Belum Caves - Amazing work of Mother Nature

Nature always has amazing gifts to offer to mankind and one such great wonder is Belum Caves, the largest cave system on plains of India, lying below agricultural fields. A walk down the caves truly takes one to a different world altogether... one that takes you towards the earth's crust.

REACHING THERE: Belum Caves is located in Kurnool district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. The nearest major town in Tadpatri, from where the caves are around 35kms away. Tadpatri is also the nearest rail head and is located on the Chennai-Mumbai rail route. Other nearby towns to reach Belum caves would be Anantapur (90 kms away) and Kurnool town (110 kms away). The route from Tadpatri to Belum caves is good in parts, bad in parts and decent for the rest.

It is tough to miss out the entry to the caves. From afar, at least 5 kms away, you would be able to spot the name 'Belum Caves' painted on the hill top lying close to the cave system. Even, if you miss that, there is no way you would pass a blind eye over the huge statue of Buddha placed at the entrance to the caves. Statue of Buddha is not there without a good reason as the caves were once occupied by Buddhist monks.

BELUM CAVES: Belum caves is just about gaining prominence. Many have still not even heard of it. So, it definitely is a paradise unexplored. One of the three huge holes in the field serve as entry point to the cave. A nominal entry fee of Rs.40/- is charged. A descent of 15-20 steps takes you directly to the starting point of the cave. Being on the plains and involving limited physical efforts, it clearly is one cave that any one in the family, across ages, can reach and explore with ease.

Except a water bottle, one is not allowed to take any other belonging into the caves. There is a cloak room available outside the caves where belongings can be deposited. If you do not carry anything valuable, then you could just place your bags in the open lockers just besides the entry stair case. No eatables, including soft drinks are allowed. Apart from hygienic reasons to keep the caves litter-free, eatables are prohibited to avoid growth of bacteria inside the caves.

A group of visitors would be accompanied by a guide. These guides are made available by AP tourism and are free of cost. It is definitely worth to move through the caves alongside a guide, especially if it is your first visit. How to navigate and what to observe would be best known only to the guides. If you are a non-Telugu speaking visitor, you should be able to find a guide speaking either Hindi or English. So, language should not be a barrier here.

THE JOURNEY INSIDE: The caves is a complete natural formation of stalactites and stalagmites, essentially limestone formations. A walk through the caves completely could take up to 3 hours, especially if you have a camera at hand. The entire cave system is not an easy walk through. Although, it is not very tough to navigate, it could be physically exerting to some extent. One might have to pass through narrow openings, dark patches and a few rocky paths. Also, at several places, one essentially has to bend over to seep through. One also needs to be careful about rocky projections here and there along the path to make sure you do not bang into any of them.

All these might sound a bit scary. But, you can be rest assured it is not. These are all you would look forward to inside a cave and you do get it all at Belum caves. The walk inside the caves is definitely feasible for the entire family. Being under the earth's crust with limited ventilation, be prepared to sweat profusely. Credit should go to AP tourism for placing ventilation ducts at strategic points inside the caves. After a bit of exertion, a whiff of air comes as a great relief inside the caves. The caves are also lit appropriately. It offers enough light to click a few pics and yet is dull enough to keep the exploration natural and exciting.

IMAGINATIVE STRUCTURES: As you walk through, the guide would draw you attention to several interesting observation points inside the cave. Most of these would be structures formed by limestone that resembles a human or an animal or an object. All these are just figments of imagination, but that makes the trip quite interesting. I am sure as you walk through you would discover new patterns and imaginative structures that the guide has not made a mention of.

As I think through, there were several such very interesting structures we observed. The structure of a lion, a crocodile, a diwan, Lord Ganapathy, a five-hooded snake and India map to name a few. There were also certain earmarked locations. One among them was Kodi Lingam (meaning a crore lingas), where limestone formation on the roof of the caves would resemble a huge plethora of lingas. Then, there was Patala Ganga, the deepest point of the cave at around 150ft below ground level. There one can observe a natural formation of a linga with a narrow water stream below it.

One other interesting observation is a place where stalactite and stalagmite (one emerging from the roof and the other from the floor) meet to form a pillar. Further, interestingly, while returning we were given an option of walking back the same way we had come or take an adventure route through a dim lit passage with mini rocks all over the ground. We took the adventure option and had to pretty much squat through the passage. That added to the excitement and gave a nice little finale to the trip.

ENDLESS CAVES: Belum cave system is also called locally the Endless cave as no one knows where the cave system ends. Only certain sections of the cave have been developed for tourists and certain sections earmarked for future developments. So, probably in future the caves would have lot more to offer.

AMENITIES: While AP tourism should be credited for effective management of the caves, other amenities there requires a face lift. In specific, the restaurant facility is a big drawback. So, if you are planning a visit to Belum caves, it is better you carry food with you. After an exerting trip, I am sure you would want to have a happy meal, which unfortunately the place does not offer. There is also not a great hotel to stay near-by and one will have to halt in the near-by towns.

ADDITIONAL NEAR-BY VISIT: Tadpatri has two very wonderful temples that is worth a look. Chintala Venkatramana temple and Bugga Ramalingeswara temple. Both are unique in their own ways and speaks volumes of the great craftsmanship of Indian sculptors in those days. If you are in specific interested in arts and sculpture, then these temples are a must visit. I would probably make a post on them soon. So watch out the blog space.

SCHEDULING YOUR TRIP: Anantapur is probably your best option for lodging overnight. So, if you do start from there, you could first cover the Tadpatri temples, probably visit Alur Ranganathaswamy temple and then push off to Belum caves. From here, you can proceed to Yaganti, the abode of Lord Uma Maheshwara and then to Nandyal, if you wish to make your next overnight halt or to Ahobilam to seek the blessings of Lord Narasimha.

Krishnapuram - Interesting Venkateswara temple near Tirunelveli

Through this post, I introduce you to a small village called Krishnapuram located in South Tamil Nadu. Krishnapuram, the name, stands for the land of Krishna. Accordingly, the primary temple of the place belongs to Lord Vishnu. The primary temple deities here share the same names as Tirupati. The temple, although not large in size, is definitely worth a visit for some interesting wonders it offers.

REACHING THERE: Krishnapuram is located near Tirunelveli in South Tamil Nadu. The village is located en route to Tiruchendur, from Tirunelveli and hence could easily fit into your tour itinerary. The nearest town would be Tirunelveli, at a distance of just about 10kms. The nearest rail head would also be Tirunelveli.

KRISHNAPURAM TEMPLE: The outside look of the temple may not be really stunning. By its exterior appearance, one could easily pass it on as just an other temple. But the real beauty definitely lies inside. The temple deities here share the same name as that of Tirupati Venkateshwara. As such, the presiding deity is known by Venkatajalapathi, with his consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi.

As soon as you enter the temple, the main hall that leads to the temple sanctum, leaves you amazed. The pillars of the walls carry wonderful work of art that leaves you thinking that this place has something unique to offer and makes you feel good that you did the right thing by visiting the temple and did not shrug it off as a regular one.

What is unique about this wonderful sculptures in the temple, is the sheer size of it. Each of these sculptures is huge in size, almost the size of a human. This adds great life into these sculptures, and as they say, they are truly life-like. Creating these six feet sculptures calls for intricate detailing and the sculptors have truly lived up to this task.

Each of these sculptures carry so much of detailed work that one could easily pass off an entire day just observing the finer aspects of the work. These stone marvels depict a variety of themes. Some of these sculptures relate to war heroes, some of them are manifestations of the Lord and some depict an artist at work.

The astonishing work of art at the entrance hall is just a precursor to what is found inside the main sanctum. Here again, you are loaded with great sight for your eyes, as you come across more life-like sculptures adorning each pillar. In fact, each side of the pillar is decorated with an unique sculpture. As you stay engrossed in this spectacle, you are forced to wonder, how many people must have worked on these sculptures and how long this exercise would have taken.

ADDITIONAL NEAR-BY VISITS: The Nava Tirupati circuit, of nine Vaishanvite temples located on both banks of the river Tamirabarani is not far off from here. So, one could easily start of early morning from Tirunelveli, visit Krishnapuram and then proceed for Nava Tirupati temples. As the name suggests, each of these Nava Tirupati temples is associated with a particular planet and is definitely worth a visit. Some of these temples have their own interesting wonders to offer (more on Nava Tirupati later).

SCHEDULING YOUR TRIP: Plan for a day long trip. Start from Tirunelveli, make the first halt at Krishnapuram, then complete the Nava Tirupati circuit by after noon. After lunch on the way, proceed to Tiruchendur. On the way, do not forget to check out Vana Tirupati, the new abode of Lord Venkateshwara. You can find all about Vana Tirupati, located at Punnai Nagar near Nazreth, in my older blog post, http://www.travelwithguru.blogspot.com/2009/12/vana-tirupati-new-abode-of-lord.html

So, push off to check out this great wonder at Krishnapuram.

Padmanabapuram Palace - The Royal Visit

Padmanabapuram palace is definitely one of its kind. The word palace immediately reminds one about grandeur, lavish decorations and wonderful works of art. Something along the lines of the Mysore Palace. However, Padmanabapuram palace was far off from it. It does not look massive at first glance with a single storey entrance. But the place definitely has its own charm.

REACHING THERE: Padmanabapuram palace is located at a place called Thuckalay, in Kanyakumari district in South Tamil Nadu. The nearest major town is Nagercoil, around 20 kms away. The palace is also close to Kerala and Trivandrum is just around 50 kms from here. The nearest rail heads include Kanyakumari, Nagercoil and Trivandrum.

HISTORY: Padmanabapuram palace belongs to the princely state of Travancore. Kanyakumari district was ruled by the Maharajah of Travancore in the pre-independence period. Post the state re-organisation, the palace came under the Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. As you near the palace, you would definitely see a strong Kerala influence. Therefore, it is also not surprising to find the palace too bearing a strong kerala style of architecture. The palace alone is still owned by the Government of Kerala, although it stands in Tamil Nadu.

ENTRY AND TICKETS: An entry fee of Rs.25/- is charged per person. If you carry a camera with you, you might have to shell out an additional Rs.25/-. The Palace is open from 9 AM to around 6PM, with no intermittent breaks. The Palace is closed on Mondays.

THE PREMISE: The palace is quite different from the regular ones right from the entrance. As you enter the palace, you would observe a small one-storeyed building right in front of you. There is quite a large amount of open space in front of the main building with a small well-maintained garden.

As you enter the main hall, you would notice a huge verandah with some artefacts that were used by the erstwhile rulers. Each of the major halls within the palace have a guide who take you through the various interesting things about the hall and for what reason that particular room/area/building was used. At the main hall, one can three very interesting things: Oil lamp hanging from the ceiling, wonderful wooden ceiling and a bed.

The uniqueness of the oil lamp is that it can revolve 360 degree and once rotated upto a certain extent, it would stay still at the new position and would not reverse back to its original position. The wooden ceiling is another great piece of art. The ceiling consists of over 90 flowers carved out of wood and each one of them is unique. one is sure to miss out on this real uniqueness on the ceiling unless pointed out by the guide. The bed on display is quite interesting as it completely made of stone.

As we move to the first floor, we get to see the actual courtyard of the palace from where the king conducted his daily business. The size of the courtyard is not massive as is shown in movies, but definitely had the right appeal. The unique style of windows of the courtyard, that facilitates wind and sunlight to radiate across the place brought its own charm.

Then, we moved into the Dining complex. It is a two-floored complex. It was not the place where the nobles dined. But, it was used by the king to perform Anna Dhanam (free offering of food for the poor) daily. It is estimated that around 2000 people had food here everyday. The halls can definitely accommodate 2000 people and the thought of so many people having food here makes you feel excited.

Moving on, we reached the central building of the palace that is four-storeyed. The building had several interesting things worth mentioning: Ambari Mukam, the window through which the king viewed the public and addressed their grievances; Hall of paintings, that carried wonderful pictures portraying the king, his army, family, valour and philanthropy; Indira Vilasam, the guest room for important dignitaries visiting the king; Wonderfully crafted verandahs; Giant swings; larger than life mirrors and the list is endless.

One interesting aspect of the palace is its amazing complexity. We just went around the palace following the signboards and we never were really able to gauge how massive or how well-spread the palace was. Wondered who the architecture would have been?

We then proceeded to the King's chambers. Here, one can observe the bed used by the king. Apart from being supremely crafted, it is said that 64 herbs with medicinal properties were used in the construction of the cot, to keep the king away from any disease. One could also observe the bed on Queen mother as well as the weapon room. The Puja room of the king was kept out-of-bounds.

Our next stop was at the dancing floor, where supposedly various cultural programmes used to occur. There is a separate wooden dressing room for the artistes. Tamil movies like Varusham 16 and several Malayalam movies including His Highness Abdulla, is supposed to have been shot at Padmanabapuram palace. After looking at the dancing floor, I was able to quickly connect with these movies. There is also a small temple, a well as well as a kitchen for making food to be specially offered as Prasad.

Finally, we checked out the museum. It is well-maintained and one could see several artifacts found in the palace and items used by the king on display. Interesting among them were stone carvings marking significant events of the palace as well as wooden sculptures of gods. These sculptures are so akin to those made using stone and looked so new, despite each of them dating back to 10th and 11th century AD.

Overall, it is a wonderful experience not to be missed when you are in that part of the world.

ADDITIONAL NEAR-BY VISIT: Thirappu falls is located around 20 kms from the Padmanabapuram palace. One could give this a try. Alternatively, if you are coming from Kanyakumari, visit the Suchindram temple. It is one of the rare temples that has a shrine for the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together.

SCHEDULING YOUR TRIP: The best way to plan for a trip to Padmanabapuram palace, is to connect it along with a visit to Kanyakumari. You could view the sunrise at Kanyakumari, check out Suchindram and then push for Padmanabapuram palace. The palace visit is bound to take atleast 3 hours and you can then be back at Kanyakumari to catch up with the sunset.

Let the Royal journey begin!!!

Patan Stepwell - Epitome of Indian Craftsmanship

Moving away from Tamil Nadu, in this post I wish to discuss about Patan, a small town in Gujarat, India. The place does not not boast of great infrastructure nor it is termed a must visit destination in tourist itineraries. Yet, this place boasts of Rani-ki-Vav (Queen's well) that is undoubtedly among the finest examples of Indian craftsmanship.

STEPWELLS IN GUJARAT: Vavs or stepwells are quite unique to western India, located predominantly in Gujarat and Rajasthan. A stepwell is basically a well where one has to descend several steps to fetch water. Apart from providing water, the stepwells also served as a place of leisure for the royal families. When ever the summer heat used to be scorching, it is believed that kings and queens used to spend a few hours chilling out at the stepwells. Stepwells could be in various shapes (circular, rectangular, oval) and could have several tiers. Tiers largely signify the depth of the step-well. As one descends each tier, one can easily feel the sudden drop in temperature and things turning cooler. The walls of most of these stepwells were also adorned with wonderful sculptures to help the royal family members spend time admiring the work of art. Gujarat has hundreds of stepwells of which the one in Patan called Rani-ki-vav is regarded the largest.

REACHING THERE: Patan is located at a distance of around 110 kms from Ahmedabad, the most prominent city of Gujarat. The best means to reach Patan is by road. The road from Ahmedabad to Patan is well-laid and one can have a comfortable ride. On reaching Patan, locals should be able to easily guide you to the step-well. There are also signboards placed en route for your convenience.

HISTORY: For those interested, this stepwell is said to have been constructed under the Solanki dynasty and is said to date back to the 11th century AD. The well has seen some testing times and part of it stands damaged. The stepwell is now maintained by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India). They have undertaken maintenance work and ensured whatever remains is well-protected. It also stands among the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

RANI-KI-VAV: Rani-ki-vav is a 7-tier structure and arguably one of the biggest stepwells in the country. From afar, the place is hardly appealing. It even looks a bit dilapidated. However, as one moves closer and closer to the structure one is sure to have a sudden change of heart and as one starts descending the well, one is bound to get lost in great architectural splendour.

The walls in each of the tiers are filled with amazing sculptures. It is always tough to choose when you have too many options. Likewise, when the entire wall is filled with wonderful carvings, you are just not sure where to begin and what to observe. Only four of the seven tiers were accessible when I visited the well, but still it was just too many sculptures to sight at one go.

I would notice something interesting and as I try and come to terms with it, my friend would point me to something more interesting, an other friend to an even better spectacle while other fellow tourists would be marvelling at a totally different piece of art. This kept going on for hours and I was just not able to say, I'm done. Finally, it was the fading sunlight that eventually forced me to move out of the place.

There are several sculptures dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his dasavatars. There are also sculptures of other gods, warriors, kings and queens. Interestingly, there are also some stone carvings associated with South India like Lord Ranganathar from Srirangam in Tamil Nadu. Apart from real-life sculptures, there are also some very fascinating designs carved out of stones that carry their own charm. As I looked at the enormity of the architectural work, I kept wondering how many sculptors would have been involved in this mammoth exercise and how long would this have taken.

A truly breath-taking experience that I would cherish all my life.

ADDITIONAL NEAR-BY VISIT: If you visit Patan, you should definitely make a visit to the Patola silk making unit. Patola silk materials are one of the finest hand-woven silk materials of the country. One Patola silk saree is said to take anywhere between 3 to 6 months to make. It is said that only two families still are aware of the exact know-hows of making it and previous attempts to replicate the process using machinery have failed to yield the desired quality. The unit members are very friendly and they take you through the entire production process. It is a nice experience to familiarise with one of the oldest arts of the country.

SCHEDULING YOUR TRIP: A trip to Patan is best combined with a trip to the Motera sun temple, which is along the way as one proceeds from Ahmedabad. The sun temple is an other piece of architectural wonder and is very well maintained. The temple pond in front of the temple is also a great attraction with amazing sculptures. For those, who may not be able to make it to Patan and are keen to visit a stepwell, you could visit the Adalaj stepwell in Ahmedabad. It is a four-tier well and is again (sorry for being repetitive, but truly deserving) a great architectural marvel.