Rajgir - The Crown of Magadha Kingdom

Rajgir, the first capital of Magadha Kindom that later on became the Mauryan Empire, has a lot of tales to tell every inquisitive visitor with a keen interest in history. This city is not just mentioned in the epic "Mahabharata" but also finds a place in Jainism and Buddhism scriptures and has a cluster of attractions spread across 3 lanes- defining Incredible India. This tiny town in the remote part of India has more than enough to give treasure hunters sleepless nights.

Sone bhandar Caves is the ultimate mysterious challenge and more like an Indiana Jones moment in Rajgir. This simple looking cave could very well be your elite luxurious retirement bonanza. If only you could decipher the inscription on the caves. Legend has it that incredible amount of gold and precious stones are hidden here and cracking this code would be the key to this treasure. When Britishers failed the intelligence test of our forefathers they resorted to brute force by firing canon balls in the hope of getting their hands on the booty. Needless to say their choice was not a smart one.

En-route to sone bhandar is Maniyar Matt dedicated to serpent Goddess. This structure resembles a well and has some interesting images such as Ganesh with snakes wrapped around, a six armed dancing Shiva and a four armed Vishnu. Sadly though most of these images have been ruined.

Bimbisar Jail or barely the remains of it today. If not for the board by Bihar Tourism, this place left us perplexed as to what should we see. It just looks like any other barren land. However, we were told that there was an underground prison where King Bimbisar was imprisoned by his son Ajatashatru. The site for the prison was chosen by the King himself, over looking the Griddhakuta hill. This hill is believed to have been used by Buddha to preach and the King being a disciple of Buddha wanted this privilege.

Another striking and almost unbelievable yet a pretty convincing place that makes you question your own reasoning ability is Lord Krishna's Chariot marks left on a very hard rocky surface. There are two tracks that run parallel to each other for several meters. It is very firmly believed that these are the wheel tracks of Krishna's Chariot. We believe Hindu Mythology is completely factual or one hell of a grand illusion.

Head to Brahma Kund to experience one of the many hot water springs in India. This is one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites. People strongly believe that the water here has great healing powers. The many temples around the hot water spring offer a very charming and serene ambience. We sat there immersed in thoughts losing track of time. The only downside to this place appears to be self declared pseudo priests and guides who offer unwanted advice and charge a fee. You will find many of them who may ruin your time there. It would be a better idea to stay away and not encourage such people as you never know how much they might end up charging you.

Vishwa Shanti Stupa is a breathtaking beautiful pagoda built on top of a hill and can be accessed via rope way or a tedious trek. The stupa is home to 4 statues of Buddha made of gold depicting birth, enlightenment, teaching and passing away of Lord Buddha. There is also a monastery and the views of the valley from here are amazing.The tickets for the rope way are issued from 8 am to 4.30 pm and keep in mind there is a one hour lunch break.  A round trip ticket for the rope way is priced at Rs 60.

On the way to Shanti Stupa stand the ruins of  Jeevak Aamravan, a residence cum hospital that was run by Jeevak Kaumarbhritya. Jeevak was a renowned physician in the royal court of  Bimbisar and Ajatashatru. He even treated Lord Buddha and there are accounts of his medical practice mentioned in literatures in Pali language.

There are beautiful tongas in Rajgir that slowly ferry people around. These colorful tongas were our best friends. They offer a package deal for most of the tourist attractions at a government set price of Rs 450 per tonga. However, if you want to visit attractions that are not mentioned in the package you will have to shell out a little more.

Rajgir is a very tiny town so most people prefer a day trip and hence this place offers very few basic stay options. Most of them are very old homes converted to hotels. Rajgir offers 3 very good stay options- Hotel Nalanda Regency near bus stand, Siddharta Hotel near Brahma Kund and Gargee Gautam Vihar Resort on the same road as Nalanda Regency. There is not a single 5 star property in Nalanda. Annapurna Restaurant in Nalanda Regency is the best deal to dine in the whole of Nalanda and Rajgir. They have a wide range of cuisines to choose from and serve awesome food. They offer excellent service and have a reasonably priced menu.

We stayed at Hotel Ratnagiri near bus stand, this budgeted place is one of the best stay options in Rajgir. This relatively new building which quite honestly is a rare sight in Rajgir offers compact rooms with clean sheets and soft pillows. Do keep in mind that there are frequent power cuts in Rajgir, this property has 24 hour power backup. Another plus is that it is walking distance from the railway station and tongas are readily available.

Another thing to keep in mind while travelling is though Indian Railways is a boon to a traveler, at the same time it can ruin your travel plans all together. Our train from Patna to Rajgir was late by over two hours, so do set aside buffer time to accommodate any such delays.

Mahabalipuram - Photo Tour Of Coastal Town With Rich Legacy

Mahabalipuram, fondly called as 'Mahabs' by locals rides with rich history, legacy and was mostly developed by the Pallava rulers. This town is mentioned in the Vaishnava Hymns written between the 6th and 8th Century. However, evidence such as Roman coins and pottery found here states that the town dates back to early Historic times. This ancient historic coastal town  buzzed with activity as this was a busy seaport and it was from here that Indian traders sailed to South-East Asian Countries. The mariners also called it "Seven Pagodas" as there were Seven Pagodas standing tall on the shore, of which, only one survived- the Shore Temple.

The Pallavas were renowned for promoting unique styles of art and architecture and this town stands as a fine example with its stunning rock cut or monolithic group of monuments and shore temples. 

The Magnificent Lighthouse with its beautiful tales of a bustling trade hub and a seaport.

Climbing the Light House to see the entire town, the roads, the sea and the breathtaking view of the Shore temple leaves you in awe.

There is a museum adjacent to the Light House which is worth visiting to know more about the port History. Deep Sea buoys are laid to mark shipping channels in the Bays and to prevent mishaps from rocks and wrecks. This Buoy was in use at Gulf Of Kutch.

The temples portrayed scenes from the epic Mahabharata depicting the Descent of the Holy Ganges and Arjuna's Penance. The story mentions Arjuna, one of the Pandava Brothers, performed severe austerities in order to obtain Shiva's weapon.

The following panel of Mahishamardani Cave depicts the battle where Goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasura, who was considered unconquerable. The scene portrays Goddess Durga riding a lion in pursuit of Mahishasura with a bow and arrow.

The other panel of Mahishamardani Cave depicts Lord Vishnu in Tranquility State on a seven hooded serpent.

One of the many Cave temples in Mahabalipuram.

A village scene from the Krishna Mandapa Cave depicting their daily lives.

Varaha Cave Temples

The following panel depicts Four armed Goddess Durga standing on a lotus under an umbrella. This panel stands for victory over ignorance.

Trivikarma Panel depicting Lord Vishnu  overcoming the Demon king Bali.

The most prominent sculpture of the Varaha Cave is Lord Vishnu in his incarnated form of Varaha lifting Bhu Devi, Mother Earth, from the sea.

The Gajalakshmi Panel representing Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity. She is portrayed with her hands holding a Lotus flower surrounded by attendants and elephants.

Lord Krishna lifting the mythical Govardhan hill to provide shelter to villagers from torrential rains showered by Lord Indra.

The Massive Natural rock boulder,  popularly known as Krishna's Butter Ball, atop a hilly slope is no less than a wonder. It does a perfect balancing act defying all rules of Gravity.

Trimurti Cave temple- This is believed to be dedicated to the three Lords- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

The view of Bay of Bengal from the Shore temple.

The Shore Temple, is the only temple of a series of seven temples and the remaining now submerged in the sea.

The Pancha Rathas, perfect examples of Dravidian style architecture are monolithic rock cut temples.

Monolithic Five Rathas or Chariots dedicated to the Five Pandava Princes.

5 km from Mahabalipuram towards Chennai is the Tiger Caves.

Apart from the stellar monuments, there has been proof of many other monuments that have been submerged under the mighty Bay Of Bengal.

Marvels Of History Lepakshi

Lepakshi, a lesser known historic town in Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh dons many hats and never ceases to astonish one with its rich legacy and history. This temple town backtracks its roots to the epic 'Ramayana.' Legend has it that it is this spot where the mythological bird 'Jatayu' fell after being hurt by Ravan during his brave attempt to rescue Sita. Lord Ram on seeing the injured Jatayu on the ground commanded 'Le Pakshi' that translates to 'Rise Bird' and hence the name of the town.

This town which is very famous for its handicrafts and sarees has the temple as well in its list of wonders. This hidden treasure built by two brothers Viranna and Virupanna of the Vijayanagar period, attracts a handful of devotees and history buffs to explore and admire the history, engineering and architectural marvel of the Vijayanagara craftsmen and artisans.

The massive monolithic Nandi welcomes you to the town. Apart from the striking mammoth size, this is the place where the Nandi does not bow down his head in submission to Lord Shiva. There is lot of greenery around and the place is well maintained by Archaeological Survey of India.

Veerabhadra Swamy temple is built on a hill that is similar to the shape of a tortoise and hence is known as "Kurma Saila." The complex houses the main deity 'Veerabhadra Swamy' with excellent ornate mural paintings on the ceiling depicting scenes from Ramayana and different incarnations of Lord Vishnu and the wedding procession of Shiv and Parvati. The mural paintings made from vegetable colors and minerals stand as fine examples of creativity that seem to have withstood the test of time over all these centuries. The mural painting of 'Veerabhadra Swamy' in the inner sanctum is the biggest in Asia measuring 23 feet by 13 feet.

The most fascinating marvel here is the 'Hanging Pillar.' This mysterious pillar does not rest on the temple floor and hangs directly from the ceiling. It stills remains an unsolved mystery as to how this mind-blowing phenomena works. This pillar even today stands tall as a testimony to ingenious architectural engineering feat. Unfortunately, it is a little tilted thanks to the curious British engineer who wanted to unravel the mystery behind it.

Another classy structure is the Kalyana Mandapam. Though only partially finished, the magnificent architecture and craftsmanship casts a long lasting spell on you. The many pillars of the Kalyana Mandapam bear intricately carved sculptures of mythical creatures. The beautiful carvings on the pillars are the inspiration behind the well renowned Dharmavaram saree patterns. People spend months here studying the intricate carvings on the pillars to replicate it on the sarees as beautiful designs.

The unfinished Mandapam adds even more charm to the temple that you cannot help but imagine the beauty of the place during the Vijayanagar period. An era of kings, royalty, where the beauty of the temple is enhanced by the brightness of the moonlight and oil lamps and pillars are decorated with flowers. Truly history was royal and everything made or done was extravagant, unique and flawless. With no undo option, this finesse work required years of dedication and practice to master the skill with no place for a mediocre job.

Also, tucked away in the corner of the temple is a massive monolithic seven headed serpent shielding the Shivling. An interesting snippet about this carving is that it is believed to have been carved out at a lightening speed by the artisans while lunch was being prepared for them. On the other side of this huge rock is a massive sculpture of Lord Ganesha. We stood there awestruck on how a huge boulder was turned into a piece of fine art.

Take a walk around the temple and be spellbound by the carvings, the state of the art ancient drainage system, the rock solid structure and the creativity bringing life to these rocks and pillars. The temple is open throughout the year and daily rituals and pujas are performed. However, the inner sanctum is open from 7 am to 6 pm.

The temple hardly receives any crowd and hence is very calm and serene. It is a perfect place for soul searching. Time stands still here and you can forget all your worries and just live the moment. By sunset, birds of different feathers make the temple premises their home.

It is disheartening to see such an impressive piece of history and fine craftsmanship being neglected by the Government. In its heyday the temple complex is believed to have been spread over a whooping 100 acres but now it has been confined to mere 6 acres. Due to rampant encroachment by businesses, human settlements and government establishments, a great deal of history, artifacts, sculpture etc. are lost forever. The extraordinary mural art on the temple ceiling has not been preserved and has gone beyond a point of restoration.

To boost tourism, the Government has constructed a sparkling new Haritha Resort run by APTDC offering fine and spacious rooms at a reasonable price. Do use their online portal for reservations. The restaurant serves basic but exceptionally good food. This stay option is a steal deal for the money.

Another fine initiative championed by MLA Balakrishna is the water purifier plant for the benefit of the people.

Lepakshi, where life appears to be calm, peaceful and less chaotic. The entire town shuts down by late evening allowing one to soak in the beauty around. With too many rocks and boulders in the vicinity this place is perfect for rock climbing as well. Take the lesser known trail to Lepakshi before it becomes a hotshot tourist destination.

How to reach:

By Air: Bangalore International Airport 100 km from Lepakshi is the nearest airport.

By Rail: Hindupur 14 km from Lepakshi is the nearest railway station.

By Road: Brilliant NH 7 connects Lepakshi and Bangalore/Hyderabad.