This short getaway trip with a close friend of mine was very special to me. This is the first time I travelled without sketching out a perfect plan. It is a very nice idea to go out without having anything in mind except the destination.
Previously when I travelled alone, I couldn't afford to take up this kind of a challenge keeping in mind the language barrier(I don't know Bangla) and unknown problems which could have made it difficult for me. Now I realise that there are no such 'problems' per say.
Coming back to this trip, let me introduce the place I visited. It is called 'Melukote' which when translated says ( The fort on the hill/top).
We (me and my friend Rakesh Hoskere) started our journey from Mysore road satellite bus stand,Bangalore. We boarded a bus going to Mysore. It is not at all a problem to find buses from Bangalore to Mysore.( KSRTC is one of the best in the country!!)
Previously when I travelled alone, I couldn't afford to take up this kind of a challenge keeping in mind the language barrier(I don't know Bangla) and unknown problems which could have made it difficult for me. Now I realise that there are no such 'problems' per say.
Coming back to this trip, let me introduce the place I visited. It is called 'Melukote' which when translated says ( The fort on the hill/top).
We (me and my friend Rakesh Hoskere) started our journey from Mysore road satellite bus stand,Bangalore. We boarded a bus going to Mysore. It is not at all a problem to find buses from Bangalore to Mysore.( KSRTC is one of the best in the country!!)
Without any second thought I can say that roads are very good and especially for those who wish to have eatouts on the way. Later , we had to get down at Mandya, which is approximately 95 kilometres from Bangalore. From Mandya bus stand, we took a bus to Melukote. Yes, even there the frequency of buses is really good. The scenery on the way is fantastic. Mandya, also known as the sugar city is aptly named. You can see a lot of sugarcane fields on the way and people eating it in the odd seasons too. After sometime we caught the first view of the hill of Melukote.
We reached Melukote bus stand at around 12:00 noon. We saw the temple hill and keeping it as the reference point, we walked down the streets. Later at a time when we reached the foothill, we looked around puzzled without knowing what to do. A shopkeeper woman looked at us as if we were from an outside state. Outsiders are quite common there. Then she asked us to leave our footwear in her shop. Without realizing what we were doing, we did as she said. And then she acclaimed " How many shall I give you?, Two separately or one as a whole.'' I was astonished for a moment. She was talking about pre-packed articles of worship offered to God. This is one other good business strategy you can find near temples. She also mentioned that the temple on top of the hill will close in a few minutes. Without even looking back, we raced through the uneven steps to the top of the hill. It was really scary for a small period of time literally running on the staircase( you cannot even call that a staircase! ). We rushed there and we were made to wait for 5 minutes because the priests were probably having a high tea! Seriously, I don't remember the reason but is was a good resting time. After spending some time there at the temple with the monkeys, we got down the hill slowly. Here are some of the pics.
Then after listening to some people talk, we got to know the reality. It was true that we had not visited the main temple which was why Melkote was famous for. It was too late to go to the temple as it was closed from 12 to 4 pm. So, we decided to look around and to have food during that time. There at a distance we found this big pond a.k.a kalyani.
We caught some nice and rare scenes near and around the kalyani. And some pictures are here:
We had a very good lunch which was more than necessary at that time. A perfect 'Brahmanara oota' ( Brahmins' meal) on a plantain leaf. Here is an odd picture of the same.
Sakkare pongal ( sweet pongal) and Puliyoggare are the specialities you get here. Never miss if you get a chance.
There were three other beautiful places we visited there. The first one was Rayagopura. This is the place where Aishwarya Rai Bachann dances in the song 'Baraso Re' from the movie 'Guru'. Look at the picture and recall it for yourself.
There were three other beautiful places we visited there. The first one was Rayagopura. This is the place where Aishwarya Rai Bachann dances in the song 'Baraso Re' from the movie 'Guru'. Look at the picture and recall it for yourself.
The second place was Akka-Tangiyara kola. This translates to 'Sisters' ponds'. Even though we did not go down to see it, we caught a glimpse of those ponds. I also listened to the story behind these ponds. Well, that will be the central idea of my other blogpost.
Lastly, we entered the place of central attraction. This is the temple of Cheluvanarayana Swamy, most commonly known for the Hoysala architecture inside and outside the temple. Absolutely beautiful pillars inside the temple. Photography is not allowed. But, I somehow managed to get some beautiful snaps of the pillars.Here are some of the pictures.
All in all, I must say this was a wonderful trip for both of us and I must say that I learnt a lot from this short trip.
All in all, I must say this was a wonderful trip for both of us and I must say that I learnt a lot from this short trip.