. Unfortunately the Phase 2 was under repair and was closed. This meant we couldn’t go to Alphatar lake either. But that was okay! We now purchased our gondola ticket (740 Rs ) for Phase 1, got into the queue and into the car – and man are the views amazing! The Phase 2 tickets can be bought at the same ticket center and cost an additional 950 Rs.

We reached the end of phase 1 which is the top of Kondgori mountain and that opens into a lush meadow. I ran around the meadow like a cat finding an open area and made Bharath (the husband) click an abundance of pics. We were famished at the end of it and were happy to walk to the tents there serving hot maggi, tea, kahwa, pulav, chinese and what not. We had a kashmiri pulav, maggi and kahwa and it was divine! Especially with the view it came with! There is no mobile network on the top of Phase 1.

View from the gondola

At Phase 1

At phase 1

Maggi with a view

View from the gondola

We caught the gondola back to base feeling very content with how the day had panned out. We thanked Mansoor bhai profusely, including giving him more than the guide fee he quoted and he happily accepted the money without even counting it! We bid goodbye to the glorious landscape of Gulmarg and started back to Srinagar, taking back with us memories of one amazing day!

Tomorrow .. Pahalgam!

Tips – I would recommend taking a guide. Seeing a place from the eye of a local, is something altogether. Check if your houseboat has a tie-up; its the best way to ensure you get a good price. The Gondola ride is usually crowded in the morning and by afternoon the crowds reduce. Weather can change at any time and carry a jacket.

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Srinagar to Sonamarg – A day trip

Day 1 of our 5 days in Srinagar was a trip to the Meadow of Gold ( Sonmarg) situated at an altitude of 8900ft.

Sonamarg is about a 2hr drive from Srinagar across a scenic route of majestic mountains. We started off at 9:30am, taking our first stop at a dhaba about an hour away to enjoy a warm cup of tea along the Sind river. Most of the drivers and guides have designated dhabas and lunch spots that they stop at and this was our drivers.

Along Sind River

After our tea we set off towards our next stop for a quick picture as we climbed the mountains in the district of Gandebal. There are a number of view points so recommend stopping for just one or two; its a long way to Sonamarg with things to do there.

At Genderbal

At Sonamarg, trek to Thajwas Glacier – When you reach Sonamarg, the first thing that strikes you are the lush green meadows. You can see it right at the parking spot. We reached around 12/12:30ish and immediately got onto haggling with the horse guides. The main highlight here is the short trek to the Thajwas glacier. During winter it is covered in snow and maybe open for some winter activities. The journey to Thajwas glacier is about 3-4km long on a pathway which is both muddy and has a road. You can either hire a horse or cover it on foot (if you are experienced with trekking at high altitudes). Everyone recommends a horse, however my husband covered the return journey on foot and he felt it was better.

Hiring the horse – that is a process in itself. All the horse guides have a union of sorts and the starting price was 2000 Rs per horse, which is very steep. After a LOT of haggling they finally agreed for 2500 Rs for both of us ( I still think we over-paid). Its a tiresome and time consuming process so be prepped for it.

Ride to Thajwas glacier – We started off on our horses to be greeted by lush green meadows and high mountains lines with deodar trees. Its a beautiful view indeed!

Pro Tip: carry a tripod to mount your phone on- makes it easier to take photos and videos while riding the horse.

After a short while, we took a stop at the Sind river. This is the spot where some scenes of the film Bajrangi Bhaijaan was shot (as per our horse guide). We spent some time playing with the water and clicking a zillion pics.

Then proceeded to the walk upto the glacier. Its basically a flat area with a bridge across dotted with tents serving up hot maggi and tea. It can get crowded depending on the number of tourists. You can continue the climb further up, but mind you it is quite steep. The guides do tell you that they can take you up to see snow, but we weren’t too keen. The weather was changing and it was threatening to rain, and we decided to head back to base. The entire ride from the parking lot and back took us close to 2-2.5hrs (we lost time in haggling with the guides).

There are a number of restaurants at the car park area and we went into one of them for a very late lunch. Post lunch, around 4pm we started back to Srinagar. As soon as the car pulls out and drives you will notice on the mountain bases numbers and directions marked in Blue. These are markings for the Army to train in high altitude and mountain warfare. With that we got back to our houseboat at sunset to unwind for the rest of the evening.

Our next day was something I was looking forward to .. gorgeous Gulmarg!

Tips – Do ensure you haggle hard with the guides. Don’t take the horse if you have trouble with your back or any other fears. The path is a bit gradient and steep in some places, but otherwise flat land. If you have some level of fitness and experience trekking in high altitude, you can walk it.

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Heaven on Earth – Kashmir, A 5-day Itinerary

When you hear Kashmir, the first picture that comes to your mind is of the green meadows lined with pine and deodar trees against the backdrop of the mighty Himalayas. The valley has been tense for many years and while we had our apprehensions too; checking with friends who had been there recently helped immensely in reassuring us of the safety of visiting.

Pahalgam

Duration and Sights – We planned about 5 days, end of Sep to early Oct, to immerse ourselves into this beauty. This is more than enough. You can also spend about 7 days by choosing to stay in Srinagar and Pahalgam. Top places we narrowed in to visit – Srinagar, Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Doodhpatri. These were the top spots given we decided to stay in Srinagar only. With Srinagar at the centre each of these locations were in the four corners from Srinagar.

Best time to visit – Srinagar and all its nearby places of Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam receive a lot of snowfall and many things are closed for the winters. Ideal time to go is from April to October. Early October, the weather was not too cold, moderate for some light winter wear and had abundance of sunshine; it rained at night though. Winter (Nov to Feb/Mar) has tourists flocking to Gulmarg to ski and enjoy other winter activities. Dal Lake completely freezes in winter. The houseboats and community here break the ice to make pathways for the shikhara. Winters are very cold and the houseboats install a make shift heating system with wood.

Dal Lake

Gulmarg

Stay – When in Srinagar, definitely stay on a houseboat! We did a bit of research, read up some reviews on trip advisor and decided to stay in Chicago Houseboat (for some reason many houseboats are named after a US or UK city). I had looked up the Chicago Houseboat website and they had mentioned that they offered packages. I am a DIY travel girl; but given the sensitivity of the valley, it didn’t harm to enquire. We knew what we wanted to see, but the travel logistics to the towns were what we needed to figure out.

Chicago Houseboat is owned by Mr. Ajaz, a 4th generation Houseboat owner and a conversation later he was able to send us a brief itinerary of a day wise plan of keeping Srinagar as a base and driving to each of the towns. We requested for some edits and he was happy to do so. He also gave us a recommendation for an additional day we had. The houseboats offer an all-inclusive package which covers breakfast and dinner along with evening tea or kashmiri kahwa; along with a car and driver to take us to the various towns each day. This turned out to be a huge blessing since it saves you a lot of time & energy of haggling everyday with the local taxi drivers for the per day cost of hiring a taxi. Also note, most houseboats are located in the middle of Dal Lake and ensure the package includes the daily shikhara ride to and from the ghat.

NOTE – All taxis from Srinagar go only to the entry points of the town like Gulmarg, Pahalgam etc. If you would like to sightsee within Gulmarg or Pahalgam or anywhere else, you would need to take the local taxi. The rates vary and many are unionized and could quote high rates. Bargain hard!

Chicago Houseboat

Flights – flying in covid times was a bit scary given this was the first flight we were taking. To avoid change of planes we picked a route which had a technical stop-over at Amritsar or Delhi and it was quite comfortable.

What to Wear – depending on the season you visit, do check for temperatures and pack appropriate winter wear. Weather in the mountains change rapidly and its recommended to be prepped with a good jacket, thermals and raincoat. Also carry comfortable clothes since there are multiple potential trekking spots at the towns.

Sonmarg

Mobile network – Pre-paid connections DO NOT work in Srinagar. Only post-paid works. We had Airtel and that worked quite well for both network and internet; unsure of other networks, BSNL is the predominant one here. The Houseboats are equipped with wifi, but one will need mobile network while travelling.

Covid Guidelines – Lastly, Srinagar airport requires an RTPCR negative report. They also do a test at the airport for free, however recommend carrying one. Though the JK tourism site or even the airline guidelines didn’t mention we needed a negative RTPCR despite being fully vaccinated, we decided to take one and boy that came handy! P.S. they also checked for our RTPCR report at the entry point for Gulmarg, else would have had to take the test. Do check the ever-changing guidelines when you travel.

With that we were all set for our trip – this is the least planning I had done for any of my travels 🙂

Kashmir’s economy runs largely by tourism and it has been hit quite badly due to covid. Kashmiris are one of the most hospitable people and welcome tourists with a warm smile and an open heart. You will notice that at every turn you make. Next few blogs will cover the day wise itinerary we followed across Kashmir. Stay tuned!

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Coastal Karnataka – A 4 day itinerary

Given covid, we have been quite careful about our travel plans. Instead out venturing far and out, we chose to jog memories and visit places in our Karnataka which we haven’t visited over the years. Before the scorching summer hits, we planned a trip to cruise across Coastal Karnataka; exploring the more pristine and unexplored beaches and backwaters.

The Route –

Bangalore – Karwar – Byndoor – Bangalore. There aren’t many resorts to choose from to stay along the beach (we were particular about a beach resort). We hence chose resorts in Karwar and Byndoor as our rest spots and it was a great decision. It was also optimally located for day trips across the coast touching coasts of Gokarna and Udupi and also for our return trip back to Bangalore.

Day 0 –

Bangalore to Karwar is a 9 hr drive and we wanted to break that up. Unable to take an additional day off, we decided to work from Chitradurga for a day! Chitradurga is about 3hrs from Bangalore and we started early on a Friday morning before the workday started! KSTDC has a very humble, clean and great place to work from (good wifi) and spend the night on a budget, overlooking the fort.

Day 1 –

Karwar and Devbagh Beach Resort

Saturday morning began with checking out of Chitradurga and hitting the road, bidding farewell to all the windmills along the way. Karwar is the last beach on the Karnataka coastline and is a very important Naval base for India. There is a completely different charm as you step into the Uttara Kannada district and it amazes me how our country’s landscapes, languages and food change every 100kms. Located at the mouth of the Kali river, Karwar used to be a major port during British rule for spice trading. It is this place where Rabindranath Tagore wrote his masterpiece Prakitirir Pratishoota, his foray into the literary space.

Devbagh Beach

Jungle Resort

In Karwar we chose to stay on the Devbagh beach – Run by the Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR; Govt. run), this beach resort is located at the estuary where Kali river meets the Arabian Sea. The beach resort is a 20mins boat ride from its Karwar office on main land, really well maintained and offers you stay with a delicious food package; since there is nothing else around – just like living on a desert island! Recommend a one night stay here – getting lost in the coniferous jungles, walking endlessly on the beach, spending the evening playing with the water and listening to the waves as they lap up and enjoying dinner on the beach with a bon-fire. The resort does offer a trek, bird watching or a boat ride into the sea to spot dolphins. We chose the boat ride, to go into the sea but unfortunately didn’t see any dolphins. Seeing how tourism has been hit, post covid, we have been choosing stay options which are Govt. run to help support the local community – Devbagh is one of them, managed and supporting the fishermen community nearby.

Day 2 – 

Majali and Tilmati Beach – After spending a day chilling, doing absolutely nothing other than appreciating nature, we checked out and headed towards our next stay destination of Byndoor, which was about a 4hr drive away. You can do a complete road trip from the north to the south of coastal Karnataka and be awed by each and every beach. We chose a few, the ones we haven’t visited before.

Majali beach

Getting off the boat from Devbagh at the Karwar jetty, we drove towards the Goa border to check out Majali beach which shares its border with Goa. This is a small beach which has a rock formation which you can climb to reach the black sand beach of Tilmati. Tilmati can alternately be reached from the Goa side as well.

Mirjan Fort – Post this quick pitstop we headed back towards the south of the coastline as we climbed the mountain towards Gokarna. If you are visiting here for the first time, would recommend a stop over at the famous beaches of Gokarna, Kumta, and the rock formations of Yana. You can stay at any of the beach resorts at Gokarna too. We had visited Gokarna many years ago and hence chose to skip it; but decided to visit the Mirjan Fort which was en-route. The Mirjan Fort was built by Rani Chennabhairadevi in the 16th century and was a major hub for spice trade. In fact she was known as the Pepper Queen. The sprawling fort is beautiful and offers a great view of the entire green forest cover. The view would be much better in monsoons, given the lush greenery which also grows on and around the fort. We spent some time exploring the fort and I went crazy , like a child running around the open spaces.

Mirjan Fort

Mirjan Fort

View from the Fort

Honnavar & Byndoor – as we drove towards our resort, we started getting hungry and decided to stop near the Honnavar backwaters at the Green Park River view restaurant which was located at a point where the Sharavati river flows into the sea. After a quick lunch we continued our drive towards Byndoor. Enroute, there were a few other places you could cover – Apsarakonda waterfalls, Shiva statue at Murudeshwar, Bhatkal beach and lighthouse etc. We reached Byndoor around mid-afternoon at our resort – Sai Vishram Resort. Run by SaiBaba devotees, this resort offers a multiple options for stay – a luxury tent right at the beach or cottages, a bit higher up. We chose the tent since we wanted to access the beach easily. The stay was amazing – great amenities, delicious and healthy food and staying in a tent where luxury meets rustic.. just felt like camping!

Sai Vishram resort

Byndoor

Byndoor

Honnaver

Day 3 –

Day 3 was dedicated to beach hopping! We decided to simply drive down from Byndoor to Udupi and hit as many beaches as we could! Post breakfast we started off toward our first beach:

Marvante Beach – this is the highlight.. Definitely! – as you drive towards Marvante beach you drive on a highway which has the Arabian Sea on one side and the backwaters of the Sharavati River on the other side! Awesome! So picturesque! Marvante beach is also starkly different from other beaches with black stones which you can walk across to view the sea.

Marvante

Trasi Beach – a beautiful beach near Marvante beach, lines with coconut trees and benches, giving you some time to pause and reflect while watching the sea waves crash against the boulders.

Trasi beach

Kodi Beach – by now you would realise most of the beaches have backwaters since multiple rivers run across this region. We spent some time driving though the coconut tree lined roads to Kodi beach and walking across the sea-walk unto the sea. You can also check out the tall Kodi beach lighthouse towering against the sky.

Kodi beach

Kundapur backwaters – we drove a bit inland to see the backwaters at Kundapur. We just couldn’t get enough of the picturesque views of the tall coconut trees lines up against the river banks. indeed a treat to the eyes!

We then headed to Udupi for lunch. Bharath (The Husband) loves his fish and his main agenda was to head to Thimmappa for their fish meals. Being the vegeterian, I got some lunch nearby and we then headed out to explore Udupi’s backwaters.

Udupi backwaters & Kemmanu Hanging Bridge – Udupi, apart from being a temple town, has two other attractions. One of them is the backwaters. The road to the backwaters is quite narrow and complete lined with thick coconut groves and provides an incredible experience just driving through them. You will notice at most of the backwaters the banks on either side are connected by number of Hanging Bridges. These bridges are the lifeline of this area, providing a mode of transport to goods and people on either side of the river – Some of them so strong that they can withstand bike movements too. We decided to visit the main one which is the Kemmanu hanging bridge. The river is also a place for kayaking and you will see the horizon dotted with Kayaks. If you would like to Kayak, there is a adventure sports place right at the base of the bridge. Even if you don’t kayak, this is a lovely spot to enjoy the stillness and calmness that nature offers and take in its serene beauty.

Kemmanu hanging bridge

Backwaters

Malpe Beach – The second attraction in Udupi is the Malpe beach. As you drive towards Malpe, stop to catch a glimpse of a huge dockyard and number of fishing boats docked at the bay. Malpe is an important port and fishing harbour for Karnataka and you will see this at the place. You can park your car and then walk towards the sea on the sea-walk or just sit on one of the benches to enjoy the wind, the view and the sunset. You can also catch a boat from here to St. Mary’s island.

Malpe beach

Malpe beach

Day 4 – 

Thus commenced our return journey to Bangalore. This was a 8-9hr drive and we headed out post breakfast. The thing I love about road trips is that you can plan pitstops and one of them was the drive through Agumbe (which luckily falls en-route). Agumbe apart from being extremely picturesque and offerign some great treks and views, is also the place where the show Malgudi Days was shot. A small town, the entire town was turned into a set for one of the most famous TV series of the 90s. As you drive across, do stop by to admire the Dodda Mane where a large portion of the show was shot.

Agumbe

Post reliving some memories, we headed back towards Bangalore with a quick stop for lunch and tea. 

Covid has somewhere forced us to re-look at many of the places we had visited through our growing up years – but with a new found interest and perspective. With it forcing us to take smaller trips and closer home, here’s to re-discovering our India and all that she has to offer! 

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Badami – Pattadakal – Aihole- Bijapur : A 2 day itinerary

After our 2 awesome days at Hampi, we started out early towards our next destination. Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole are very close to each other. We stayed in Badami (Grand Clarks Inn) since the other places don’t have any options since they are quite small.

As we headed out from Hampi we decided to stop at Pattadakal and then proceed to check into our hotel at Badami. The drive from Hampi started out well but as we approached Pattadakal, the road gets quite bad and we made it post a 2.5hr drive.

Pattadakal

Pattadakal is a beautiful complex of temples depicting the architecture of the Chalukya dynasty – quite a contrast from that of the Vijayanagara empire. Its a ticketed entrance – don’t fret; ASI has a QR code to scan to pay the ticket on line – contactless!

Pattadakal

This UNESCO heritage site is breath-taking and very well maintained. There are 10 Shiva temples here, all facing east, built in both Dravidian and North Indian style of architecture. The prominent temples are the Virupaksha temple (based on the one in Hampi), Kashiviswanath temple, Galaganath and Sangameshwar temple. There is also a Jain temple here. All of them are intricately carved, with a lot of detailed designs. Definitely a place to feast on the excellence of the Chalukya dynasty’s taste for architecture!

You may want to hire a guide for a tour of the place; though all temples are well marked with descriptive boards.

Pattadakal

Pattadakal

We then headed towards Badami, to check in and have lunch and then head out to explore the town. Badami is a small place and Grand Clark Inn was the only hotel we found. We checked in, ate at the hotel and after a quick siesta stepped out to see the Cave temples.

Badami

Cave temples

Badami is famous for the Cave temples, a view of which you can get from the hotel itself. A 5mins drive/walk through extremely narrow path, we reached the entrance. The approach road is very small and recommend walking to the caves instead of driving. Badami was quite crowded as a town and to avoid that we drove. The first thing we noticed at the cave temples were the abundance of monkeys! So beware and don’t carry food. We bought tickets by using the QR code at the counter and started climbing the stairs to Cave 1. There are a set of 4 caves, each at a higher elevation than the other. Each cave is different, intricately carved with statues of Vishnu and Narasimha. The 4th cave is a Jain cave with carving of Bahubali in meditation and other poses.

The carvings

Carvings on Cave 4

I would definitely recommend climbing up to the 4th cave cuz the views of the town on one side and Agastya lake and Bhoothnath temple on the other are beautiful. Its a great place to witness the sunset too! We then headed to Agastya lake and Bhoothnath temple to sit by it. The approach road is even smaller hence recommend walking. Most of the sights close by 6pm so do plan accordingly. After a peaceful evening by the lake we got back to the hotel to eat and get some rest. Given the covid situation we didn’t venture out to explore local food options and preferred to order in room service – least contact mode on!

View of Agastya lake and Bhoothnath temple

View from Cave 3

Gol Gumbaz

Gol Gumbaz

Well, we have studied about Gol Gumbaz in school, and being so close to it, we just couldn’t skip it. Gol Gumbaz is the tomb of King Adil Shah of the Shah dynasty and is situated in Bijapur, about 2.5hr drive from Badami. We started around 8am post an early break-fast and headed off on the highway to Bijapur. The roads were quite good, some dotted with windmills as well 🙂 We reached Gol Gumbaz around 10:30am ish, parked near by, scanned the QR code to buy tickets and went on to explore it.

The first building is the Archaeological museum, and that has a separate ticket to enter. We skipped it and walked around it towards the Gumbaz. The first thing that struck us is the symmetry of this tomb and well, the size of the Dome itself! The main highlight, the Dome, is the second largest dome in the world, after the St Peters Basilica in Vatican City. Once you step in you see the tomb of the King; and you can proceed to climb one of the 4 pillar to go up to the Whispering Gallery aka the Dome. The stairway is extremely narrow, with high steps and about 5-6 floors up, we reached the Whispering Gallery. This is famous due to its unique acoustics – a whisper/sound made in any corner can be heard across the entire the dome. It’s just amazing. We spent some time making sounds and hearing the echo bounce through the entire structure! Wow!

We finished exploring the Gumbaz close to lunch time, stopped by the Qaswa Hills restaurant to pack our food (avoiding eating in the restaurant) and set off towards the next destination.

View while climbing up the pillar

Walking to Whispering gallery

Aihole

Aihole complex

Aihole was our next destination. Badami, Pattadakkal, Aihole lie on the same state highway. Aihole is quite different; a small village with close to 120+ temples , a temple at every corner almost! Aihole was once the capital of the Chalukya dynasty before it was moved to Badami. Here are some prominent temples of Aihole, most housed in the same complex –

Durga Temple

Durga temple

Is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Is very unique given its rounded architecture, which is very unlike Hindu temples. A Dravidian style temple, it has some very intricate and detailed designs – do step inside and check out the carvings on the columns and the ceiling – beautiful! This was one of the first temples where no sealant was used to hold the stones, instead grooves were designed so that the stones fit in.. like gear teeth!

Carvings in Durga temple

Lad Khan Temple

Lad Khan temple

A Shiva temple, yes you read right, though with a Muslim name which has many legends around the name, has such a different architecture. Its the only temple with a square “mandap” on the roof, like a chimney is what it looks like from far away. Similar to other temples, it has some very delicate designs and a remarkable example of the Chalukhya architecture of using large stone blocks.

Suryanarayanan Temple, Chakra Gudi Temple, Rachigudi temple – a few other temples in the same complex to admire the architecture of.

Ravanaphadi Cave temple

Cave temple

A few mins away from the Durga temple complex is this cave temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. What caught my eye was a the beautiful Mahishasurmardini carving and the dancing Natraja carving and Ganesha carving in the sanctum of the temple.

The carvings

With that wrapped our 4 day immersion into Karnataka’s glorious heritage. It was really enriching to be transported back into a different period of time, brimming with art, architecture and culture. The following day, we set off on the 8hr drive back home to Bangalore.

As you decide to step out during these covid times, do ensure to follow the guidelines, masks and sanitizer on and safely, physically distanced from others! Safe travels!

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