Thinking Loud.....

To all my readers, i wanted to start this long ago but I wasn't sure whether  there is anyone in this world who feel the same way I do about the things happened around here....

Irrespective of towns, cities and nations, wherever you live, whatever you do, feel free to write what you think about anything that happens around you, bothers you yet doesn't let you to talk about it. You may go through a million questions everyday as why is this like this? Why are we the way we are? Why does it happens like this? So many WHY ........Some of them might really make sense to you and for others too by sharing it here...So let`s go ahead and share....Some of them could be funny too, like for an example, when ever drive my car, I see all buses are filled with pretty women but the day i choose to take the bus, I find none inside, Why?

1. Public Interest....

This is a big word for which I am still trying to find the meaning for, from the point of view of public, government, organizations, individuals, etc. I have been always wondering whether we could do something to bring some meaning for this word in our country, ever.

we could spend hours together in the traffic where we complain about wasting our time but have we ever realized the the kind of fuel that we spent on? If we were to calculate the fuel wasted in the traffic by all the vehicles everyday, how much would that be in an year? Why is this made as a default acceptance for the public? Is ever Traffic Police Department condemned for not clearing the traffic? Have they ever been sued for letting a patient dying in the ambulance on the road due to traffic? When we buy a car, its normally said in the showroom that milage in the city and on the highways differently. Why should it be different? Isn't it the responsibility of the government to provide the traffic free roads for the road tax we pay for? Is there any definition of utility for the road tax we pay? Do we have any law that controls the concerned ministry stating that the money we pay, we must get certain facilities on road?

There are accidents due to the poor maintenance of the roads, lack of lighting, improper turning radius, improper speed breakers, etc. Does anyone ever filed a complaint against the any government in any city or country for not keeping the roads properly? If I run over my car on someone, thats a punishable crime. So then is this not a punishable crime where as a government, you provide a insufficient road facility and kill people? Do we have a clause in the law to look into the cause of the accident as improper road conditions and penalise the concerned department? 

...more to come ....

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta

I have specific reasons for writing this blog. Normally I write about the places I have visited and enjoyed are the ones on my list of blogging but this time I am wanted to write about a place where you feel more than happy and happy. There is something about this place makes me keep going back which is more than religion and the God.

This is a place you may want to visit for two good reasons. One is of course the Lord Krishna and the second one would be the nature. Though i would have visited the temple over a hundred times, it still don't get me bored.


I wanted to mention this for sure about the hill. When I have been there for the first time, in November 2004, I could never believe my eyes by the sight of the fog around and the chillness on the top. Have you ever felt the cold in the air drenches your jackets and sweaters? It happens there! And I guess only there!

Now, over the years seeing the place, i am sure i have seen this place at almost all the seasons, I still crave to be here for its beauty of the nature. Also the wild animals you see them on your way up is an added beauty. While you are climbing up, just take a look down. If you are lucky, you may see a herd of elephants roaming around the jungle freely may seem like a group of bumblebees to you.

Now lets get to the location and travel. Its located almost at the border of Karnataka and Tamilnadu, specifically in Bandipur. There are Government buses available in very selective number to take you all the way of 11kms steep up the hill. Alternatively you can also drive up in your car or bike where currently you have restrictions on timings for entry as well as exit and also on the time you spend up on the hill. I guess this is to make sure people don't end up partying on the hill since the nature most of the times turned out to be addictive. Not to mention about the road leads to the hill in a real bad shape. If two cars has to pass each other, then you really need to have good driving skills. So better stay on second gear for your safety.


If you choose to travel in the right time and right season and if you happen to be lucky, you may come across wild animals on your way. If you love to see the wild animals in wild, then you may want to cross your fingers for your luck. I still remember the day while i was getting down the hill and stood on my breaks to leave way for a tuskar to cross the road. Too hard to forget his eyes stared at me. Also there are tigers and bears which you may not find very common. From the hills you will be able to see continuity of hills belongs to all the three states Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala connects each other, covered with long grasslands and dense thick forests. Unfortunately these are protected areas and you may not want to invite trouble from the forest guards by trying to enter.

If you are a person who enjoys driving, your day starts from the moment you pass Mysore outskirts. In most of the seasons, both sides of the roads would be covered with sunflower fields. Years ago, there was chain of giant trees on both sides of the road but not anymore. When you are crossing Gundlupet, you may be able to the vegetable vendors on the road side. Don't miss them because most of these are garden fresh and come from Ooty. Fresh and good. 

I guess its enough of general information and lets get to know little about the temple. There is Wiki to help you to know the history but there are some doubts i have about this place. There are few areas in this hill which is prohibited to visit now but years ago when i was there, i did see wall kind of structure along the far side of the temple. Also you will be able to see a flat, stage sort of a platform and remainings of a building structure. Like every other temples, i believe this one also would have had walls around to protect the wealth of the temple which would have eroded in the past 700 years. Possibly this place would have been a structure built by the king to protect himself from the invaders since this is located in the borders of the old kingdoms and also the height would have been an added advantage to notice any intruders. Looking at the size of the temple, my strong sense is that it wasn`t built to be a regular temple for the people of the township but as to facilitate the residents of that fort or soldiers to offer their prayers.

There are reasons as why it is called as Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta. Betta in the local language means hill. Himavad means fog. This name could have come because of two reasons. One could be this hill is mostly covered by thick dense fog. The second reason is the statue of God in the temple has a speciality of water sprouting from the shoulders which is believed to be the condensed water from the fog or mist. As a tradition, after the pooja, the purohit sprinkles that water on the devotees as a prasadam however, i wonder why this isn't mentioned anywhere in the articles written on the net. Going back on the history, this idol was established by Sage Agastya. Also there is a pond called Hamsa Theertha and as per the mythological believes, a crow when it dipped into this pond reformed into a swan. Because of which there are no crows in this hill till today. Of course there could be some scientific reasons behind this yet the fact is just below the hill, you will be able to see a bunch of crows but none on the top. 

The garbha griha contains an idol of Krishna holding a flute under a tree. Krishna is flanked by his friends and the posture is that of a dance with the left big toe resting on the right one. The panel also features several characters and icons from Krishna's avatar.Lord Gopalaswamy's idol is flanked by his consorts,Rukmini and  Satyabhama. Cows and cowherds are featured towards the right side of the panel. Inside the temple at one corner you can spot a shed where the wooden wheels of the ceremonial temple car is kept. The car is assembled for the annual festival during the February-March (according to Hindu calendar Sravana of Phalguna).

Few cautions while you are visiting this place. Watch out for the entry timings because reaching all the way, the forest guards turning you back could be ridiculous. You may not be able to carry any food or plastic or any other consumable items on the hill but you can pack it and give it to the guards and pick it while you are returning. Don`t horn if you happen to encounter any wild animals, particularly elephants. Carry some winter jackets if you happened to go in the morning or evening hours. Last but not the least, just remember that its a religious place !!!

Bylakuppe - A Journey (what a start-up line, huh?)

This is the typical example of being desperate for a vacation. Though it was a place been visited a number of times, but pushed by all means, drove all the way to Kushal Nagar, burning your behind on the car seat for 5hrs.



This place always interests me by its Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. Check out my picture collection and you will understand why their architecture is stunning. I have never seen so many Avatar`s of Buddha and still wondering the significance. So called Golden temple made me look out for any structural piece made up of gold but i am still looking. Amazing colors, should admit. I don`t think there isn`t any colors that they have not used in this temple.




Quite a surprising thing to see the children are turned out to be monks. A line of monks walking towards the temple for offering their prayers is a picturesque. Later i came to know that once they complete their studies they can get rid off their monk status and can become a normal man leading a regular life and you and me. Weird, Huh?



I was made to understand by the locals that during the times of Indira Gandhi, refuges from Tibet were moved here and helped with the settlement. I could find interesting information on Wiki about the history ..check this out if you are interested to know the background of this town, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bylakuppe

















Few other interesting things about this place is, the spices; you get absolute fresh ones. Stay is pretty cheap and food is any day wonderful. Don`t miss to check out the restaurants at the camps. They serve awesome Tibetan food. Last but not the least, the shopping complex, right in front of the Golden Temple, believe me, you will for sure blow up a good amount out there not because they are expensive but they are just too cute to resist.

A Place to be SAVED

Before you read this, just make sure you are one of those who has the taste for mughal gardens and gets a spark ignites inside you when you see a tall, huge historical monuments.

One of those days, my job used to demand travel, I was landed in Bijapur, at the extreme end of Karnataka and Maharashtra. A little town with its own virginity isn`t lost yet. When I got in here, had a funny feeling that I am entering into a fort, sort of a feeling that i`ve gone 500 years back, huge watch towers done with unfinished black granite stones on either side, a long way in, welcomes you,,that's really crazy. Wonder why, I was keep looking at the watch towers(may be thinking of the ghosts of the mughal soldiers standing around?).

Quite a lot of places to look around and where ever you keep your foot down, the architecture, stuns you. At some point of time, you loose the time gap and slowly fall into the fashions of mughals(you have no clue, they really had a good time, huh!). You may not want to miss the places like Gol Gumbaz, Malik-e-Maiden:The master of the war front, Ibrahim rauza, and the list goes on which includes the wated body built for the queens to have bath where king can take position to watch them at right(all) angles.

Check out some of the pics I`ve taken when i was around and the recordings of the Eco you could hear at Gol Gumbaz.

Couple of additional attractions around are, Mudhol Hound dogs, some of their pure breeds are pretty cheap here since the place Mudhol is about 30Km from Bijapur and Lord Shiva`s statue, the biggest I`ve seen ever(well, biggest is an understatement), also the chicken kababs are sold in kilograms in the city,, hehehehe !!!!

After all this, you must be wondering why did I titled this blog as a place to be saved? Well, make a visit, its for you to find out. Have a safe travel and enjoy your stay.

check this out, if you are really interested,,,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijapur,_Karnataka

26/11..Why Are We The Way We Are?

I ain`t sure whether it is a day to remember or to forget.I even doubt how many of us can ever forget this day. My personal feeling about what happened to us is that a simple fact that was reinstated to us that an ant can make an elephant go crazy provided it gets into the ears. The best thing is though we read this story from our childhood, we never understand this, even after repeated proofs in the history.

the bottom line is, nothing can change us, we are and will be the way we are.

The Beginning

Well,,

I`m not too sure where to begin but since everything has a beginning, let`s call this as The Beginning. I`ve been always wondering to write some of my thoughts (irrespective of whether they are non-sense at times) to read it later to understand the flow of my mind and the way I looked at things in the past to the future but every time when I look at the notebooks, I get reminded of the beautiful trees behind the creation of that and i figured it ain`t right on my part to cause a waste (btw, spell check is not available on any notebooks which is also one of the reasons though).

Its so sounds crazy when i look back as the way my views changed towards the things that happens around me. There were times I used to think offering of few coins to the people asking for it at the traffic signals is the most sinful thing which develops laziness around the society. But, now a days, I make sure that there are coins in my dashboard so that I don`t have to tell them "no change". May be, I`ve changed my mind after reading this, " helping others isn`t charity, its humanity", I guess.

Isn`t it funny, a 360 degrees turn in the attitude?