Hyderabad located on hilly terrain around artificial lakes, the capital of Telangana. This city was founded in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, and later it changed hands from the Qutb Shahi dynasty to Mughals. Later Mughal viceroy Asif Jah I created his own dynasty, known as the Nizams of Hyderabad. Historically it was known as a pearl and diamond trading centre, and even today it is known as the 'City of Pearls'.
Today the city has historical side which forms the the Old City of Hyderabad one can immerse one self into the grand history of the city showcased by its impressive old structures. Other side of the city is much younger Hi-Tech City, or 'Cyberabad' comprising of malls, multiplexes, clubs, pubs and sleek restaurants.
The places of interest here are:
- Charminar
- Mecca Masjid
- Golconda Fort
- Qutb Shahi Tombs (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- Taramati Baradari
- Birla Mandir
- Nehru Zoological Park
- Hussainsagar Lake
- Buddha Statue of Hyderabad
- Chowmahalla Palace
- State Assembly
- Ramoji Film City
- Hyderabad Botanical Gardens
- Paigah Tombs
- Sudha Cars Museum
- Toli Masjid
- Salarjung Museum
- Telangana State Archaeology Museum
Jaisalmer always been a place that delight tourists who visit it. Like everyone else we were also very much impressed by the architecture. One of the prominent attractions in the city is Tazia Tower.
It was builtin 1866 AD by Muslim craftsmen in the shape of a Tazia and gifted to their royal patron. It is a delicate pagoda that rises from Badal Mahal. It is a five-tiered architectural marvel with each story graced by a delicately carved balcony.
The exquisite design and fine carvings on the walls of each floor of the Tower reflects the rich artistic creativity and imaginative skills of the local craftsmen of the bygone era.
The Government Museum Complex in Chennai is a hub of human history and culture. It is located in the neighbourhood of Egmore.
The complex has both old and new sections. Some of the sections in the museum are as old as 1851. Among them, the colossal Museum Theatre is one of the most impressive.
The National Art Gallery, Government Museum, Bronze Gallery, Children Museum are present in the complex.
There are several Cannons at the museum complex.
The fossil trunk displayed here is about twenty million years old. Tree carried by rivers were deposited inland lakes and were transformed into fossil tree trunks by silica replacing the woody matter.
I get to see variety of birds in the back yard of my parents house in Udupi. I have captured few of them in my camera and here they are. One such beautiful bird is male Purple Sunbird.
They are small birds with size varying between 9 and 12 cms. They have a slender curved bill, a dark and short square ended tail. The male and female have very distinctive colours. Here we look at the male species.
They have a glossy metallic purplish black on the upper parts with the dark brown wings. Usually the males appear all black except in some lighting when the purple becomes visible. some of them also display a patch of bright blue on the shoulder.
They are quiet noisy and feed on Flower nectar, spiders, insects. They can be seen in thin forest, Gardens.
Satyabadi Gopinath Temple in the small town of Sakigopal is an ancient 15th century temple. It is now known by the name Sakigopal Temple. This temple is one of the sacred destinations for the tourist and people generally visit this temple along with Sri Jaganath Temple of Puri.
This beautiful temple is built in the Kalinga style of temple architecture. The temple is dedicated to Lord Gopinath.
There are beautiful carved sculptures around the external walls of the temple.
How to Reach: This place is just 19 kms away from Puri on the Puri - Bhubaneshwar highway.
Fort Kochi is that part of the city towards the south-west of the mainland Kochi. This part of the region has lot of history associated with it.
The Rajah of Kochi had granted this region to Portuguese in 1503 after they helped him to defeat his enemies in the war. There after it remained with Portuguese for nearly 160 years. Later it was in the procession of Dutch for around 112 years until 1795 and later it moved into hands of British till independence of India.
The architectural style of the buildings and the town layout transports one to past. This part of the city is very different from other areas modern city.
It has been a fishing village in the Kingdom of Kochi in the pre-colonial Kerala.
The places of interest here are:
- Southern Naval Command Maritime Museum
- Cochin Thirumala Devaswom
- Indo Portuguese Museum
- Chinese Fishing nets
- Fort Kochi beach
- Dutch Cemetery
- St. Francis Church
- Santa Cruz Basilica
- Bishop's House
- Fort Emmanuel
- Jewish Synagogue
- Mattancherry Palace
- Jain Temple
- Dutch Palace
Hebbal Lake in north Bangalore is favourite spot for nature lovers. It is nice to watch the various birds, butterflies and other animals.
It is fun to watch the squirrels to go about their routine.
This temple in Ponda is one of the beautiful modern temple here with a unique architecture local to this area.
The temple has a huge beautifully decorated arched entrance with a pillared hall. On the top of the arch there are beautiful sculptures of two elephants around the outer spire.
Facing the facade is a black stone light tower next to another light tower having the same colour as the temple.
The principle deity of the temple is Goddess Mahalakshmi. The architecture of the temple has two octagonal domes with the one on the top of main sanctum bigger among the two.
Belavadi is a small village in the state of Karnataka. It is believed that Belavadi is the same place that is referred by the name Ekachakranagara in the mythology Mhabharata. As per the epic it was here Bheema, one of the Pandava brothers slayed the demon Bakasura and protected the village and its people.
This village is known for Veera Narayana Temple built during the Hoysala rule. Other famous places of interest are Belur and Halebid just 12 kms away.
Malyadi Bird Sanctuary near Udupi is one of of the upcoming site for bird watchers. There are various birds that one can see here. One among them is White-browed Wagtail.
It is a medium-sized slender bird with the long wagging tail. Their body colour pattern is back above and white below, along with a prominent white brow, shoulder stripe and outer tail feathers.
It is seen in several parts of India and is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. They are seen in pairs or small groups near open water.
It is a small shrine at the foot of the Indragiri hill near the beginning of the stairs. This temple in Shravanabelagola is the upper storey of the Brahmadeva Temple.
It is a latter addition to the original structure, probably constructed during the early part of the last century.
