• Arts & Culture - Heritage - History - Places

    In Search of the Hidden Kadamba Gods

    December 31, 2011 - By 

    What excites us most in our trips is the last-minute additions or diversions in the plan. At Belgaum, through a common friend, we met a businessman who has interests in history and architecture. And he suggested that we check out Halashi and gave the directions to reach there. Obviously, not many people have heard about the place. Halashi is a small village about 42 km from Belgaum. At 27 km from Belgaum city, on the Belguam-Dandeli road is Khanapur town. Halashi is about 15 km from Khanapur. With the western ghats as backdrop, the road to Halashi is scenic. Halashi…

  • Gokak Water Falls, Karnataka
    Nature's Wonders - Places

    Fast. Furious. Gokak

    September 25, 2011 - By 

    Every trip has interesting unplanned detours. This time, for our 5-day Karnataka trip, we had kept the itinerary completely open. Only return tickets from Belgaum to Mumbai were booked. We had some broad idea of the places we want to visit, but ‘when’ and ‘how’ to visit were left to be decided during the trip. So, after Badami and nearby places, before hitting Belgaum, we decided to take a detour. We had the luxury of time. A long day on road with multiple modes of transport followed. Badami to Bagalkote by state transport bus. Bagalkote to Yaragatti again by bus.…

  • History - Nature's Wonders - Places

    The Chalukya Heartland – Badami

    September 25, 2011 - By 

    Some times the history, the geography, the weather and the people of a place adds to the dynamics of a travel experience, often enriching it. That’s what happened to us at Badami. After being to Ajanta, Ellora, Kanheri, Pandavleni and the Elephanta cave temples, we have remained overawed by the sheer ability of human beings to ‘create.’ Intricate carvings, artworks, massive lifelike statues, astounding temples carved out of rock … all thousands of years back, without any sophisticated tools and technologies. Badami was no different and only added to that awe. The carvings were fuller and realistic, perhaps because of…