Mangalore, Port of many colours

Mangalore draws its name from the goddess Mangaladevi in whose name a temple was built here in the ninth century by King Kundavarma. What I came to know about this place was that religion dominates society and economy. Exquisite temples like the Manjunatha, Mangaladevi and sharavu Ganapathi are a part of the religious circuit in the city. Located right in the centre of the city, on the campus of St. Aloysius College on Light house hill road, this chapel is an architectural gem. It was built in 1900, has a series of paintings that cover every inch of its roof and walls. On the Kadri Hills within Mangalore city lies the Kadri Manjunatha Temple, it is among the oldest Shiva temple in India. The caves atop Kadri Hill on which the temple is made are popularly known as the caves of Pandava. The Pandmasanastha Loke shwara, a bronze statue within the temple is among the oldest bronze sculptures in the country.

About 6km from the Mangalore, lays the ruin of an important 18^th centaury watch tower built by Tipu Sultan near the scenic Gurpura River. And in the city in Hampankatta on G.S Road near the State Bank, there is Sharavu Maha Ganapathi temple is both a temple and a cultural centre which dates back almost eight centuries. It hosts a range of Yakshagana performances.

Then there was Milagres Church which was razed by Tipu Sultan who suspected the Catholics of Mangalore of being secretly affiliated to the British army. However it was rebuilt after Tipu’s death. And then Sri Mangaladevi Temple on the southern tip of Mangalore city is fairly humming with myth and legend. It is built as a mark of piety by King Kundavarma on the advice of two Nepalese sages, this temple and the Kadri Manjunatha Swamy Temple are closely interlinked in the rituals and practices they perform. On the nine days of Navratri or Dussehra in October, this temple comes alive in a grand celebration of the Devi. The Swayamwara Parvati puja in the temple is one that draws a lot of aspiring girls who look to divine intervention in their search for ideal mates. The ritual involves the young maiden dong a special fast and also receiving sanctified holy sandalwood paste from the priest after the ritual puja.

Then there was Kadri Hills where we went for Lighthouse Hill Garden for a look at snakes, deer and other such animal’s friends. The city’s oldest cathedral Rosario Cathedral built by Portuguese is a reminiscent of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It was very simple stained glass windows with the main altar of Jesus and Mary created with mosaic tiles.

Mangalore is famous for cashew nut so we purchased lots of them and we had the famous cashew drink kajucho which was amazing. We stayed at The Taj Manjarum Hotel however there many more like Hotel Mangalore International, Hotel Manorma and many more.

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Kemmannagundi, a monarch retreat

For a weekend break from Bangalore, we found Kemmannagundi in Karnataka. It is a single secluded hill that’s been successfully posing as a hill station ever since King Krishna Rajinder made its summer haven here. It can be viewed in one day with its views, gardens and waterfalls. The 58 km ride from Chikmagalur to Kemmannagundi is like watching a nature program on TV. There were views of sprawling coffee estates shaded with silver oaks stream on our car window as we bounce along on potholes. The Horticulture department guest house is thick with flowers in the garden. Then there was the Rock garden within the guest house premises maintained by the Horticulture Department. The Kallahati falls also known as Kalahasti falls descend from a height of 122m and are quite pretty. It’s a lovely place for picnic lunch. Then we went to trekking Mohammed Aseem who works for LEAF, an environmental agency, is the activity coordinator for the Taj in Chikmagalur and also organizes treks, coffee plantation visits and other activities for tourists.

Find Travel Directions to Kemmannagundi here

Mount Abu, sitting pretty on a Plateau

Mount Abu was beautiful when I visited it with my family around 6-7 years ago. However to be said it is a hill station of Rajasthan and when we arrived there in the month of June the temperature was around 42 degree and according to the locals the fluctuation in temperature is always between 30-45 degree Celsius, that was strange to us but then what can except from a hill station in Rajasthan. We started our search for a good hotel and we found Hotel Mount view which offered us cottages along with all the amenities and games plus a swimming pool and the positive point was it was on the famous Mall road which was enough for us.

Next day we had breakfast at the hotel and decided to view the Dilwara Temple. We had our own car so after understanding the route to the temple we started for it and hardly from our hotel it was 20 minutes run and we reached the temple. The temple was amazing and for few seconds I was astonished to see the architecture of it, the carvings on the pillar of the temples and its doom was mind blowing. I mean in my history lessons I had only heard about the carvings of Ajanta and Ellora or Taj but no where was this Dilwara Temple mentioned. It is a Jain temple and according to me it has the most astonishing carvings, ceilings and pillars. After offering our prayer and having something to eat we started for our next step which was Bharamakumari Ashram, the famous Ashram for the old people. When we reached there I could see the white building with beautiful gardens and the neatness of the road and the surrounding looked liked we have reached some foreign city. The building included a museum which showed some of their programs brochures, paintings etc. Then they also showed us small documentary about the ashram as in what all they do and how it was started. On a brief note our visit to the ashram was little soothing. So after the tiring day we decided to go back to our hotel and swim and relax for the day.

Next day we went to boating at the famous Nakki Lake which is on the mall and in our history it is told that it was scraped by God from the ground using their nails. There were various boats for ride and the paddle one. The next one hour we enjoyed the boating. After that we were in no mood to visit sunset point so we started roaming at the mall exploring shops. The shops here offered the famous Kullu caps, shawls, and more decorated things for households. My mom purchased a chess which was made in a big stone and had beautiful carvings on its chess man. And after shopping we had went back to the hotel and enjoyed our game of table tennis and swimming. Next day we checked out from the hotel to drive back home. In a short brief I still enjoy memorizing my trip with my family to Mount Abu.

Apart from Mount View there are many hotels available like Jaipur House and the Rajputana Club.

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Aurangabad, At the Heart of History

I went to Aurangabad to inspect the fabulous heritage of the Buddhist caves at Ajanta and Ellora. It was a rough journey across the forbidding mountains on India’s frontier was made I suppose 600 years ago by Zahiruddin Babur who had descended from two ferocious Asian conquerors, Timur and the Genghis Khan. I also found the man who brought the dynasty to an end Aurangzeb buried here. Like all the other Mughal spots it is two faced one shows the bygone era and the old city.

We went to the India’s most important sites of heritage and natural wealth. The Ellora Road leads west out of the city, taking us to the Daulatabad Fort and the Buddhist caves of Ajanta and Ellora and Pitalkhora. The Paithan Road, south of the Aurangabad station leads past Bidkingaon and Dhorkingaon to ancient Paithan on the banks of the Godavari. Bibi ka Maqbara, which the locals proudly also call the Twin of Taj Mahal and outsiders call Poor Man’s Taj, was built by Aurangzeb’s son. It was quite a trek, well preserved and retaining the luminosity of all Mughal structures. It has the marble’s shade and geometric designs still survive despite the intermittent vandalism of the decades. Then there was Panchakki, a water wheel with a healthy ecology of its own, and large khol of fish glide gracefully in a tank that as part of a snazzy engineering marvel in those days, built by the slave- king Malik Amber. Water drawn from a reservoir some km away, again drawn into a tank and ceramic pipes and an iron fan churned the water to create energy used by the flour mill to grind grain for pilgrims. In its ordinary red marble structure it shares the memory of Aurangzeb himself.

Then we visited few masjids and Dargahs. Jama Masjid was our first choice which was between the market and The Shah Ganj Masjid, and the famous of all where the emperor’s tutor lies buried in Dargah of Pir Ismail in the north of the city. Then Bani Begum Gardens, about 24kms from Aurangabad is the house tomb of Bani Begum, the consort of one of Aurangzeb’s sons. It is built in various styles with massive domes, fountains and pillars, these gardens were a fine specimen of Deccan influenced Mughal architecture.

For shopping there are good fabrics available to buy like Himroo, Paithan and many to go. We stayed at Quality Inn the Meadows; however the best is the Taj Residency along with Ambassador Ajanta and many more.

Find Travel Directions to Aurangabad Here….