Hornbill Festival - Nagaland

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Festivities are one thing all of us Indians love to be a part off. There are very popular ones, colourful ones and some are interesting ones like the Hornbill Festival, also called as the 'Festival of Festivals', in Nagaland.

Nagaland is home to several tribes, which have their own distinct festivals. To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December. A unique and enthralling experience from the land of blue rolling hills of Nagaland – Hornbill Festival in Kohima, beckons you during these days of December. Situated at an elevation of 1261 metres is the beautiful Kisama Valley near Kohima, exhibits the assemblage of 17 tribes.

The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in folklore in most of the state’s tribes.

The Hornbill Festival provides a colourful mixture of tribal dances, performances, crafts, parades, games, sports, food fairs and religious ceremonies. The festival both exposes the culture and tradition of tribal peoples, and reinforces Nagaland’s identity as a unique state in India’s federal union.

From local beverages and exciting cuisine, display of assorted traditional Naga culture in the form of dance and competition, a heritage motor car rally, Naga wrestling, a pork-fat greased pole climbing contest, great public art, fantastic momos and rice beer – a colourful cornucopia of all things Nagaland and North-East India. There is no dearth of options for immersing yourself in the Naga handloom and handicrafts in Kisama Village and night market in Kohima town. It’s photography unlimited at Hornbill Festival and beyond at the exotic locations in North-East India.

Traditional arts are also featured, with paintings, wood carvings and sculptures by modern Naga artists on display. Naga troupes sing folk songs, perform traditional tribal dances and play indigenous games and sports. In the evenings a programme of music concerts, catering for all tastes, ensure that the festive spirit continues through the night.One of the major highlights of this festival is the Hornbill International Rock Festival that is held at Indira Gandhi Stadium and local and international rock bands perform here.

And if you are a photographic enthusiast then to capture different colors all over you should attend the Hornbill Festival. Think about it.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

Ikkeri - Aghoreshwara Temple - Karnataka

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Most of us know about Jog falls near Sagara in Shimogga district. Mostly vehicles zip past heading to the roaring Jog Falls, around 30 kms from Sagara, and the serene backwaters of the River Sharavathi. However on this picture perfect monsoon season I do not seek today to talk about the natural beauty of the Western Ghats but about a small but beautiful temple built by kings of a forgotten kingdom of Nayakas that had its humble beginnings here in the countryside of modern day Sagara and at its zenith encompassed Malnad, coastal Karnataka, and parts of the Malabar Coast.

Ikkeri is a historical place located at a distance of 3 km from Sagara in Shimoga district.
The meaning of the word Ikkeri in Kannada language is Two Streets.

Ikkeri was the capital of the Keladi Nayakas for about 120 years. After Ikkeri the capital was moved to Nagara and then to Kavaledurga.

One of the very beautiful structures built by the Nayakas in 16th century is the Aghoreshwara Temple.
The Aghoreshwara temple in Ikkeri is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Built using laterite and combining the influences of Vijayanagar, Hoysala, Chalukyas, and Deccan architecture, the temple is the sole survivor of a bustling citadel which once stood here.

The carvings and sculptures are a treat for the senses—elephants flanking the ornamented entrances, miniature towers running around the temple in a frieze, elegant gods and goddesses with dancers and musicians, perforated window screens, vegetal scrolls, makaras, birds and kirtimukhas.An exquisite Nandi statue in a mandap faces the north doorway which leads to a large hall supported by engraved pillars of varied shapes and designs. The original deity, with apparently 32 arms that had graced the ornate pedestal in the sanctum, was destroyed during an invasion and replaced by a lingam which is worshiped till today.
On the ceiling of the open hall adjoining the main shrine can be found a sculpture of Gandaberunda, a mythical two headed bird of unimaginable strength often illustrated carrying elephants in its beak and talons.

Incase you visit this place during the monsoons, the beauty of the place is surely seen to be multiplied. The rain caresses the red temple walls adorned with carved flowers and disappears in the cracks of the stone courtyard and the small tanks which drain from the shrines. The empty eyes of worn out figurines which line the outer walls gaze into nothingness pining for the days gone by, but all that survives is a faint memory of the artists and patrons, who preserved their dreams in stone, defying the tenacity of the unmerciful rain.

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1000 pillar temple - Hanamakonda -Telengana

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The District of Warangal  in Telengana State hosts an amazing collection of attractive places.

The Thousand Pillar Temple in Hanamakonda is one such jewel. Despite being ravaged by Muslim invasions, the temple stands testimony to the singular architectural styles of the Kakatiyan dynasty and an important tourist place of Warangal city.

Built under the able supervision of Kakatiya Rudradeva in 1163, the temple is one of the best examples of Kakatiyan architectural genius. The temple is called as “Sri Rudreshwara Swamy Temple” named after the Kakatiya Ruler Rudradeva. The entrance gateways, ceilings and pillars of the structure are all embellished with elaborate and exquisite carvings. The temple with thousand pillars and the unique star shape of the temple is an architectural marvel in itself and among the ancient temples of Telangana and also India. This style of Kaktiyan Architecture is called as “Trikootalaya”.

The thousand pillars that support the temple structure and from which it derives its name is perhaps the most interesting thing that is worth a look. Each of these pillars bears beautiful carvings of motifs that remind one of the Kakatiyan style. Sculptures representing the art styles of the by-gone eras grace the walls of this ancient temple; ornate and exquisite, each wall within the temple is an absolute poetry in stone.

The temple houses the shrines of Lord Shiva (Rudreshwar), Lord Vishnu and Lord Surya. In addition to the three presiding deities, the temple precincts are also strewn with several lingam shrines.

There are many interesting facts about Thousand Pillar Temple. It’s is still believed that there is an underground route from Warangal Fort to this temple which was build by Kakatiya ruler and also beleived that the Kakatiya ruler used this route to visit this temple.

Other interesting fact is the temparature inside the temple is always cool. One should sit in the temple to feel the cooling effect even in hot summer. It is beleived that this cooling effect is because of the special soft wet sand used at the foundation level which is connected to Bhadrakali Lake through a pipe connection.

Most notable among its sculptures is that of a giant Nandi that is present within the temple premises. The monolithic structure is made of black basalt and has a polish that shines brightly even today. This majestic structure is a strong reminder of the glorious history of the Kakatiya rulers in their capital city of Warangal.

On your next visit to Warangal, make sure you step into this place.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

Sharavathi Valley Trek

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You must have seen beautiful pictures (Some of you may have been there too) of Amazon River flowing through the thick Amazon forests in Brazil. If you want to have a glimpse of how it could look you should visit some beautiful Valleys down in South India. Sharavathi Valley in Karnataka is one of the many. And if you are a trekking enthusiast, you should not miss this place.

The untouched Sharavathi valley is an ideal destination to explore, discover, and have a mesmerising experience in the tranquil surroundings. This valley formed by the river Sharavathi is part of the Western Ghats. The valley can be seen on the way from Jog falls (or Sagar) to Honnavara. 

Declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1972, Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is part of Sharavathi river basin. Its spread in over an area of 431.23 km. The sanctuary comprises of thick evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. The altitude in the sanctuary varies from 94 to 1102 meters. Its rich in both flora and fauna. The sanctuary also includes a large part of the Linganamakki reservoir formed by the dam constructed on Sharavathi River by Karnataka Power Corp.

Sharavathi valley is a collective vast area that hosts innumerable streams that culminate in the majestic Sharavathi. Several magnificent waterfalls adorn the area. The major waterfalls are at Gudanagundi, Belligundi, Dabbe, Bhimeshwara. 

Meghane is the highest peak in the whole range of Sharavathi valley, and from the top, one can have a breathtaking panoramic view of Sharavati valley and also the Arabian Sea. Forests of Kanur are part of this vast valley, and there is an old fort in the forest, which has been discovered only by a handful of people.

The high-land hill called Basavanabayi has a temple on the peak, stream glides across the temple. A waterfall provides the backdrop to this peak. 

The valley predominantly comprises of evergreen to semi-evergreen forest along with moist deciduous type of forests. One can also find patches of scrub savannah, grasslands, marshy areas and plantation of acacia, cash crops like areca and rubber.

One of the trekking trail starts from Karni. You can reach Karni from Bangalore via Kargal. A jeep trail leads you to Karni from Kargal. Trek along the Belligundi stream from Karni to reach the top of a fall, enjoy the splendid surrounding, and trek to Padubeedu, where you can camp at a tribal house. You can follow a trekking trail that leads you to the base of Belligundi falls, and then trek back to Padubeedu.

Pack your bags to Sharavathi Valley soon.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

Dhebar Lake - Rajasthan

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Many of you might have seen this lake in Rajasthan.... Dhebar Lake (Also known as Jaisamand Lake).... But what's interesting about this place is this is an artificially created one and is the second largest artificial lake in the whole of Asia. (considered largest now as Upper Lake in Bhopal which was largest till now is getting dried up due to lack of rainfall).

It is located in the Udaipur District of Rajasthan state (45km from Udaipur city). It has an area of 87 km² (34 sq mi) when full, and was created in the 17th century when Rana Jai Singh of Udaipur built a marble dam across the Gomati River. (Yes they built Dam using Marble) When built this lake was the largest artificial lake in the world.
The lake is surrounded by Jaisamand Wildlife Sanctuary which protects 162 km², mostly teak forest, on the shores of Dhebar Lake. and the sancturay has a lot of flora and fauna including panther, wild boar, deer, four-horned antelope, mongoose and various species of migratory birds.

The lake has a total number of 3 islands measuring from 10 to 40 acres (160,000 m²) each. The Dhebar Lake Marble Dam is 300 Meters long and is a part of the "Heritage Monuments of India". The dam also has the Hawa Mahal Palace (not the one in Jaipur), winter Capital of the erstwhile Maharanas of Mewar.

If you just read the story below, you just cannot imagine, how kind some Kings were and the effort these guys put to protect their subjects. And just cannot imagine how rich they were.

During the reign of Maharana JAI SINGH (1680–1698), there was a great need for water for cultivation in Mewar's southeastern corner. The Maharana emulated his father (Maharana RAJ SINGH I who built RAJSAMAND LAKE) by damming a small river, the Gomati, and building a massive embankment; the height of the dam is 36.6 meters. Jai Singh named the resultant lake JAISAMAND after himself - its often-used nickname is 'Ocean of Victory' ('mand' meaning 'ocean'). On the day of its inauguration, June 2, 1691, Maharana Jai Singh walked around the dam charitably distributing gold equal to his own weight. (No wonder the world used to and may be even now envy us)
Dhebar Lake has elegant steps leading to the water and marble Chhatri (cenotaphs) on its bank with a small Shiv temple that marks the grace of the lake. On either side are the palaces built for the past kings favourite queens.

The statistics of the lake is really amazing – 9 miles (14 km) in breadth, 102 feet (31 m) deep at its deepest end, a circumference of 30 miles (48 km), with marble staircases leading into the water. The summer palaces of the Queens of Udaipur surround Dhebar Lake on all sides.

Incase you have not seen this during your Rajasthan visit you should include it the next time.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

Train Journey - Koraput Rayagada

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Train journey is one which most of us have always enjoyed. As the train traverses though the beautiful fields or on the bridges crossing mighty rivers or though some beautiful tunnels, just watching out of the window getting into our pensive mood with that back ground music of "tak tak.. tak tak" sound itself is a heartwarming experience.

We in India have one of the largest railway network in the world and you will never find shortage of beautiful and scenic routes in every nook and corner of the country.

Koraput-Rayagada a train route in Odisha, is one of the route you need to take to experience one such beautiful journey.
Popularly known as KR line, The railway section is a broad-gauge railway line connecting Koraput-Rayagada. The 173-kilometre long railway line operates in Odisha. The Koraput to Rayagada railway line passes through the dark and dense forests, meadows,water falls and terraced valleys. Rayagada region is known for scenic beauty and heritage on the land of tribal Odisha, an unexplored paradise.

Nestled in the tribal heartland of the Eastern Ghats and covering around 173 km, this single line track is an offshoot from the Kirandul-Kothavalasa (KK) line, and traverses steep heights, deep tunnels and tall viaducts. Koraput is about 2,850 ft above the sea level and the 4-hour journey till Rayagada at 680 ft is a tumble through green cliffs, horse-shoe curves, emerald forests and rich farmland. There is one place not too miss... the place called Raoli, lying at one end of a horse-shoe curve on the line. Rayagada is rich in mineral resources and offers a unique mix of tribal heritage, natural beauty and industrial development.

Try it out when you go towards this direction of India.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

Bangalore Blue

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Closer home again today. This is one fruit you would have had quite a number of times, but wouldn't have realized that it is a special one. Bangalore Blue Grapes.

Bangalore blue grape, also simply called Bangalore Blue, is a variety of fox grape grown in districts around Bangalore. It is one of the three major varieties of grape in the Karnataka (the other two being Thomson seedless and Anab-E-Shahi Dilkush).

Bangalore Blue, characterized by its 'foxy flavor', is exclusively grown in Bangalore Urban, Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts. Its cultivation has been going on for the past 150 years in about 5,000 hectares.

Authentic Bangalore Blue grapes need to be grown in red sandy loam soil at a day temperature of about 35-37 degrees Celsius and night temperature of 12-15 degree Celsius which is unique to Bangalore and its surrounding areas. 

Bangalore Blue is closely related to the American Concord variety which has a strong natural resistance against phylloxera bugs. The variety has a "foxy flavor" and a soft skin. It is known to have anti-cancer and anti-ageing properties, as demonstrated by modern research.
The grape is mainly used for raw consumption, making jams and jellies, juice and juice concentrates; and in fortified wines.

So next time you have this fruit, you can feel special about it.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA

Mysore Ganjifa

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Playing cards has been one of the best pass times from centuries in this country. Yes, not the type we do today. Possibly its the westerners who have gained from us.  It was really colorful the way people here played. To know the kind of playing, you should know about "Ganjifa" Cards.

“Ganjifa” is the name given to an ancient Indian card game.

Originally the one thousand years old playing cards from India were known as Kreeda Patra in Sanskrit.

During the Mughal rule and with the advent of handmade paper ,the indoor game became a royal pastime and was patronized by the Badshas. It was during this period that with the Persian and Arabic Influence the Kreeda Patra was called Ganjifa Ganj means money or treasure and playing  for stakes became a favorite diversion among the aristocrats.

The cards are typically circular although some rectangular decks have been produced. This was a game that was popular and played across Medieval India. Each region in the country had its own form of the game. There was the Sawantwadi Ganjifa from Maharashtra, Navadurga Ganjifa from Orrisa, Rajasthan and Gujrat Ganjifa , Kashmir Ganjifa, Nepal Ganjifa and the Mysooru Ganjifa which was greatly patronized by the Mysore Royal family, The Wodeyars during their reign.

Mysooru Ganjifa, given that the main aim of the game was to teach, learn and tell stories from our ancient scriptures and holy books, all the 18 games in the Mysooru Ganjifa Style were set to stories and shloka’s from the Hindu Purana’s, stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata etc. The Dashavatara Ganjifa which is a series based on the 10 different forms of the Hindu God Vishnu was the most popular of the 18 Ganjifa games and is the best known to this day. The Dashavatara Ganjifa has a set of 120 different playing cards.

Each cards were sensitively hand painted with super fine squirrel hair brushes using Vegetables and mineral colors in miniature style. Various  mediums like Ivory, tortoise shell, mother of pearl, gold and silver in circular and rectangular shapes. Ganjifa Cards were created on handmade paper, cloth or sandalwood.

The old state of Mysore saw a great cultural and religious revival under Mommudi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1794-1868).The Maharaja was the author of –among many books-the monumental ‘Sri Tatwanidhi’ the last chapter of which describes a 18 packs of cards(Kreeda Patra) invented and designed by ruler and his artists. These Kreeda Patras were also known as Chada or DevaraAata (God’s Game) in Karnataka.

Though this craft was a remarkable instance of the superb craftsmanship the Ganjifa artists with the introduction of European Cards in 19th century the adoration of Ganjifa gradually went down and viewers as well as the players got much attracted to the stylized figures of French King, Queen and Jack.

But not to worry there is one man who has revived this art of Mysooru Ganjifa to some extent. Raghupathi Bhat.
Raghupathi Bhat revived Mysore Ganjifa Paintings in the early 1980’s (1981-1982). He chanced upon 200 years old Ganjifa originals and he was attracted to the beauty  of the paintings and was fascinated with the fact that these cards had stood the test of time and not lost any of their original beauty.Later after a lot of research , God gifted skills and with his immense knowledge  he successfully re-created large numbers of Ganjifa Paintings and conducted workshops and trained hundreds of artisans so far.

Raghupathi Bhat had established the Ganjifa Art museum in Sri Rangapatna in 1991 and was shifted that to Mysore Wellington house in 1994 which was the World’s first Ganjifa Museum.

You can know more about this here http://mysoreganjifa.com/ and may buy some from here for your collection.

You can also buy other Ganjifa's here http://ganjifa-kishor.com/sale.htm

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA AND BHARATHIYA

Raghupathi Bhat

Sela Pass

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Usually when you ask many people to name the highest motor-able pass in the world, immediately you'll get an answer that it is the Khardungla Pass in Ladakh Region. And I know that some of you have driven in this. But there are many passes in India which are very high and gives you an extraordinary experience when you drive through it.

Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh is one of the many we have here. And some bikers in this group may have been through this pass.
Sela Pass, also known as Se La, is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 4,170 m (13,700 ft) above the sea level, located in Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. It’s among the most frequented tourist destination in the whole of Arunachal Pradesh.
The road's winding design, providing stunning panoramic views, is very curvy and fun for a leisurely ride, so it pays to take it slow. It connects the Buddhist city of Tawang Town to Tezpur and Guwahati and is the main road connecting Tawang with the rest of India.
The view of Sela lake enroute is just majestic. The climb is simply terrible, with a notorious lack of oxygen that tests the organisms and a high degree of steepness. The ever-windy Sela Pass gets heavy snow in winters and is usually open throughout the year unless landslides or snow require the pass to be shut down temporarily. This place is snowed in most of the year and offers excellent and heavenly views all year round.  The air is thin, oxygen is less and one gets tired and starts panting very soon. Despite this the experience of just being there is exhilarating.
You should know why this pass is named as Sela. It wouldn't be wrong when you say that war and romance meet at this pass.
Sela was a local girl who loved Jaswant, an Indian soldier against her father’s wishes. During the Indo-China war, Jaswant Singh single-handedly fought the Chinese for three days by fooling them while Sela brought him ammunition and food from the camp.
The story goes that Jaswant positioned himself on a hill top in a long trench and placed rifles to give an impression that the entire army was behind him. Finally he was betrayed by Sela’s father and was captured and beheaded by the Chinese. Sela in agony committed suicide by jumping from a hillock. A brass bust of Jaswant is kept in Jaswant Garh, also the site of the battle. Sela has a pass at 13,700 feet named after her.
Being there, anyone would feel that if there’s any place that defines heaven on earth? Then this is it.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA