Dual Fort Adventure - Madakasira

In continuation with our quest for exploring the forts of Madhugiri region, we stopped by Madakasira. That Sunday, we decided to explore two other forts of Madhugiri, that of Madakasira and Gudibanda. First on our list was the fort of Madakasira, located in the Madakasira taluk of Ananthpura District (Andhra Pradesh). This  fort was built by the Vijayanagar Kings during the 15th century. There is also an 8th century Shiva temple inside the fort which was built by the Nolambas. The town is named after this temple deity as Madakashiva which in due course became Madakasira.

Here He Comes

Fort Entrance

Power Of Life

Way To Bliss

    We had left quite early so that we get enough time to explore both the forts. On reaching Madakasira, we  parked our vehicle at the fort base and in no time reached the entrance of the fort. Well laid steps give access to most of the portions of the fort. Though until the top tier of the fort there is no much fortification, the intact fortification at the top tier gives us glimpses of the rare quality of building skills that our ancestors possessed.

Third Entrance

 Entrance To Top Most Tier

The Mahal

Natural Water Pond

Way To the Highest Point

Fortification

Top Tier of the Fort 

Hereon, we trekked further up to reach the top most point of the hill to get an amazing view of the fort. This probably was one amongst the very few forts that offered such an amazing view. The strong monsoon breeze gave us a wonderful feel atop the hill. We spent some time here and then moved on to visit our next  fort for the day, the fort of Gudibanda.

Panoramic View 

Captured

The Burj 

Madakasira Town

Apsarakonda Falls and Caves

 Nestled on the edge of a hill and lined by a beautiful beach, this serene waterfall lies hidden amidst thick vegetation in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district. As we had halted in Honnavar one night, we decided to visit Apsarakonda the next morning. We left early in the morning thinking that the place may get crowded with people and also since early mornings are a good time to sight birds. 'Apsarakonda' means 'Pond of an Angel'.

Ready To Fall

After parking our vehicle, we walked up to reach the park entrance. There were no directions to the waterfall anywhere initially at the park and also since there was nobody to give us any information, we just walked ahead hoping to sight a sign board somewhere along. There were steps that lead us to a beautifully developed park though there were no signs of any waterfall yet. Luckily, the birds at the park kept us busy for quite sometime as the day started to get warmer.  Finding a way out of the park, we reached a point from where there was a way down and another way up! While my partner chose to rest at that point, I decided to go down and check the way out. A few minutes down, I reached a temple from where I could also hear the sound of the waterfall. Excited! I was. Walking a little further , I saw a few steps that led to the waterfall. Quickly backtracking,  I called for my partner who joined me mid-way and both of us reached the waterfall. Equally amazed on seeing such a beauty, we eagerly jumped into the waters and enjoyed the touch of those waters. It was calm and cool with just the nature and us. 

Seat Decorated With Sea Shells 

Steps To Bliss

Pond of  An Angel

Apsarakonda Falls

Hereon, we went on to explore the Pandava caves. We found two such caves, small in size, and guessed there would be many more.

Pandava Caves

Apsarakonda Beach

Paddy Fields

Monsoon Blossom 

Break Fast Time

100000 Km of XYLOing

Monkeys Play

Boys checking out the Interiors of the Xylo

Xylo beside Kunigal Lake

In  the Middle of the Ghat some where in Kerala

Parked under the tree belonging to One of Oldest Grove

With Toy Cart in Coastal Andhra

At the site of the supposedly Oldest Fort in India, located in the state of Orissa

On the Turn of Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu

In Front of A Temple in East Goa

Rear View Mirror's View of Antaragange Hills, Kolar 

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

   

         

"Wishing you happiness as big as Lord Ganesha's appetite, life as long as his trunk, troubles small as his mouse and moments as sweet as his laddus"

    Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

As per the Mudgalapurana, there are eight incarnations of Lord Ganesha and appear in the following order:

Lord Ganesha in his first incarnation as Vakratunda (twisting trunk), used lion as his mount and made the demon Matsarasura (jealously) surrender to him.

Lord Ganesha in his second incarnation as Ekadunta (single tusk), used mouse as his mount and made the demon Madasura (arrogance) surrender to him.

Lord Ganesha in his third incarnation as Mahodara (big belly), used mouse as his mount and made the demon Mohasura (delusion) surrender to him.

Lord Ganesha in his fourth incarnation as  Gajanana (elephant face), used mouse as his mount and made the demon Lobhasura (greed) surrender to him.

Lord Ganesha in his fifth incarnation as  Lambodhara (pendulous belly), used mouse as his mount and made the demon   Krodhasura (anger) surrender to him.

Lord Ganesha in his sixth incarnation as Vikata (unusual form), used peacock as his mount and made the demon Kamasura (lust) surrender to him.

Lord Ganesha in his seventh incarnation as  Vighnaraja (king of obstacles), used serpent as his mount and made the demon  Mamasura (possessiveness) surrender to him.

Lord Ganesha in his eighth incarnation as  Dhoomaravarna (grey color), used mouse as his mount and made the demon Ahamkasura (pride) surrender to him.

 References: Wikipedia, Lord Ganesha (Book by Manoj Publications)

The Gorge Fort - Gandikota

      'Gandikota' is an ancient fort surmounting the Penna gorge in Jammalamadugu taluk of Cuddapah district, Andhra Pradesh. The river Penna flows through the Erramalai hill range, forming a gorge at Gandikota. The steep rocky walls of the gorge run for a length of about 1.5km and rise above 90m height on either sides. Gandikota village was founded by a king named Kapa, hailing from the nearby village of Bommanapalle in the 11th century and the fort at Gandikota is believed to have been built by him. This gorge, popularly known as 'India's Grand Canyon' is very popular among  travelers and proves a prefect weekend gateway for tourists from Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. The AP tourism department has provision for accommodation with basic amenities for tourists wanting to stay overnight. We hadn't booked any as we were unsure about the time required to explore this place. But, on reaching the fort, we realized we may need more time to explore and hence decided to book a room here. Though the accommodation was full for that evening, luckily a group that was supposed to be there that night canceled their reservation giving us an opportunity for overnight stay. We quickly latched upon this opportunity as the manager later informed us about the rareness of such non availability owing to a very unusual case of full booking  by a  biker community.

Gopuram of Madhavaswami  Temple

         It was around 3pm by the time we settled down and  the temperature was too high to step out and start our exploration. At 4pm, we decided not to waste any more time and drove our vehicle towards the fort, found a comfortable place to park and started our exploration by foot. The fort built over the right bank of river Penna covers a wide expanse of land and houses many ancient structures. The lofty tower (Gopuram) of Madhavaswami temple was quite inviting, so we decided to visit this temple at once. The temple at the outset gave us the feeling of Vijayanagar architecture. The story of the temple dates back to the 13th century. Once, Lord Madhavaswami appeared in the dreams of King Harihara Bukkaraya and instructed him to construct a temple in the forest where he was hunting. Thus, this majestic temple was built to honor the lord. Though the temple is partly ruined, the remaining structure  is well maintained.

 

Rear View Of Madhavaswami Temple

 

 

 

 

       After witnessing the grandeur of Lord Madhavaswami Temple,  we visited the Royal Tank, the Jail and the Charminar which lie in close proximity to one another. We later moved on towards the grand looking Jumma Masjid, built by the Nawabs of Golconda. The masjid sets a perfect example of the Indo-Islamic Architecture. Right opposite to the Mosque complex is a big tank, which even today serves as a source of water to the residents. A big granary (storehouse for grains) is present besides the mosque. Next to the granary is a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Ranganathaswami built by the Vijayanagar kings.

Charminar

Jumma Masjid

Unity in Diversity

Inscriptions Found inside Ranganatha Temple

Lord Ranganatha Temple

       It was time now to witness the magnificent and strikingly picturesque 'Penna Gorge' or 'India's Grand Canyon'.  The view of the gorge was simply spectacular. One can easily run out of words to describe its beauty. Spellbound by its mesmerizing beauty, we wanted to explore more than just have a view of the gorge. As the sun was setting, we had to retire for the day and wait until sunrise to continue our explorations.

Penna Gorge

Sunset

India's Grand Canyon - Penna Gorge, Gandikota

 

 

The Winged Jewel - Egyptian Vulture