Trails in Andhra Pradesh

Lepakshi We visited several temples in 2008 and I have posted most of them. Some like Shibi, Madurai Meenakshi temple are yet to be posted. However coming back to the trails - the last legs of my 2008 heritage trails were in Andhra Pradesh..Two different dynasties this time and neither[...]

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by Jour ~ Monday, December 29, 2008 0 comments

The Chola Trail - roads taken in 2008

GangaikondacholapuramThe Chola trail gave me something more than just an dose of history. A sense of identity as well. It is very difficult to be objective and write about the trail , so I am not even trying as of now. I am just putting down some raw information to help you understand[...]

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by Jour ~ Sunday, December 28, 2008 0 comments

Hoysala Trail - The roads taken in 2008

A collage of all the Hoysala temples visited in 2008The Hoysala trail was one of my best trips this year and it was done in two parts besides several other independent jaunts. My earliest tryst with the Hoysalas was probably as a kid when my parents and I had visited Belur and Halebeedu.[...]

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by Jour ~ Friday, December 26, 2008 0 comments

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all who still check this blog despite my terrible neglect of it recently! I have been busy with various projects but shall make it a resolution to post more often in the New Year. Adoration of the Magi on a Romanesque capital at Autun Cathedral, Burgundy, FranceNativity scene in bronze on Bernward's Door in Hildesheim[...]

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by Jour ~ Thursday, December 25, 2008 0 comments

The lights of Goa

Recession and now terror, the lights in Goa's Palolem beach may dim, but will never fade away...Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. To view different parts of the world please click h[...]

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, December 23, 2008 0 comments

Camera Critters

Walk into any Indian temple and you will see a plethora of sculptures dedicated to elephants, tigers , horses and even the mythological yali .The picture above is one that I shot at Darasuram in Tamil Nadu, a 12th century temple built by the Cholas. The second is a picture of young Sala[...]

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by Jour ~ Sunday, December 21, 2008 0 comments

India through my eyes - Palette or plate at Lepakshi ?

I thought it was first a giant palette used by the royal artists to paint the walls of the temple..maybe I imagined that the colours for the exotic murals came from here. The Vijaynagar kings had indeed patronised the artists to paint some wonderful murals that still stand the test of[...]

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by Jour ~ Sunday, December 14, 2008 0 comments

Wildlife Photography exhibition in Bangalore

Do visit this exhibition if you have the time .It is at Chitrakala Parishad.Gowreesh is a friend of mine and he is also a graphic designer and blogger . He blog, Bimba is in Kannada and even if you dont understand the language, his photographs are wonderful. He is also a writer at C[...]

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by Jour ~ Thursday, December 11, 2008 0 comments

Some monkey business to attend to...

I had visitors today at home...unwelcome though. A couple of monkeys entered my 3rd floor apartment through the balcony while I was seated in the living room, watching a film and trying to work on a story . They sneaked in post lunch. We have an open kitchen and the house is kind of[...]

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, December 9, 2008 0 comments

River Kali

Some trips are planned, some are spontaneous, some bring in me the traveller, some a backpacker and some , a tourist. Some are laid back, some are very hectic, some are assignments, some are luxury, some are to chill out, some are to bond with friends, some are wild and adventurous, some[...]

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by Jour ~ Sunday, December 7, 2008 0 comments

India through my eyes - The Ramappa temple

The ASI board says that it was built in the 13th century (1243 AD) by a General, Recherla Rudra serving in the army of the Kakatiya king, Ganapatideva. Located in Palampet, a small village , this is the famous Ramappa temple .We travelled around 70 kms from Warangal and we did not even[...]

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by Jour ~ Friday, December 5, 2008 0 comments

The moon in Bandipur

This is not the night sky, but an early morning sky at about 5.45 am in Bandipur Wildlife Santuary in Karnataka, India .Our morning safari in the jungles had just begun.If you want to do sky gazing, do visit Skywa[...]

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by Jour ~ Thursday, December 4, 2008 0 comments

Camera Critters

The pictures make me think how innocent people have been slaughtered by the terrorists in Mumbai last week. I was in no mood to post, until I saw the pictures that were taken in a small village called Chikeyelshetti in Bandipur , near Bangalore in Karnataka .For more pictures around the[...]

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by Jour ~ Sunday, November 30, 2008 0 comments

Do we need Jayanthi Natarajan and Alyque Padamsee's sound bites ?

The crisis is over and a new day will hopefully dawn. Questions are being asked.Some of the right questions are facilities and equipment for our police forces and what is the government doing..And media houses still want sound bites and we have spokespersons like Jayanthi Natarajan holding[...]

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by Jour ~ Saturday, November 29, 2008 0 comments

A dark morning

Its dark in Chennai where I am currently, as it has been raining cats and dogs. My house is an island and I am stranded, waiting for the waters to recede .On the other side of the coast in Mumbai, it is been raining bullets. I feel extremely hollow and sad as I wake up to the killings[...]

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by Jour ~ Wednesday, November 26, 2008 0 comments

A wild trip to Londa and Goa

This trip was wild..though it had little to do with wild animals - we did manage to see a sambhar deer when we crossed the Dandeli forests at 3 am as we returned from Palolem Beach ..Where did I go ? Londa, Ganeshkudi, Dandeli and Goa and it was really a wild trip on the banks of the[...]

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by Jour ~ Monday, November 24, 2008 0 comments

The Bandipur Diary . Wild Conversations - Part 3

" Can you see the cattle ?" A herd has just stopped our jeep from moving any further.."Yes, so .. in India, you see cattle everywhere." " Yes, but this is forestland and you see cattle grazing right in the middle of a forest ..thats the problem..beginning of man-animal conflict." Mithun[...]

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by Jour ~ Wednesday, November 19, 2008 0 comments

The Bandipur Diary - Wild Conversations - 2

"Morning." " Morning ." "Good sighting yesterday - elephants, gaurs, deer .Didnt know South India had so much wildlife." 6 am and the moon shines out of a bright blue sky .There are only 3 of us in the jeep. Olaf ,Katja and I . " First time here ?" Yes.But we've been to Kanha,Ranthambore,[...]

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, November 18, 2008 0 comments

The Bandipur Diary - Wild conversations -Part 1

" Karnataka alone has lost 100 elephants in less than a year and it is mainly female elephants that are dying ." The wood cracked as the smoke curled up , warming up the air. Mithun the naturalist in Bandipur is speaking to the guests. He moves on from one group to the other .The conversation[...]

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by Jour ~ Tuesday, November 18, 2008 0 comments

Back from Bandipura

Thanks for your wishes. I am back in Bangalore and it has been a day of power cuts and traffic jams.It was refreshing to be in the wilds again..I was staying at Bandipur Safari Lodge, a beautiful property of Jungle Lodges and Resorts overlooking the hills.A bit of a bad luck as I missed[...]

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by Jour ~ Monday, November 17, 2008 0 comments

Off to Bandipur

After a long time, I am off to the jungles..The last time I went a bit wild was probably a year ago..2008 has largely been heritage except for Coorg and Karwar. Finally I get to go to Bandipur courtesy JLR (Jungle Lodges & Resorts .)Few destinations are alluring enough to be visited[...]

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by Jour ~ Friday, November 14, 2008 0 comments

The skies at 15,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh

We were in Arunachal Pradesh beyond Tawang driving at 15,000 feet, probably a bit lesser as the picture indicates. It was bright and sunny out there although it was freezing and we were breathless , but the blue sky was a perfect foil to the rocky mountains .The mountains, sometimes filled[...]

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by Jour ~ Thursday, November 13, 2008 0 comments

India through my eyes - Direct marketing !

The title says it all..in Warangal . No, we didnt eat or have a drink there[...]

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by Jour ~ Wednesday, November 12, 2008 0 comments

Travel and travel stories

There has been a bit of a slow down recently in my writing as well..the reason being I dont want to become a factory churning articles by the day.Travel writing is an intense personal experience, sometimes even more exhilarating and draining than the journey itself and just putting it[...]

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by Jour ~ Friday, November 7, 2008 0 comments

Thanjavur -The Big Temple against the sky

The 216 feet high Vimana (tower )of the Big Brihadeshwara Temple seems to be touching the sky in Thanjavur in interior Tamil Nadu. Built in the 11th century, by Raja Raja Chola 1 of the Chola Dynasty , this temple is one of its kind in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site called[...]

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by Jour ~ Thursday, November 6, 2008 0 comments

Hampi Utsav

The annual Hampi Utsav (festival) starts from today and I am not going. I have been to Hampi many times before and it remains my all time favourite destination. I discovered Hampi in 1995 during a college trip . The Utsav was going on and the ancient Vijaynagar capital on the banks of[...]

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by Jour ~ Sunday, November 2, 2008 0 comments