During a recent long weekend, we decided to plan a trip with friends to Wayanad. 

HOW TO GO:

Sunflower fields

Elephants spotted at Bandipur forest

WHERE TO STAY :

WHAT TO DO IN THE RESORT :

Hanging Bridge : 

Drizzling weather @ Wayanad trip

In-House waterfall : 

Infinity Pool: 

Me enjoying Infinity Pool in the rain

Archery : 

Trying to Pose for Archery

4D Movie : 

Spa : 

Other things I did and you can do too :

Poker photo at 2M Midnight with friends

Sukoon bhari chai

 There was a long weekend during Republic day this year, and as with every long weekend, we forget to pre-plan any trip, and don't get any bookings at last minute - and then I sulk. So, this time, out of the long weekend, 2 days I binge-watched Netflix, Celebrated Republic day and tried cooking new cuisines. And on the third day we decided to take the kids to Science museum - yes, the Visvesvaraya science museum. 

All set for Science museum Bangalore

I have been there as a young kid myself, and it was so much fun to re-live that experience after almost 25 years. (After counting the years, I suddenly feel old !!!) . The Science museum has been around for ages, it was opened in 1965 and there have been many new additions to it since then. It is spread over a huge building with 4 floors, and each floor has lot of activities, exhibitions and also some special educational shows. 

Amazing Life sized Dinosaur

You can either take the Metro to MG road station and from there an auto to this location or you can drive by car. There is ample parking space available, we went on a long weekend rush, but were still able to get easy parking  in front of the building. 

Ticket Price : 

General Visitors : Rs 85 (Kids Below 5 years are free)

Apart from General ticket, there are special tickets for 3D show, Tarmandal show and Science on a Sphere show - which you can purchase inside. These tickets are mostly 30 or 40 Rupees per head. 

Timing: Everyday from 09.30 AM to 06 PM

Wildlife section on 3rd floor

What to See : 

There are 4 floors consisting of 7 permanent exhibition halls and 3 special ones. As soon as you enter, on the ground floor there is a massive Dinosaur who moves and makes roar sounds.. The children absolutely will love it, this is the best thing in the museum to watch. Then there are other experiments on ground floor such as how does a Pen work, or zip work - there is also an aerospace section where there is a massive first flight, which was built by Wright brothers. 

Then you go on first floor, which has Fun Science section - this is where all simple experiments, puzzles related to sound, fluid, electromagnetic waves etc. are there, there is also a place where you can hide behind the wall and only your head is visible, kids think its magic ;)

Space exhibits

There is also a 3D theatre, where we saw a short movie about life underwater. Nowadays 3D movies are quite common, so you may not enjoy it. But my kids definitely enjoyed this a lot. 

The second floor had Space section, where there were astronaut suits, models of rockets, models of satellites, there is a place where you can check how much you will weigh on different planets. I would love to relocate to moon or mercury, as I feel the lightest there ;)

Then we go on the third floor, which has a wildlife section, with some animal figures, their voices and things about nature. There is also a mirror maze which is quite interesting to navigate through. 

There were many other sections which were awesome, but we only could do this much with young kids. All in all, it is a good 3-4 hours trip, and I would really recommend it for everyone with kids to go there. Learn about laws of physics, space, wildlife, laws of nature and so so much. 

There are many other places nearby which you can also do in the same trip. Such as Cubbon park, Aquarium which is very near to Cubbon park, MG Road, IndiraGandhi musical fountains. There are many restaurants also nearby. There is also a cafeteria inside the museum but we did not try it. 

Here are some links with more information about this place :

Visvesaraya Museum website (You can read about the exhibits and book online tickets too)

Wikipedia on Science museum

Tripadvisor onVishveshwariya science museum

 Trip to Lepakshi temple from Bangalore

Me in the Lepakshi Temple

Historical Significance of Lepakshi :

Le-Pakshi, in Telgu means "Rise Bird", it has historical roots in Ramayana. When Sita was being abducted by Ravana, Jatayu had tried to stop the demon, and was injured and fell on the ground at this place. When Lord Rama was following the trial of Sita and saw Jatayu wounded, he said "LePakshi", which became the name of this place. It is said that the temple has a footprint of real Sita on the rock, which is still preserved. 

Beautiful Intricate carvings at Lepakshi Temple

How to Go : 

Lepakshi is ~120 Kms from Bangalore so going by self-car is the best option. If going by bus, you can take the KSRTC bus from Bangalore to Hindpur, and from Hindpur it is 15 kms to Lepakshi which can be done by local transport. The bus takes around 3 hours. 

We went by our own car, we started in the morning at around 7 am, and reached Lepakshi by 10ish, with a breakfast break in between. Car parking is available right at the entrance of the temple, there are lots of small shops outside selling toys, food, prasadam at the entrance of the temple

You can carry some snacks from home and eat there, as not too many restaurants at this place. 

Each Pillar is a unique story in itself @ Lepakshi temple

Veerabhadra Swamy Temple:

Also known as Lepakshi temple, it is a living temple, holding lots of mysteries inside it. You will find local people who are regular visitors offering prayers, and there will also be lot of tourists who will be busy clicking pictures. The architecture, the carvings on stone, the beautiful open air mantappa, each pillar, each wall has a story hidden in it.  

This temple was built in 1583 AD by two brothers Verupanna and Veeranna from Vijayanagara empire. While mythology suggests this place to be auspicious from Ramayana times, and one puranic lore credits the temple to be from the time of Sage Agastya from ancient times. 

The temple compound has approximately 70 pillars, one open air Kalyana Mantapa, a monolithic Natraja, Ganesha temple and open alleys with lots of pillars, carvings and paintings. 

Lots of devotees at the inner shrine @ Lepakshi temple

Wall Murals which have been preserved from old era

One of this Pillar is hanging of the ground @ Lepakshi Temple

The Hanging Pillar 

This is one famous attraction in Lepakshi temple, out of the 70 pillars, there is one pillar which hangs off the ground, and it is an unsolved mystery, You can pass a newspaper or a think handkerchief to prove it. Many scientists have tried to unravel the mystery of hanging pillar, but when they tried to remove this pillar, all other pillars started shaking. 

Hanging Pillar @Lepakshi temple

Ganesha Temple :

I first visited the main shrine, the pillars and then went outside to visit the Ganesha Temple. You will notice that the sculpture is made with single stone, and there is a snake tied around the Ganesha belly. Its unique but shows similarity to the Sasivekalu Ganesha in Hampi. 

Ganesh Temple at Lepakshi

Naga Shrine:

This is the largest serpent shrine in India, and it is a sight to behold. There is a 7 hooded Naga coiled around the Shiva Linga. It is said that this is monolithic which means built by carving one stone. There is a legend which says that the Naga was carved by the sculptors on a single big Basalt rock while they waited for their mother to prepare lunch

Naga Shrine @ Lepakshi

Open Air Kalyan Mantapa:

This is a place with lots of pillars showing carvings with dancers, warriors, divine nymphs, every pillar has a story to tell. There is a legend which says that this Kalyana Mantapa was build for marriage of Shiva and Parvati, but brother Virupanna had spent a lot of money from the royal exchequer and was found guilty of embezzlement, and work was stopped midway.

Open Air Kalyana Mantapa at Lepakshi

Me and my Daughter enjoying the sun

Sita's Footprint:

It is said that when Ravana was kidnapping Sita and taking her to Lanka, Jatayu tried to stop them, and for the brief moment Sita's foot touched the Lepakshi ground. This is where her foot print is still seen on the rock, and it is said that the foot is always wet, some magical water always flowing in it. I was trying to locate this foot, but it seems I missed it, hence no picture. 

 There are halls outside the main shrine with lots and lots of pillars, you can rest here and spend time. 

Long Halls with many pillars @ Lepakshi temple

Once you come out of the Lepakshi main temple, there are 2 more attractions nearby. 

Monolithic Nandi Statue :

As you enter the village, the Nandi statue is very evidently visible, it is the second largest Nandi in the world (the first one being the Bull Temple in Bangalore). It is beautiful, there is a small park made around it and parking is available. We did not get down here, just bowed it from outside and went onwards.

Jatayu Park:

The Veerabhadra swamy temple is built on a turtle shaped hill, and one of the peaks you will notice a big bird Jatayu status is built, the is a park built nearby by the tourism authority. There is a small ticket at the base, and then there is a short climb up to the view point. There is a birds eye view from the top and you can notice the Nandi Status and Veerabhadraswamy temple from top. It is skippable in my view. There is a small icecream shop near the ticket counter from where you can purchase cold drinks and packaged icecream for your climb. 

Jatayu Park with a Bird status above the rock @ Lepakshi temple

Family is tired and wants to sit under a rock

View from the top of Jatayu Park

Tips for the journey:

1. Leave early from Bangalore, because as the day gets hotter you will feel exhausted and the temple hill/stones will be very hot

2. Carry some food and water with you, there are not many options to eat. There is one Andhra Tourism restaurant which offers decent thali nearby, we went there for our lunch (picture below)

3. Caps and Sunglasses

4. You can combine Lepakshi trip along with Gandikota if you wish. We just did a day trip, went in the morning and were back by evening to Bangalore

5. Road is smooth,and this time I was driving (my first highway drive), so I really enjoyed

The only decent restaurant to eat Lunch @ Lepakshi

Trip to Chitradurga from Bangalore

Trip to Chitradurga from Bangalore

My recent trip was refreshingly awakening, so here I am, starting again, picking myself again and returning back to normal.

 Chitradurga is a city in Karnataka, 200Kms from Bangalore, and particularly of historic significance. We have been to a lot of places near Bangalore, Coorg, Ooty, Mysore, Chikmagalur etc, and it was peak holiday season, so we decided to explore this offbeat location near Bangalore for a short weekend trip. 

How to go: 

Chitradurg is 220Kms from Bangalore, we went in our own car - my lovely Tata Tiago. The road is very good, there are multiple tolls on the way, so ensure your fasttag has balance. Most of the route is on National Highway, well maintained, and the car hits good speed after Tumkur. 

We left at 6.30 AM from our home in Bangalore, most of the good breakfast joints are around Tumkur, if you miss it, then you hardly find anything in the long highway on the left side. We stopped at one of the Shell petrol bunks and picked up some packaged breakfast and moved on. The route is lined up with beautiful windmills on the way.

We reached Chitradurg by 11 PM. 

Lots of Windmills on the way

Best Time to visit : 

Chitradurga is located on a rocky base, and it gets hot. The ideal time to visit is October to March or right after monsoons. 

Where to stay : 

We stayed in KSTDC Mayura hotel, it is right opposite the Chitradurg fort - It is a good hotel, reasonable pricing, good views and well maintained. I booked through kstdc website, the lawn in front of the rooms is green and refreshing, overlooking the hills. 

You can book through booking.com or through KSTDC website - the hotel is neat, clean and has good views of the fort. It is a 3star rated hotel, so basics are all in place, but not very luxurious. The price is reasonable, for us it was around 4000 for 1 night (2 Adults + 2 Kids), and it was peak season. 

Mayura Hotel Chitradurga grounds

Front of our cottage at Mayura Hotel Chitradurga

Where to visit : 

There are lots of places to visit in this city, there are also some destinations on the route, but we were travelling with young children, so we shortlisted the best attractions. 

1. Chitradurga Fort : 

This is a historic fort which was impregnable for almost 200 years - this was ruled by Nayka dynasty, later taken over by Hyder Ali, and then Tipu Sultan. This fort is spread over 1500 acres and you have to cross 7 doors before you are inside. 

The walls of the fort are made of granite stone, and there are multiple stories associated with this place. There is a moat all around (a deep ditch) where the kings used to fill water and breed crocodiles so that no enemy can enter. There are 7 doors made in a zigzag fashion, so that the enemy cannot bring elephants to break these doors and enter the fort. 

The story of Onnake Obavva is very inspiring, she is one of the brave hearts of Karnataka. 

There are places where you can observe nooks for putting weapons, pistols, watch towers, soldier camps etc. If I talk about the stories and details, it will take me a full blog post, which I will cover separately. 

Chitradurga Fort - Historical Monument

Ticket Price : Rs 25 per adult for Indian nationals and Rs 300 for International tourists. (Ticket counter is at the entrance, you can purchase the ticket, or there are also QR codes which can scan to buy ticket from your mobile and skip the queue)

Opening time : 10 AM to 5.30 PM  

There are guides who are available at the gate, who will take you around and tell you stories about the fort - We took at guide from the gate, but he was not good at all - he was hurrying too much, and I learnt more from wikipedia than from him. He charged Rs. 500 for a 1 hour walk, where he showed us the entrance gates, and took us till the Hidimbeshwara temple inside the fort. 

The fort it huge, and if you want to explore it fully, it will take an entire day. There are stairs all through, so you need to climb quite a bit. Since we went with children, we only went till half way, there is a lot of more to explore inside. 

Pandava temples at Chitradurga fort

High Climb.. we did not go up there

2. Chandravalli caves : 

This was the highlight of our trip - this are pre-historic caves which go deep deep under the ground and have lots of secrets hidden inside. This place is around 5 kms from the fort, it took us 20 mins to reach there. 

Once you enter, you feel as if you have entered a hill station, there are hills on all sides, there is a beautiful pond inside, and nice greenery. 

 This cave is also called Ankali Mutt (as it is believed Anakali saint used to meditate here). You need to take a torch, and go down 80 feet which opens up to a huge cave. 

These were excavated in 1900s and there are various stories about its use by old kings, saints and all. it is believed to be as old as the Iron age, as neolithic inscriptions and coins were discovered here. Some stories say that this was the secret hideout of the king, and he used to discuss secret strategies with his ministry. There is also another story which says that this used to be a monk cave, where Ankali monk used to live and meditate.

The cave is pitch dark, there is not a single ray of sunlight that can enter here, and any sound wave that you do inside, doesn't come outside. Hence an ideal place for secret strategy discussions for the kings or for meditation.

The caves have everything from a living room, to a meeting hall, to a place where the monk used to bath with a bath-tub and water provision. There are beautiful inscriptions and art you can view inside to keep lamps for light. You would be surprised to see that even pre-historic humans were so advanced, that they were able to design something like this. There is ample ventilation, and breathe is easy, despite of no light, no sound and being 80 ft below the ground. 

There is also a story which says that Pandavas came here during their journey, and a shiva temple where the 5 pandav's used to pray is still alive. 

Ancient Chandravalli caves and Pandava temple

Beautiful lake outside Chandravalli caves

3. Adumalleshwara zoo : 

This is indeed a delight if you are going with kids, my kids thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Its right in the middle of a forest, you could see birds, peacocks and monkeys roaming freely (no cages), but the big cats and other animals are kept in cages. 

We saw a sloth bear, who was nicely napping, and then panthers/cheetah's who were sitting by the water, some deers, blackbucks and more. The experience was more important than the animals per se. The weather was excellent, it was drizzling, and there were no crowds, the feel of the jungle was amazing.

Sunset highlighting the hill in shape of Nandi

Adumalleswara Zoo

Our Itinerary:

Day 1 : Started from Bangalore at 6.30 In the morning, reached Chitradurga by 11 AM (Took a breakfast break and a fuel break in between)

Checked into the KSTDC mayura hotel (its located right opposite to the fort)

Freshened up at hotel and headed straight to the fort (it was a bit hot, so do carry water bottle with you)

Finished the fort by 4PM, took our car and headed to the Adumalleshwara zoo 

The zoo closes at 6 PM so ensure that you have ample time to cover it

Came back to hotel by 7, had nice beer, dinner and relaxed

Day 2 : Next morning, lazed around the hotel grounds, children chased butterflies and were very excited to see "touch me not" plants and lots of pretty flowers in the property

Had breakfast and then checked out by 10.30 AM

Headed to the Chandravalli caves, enjoyed the views, took pictures

By 12.30 we were on our way back to Bangalore - Reached Bangalore by 6 PM

Your drive time could be lesser as we tend to take more breaks in between, we dont drive over speed limits and we encountered huge Bangalore traffic as it was peak hour. 

Here you can find some more resources to read about this place. 

Chitradurga Tripadvisor

Karnataka Tourism Chitradurga

https://chitradurga.nic.in/en/tourism/

You will not find many resources, because its a bit offbeat location to travel - but we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. 

P.S ; All pictures original and are captured from my new iPhone 12 camera.

Lots of monkeys here, need to be careful

Me at the Chandravalli caves