Hampi Part 9 - Hazara Rama Temple

Over 2000 Km by road, in around 10 days. Stunning landscapes, wonderful people. That sums up our Ladakh trip. But how did it actually work? How did we make it happen? Read on to find out! Leh, the capital of Ladakh , is accessible by air and road. Flying into Leh is the easiest, and time-saving option, while the road is the time consuming one, but with the added advantage of driving past some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Each option has much to recommend it, and we chose the road for just one reason – altitude sickness. Altitude sickness was one of my biggest concerns, since I suffer from motion-sickness. Yes, I do travel a lot, but that is despite my condition, and, over the years, have learnt how to handle it. I struggled with it when we visited Nathu-La in Sikkim, and wondered if I would be able to manage a week at the even higher altitudes that we would encounter in Ladakh. This was the reason we stuck to a basic plan, of only 9 days in Ladakh, though we

Hampi Part 9 - Hazara Rama Temple

The name ‘Hazara Rama Temple’ makes you wonder – a thousand Ramas? Would there have been a thousand idols of Rama here? Or just a thousand carvings depicting Rama? And why the word ‘Hazara’, which has its origins in Urdu, and not ‘Sahasra’ – which is the Sanskrit equivalent? Or is it simply a corruption of the word? As it turns out, though there are a thousand (or more) depictions of Lord Rama on the walls of this small, but beautiful temple, the name might have something to do more with its location than the Lord it was built for. ‘Hazaramu’ is the Telugu word for audience hall or the entrance hall of a palace, which is where this temple is located. This might have been the private temple of the Vijayanagara kings, which is probably why it is not as huge as the other temples in the city.

This is one of the few temples where every inch of the outer wall is filled with carvings depicting scenes from the Ramayana. By the time we visited this temple, it was already dark, and my camera could not really succeed in bringing out the beauty of the individual panels….

Most of the scenes on the outer wall depict elephants and horses - at least thats what we could see in the dark! They looked like armies.... Rama's army???

Left to me, I could have spent hours poring over each panel, identifying the scenes depicted on them, and telling Samhith the story, besides of course, photographing each and every one of them!

Scenes from the Ramayana on the inner wall.... If I had time, I would have photographed scenes separately so that I could have written this post in the form of the story.... Another time :(

There arent only scenes from the Ramayana... Krishna figures too, quite prominently...

and here is one of Mahishasura Mardini

However, it was already dark, and the fact that the temple was empty except for our group only heightened the eeriness already present…..

Probably it was the almost complete darkness in the sanctum, which had some beautifully carved pillars I managed to capture……

Vishnu - with Sridevi and Bhudevi

This, it seems is Kalki... I love this representation on a horse instead of the ones we see today with a horse-face!

Hanuman

Ganesha

Or probably it was the destruction that the temple had experienced when the invaders had hacked at the head of every single figure on the gopuram…..

There was something about the temple which prevented me wandering off alone with my camera, as I normally do, and I stuck with our group, keeping in mind that the next time I was here, I would make it a point to keep at least half a day aside for this temple alone!

The Havelis of Bikaner - A Photo Post

The lanes are narrow , twisting and turning amidst buildings old and new. Crumbling old structures with intricate workmanship stand side by side with art deco buildings, and more modern constructions, which follow no particular style. Autos, bicycles, motorcycles and vans rush past, blowing their horns as loudly as possible, while cows saunter past peacefully, completely unaffected by the noise. In the midst of all this chaos, children play by the side, and women go about their chores, as we explore these by-lanes of Bikaner, and its beautiful Havelis. Facade of one of the Rampuria Havelis

Bhedaghat - Home of the 81 Yoginis

The Narmada flows down the mountains , carving out a path for herself as she makes her way down to the plains of Central India. She cascades from the rocks, her fine spray making it appear as if billows of smoke (dhuan) arise from the flowing streams of water (dhaar), giving it the name Dhuandhar. Dhuandhar Falls The force of her flow creates a gorge , smoothening and carving out the rocks into fantastic shapes, the pure white of the rocks standing starkly against the shades of the water. It is a joy to cruise down the river in a boat, seeing the natural contours created by the river, now famous as the Marble Rocks. We are at Bhedaghat, located on the banks of the Narmada near Jabalpur, where thousands of visitors turn up to see these natural landscapes, creations of the sacred Narmada, and pay obeisance to her. However, to me, the most interesting thing about Bhedaghat, isn’t the falls or the rocks, or even the river. What makes Bhedaghat special is t

Kabini Part 3 - After the Rains

Visiting Kabini in peak summer, we hadn’t bargained for the rains, which dominated our three days at the Lodge. While animal sightings were understandably lesser than usual, seeing the forest in the rain was an interesting experience in its own way. However, as we headed back into the forest for our second and third safaris, we hoped the rains would let up, and allow us to see more animals! Winding jungle paths

A Wandering Mind

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