Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Hyderabad Diaries: Exploring the City of Pearls - Day 3 (Ramoji film city)


'Udayananu Tharam' is a famous Malayalam movie (released in 2005) that talks about—and mocks—what happens behind the scenes in the film industry. Around that time, one interesting detail also came out: the entire movie was made in Ramoji Film City. People no longer need to search for natural or suitable locations for a movie. One can do everything within the comfort of a film city.

Built by Ramoji Rao, this film city spans over 2,000 acres and is probably the largest integrated film city in the world. More than 2,500 films have been shot here. Some of the famous ones include Bahubali (both 2015 and 2017), Chandramukhi, Enthiran(Robot), Krrish 3 (2013), Kick (2014) etc. The place has sets for airports, railway stations, hospitals, foreign cities, palaces, villages, jails, streets, houses, and more. The film city also welcomes tourists and showcases various aspects of movie-making. In case you want to stay inside the complex, there are multiple hotels like Sitara, Tara, etc. If you're looking for a destination wedding venue or want to host corporate events, Ramoji is a good choice.

The film city is located far from the main city. From our location at Lakdikapul, it’s more than 35 km away. Fortunately, it's close to the Outer Ring Road, which offers easy connectivity back to the Bangalore highway. Since coming back to city areas would cost a lot of time, we planned the Film City visit for the last day and headed straight to Bangalore from there. We had an early breakfast, checked out from the hotel, and jumped into the car to reach the city. Since it was Monday morning, there was a lot of traffic on the way. Eventually, we got onto NH-65 (Pune–Machilipatnam), but that didn’t ease the traffic. After a while, we crossed the ORR junction on NH-65. From there, the film city is quite close. There’s ample parking space at Ramoji. Since we didn’t know when we’d get another break, feeding Niha became a priority.

There was one issue at the booking counter. Ramoji doesn’t permit cameras with lenses over 55mm. I didn’t have an 18–55mm lens suitable for my camera, so I had to go back and leave the camera in the car. Everything is well organized here—after booking, we could directly join the queue to board a bus to the main film city. The bus was nicely decorated and dropped us at first stop after a while. 

Ramoji Film City

It's good to allocate two days to view film city. However if you have only one day, then you need to pick and choose what you want to see and to skip. As one Quora post suggested, it's better to try filmy dunia, space ride, moving making, wild west etc. at the beginning and then go for studio tour. This again depends on people to people - what I liked might be different from what you like; so make a plan which choose your interests. 

I recall reading that there's an opening ceremony worth watching at film city. Unfortunately, by the time we reached inside, it was a bit late, and the ceremony had likely ended. We took a look around and waited at the first drop point. Buses for the Studio Tour came and went quickly, clearing the queue in front of us. Eventually, we got onto one and officially began our Ramoji Film City tour. Since I'm writing this article months after the actual trip, I've forgotten the exact sequence of events, so the order described below may not be entirely accurate. After boarding the bus, the guide began introducing Ramoji Film City and its history. As we moved along, she pointed out various landmarks and mentioned names of movies/scenes were shot in each location.

Many houses we saw were just facades — only the fronts were built. But on movies, they look like complete houses or streets. After viewing several such sets, the bus dropped us off at the Bhagavatham set. Here, you can walk through Pandavas' Indraprastha and, in the next room, the Kauravas' Hastinapur. If I recall correctly, there were a few more sets, all separated by single walls. A short walk ahead took us to a railway station set with couple of bogies of a train (not real railway bogies, but something they made there). It felt like, within just 1–2 square kilometers, you could shoot an entire movie. After exiting the railway station, we arrived at the next bus stop, where another bus would take us to the next location.

The tour ticket also includes access to three complimentary adventure activities. One of the buses stopped at the adventure zone. From there, a different bus takes you further to the actual spot, which is a bit farther away. Unfortunately, I was seated at the back of the bus and couldn't hear what the driver announced. A few people in front got off, but the rest of us remained. I realized it was the stop for the adventure section only after the bus started moving again. In hindsight, it was probably for the best—we had Divya with little Niha and my mother, who is in her early seventies. They likely wouldn’t have participated, and getting off would have cost us valuable time and other experiences.

We moved on, and the next stop was likely the Bahubali set. On the way, we passed an area where filming was in progress. One tourist tried to take pictures, but our guide quickly asked him not to, as it's against policy. The bus dropped us in front of Mahishmati's gates, and we entered inside the legendary fort. This is a famous location, and many visitors were busy clicking photos. However, it looked a bit neglected—the paint was peeling, and there were cracks in many places. Perhaps the idea is to keep it open to tourists until it can no longer be maintained, and then it will be replaced with a new set. Although it appeared beautiful in the movie, I didn’t find the set particularly impressive and moved quickly toward the exit. By the way, there were couple of restorants nearby which sold Devasena dosas and Bahubali biriyanis!!!

There was a souvenir shop just before the exit, where we picked up couple of items. For those concerned about food and water, Ramoji Film City is well-equipped. Near the Bhagavatham set and again at the Mahishmati set, there were food stalls and full-fledged restaurants.

From there, another bus took us to the European Street set. The buildings resembled the front facades of European towns, much like in movies. We walked through the area and reached (if I remember correctly) hospital and airport sets. Many buildings serve multiple purposes — for example, one side might be the hero’s house, another the villain’s, and yet another side might represent a courthouse. So, one building could function as four different sets. We explored the airport area for a while before heading to the gardens.

When the bus stopped, we got off at what seemed to be one of the highest points in the park, offering good view of the surroundings. Note that, not all part of film city is open to visitors; some areas are reserved for filming or closed during active shoots. We walked downhill toward the first garden, stopping for some time at a restorant on right side. Food took some time to arrive which also helped us to rest for some time. 

Further down were more gardens. My favorite among them was the Japanese Garden — it was beautifully designed with traditional Japanese architecture and flowing water channels. We walked around there for a while, even walking a little through the water. I would have liked to spend more time, but it was already afternoon. We quickly moved towards bus stop and boarded one for next location — I can't recall exactly where it dropped us, but it featured several more gardens, including a small bonsai garden.

Next, we visited the movie making attraction, where they demonstrated how movies are made. Presenters also picked up three ladies from audience and made small video as well. This was followed by space ride. Both experiences were excellent, and I highly recommend them. After exiting from space ride somewhere down we saw the building where wild west show was going on. Unfortunately by the time we arrived, only five minutes remained, and it was the final show of the day. We missed it, but judging by the laughter and excitement of the audience, it seemed enjoyable.

Eventually, it was time to wrap up. Our memorable trip come to an end. Niha probably saw everything without understanding much; I'm sure when she grow older and looks at these photos, she might insists on seeing all one more time. By 5:30 PM, our return bus arrived to take us back to the parking area where we had left our car.

During the ride back, I went through everything we had seen. In a way, I gained better understanding of how sets are used in filmmaking; but it also removed a bit of magic. Won't I think about these sets and when I watch movies next time? Would it affect how genuine the scenes feel to me? I remembered an old roommate of mine - Rakesh - who was a huge Tony Jaa fan. He introduced me to movies like 'Ong-Bak' and 'Tom-Yum-Goong', famous for their flying knee strikes and stunt choreography. Rakesh admired Tony Jaa’s knee strikes and often explained his knee movements during action scenes. He also loved Jackie Chan, whose movies typically end with behind the scenes clips showing how the stunts were performed. Watching those behind the scenes clips made me appreciate the effort but felt like all these are not real. We all know that much of what we see is staged (many dangerous stunts are done by doubles) but still seeing how its done suddenly brought a kind of disappointment. From now on, I’ll probably watch movies with a different perspective.
Back to Bangalore

We left Film City by evening and soon got onto the ORR. It's a nice road to drive on—aside from some repair work happening here and there, there were no blocks on this fully elevated stretch. It took a while to reach the cloverleaf junction where the ORR intersects with NH44. The entire scenario changed once we entered NH44—lots of repairs, heavy traffic, and delays. It took some time to get through all the jams and finally reach lighter traffic. Unlike the stretch of NH44 from Bangalore to Salem and beyond, this segment is narrower and darker.

The long walks inside Film City had made everyone tired and eventually hungry. Finally, we found a place to have dinner, and surprisingly, the food was much better than I expected. Still, we had a long way to go to reach Bangalore. I almost stopped every half hour to have coffee. I think I’ve never had this much coffee and tea in a single day or night in my entire life. At some places, I even had two cups. It was also a bit cold outside. In some places, people were burning things to keep themselves warm. I stopped near one such spot where something was being burned. There was a tea stall nearby, and a lady was watching milk boil on the stove.

A large lorry had also stopped behind our car; compared to its size, our car looked like a child standing in front of an elephant. The truck driver got down and ordered coffee too. On the other side, the fire was still burning whatever people had thrown into it, spreading warmth. I walked back and forth, watching the flames, the truck parked just behind our car, the lorries passing by on the road, the moonlight, and the dark, tall trees lining the other side.

It took a while for the coffee to be ready. Meanwhile, I thought about all the pit stops I had made today. Some places were fully lit but mostly empty. Others had several trucks parked nearby with just a few people around. At some stops, I was the only customer the entire time. Finally, the coffee came—and it was indeed good.

I kept walking for a bit. The truck driver finally woke his trailer from a short sleep and got it moving again. Bangalore was still a distance away, but not too far. We started moving once more.

Sajeev
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Sunday, June 1, 2025

Hyderabad Diaries: Exploring the City of Pearls - Day 2


Rashtrapati Nilayam


Booking was done in advance for Rashtrapati Nilayam. In case you want to book, use the official Rashtrapati Nilayam website. Once booked, you need to reach the location on time; they permit a delay of up to 40 minutes. Showing the ticket on mobile with a matching ID card is good enough for entry. To avoid getting late, we left early in the morning. On the way, there were numerous traffic signals, but they didn’t cost us much time as we were traveling in the morning. Surrounded by military facilities, the area is very quiet. There was ample parking space; we left the vehicle there and walked towards the entrance. There was some confusion about whether cameras were allowed inside. One person at the entrance said it was okay to carry a camera, while an older one standing next to him said no. Finally, they asked me to check with the officer in charge, who was in a building next to the parking area.

I went back and the officer in charge wasn’t came yet; rest of the staff were not very sure about rules regarding camera. Eventually, they mentioned a rule (something made up on the spot?!!) stating that to use a camera, permission must be obtained from Delhi at least one day in advance. As time was passing, I left the camera in the car and returned to the entry gate. It seems photography is permitted everywhere except inside the main building. However, I’m still not sure whether DSLRs are allowed or not.

This 16-room main building was constructed in 1860 by then Nizam Nazir-ud-Dowla. Later, it became the country house for British Residents at Secunderabad. After Hyderabad State joined the Indian Union (post Operation Polo) in 1948, this building became part of the President's retreat. The President of India stays here for at least two weeks during his/her winter visit and conducts official business from here.

Tunnel - Secret package

We kept on walking and entered the first building, which hosted a limousine (and many other things) used by presidents in the past. From there, we walked toward the main building. The President and his family stay here in the main building when they are in Hyderabad. Here, we got a guide, and he explained the use of each room. We stood at the door and viewed inside from there as entry to room was prohibited. Once we came outside, we went to the next building and explored the underground tunnel. This tunnel was originally used as a secret passage. In 2023, the government renovated the passage and painted Telangana's Cheriyal folk art along its entire length. Calm music accompained us throughout the passage. Mom and Divya walked quickly and reached ther other side; me and Niha spent considerable time exploring the art. 


The area around the building is still undergoing renovation. They are building new gardens and planting trees etc. The estate spreads over 90 acres and has six gardens as of now — Nakshatra Garden, Herbal Garden, Rock Garden, Maze Garden, Palmatum, and Fruit Orchards. In addition to that, there are three stepwells — Jai Hind Stepwell, Nakshatra Stepwell, and Chinna Baavi. Step wells are more than hundred years old and are currently undergoing renovation. In buildings adjacent to the stepwells, there were detailed descriptions and drawings on how these were used in the past.

It was indeed quite a long walk. At one end, we finally sat on metal benches placed in one of the gardens. Mom sat there and explained to Divya about some of the old systems used in the past. Niha was tired but became a little happy when we left her in the ground. I started exploring the map to see how to reach our next destination.

Chowmahalla Palace








It's quite far from Rashtrapati Nilayam; here, parking is a bit difficult. After waiting in the queue for some time, we finally got a place to park. Chowmahalla means four palaces and was the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad. Construction began in 1750s under Salabat Jung and was completed under Asaf Jah V. This palace complex contains grand halls, courtyards, etc. There was some kind of party inside the palace in the evening, so we quickly moved to the main building; it was quite beautiful and displays the luxury of the bygone era of the Nawabs.


To read details about the palace, please visit, 

Lumbini Park

By the time we left the palace, it was evening. Next was the light and sound show at Lumbini Park. This park is spread over three hectares and close to Hussain Sagar lake. We reached there on time, booked the tickets, and went for the show. I can't say I liked the show very much, but it was good. After the show, we spent some more time walking around the park and finally went to Paradise Biryani one more time.

Sajeev
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Hyderabad Diaries: Exploring the City of Pearls - Day 1


This was my second trip to Hyderabad, but it felt like the first as I had almost forgotten the previous one, except for some memories of Salar Jung Museum and Golconda Fort.

When I saw that Monday was a holiday, first thing I did was open Google Maps to check which places I could visit in three days. After browsing through multiple locations in and around Western Ghats and nearby areas, I finally zeroed in on Hyderabad. My previous trip was rushed and felt more like ticking items off a list rather than experiencing the place, its culture, and food. So this time, fewer points were chosen and made enough room to enjoy the food. Railway tickets and Rashtrapati Nilayam tickets were booked in advance — everything was ready.

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder once said, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.”

I can’t fully agree with the statement, but my plan had to change even before the trip began. We were so delayed leaving for Bangalore City Station (SBC) that it became nearly impossible to catch the train. Since we didn’t want to abandon the trip altogether, we decided to go by car. One advantage of traveling by car is that we could carry more items. The downside? I would lose two nights sleep. On top of that ORR traffic consumed a lot of time. Finally, we reached KR Puram. Instead of taking the usual route, we decided to try the newly opened Satellite Ring Road (SRR). Leaving KR Puram behind, we rushed toward Hoskote and entered SRR. The road was good and mostly empty, which helped us to connect quickly back to NH44 after Devanahalli town. 

Time for dinner. We stopped at a good-looking, famous roadside restaurant and placed our order. Along with other dishes, my Hyderabadi biryani also arrived. I stared at it for a moment — it was sticky rice in a greenish color. Did they give me something else? The biryani was overcooked and drenched in palak (a spinach verity). Suddenly, I was hit with déjà vu — memory from more than one and half decade agao. Back then, I lived in Electronic City (Bangalore) with roommates. Among five of us, two (Nixon and Sushanth) lived outside the southern states before. In those days, a Tamil lady came to cook for us every morning and evening — we had to buy the groceries, and she would cook. Sushanth was interested in trying palak curry; he was talking about it for sometime and bought it as well. At that time, I wasn’t familiar with palak, and apparently, neither was she (though she was a good cook otherwise). Sushanth handed her the palak and asked her to cook it. When we returned in evening, there was a green, watery substance waiting for us. Sushanth’s eyes bulged at the sight of the tragic condition of his palak!

Back to the present — I called the waiter and asked about the sad state of the biryani. It looked terrible and tasted even worse. I’ve had Hyderabadi biryani from Meghana, Kritunga, Biryani Zone, and many other restaurants in Bangalore. None of them served it in greenish with such a bad taste! The waiter insisted this was how Hyderabadi biryani is actually made and claimed he had worked at 15 restaurants and all of which cooked and served it the same way. I sincerely hope I never set foot in any of those 15 places. Divya and mom's dishes weren’t great either, but at least not as bad as mine; but both of them didn't finish it.

We left the place and entered Chikkaballapur district. Bangalore’s famous tourist and trekking spot — Nandi Hills — is located here. Chikkaballapur is also the birthplace of legendary civil engineer Sir M. Visvesvarayya. The next district was Anantapur. Penukonda Fort is not far from this highway. Divya, Niha, and mom were already in deep sleep before Penukonda. Divya most of the time never admits she slept while in car - it's just closing the eyes and thinking deeply.

Road was quiet and we crossed Penna River near Pamidi. Penna originates in Karnataka and flows into Bay of Bengal. It’s this river that carves the beautiful Gandikota canyon. Gooty, Dhone, and Kurnool passed by. If it had been daytime, I would have spent some time exploring Kurnool — maybe next time. Kurnool, also known as the 'Gateway of Rayalaseema', was capital of Andhra Pradesh for three years in the 1950s. Next came the legendary Tungabhadra River. The famous capital of the Vijayanagara Empire — Hampi — is located on its banks. Telangana border wasn’t far now.

The NH had changed a lot. When I last drove this route toward Gandikota, there were hardly any restaurants or tea stalls. This time, there were many. I wasn’t expecting such a long drive and had barely slept the previous night. So a few short breaks were necessary in between. Its always better to stop and take a short nap rather than believing that one can drive well, even if they are sleeply. It doesn't matter even if you are so close to home/destination. Always take break when you are sleepy. Just before the Krishna Bridge, saw a roadside tea stall near a petrol pump. I stopped there and slept for a while. Almost half an hour passed and I woke up had a lot of coffee and resumed the trip. Coffee was really good by the way. I wish I’d crossed the Krishna during daylight — maybe next time. With construction underway in many sections, our speed dropped in between. Signboards for Mahbubnagar, Shadnagar, etc., came and went. Finally, after sunrise, we crossed the Outer Ring Road and entered Hyderabad city.

Salar Jung Museum

After breakfast we left the hotel. Our first stop was at Salar Jung Museum, located on the southern bank of Musi River. It’s my favorite place in Hyderabad. I couldn’t complete the museum tour during my last visit.

Museum is named after Mir Yousuf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III), who served as prime minister to the Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab Sir Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi (Asaf Jah VII), in 1912. Salar Jung resigned in 1914 and devoted the rest of his life to art and literature, collecting artifacts until his death in 1949.

The museum is divided into three main galleries: Central, Eastern, and Western.

Central Gallery includes: Founders’ Gallery, Indian Sculpture, Indian Textiles, Ivory Carvings, famous Veiled Rebecca sculpture, Arms and Armor, Metal Ware, Modern Indian Paintings, Miniature Paintings, Walking Sticks, Toys & Dolls, Flora and Fauna, Silver Gallery, Carpet Gallery, Jade Gallery, Bidri Ware, Kashmir Gallery, Utility Items, Manuscripts, Coins, and the Children's Gallery.

Eastern Gallery includes: Chinese, Japanese, Eastern Porcelain, and Far Eastern Statuary.

Western Gallery includes: European Paintings, Glassware, French Gallery, Clocks, Porcelain, Bronze Sculptures, and Marble Sculptures.

The museum also houses two major libraries. The English section has about 40,000 books, and oriental section has 19,000. Manuscripts are preserved on parchment, textile, palm leaf, paper, glass, wood, and stone in languages like Arabic (25,000+), Persian (4,700), Urdu (1,200), Turkish, Dakhni, Pushtu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Telugu, and Oriya—covering over 84 subjects. There are over 1,500 calligraphic panels and albums of miniature paintings from various schools.

A crowd favorite attraction here is the musical clock, where a small soldier comes out every hour to strike the bell corresponding to the hour. At noon, the place is packed with people waiting to see the soldier hit the bell twelve times. The action is also displayed on large TV screens.

We moved slowly through the galleries. There’s so much to see — it takes time to appreciate the artistry and understand the historical significance of each piece. This time also, we couldn’t finish the entire museum. Divya, mom, and Niha got tired, and we had to leave many galleries for another time. There's ample parking inside and outside the museum. There is a North Indian restaurant behind the main building, which took forever to prepare and serve the food.

Charminar & Beyond

Next on the list were Charminar, Mecca Masjid, and Chowmahalla Palace. We followed Google Maps, but traffic near Charminar was heavy, and there was almost no parking. If you plan to visit, I suggest using Uber, Ola, or an auto instead of your own vehicle. We eventually dropped the plan and headed to Lumbini Park. By the time we got close, it was night.

Google Maps led us to the wrong location — we ended up at the Boat Club road which is close by. It seemed like other visitors made the same mistake. The roads were so crowded that missing a turn meant circling the entire stretch. Eventually, we reached NTR Marg and then turned onto PV Narasimha Rao Road. When we were about to enter Narasimha Rao Marg, a lady driving her scooter in the wrong direction crashed into the right side of our bumper and fell. She apologized, and even the traffic police scolded her, but the damage was done — the inner plastic panel broke. When you overtake car from the left or right or you drive any commercial vehicles, please be careful with cars. There are a lot of plastic parts which broke very easily but very costly to repaint and replace. I once saw an auto rickshaw jumped ahead from left side when everyone else was waiting for red signal to change and pulled apart the bumper of the car standing on the right side. Nothing happened to auto as parts are mostly metal; but car was new and its bumper was broken. Auto guy didn’t even bother to stop!!! 

Incidentally, this road — PV Narasimha Rao Marg — is named after the former Prime Minister. There’s also an expressway in Hyderabad named after him, but few institutions or roads carry his name outside Hyderabad. That’s unfortunate. Many people give full credit to Manmohan Singh for the 1991 economic reforms, forgetting that Singh was Finance Minister under Rao. It was Rao's government which backed and initiated these bold reforms — dismantling the License Raj, promoting foreign investment, liberalization, globalization, and more. His government also launched the Look East Policy, strengthened ties with the U.S., normalized relations with Israel (now one of India’s key defense partners), passed the Panchayati Raj Act, and liberalized foreign exchange management. It was also under Rao's government Indian state took back the fight back to militants in Punjab and finished insurgency as key threat there(Punjab was under president's rule from 1987 to 1992) and cracked down heavily on Kashmiri militants.

We stopped near Hussain Sagar Lake and viewed the Secretariat. The new B. R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat building was beautifully lit. Next to Secretariat was NTR Memorial and Garden, took a left turn, and saw a grand statue of Ambedkar. We parked the car in a groud next to statue and got out. Divya, mom, and Niha were exhausted — ready to eat anything. Divya was sad about missing Charminar, but the prospect of Hyderabadi biryani from the famous Paradise Biryani on IMAX Road cheered her up. Niha, unbothered by worldly concerns, just looked at us hoping something would soon fill her empty stomach. The biryani took a while, but it was really good.

Sajeev
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Saturday, May 31, 2025

Night Drive

It’s after a while that I am leaving this late from the office. There is no one at home; Divya and mom went to home back in Kerala for a couple of weeks. So even if I reach early, there is nothing much to do there. So, better than spending time in front of Jio Hotstar to watch the remaining episodes of Tracker, I thought of staying late at the office. Finally, close to midnight, I decided to go. Hardly there were many people in the parking lot. A couple of cab guys were sitting in their cars; headsets plugged in — might be watching YouTube Shorts. One of the side effects of liberalizing data traffic when Jio was launched was YouTube, Instagram, etc., becoming accessible to everyone. No more buffering. The invention of infinite scroll only made the addiction worse. Well, I am also a victim here!!!

Leaving them behind, my scooter left the office main gate and ventured onto the public road. Hardly any vehicles were there — just a couple of cabs stopped on the sides and water tankers. Water tankers are prominent on most inner roads of Bangalore; many areas of the city depend on the water arriving in these vehicles.

This time, I decided to focus fully on the road and bring my mind to the details around. The mind is like a horse without reins — it goes in whatever direction it wants. This time, I deliberately focused on the road. On the sides, there were a couple of Swiggy and Zomato drivers waiting for their next call. Opposite, a couple of cars came and went, many using high beams. This is one of the problems in driving at night. People, especially the ones driving private vehicles, always use high beams at night regardless of whether someone is coming from the opposite direction. Nowadays, even stock high-beam lights are very powerful. In many cases, they replace them with brighter bulbs and make it very hard for people coming from the opposite direction. Even after they pass, your eyes get blinded for a few seconds. Previously, people driving yellow-board and commercial vehicles were better — they used to dim the lights. Nowadays, even yellow-board cabs are no better.

These roads have a lot of stray dogs. More than anything, these stray dogs are a problem while riding bikes at night. One can't say when they will suddenly jump in front of you. This time, one dog was rolling left and right on the road, probably to scratch an itch on its back. Light from the headlight brightened its eyes.

Soon, I entered a busier road and increased the speed slightly to match the pace of other vehicles. While traveling on roads, it’s better not to go too fast or too slow; as Buddha said, the middle way is better. Going too slow or too fast creates problems for fellow vehicles. Slightly ahead, one biker was drawing sine waves on one side of the road!!! I soon overtook him — it looked like he had put his phone on speaker and was holding it in one hand, controlling the bike with the other.

I was already going slow, and in front of me, there was a bike going much slower. I’ve often noticed that unmarried couples go slower compared to married ones. Probably they are more romantic and have more things to say to each other? Both groups go much slower compared to single guys (or when both rider and pillion are guys)!! This is my observation; it’s possible that your observation is slightly different. Let me know.

One problem while riding bikes on Indian roads with the visor open is the amount of dust. There is so much dust in the air that it kills the enthusiasm. I often prefer to ride after a slight rain, as the dust will settle for a while and Bangalore roads are not submerged in water. Soon, I reached home, and the date on the calendar had changed.

Sajeev
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Friday, May 2, 2025

Bangalore - Bull temple and Bugle Rock


Located in Basavanagudi area of Bangalore, The Bull Temple (known in Kannada as 'Dodda Basavana Gudi'), is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore built by 16th century ruler and founder of Bangalore - Kempe Gowda I. Nandi idol in this temple is over 15ft tall and carved from a massive monolithic granite rock.

Bugle rock park is located next to temple and spans over 16 acres of land. Park has a number of walkways, an amphitheater, options for adults to do exercise and kids to play. What makes this park special is geology. The rock formations with in this park is estimated to be more than 3000mn years old. You may still be wondering why it was called bugle rock.  Well, during the reign of Kempe Gowda, watchmen were placed here. Given the height of this place, it gives a better view of the surrounding areas. Watchmen would blow a bugle to signal the closing of city gates at dusk and also to inform people in case of any dangers. 

In those days Bangalore city had four main gates, located at, 
1. Yalahanka (Northern Gate)
2. Halasuru/Ulsoor (Eastern Gate)
3. Kengeri (Western Gate)
4. Kanakpura (Southern Gate)

In addition to the gates there were also four watch towers located at,
1. Lalbagh rock
2. kempambudhi Tank
3. Mekri circle
4. Ulsoor lake

Bull Temple and Bugle Rock had been on my bucket list for a while, but I never quite made it there. This time, on a Saturday afternoon, we finally decided to go. Since the roads tend to get congested around that time, we took the scooter—it’s easier to navigate traffic and needs less space. So, it was me, Divya, and Niha. I can’t exactly say 'three men in a boat', but it felt something like that.

It was also Niha’s first proper ride. Before this, we had only taken her around 200 meters on scooter. She sat sandwiched between us, and our little trip began. First stop—Brahmin’s Coffee Bar in Basavanagudi. This restaurant is over 60 years old and very popular. They kept the menu simple  - coffee, idli, vada, kesari bath, and khara bath. We skipped idli (a regular breakfast item at home and, in Divya’s words, her idly is the softest ever) and got the vada, kesari bath, and khara bath. Divya does put effort into making soft idlis—something I tease her about, saying she perfected the recipe after years of experimenting on me.


The vada and kesari bath were good. The khara bath tasted very different from what I’ve usually had, but it was still tasty. Divya didn’t try it because of the color combination! Since Niha hasn’t yet reached the stage of saying a firm yes or no, I managed to push a couple of bits of Khara bath to here mouth as well!!!

From there, Bull Temple wasn’t far. By the time we left, the sky had already turned to darker shade of grey. Still, we went ahead and reached the temple. A lot of bikes were parked in the front, but the temple itself wasn’t too crowded. It’s not just the Bull Temple—there are two to four other small temples around the same area.

Chappal stand charges were 5 rupees/pair, and they accept UPI as well. I just wish public toilets worked the same way. Getting exact 5 rupee coin or 10 rupee note is difficult.

One of the entrances to Bugle Rock Park is quite close to the Bull Temple. It was nearly 8 PM—closing time—so we had very little time left. We took a slow walk inside, sat for a bit at the amphitheater, walked to the other gate, and circled back. It’s a lovely place to spend some time. Need to come back here again, but in day time. 

Sajeev
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Tuesday, April 15, 2025

The little things in road construction that makes a big difference

Roads are lifelines of a country. They connect people to everything they need—schools, offices, hospitals, markets, parks, railway stations, airports, and more. If a region doesn’t have a good road network—both in terms of quantity and quality—its development will be stunted. Across India, many small towns grown around major road junctions or near bus stands. I won’t go into the importance of roads here, as that’s something we all understand. 

Instead, I want to highlight how small, often ignored details in road construction can create big problems.

Let’s start with filling the potholes. Potholes are a big problem which we all understand well and suffer the consequences. Problem is the difficulties don't disappear even when contractors do the patchwork. Modern technology allows pot holes to be filled precisely and provide a smooth ride on top of it. But no, here people always leave leaves a bump at repaired spot; and every vehicle that drives over it ends up jumping slightly. Pot holes are numerous in road; came as a result of faulty fill up of channels dug for water and OFC networks, monsoon rains and inadequate sewage system and storm water drains etc. First these holes and then bump created by filling it up puts unnecessary stress on the spine, especially for daily commuters. Another issues is the cap of manholes placed in interior roads, this often ends up several inches higher compared to road surface. 

Flyovers are another area where issues crop up. In many cities, flyovers are being built at major junctions. A common problem is the gap between two spans—there’s usually a metal bar placed at the end of each span. While this design is necessary for structural reasons, the dip/angles at these joints causes vehicles to bounce when crossing. At higher speeds, these jumps can feel quite uncomfortable and even dangerous.

Then there speed bumps, especially the yellow-and-black colored ones found in apartment, office complexes, parking lots etc. These are often too sharp. Unless you slow down to a crawl, passengers—especially those sitting in the back—feel a sudden jolt when the vehicles goes over them.

These are just three of numerous other problems. All these show how small design decisions during construction can have a big impact on everyday travel. These may seem like minor issues, but they affect comfort, safety, and even health over time. It’s time we start paying attention to the little things. Because when it comes to road construction, the small details also matters. Road safety and comfort aren't just about highways and traffic rules; it's also about these tiny details that decides how smooth your ride will be.

Sajeev
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Sunday, March 9, 2025

Tourist safety concerns in India after Hampi incident

The primary function of a government is to protect its citizens, a duty in which it must not fail. This responsibility extends not only to citizens but also to foreigners visiting India as tourists, business travelers, or for other reasons. Ensuring their safety is not just the duty of the government or the police; civil society also plays a crucial role. If we fail to protect both citizens and visitors—allowing them to be robbed, assaulted, or even killed in well-known tourist areas—then society must engage in deep introspection. Where are we headed?  

In today's world, bad news spreads rapidly, and such incidents severely damage India's global reputation as a safe destination for tourism and business. Potential visitors may reconsider their plans, as no one wants to feel constantly afraid and cautious during their vacation. Unfortunately, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred, and it is unlikely to be the last.  

India aims to project an image of being the world's oldest civilization and a "Vishwaguru" (global teacher), but such crimes have no place in a truly civilized nation. Consider the recent shocking incident in Hampi. For those unfamiliar, Hampi was the capital of one of South India’s most successful empires—Vijayanagara—which ruled for over three centuries. It is also associated with Kishkinda, the legendary land of Bali, Hanuman, and Sugriva. Hanuman and Sugriva once fought against Ravana for the injustice he committed against Sita. And now, in the same place, horrific crimes are being committed against women.  

According to news reports, on the night of March 6th, around 11 PM, a homestay operator (a 29-year-old woman), an Israeli tourist (a 27-year-old woman), a man from the US, and two Indian men were sitting near the Tungabhadra canal close to Sanapur Lake. Reports state that the victims had met at the homestay itself. Initially, the attackers approached them asking for petrol money. The tourists gave them ₹20, but they demanded ₹100. When their request was denied, the situation escalated. Two of the accused allegedly gang-raped the homestay operator, while another allegedly assaulted the Israeli tourist. They also pushed the three male tourists into the canal—two managed to swim back, but the third drowned. The attackers stole the homestay operator’s bag, cash, and mobile phones. So far, the police have arrested two suspects, while a third remains at large. Shockingly, the arrested individuals are only 21 and 22 years old.  

Incidents like this will have a severe impact on India's international reputation. If women are not safe in a Kolkata medical college, on the streets of Delhi, or even in a famous tourist destination like Hampi, where can they feel secure? Women travelers, especially those planning to travel alone or in small groups, may hesitate before choosing India. Who would want their dream trip to turn into a nightmare?  

This issue cannot be blamed solely on the administration or the police. Society as a whole is responsible. The idea of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' (guest is God) should not just be a slogan used in advertisements—it must be ingrained in our mindset and actions. When someone visits our city or village, it is also our responsibility to ensure they have a safe and pleasant experience. Additionally, society must reflect on how individuals as young as 21 or 22 are committing such gruesome crimes. Addressing this issue requires collective effort, education, and a shift in societal attitudes.

Don't exploit tourists. Don't overcharge them, force them to buy something, or chase them to choose you as a guide. Don’t stare at them or make unwanted comments. Treat them with respect, and they will return and share positive experiences.

International tourists

Dubai welcomes around 16 million international visitors each year, and a similar number visited Singapore in 2024. According to reports, Turkey had 55.2 million visitors in 2023, Greece saw 32.7 million, and Egypt received 13 million. Where does India stand in terms of international tourists? Even within Asia, it lags behind Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

India has everything geography can offer—glaciers, deserts, rainforests, plains, oceans, islands, and rivers. It has a history spanning multiple millennia and monuments that are truly marvelous. Yet, we are far from realizing our true potential in attracting international tourists. Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot.

Sajeev. 

References

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Though the land of Chola's - Chidambaram Nataraja Temple (Thillai Nataraja Temple)

After leaving Airavateshwara Temple, it was raining for a while. By the time we reached the Kollidam old river bridge, the rain had almost stopped. The atmosphere became calm again. We took a pit stop after crossing the barrage cum bridge to explore the area. Kollidam, a distributary of the Kaveri, forms a river island here. Chidambaram temple is just 45 km from this point. We resumed our journey and reached the temple city within an hour.

Kollidam River


Chidambaram Nataraja Temple (Thillai Nataraja Temple)

Spread over 40 acres, this temple is dedicated to Nataraja (lord of dance) form of Shiva. Shiva's consort Parvati as Shivakama/Shivagama Sundari is also here. It is believed that, this temple also has references in sangam literature; but in those days city name was not Chidambaram. Earliest mention of Chidambaram was probably in 7th and 8th century texts. The present temple was built in 10th century when Chidambaram was the capital of early Cholas. It is possible that, Cholas converted/rebuilt a earlier temple here with stone in 10th century. Even the present temple is more than a millennium old. This temple also has shrines for devi, Surya, Ganesha, Murugan, Vishnu etc. and represents Shaktism, Vaishnavism and other Hindu traditions. 

The word Chidambaram probably came from the combination chithu + ambaram. Chithu means manasu/mind, consciousness and ambaram means sky/atmosphere. 



Like other temples in the region - Srirangam, Madurai etc. -  Chidambaram was also raided by Delhi Sultanate. However, the structure was repaired and restored with the rise of Vijayanagar. City and temple also suffered during the fight between British and French colonial forces in India. 

By the way this temple also has a thousand pillared mandapa (Raja sabha). Interestingly the sanctum of the temple has a resemblance to Kerala temple styles. The Shiva sanctum here is very unusual as it don't have a linga; instead it has Chit Sabha with an image of Nataraja. After all Chidambaram represents Vayu tatva and formless representation of Shiva. Renowned for art and dance, temple wall also displays 108 karanas from Natya shastra of Bharata Muni. 

Chidambaram is one of the five temples where Shiva is in Nataraja form preformed Thandava dance. All five temples are in Tamil Nadu and they are,

1, Ratna Sabha
Located in Vada Aaranyeswarar Temple in Thiruvalangadu. It is believed that, Nataraja performed Kali Tandavam here.
2, Kanaka Sabha
This is located in Chidambaram temple and belief is that, Nataraja performed Ananda Tandavam here.
3, Rajata Sabha
This sabha is in the famous Meenakshi Amman Temple of Madurai. Here Shiva is worshipped as Sundareshvarara and Parvati as Meenakshi. Tandavam type is Sandhya Tandavam.
4, Tamra Sabha
Located in Chepparai Temple of Tirunelveli. Here the form of tandavam is Muni Tandava.
5, Chitra Sabha
This sabha/hall is located at temple Kutralanathar in Courtallam. Tandava form here is Tripura Tandava

If tandava is performed with joy, then it's called Ananda Tandava. If the mood is violent then dance is called Rudra Tandava. Some other types of tandava are - Tripura Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Samhara Tandava, Kali Tandava, Uma Tandava, Shiva Tandava, Krishna Tandava and Gauri Tandava.

Chidambaram is also considered as one of the five Shiva temple which represents five primary elements. 



List of temples under that category are,

1, Ekambareshwar/Ekambaranathar temple, Kanchipuram 
This temple covers 25 acres represents the earth aspect. Here Shiva is represented in lingam known as Prithvi lingam. This temple also have thousand pillared hall built during Vijayanagar time. 
2, Jambukeshwarar temple, Thiruvanaikaval (near Tiruchirappalli)
Here the sanctum has an underground water stream. Belief is that Parvathi, in the form of Akilandeswari built shivalingam out of water. This temple represents the water aspect and the lingam is known as  Appu lingam.
3, Arunachaleshwara temple, Tiruvannamalai 
This temple represents fire aspect and the lingam is known as Agni lingam. This temple also have thousand pillared hall built during Vijayanagar time. 
4, Srikalahasti, Srikalahasti.
This temple is not in Tamil Nadu but in Andra Pradesh and represents Vayu aspect. 
5, Chidamabram
Represents the space.


Once you are in temple don't forget to see below halls,
Chitra Sabhai (the sanctum), 
Por Sabhai (hall preceding the sanctum), 
Nirutha Sabhai (the chariot shaped hall), 
Deva Sabhai (the hall where all the festival deities are housed) and
Raja Sabhai - the thousand pillared hall) 



Coming to Nataraja form, what Nataraja idol represents?
Demon under feet signifies that ignorance is under the feet.
Fire in hand- power of destruction- represents the destroyer of evil
Abhaya mudra represents savior of all life forms
The arc of fire called prabhavati signifies the cosmos and perpetual motion.
Drum in hand signifies the origin of life forms.
Lotus pedestal signifies Om believed to be the sound of universe.
Right, left and third eye signifies sun, moon and fire/knowledge respectively.
Right earring (makara kundalam) and left earring (sthri kundalam) signifies the union of man and woman (right is man, left is woman).
Crescent moon in hair means benevolence and beauty.
Flowing of river Ganges through hairrepresents eternity of life.
Dreading of hair and drape means the force of dance

This area of Tamil Nadu is different from other areas of the state. There are a lot of water bodies around. In fact, Pichavaram mangrove area is just 13km away from temple. This time mangroves were not in the plan, however next time it will definitely be. After roaming around the temple for some time, we finally came out and continued towards our next destination.

Sajeev

References

1, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancha_Bhuta_Sthalam
2, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataraja_Temple,_Chidambaram
3, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancha_Sabhai
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Saturday, March 8, 2025

Though the land of Chola's - Thanjavur and Brihadeshwara temple

Thanjavur, called Tanjore during the Raj era, is a city located close to the distributaries of the Kaveri River. Once the capital of the Cholas, Thanjavur is famous for the majestic Chola temple—Brihadeshwara, Tanjavur art, and dolls. Located in the Kaveri delta—the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu—this city rose to prominence with the emergence of the medieval Cholas. Later, the city became the capital of the Chola empire and remained so until they moved the capital to Gangaikonda Cholapuram in 1025. After the decline of the Cholas, Thanjavur was conquered by the Pandyas and later by the Delhi Sultanate under Malik Kafur. The Delhi Sultanate ruled the city directly and later through the short-lived Madurai Sultanate. Sultanate rule vanished with the rise of Vijayanagar.

After the fall of Vijayanagar, sovereignty rested with the Tanjore Nayaks. Sovereignty went to the Madurai Nayaks when they defeated the Tanjavur Nayaks in war, and they ruled Thanjavur for some time. The Nayaks of Madurai, Tanjore, Gingee, and Kalahasthi were originally the provincial governors of the Vijayanagar empire. With the rise of the Maratha Confederacy, the city came under the Marathas. Under the infamous Doctrine of Lapse law, the Company swallowed the kingdom in 1855.

Thanjavur

We left Srirangam in the afternoon and reached Tanjavur in an hour.



Many Indian empires and kingdoms were mostly land-based. Often, this is evident from the way they conducted their affairs. Even now, we don’t understand the full power and potential of great oceans and shipping lanes while ruling from completely landlocked New Delhi. The Cholas were different. Under Rajendra I, the Chola empire reached its zenith and extended or had influence over the littoral states of the Bay of Bengal, the islands of Laccadives and Maldives, Nicobar, Sri Lanka, parts of modern-day Myanmar, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, etc. The Cholas' trade links extended as far as Song China in the east and the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa in the west.

Since we reached the city in the afternoon, there wasn't much time left. Our first stop was Thanjavur Palace, Serfoji Sarasvati Mahal Library, and Art Gallery.

Thanjavur Palace

Well, let me start by saying that the palace is not from the Chola era. This was built by the Thanjavur Nayakas and later occupied by the Marathas when they captured the city. The palace consists of Sadar Mahal, the Queen's Courtyard, and the Durbar Hall. Gokul, Deepa, and Divya were very tired but still walked through the nooks and corners of the palace.

Sarasvati Mahal Library

Gokul and Deepa looking at the library

This building is located within the palace complex. You might be wondering why I mention a library as an important place to visit—well, there is a reason. Established by the Tanjavur Nayak kings in the 16th century, this library is one of the oldest working libraries in Asia. The library has more than 49,000 palm leaf manuscripts written in Tamil, Sanskrit, and other South Indian languages. The Marathas, who later captured the city, continued to support the library. Unfortunately, we reached here a little late and were able to see only the outside!

Note: When I say South India, I mean the part of India south of the Vindhya ranges, not just the six states.

If you are in Tanjavur and interested, you can spend around two hours exploring both the palace and library. From here, we went to TTDC Hotel, took some rest, and then went to Brihadeshwara Temple, which is just 1.5 km away by walk from TTDC's Hotel Tamil Nadu.

Brihadeshwara Temple (Thanjai Periya Kovil)



By the time we reached the temple, the sun was in its last leg. I was so sad that I had to wait until tomorrow to see the beautiful temple. However, there was a surprise waiting for us.
We went inside and joined the queue to reach the sanctum. This is a working temple and still has daily poojas in the morning and afternoon. Fortunately, the crowd was small, and we reached the sanctum very fast. After coming out, we went to the front. By then, the administration had turned on the lights, and the temple was flooded with illumination. At night, the reflection of the lights from the granite exterior and the carvings created a mesmerizing view. If you are planning to visit the temple, do visit both during the day and at night.

I found an ideal place to sit and enjoy the majestic view. Gokul and Deepa started walking through the stone pathways and explored the temple. Divya was trying to view the structure from different angles. I was so happy that I was there at night as well. The temple is indeed a poem set in stone.
Spread over an area close to 45 acres, this Shiva temple, with a height of 216 ft, was built using granite stones. The top of the tower/shikhara weighs 25 tons and rests on a single granite piece weighing around 80 tons. It must have been a struggle for workers to bring that piece all the way to the top. Remember, it wasn’t easy to make carvings in granite in those days.

The main temple and its gopurams are from the early 11th century. The temple witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, wars, raids, repairs, and renovations over the next millennium. Interestingly, French colonial forces also contributed something to the temple. They added one defensive enclosure in 1777 with gun holes. The temple served as an arsenal!



The temple is dedicated to Shiva (the Cholas considered Shiva their family deity) and has a huge lingam—27m high.

There is a massive Nandi in front of the temple on a raised platform. This temple also has a lot of murals and inscriptions (from Rajaraja Chola I, Rajendra Chola I, Vikrama Chola, Kulottunga I, etc.) in Tamil and Grantha scripts.

After spending more time looking at different areas of the temple, we came outside and went back to the hotel.

The Next Morning

I am inside the temple

The next morning, I woke up early and walked towards the temple. The roads were wide and initially empty. The crowd was less, and we saw the temple once again, but this time in full sunlight. Outside the temple, a little away from the main gate, there was a person selling Tanjavur dolls. Divya went there and selected a pair.

Next to the TTDC hotel, there was a government-run shop called Poompuhar Handicrafts, which sells paintings, dolls, etc. We bought a couple of items from there and continued our trip to the next destination—Airavateshwara Temple.

Airavateshwara Temple


There was not much traffic on the road, and we reached this temple quickly. The sky was a bit darkened for a while. By the time we started walking towards the temple entrance, the rains had also started.

Built by King Rajaraja Chola II in the 12th century, this Shiva temple is located close to Kumbakonam. The temple got its name from Indra's white elephant, Airavat. The temple has a huge number of stone carvings—wherever you look, you might see something very interesting. The front mandapa (Rajagambhiran tirumandapam) is very unique as it looks like a chariot with wheels.

According to many sources, this temple was much larger than what it is now. It had seven courts and seven streets; however, only one court with the main temple survives today.


In the Great Living Chola Temples list of UNESCO, there is one more temple called Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram. We skipped that temple and headed towards our next destination—Chidambaram. If you have time, try to go to Gangaikonda Cholapuram and see the third temple as well.

There was a brief lull in the rain. During that time, we went to the parking area and started our return journey. The rain started gaining strength, and there was hardly anything visible outside. As the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the car body reached my ears, I went one millennium back and imagined the glory days of these areas.

Sajeev



Inside Airavateshwar temple

Divya - inside the temple

Gokul and Deepa - thinking once again about the Chola temple during dinner!!!

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Friday, March 7, 2025

Firefly’s blue ghost makes history: first commercial lunar landing & the future of space navigation


While everyone was deeply concerned about Russia-Ukraine war, M23 rebels in Congo, Israel-Hamas fight, trade wars and many other things, a revolution was going on. Texas based aerospace company - Firefly - which launched Blue Ghost on Jan 25 using SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was able to successfully land (and thus become the first commercial company to do so) their the module on moon on March 2. Lander is stable and in vertical condition. Equipment is expected to work for one lunar day (14 earth days). Blue ghost is among a number of private companies funded by NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) as part of Artemis program. In last February, 'Intuitive Machines' landed their module in moon but unfortunately it fell on its side and became un-operational. 'Intuitive Machines' is going again with their Athena lunar module.

The entry of multiple private companies in to space will bring in competition and eventually reduce the overall cost. This will only meake the dream of humanity to start a colony first on moon and then on mars a step closer to reality. If not human colony, probably we may be able to bring in valuable minerals from space and build things here in earth in near future!!! May be moon and mars will end up as launch pads for human race's expansion further in to space. 

Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE)

There are multiple paylods carried by Blue Ghost. Out of that one seems to be very interesting - The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE). This is a joint effort between NASA and Italian Space Agency to see the viability of using "existing GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals for positioning, navigation, and timing on the Moon. GNSS constellations support essential services like navigation, banking, power grid synchronization, cellular networks, and telecommunications. Near-Earth space missions use these signals in flight to determine critical operational information like location, velocity, and time. The LuGRE payload is one of the first demonstrations of GNSS signal reception and navigation on and around the lunar surface, an important milestone for how lunar missions will access navigation and positioning technology. If successful, LuGRE would demonstrate that spacecraft can use signals from existing GNSS satellites at lunar distances, reducing their reliance on ground-based stations on the Earth for lunar navigation".

Ok, long story short. What if future humans have a GPS/similar kinds of navigation system in moon or in mars. Imagine we are driving a shuttle through moon by looking at maps in our mobile!!! and this moble won't need to get signals directly from earth stations but intermediate and may be from moon itself!!! Also there is a 'Moonlight' initiative/LCNS (Moonlight Lunar Communications and Navigation Services) by ESA (European Space Agency); their goal is to create uninterrupted telecommunications satellite coverage between Earth and the Moon; as well as lunar satellite navigation.

There are many more provate companies engaged in lunar missions (see below). 

Blue Moon (Blue Origin)
SERIES-2 (Draper)
Peregrine (Astrobotic)
Starship HLS (SpaceX)
Hakuto-R Mission 1 (ispace)
IM-2 (Intuitive Machines)

In coming years, we will see more commercial launches and declining cost/launch. Moon and mars may no longer remain as final frontier for human race.

Sajeev

References
2, Wired
3, NASA 
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Through the land of Chola's - Srirangam Temple

Kaveri river forms multiple islands during its course from Talakaveri to Bay of Bengal- Nisargadhama, Srirangapatna, Shivanasamudra, Srirangam etc. This time our journey was to one such island called Srirangam. Located in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu, this island was formed due to splitting of river to two channels - northern one is called Kollidam and southern one retained the original name - Kaveri. After the island, two channels joins at Kallanai. However, a dam there (originally built during the reign of Karikala of Chola dynasty around 150 CE) splits Kaveri to four distributaries - Kollidam Aru, Kaveri, Vennaru and Puthu Aru. 

Srirangam is considered as the most prominent place among divya desam as per Alvar Vaishnava tradition. Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple located in this island is considered as one of the largest working religious complex in the world. Spread over 63 hectares (155 acres) this temple complex has 81 shrines and 21 towers.

We travelled to Srirangam in the last days of 2022. I forgot a lot of incidents during the journey and this is written mostly from the notes and fading memory.  We, here means me, Divya, Gokul and his wife Deepa. We started our journey from Bangalore one hour later than expected. By sunrise we crossed Karnataka border at Zuzuvadi and entered Tamil nadu. Since it was early morning, there wasn't much vehicles on the road and we crossed Hosur, Shoolagiri, Krishnagiri, Kaveripatinam and Dharmapuri. By the time we reached Thoppur, all were very hungry. Especially me!!! So we took a quick break and had breakfast from a road side restaurant.

Then came Omalur, Salem and Namakkal.  After Thottiyam the road mostly goes parallel to Kaveri; post noon we crossed river bridge and reached Srirangam island and continued towards temple. We parked somewhere outside and walked towards the gates. As usual with temples, there were some people who sells tulsi, flowers etc. for devotees. Gokul bought one and we went inside, looking at the massive vimana/tower and walls. Like Rameshwaram, Madurai Meenakshi temple etc., here also there is a thousand pillar mandapa. This madapa was built during Vijayanagar er using granite. Unfortunately, mandapa was closed off for renovation when we reached there. 

Temple has seven concentric enclosures; each enclosure has walls and towers. Two outer enclosures are residential and market areas. Five inner ones have shrines for Vishnu, avatars of Vishnu, his consort Lakshmi and various saints of Vaishnavite tradition. Main shrine for Ranganatha is in the innermost enclosure. 

Other main mandapams are - Sesharaya mandapam (built during Nayaka rule), Garuda mandapam (built during Nayaka rule), Kili mandapam (built around 17th century) and Ranga vilasa mandapam for pilgrim families and groups to sit together and rest. 

Temple also has a thirteen storey rajagopuram, nine storey Vellai gopuram, eight storey gopuram built during Vijayanagara era, seven storied Ranga ranga gopuram and numerous other gopurams.

Srirangam temple also has more than 800 inscriptions starting from 9th century during the reign of Aditya Chola I. An interesting fact is, inscriptions are not just in Tamil but also in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi and Odia. Some of the inscriptions also contain Grantha characters.  

There are some 81 shrines in this complex. Ranganatha, Ranganayaki (Lakshmi), Chakkaratalvar, Narasimha, Rama, Hayagriva, Vasudeva, Varadharaja, Srinivasa, Gopala Krishna, Dhanvantari etc. There are also shrines for Vishnava saints -  Ramanuja, Nammalvar, Desikar, Thondaradipodialwar, Thiruppaanalwar etc.

An inscription


I planned only a couple of hours to view the temple, that now seems to be a mistake. To view and appreciate the massive temple complex and to see the famous Grant Anaicut canal built during the reign of Karikala Chola and Upper Anaicut dam designed by Sir Arthur Cotton will take time. Should have spent one day here. We were also not able to enter inside the inner shrine - Ranganatha- as the sanctum was closed for some time. 

This temple also has a door, which opens only during the ten days of Vaikunta ekadashi. 

After spending some more time around temple premises; we came outside and continued our journey towards the former capital of Chola- Tanjavur. 

Three Ranga temple

Apart from Srirangam island, other famous islands - Srirangapatna, Shivanasamudra - of Kaveri also have Vishnu temples.

Srirangapatna 
Located in Mandya district of Karnataka has a Vishnu temple. Sine this temple at upstream, it's also called Adi Ranga.

Shivanasamudra 
Located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. This comes in the middle and hence called 'Madhya Ranga'. Since the deity here believed to represent the youth and hence called 'Mohana Ranga' and 'Jaganmohana Ranga' as well.

Srirangam
This comes at the end, and hence called Anthya Rangam (the last temple). Deity here is also known as Kasthuri Rangam.

Sajeev

Deepa and Gokul

Divya
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