ghumakkar.com

Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, lies this calm and serene place,Kemmanagundi.

About the place

Kemmanangundi is a great place to get away to at any time of the year - summer, winter and even the monsoons, a season that can be quite spectacular, with waterfalls gushing over and the trees on the hills wearing a sparkly rain-washed look. Driving up to Kemmanagundi, you are greeted by pleasing mountain scenery. The landscape is lush with forests and waterfalls that tumble down the rock face. One can find lots of walking trail through the woods that lead you to untrodden paths and quiet glens, where you can picnic, ramble and commune with nature.

This hill resort in the Baba Budan Hills was once the summer retreat of the Maharaja of Mysore, the Wodeyar King Krishnaraje Wodeyar IV, after whom the hill station is also named the K.R. Hill Station (KRHS).

Also it is believed that this was the place where Baba Budan planted the coffee seeds that he got from Afghanistan. One can find lot of coffee plantations as one drives up from Tarikere to Kemmanagundi.

(more…)

Whats the Prograaaaaaam??

Its been long time since I wanted to write abt this. Finally I get the chance. This is about a visit to the holy city , which is better known as the “City of Temples” , aka Madurai. The most famous temple which attracts tourist from all over the world is Meenakshi Temple.

Nestled in the southern part of Tamilnadu ,Madurai had been a centre of development activity. Its known for its rich history and also the patronage it received during the rule of the Pandyas and mighty Cholas. It was Cholas, notably Raja Raja Cholan who made a remarkable contribution both in the battle-field as well as in fostering the tamil literature (known as Sanga Tamizh). Most of the temple in Madurai were built during his reign. More detail about the history of this place can be found @ http://www.madurai.com/history.htm

How to get there?

Madurai is well connected by Road, Rail and Air.

Road: It’s a long way(450+ kms) off from Chennai and driving is not a sensible option over a weekend. If you want to try then the route is Chennai-Villupuram-Perambalur-Trichy-Dindigul-Madurai.

If you are travelling from bangalore, the route would be

Bangalore-Krishnagiri-Salem-Dindigul-Madurai

Rail: This is the best option and there are quite a few trains through the day and night to get you to Madurai from Chennai. The distance is covered in 8 hrs.

Direct train is available from Bangalore as well. The distance is covered in 12 hrs.

Air: Air deccan and Paramount airways operate flights in and out of Madurai.

Once you are in Madurai, there are a couple of decent hotels that offer rooms at a very reasonable price. For a detailed listing of the hotels, try http://www.madurai.com/hotel.htm

Places to see

The first place people know and will visit in Madurai is the famous Meenakshi Sundareshwarer temple . If its sounds complicated, Meenakshi temple will do just fine. (more…)

The trip: We Planned this trip to Shekhawati region with friend Anirudh & his family. The first choice was to travel by public transport. Traveling by bus, with kids, for more than 5 hrs was vetoed. The train “Shekhawti Express” starts from Rewari at 1:05 am. It was an impractical option for someone starting from Delhi. The only option left was to drive from Noida to Nawalgarh. That was my first long drive.

We got the road map of Noida to Nawalgarh from the excellent site www.mapmyindia.com. The route was Noida – Delhi – Dhaula Kuan – Gurgaon – Rewari – Narnaul – Singhana – Chirawa – Jhunjhunu – Nawalgarh.

26^th Jan 2007: After picking up Anirudh & his family from Delhi, we drove to get the petrol tank full. We stopped at an all women petrol pump station. Girls were enthusiastic and excited about their job. The festive mood was in the air. It was for the first time that I saw an all women petrol pump. It was pleasant to see the women entering in this field also.

Roads are “cream” on this route in all three states Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. We bypassed Gurgaon and Rewari, after which there was very less traffic on the road. The drive on this route was rewarding. On both side of the road there was vast expanse of mustard fields. For miles and miles the Supreme painter, using the sweat of hardworking farmers as his brush, had painted the landscape in festive yellow color announcing the arrival of spring.

After driving for a while we stopped at a small teashop to have tea, and Idli cooked by Dhanshree (Anirudh’s wife). It was a pleasure to have home cooked breakfast. Nearby a small boy was giving bath to his horse. Gargi, my friend’s daughter, and Rachit laughed when they saw the horse rolling on the soil immediately after the bath and getting its original hue and color back.

(more…)

Myself, my wife and Sister-in-law also visited the Corbett Home in Kaladhungi on 14 Sep 2007. Small, Old British Colonial Touch- We found it beautiful because we were just looking for the Beautiful part in it. Most of us look at the negativities and then just say that it was OK, it was passable, It was nothing much etc, etc. For the likes of the latter, please do not go there. You do not need Parking Attendants in Kaladhungi . People are Honest enough. Delhi/ NCR wallahs – let us not think that the World is the same as Delhi every- where.

1. Souvenir/ Local Produce Shop Very nice Souvenir/ Local Produce Shop . Local Village Cooperative produce barring the Corbett Caps, Hats and T Shirts. The Lady manning the Shop impressed us the Most. She knew her Beans.

(more…)