Showing posts with label AP tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AP tourism. Show all posts

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Horsley Hills

Travelling down the memory lane, my encounter with Horsley Hills was in Mid Eighties.  I remember we travelled from Chittoor one saturday evening to play cricket match at the famous Rishi Valley School.  We had M L Jaisimha in our team playing for Nutrine against the school team.  I remember i opened the innings against the school and managed to score 20 odd runs and in came the Lion and scored a blistering 60 odd runs.  We managed to set up a total of more than 200 odd runs which the school team fell short by 20 odd runs.  It was a wonderful feeling staying in the school hostel and experiencing the cool atmosphere at the hill station.  We celebrated victory on the way back since we restricted from having liquor in the school premises.



This time around after visiting Kadri temple we quickly rushed to Marimaru baniyan tree and than moved towards Horsley Hills.  The location is named after the collectorate W.D Horsley who was the collector of Cuddapah district during the British rule.  He visited this location in 1840 and was charmed by the environs and he ordered for building a summer residence, which is currently serving as Governor's Bunglow.  The AP tourism has built a number of cottages and rest houses in the premium category.  A double room is minimum Rs 2200 per head.



The beauty of this hill station is that it is maintained with a pristine condition which is not found anywhere in India as per my knowledge.  There are not many commercial establishments in this hill station.  I hope it remains so with pressure for commercial exploitation.  It is located 1290 meters above sea level.

Tourist Attraction :  One of the major tourist attraction is the winding drive upto the peak amidst eucalyptus  and gulmohar trees.  Environmental park is located in a separate complex, which has enclosure for few birds, and rabbits.  Adventure sports such as trekking and rapelling is conducted by the department.  A good swimming pool complex is located wherein a air ballon can used to roll across the waters. Apart from this there is lake and museum to add to the tourist attraction.


Horsley hills can be reached from Bangalore Via Chintamani, Madanpalle 160 kms.
It can be reached from Hyderabad and Chennai too via Chittoor and Palamneer. The nearest airport is Tirupati.

If one wants to live with nature in peace for a day Horsley hills is highly recommended.  It can be treated as one day getaway from Bangalore too.





Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Gorantala Madhavraya Temple


 

This temple is located just before one reaches Kadri Lakshminarasimha temple.  The temple can be easily missed in the melee to reach Kadri.  We stopped at Gorantala to have cup of tea and to our pleasant surprise we found this ancient temple which is resurrected and maintained in good condition. This temple is named as Madhavaraya temple, built in the Vijaynagar style.  The nautre and elements are beautifully combined to provide the temple with plenty of wind and solar energy.  The architecture of the temple has a combination of Chola lion symbol.  The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.



The sculpture on the pillars are finely carved with Ugra Narasimha and dancing posture of artisans of the period.  The life style prevalent during the times have been well portrayed.  However the artefacts on the of the temple wall is missing either due to vandalism or kept in safe custody of the museum.


The gopuram of this temple is incomplete, even the unfinished monolith speaks volume of its size and conception.  In the case the edifice was complete it would have been a wonderful and famous monument of its era.  The landscaping obviously is of recent origin.



I was lucky to capture all these images without the help of flash in the camera due to bright sunlight.
I am sure travel buffs will enjoy visit to this place which gives an idea how an ancient temple was conceived and executed to combine all elements of nature.


Location : This temple is located approximately 130 kms away from Bangalore.  One can reach this destination from Bangalore NH7 towards Bagepalli, and take a right deviation on NH7 towards Kadri, One reaches a junction point wherein one has to take a right turn towards Kadri just 2 kms at the bus stand one can find this temple at Gorantala.










  








avinash

avinash
cannons ready to fire

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Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Basically i am down to earth, take friendship to its logical end. It is my endeavour to create a wealth of co-operative ventures. Basically being a marketing man i have the acumen to spot winners. I am privileged to travel the length and breadth of the country, courtsey my father, who was with Indianoil, my employers such as Nutrine, Kurl-on, Hindustan Pencils, Prestige, Crystal, Bell Ceramics, Pentel, Sezal, Commander. Currently i am involved in Tourism, Booking Air Tickets, Agent for Jungle Lodges and Resorts Limited and Taj Group of Hotels and a numerous hotels across India. Depending on the needs of a traveller i would recommend the destination and accommodation best suited to their budget. Humour takes me on. Let us have a win win situation for all. I love travelling for sake of adventure, photography and discovering the heritage. Life is a journey and let us enjoy our drive. Come share your travel experience on indiabackpacker.