SrisSailam, Ahobilam, Mahanandi
The Vizag trip that was to Srisailam!!
When I started writing this blog.. I do not know what I should call it… but that can be taken care of!
*ing: writer, director Geeta,
Hero & heroine: Bhim sen & Yogita,
introducing Praveen in a negative role
Why am I calling this a trip to Vizag that was not? Because.. All of us fully geared read to go to Vizag.. cancelled and did a pilgrimage.. owing to Praveen the great.
Saturday, 29th Dec
We had a cab booked at 04:30AM… and started on time at 07:00AM. :D We proved our “Nawaabi khoon” (royal blood) in doing so as. We stopped at a road side eatery … (SV Dhaba) and had our yummy breakfast… I and yogita being the health conscious got ourselves some Idly… Bhim and Praveen… had Poori , Poori and more Poori. They helped Indian cricket team lose more wickets…! Sad.. India had almost lost.. to “Monks..” We were on our way to Srisailam… rest of the itinerary unknown!!
Stopped in a couple of places mid way to click pictures!! “yah wadi.. who pahaad…” The dam on the way to Srisailam.. is a must stop place.. but with no water… u don’t feel that good!! U still can feel good.. coz u don’t get to see that much water or so much of greenery.. in Hyderabad! -- that reminds me.. I live in a concrete jungle.. !!
Reached Srisailam… aftrnoonish, and the temple authorities told us the spl Darshan tickets have closed. I had earlier bumped in to a co-worker.. of no where!! (god probably shows he is there…. With his small lil jesters!! ) who probably knew someone at the temple.. he let us get in with his family. Very nice of him!! I tried looking for him back at office L never bumped into him.
After the darshan…. this took about 30 min. ! I wanted to buy some stuff.. but.. nothing great so no shopping!! Proceeded to buy some prashad! This took longer than we expected! While waiting for Bhim and Praveen.. we were impressed by this Women.. she was selling water packets. We almost gave into her.. amazzzing persuation skills… but the HEAlth us…. (remember I told u) won over the thought. And we walked away with just the laddu’s. Had lunch at a local joint. The best of all those near the temple.. this guy had a real nice Menu card.. but had just 2 things available.. meals or roti. :D we managed to fill our tummy’s with the same.
We visited the panchadhaar (5 streems) .. a nice..and great place.. ought some herbs.. for the oldies at home.!! Somehow… my believe in nature’s cure is more than the Dr. Whoever .
We visited the “shikharam” (hilltop), a popular believe that if you can view the “gopuram” (temple top) , through a certain angle and position of fingers over the nandi’s ear’s u then will be a man who attains Moksha!! Considering the dense forest below and the distance, it’s almost next to impossible to get a glimpse of it. I tried with my new sporty digi camera… zoomed at its best… still we dint stand a chance for Moksha. If only attaining Moksha was this easy!! Had some tea..real nice tea…!!
Me and Yogita.. placed stones.. one on top of the other.. it’s believed that if you do so.. u will build a house with as many floors.!! J There were so many of them assembled.. the structure resembles that of a popular game we played as kids, the game is called “lingocha”. May be I’ll tell u stories about the game in another blog. If the wish comes true.. u are invited for lunch @ my 5 storied big bungalow!! :D (sometimes believing that the wish will come true gives us more joy that the wish coming true)
We set on our way to Maha Nandi.. well this place was supposedly 170 kms from srisailam.. it still stayed at 170 after what looked to me like a 100 km ride.. the ghats were great!! J Felt close to nature and felt good!! Thank god our driver did not take the 2 right turns Praveen directed him to… coz the 2 rite turns.. would have taken us.. up above into heavens..!! J an amazing drive through thick forest.. one of the dense forests..the nalla mala hills I guess!! Home to a lot of monkeys.. and wildlife!! I dint get to see any trail of wild life.. but at least saw lots of greenery!! Which Hyderabad truly lacks..!! on our way back.. I got to see STARS!! Like so many soooooooooo many of them.. after a loooooooooong time!! Then the hard reality pollution stuck to me!
We reached Maha Nandi at about 08:30PM, we had a choice in between 2 places.. “ The temple accommodation” and this lodge almost out of the city which dint feel too great and safe. We debated for long over dinner at a A / C Udipi joint. All fans switched on.. so a/c unit… and totally cramped
We finally checked into the temple provided accommodation.. these rooms were large.. for the price I thought it was extremely good! (150/-) we all got in to the room.. changed to into more comfortable cloths! And then Praveen performed for us.. he performed NTR, Nageshwar Rao and super star krishna (Telugu film stars, with their own style of dancing!!) all for the “jhoom barabar” LOL! We were tired after travelling for the looooooooong day.!!
30th Dec 2007
Maha Nandi is a nice place… nandi (bull) is lord shiva’s ‘vahana’ vehicle!! And it is believed that any wish of your’s to lord shiva has to be told in the nandi’s ear and tht is how it gets through to the LORD. Completed the darshan and prashad by 11:00 , done with breakfast.. !! Prashad was absolutely yummy!! :D then was journey to Ahobilam.
Ahobilam is a good 80 kms drive.. but this is a good drive.. coz it is all through villages.. all small .. tiny.. villages..no network.. no cement houses!! It’s all either mud and hay!! J very good to watch!! Wonder what I would do if I had to live there… no phone??? No life line!! Yes we (I now speak for the entire generation) have become less patient! The drive to upper Ahobilam is very nice.. thick forest.. has a river running tru… all dried up now.. but a nice getaway!! We tried to explore this small cave kind of thing we saw.. an abandoned temple.. and the path to get there was dirty… !! then was the lower Ahobilam.. saw lots of parrots flaying..!! J had lunch ok ok .. high priced lunch!! And then was a drive back home.. stopped over at karnool… and chose to go to the pure veg hotel over the veg.,,, owing to the sales men ship of the watchman!! J then was dinner stop at a dhaba further to Jedcharla.. (town 70 kms away from hyd) just a ok ok.... or may be we went there late..! we got basic food.. ~~hot ~~hot~~ !! then was Hyderabad!! J
Dropped off Praveen.. then I got dropped…!! All in all.. we washed off all our paap… (bad deeds).. one shot 4 temples!! J We had decided on our way back we would all write a blog .. Bhim finished first.. Praveen.. and now me!! J
All said and done... hyd- srisailam-Maha nandi- ahobilam.. is a perfect weekend getaway..!! :)
-
When I started writing this blog.. I do not know what I should call it… but that can be taken care of!
*ing: writer, director Geeta,
Hero & heroine: Bhim sen & Yogita,
introducing Praveen in a negative role
Why am I calling this a trip to Vizag that was not? Because.. All of us fully geared read to go to Vizag.. cancelled and did a pilgrimage.. owing to Praveen the great.
Saturday, 29th Dec
We had a cab booked at 04:30AM… and started on time at 07:00AM. :D We proved our “Nawaabi khoon” (royal blood) in doing so as. We stopped at a road side eatery … (SV Dhaba) and had our yummy breakfast… I and yogita being the health conscious got ourselves some Idly… Bhim and Praveen… had Poori , Poori and more Poori. They helped Indian cricket team lose more wickets…! Sad.. India had almost lost.. to “Monks..” We were on our way to Srisailam… rest of the itinerary unknown!!
Stopped in a couple of places mid way to click pictures!! “yah wadi.. who pahaad…” The dam on the way to Srisailam.. is a must stop place.. but with no water… u don’t feel that good!! U still can feel good.. coz u don’t get to see that much water or so much of greenery.. in Hyderabad! -- that reminds me.. I live in a concrete jungle.. !!
Reached Srisailam… aftrnoonish, and the temple authorities told us the spl Darshan tickets have closed. I had earlier bumped in to a co-worker.. of no where!! (god probably shows he is there…. With his small lil jesters!! ) who probably knew someone at the temple.. he let us get in with his family. Very nice of him!! I tried looking for him back at office L never bumped into him.
After the darshan…. this took about 30 min. ! I wanted to buy some stuff.. but.. nothing great so no shopping!! Proceeded to buy some prashad! This took longer than we expected! While waiting for Bhim and Praveen.. we were impressed by this Women.. she was selling water packets. We almost gave into her.. amazzzing persuation skills… but the HEAlth us…. (remember I told u) won over the thought. And we walked away with just the laddu’s. Had lunch at a local joint. The best of all those near the temple.. this guy had a real nice Menu card.. but had just 2 things available.. meals or roti. :D we managed to fill our tummy’s with the same.
We visited the panchadhaar (5 streems) .. a nice..and great place.. ought some herbs.. for the oldies at home.!! Somehow… my believe in nature’s cure is more than the Dr. Whoever .
We visited the “shikharam” (hilltop), a popular believe that if you can view the “gopuram” (temple top) , through a certain angle and position of fingers over the nandi’s ear’s u then will be a man who attains Moksha!! Considering the dense forest below and the distance, it’s almost next to impossible to get a glimpse of it. I tried with my new sporty digi camera… zoomed at its best… still we dint stand a chance for Moksha. If only attaining Moksha was this easy!! Had some tea..real nice tea…!!
Me and Yogita.. placed stones.. one on top of the other.. it’s believed that if you do so.. u will build a house with as many floors.!! J There were so many of them assembled.. the structure resembles that of a popular game we played as kids, the game is called “lingocha”. May be I’ll tell u stories about the game in another blog. If the wish comes true.. u are invited for lunch @ my 5 storied big bungalow!! :D (sometimes believing that the wish will come true gives us more joy that the wish coming true)
We set on our way to Maha Nandi.. well this place was supposedly 170 kms from srisailam.. it still stayed at 170 after what looked to me like a 100 km ride.. the ghats were great!! J Felt close to nature and felt good!! Thank god our driver did not take the 2 right turns Praveen directed him to… coz the 2 rite turns.. would have taken us.. up above into heavens..!! J an amazing drive through thick forest.. one of the dense forests..the nalla mala hills I guess!! Home to a lot of monkeys.. and wildlife!! I dint get to see any trail of wild life.. but at least saw lots of greenery!! Which Hyderabad truly lacks..!! on our way back.. I got to see STARS!! Like so many soooooooooo many of them.. after a loooooooooong time!! Then the hard reality pollution stuck to me!
We reached Maha Nandi at about 08:30PM, we had a choice in between 2 places.. “ The temple accommodation” and this lodge almost out of the city which dint feel too great and safe. We debated for long over dinner at a A / C Udipi joint. All fans switched on.. so a/c unit… and totally cramped
We finally checked into the temple provided accommodation.. these rooms were large.. for the price I thought it was extremely good! (150/-) we all got in to the room.. changed to into more comfortable cloths! And then Praveen performed for us.. he performed NTR, Nageshwar Rao and super star krishna (Telugu film stars, with their own style of dancing!!) all for the “jhoom barabar” LOL! We were tired after travelling for the looooooooong day.!!
30th Dec 2007
Maha Nandi is a nice place… nandi (bull) is lord shiva’s ‘vahana’ vehicle!! And it is believed that any wish of your’s to lord shiva has to be told in the nandi’s ear and tht is how it gets through to the LORD. Completed the darshan and prashad by 11:00 , done with breakfast.. !! Prashad was absolutely yummy!! :D then was journey to Ahobilam.
Ahobilam is a good 80 kms drive.. but this is a good drive.. coz it is all through villages.. all small .. tiny.. villages..no network.. no cement houses!! It’s all either mud and hay!! J very good to watch!! Wonder what I would do if I had to live there… no phone??? No life line!! Yes we (I now speak for the entire generation) have become less patient! The drive to upper Ahobilam is very nice.. thick forest.. has a river running tru… all dried up now.. but a nice getaway!! We tried to explore this small cave kind of thing we saw.. an abandoned temple.. and the path to get there was dirty… !! then was the lower Ahobilam.. saw lots of parrots flaying..!! J had lunch ok ok .. high priced lunch!! And then was a drive back home.. stopped over at karnool… and chose to go to the pure veg hotel over the veg.,,, owing to the sales men ship of the watchman!! J then was dinner stop at a dhaba further to Jedcharla.. (town 70 kms away from hyd) just a ok ok.... or may be we went there late..! we got basic food.. ~~hot ~~hot~~ !! then was Hyderabad!! J
Dropped off Praveen.. then I got dropped…!! All in all.. we washed off all our paap… (bad deeds).. one shot 4 temples!! J We had decided on our way back we would all write a blog .. Bhim finished first.. Praveen.. and now me!! J
All said and done... hyd- srisailam-Maha nandi- ahobilam.. is a perfect weekend getaway..!! :)
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