OnADayLikeThat

      Long ago a gem was lost and  discovered in modern times called Hampi. Though a lot has been said and written about Hampi in most forums, Hampi is a must visit for anyone who loves history and architecture. The shear sizes and concepts of temples and surrounding 'bazar' or marketplaces thrills history lovers.      My mind kept going to past when Hampi, once capital of super rich Vijayanagar empire would have witnessed the hustle and bustle of sellers from over the world. As today Hampi still witnesses the tourists coming from all over. In today's post I will share you some of practical tips and facts that will surely help plan your trip better.       We traveled to Hampi on long weekend of January 2018 from Bangalore. Hampi is close to 350km from Bangalore and there are two clear routes, one via Anantpur and one via Tumkur. Both routes almost combine from Ballari. Though most blogs and sites claim one route to be b...

Bangalore Palace is a touch of history inside the city. You can plan a half day visit to this place when you are in Bangalore. Though the palace does not really match with the palace is that you usually see or expect in Rajasthan or other parts of India, it still has many artifacts to offer to your visual delight.                     Exterior of the palace in Tudor Architecture  Exterior of the palace in Tudor Architecture    Impressive Darbar Hall    Interesting Lamp   You can also catch up on some of the photograph of the royal family of the Wadiyar's. At the Palace you have to purchase entry ticket which also includes audio visual auto guide. It is good idea to get this guide because it explains almost all of the main important points inside the palace.  When we last visited during May 2017 the ticket price was around 240 rupees per person for Indian national. For m...

Avani is small village in Kolar district around 95 kms from Bangalore. We did day trip from Bangalore to Kotilingeshwara and from there to Avani twice and each time I fell in love with this place. Avani has Ramlingeshwara temple complex which is of archaeological and mythological importance. As per mythology this place is birth place of Luv-Kush. Though I have heard of two more places around India with similar references to Sita's stay in Valmiki Ashram and birth of Luv-Kush. Avani temple complex has temples dedicated to Ram, Sita, Lakshman, Bharat, Shatrughna and even to Vali and Sugriv.  One can also visit the small hill next to temple complex which is said to have temple dedicated to Sita, though both the times we could not make it to top of hill due to various reasons.  When planning for visit to Avani make sure you are not heading on a hot sunny day or afternoon time as the whole complex is made in stone and it beco...

Though I am not a big time traveler, I enjoy visiting places of historic importance yet not frequented by many and also places where one can get to know and/or learn something very unique cultural aspect of that society! Well too many demands isn’t it?  However in one of my visit plan I discovered a very unique place to visit that is just around 35km (approx. 21.7 miles) from Bangalore! If you enjoy nature and calmness, this is perfect place for short visit on a weekend from Bangalore. Hmm, hard to believe? Come along with me as I take you on a (virtual) tour of such a place called “Nrityagram”  which translates to “dance village”. This place is one of India’s modern Gurukul, which means a residential school for Indian Classical dances and an international community in form of dance village. This dance village offers formal training in various Indian Classical dance forms. Entrance and car parking area in rustic stone structure sets your expectation...