Musafir

When we reached Perantalapalli, it was around 2.30 in the afternoon and we have been given one hour to spend time over there. We spent some time in the river back clicking pictures and moved on within the area.

  This area is inhabited by tribes who are not fully exposed to the urban life and culture. There are many villages on the way to Paapi Kondalu which have not experienced the current culture. It will be nice if their lives are known better. Some villages experienced electricity only in the last 5 years. Perantalapalli is no exception. Only thing is that as it is a place of tourism, they would see more people.

The primary source of income of these tribes is their exceptional art of preparing articles made of bamboo. They are completely hand made and nice decorative items. There are houses to flower vases on display. There is a Siva shrine at this place and the surprising thing is that the the people of the  various tribes perform the daily rituals in this shrine instead of a priest. The area outside the shrine is with rocks and it makes a nice small trek. There is a small waterfall on top of the hill and a water comes down in a small stream. You cannot hear anything but the sound of water flowing down. The ambience and sound itself is pleasure.

We spent more than an hour over here relaxing and taking photographs. And it was time to go back to the world we had forgotten for some hours. We were all very tired after the heavy lunch and the trek. We got back to the boat and relaxed. The excitement ran out for some time as everyone on the boat were exhausted. The programs started again at around 5. There were various games conducted and small the organizers danced for the latest numbers.

It was almost at the end of the journey when i spotted a scenery and clicked. It is without doubt, the best picture i have taken and most liked. You can see that below.

It is simply a matter of a couple of years when this beautiful place vanishes off the map. The Government has come up with a 100 mts high Polavaram Project, which when constructed will submerge the entire Papi Kondalu area. All these hills and nature will be below water. Hundreds of tribes will be uprooted and rendered  homeless. This is the reason where there is huge inflow of tourists these days. So people, visit this place soon.

We spend the remaining time on the boat silently and got back to this world completing the Trip to Paapi Kondalu, definitely a journey of a lifetime.

*******************End of The Trip to Paapi Kondalu *********************

As we finished our breakfast and came outside, the deck was bustling with activity. The tour organizers arranged a small show of dances and songs and that was underway on the upper deck. We were all enjoying below. The thing that strikes everyone is the endless water and the hills at a distance. It is one feeling that is better experienced personally. Some of the other things i remember are the High Tension Electrical Tower in the river. The river itself is around 50 feet deep. So the tower should be somewhere around 100 feet. 

As the boat catches speed, white water forms. It is an amazing feeling to place your feet in that water along with the stream. And you are so close to water that it sprinkles on your faces with cold breeze. As you pass through the endless river forward, the tour organizers tell about the local legends associated with that area.

Even if we were supposed to travel around 60 kilometres on the river, it did not seem boring. There were lot of things to catch up about each other and we were continuously talking appreciating the serene beauty. As you move on, you see  fishermen with small boats and also coracle ferries where the depth is less. As this area comes under the tropical rain forest, it drizzles at least once in a day. At one point, there is almost a 90 degree turn in the river and we see the Paapi Kondalu for the first time.

The Paapi Kondalu seems almost flat at a distance, but as we go nearer they become rugged with stone. The atmosphere turns more chilly as we go near as the hills are at height. As we move along, there is a place where we see small huts on the river bank. This is part of a tour package that we can spend a night in these huts, sleeping on sand and gazing at the black starry sky. This should be an amazing experience with the sound of the water and nothing else.  Many movies are shot in these hills and in fact one very famous hero was shooting at that location when we passed by.

There is one particular location in the onward journey which is memorable with the boat passing through a very narrow path between hills on either side. The distance between the hills in 100 mts and this is the place where the depth is the most in the entire journey. It is almost 1 PM now and we had to break for lunch. This typical South Indian lunch is prepared in other boats and transferred into this midway and is delicious. We took time with the lunch and again came over to the deck. It was quite hot with the heat soaring at around 38 degrees.

We had thought to relax a bit after the heavy lunch and we heard from the captain  that we would be reaching our destination on our onward Journey. We reached “Perantalapalli” at around 2 PM and got down to visit the place.

To be continued…

There will be few locations to which we would want to visit again and again. For me  this journey has been extremely memorable, for this was along with my old classmates whom i met years after completing my Post Graduation.  Also this is one journey which can be enjoyed only if taken by a group.

The occasion was also set. One of our classmates was getting married in Rajamundry and we all took time off for the wedding. Four of us travelled from Bangalore. The journey was pleasant with nothing much to talk about. However,  when we entered the Godavari districts, we kept on looking at the scenic beauty which we cannot find anywhere in Andhra Pradesh. As we neared our destination,  the first thing that struck was the vast river of Godavari and the railway tracks on a bridge above the river.It was a memorable sight of the river. Never did i know that on that the same day, i would be seeing the river more closer than ever.

The train was running late, so we were the last to reach Rajamundry. My friends from Hyderabad and Chennai reached before us and they planned for this trip. We thought we would miss it as we were very late. We were put up in a nice Hotel in the town and we rushed getting ready for meeting the others. The other group had already left and we planned to catch up in the middle. And we were off on a trip to the exquisite and amazing Paapikondalu.

Papidi Kondalu or Paapi Hills are part of Eastern Ghats through which Godavari pierces and flows in twists and turns towards east. Entire area of Papi Kondalu is covered by tropical rain forests and deciduous rain forests. The original name for  this hill range was ‘Papidi Kondalu’. Papidi is a rough translation for partition in Telugu. Since this range looks like a well designed partition that splits river Godavari, this name was coined.

We travelled over 30 kilometres in a Jeep to reach a place ahead of the boat which the rest of our friends had already caught.

We were accompanied by a  local who knew where to catch the boat without missing it. We went over to the back of the river Godavari, and spent some time waiting for the boat. It was a memorable sight of meeting classmates and Juniors in college at the same time, that too after college. We joined the others on the boat, had breakfast and went over to the deck to enjoy the sight.

To be continued…

In India, generally temples are named after the deity that is worshipped in the temple. Such a exceptional example of a temple this is, it is named after the master sculptor who carved the extraordinarily beautiful pieces of art.

Ramappa temple is simply a delight at any angle. Even the smallest of the designs is carved very beautifully. Some of the sculptures are so carefully carved, its still showers the same glow as it was 800 years ago.

This temple was built by Racherla Rudra, a general of Ganapati Deva. According to a contemporary record, this temple was built in 1213 A.D. The path to approach the temple is itself is extremely pleasant with tall trees on either side of the road which gives the much needed shade during the afternoons. There is a think sheet of grass on the open land on the other side of the tress on either side.

The path that the tourists take now, clearly is not the original entrance of the temple complex as it leads to the side of the temple and the front of the temple is filled with think thorny bushes and is not approachable. One need to bend a little  and pass under a stone boulder to enter the temple complex. On the first glimpse, we see that the wear and tear of 800 years have shown its marks on it. The top of the temple is worn out.

The temple stands on a raised platform with the Garbhagriha, Antarala and the Mahamantapa with lateral porched entrances on three sides. The main entrance faces east. On one side of the temple, we see an inscription in Kannada language which talks about the sculptor Ramappa and the time when this temple was commissioned. Once we see the outer portion of the temple closely, we will realise that this is no ordinary one. On the beam, are idols in black stone of horses and lions. The idols clearly are attached to the main temple, but the expression on the animals is also seen clearly.

The floor of the temple is not plain. It has moved up and down due to earthquakes in the past centuries and the result is clearly visible. The walls lean over to one side. The inside of the temple is wonderful with several one of their kind pieces. There is one pillar where the stone is bent as if a metal is bent after being hit by a heavy object and it has deformed.  There are other sculptures of three dancers  whose bodies are connected and have just four legs. Whichever dancer you see, will appear normal with that legs. There are carvings on stone so intricate, that a thin piece of straw passes through them.

The Garbhagriha contains a black basalt Linga installed on a high pedestal. Inside over the central ankana, one finds a magnificent display of sculptures depicting scenes from Ramayana, Siva Purana and other mythological narratives. On the  walls at the entrance of the Garbhagriha are sculptures of various dance forms. Some of the sculptures are broken over the years. Once unique piece of art is the round series of sculptures in the long wall panels. It depicts various musical instruments being played.

The striking peculiarity of the construction lies in the arrangement of bracket figures. Above the Kakshasana level, decorated are slender graceful Madanikas, Naginis etc. in different poses. They are carved on black stone with very minute  carvings and intricate designs. The entire thing will have been sculpted out of a single stone and it would have been extremely difficult making that very thin as this.

Also carved, are numerous elephants and designs all round the temple outer wall. There are also some sections where Jain sculptures are carved on the temple which is a proof that Jainism is prevalent during that age. Once simple example is the Jain temple in Kolanupaka (40 kms from Ramappa Temple) constructed during the same time.

The other units within the prakara are an imposing Nandi Mandapa, Kameswara and Kateswara shrines. The Kameswara Temple is in total ruins and there is no guarantee how long will the structure be intact. The outer part of the temple is of brick colour which shines in the evening sun. The area which encloses the inner sanctum is carved with extremely beautiful carvings from the outside. The Nandi in this temple is fairly big with extremely beautiful design carved on it.

We spent around 2 hours covering every corner of the temple and by the time we completed it, it was almost sunset. We still had time for our return train to Hyderabad. We went back to Warangal, had a nice dinner. We came back to Hyderabad with nice memories of the very beautiful Warangal  - A Glorious Kingdom that was…

From the Bhadrakali temple, we reached Hanumakonda the capital city of the Kakatiya rulers and 8kms from Warangal town.

The Thousand Pillar temple is located in a place where we need to pass a narrow lane and reach till the end. Then there is a spacious location where we can find the  temple. On the first look, this seems like a very ordinary Mantapa. There was renovation going on when i visited this place.

This temple according to an inscription on a pillar here, was commissioned by  Rudra - I of the Kakatiya dynasty in 1163 AD. It measures over 31M x 25M stands on a platform raised to a height of 1M from the ground. It consists of three shrines of Siva, Vishnu and Surya arranged around a central hall with a Ranga Mantapa. In the forefront there is a large pillared Mantapa in variety of patterns. Between the Mantapa and the temple, there is a massive Nandi in a plain pavilion.

Once we enter the enclosure, we see the rectangular stepped temple tank. Out side the tank are various pieces of art that are strewn that were probably part of some construction which is now totally destroyed. Some of them are extremely beautiful with nice artistry.

We see the side of the temple when we enter the enclosure. Once we get to see the front of the temple, we will be able to appreciate its beauty. The Ranga Mantapa is spacious and with carved ceiling. The pillars are square at base and round on the top, a trade mark of a Siva Temple. The pillars are large and carved in sections which gives a magnificent look.

The temple is not that big. However, with the three sanctums inside, this looks big from outside. Why is this called the Thousand Pillar Temples then? The outer side of the temple is carved as pillars from place to place and there are a thousand of them all together. These pillars support the roof from the outside as show in this picture.  

The elegant carving at the richly decorated pillars under the spacious roof spanning the embellished side slabs is an achievement of unparalleled excellence of the architect.

There is art everywhere in this temple. Right from the inner sanctum and the Ranga Mantapa inside the temple to the outer pillars are all sculpted. A special mention need to be made of the Nandi in front of the temple. This is on an elevated plain pavilion but the way its carved gives it a lively look.  The  statue is carved like as if its decorated with an embroidered silk cloth.

We spent about an hour looking at each of the small sculptures and then had lunch. It was almost 4 in the evening. We then visited the most beautiful piece of art in Warangal, the Ramappa Temple.

To be continued…

We moved around the various items of the Warangal fort that are placed in an enclosure.

In the same enclosure at a distance, there is the Gun Powder room.  To reach this  place, we need to go to the farther corner of the enclosure, climb a platform which clearly is the basement of a ruined palace. The floor of the platform is carved with beautiful designs. These are totally neglected now and there is every danger that they are stolen. We move on this platform, jump a small wall and reach the Gun Powder Room.

As mentioned earlier, the Gun Powder room resembles a Siva shrine with its round pillars and secluded from the other constructions. The reason could have been to avoid any damage to the main structure as it was filled with weapons then. On  closer look, you would see that there is no sanctum and there is a wooden door. The inside of the structure is cool and suits for a nice break as Warangal is a hotter place for most of the year. There are many pieces of art lying in the bushes which are extremely beautiful. The panel of Goddess Lakshmi and a couple of flower panels are worth a mention. There are a couple of pink sand stone slabs with inscription on them. All these on the verge of destruction. I did not see any steps that the State Archaeology Department should be taking to preserve these.

We had a well earned break at this place and moved on to the Khush Mahal which falls on the way back.

Sitab Khan’s (1504 - 1512) palace, also called as the Khush Mahal is a rectangular structure with measurements as 16x38x12. This spacious palace is build in the Indo - Islamic style of architecture. This would have been used as an audience hall considering its size. However it was probably built during the 14th century Tughlak occupation of the fort, the only building from that period. Its sharply sloping walls  are a typical feature of Tughlak architecture. The longer east and west walls of the building have a projecting parapet and six high arches framed by narrow rectangles. These admit light to the interior. A wide entrance arch on the north wall leads to a single spacious chamber inside with small storage rooms on each side.

This monument has been converted into a museum where various Hindu and Jain pieces of art are placed. The most beautiful are the wall panels and window mesh both made of stone. The roof of the palace was rebuilt in the year 2003. There is an inscription about the rule of Sitab Khan at the entrance. Transverse arches span the high ceiling. Broken fragments from the Svayambhu enclosure and Jain temples are placed inside the hall and near the north entrance.

We moved from Warangal to Hanumakonda where we had a darshan of the Goddess Bhadrakali, the royal deity of the Kakatiya dynasty. We had lunch and then visited the world famous Thousand Pillar Temple.

We entered Warangal Fort and visited the Swayambhu Temple.

Just in front of the Swayambhu Temple is an vast open space which is used as sort of a museum. We bought our tickets and entered. Looking inside, any emotional history and art lover would be in tears; so was i. My friend was confused with my behaviour but as he understands me, did not interrupt.

Inside are various pieces of extraordinary art which were part of magnificent temples and buildings and placed here. They were destroyed during the invasion. We cannot even identify and match two pieces to one construction.

Parts of temples and palaces are collected from various places in the fort and displayed in this enclosure. The ASI need to be appreciated for this. Even though they are not properly maintained, at least they are available. These are the remains of a glorious kingdom.

There are tiles that might have belonged to the floor or ceiling of a building. Idols of various forms are just strewn here and there. The one that you see in the picture should be the beam designs of a temple, now broken, scratched and in ruins. There are various idols that are broken but still has the grace. There are so many idols over here that i cannot place all the pictures here. All of them are masterpieces within themselves. It feels awesome imagining the pleasure that the craftsmen would have got when their products were being worshipped or being used inside palaces.

The most magnificent of the structures in here is the stone chariot. This should have been here all these centuries considering its size. It would be extremely difficult to move a structure which is on the verge of collapsing. This structure, as any others  has been almost taken down save the pillars and a broken base. The most amazing thing that you find in this and nowhere else is the use of pink sandstone.

The ASI has constructed pillars recently to support the structure. The pillars are almost 20 feet in height and are carved with amazing designs. The entire chariot is made of black stone and pink sandstone is used for some of the designs as you see in the picture above.  You can see many other pieces of the chariot lying among the bushes and just  placed on a side. Some say that this construction is the throne of the king, but that is unlikely as it has wheels like a chariot.

The other significant pieces of construction are the four entrances that have been placed here. They are almost 25 feet in height and still intact without any damage. These entrances are the icons of Warangal and are decorated with minute carvings. There are pigeons, lions and peacocks on either side on the pillars.

Once should take at least a couple of hours visiting each idol and sculpture in this enclosure. You can find architecture which is very unique and cannot be found anywhere in South India. Even the broken pieces of art speak stories…

To be continued…

Watching the entrance from a distance gives us an amazing feeling that we are about to move to the past. The entrance to the fort is huge with massive walls and bastions.  

The fort walls are constructed of massive granite stones and are still very intact. Earlier,  the fort walls were decorated with beautiful designs on brick and plaster but they all were destroyed during the invasions. A few plaques are remaining here and there. Thick bushes grew on the top of the wall and unreachable; Otherwise there is ample space for soldiers to mount them and keep and eye. The entrances to the fort used to be protected by stone doors then and we only see the opening without the doors now.  Three protective layers ensure the protection of what was once the inner precincts and centre of power.We passed through the walls to the Swayambhu Temple.

The Swayambhu temple is a very small temple which may seem like very insignificant but it was a very important place of worship then. There is a Siva Linga inside which is said to have emerged itself from the ground. There is a Nandi bull of 4 feet in height which sits elegantly in front of the temple. The bull is carved with nice designs on it depicting the craftsmanship of the era. There are various idols that are placed all around the temple. Some art works are also strewn here and there as you see in the picture. They are collected from other temples in the area which were razed down during the invasion.

Watching all these we feel nostalgic and reminds us of the good old days that the place had seen. It is quite sad that those masterpieces had to bear the brunt of human jealousy and greed.

To be continued…

We all have heard about the stories of Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi and Rani Kittur Chennamma of Belgaum, Karnataka who fought against the British Empire. We however do that know Rani Rudramba (also known as Rudrama Devi), who ruled a mighty Kingdom 600 years before the above mentioned and she was only fourteen when she took the kingdom in her hands.

This is the glorious story of the Kakatiya dynasty which flourished for 400 years and vanished without a trace. The only remains left now are two world famous temples, some broken idols, a barren fort and numerous stories and legends about the rulers.

The story of the Kakatiya dynasty and its rulers are well known to the people of Andhra Pradesh as we all read about them during our schooling. The picture you  see here, is one of the Kirtimukhatorana (the royal entrance) and this is the icon which all identifies the dynasty with.

The trip to this place was planned in a short time. It was just a one day trip, so did not require much of a planning. One of my friends, Ramana came along as he was also interested to visit the place. We started from home in his car, parked it in the Railway station and caught the Warangal Express. It was a quick journey of 2.5 hrs and we reach Warangal at around 9 in the morning. We had breakfast and set off to visit the fort.

Lets talk about the history of Warangal for a while.

The early history of Warangal is not known. Some historians regard them as Suryavamsi Kshatriyas, while some others connect them to Icchakuas of Andhra Pradesh. They are in some versions connected to the Sudra dynasty. These opinions are based on some inscriptions found in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. The Kakatiyas ruled in Telangana as subsidiaries of the Chalukyan kings. After the decline of the Chalukyas, they declared independence and moved their capital from Hanumakonda to Warangal.

Warangal and Hanumakonda as legend goes is linked with the dynasties of Great Vishnukundins and even prior to it also of the Buddhist periods of Indian History. Warangal is also known as Orugallu (Oru means one and Kallu means stone), and Ekasila Nagaram (a city made out of a single stone). From the middle of the 12th Century up to two hundred years, this area is ruled by the Kakatiyas or Ganapathis  making Warangal as Capital City.

Prolaraja is supposed to be the earliest kings of Kakatiyas. Rudra and Mahadeva succeeded as kings after Prolaraja. There after Ganapati became the king. Ganapati ruled for 62 years

Ganapati ruled for all total 62 years. Ganapati declared his daughter Rudramba as his successor. She had already been helping him in the administration of the kingdom. Ganapati was succeeded by his daughter Rudramba. In her early reign, she remained busy in the struggle with the neighbouring king.

It appears that Rudramba was succeeded by Pratapdeva who ruled for 4 years. No significant event took place during his reign. He was succeeded by his son Pratapa  Rudradeva, who was a very powerful ruler. A famous scholar named Vaidyanatha wrote `Prataprudriy`, which has immortalized Pratapa Rudradeva, who  is famous for his efficient administration.

The invasion of the Muslims was the chief cause of the decline of the Kakatiya dynasty. Rudradeva was attacked and defeated by Malik Kafur. Thereafter Bahmani Sultan Ahmad Shah conquered and occupied the kingdom of the Kakatiyas. Bahmani Sultanate later broke up into several smaller sultanates, of which the Golconda sultanate ruled Warangal. One of the branches of this dynasty ruled for some more time in Baster.

With the history of the place known, we enter the fort.

To be continued…