WANDERLUST /

09 09 19 19 A Trail Through

Take a road trip through Lepakshi, ThreeGandikota, and Belum to witnessTowns stunning landscapes and explore heritage structures.

words Edwina D’souza

The diverse landscapes on the way to from Bengaluru make for ample photo ops. An aerial view of a winding road near Makalidurga, Karnataka.

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few months ago, I stumbled upon a 09 stunning picture on the 09 19 internet captioned ‘The 19 Grand Canyon of India’. Making it to Arizona in the USA to see the original marvel seemed like a far-fetched dream, so I snapped up the opportunity to witness the ‘Indian equivalent’. My co-workers from Bengaluru and Mumbai, who 2 shared this common travel goal, signed up to join me, and off we went on a road trip. We mapped out an itinerary and references in Indian mythology. 1. The Lepakshi temple complex is home to three 3 armed ourselves with sunscreen, If legends are to be believed, shrines dedicated to Lord snacks, and songs. Since I was the (the divine bird) from the , Lord , and only one who could drive, I got sacred scripture of Ramayana was Lord Veerabhadra. 2. The Nandi Bull structure behind the wheels; the Bengaluru injured here after a battle with at the entrance of the co-worker handled communication Ravana, who was carrying Sita to temple complex is replete (and translation); and the Mumbai Lanka. When Lord reached the with intricately carved 18-ft-tall monolith of Nagalinga, we hit the road again. It was now ornaments which add Did you know? co-worker was the designated spot, he saw Jatayu and uttered the to its grandeur. 3. Enjoy a multi-headed snake and many time to visit the famed ‘Grand The guides at Lepakshi photographer. We hit NH44 from words, le pakshi which translates to unending views of the frescos depicting scenes from Canyon of India’ in Gandikota, a animatedly narrate the Bengaluru at 5.00 a.m. The stunning ‘arise, bird’, thus giving the town 'Grand Canyon of India'. the Ramayana and Mahabharata small village in the Kadapa district of story of a British engineer, landscape comprising boulders and its name. including motifs of Lord Shiva Andhra Pradesh. Hamilton, from the pre- vast expanses of greenery made A towering monolithic sculpture and Parvati. The town gets its name from independence era, who the drive enthralling. The rains of Nandi Bull greeted us at the The star attraction however, is the the 13th-century Gandikota fort. once tried to decode the mystery of the hanging played hide-and-seek leaving us entrance of the Lepakshi temple ‘hanging pillar’ inside the temple The structure sits on a spectacular pillar, but failed after he with balmy weather and ample complex and raised the bar for what complex that draws thousands of gorge formed by the River Penna realised that the distortion opportunities to pull over and was in store ahead. This structure curious visitors each year. Call it a cutting through the Erramala hills. would result in the capture the stunning beauty is said to be carved out of a single legend or an engineering marvel, Gandikota translates to ‘gorge’ alignment of the adjoining of nature. stone and is reputed to be the largest but it is believed that this pillar (gandi) and ‘fort’ (kota) in Telugu. pillars to get disrupted, Our first stop was Lepakshi Nandi sculpture in India. The many hangs from the ceiling, barely The region was once under the rule leading the entire village in the temples in Lepakshi date back to touching the ground. We saw many of the Kaka Raja descendents from structure to collapse. of Andhra Pradesh; about 125 km 16th century AD. Amongst them, tourists test this claim (including 1123 A.D to 1239 A.D, and has since from Bengaluru. Lepakshi is not the Veerabhadra Temple, built ourselves) by passing a thin paper been ruled by the Kalyani Chalukya, only a pilgrim town but also an during the , and even a dupatta underneath it. Tughlaq, Pemmasani Nayak archaeologically important site with is visually captivating. There’s an After three hours of exploration, dynasties, and even the

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Golconda Sultanate. We were pleasantly surprised to find just a few tourists here, leaving us free to explore the area at our 09 1. The country's largest 09 own pace. For the best view of and longest cave 19 the gorge, one has to climb a few system, Belum Caves, is 19 boulders to reach the edge of the home to long passages, galleries, caverns cliff. The closer we inched towards with fresh water, the gorge, the more breathtaking Image: Edwina D'souza and siphons. 2. The the views got. None of us had seen imposing Gandikota fort boast intricately anything like this before. We sat carved pillars, making there for a couple of hours, gazing at the structure an the silent waters of the Penna River. fort, is ideal to reach the structure in the caves – Paatalganga – and the architectural marvel. Watching the sunset from here was time to catch the sunrise. Musical Chamber are key attractions the icing on the cake. Shutterbugs The next morning we drove here. The stalactite and stalagmite will have a field day capturing 60 km further north to Belum, formations in the Musical Chamber stunning images of this raw, natural near Kurnool district. The Belum mimic notes when hit with fingers. landscape. A downhill trek to the caves are known for their unique The use of neon lights to illuminate riverbed allows visitors to indulge in stalactite and stalagmite formations. the formations adds character to adventure sports such as rappelling The first records of these caves the place. and rock climbing, or a leisurely were mentioned in an expedition At sunset, we started our journey Travel log coracle ride. report of Robert Bruce Foote in back to Bengaluru. On this weekend The best time to visit the Back at the Gandikota fort 1884, followed by another detailed trip alone, we had managed to Gandikota is at sunrise or complex, there are many structures expedition by Herbert Daniel explore diverse places of interest – sunset. Although the climb to – the Jama Masjid mosque, a Gebauer in 1982 and 1983. Jain and from a heritage temple complex and the gorge is not particularly granary, a stepwell, and a jail – now Buddhist monks are believed to have a picturesque gorge, to a unique tough, wearing hiking in ruins, that allow visitors a peep occupied these caves centuries ago, cave system. shoes is recommended. into the history of a bygone era. and a giant Buddha statue adorns The drive back was a good seven The Andhra Pradesh Tourism In the present day, the complex is the entrance of the caves. hours but went by like a breeze, Development Corporation- run Haritha Resort is the best home to a few villagers and has a The network of caves stretches in good company. By the end of stay option here. Booking in small government school. up to 3,229m in length and are the trip, we had crossed over to advance is advisable. We decided to spend the night considered the second largest cave conversations beyond work; about at the Haritha Resort run by system in India after the Krem life and dreams. Perhaps, it is true the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Liat Prah in Meghalaya. Inside, that travel not only makes you see Getting Development Corporation in the site is complete with hidden the world differently but also see There Gandikota. The resort’s location, passageways, chambers, and fresh other people differently. AirAsia India flies to barely 100m from the Gandikota water tanks. The deepest point of Bengaluru from New Illustration: Swapnil Redkar Illustration: Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and other destinations. airasia.com

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